THE NIGHT WAS STILL YOUNG WHEN PlTT AND JULIA LEFT ST. Julien Perlmutter's carriage house. Pitt turned the Duesenberg around and drove out the driveway toward the street. He stopped before entering the traffic. The two Ford vans driven by the special bodyguards from the security company hired by Peter Harper were not parked and patiently waiting at the curb. They were nowhere in sight.

"It seems we've been abandoned," said Pitt, his foot firmly on the brake pedal of the Duesenberg.

Julia looked puzzled. "I don't understand. I can think of no reason why they would desert us."

"Maybe they decided we were boring, and they drove to a sports bar to watch basketball."

"Not funny," Julia said grimly.

"Then it's deja vu all over again," Pitt noted with deceptive calm. He leaned across Julia, reached into a side pocket on the door, pulled out the old .45 Colt that he had reloaded, and handed it to her. "I hope you haven't lost your touch since our escapade on the Orion River."

She shook her head vigorously. "You're exaggerating the danger."

"No, I'm not," he argued. "Something is seriously wrong. Take the gun, and if you have to, use it."

"There must be a simple explanation for the vans' departure."

"One more prognostication of Pitt's precognition. The pockets of the Immigration and Naturalization Service are not as deep as the pockets of Qin Shang Maritime Limited. I suspect Harper's private security guards were paid double to pack up and go home."

Julia snatched the radio transmitter from her purse. "This is Dragon Lady. Come in, Shadow, and give me your position." She patiently waited for a response, but her only reply was static. She repeated the message four times but received no answer. "This is inexcusable!" Julia snapped.

"Can you raise anyone else with your call box?" Pitt asked cynically.

"No, it's only good for about two miles."

"Then it's time to—" Pitt stopped in midsentence as the two vans suddenly turned the corner of the block and pulled up at the curb, one on each side of the Duesenberg, which was still sitting in the driveway. They left barely enough room for the Duesenberg's wide, flowing fenders to pass into the street between them. They showed no headlights, only parking lights. The figures inside looked vague and shadowy through the darkened, solar-coated windows.

"I knew nothing was wrong," said Julia, squinting at Pitt with a know-it-all look. She spoke into her radio transmitter again. "Shadow, this is Dragon Lady, why did you leave your positions around the carriage house?"

This time a voice answered almost immediately. "Sorry Dragon Lady, we thought it best to circle the block and look for any suspicious vehicles. If you are ready to leave, please give us your destination."

"I don't buy it," Pitt said, eyeing the distance between the two parked vans while gauging the passing traffic on the street. "One van should have remained in position while the other circled the block. You're an agent. Why am I telling you?"