The Diamond Queen of Singapore

by Ian Hamilton

  Ava felt a knot in her stomach. “Shit. Is he saying that Jasmine Yip is dealing in illegal drugs?”

  “Some of them may be legal from a Chinese viewpoint, but in essence that is what he’s saying.”

  “I thought she was simply laundering money.”

  “You might not be wrong. It might just be by a method you didn’t anticipate.”

  Ava looked at her notes. “What about the money deposited into the Chengdu account? Where did it come from?”

  “When Yip first opened the account, the majority of the money was transferred from a number of companies in Guangzhou.”

  “That’s a major centre for diamond cutting and polishing. She could have been selling those companies the rough diamonds she bought in Antwerp.”

  “Judging by the names, I think that’s probably the case,” May said. “But then, a few years later, transfers started arriving from an account with the Evans Trust Company in Vanuatu, in increasingly large amounts.”

  “Vanuatu?”

  “It’s a group of small islands off Australia’s east coast. It’s also the new favourite offshore banking haven for many of our Chinese politicians, especially those who were named in the Panama Papers. No jurisdiction can guarantee complete secrecy, but from what I’ve heard Vanuatu comes very close.”

  “And what do you know about the Evans Trust Company?”

  “Only what the Chengdu banker told me. He said it’s a private bank, but nothing more than that.”

  “Where is it headquartered?”

  “In Vanuatu. It was probably incorporated there, because it has no presence anywhere else he could discover.”

  Ava switched direction. “May, when Yip’s account started receiving money from Evans Trust, was she already doing business with Golden Emperor?”

  “Yes. It looks like Yip starting buying from Golden Emperor as soon as she opened the account, but Evans wasn’t a player until a couple of years ago,” May said. “My guess would be that the market for Golden Emperor’s products expanded and Yip needed more working capital.”

  Ava circled the name Evans in her notebook and then drew connecting lines to Yip, Fozdar, Golden Emperor, and Guangzhou. “So the money initially goes from Amsterdam to Antwerp, where it’s turned into rough diamonds. The diamonds go to Guangzhou, where they’re turned into cash that’s deposited in a Chengdu bank. The cash buys drugs that are sent . . . somewhere. At some point money is sent from Evans Trust to Yip’s account in Chengdu to buy more drugs,” she said, and then paused. “May, is there an address for Evans?”

  “Only a PO box.”

  “Is there a number for the account in Vanuatu?”

  “No, the transfers simply identify Evans as the sender.”

  “I need to know who controls that account,” said Ava.

  “I don’t mean to be discouraging, but that isn’t going to be easy.”

  “Maybe I can come at this from a different angle,” Ava said. “I don’t know if it’s Yip or someone else who’s buying the drugs, where the drugs are being sold, or where the proceeds from the sales are going. If I can find out those things, it might open other doors.”

  “Based on the Chengdu bank statements, I’d guess the proceeds are going to Evans. They send money to Yip’s account just before she sends money to Golden Emperor.”

  “Which means the proceeds from the drug sales are being held and controlled in Vanuatu, not by Yip.”

  “I’m sure you’ll make sense of it all when you see the bank documents.”

  “Could you send them to me now?” Ava asked. “I need to wrap my head around all this.”

  “Then what? Is meeting Jasmine Yip on your immediate radar?”

  “She and I need to talk.”

  “Be careful, Ava. If she’s dealing drugs, who knows what kind of people she’s involved with.”

  (22)

  Half an hour later, Ava was sitting at the desk with printouts of Jasmine Yip’s Chengdu banking history in front of her. In another pile she had the records from the bank in Amsterdam, and in a third Todd Howell’s summaries of Muir’s Canadian banking activity. She turned to an empty page in her notebook and began to write down dates in an attempt to establish a chronology. She already had some idea of the timelines, but by putting them on paper she was hoping to find something — anything — that would help her to link Yip, Muir, the Dutch and Chinese bank accounts, a drug manufacturer, and a private bank in Vanuatu. When she was finished, she stared at the dates and the numbers and felt a wave of frustration. There was still so much she didn’t know.

  She turned to a new page and began to write.

  What do I know?

  Malcolm Muir established the fund in Canada, opened the Canadian bank accounts, and transferred the money to a bank account in Amsterdam that was under the control of Jasmine Yip — a woman he had to know well. But how did he know her, and why would he trust her with all that money?

  Money went into the Dutch account only from the Canadian banks; there were no other depositors. And when the money was withdrawn, it was never replaced. The account was a one-way conduit between Muir and Yip.

  Yip used the Canadian funds to buy rough diamonds in Antwerp, which she then sold to various diamond-processing companies in Guangzhou. The proceeds from those sales went directly into the bank account in Chengdu and were used to buy drugs from Golden Emperor MicroLab. How was Yip connected to Golden Emperor — or indeed, was she?

  What happened to the drugs? Did she take direct possession and sell them or arrange for them to be sold? Did Golden Emperor handle distribution?

  Finally, what happened to the money from the drug sales? Did it get sent to Vanuatu or was it kept at the point of sale?

  Ava paused, underlined the last two questions, and reached for her phone.

  “Wei,” Auntie Grace answered.

  “Hi, Auntie, it’s Ava. Is Xu available?”

  “Yes, darling. Hold on a second and I’ll get him.”

  As she waited for Xu, Ava’s mind returned to Jasmine Yip. Was it too soon to confront her? Perhaps, but the longer she put it off, the greater the risk that Yip would learn that people were poking around in her affairs. Once Yip knew something was up, she could go to ground. Ava had the advantage now, but it wouldn’t last forever.

  But how should she approach Yip? Maybe Tommy Tiu could persuade her to meet with him somewhere and Ava would be there instead. Except what reason could Tiu give? And, as he admitted, he didn’t have much finesse. The best option was for Ava to go directly to the house in Emerald Hill and confront her.

  “Ava, how are things in Singapore?” Xu asked, bringing her back to the present. “Tommy Tiu phoned this morning to tell me he’d done what he could for you.”

  “It’s going okay, and Tommy did provide some help.”

  “He still owes me. If you need him again, just ask,” he said. “Is that why you’re calling?”

  “No,” she said. “I have another favour to ask.”

  “What is it?” Xu asked without hesitation.

  “Do the triads have a presence in Chengdu?”

  “Yes. They aren’t as visible as they are in most cities that size, but they are well organized and well run. The Mountain Master is named Han.”

  “Do you know him well?”

  “Well enough.”

  “I’ve been told that Chengdu is a major player in the production of synthetic drugs such as carfentanil,” she said. “Is it possible that Han has some involvement in that trade?”

  “I don’t know, but I’ll ask,” he said, and then hesitated. “Ava, where is this leading?”

  “I need information, that’s all. If Han is involved in the trade or even knows people who are, he might be able to help me. I’m not on a crusade against the drug manufacturers or the people associated with them.”

  “What
kind of information do you need?”

  “I’ve traced the money that was stolen from my friend’s family, and I believe some or all of it ended up in Chengdu, where it was used to buy drugs from a company called Golden Emperor MicroLab,” she said. “The lab was getting money from a company doing business as Jewellery Circle from an account at the Mercantile Bank of Chendgu, registered to the names Jasmine Yip and Su Na. I’d like to know who’s actually conducting that business with Golden Emperor, what they bought, and where it was sent.”

  “You don’t believe Yip and Su were doing the buying?”

  “Jasmine Yip is the woman I had Tommy Tiu check on. But I’m beginning to think she was simply a facilitator. It seems to me that someone else is pulling the strings.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “From what Tommy told me, her father was a small-time money launderer in Singapore who used diamonds as the vehicle. He did it for a commission. Yip helped him with the business in his later years, which is how she met the diamond suppliers in Europe. She kept buying after he died, but always in small volumes until the past few years. She might have the connections to buy and sell diamonds, but that’s the extent of her experience, and she sure as hell didn’t have the kind of bankroll to finance anything in volume.”

  “So you’re assuming that someone other than her set up the arrangement with the drug company in Chengdu.”

  “I have no proof, but it is logical.”

  “And you are forever logical,” Xu said with a slight laugh. “Okay, I’ll talk to Han. If he has no direct knowledge of Golden Emperor, I’m sure he’ll know someone who does. You said the bank was the Mercantile Bank of Chengdu and the account was in the name of Jewellery Circle?”

  “Yes, but you should also give him the names Jasmine Yip and Su Na.”

  “Any other names?”

  “Malcolm Muir. He’s the guy who operated the scam in Canada.”

  “I’ll call Han now.”

  “Will you mention my name?”

  “There’s no need. I don’t have to explain to him why I want the information.”

  “That’s great. And you know I’m grateful that you’re making the effort,” Ava said. “I’m going to do what I can at this end to find out more, starting by dropping in on Jasmine Yip.”

  “Don’t you think you should wait until I find out what Han knows?”

  “I don’t know how long that will take, and I don’t want to risk her taking off on me,” Ava said. “Besides, I think I know enough that I can squeeze some information from her.”

  “Good luck.”

  “I’m going unannounced. If she’s at home, I’ll find a way to get her to talk to me.”

  “And if she’s not?”

  “I’ll improvise.”

  (23)

  The doorman at the Mandarin told Ava that Emerald Hill was less than four kilometres away. “You could walk there if you choose. There’s some pleasant sightseeing along the way,” he said.

  It was so humid outside that Ava was already feeling a bit sweaty just standing at the hotel entrance. “I’ll take a taxi,” she said.

  The doorman hailed a cab and then turned to Ava. “What’s your destination in Emerald Hill?”

  “Emerald Hill Road.”

  “A lovely street,” he said as he opened the back door of the cab.

  Ava gave the street number to the driver as she slid into the car. As soon as it pulled away from the curb, she took the Moleskine notebook from her bag and started reviewing the questions she wanted to ask Jasmine Yip. Her strongest concern was that Yip wouldn’t be at the house, but if she was there Ava had prepared a story that she hoped would get her past the door. If that didn’t work she figured she’d become an unwelcome guest. It was all very iffy, but that had been the nature of the collection business and Ava had learned to be comfortable with uncertainty.

  The taxi drove along Raffles Road, then made several turns before reaching Saunders Road and a final turn onto Emerald Hill. Ava wondered if that was what the doorman had meant when he mentioned sightseeing.

  “Have you been to the Emerald Hill district before?” the taxi driver asked.

  The question surprised her. “No, but I’ve heard nice things about it,” she said finally.

  “My wife and daughter go often. They like to browse the boutiques and sit on the café patios,” he said. “And here we are.”

  He turned onto a brick-paved road, and Ava saw immediately what he was talking about. The street was lined with brightly coloured three-storey buildings that housed businesses at the ground level and apartments above. Tommy Tiu had mentioned that the mother and aunt lived in a house, and Ava wondered if he’d been correct. But as the taxi continued down Emerald Hill Road, she saw a row of white three-storey buildings that were more obviously houses.

  The taxi stopped in front of an iron gate flanked by a two-metre-high white stone wall and crowned by a green tile roof. There were eight buildings in the row, each distinguished by its shrubbery and the colour of the wooden shutters attached to every window. Some shutters were coral, some gold, and others red, but the house that bore the number Ava was looking for had green ones.

  She paid the driver and stood on the sidewalk taking in the environs. She couldn’t see any security cameras and the gate didn’t look like it was locked. Ava walked to the gate and pushed it open. She went up a red-brick path to a door that was painted the same dark green as the shutters. She took a deep breath and knocked.

  Ava was wearing a white cotton shirt, black linen slacks, and flat shoes. It was the plainest and, she thought, the least threatening outfit she had brought with her. The slacks had become wrinkled during the cab ride, and she was running her hands down the front of them when the door opened.

  “Can I help you?” a woman asked.

  The woman was barely five feet tall. She wore a red silk blouse that hung loosely over baggy black pants, and her makeup seemed to have been layered on. Her hair was short, brushed back, and so slick that it looked like wet paint. When she spoke, Ava saw streaks of lipstick on her front teeth.

  “My name is Ava Lee. I’m an American customer of Fozdar Trading in Antwerp. I was there a few days ago and mentioned to Mr. Fozdar that I was going to be in Singapore on a holiday. My family’s company is looking for ways to expand our business in Asia, and since he knew I was going to be here, Mr. Fozdar recommended Ms. Jasmine Yip to me as someone who might assist us. He also gave me this address. I tried calling the numbers he gave me, but I couldn’t reach her, so I decided to come here. I hope it isn’t an inconvenience.”

  The woman eyed Ava suspiciously, then turned and said loudly, “Jasmine, someone is here for you.”

  Ava took a step forward but stopped when she saw the woman flinch.

  A slightly taller woman appeared behind the older woman’s shoulder. Ava recognized her long, thin face and bob haircut from the passport photo. She smiled and said, “You must be Jasmine.”

  “I am,” she said curtly.

  “My name is Ava Lee —”

  “I heard what you told my aunt. There’s no need to repeat it,” Jasmine said.

  “Excellent. I’m pleased I’ve been able to locate you. Mr. Fozdar wasn’t sure you’d be in Singapore.”

  “Why not?”

  “He said your business is quite international.”

  Jasmine stared down at Ava, her manner guarded. “That’s strange. I don’t remember discussing my business with him.”

  “Well, he said your family have been customers of his for many years. Perhaps he just made some assumptions based on that.”

  Jasmine pursed her lips and nodded. “What do you want with me?”

  Ava shrugged. “Can I come inside to discuss it with you? It’s rather awkward standing here on your doorstep.”

  Jasmine looked doubtful but then moved
to one side. “Come on in.”

  Ava walked through a small hallway directly into a brightly carpeted living room. There was a large circular glass table in the middle surrounded by some heavily upholstered sofas. On one of them sat the aunt who had answered the door, her feet not touching the floor. On the other was a tiny grey-haired woman wearing black peasant pyjamas. Her face was long and drawn like Jasmine’s, so Ava assumed it was her mother.

  “Nice to meet you, Auntie,” Ava said to the second woman.

  The woman glared at her, and Ava felt a touch of trepidation.

  “Wait here. I’ll be right back,” Jasmine said, and then disappeared through a door.

  “So, you are American?” the aunt asked.

  “Yes. I was born in Hong Kong but my family emigrated when I was very young. I think of Boston as home.”

  “My husband and I lived in Boston for three years. Where do you live?”

  “My family lives in Weston but our business is in Back Bay, on Exeter Street.”

  “What is the business called?”

  “We don’t do retail,” Ava said.

  “But the business must have a name.”

  “Not one that is known to the IRS,” Ava said with a smile. “My father doesn’t believe in paying taxes.”

  “Hey!” Jasmine said loudly.

  Ava turned towards the door. Yip stood there next to a large man who filled the frame. “We were warned about you. I was told you might be in Singapore,” she said.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Jasmine shook her head and turned to the man. “Get rid of her.”

  He smiled and stepped forward, his upper body stretching a polo shirt to its limits.

  “What’s going on? Why are you acting like this?” Ava asked, not taking her eyes off the man.

  “We’re not stupid,” Jasmine said. “I got a phone call from my car dealer saying that a man had rather clumsily tried to get information about where I bank.”