He knew what was coming and sighed. “Can’t it wait?”

“Now!”

They walked into the detectives’ room, faces turning towards them in eager anticipation. Margaret marched straight through and into Li’s office, her face like the thunder rumbling among the storm clouds gathering in the heat outside. Reluctantly, and to the disappointment of the detectives, Li followed her in and closed the door behind him.

“You bastard!” Margaret almost spat at him. “That’s why you took me along this morning. So I would lie for you!”

Li shrugged innocently. “How could I know you would lie for me?” Her eyes narrowed angrily and she wanted to punch him and kick him, to hurt him any way she could. “Why did you?” he asked.

She turned her head away, counting up to five to herself, trying to keep control. “That’s a good question. I’ve been asking it myself. I think . . .” She tried to keep her breathing slow and steady. “I think because I didn’t want to make your uncle ashamed of you.” A sudden thought made her turn to face him again, eyes blazing. “Is that why you took me to see him this afternoon? So I would like him, and not want to see him dishonoured by the behaviour of his nephew?”

“Of course not.”

“I can’t believe how stupid I was not to realise this morning why you took me to the stadium. You wanted a witness. Someone of unimpeachable character. Someone you knew wasn’t going to rat on you, no matter how much they disapproved of what you did.” She waited for some kind of reaction. None came. “Are you going to deny it?”

He couldn’t think of anything to say. She stood for several moments, glaring at him, and then quite unexpectedly started to laugh. He looked at her in amazement. “What’s so funny?”

“You. No, not you. Me. I actually thought you were shy. And sensitive.”

“I am,” he protested, a smile breaking across his face.

“You”—she jabbed a finger at him—“are a selfish, insensitive, calculating, cold-blooded bastard. And you’d better buy me dinner, ’cos I’m fucking starving!”

It was after seven thirty as the BMW swung south down the west side of Tiananmen Square. Great dark storm clouds were gathering in the evening sky. The light was a strange pink colour, as if the world were covered in a film of it. The air was oppressive, the heat almost unbearable. A hot wind gusted among the crowds in the square, blowing kites high into the blue-grey sky above the Great Hall of the People.