“Something to do with a physical condition that was aggravated because of something you did or didn’t do? I don’t know. He’s playing God because he thinks that’s what you did. You made him lose face or made him poor or put him in jail, where he picked up a disease. I don’t know. You need to go back over those three threats and find out what happened to the men you incensed.”

“How do I do that?”

“Has bereavement really left you so empty of ideas? The French have released their records on their involvement in the colonies. Their reports are on public record. It shouldn’t be that hard to locate a major incident that occurred during the last few days of French control in Saigon. And our good friend, Seksan, acting caretaker-cum-ambassador at the politically clogged French embassy, has a lot of time on his hands. I’ll send him over some noodles and see what he can do.”

Siri smiled. Daeng was at her most desirable when she was organizing. Nobody did it better.

“Now, as for the Americans,” she said, “I’m sure they can tell you what became of long-nose Henry once they found out he was a fraud.”

“We still don’t speak English,” he reminded her.

“Which would have been a problem before the gorgeous, speaks-fluent-Lao, movie star Cindy came on the scene. They don’t have a single thing to do at the US embassy. I’m sure she’d be delighted to thumb through a few files, especially if you were leaning over her, breathing onto her neck.”

“You’d trust me alone with her?”

“I know your fancy: mature, slightly overweight and armed.”

“That’s true. She could never compete. What about Paris?”

“As you are one of the few residents of 1932 Paris still alive, I think we need help from someone with a good memory. And I reckon we’d have a chance with the oral history traditions of the Corsicans.”

“And where do we find a Corsican at this time of night?”

“How about this for a suggestion,” said Daeng. “We stroll ten minutes down the road to the Nam Poo fountain, where we will find the open-air bar of Dani and his Lao wife.”

“Dani’s a Corsican? I thought he was Serbian.”

“Dani’s father was a pilot with Air Opium in the glory days of trafficking. I’m sure he could help us with some history, and, if we’re good, with a cold pitcher of beer.”

“Dr. Siri,” she said. “What a nice surprise to see you here.”

“They told me this was a famous hangout for foreign diplomats,” said Siri.