The Diamond Queen of Singapore

by Ian Hamilton

  Howell looked at Ava. “That is acceptable to us,” she said.

  “Excellent. I’ll have Lisa and Greg hammer out a first draft of the agreement tonight, and we’ll get it to you by lunchtime tomorrow,” Campbell said. He paused and then continued. “All that leaves is the matter of the Simmons warehouse in Chengdu.”

  “I will instruct my people to allow Su Na to resume operations,” Ava said.

  “When can they go back to work?” Campbell asked.

  “I have a few questions I’d like to ask before I answer,” Ava said.

  “Go ahead,” said Campbell.

  “Do we have the pastor’s word that no more pills of any kind will be shipped to Canada?”

  “I don’t think —” Campbell began.

  “You have my word on that,” Rogers said.

  “Will the websites that have been selling the pills be taken down?”

  “They will be taken down as soon as possible.”

  “Then, as a sign of good faith on our side, I will let Su Na and her team go back into the warehouse tomorrow.”

  “Thank you,” Campbell said. “Hopefully that brings an end to what has been a remarkable day. You know I thought Ms. Lee’s deadlines were ridiculous, but I have to admit that they did hurry us along.”

  “We still need to stay on schedule,” Ava said. “The cheque should be in Todd’s firm’s bank account within seventy-two hours.”

  “We can make that work,” Campbell said. “Todd, we should talk again tomorrow after you’ve seen our first draft.”

  “I’ll be here,” Howell said.

  The line went dead. They stared at the phone, no one speaking, until Howell raised his arms above his head in a victory salute and shouted, “Yeah, yeah, yeah!”

  “Holy shit, we did it,” Eddie said.

  Derek looked at Ava, and his smile quickly disappeared. “What’s the matter? You look as if we lost,” he said to her.

  “I should have asked for the entire thirty million,” she said. “Rogers was ready to pay anything to get out from under Randy Simmons.”

  (51)

  Howell left the boardroom to tell his partners about their success. When he returned, the sandwiches had arrived, and right behind them came Matt Mason carrying two bottles of champagne. For the next hour the boardroom was abuzz as lawyers and staff came to offer their congratulations to Howell and Eddie Ng. Howell made a point of deflecting the praise in Ava’s direction, but she waved it off. “This is your moment. Goodness knows, you’ve worked long and hard enough to earn it.”

  When things finally settled down, and it was just the four of them again, Derek asked, “Do you really think Sammy Rogers didn’t know what Cunningham was doing?”

  “I’m not sure,” Howell said.

  “I’m convinced he knew,” Ava said. “But what does it matter? We can all pretend otherwise in return for twenty million dollars and bringing a stop to that business.”

  “How much of the twenty do you think Simmons paid?” Eddie asked.

  “I’d guess not very much, if anything.”

  “And you’re still going to turn them in to the American feds?”

  “That’s my intention once things are finalized here, but first I have a friend I need to ask for advice. I’ll listen to what he has to say,” she said. “Now, I don’t want to seem rude, but do you think you and Derek could leave Todd and me alone for a few minutes?”

  “Sure,” Eddie said, getting to his feet.

  “Do you want me to drive you home?” Derek asked.

  “Sure. This won’t take long.”

  Howell waited until the two men had left the boardroom before asking, “What’s this about?”

  “Money.”

  “Ah.”

  “I’ve been doing some rough calculations,” she said. “My usual fee is thirty percent. I think I’ll take only twenty-five this time, because I want your clients to get back more than half of what was stolen. I’ve recovered all of Mr. Gregory’s money separately, so Mrs. Gregory doesn’t need part of the twenty million.”

  “That’s quite considerate of you.”

  “There is a catch.”

  “Of course.”

  Ava smiled. “It’s nothing outrageous. You will get an email from the law firm of Burgess and Bowlby in Hong Kong instructing you to transfer my share to a bank account in the U.K. I don’t want my name attached to the transfer, and as far as anyone is concerned, those were never my funds.”

  “Tax evasion?”

  “No, it’s a bit more complex than that.”

  “So I shouldn’t ask?”

  “You can ask, but I won’t answer,” Ava said. “I do assure you, with all the solemnity that Pastor Rogers can muster, there’s nothing illegal involved.”

  “Burgess and Bowlby?”

  “You will hear directly from Brenda Burgess.”

  “I’ll look out for her instructions.”

  “And with that, I think we can call it a day.”

  “And what a day it was.”

  Eddie and Derek were sitting at a desk near the boardroom when Ava and Howell exited. “I have rarely been so ready to go home,” she said to Derek. “Between the jet lag and the massive drop in adrenalin, I’m completely whacked.”

  “I’ll touch base in the morning when I get the draft from Campbell,” Howell said.

  “Don’t bother unless there’s been a change,” Ava said. She looked at Eddie. “It’s been nice working with you. Say hello to my Vietnamese friends.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  She looked at Howell. “I think I should give you a hug.”

  “I’d welcome one,” he said, extending his arms.

  A moment later, Ava and Derek walked silently to the elevator and rode to the ground floor without saying a word.

  “Where’s your car?” she asked as they climbed down the steps to King Street.

  “In the same lot I’ve been using.”

  “I was hoping it was closer,” she said, looping her arm through his. “If I fall over, pick me up.”

  (52)

  On the ride back to her condo Ava kept making mental lists of the things she wanted to do, but fatigue had taken over to the point that when Derek stopped in front of her building, he had to remind her they had arrived. She climbed out of the car. “You can tell Mimi and Mrs. Gregory about the money now, and make sure you send June’s bank information to Todd.”

  “They were on my list.”

  “Am I repeating myself?”

  “Not yet, but I sense you’re getting close.”

  “I am very tired.”

  “Go to bed. You’ve earned a good night’s sleep and more,” he said. “We love you so much, you know. I don’t know how we’ll ever be able to repay you for this.”

  “I love you too, but I hate any mention of repayment. You know there’s no need.”

  When she entered the condo, Ava fought off the urge to go directly to bed and instead went into the kitchen. She opened her notebook and made a list of people she needed to call. Brenda Burgess and Chen were near the top of it. She opened her laptop and started writing an email to Brenda, then stopped, realizing that some other things took priority. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the fuzziness, and reached for her phone.

  “Wei,” Han answered.

  “There’s been a change in plans. Let Su Na know that the warehouse can reopen for business today. You can tell your men to leave.”

  “You’ve resolved your problem?”

  “I have, and I couldn’t have done it without you. Many, many thanks. When I talk to Xu, I’ll be sure to tell him what a great help you were.”

  “I appreciate your putting in a good word. As for the job, it was a nice change for us, something different. Don’t hesitate to call if you ever need anythin
g else.”

  “Please give my best to Lu and Ru Shi,” she said.

  Her next call was to Singapore, and it went directly to Jasmine Yip’s voicemail. “Jasmine, this is Ava. We’ve reached an accommodation with Harvest Table Bible Chapel. You should not hear from Muir again. I don’t know how Cunningham will react, but if he gives you any problems, let me know, and I’ll deal with it,” she said.

  She looked at the notebook. May Ling or Xu? Auntie Grace answered the phone in Shanghai and, after a few pleasantries, turned it over to Xu.

  “How’s it going?” he asked.

  “It’s done. We didn’t get everything we wanted, but we’ve made some people a lot happier than they were,” she said. “Han and his people were indispensable. I promised him I’d ask you to send him more iPhones.”

  “It’s the least I can do to thank him for looking after you so well,” Xu said. “What’s next on your schedule?”

  “I have to spend a few more days here until matters are completely finalized, and then I’m going to Taipei to be with Fai. When her shoot ends, we’ll come to Shanghai and then move on to Hong Kong. I’ll let you know as soon as the dates become firm.”

  “Auntie Grace will be thrilled.”

  “Give her a hug for me,” Ava said. “I’ll call you again in a few days.”

  She tried May Ling’s office number next, but it went to voicemail, as did the call to her cellphone. Ava repeated what she’d said to Xu about Taipei, Shanghai, and Hong Kong and then promised to call again the next day.

  She returned to the email to Brenda Burgess. Brenda, sometime in the next few days, please forward the U.K. banking information for BB Productions to Todd Howell, a lawyer here in Toronto. I have cc’d him on this email so you have his address. Todd’s firm will be transferring five million Canadian dollars to the BB account in about a week. Hope this finds you and Richard well. Best, Ava

  She started another email, and then decided that, given the subject matter, it made more sense to phone Chen.

  “This is Ava Lee. Could you put me through to Mr. Chen, please,” she said when his receptionist answered.

  “Ava, where are you?” he asked a moment later. “When I talked to Fai a few days ago, she mentioned something about Chengdu. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out what would take you there.”

  “I was helping a friend with a problem. It’s solved now, and I’m back in Toronto, but I’m going to Taipei in a few days to spend some time with Fai,” she said. “I’ll try not to be too much of a distraction.”

  “Were you calling to tell me that?”

  “No, I want to know if you’ve worked up a budget yet for Tiananmen Square.”

  “I’ve done a rough pass. As long as we can avoid going overboard with tanks and the like, and if Lau Lau can stick to a tight shooting schedule, I think we can bring it in under sixty million yuan.”

  “Eight million U.S. dollars?”

  “Yes, that’s about right.”

  “In a few days there’ll be five million sitting in the U.K. bank account of a company called BB Productions. You will have sole signing authority for that account. I’ll have to arrange for my Hong Kong lawyer, Brenda Burgess, to send you the necessary paperwork to make that happen, but we can do that after the money is in place. When you need more, we’ll find a way to get it into BB.”

  “You’re giving me sole signing authority? What kind of system do you want in place for budget control?”

  “You’re my budget control. Why would I need to get involved?”

  “I really appreciate that level of trust. I’ll make sure it isn’t misplaced,” Chen said. “Can I tell Lau Lau we’re going ahead? He’s been quietly harassing me for news.”

  “Sure, tell Lau Lau,” she said, thinking that she couldn’t jinx herself any more than she already had.

  “And would you mind if I join you in Taipei for a few days? We might have to do some shooting there, and I’d like to scout some potential locations.”

  “I’d love to see you, and with Fai on set all day, I’ll have time on my hands.”

  “Perfect. Email me your schedule when it’s set.”

  “I’ll do that,” Ava said, and ended the conversation.

  She went to the fridge, took out a bottle of Chardonnay, and poured herself a glass. That simple act reminded her of Fai’s absence. Ava thought about calling her but knew she’d be on set. Instead she sat at the laptop and wrote: It was a good day. We managed to get Mrs. Gregory’s money back and a substantial amount for the other investors. It will take two or three days to wrap things up here, but once that’s done, I’m heading to Taipei. Chen may join me for a few days to scout locations for Tiananmen Square. He’s also going to tell Lau Lau we’re going ahead with the film. So that’s it — I’m in. I can’t say I’m not feeling a little apprehensive about the outcome, but I’m convinced it’s the right thing to do. Love you! I’ll call you in the morning my time.

  Ava yawned. Her bed was beckoning, but she had one more phone call to make.

  Alasdair Dulles was a CIA agent. He and Ava had worked together in the Philippines solving a mystery involving the mass murder of potential jihadists. The murders had been orchestrated by a rogue agent who was financed by an American billionaire with strong evangelical ties. Dulles had made it clear that he didn’t share the billionaire’s religious beliefs, which made Ava comfortable with the idea of calling him. In truth, he was also the only senior American official she knew well enough to feel comfortable sharing confidences with.

  The phone rang four times. Disappointment was settling in when she heard a familiar voice. “Goodness me, is this really Ava Lee?”

  “Alasdair, how are you doing?”

  “Same old, same old,” he said. “How about you?”

  “Things are fairly normal.”

  “Except that your idea of normal is far different from anything I’ve ever encountered.” He laughed. “And I don’t imagine this is just a social call. Are you in Manila?”

  “I’m in Toronto, and no, it isn’t a social call. Although even if you can’t help, it’s good to get in touch with you again. We worked very well together.”

  “Yes, we did, and it’s still being talked about,” he said.

  “As I remember, neither it nor I was being talked about kindly.”

  “That depended on who was talking. You did have some detractors, but I assure you, you have at least as many admirers, including me and Brad Harrison.”

  “What’s your position these days?”

  “I have been rehabilitated. I’m now station head.”

  “Congratulations. And how about Brad, is he still working?” Ava asked, referring to Dulles’s boss in Washington.

  “He just keeps rolling along. He could have retired last year, but given the political atmosphere in Washington, he’s decided that leaving would be irresponsible.” He paused, then continued. “Now are you going to tell me why you’re calling?”

  “I need your help with something.”

  “That’s a rarity.”

  “No, seriously,” she said. “I have a problem that involves an American evangelical organization and the illegal sale of drugs into the U.S. from China.”

  Acknowledgements

  The idea for this book came to me four or five years ago, and I actually started a first draft before abandoning it after fifty or sixty pages. The story never left me, but it did begin to morph and develop in different directions. Actually, maybe too many directions, because the manuscript I submitted was 560 pages long. Doug Richmond, my editor, must have cursed a few times as he tried to winnow it down to an acceptable size. Now that you’ve read the final version, I hope you agree he’s done a great job.

  Thanks are also owed to Maria Golikova, the managing editor at House of Anansi, and my team of first readers. Thanks aren’t actually sufficient for
the readers. They make contributions large and small that strengthen every book. They are — in no particular order — Catherine Rosebrugh, John Kruithof, Carol Shetler, Ashok Ramchandani, Kristine Wookey, Robin Spano, Christina Sit, Carleena Chiang, and Lam Lau.

  No book is written in my world without the active support of my wife, Lorraine, and no book is sold without my agent, Bruce Westwood. They know how much I appreciate their support.

  IAN HAMILTON is the author of fourteen novels in the Ava Lee series and two in the Lost Decades of Uncle Chow Tung series. His books have been shortlisted for numerous prizes, including the Arthur Ellis Award, the Barry Award, and the Lambda Literary Prize, and are national bestsellers. BBC Culture named Hamilton one of the ten mystery/crime writers from the past thirty years that should be on your bookshelf. The Ava Lee series is being adapted for television.

  House of Anansi Press was founded in 1967 with a mandate to publish Canadian-authored books, a mandate that continues to this day even as the list has branched out to include internationally acclaimed thinkers and writers. The press immediately gained attention for significant titles by notable writers such as Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, George Grant, and Northrop Frye. Since then, Anansi’s commitment to finding, publishing and promoting challenging, excellent writing has won it tremendous acclaim and solid staying power. Today Anansi is Canada’s pre-eminent independent press, and home to nationally and internationally bestselling and acclaimed authors such as Gil Adamson, Margaret Atwood, Ken Babstock, Peter Behrens, Rawi Hage, Misha Glenny, Jim Harrison, A. L. Kennedy, Pasha Malla, Lisa Moore, A. F. Moritz, Eric Siblin, Karen Solie, and Ronald Wright. Anansi is also proud to publish the award-winning nonfiction series The CBC Massey Lectures. In 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011 Anansi was honoured by the Canadian Booksellers Association as “Publisher of the Year.

  NOW AVAILABLE

  from House of Anansi Press

  The Ava Lee series

  www.houseofanansi.com • www.facebook.com/avaleenovels