Early the next morning, Bai Zhu fastened the last button of his suit and ran a hand through his hair, smoothing in wax.
"Couldn't you buy one size bigger next time? This is way too tight."
"What the hell do you know? Custom-made suits are like this."
Milluki stuffed the documents into his backpack and put on an apprentice's uniform that was clearly too ill-fitting.
Bai Zhu took the credentials Milluki handed over and flipped them open for a look.
The photograph was his, and so was the name, but beneath them was a string of professional experience he had never heard of.
"Don't worry. Every piece of information on there will hold up to verification. The firm, the registry, the client—they're all arranged. Just don't make up a partner on the spot."
Milluki slipped the terminal into a side pocket, then opened the main compartment to air it out.
The Pope's face was wedged between two stacks of documents.
"Can you put me somewhere else? The paper edges keep scraping my nose."
Milluki shifted the documents aside and zipped up the bag.
"You're just a head, yet you're still such a pain in the ass."
The precinct branch was not far from the hotel. When the two arrived, the officer on duty was squeezing sauce onto a slice of bread with his head lowered.
Hearing that they wanted to see Pix, the officer set down the bread, took their credentials, and checked them page by page. He stopped when he reached the authorization documents.
"He was talking nonsense all night. He never asked for a lawyer."
"It's perfectly normal for family members to seek legal help on his behalf."
Bai Zhu pushed the document closer and pointed at the signature.
The officer did not continue reading. Instead, he picked