Читать книгу Edge of the Map. The Mountain Life of Christine Boskoff онлайн

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The CNN crew was eager to join the search team as it headed west. But going west meant a gradual increase in elevation. Passing through Kangding at 8,399 feet and on to Litang, altitude sickness hit the journalists in waves, and by the second day, Callahan was shaking their hands as the beleaguered reporter and his cameraman descended to the oxygen-rich air of Chengdu.

“Sorry, man,” Callahan said as they crawled into their getaway vehicle. “I wish we had some better visuals for you guys, but that’s just not how things work in China.”

“Yeah, no worries,” the reporter mumbled. “Just call us if something transpires and we’ll come back up.”

BACK IN THE POLICE STATION, Callahan’s mobile phone rang as he waited for the tool he needed to open the bags. Checking the caller ID, he saw it was the CNN reporter, no doubt catching word of this development through a leak and upset that he was about to miss some important shots.

A smoky haze filled the room from the cigarettes hanging off the lips of the Chinese spectators. Litang hadn’t experienced anything this thrilling in years—certainly nothing involving Westerners. Officers—all men—wearing pale blue uniform shirts leaned against stark white walls. Each sported a standard-issue navy tie.