Necropolis

in the church?"
    "I don't know, Aidan," Scarlett said. All her fears had just been confirmed. She didn't know if that made her feel better or worse. She looked around her. "So where is this mysterious Chinese man? Are we meeting him here?"
    "No. He's round the corner… in a restaurant. The Happy Garden. It's on Wardour Street, about five minutes away."
    "So why are we here?"

    "That was my idea. I had to tell you what was going on, but I couldn't do it on the Tube in case someone was listening. I'm sorry, Scarl. I didn't want to lie to you, but this guy sounded really serious. And it was only yesterday we saw that car at the park." Aidan drew a breath. 'You don't have to go," he said.
    "Maybe you shouldn't go."
    "Why not?"
    "Maybe you should go to the police."
    Scarlett had to admit that he had a point. Everyone knew that when a strange adult approached a kid outside school, it was time to call the cops. But she had already made up her mind. If she didn't go to this restaurant, she might never find out who the man was or what he wanted.
    "The Happy Garden," she muttered. "What sort of name is that?"
    "It's a Chinese restaurant," Aidan said.
    "Oh yes," she nodded. "I suppose it would be." She thought for a moment. "Did the man say anything else?"
    "Yes. He said that the two of you had met before. On Dulwich Grove, two years ago. He must have been talking about the accident…"
    If Scarlett had had any doubts, that decided it. The man who had saved her, who hadn't waited to be thanked, had been Chinese. It had to be the same person. But what was he doing back in her life?
    "What time am I supposed to be there?" she asked.
    "Half past one."
    She looked at her watch. It was just after one o'clock. "We're going to be early."
    "So you're going?"
    "I've got to, Aidan. I don't think anything too bad can happen in the middle of a Chinese restaurant. And anyway, you'll be with me." She paused. "Won't you?"
    "Sure." Aidan nodded. "I wouldn't leave you on your own. Anyway, I can't wait to find out what this is all about."
    They left the cinema the way they'd come, slipping quietly into the crowds in Leicester Square. It was unlikely that anyone had followed them all the way from Dulwich, but Scarlett wasn't taking any chances. They turned up an alleyway that led into Chinatown, an area that was packed with Chinese restaurants and supermarkets. From here, they crossed over Shaftesbury Avenue, heading for the address that Aidan had been given.
    The afternoon was surprisingly warm. It was lunch-time, there were lots of people around. The smell of fried noodles hung in the air.
    The explosion happened just as they were about to turn the corner onto Wardour Street. They didn't just hear it. They felt it too. The pavement actually shuddered under their feet and a gust of warm air punched into them, carrying with it a cloud of dust and soot. If they had been just ten seconds earlier, they might have been hit by the full impact. A bomb had gone off. A large one. It had happened somewhere near.
    "Stop!" Aidan shouted.
    He was too late. Scarlett had already run forward and turned the corner.
    A scene of devastation greeted her on the other side. A building about halfway up the road had been blown to pieces. It was as if someone had punched a giant fist into it. There was glass and debris all over the pavement, and tongues of flame were licking out of the shattered brickwork. A taxi must have been passing at the moment the bomb went off. All its windows were broken and the driver had tumbled out, blind, blood pouring down his face. A woman was standing nearby, screaming and screaming, her clothes in tatters, covered in blood and broken glass.
    There was smoke everywhere, but Scarlett could make out several people injured. She had seen images like this on TV, in Baghdad and Jerusalem. But this was Soho, the center of London. And she knew that she'd almost been part of it. It might have been Aidan and her, lying in the rubble.
    Aidan caught up with her. "We should go," he said. "But the restaurant…"
    "That is the restaurant."
    Scarlett couldn't move. She stared at the gaping hole, the smoke billowing out, the smashed furniture and the bodies. He was right.
    "Come on!" Aidan pleaded.
    Scarlett could already hear the sirens of the police cars and ambulances moving in from some other part of the city. It was amazing how quickly they had been alerted. She allowed Aidan to lead her away. She didn't want to be found there. Part of her even