The City and the City

The Ul Qoman bomb squad examines the disassembled explosive device, sent by mail to Bol Ye’an. Its target is David Bowden. Aikam Tsueh, the guard who identified the suspicious package, is of interest to Borlú and Dhatt because he has no bomb training and no authority over the mail yet he correctly identified the package as a threat. However, they release him for the time being. Borlú speculates that the bomber(s) are located in Ul Qoma but used a Besźel contact to mail it from there to cover their tracks. Borlú asks the head of security why none of the students mentioned Breach in their statements. He responds, “These little sods breach all the damn time” (225). It’s nearly impossible, he argues, for foreign students who are fascinated with the spatial irregularities of the two cities to not breach on occasion, a minor infraction that’s difficult to prove and not worth prosecuting. As the interview concludes, Dhatt receives a call: Bowden is missing.

Dhatt wants to interview Jaris again, but Borlú informs him that Jaris has fled. Dhatt is angry that Borlú has information that he hasn’t shared, but Borlú accuses his counterpart of the same. They argue over Jaris’s possible culpability, but in the end, Borlú argues his disappearance was due to fear not guilt.