Private Sydney (Private 12)

The senior officer announced, ‘You two are under arrest.’ He gestured for us to be taken away.

The Chinese official put himself between the gun and Eliza. ‘I’m afraid you will not be taking anyone from this embassy.’ He handed the officer a card.

I lowered my hands a little. Eric Moss had to be inside.

‘Mr Chin, is it? They are on Australian not Chinese soil.’ The officer stood firm.

‘Technically, yes. Your laws allow you to arrest suspects, even on embassy grounds. However, it is customary to do so with the permission from the relevant ambassador. That would be Ambassador Xing. He is currently in Beijing but will return next week.’ He pulled out a notebook. ‘May I have your name please?’

‘Detective Sergeant Scott Wilson.’

Chin wrote it down.

‘With respect, Mr Chin, we don’t need your boss’s permission. We are on a public street, outside your gates. Federally owned land.’

‘I am afraid you are mistaken. You are standing on our paved drive, which is very much part of our embassy.’

The police looked at each other. We were at a stand-off.

Wilson tried again. ‘Sir, we don’t want to concern you or your staff. We just need these two to come with us and we’ll be out of your way.’

Chin stepped forward. ‘Forcibly removing anyone from within this perimeter will create – how do you say? – an international incident. Is that something you have authority to do?’

The detective sergeant looked furious. He ordered his men to make sure no one moved then stepped away to make a phone call.

Eliza and I were trapped. If we did manage to get inside the embassy, the Feds would be waiting for us the second we showed our faces.

We were trapped with no way out.

Chapter 121

WE WERE IN limbo. No longer on ‘Australian soil’ yet outside the protection of the embassy, on a small patch of asphalt, metres from the Federal Police. Without so much as Eliza’s chair.

Eliza leant heavily against the car. Her legs were fatiguing quickly.

Tense minutes passed before the senior detective returned. The other officers still had their guns drawn on us.

And all this time, the Chinese guards hadn’t altered their positions.

‘Mr Chin, I have been instructed to comply with your request.’ The Fed looked like he’d choke on his words as he directed his team to pull back, out on to the road.

‘I’m glad we could come to an arrangement,’ the embassy official said.

I moved around to support Eliza and she wrapped her arm around my waist as I took some of her weight.

‘The wheelchair’s in the boot,’ I said. ‘Can someone get it?’

Wilson clenched his jaw. ‘No. The car comes with us,’ he said. ‘And everything in it.’

I looked at Chin, who shrugged.

‘My bag,’ Eliza said.

‘If it’s in the car, we’re taking it.’ Wilson stood ramrod straight.

‘But the car and its contents are on embassy grounds,’ I argued.

Mr Chin walked over, reached into the car, removed Eliza’s bag and dumped it at my feet.