“Won’t you be bidding?”
“I have my eye on a few things. Come on, say yes, and join us for the reception and dinner afterward. The banquet’s across the hall.”
David thought of Fitzwilliams. “I don’t think they’ll have room for me.”
“The auction is a Cosgrove’s event, but the dinner is a benefit for the Hong Kong Museum Council. Madame Wang is the chair. A place will be made.”
“Then I accept.”
At 6:45, a bevy of pretty women circulated through the room, reminding everyone that the auction would start promptly at 7:00. Unlike most social occasions, when the news that dinner was about to be served was virtually ignored until the third or fourth announcement, the people here quickly took seats.
As the crowd thinned along the sides of the room, David spotted Dr. Ma talking to Angus Fitzwilliams by one of the risers about twenty feet from the edge of the phone bank. Even from this distance, he could see Ma’s face red with anger. Fitzwilliams’s posture was stiff, and he was shaking his head no in the same jerking movements that David had experienced earlier today when the executive director wanted to show just how opposed he was to an unpleasant subject or idea.
“Come along, David, let’s get a good position,” Stuart said, already striding purposefully away.
But David went in the opposite direction. Reaching Ma and Fitzwilliams, he saw that they were standing before a riser displaying several jade objects.
“You know these are stolen artifacts,” Ma seethed.
“I know nothing of the kind, sir,” came Fitzwilliams’s frustratingly bland response. “We have documents showing provenance for every article you see here.”
“And you know that that is a lie. When this comes out, Cosgrove’s will be very sorry. My government will make sure you are put out of business in Hong Kong.”
Fitzwilliams was unmoved. “If there’s something here that appeals to you, then I suggest you use your paddle. Your money’s as good as anyone else’s.”
A young woman approached and very gently touched Fitzwilliams’s sleeve. “Mr. Fitzwilliams, sir, it’s time.”
“Yes, of course.” Without another word to Dr. Ma or even a glance in David’s direction, Fitzwilliams walked with deliberate purpose to the front of the room and up the stairs of the dais to the podium. He brought the gavel down firmly three times. “Ladies and gentlemen.” His voice came out warmly over the sophisticated sound system. “Welcome to Cosgrove’s auction of fine Chinese ceramics, works of art, and jade carvings. I’ll begin with some ground rules….”
David turned back to Dr. Ma, who was staring at the jade— several perforated disks and another object that had been shaved into a long, smooth shape that looked like a cross between a boomerang and an ax head. Lights had been placed in such a way as to catch the subtle carvings on the stones. Well lit and mounted, they made very attractive decorative pieces, although their prices—HK$25,000 to HK$50,000 apiece—seemed steep for a decorative element to add to a living room.
“Are these disks the bis you told me about?” David inquired.
“Yes,” Ma answered.
“Can you prove they’re from Site 518?”
“You know I can’t.”
Fitzwilliams’s voice came over the speakers in a monotone as he outlined the terms of sale: Cosgrove’s had the right to reject any bid, a buyer’s premium would be added to the successful bid price, Cosgrove’s was not responsible for any errors or omissions in the catalog.
Dr. Ma’s gaze still hadn’t shifted from the jade. “Do you see the markings? They’re archaic characters for mountain, river, and door. We don’t know why yet, but we’ve found these same markings on other objects at Site 518.”
Now that Ma had pointed them out, David saw the characters carved into the jade. He noted especially the character for river, which he’d seen as a brand on Lily’s forehead.
As Fitzwilliams recited the bidding increments, David asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been authorized to bid on these on behalf of the Chinese government,” Ma replied. Then he said in an accusatory tone, “I see you’re here with Miller.”
“I was as surprised to see him here as I was to see you.”
“You shouldn’t have been. Miller wouldn’t miss this. He sees himself as a latter-day Schliemann, only instead of discovering Troy and Mycenae, he hopes to discover the great link to China’s past. Except if he really wanted to help, he’d spend his money on research and on putting teams in the field. Instead he’s just a rich capitalist who wants to hoard things that don’t belong to him.”
“He’s helped, Site 518 in particular.”
“It would take about two hundred thirty million dollars U.S. to save all of the artifacts along the Yangzi,” Ma said. “We’ve raised less than one percent of what’s needed. You watch what happens tonight. Miller will probably spend more in ten minutes than we’ve raised in five years.”
Fitzwilliams’s voice announced the opening of bidding for Lot 1—a yellow-glazed wine cup with an artist mark from the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty.