François Minart looked at his watch. “I must go. I am sorry. I am late.” It was obvious I wasn’t going to get anything out of him. He walked off, leaving me standing there with the lovely Lisette.

“Was it good for you?” she asked.

“Oh yes. Very good. I’m interested in anything about the pharmaceutical industry.”

We walked back to the press center together. On the message board was an envelope with my name on it. I assumed it was probably Lynn Frenzel from the foreign desk, wanting to know whether I would be filing anything that day. But it was from Arthur, and it was very brief. “Need to talk. Come to my room, ASAP.”

29

29

Arthur Bowman was pacing like an animal in a cage when I reached his suite. He couldn’t stay still. He’d sit for a few moments in the living room, wander into the bedroom to fetch something, then bolt out to the balcony. I told him that Peyron had agreed to see me that afternoon, but he barely paid attention. He wasn’t talking so much as snarling: “What assholes!” he’d mutter, and then stalk off. “Who do they think I am?” he’d say, pointing his finger at me angrily. “I am not going to play their game anymore.” I still had no idea what he was talking about, except that he was very upset. I’d never seen him quite like this. He was normally a man who prized decorum and self-control, and here he was spinning his wheels, without enough traction even to explain to me what had happened.

“Let’s take a walk,” he said finally. “I need some air.”

We were soon out on Jianguomenwai Dajie, the crowded main street that led toward Tiananmen Square. I looked back toward the hotel to see if anyone was following us. “Don’t!” Bowman said sharply. “If they see you looking for surveillance, they’ll only be more suspicious. Just keep walking and talk quietly, and make sure nobody’s too close.”

“What in the hell happened?” I asked in a voice just above a whisper. “Why are you so upset?”

“They went too far. Just like I told you they would. Fuck them! Who do they think they’re dealing with? Those cocksuckers.” He was boiling over again.

“Calm down, Arthur. Just tell me what happened.”