Shan’s gaze shifted to Major Xun. “Amah Jiejie found them in a file taped to the bottom of a drawer in your desk. What was your phrasing? Oh yes, ‘The smelly old ass won’t know the difference.’ I thought you meant the colonel at first but then you replied that he was half-blind anyway. We were confused about that until we intercepted the earlier emails. Your arrogance blinded you to the fact that the Commissar and Colonel Tan are old compatriots. The Commissar didn’t know he had signed off on switching twenty million to your control, not to mention a diversion of heavy equipment from his highway project. Twenty million is a lot. You probably do have secret accounts in Hong Kong, come to think of it. And imagine when we confront those contractors who worked at the dam when they were supposed to be on other projects. They will be scrambling all over each other to make confessions, hoping for leniency. Beijing’s enforcement policy against corruption is very effective. You know how it works. First one in gets immunity, everyone else a bullet. Or maybe they will just go with murder charges, that might be more politically palatable.” He shifted his gaze to Xun. “Of course, things will go more quickly for you, Major. A military court doesn’t get bogged down in bureaucracy. How long do you suppose, Colonel, before a bullet is reserved for Xun’s head?”

“Did you kill Jampa?” Tan demanded of his chief of staff.

“Not exactly.” Xun sneered. “He was still alive when I left him in that alley. He didn’t resist, just started one of those damned mantras.”

“Less than a month,” Tan replied to Shan. “And I will reserve for myself the honor of pulling that particular trigger.”

“Then there is the warden at the 404th,” Shan added. “He will sing for his life when we tell him that you have all confessed.”

“Never!” Huan shouted. “This changes nothing! We will just advance our plans. None of you leaves the mountain alive!” He stepped toward Tan, who fixed him with a cool, level gaze. “Including you, old man. Xun will step into your office. I will become head of Public Security in Lhadrung County. We will have plenty of time to clean up all the loose ends, like that old hag of a secretary you have.” He raised the pistol at Tan, ten feet away. Tan reacted only with a taunting grin. Huan fired.

Tan shuddered and clamped his hand over his upper arm. Blood oozed out around his fingers. Huan laughed and raised his gun again but as he fired, a figure speeding out of the trees crashed into him. The pistol fired twice as Huan and his assailant hit the ground.