The Prisoner's Gold

31

The team arrived in China on the private jet after a grueling fifteen-hour trip across Europe and Asia, made two hours longer by a refueling stop in Bahrain. They had all slept in varying amounts on the way over, but none of them felt well rested when Papineau handed their passports to the customs officer. The man barely glanced at the documents before stamping them and handing them back — not that anyone was surprised.

Papineau had connections all over the world.

‘What’s first?’ asked McNutt, who had convinced the team it would be much easier to procure weapons in the smuggler’s haven of Hong Kong than mainland China.

‘We check into our hotel and try to sleep,’ Cobb said. ‘Tomorrow we pick up our supplies. Tomorrow night we fly to Beijing. So get some rest tonight.’

Papineau nodded his approval. ‘I am relieved to hear you say that. I think we could all do with some time off.’

During their long flight, Maggie had translated the journal that they had acquired from the gallery. The guard’s notes painted a detailed picture of his torture sessions with Marco Polo, but nothing in his narrative stood out except for a reference to ‘a crumbling barrier that stretched across the land for as far as the eye could see.’

To a layman, the description would seem trivial.

Thankfully, Maggie understood its true importance.

Many of Polo’s harshest critics believed his tales of the Far East were fabricated because he never mentioned the Great Wall in any of his writings, but this quote would change everything. Finally, there was evidence that would silence his skeptics forever.

Still, something bothered Maggie about the quote.

If Polo found the Wall to be so impressive, why did he never speak of it again?

Eventually, she came up with a theory on her own.

Maybe the Wall played a vital role in the location of the treasure.

As expected, Maggie led the group outside to the limousine that Papineau had arranged. Unlike during her two weeks in Florida where she sometimes struggled to fit in with the team dynamic, her confidence was soaring now that she was back on familiar turf.

‘Hector, is this your first time in Hong Kong?’ she asked.

Garcia nodded. ‘I don’t travel much. I work best in an air-conditioned room with tons of computing power.’

‘Then I’m sure you’ll feel right at home while we visit the Great Wall. The hotel in Beijing is world-class.’

Garcia raised his eyebrows in surprise. ‘You’re going with them? I figured you’d hang back with me. You know, doing the academic thing.’

She shook her head. ‘The man we’re meeting is an old friend of mine. He’ll be much more forthright with his answers if I’m asking the questions.’

As the team climbed into the limo, the driver glanced in the rearview mirror. ‘Your destination?’

Papineau answered. ‘The Peninsula Hotel, please.’

Garcia’s eyes lit up. ‘We’re staying at the Peninsula?’

‘Yes,’ Papineau said. ‘Why? Is there a problem?’

‘No, sir. Great choice,’ Garcia said with a smile. Unlike the rest of the group, Garcia knew the Peninsula Hotel and its fleet of Rolls Royce courtesy cars had been featured in The Man with the Golden Gun, one of his favorite James Bond films. ‘Couldn’t be happier.’

‘Thank you,’ Papineau said warmly. ‘I’m glad someone appreciates my effort.’

Sarah rolled her eyes and changed the subject. ‘Maggie, I don’t mean to be nosy, but what were you telling Hector about your friend in Beijing?’

‘His name is Dr Chu Shen, and he is a leading authority on the Great Wall of China.’

‘And you think he’ll be able to shed some light on Polo’s travels?’ she asked.

Maggie nodded. ‘In addition to being an expert on the Great Wall, he’s an expert on Chinese history. If anyone can tell us about the connection between Polo and the Wall, it is Professor Chu.’

After that, the ride along the North Lantau Highway was quiet for a while. Each jet-lagged passenger took in the relatively dull sights of the vegetation covering the retaining walls on one side of the road and the scenic mountains of Lantau Island on the other. Occasionally they would catch a glimpse of the sea.

Eventually, McNutt spoke. ‘Where are all the skyscrapers?’

Maggie answered. ‘They are all on Hong Kong Island. We are on Lantau Island now. We’ll cross the Ma Wan channel to the mainland and then swing around south toward Tsim Sha Tsui. You’ll see all the buildings then. The view from the hotel is quite amazing.’

McNutt grinned. He was wide awake while Cobb and Garcia were fast asleep. Sarah was nodding off with glazed slits for eyes. ‘Say that name again.’

‘Which one?’

‘Chim Cha Choi. What’s that?’

Maggie corrected him. ‘Tsim Sha Tsui. It’s an area of Kowloon.’

‘Cow-loon? Is that where mad-cow disease comes from? If so, I need to stay away from that place. I like a good burger, but I don’t get along with farm animals. They sense my hatred, I think. Or maybe they smell burgers on my breath. Whatever the case, no cows for me.’

Maggie smiled at McNutt’s rambling and gently patted him on the knee like a Victorian schoolmistress correcting a wayward student. ‘Hong Kong is actually a collection of a few places: Hong Kong Island; the peninsula of Kowloon, which points downward toward the island; and an area known as the New Territories. There are also two hundred other islands that fall under the collective name of Hong Kong.’

‘So the Peninsula Hotel — that’s on Kowloon?’ McNutt asked.

‘Correct. It is at the very southern tip of the peninsula, hence the name. So your view of the harbor between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island will be impressive.’

‘And the Tsim place?’

‘The southern portion of the Kowloon peninsula, where the best shopping is located.’

McNutt pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket and read the name he had scribbled earlier. ‘And where is … Wan Chai? I need to head there, later today.’

‘Wan Chai? It’s the business district, right across the harbor from the hotel. You can take a ferryboat across the water, if you’d like. What do you need in Wan Chai?’

‘Something special … just for me.’

The grin on his face told her it was a weapon.

‘Would you like me to come with you? I know the area quite well.’

‘No thanks,’ McNutt said. ‘These guys will only deal with me.’