Mei took a sip of water and looked out of the window. “You have chosen an excellent table, David. If it wasn’t for the horrible smog, we would have a wonderful view of the city.”
“Well, this is one of the benefits of owning the hotel. I get to choose the best seat in the house.” He waved his hand at the window. “The smog, there’s nothing I can do about that.” He leaned his head forward. “Now, you, on the other hand, as high up as you and your husband Ho are in the government, you could do something about the smog.”
A young man in a crisp military uniform appeared at their table and bowed before Mei. “Excuse me for interrupting you, Madam Chen,” he said in a low voice as he reached out to hand her an envelope. “A message from the Interior Department.” Mei snapped the envelope from his hand as the man backed away and left. She looked up at David as she ripped open the envelope and quickly scanned its contents. She folded it and stuck it in the small purse by her side.
A server appeared with two glasses of champagne and set them down. Mei raised her glass in a toast and took a sip. “Where were we? Ah yes, fixing the smog. Don’t confuse me with my husband. If I want something done to fix the smog, I promise you it will get done.” She looked out the window. “But remember that smog is because of progress. China has grown from a poverty-stricken, backward country to a world power in a matter of decades. That is progress, and sometimes there are side effects of progress. Smog is one of them.”
“Well, I hope progress doesn’t choke everyone to death. Enough about the smog.” He nodded toward her purse. “I hope the message you received wasn’t bad news. Things appear to be changing in China, especially in Hong Kong. The Interior Department seems to have their hand in everything.”
Mei waved her hand dismissively. “They want me to attend a Party function tomorrow night. There’s a lot of angst lately about what to do with Hong Kong, as it appears its citizens have grown accustomed to British rule and law and don’t understand the Communist way.” She sipped her champagne and kept her gaze on his. “This will change with time.”
David took a sip from his drink and set his glass down, cocking his head slightly. “I hope you’ll keep me informed if anything transpires that affects my business.”
She smiled sweetly. “Of course, that’s why I wanted to meet.”
David snapped his napkin and placed it on his lap. “I’m sorry, Mei, I’ve almost lost all my manners talking all this business and ignoring you. How have you been? I assume you’ve been busy with the solar factory pumping out panels and saving the planet.”
Mei shifted in her seat and crossed her hands on the table. “The solar factory is doing well. I’m on my way to Hong Kong to close a deal on one of the largest solar farms in the world. It’s all very exciting.” She looked into his eyes. “Have you thought about my proposal we discussed the last time we were together?”
“You mean the one where if I don’t give you one half of my Hong Kong hotel holdings, the Chinese government steps in, nationalizes them and takes one hundred percent of them?” He raised an eyebrow as he sipped his champagne. “That proposal?”
Mei leaned back in her chair and held her chin up. “It isn’t quite that cut and dry. I’m offering you a way to keep your hotels from the government. It’s only a matter of time before they get them from you. I’ve got inside information and I’m sharing it with you. I’m trying to help you out.”
“Let’s order while I figure out how to repay your kindness,” he said in a sarcastic tone. He picked up the menu and studied it for a second. “Ah, they have braised lamb shank tonight. The chef here makes the best lamb I’ve ever eaten.”
She crinkled her nose. “I’ve never been a lamb fan. I’ll try the salmon.” She set her menu aside. “Listen, David, I’m serious when I tell you the government is looking for different sources of revenue. Your portfolio is a perfect fit for them. They could retain you as a manager and even pay you for your services. They, in turn, get some great assets and steady income.”
“I get why they would want my hotels, Mei,” he said, the frustration in his voice rising. “But I feel I’m being blackmailed. I don’t seem to be given a voice in this conversation.”
“Is that why you made inquiries at the government?” she asked sweetly. “Somebody told someone that I had threatened you, and that, in turn, got back to my husband.” She waved a finger in front of his face. “That’s a no-no. There is no one else involved in this negotiation at this time but you and me. If you try to go around my back again, it would not work well in your favor.”
David studied her face. This gal is not bluffing, he thought. She is dead serious about taking my hotels. When she first brought this up, I thought it was just some fantasy of hers. I need to buy some time and figure how to keep her at bay. But how? I can’t go to the government; she’d find out. My government, Great Britain, has no control anymore in the matters of Hong Kong. Besides the fact that I would be giving up fifty percent for nothing, I’d also have Mei Chen for a partner.
Their orders came and they both ate in silence. The string quartet continued to play softly as the notes resonated around the room. David finished his meal and set his knife and fork on the plate. “Look, Mei, I understand you’re giving me a heads up and a warning and possibly a way to keep my holdings, and for that I am very much indebted. But this is all such a shock, I really need more time to figure it out. I would like to see if I have any other options than what you’re proposing.”
Mei tapped her napkin around the corners of her mouth delicately. “That’s fine, David. See what, if anything, else there is for you to do.” She set the napkin on the table and stood up. “I’ll give you two weeks to give me an answer.” She turned and glided out of the restaurant.
TWENTY-THREE
The bar at the front of the Golden Dragon was deserted except for the middle-aged, balding bartender who had a cigarette dangling precariously from his mouth. A large aquarium stood behind the bar and a dozen orange and white koi the size of small mice floated lazily back and forth. Wo Sung, in his usual wife beater shirt and dark slacks, sat at the corner of the bar reading the sports section of The San Francisco Chronicle.
“Stupid Giants,” he muttered as he read the lead article about the day’s previous game at 3-Com Park, where they had blown a three-run lead in the eighth inning to lose to their hated rival, the Dodgers. “They need to fire the manager.”
He raised his shot glass up, and the bartender ambled over with a bottle of Patron tequila and poured Wo another round. “I should just leave the bottle here in front of you, Wo,” he said, laughing.
Taking the glass, Wo looked at him in silence, tossed the drink down, and went back to the paper. The bartender moved quickly away.
The front door opened and an impeccably dressed black man with a younger white man at his side entered the bar. They waited for their eyes to adjust before spotting Wo and then heading to where he sat.
“It’s good to see you, old friend,” the black man said to Wo as he extended his hand. “You remember my aid, John Clayton?”
“I do indeed remember him, Eugene,” he said as he shook their hands. “It’s nice to see you again, John.” He got off the barstool and nodded across the room. “Why don’t we move to that booth over there where we can be more comfortable and talk in private?”
“Sorry we’re late, but I wanted to be sure that I wasn’t followed. It might not look very good if I was spotted in your company.”
Wo bowed and smiled. “I completely understand.”
Once they were situated in a dark corner, Wo asked, “Would either of you like a drink?” He turned and signaled the bartender, who came around the bar and headed to where they were sitting.
Looking at his watch, Waters shook his head. “No, it’s only ten o’clock. That’s a bit early for me.”
John shook his head.
“It’s never too early for me,” Wo said, laughing. He nodded to the bartender, who nodded back and returned to the ba
r to get another shot.
“I don’t want to be rude, but I’ve got a busy schedule today and I leave for Washington D.C. in the morning. So if you don’t mind, I’d like to get down to business.” Waters looked Wo in the eyes. “I’ve got to get back to work to do my constituents business. Tell me more about your proposed business deal that involves getting guns into Mexico.”
Wo smiled thinly and spoke. “I think I have an opportunity again to make some serious cash for the both of us. We did this type of job a year ago and it turned out well. You remember the operation for the Marcos Cartel, Eugene?”
He nodded, smiling. “I do indeed. That was a great haul. We both made two million, if I recall.”
“Your memory is good, Eugene.” The bartender placed his shot in front of him and Wo tossed it back. He waited until the bartender was well out of earshot and continued, “This is also a Marcos job, but it’s going to be a little bigger and I think I’ve got an idea that would make it easier to pull off than the last one. I’ve got a source that will supply us with eight thousand assault type rifles of various makes—AK-47s, Capitols, and Springfields. In addition, they’ll supply five thousand hand guns—Rugers and Colt 45s.” He paused to let the numbers set in.
Both Waters and John leaned back in their seats. “Eight thousand assault rifles.” He whistled softly. “That’s a lot of weaponry.”
“Hold on,” Wo said, putting up his hands. “Let me explain. My source can get the guns to us; our job will be to get them down to Juarez, where the Cartel will pay us six point five million over cost for our efforts.”
Waters started laughing. “Oh, is that all?” he said sarcastically. “We just need to cart a few railroad-sized cars full of guns across the Mexican border and we make a ton of money? I’m sure that’s never been thought of before.” His eyes narrowed. “Come on, Wo, that’s a fools errand. There’s no way we could get that amount of guns across the border that way.”
He stopped suddenly and stared at Wo. “But, I’ve got a better idea. My good friend, Madam Chen, is going to be supplying a huge amount of solar panels to a new solar farm project not far from Reno Nevada. Most of the panels will be coming by container ship, but she wants to get the first batches of panels here quickly. She’ll be transporting those panels directly from her factory in Shanghai and will need a number of transport planes to get them here.”
He watched as Wo leaned forward, listening intently.
He continued. “Madam Chen uses government transport planes to move her products all the time.”
“Why would she use government planes?” Wo asked.
“Because,” Waters answered, looking at him directly in the eye, “she can’t own regular jets, as it would look too ostentatious to the regular Chinese people. The higher ups in the government have to be careful not to flaunt their wealth, so they use government equipment. She helps herself to government jets. So, here’s the plan. We get Mei involved. Once her planes unload the solar panels, they fly back to China empty. She ships her panels in large covered wooden boxes. When they unload the panels in Nevada, we fill the empty boxes up with the guns. She arranges for the jets to fly to an airport outside Juarez and we offload the guns to the Cartel. It can be done in a matter of hours.”
Waters started rubbing his chin, a grin on his face. “Since the plane’s a Chinese government plane, it won’t get the scrutiny of a private jet and it can get in and out of Mexico quickly. Plus, the airport and the warehouse in Nevada are off the beaten path. There aren’t a lot of people sniffing around out there. ”
“That’s genius, Eugene,” Wo said as he signaled to the bartender for another drink.
“Thank you. After we remove the guns, the plane gasses up and flies back to Shanghai to load up another batch of panels. All we need to do is come to an agreement amongst ourselves and get Mei onboard. This could be a huge moneymaker for all of us.”
The bartender set Wo’s drink in front of him, and Wo raised in it a toast. “I’m all in. Let’s get Mei in.”
“I’ll contact her right after I leave you and run this by her.” He turned to John. “Is there anything you want to add?”
“I would be concerned how to get the cash into Congressman Waters’s re-election account. We can’t just walk into a bank with a wheelbarrow full of money and deposit it.” He waved at the bartender. “Could you bring me a water?” He continued, “Are you going to try a couple of dry runs before you actually put real guns on the plane? This sounds like it could work, but there are a few bugs that need to be worked out.”
Waters nodded his head. “Absolutely we’d do dry runs. My thought is if we get Mei on board, she makes the stop in Mexico a regular part of her shipping. They put the panels on the plane in Shanghai, fly to Nevada, then fly to Mexico and then back. Four out of five times, there would be nothing on the plane going from Nevada to Mexico, but once every fifth time…” He held his hands up.
“I’m liking it, Eugene,” Wo said. “But one question: Who fronts the money for the guns? That’s a lot of money to be put at risk.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got that covered,” he answered. “If we can use Madam Chen’s government planes, the money will be there.” Eugene looked at Wo, then at John. “Okay then. I’ll make a call to Mei and see if we can make this happen. It should be a profitable experience!”
♦
The next morning, Congressman Waters and John were seated in the back seat of a white limousine, going over upcoming legislation as they drove to the San Francisco International Airport. The traffic was heavy, as it was still rush hour, and the limo only moved about fifteen miles an hour. John had highlighted certain parts of a proposed bill that Waters held in his hand as John explained it to him. Waters pushed his eyeglasses to the bridge of his nose. “This was supported by the Friends of the Earth, right? I can’t vote for anything they’re opposed to or we’ll never hear the end of it.”
John nodded. “Yes, they are definitely behind this. There is a provision in the bill that gives preference to energy-efficient use of cars like hybrids or electric cars, so they’re very happy about it.”
“Okay, that’s good. What’s the next bill?” he asked. Before John could answer, Waters’s phone rang. He checked the number and answered it in a deep-sounding voice, “Madam Chen, what a pleasure to speak to you. How are you doing?”
He heard Mei’s high-pitched voice answer sweetly, “I am doing well, Congressman Waters. I apologize for not returning your call yesterday. It was a crazy day at my Shanghai plant and I barely got to speak to anyone not associated with the operation.”
“I hope it was all good crazy for you, Mei,” he said, trying to sound sincere.
“Not exactly. A couple of my workers managed to get themselves killed in one of the aluminum vats and it created a lot of havoc.” She paused for a second. “But everything is back to normal, thank you for asking. What can I do for you?”
Waters cleared his throat. “I’ve come up with a way to fill your planes with cargo on their way back to China. Let me explain what I have in mind.” He went through it in as much detail as he could remember, explaining Mei’s role and her cut of the profits. When he finished, he added, “There’s so much buzz and excitement regarding getting the Copper Mountain solar farm off the ground, we thought it would be a perfect cover for this operation. You’re going to have to get the panels to Nevada, and Reno has a nice airport away from a lot of prying eyes. Your planes are going to be coming and going at such a rapid pace, there wouldn’t be much scrutiny paid to what’s leaving on them once your solar panels are unloaded there.” He paused for a second and then asked, “Well, that’s what we have in mind and we want to know if you want to participate.”
The phone was silent for a minute and Waters asked, “Hello? Are you still there, Mei?”
“Yes, I’m sorry, Congressman, I was just thinking about your proposal,” she answered. “I like your idea, but it seems to me that my government plane is the key to the success of thi
s operation since they would be carrying all the solar panels to Nevada, don’t you think?”
“Yes,” he answered. I think I know where this is going, he thought. “The planes are a crucial part, without a doubt.”
“Then my planes will be carrying your cargo to Mexico, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Well then, shouldn’t my cut be bigger than everyone else’s? The only reason my planes are going to be in Nevada is to get the panels to the solar farm. I’m taking a big risk, and the success or failure will depend on me. If you want me in, I want fifty percent of the profits.”
Waters did some mental calculations. Fifty percent of six million is still three million for Wo and myself to split. And that’s for the first attempt. If we’re successful and make more than a few runs, the profits would be enormous. “Mei, I think what you’re asking is not unreasonable. Let me check with my other partner and get back to you. Assuming he agrees, we would like to get this operation going fairly soon.” He gave John a thumbs up and smiled. “Do you think you could make your planes available for us to do a dry run in the next few weeks so we can test out this idea?”
“Of course, I can make it happen,” she answered. “I believe we’re already scheduling panel shipments to Reno as we speak. Get back to me after you’ve cleared my percentage with your partner and I’ll make arrangements for you on my end.” She paused and then added, “Oh, Congressman. The girl you met in Bali, Amy. She asked me to ask you when you might meet up again. I guess you made a real impression on her.”
Waters smile and rubbed his thighs subconsciously. “Well, you pass on to Miss Amy that I would love to see her again really soon. As soon as I get a break from this session in congress, I’ll figure out where to hook up with her. I’ll talk to you soon, Madam Chen.”
He hung up. Oh my, that Amy was just too luscious. For such a young woman, she sure knows a lot about pleasing a man. He closed his eyes and envisioned her naked body and his hands running over it.
The Money Is Green Page 14