The Diamond Queen of Singapore

by Ian Hamilton

  Ava showered quickly, brushed her teeth and hair, dressed, and put on a touch of mascara and red lipstick. She slipped her notebook and phone into her bag. She tried to think if there was anything that might make an impression on Su Na and decided there wasn’t. The information she had in her head and in the notebook was damning enough.

  Ava left the room and hurried to the elevator. When she reached the lobby, she went directly to the hotel entrance. The Haval was already there with Han and the driver in front and the back door open and waiting for her.

  “Good morning, Han,” she said as she climbed in.

  “Good morning to you. How are you feeling? Did the hotpot cause you any discomfort?”

  “I’m fine, thank you.”

  “Good.” Turning to Willie, who was driving, Han said, “Take us to the warehouse.”

  As the car pulled away from the curb, Han reached down to steady a large pistol that was sitting on top of the console. Ava was surprised to see it so brazenly left in the open. It looked like a SIG Sauer. Sonny had owned one for a few years before switching to a Cobray. When he did, he had offered the SIG Sauer to Ava, but it was far too large for her hand and she knew she’d never be able to handle it properly.

  “Is that a SIG Sauer?” she asked Han.

  “Yes. I was going to bring something bigger, but I thought that might be overkill. This should do the trick.”

  Ava blinked. She couldn’t tell if Han was joking.

  He looked back at her and smiled. “I don’t expect I’ll have to use it. This is the kind of gun that gets respect just by waving it in the air.”

  “Let’s hope that’s all you have to do.”

  “Either way, we’ll have some fun.”

  (31)

  The morning rush-hour traffic was heavy as they made their way across the city to Longquanyi. Han stayed in touch with Lu by phone, keeping him updated on their progress. At one point he gave his phone to Ava. “Lu wants to talk to you.”

  “I thought you’d like to know that for the past twenty minutes there’s been a steady stream of people heading into the warehouse. I’ve seen fifty or more, and they’re mainly women.”

  Ava looked at her watch. “They must start work at ten. Have you seen any other sign of the woman who arrived in the Mercedes?”

  “No, but she was well dressed compared to the women who have been arriving recently.”

  “It has to be Su Na.”

  Lu paused. “The boss tells me you’re only ten minutes from the warehouse, so you’ll find out soon enough.”

  “We’ll see you in ten,” Ava said and handed the phone back to Han. “Lu is confident that Su Na is in the building. He’s a first-rate Red Pole.”

  “He also has a good mind for numbers. I’ve been thinking of making him my White Paper Fan. He won’t want to change, but I’ve got my daughter and grandchildren to think about. This isn’t a city with a lot of gunplay, but however much there is, the Red Pole is usually in the middle of it. I don’t want to risk losing him.”

  “Is that why you and the SIG Sauer are coming along with us this morning?”

  Han looked at her in the rear-view mirror. “You bet your life it is. Though if things go well it might also help me sweeten my deal with Xu.”

  “If things go well, I’ll make sure that happens —”

  “We’re almost at the warehouse,” Willie interrupted. “I can see a couple of our guys ahead.”

  “Pull over and park. We’ll walk from here,” Han said. As they got out of the car, he tucked the gun into the front waistband of his jeans and covered it with his shirt.

  Lu waved at them from his car. Han moved towards him with considerable agility and speed. Ava increased her pace to keep up.

  When they reached Lu, he said, “We’ll have to persuade them to unlock the gate.”

  Han nodded. “Follow me.”

  Ava walked between Han and Lu. Fanned out behind them were ten triads, all with guns in various modes of disguise.

  There were three guards on the other side of the gate. They stared as Ava’s group approached but didn’t move, keeping their rifles across their chests. Past the gate was a courtyard, and behind it was a three-storey brick building with one metal entrance door in the middle and three loading docks on the right. The doors to the docks were closed. The ground floor had no windows, those on the second were boarded up, and there was a row of glass windows on the third level.

  “Open this fucking gate!” Han shouted when he reached it.

  The guards paled and glanced right and left, waiting for someone to respond.

  “I said, open this fucking gate. We have an appointment with Su Na.”

  “We have to confirm that,” the guard in the middle stuttered.

  “Confirm this,” Han said, pulling the SIG Sauer from his jeans and pointing it at him. As he did, the other triads pulled out their own weapons.

  “Don’t be foolish,” Lu said. “You’re angering our boss for no real reason. All we want is to talk to your boss. So open the gate and let us in. If you don’t, then I expect my boss will lose his temper — and you do not want that to happen.”

  “Open the fucking gate!” Han roared.

  The guard in the middle took a few hesitant steps forward, then turned and began to run towards the warehouse. “Follow me,” he shouted to the others.

  Han aimed his gun at him but didn’t fire.

  “We’ll have to use the truck,” Lu said. “We’ll follow it through the gate and gather at the wall. We can figure out how to get into the building from there.”

  “Why don’t you go back to my car until we get inside,” Han said to Ava. “I’ll send someone to get you.”

  “That’s very considerate, but I’m going in with you.”

  Han looked ready to argue but said, “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

  Lu gave instructions to his men and a few minutes later the truck arrived. It was a massive Volvo 800 rig with a reinforced front bumper that had a metal horn extending from it. Lu went to speak to the driver.

  “That looks big enough,” Han said.

  The truck drove up to the gate and then reversed until it was fifty metres away. Lu and his men stood to one side and Han and Ava joined them. The truck revved its engine and then lurched forward. Ava had no idea what speed it reached in fifty metres, but it was enough to collapse the gate.

  Lu and his men surged through, followed by Ava and Han. They congregated against the wall on both sides of the metal entrance door. Lu went to the door, turned the handle, and found it locked. “We can try the doors at the loading docks or go around the building and look for another entrance,” he said.

  “Who are you people?” a voice shouted from above.

  “Who are you?” Han replied.

  “My name is Zhong. I’m head of security here.”

  “I’m Han. Stop being so stupid. All we want is to talk to your boss. We told the guards that,” Han said. “We know you’re warehousing drugs, but we don’t give a shit. We’re not here to steal them.”

  There was a pause and Zhong said, “You look like Mr. Han the triad leader.”

  “That’s who I am.”

  “What are you really doing here?”

  “I told you. I have a friend with me. She wants to speak to Su Na. Send someone downstairs to unlock this door.”

  Zhong hesitated. “We don’t want any trouble.”

  “Neither do we, which is why I didn’t shoot your guards when I had the chance.”

  “Okay, I’m coming down. Please tell your men to put away their guns.”

  Han looked at Lu. “Move the men away from the door. Tell them there’s to be no gunfire unless the other side starts it.”

  Ava stood by the door with Han, and Lu joined them after speaking to his men. A moment later they heard the soun
d of heavy boots hitting wooden steps. Then the door slowly opened and a solidly built man appeared. He was wearing the same uniform as the guards but with two gold stars on his epaulettes.

  “I’m Zhong,” he said.

  “Where are your men?” Lu asked.

  “They’re all inside.”

  “Tell them to come out. They can stand with me until we’re finished here.”

  “Where is Su Na?” asked Han.

  “Upstairs in her office.”

  “Take us to her.”

  “She’s quite upset by this. She wanted me to call in extra security. I talked her out of it when I realized it was Mr. Han himself paying us a visit.”

  “How do you know me?” Han asked.

  “With all respect, sir, there aren’t many people in my business who don’t.”

  “Take us to her,” Han repeated.

  Zhong led them into the building. Ava looked around. “They don’t use this floor?” she asked Zhong.

  “Everyone works upstairs,” he said, pointing to the left. “We’ll take those stairs.”

  Zhong began to climb the flight of wooden stairs, with Ava and Han trailing behind. When they reached the top, they were confronted by a heavy steel door with an access pad on the wall next to it. Zhong punched in a six-number code and pulled the door open. Ava immediately heard the animated voices of a large number of women.

  The room was as big as the one on the ground floor, and it was fully occupied. Ava did a quick head count. There were twenty worktables on which sat white envelopes, computer printouts, and an assortment of small brown boxes. Two or three women sat at every station. Ava walked over to closest and watched one of the women address an envelope. She was writing in English, her handwriting impeccable.

  “Ms. Su’s office is on the upper floor,” Zhong said, pointing to another set of stairs.

  “Just a minute,” Ava said, then spoke to the woman who was writing. “What goes into that envelope?”

  The woman looked at Zhong. “Tell her,” he said.

  The woman reached into one of the brown boxes and took out a handful of small white pills. “It could be some of these or some of the others. The printout tells us what goes in.”

  “Where are you sending the pills?”

  “These are going to the United States.”

  “Thank you for the information,” said Ava.

  “The women work in teams,” Zhong said from behind her. “While one writes, the others prepare the order.”

  “Wouldn’t it be more efficient to print the addresses on labels and stick them on the envelopes?” Ava asked.

  “You’ll have to ask Ms. Su about that,” he said.

  “Then let’s go and see her,” Ava said.

  They climbed the second set of stairs and entered an open office surrounded by a series of closed wooden doors with small brass plates that read accounting, shipping nd receiving, sales and marketing, and security. Zhong approached a door that read su na, director, simmons christian mission and knocked. “Ms. Su, it’s Zhong. I believe it is safe for you to open the door.”

  Ava heard the sound of shoes clicking on tile, then the door swung open and a small middle-aged woman stood in its frame. Without heels, Ava guessed she would be about five foot three. She wasn’t wearing makeup, which gave her a washed-out appearance that was accentuated by heavy black eyebrows. There were deep wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and along each side of her mouth. Her hair was short, fluffy, and carefully brushed towards the front to cover a bald spot. She had on a pink Chanel jacket and skirt with red trim. There was a white jade bracelet on one wrist and a thick gold bracelet on the other. The diamond studs in her ears looked large enough to be one carat each, and around her neck hung a platinum crucifix encrusted in what Ava assumed were rubies.

  “Who are you?” Su asked.

  “My name is Ava Lee.”

  “I wasn’t speaking to you,” Su said with a touch of defiance. “I was talking to the man.”

  “Who I am doesn’t matter,” Han said. “It’s Ms. Lee who has business with you, so I suggest you listen to what she has to say.”

  Su looked up at Han, her eyes fixed on his scar. “Zhong told me you run the triads in Chengdu. Is that true?”

  “Yes.”

  “Whatever this woman is paying you, I’m willing to pay more if you leave my place of business at once and take her with you.”

  “That’s not how this works,” Han said, his voice taking on an edge. “Ava is a friend. We’re here to support her.”

  “Support her how? I don’t know her. I’ve never heard of her. I have no idea what she’s doing here,” Su said, and then looked at Zhong. “Isn’t there anything you can do to stop this nonsense?”

  “I don’t want to start any trouble with Mr. Han. Truthfully, Ms. Su, I suggest you co-operate.”

  “All I want is to talk,” Ava said, inserting herself into the conversation. “I have some questions about your business I need you to answer.”

  Su shook her head. “I have no interest in talking to you.”

  “I don’t think it’s wise to take that kind of attitude. I’m not going anywhere until we have spoken,” Ava said. “My first preference is that you do so voluntarily, but if you want to be difficult, I am sure Mr. Han can persuade you to co-operate.”

  “I’m not frightened of you,” Su snapped.

  Ava felt Han move before she actually saw him slap Su across the side of the face. It didn’t register until she saw Su crash backwards into the side of the door frame.

  “I don’t make a habit of hitting women, but in your case I’m making an exception,” Han said. “You will talk to Ava and you will answer her questions. Tell me if that isn’t clear enough.”

  Su held her hand against her cheek. Her eyes were watering and her mouth gaped open. She looked at Zhong as if she expected him to do something, but his head was turned away. “Are you going to let him to do that to me?” she said tearfully.

  “I don’t see what harm can come from speaking to the woman,” Zhong said.

  Su glared at him, then looked up at Han, whose face was impassive but menacing all the same. She wiped her eyes. “Okay, I’ll talk to her, but I don’t want to be beaten if I can’t answer her questions.”

  First with the Yang brothers and now with Su, Han had brought his particular style of negotiating to bear. Ava would have preferred to get their co-operation her own way, but she couldn’t deny that Han was effective.

  “All I want is for you to be truthful. If you are, then you’ll have nothing to fear,” Ava said to Su. “Mr. Han, I think I can take things from here.” She looked into the office. “We’ll go in here. There’s ample room.”

  “Do you want me to sit in with you?” he asked.

  “Yes, I think that would be a good idea,” Ava said, mindful of how helpful Han’s physical presence was. “But we don’t need Zhong.”

  “I’ll go outside and join my men,” he said, sounding pleased to get away.

  Su turned and shuffled into the office with Ava and Han following. Su went behind a large grey metal desk and started to sit down, only to be interrupted by Ava. “I’ll sit there. You sit next to Han,” she said.

  Su looked uncertain, but before she could say anything Ava took the seat behind the desk. As Su sat down, Ava took the notebook from her bag and turned to a page near the middle.

  “The reason I’m here is that some friends of mine had money stolen from them. I won’t get into the details of it, except to say that I’m trying to find out where that money ended up,” Ava said.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Su Na said.

  “That’s not important,” Ava said. “Now, I’m going to start by simply reading some names. I want you to tell me if you have met or know of any of these people or organizations. A simple yes
or no will be sufficient as an answer. Do you need this explained?”

  “No,” Su said, struggling to get comfortable on a chair that was a little high for her. She crossed and re-crossed her legs several times before just letting them dangle.

  “Okay, let’s get started,” Ava said. “The first name on my list is Malcolm Muir. Do you know him?”

  “No,” Su said.

  Ava closed her eyes and sighed. “That’s a lie.”

  Han’s massive right hand reached out and grabbed one of Su’s legs just above the kneecap. He squeezed. She whimpered. He squeezed harder, and the whimper turned into a loud moan. “This isn’t a good way to start,” he said.

  “Do you know Malcolm Muir?” Ava repeated.

  “Yes,” she blurted.

  Han took his hand off her leg but left it hovering in the air above the knee.

  “How about Patrick Cunningham, Sammy Rogers, Blackstone Simmons, Randy Simmons, and Ronald Evans?”

  “I know them all, except for Evans.”

  Ava glanced down at her notebook. “Have you ever been to Vanuatu?”

  “No. Why I would go there?”

  “So you had no involvement in establishment of the Evans Trust Company?”

  Su shook her head.

  “But you know of it.”

  “Of course. They help finance us.”

  “We’ll come back to Evans Trust later,” Ava said, leaning across the desk. “First I want to talk about how you came to know the others.”

  (32)

  Ava had gone through the names in the order she’d come across them. Now it was time to go back. “Who did you start doing business with first, the Simmons organization or Malcolm Muir?”

  “Simmons.”

  “How did that relationship begin?” she asked.

  “I’m a Christian,” Su said. She bit her lower lip and looked at Ava. “It’s a bit of a long story.”

  “I have lots of time.”

  “I’m from Chengdu. I went to university here then worked for a pharmaceutical company in Shanghai. One of the women I worked with was a devout Christian. We became friends, and I started to attend social events at her church. It was an Evangelical Baptist church. I was uncomfortable at first with the emotional intensity of the people there.” Su paused. “Am I boring you yet?”