The major disappeared behind a large gate. Li led Shan into the anteroom of the assembly hall, switched on a lightbulb and gestured toward a rough wooden table surrounded by stools. Shan studied the wiring, which was new. Few of the remote gompas were wired for electricity.

Li made a gesture that swept the room. "We have done what we can to preserve it," he said with affected humility. "It is always a struggle, you know."

The floor was of the original wood planking, hand-cut centuries earlier. It was pockmarked with cigarette burns.

"There are no monks here."

"There will be." Li roamed about the room with the eye of an owner inspecting his premises. On pegs along the interior wall, robes had been arranged to give the effect of a lived-in gompa. "Director Wen is arranging everything. A stop for the Americans. A few reenactments. Let the Americans light some butter lamps and incense."

"Reenactments?"

"Ceremonies. For atmosphere." Li selected one of the robes, an antique ceremonial robe with gold brocade and silk panels depicting clouds and stars. He slipped off his suit jacket and with a grin tried on the robe, stroking the sleeves with satisfaction as he continued speaking. "We're finalizing things. Just a few more days before they arrive." He strolled the room like a proud cockbird, trying to catch a reflection of himself in the small window panes. "For a few dollars extra we'll let the Americans put on robes and spin prayer wheels. Soundtracks of mantras will play in the background. For a few more dollars we'll offer a one-hour course on how to meditate like a Buddhist."

"Sort of a Buddhist amusement park."

"Precisely! We think so much alike!" Li exclaimed, then sobered. "Which is why I had to speak to you, Comrade. I have a confession to make. I have not been totally open with you. But now I must be, to make you understand something. I have a concurrent investigation, separate from Prosecutor Jao's murder. More important. But what you are doing, you have no idea of how damaging it could be. You make it very difficult."

"Difficult?"

"Difficult for us to do the right thing. You are out of your element. You are being used."

"I'm confused," Shan said, studying a shelf of trinkets behind a table. "Exactly which right thing are you speaking of?" There were small ceramic figures of yaks and snow leopards, and an entire row of muscular Buddhas carrying Chinese flags.

Li moved to a stool beside Shan, oblivious to the sound of popping threads in the shoulders of the old robe as he sat. "Tan can pretend all he wants. It is a luxury of office. But you. You cannot pretend. I am sorry. We must be frank. You are a prisoner. You were a prisoner. You will be a prisoner. Neither you nor I can do anything to change that."

"Assistant Prosecutor Li. I lost the capacity to pretend many years ago."

Li laughed, and lit a cigarette. "Go back to the 404th," he said abruptly.

"It is not within my power."

"Join the strike. We can let you resolve it. Big hero. Notation in your file. Maybe save a lot of lives."

"What exactly are you offering?"

"We can reassign the troops."

"You're saying you will recall the knobs if I stop investigating?"

Li walked over to the shelf of ceramic novelties. He picked up one of the Buddhas and blew into the bottom. Smoke came out the eyes. "It would solve a lot of problems."

"You haven't said why."

"Obviously there are things I am not permitted to tell you."

"So you brought me here to tell me that you would not be telling me anything."

Li stepped back to his side and patted Shan on the back. "I like your sense of humor. I can tell you're from Beijing. Someday, who knows? You could fit well with us." He paced around Shan. "I brought you here to save you. The major and I are trying to find a way to be generous. There've been too many victims. There's no need for you to be hurt further. If Minister Qin in Beijing wants you in lao gai, that's between you and him. But Minister Qin is very old. Someday you may have another chance. I can see you are an intelligent man. A sensitive man. You will be of use to the people again one day. But not with Colonel Tan. He is very dangerous."

"I am no danger to him."

Li studied his cigarette. "I don't mean it that way. He manipulates you. He thinks he can ignore state procedures. Have you considered why he avoids the prosecutor's office?"

Shan did not answer.

"Or why he makes you work with unreliables?"

"Unreliables?"

"Discredited sources. Like Dr. Sung."

"I respect Dr. Sung's medical expertise."

Li shrugged. "Precisely my point. You weren't told about her problems. Her prejudices. Was refused her normal rotation home for neglect of duty."

"Neglect of duty?"

"Went off for a week on her own decision to work on unauthorized patients."

"Unauthorized patients?"

"A high mountain school. Very remote. Forgotten by anyone in Lhasa. Kids dying of something. They get things up there, diseases that have disappeared in the rest of the world."

"So the doctor was punished for helping children who were dying?"

"That's not the point. The stated procedure is for such parents to bring their children to the clinic. She left a number of important patients at the clinic. Some were Party members. She won't be going home. Not for a very long time."

"And no opportunity if she stays." Shan was tempted to ask when the doctor's indiscretion happened. She had been invited to dinner but later denied membership in the Bei Da Union. He remembered the nervous way she had recited to him party dogma on the inferiorities of the Tibetan minorities and policy on treating unproductive patients in the mountains. They had been words from a tamzing.

"You understand," Li said with affected gratitude. "You put me in a very awkward position, Comrade Shan. What you are saying is that you want me to trust you, aren't you?"

Shan did not reply.

"This is most unorthodox. The prosecutor's office confiding in a convicted criminal."

"I never had a trial, if that helps."

Li raised his brows and slowly nodded. "Yes, Comrade, good point. Not a convict, just a detainee." He lit a second cigarette from the butt of the first. "All right. You need to know. There is a corruption investigation. The biggest ever in Tibet. We were almost done. Jao was about to announce his conclusions. We can move soon. But you will make them flee."

"So Jao was killed by a suspect in his corruption investigation?" Shan asked. It would be a very balanced solution. The kind of ending that would please the Ministry of Justice.

"Not exactly. It's just that this hooligan monk Sungpo, he had no idea of the effects of his murder. With Jao gone, the corruption case is in ruins. We've had to piece it together. We owe it to Jao to finish. We owe it to the people. But you are stirring up too much dust. You are beginning to frighten our suspects. You will ruin it."

"If you're saying that Prosecutor Jao was going to arrest Colonel Tan, then Tan had more reason than anyone to kill Jao. Accuse him of the murder and Sungpo can be released. The knobs can stand down at the 404th. That's a solution."

"Give me some evidence."

"Against Colonel Tan?" Shan asked. "I thought you meant you already had evidence."