Free Darkness Under Heaven by F. J. Chase Page B

suit.”
    â€œLike a Kangol cap?”
    â€œNo, no, I hate those. Dress hat, matching the suit. Just right.”
    â€œI never look good in hats,” Doctor Toussaint mentioned sadly.
    â€œYou should have seen it, Regine. They led me all the way into the basement of police headquarters, and it sounds like a cliché to say it felt menacing, but it did. Therewas a room filled with Chinese policemen, all with their arms crossed and refusing to say a word. They gave new meaning to the word hostile. They brought Brandi into this room, and as soon as she saw me she started the pathetic wailing act she does so well to get her way. Now, I do not know what to do. I can’t examine her in this room full of policemen, and she won’t stop crying. Am I supposed to say something to the Chinese? I’m the surgeon, right? There isn’t a stressful situation I can’t handle, and I was petrified.”
    â€œDon’t blame yourself. It sounds scary.”
    â€œMy knees were literally knocking together. And then this burly little guy strolled in and took complete control of the situation. Unbelievably cool. He quieted Brandi down in about ten seconds flat. The Chinese were trying to pressure him into one thing after another. And he just deflected it, without a hint of anger or even annoyance. In five minutes time he had them fidgeting around. I would have signed anything, just to get out of there. And everyone knew he was ready to spend the night to get what he wanted. Not only did he insist on an English translation of all the documents, he spent fifteen minutes amending them before he signed them.”
    â€œIt sounds like I need him to negotiate my next contract.”
    â€œYou’d be the highest paid doctor in the country. It was amazing. And then when we left Brandi started acting up again in the car.”
    â€œThe same diva act?”
    â€œWell, she was a little tired, so she wasn’t on the top of her game. But the volume was right up there. But then this man Avakian took control again, just by telling her the facts of life as if he could care less one way or the other.Never raised his voice. Brandi didn’t know what to do. And listen to this. When she asked how she was going to compete after this, this is what he said: if you really cared, you would have paid for your shopping instead of trying to lift it.”
    Doctor Toussaint laughed uproariously. “Oh, I wish I had said that! This is the problem with being a doctor instead of a…what on earth is he, anyway?”
    â€œSomething to do with security.”
    â€œA spy? Darlin’, no wonder he got you so excited.”
    â€œI don’t think so. One of the Chinese officers called him Colonel. And he did not get me excited, Regine.”
    â€œWe always succumb to the man of mystery.”
    â€œOh, please. At least I got to practice some medicine so he wouldn’t think I was completely useless.”
    â€œDid you ask him out?”
    â€œI was going to, but I froze again. But he asked me. We’re having dinner.”
    â€œLet’s hope he’s not married.”
    Doctor Rose sat up in her chair, suddenly concerned. And then, “I didn’t see a ring.”
    â€œChild, that doesn’t necessarily mean a thing.”

4
    O h, you should have known better than to go to the gymnastics competition, Avakian told himself. You should have known that hanging around the stadium with nothing to do was first going to drive you crazy, and then make you want to start running around correcting things. That would be great. You could be the kind of old fart colonel you always despised, sticking your nose into everything and giving the young ’uns the benefit of your wisdom. Stay in your lane, he kept telling himself. You’d rip the lips off anyone who poked his nose in your job. Oh, it was going to be a great day.
    At least the Chinese were doing everything right. They’d taken a page out of