Chapter Nine
Around eleven thirty at night that same day, the dark grey Mercedes of Elsie Chu stopped in front of a large rectangular set of buildings, lit up by green lights. Established at Changi Airport, the valuable storage area of Le Freeport heralded a new era in 'Wealth Protection'. Designed, supervised and financed by a Swiss team led by visionary entrepreneur Ives Bouvier, the safest area in the Republic of Singapore worked with no less than four groups, Singapore Customs, Singapore police, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, and the Economic Development Board, in order to carry out its duties of safe storage and valuable protection of goods for corporate firms protecting their technology. Other clients included art collectors and bullion dealers, auction houses, banks, museums, and fine producers of wine and alcohol, some of which required an optimum environment with monitored temperature and the highest standards of humidity control.
Elsie Chu stepped out of the car with Clarity, who was holding the briefcase previously held by Lim Li, given to her by Elsie Chu, and they entered the main reception area of Le Freeport, asking for the building corresponding to diamond and jewelry security partner Malka-Avit. The name had been provided by Olivia Chai, who had some contacts at Le Freeport Real Estate, the owners of the buildings. The Real Estate company did not operate or manage the facility. Instead, it worked with renowned logistics companies and institutions, among them Christie's Fine Art Storage services and Helutrans, specialists of relocating art. An inspector of precious metals showed up at the counter, and Elsie Chu showed him her vanity ring. The inspector recognized the item, which the doyenne had picked up from a deposit box a few weeks earlier. He simply nodded, without asking any questions. Elsie Chu was a prominent customer, and she was treated like a VIP. The doyenne showed the briefcase to the inspector.
"We want a private viewing room." The inspector pointed to her ring.
"Will you be using the vault?"
"Not for this, but yes, maybe for another valuable." The wife of Dao Bin began to turn one of the bands of her ring nervously, looking at her smartphone several times. Its watch was nearing midnight.
"What are we doing?" Asked Clarity.
"We're meeting with Professor Chang. My husband finally trusted me with something of importance."
The inspector, dressed in a brown security uniform reminiscent of UPS, led them through a labyrinth of corridors to a private viewing Suite, displaying thick concrete walls, steel doors, a security control panel requiring an access code, and an exit sign pointing the way to leave the building. In the middle of the showroom, there was a table and four chairs. Elsie Chu spoke to the inspector, who served them refreshments and drinks, and helped the doyenne place the briefcase on the table.
"Do you know if there any containers holding lanthanides stored here? Any customers working with rare earth metals?"
"No, not that I know of. I did hear of a shipment that got stored in an unusual area," said the inspector.
"Unusual?"
"At Hartford cellars, one of our partners at Le Freeport. The cellarage is normally used for wine storage, but a shipment coming from the docks listed as lumber was sent there after we told the dispatchers that we only stored precious metals. Your containers may be stored there."
Elsie Chu nodded, unsure of what to do with the information. She had mentioned Le Freeport to her husband to bring in the painting by Kandinsky for their penthouse using Christie's storage services, and now, she was nearly certain that Dao Bin was using the area to store the lanthanides stolen from Owens & Owell to prompt a business deal with them. There wasn't any other area in Singapore, safer than Le Freeport. Nevertheless, her husband had not trusted her with that information.
Half an hour later, Professor Chang showed up at the viewing Suite. He shook hands with Elsie Chu, noticing Clarity.
"Who is she?" Asked Chang.
"She is with me, she'll do the meditations of longevity with me."
"Have you told Madame Wa?"
"No, I'm telling you."
"Do you have the palladium?"
"Yes." Chang opened the briefcase, showing stacks of palladium squares, amounting to a million dollars. He took the briefcase and made a call. A storage employee in charge of Free Trade Zone vaults and facilities showed up with a stack of charts and a pen drive.
"This is all Mr. Dao Bin will need to put in place the health phone longevity services," said Chang. "The charts point out the effect of the meditations and the pen drive holds index cards which summarize the practices. The agreement includes a share of the new Hunan Health phone project for me."
"When the new venture is up and running, you will receive the forty million dollars." Chang nodded. The Taoist specialist wanted to send six hundred thousand dollars worth of palladium to the Luxembourg facility of Le Freeport. A service representative of Malka-Avit dressed in a suit assured him that the storage company assumed liability for any damage or disappearance of his palladium, and that the liability was insured by Lloyd's of London, and other London market insurance companies. The representative led everyone to the vault area, giving a key to Elsie Chu for the charts, and a second key to Professor Chang.
"You can store your valuables here. There are Closed-Circuit television cameras twenty four seven and a fire control system." Chang opened the briefcase and placed several stacks of palladium with their assay certificate, in a deposit box. Elsie Chu used her own key to open another vault and place the charts and the pen drive brought by Chang inside.
"When will the palladium reach Luxembourg?" Asked Chang.
"With our express service, within forty eight hours. This is one reason we are located at the airport, it provides us with a transportation advantage no one else offers."
"I want to deposit some of my money in a bank, not sure where yet. About half a million dollars, four hundred thousand dollars, converting some palladium into cash." The representative smiled, sensing another cut for the advisory service provided.
"Come with me, I can show you a list of banks that may be suitable."
Chang disappeared with the representative through a corridor, leaving Elsie Chu and Clarity on their own. The wealthy socialite adjusted her ring carefully, turning it a few notches clockwise, until her smartphone showed full wireless coverage. She made a brief phone call, confirming with Lim Li the location of the containers and the palladium transaction with Chang. Finally, Dao Bin was revealing something relevant to her about the new venture. She ended the call and turned to Clarity.
"The containers are in the warehouse of Hartford Cellars, Lim Li has confirmed it. We can tell Owens & Owell." She made a second call, dialling the number of Shalia Owell.
"Shalia? Hi, this is Elsie Chu. The containers are stored at one of the facilities at Le Freeport, the company is called Hartford Cellars. We can meet directly at the warehouse in twenty minutes."
"The ring works to adjust the frequency of the cell phone?" Asked Clarity.
"The smartphone works, that's what the ring does, it allows it to send a signal outdoors, even from a vault area such as this. If the ring is not with me, my smartphone wouldn't work. Not here."
The precious metals inspector came into the vault area to show them the exit. One of the corridors led them to the warehouse area of Hartford Cellars, and the manager, a thin man wearing round glasses, showed them to an aisle showing two containers. Clarity recognized the same containers she saw on the Mairangi Bay cargo when she recovered another container for the monks of the Enlightened Dragon. Seating near a table beside the containers, Jeng and Mao Sei, the two thugs providing security to Dao Bin, were playing poker, wearing their nylon jackets.
Hearing a group of people walking near them, Clarity saw the entourage of Robert Owell follow the head of the conglomerate and his daughter Shalia. Dale Irwail took a look at the containers and confirmed their nature.
"Lanthanides, these are ours, they match the description on the bill of parcel." Robert Owell scratched his forehead, thinking that his job w
as getting too hands on.
"Shit," said Elsie Chu. Her smartphone was showing a call which was not on her contact list. The caller was labeled 'Infocomm' on her glass screen.
"The Media Authority, they're coming here. I think they've traced our location by tracing our phone calls." Everyone turned off their smartphones and Donovan Carthill's face began to turn pale after one of the lawyers whispered a few words to him.
"We need to get the containers out of here." The moneytician spoke to Carthill reassuringly.
"We've got direct airport access to the runway. The special customs team of Hartford Cellars works for us. They can talk to Infocomm and lead them to other places at Le Freeport, while the containers leave on a cargo plane for China, to Yinchuan Hedong International Airport, within the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region."
Robert Owell had never heard of the airport, whose name had been provided by the Economic Counsellor's office to Lim Li. The head of the conglomerate was already leading all of the executive committee and a few members of the Board of Directors towards the exit area where the 19-seater coach provided by Dao Bin was waiting to lead them to the corporate learjet area. Elsie Chu grabbed the arm of her husband.
"The charts and the pen drive," said Elsie Chu.
"Put them with the containers," said Dao Bin. Robert Owell did not care about the longevity charts or the pen drive provided by Professor Chang. He was only concerned by the reputation of Owens & Owell.
"Let's get out of here, we're leaving Singapore on the Learjet, come with me, Shalia."
"I can stay here," said Shalia.
Everyone looked at her with a look of astonishment. She looked at Elsie Chu and Clarity. "I'll stay with them, someone needs to ensure the containers leave properly. I also want to see the charts."
Shemkey and Carthill were pulling Robert Owell away from his daughter. Dao Bin was giving instructions to his thugs, on where to send the containers, and the moneytician was calling Smethens.
"Your daughter will be all right," said Dao Bin, "my car is here, she can come with us before Infocomm gets here." Shalia insisted and his father reluctantly agreed.
"Be careful Shalia. In any case, if someone asks you any questions, don't talk about our deal with Mr. Dao Bin. Simply say that the containers were stolen and that they're ours."
"Yes, dad."
She looked at her father board the coach and leave the warehouse area of Le Freeport. The blond girl checked her 88 Tauri phone, satisfied with the suggestion of Madame Wa. She was the one who had called Infocomm, alerting them of their location at Le Freeport, with a single purpose in mind: To turn Clarity to the Media authorities, accusing her of the theft of the lanthanide containers.
Sun on the Rocks - The Vanity Ring Page 10