The City & the City - China Mieville [99]
After the second and third such call, we no longer started when the cell rang. There were not many, however, despite what Dhatt said, and none on those topics. I imagined Yallya on her office phone, making countless angry calls denouncing her husband and his friend for the inconvenience.
“Do we want to put her in a uniform?” Dhatt spoke low.
“You’re going to be in yours, right? Isn’t it always best to hide in plain sight?”
“You want one too?”
“Is it a bad idea?”
He shook his head slowly. “It’ll make life easier for some of it… I think I can get through my side on police papers and my say-so.” Militsya, let alone senior detectives, trumped Ul Qoman border guards, without much trouble. “Alright.”
“I’ll do the talking at the Besźel entrance.”
“Is Yolanda okay?”
“Aikam’s with her. I can’t go back … Not again. Every time we do …” We still had no idea how, or by whom, we might be watched.
Dhatt moved too much, and after the third or fourth time he had snapped at one of his colleagues for some imagined infraction I made him come with me for an early lunch. He glowered and would not speak, staring at everyone who passed us.
“Will you stop?” I said.
“I am going to be so fucking glad when you’re gone,” he said. Yallya’s phone rang and I held it to my ear without speaking.
“Borlú?” I tapped the table for Dhatt’s attention, pointed at the phone.
“Bowden, where are you?”
“I’m keeping myself safe, Borlú.” He spoke in Besź to me.
“You don’t sound like you feel safe.”
“Of course not. I’m not safe, am I? The question is, how much trouble am I in?” His voice was very strained.
“I can get you out.” Could I? Dhatt shrugged an exaggerated what the fuck? “There are ways out. Tell me where you are.”
He sort of laughed. “Right,” he said. “I’ll just tell you where I am.”
“What else do you propose? You can’t spend your life in hiding. Get out of Ul Qoma and I can maybe do something. Besźel’s my turf.”
“You don’t even know what’s going on …”
“You’ve got one chance.”
“Help me like you did Yolanda?”
“She’s not stupid,” I said. “She’s letting me help.”
“What? You’ve found her? What…”
“Like I told you, I told her. I can’t help either of you here. I might be able to help you in Besźel. Whatever’s going on, whoever’s after you …” He tried to say something, but I did not let him. “I know people there. Here I can’t do a thing. Where are you?”
“… Nowhere. Doesn’t matter. I’ll … Where are you? I don’t want to—”
“You’ve done well to stay out of sight this long. But you can’t do it forever.”
“No. No. I’ll find you. Are you … crossing now?”
I couldn’t help glancing around and lowering my voice again. “Soon.”
“When?”
“Soon. I’ll tell you when I know. How do I contact you?”
“You don’t, Borlú. I’ll contact you. Keep this phone.”
“What if you miss me?”
“I’ll just have to call every couple of hours. I’m afraid I’m going to have to bother you, a lot.” He disconnected. I stared at Yallya’s phone, looked up at last at Dhatt.
“Do you have any fucking idea how much I hate not knowing where I can look?” Dhatt whispered. “Who I can trust?” He shuffled papers. “What I should be saying to whom?”
“I do.”
“What’s going on?” he said. “Does he want out too?”
“He wants out too. He’s afraid. He doesn’t trust us.”
“I don’t blame him one bit.”
“Neither do I.”
“I don’t have any papers for him.” I met his eye and waited. “Holy Light, Borlú, you going to fucking …” He whispered furiously. “Alright, alright, I’ll see what I can do.”
“Tell me what to do,” I said to him, without breaking my gaze, “who to call, what corners to cut, and you can fucking blame me. Blame me, Dhatt. Please. But bring a uniform in case he comes.” I watched him, poor man, agonise.
It was after 7 p.m. that night that Corwi called