Chapter 40
Michael was awakened by a loud banging on his door. It was six in the morning.
A woman wearing a policeman’s uniform, a round fur cap on her head, glared at him. “I am Sergeant Zhuk of the St. Petersburg police. You are Michael Rempart.”
A chill went through him. “I am.”
With her was a uniformed officer who looked imposing but said nothing.
“You have an acquaintance named Jianjun Li,” she announced.
He felt as if his heart had stopped beating. Bracing himself for the bad news he snapped, “You know I do. I told the police that I was looking for him. What’s happened to him?”
She lifted her chin, her tone harsh. “May we come inside?”
He realized they stood in the hall, him in a T-shirt and pajama bottoms. “Yes, please. But … tell me.”
She walked into the hotel room, her co
