The City and the City

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. They retire to a bar, still trying to assemble the pieces of the case. Orciny—or at least the belief in it—lies at the heart of the case, but Dhatt thinks it’s all nonsense.

Dhatt invites Borlú to his house. Borlú dines with Dhatt and his wife before heading home. Walking through the streets of Ul Qoma, Borlú notices several people watching him, but they don’t seem to be in Ul Qoma or Besźel. They approach, he backs away, and then they all fade into a collective shadow. Alarmed, he takes only well-lit streets to the Bol Ye’an site, surveilling it discreetly before returning to his hotel, where he composes a message: “Urgent. Come ASAP. Don’t call” (239).

The next morning, he rises early and, dressed in “genuine Ul Qoman design” (240), returns to Bol Ye’an. He pays a girl to deliver his message to one specific name at the dig site: Aikam Tsueh. Tsueh, responding to the message, leaves Bol Ye’an, and Borlú follows him to a “desolate total zone of Ul Qoman housing projects” (241). Tsueh knocks on a door, assuming the occupant sent him the message. As the door opens, Borlú charges into the room, knocking Tsueh into the apartment and locking them both inside. He assures the occupant—Yolanda Rodriguez—that he is not there to hurt her.

Tsueh attacks Borlú, but Borlú pins the younger, stronger man to the floor. He assures them both that he’s on their side, and eventually, they calm down, ready to listen. Rodriguez fears for her life because she, like Geary, knows about “[t]he third place. Between the city and the city. Orciny” (247). Borlú has encountered too much conflicting information to disbelieve her story outright, so he settles for simply trying to help her get out of Ul Qoma.

Rodriguez opens up about her close friend, Geary. Geary’s obsessive interest in Orciny (and her public declarations on its existence) drew the attention of Orciny representatives, who recruited her. They gave her bits of information: For example, relics at Bol Ye’an are neither Besz nor Ul Qoman but Orciny in origin. Excavating these items, Geary believed, was stealing, and the closer she got to Orciny, the more scared she became. Rodriguez believes Geary did something to anger Orciny, and anyone who knows about them—she herself, Bowden, even Borlú—is in danger. Borlú suggests she breach intentionally, to place herself in Breach’s protective custody, but Rodriguez claims that Orciny and Breach are actually one and the same. 

Borlú promises to get Yolanda out of Ul Qoma by tomorrow, a promise he’s not sure he can keep. He calls Dhatt, and they agree to meet, alone.

Borlú tells him he’s found Yolanda and needs to get her out of Ul Qoma. If she feels safe, he argues, they’re more likely to get useful information from her. Dhatt tells Borlú that his team has searched Bowden’s apartment and found it remarkably undisturbed except for a note containing a single word, a warning. They consider Rodriguez’s theory—is it paranoia or reasonable fear?—and Borlú asks for Dhatt’s help getting her out via “unofficial” channels. He agrees, and Borlú enlists Corwi’s help on the Besźel side, urging her to keep everything secret. She then tells him that an anonymous caller has been asking for details about his investigation; Borlú figures it’s Bowden. He asks Corwi to relay a message if he calls again: “Just tell him we know more and tell him he has to call us” (266).

Using Dhatt’s wife’s phone for contact, Dhatt and Borlú plan their exit strategy. During lunch, Bowden calls, reluctant to reveal his location. He insists on contacting Borlú, not the other way around. Dhatt is angry and frustrated at the subterfuge, feeling left out of the planning. Later, Corwi calls; everything is ready on her end. Escape is slated for the following night. When Bowden calls again, Borlú gives him a designated time and place to meet.

After driving randomly around town (to throw off potential pursuers), Borlú returns to the housing complex and escorts Rodriguez to a waiting car with Dhatt. There, she changes into an Ul Qoman police uniform. Dhatt drives to Copula Hall, the official intersection point between Ul Qoma and Besźel. They weave through the crowds, passing easily out of Ul Qoma into the no-man’s-land between. As they near the Besźel gates, Borlú spots Corwi, waiting. Suddenly, Dhatt notices a man following them, but as Borlú moves to confront him, he sees it’s Bowden. At that moment, a commotion erupts behind them. He turns to see Dhatt huddled over the bleeding body of Rodriguez. She’s been shot

The crowd panics. Borlú forces Bowden to the ground and confiscates the pistol he’s carrying. Dhatt calls out that Yolanda’s dead, and he’s also been hit but not seriously. Ul Qoman and Besźel police swarm the scene, but the shooter flees into the crowd. Borlú, unable to reach him, runs back into Ul Qoma and jumps into Dhatt’s car. As he drives, he realizes the shooter has taken care not to breach any borders with his assassination, therefore avoiding Breach intervention. He drives to a crosshatched location outside Copula Hall—a place where the two cities overlap—and waits for the shooter to emerge into Besźel. He spots him, but they are in different cities, so Borlú follows, careful to keep him in sight without directly seeing him. The shooter reaches an “abroad-only geography […] where no one in Ul Qoma could go” and looks directly at Borlú for a moment (285). Borlú knows his face but can’t remember where from. As the suspect is about to escape, Borlú shoots him blatantly across borders, committing breach. Almost instantly, he is surrounded by “grim-featured” figures who whisk him away, out of both cities, the sound of “Breach” whispered in his ears until he loses consciousness.