The Couturier of Milan

by Ian Hamilton

  “I sense there’s a point you’re trying to make,” Ava said.

  “Well, maybe they don’t know what this Camorra group is really doing.”

  “Are you suggesting that if Ventola did know he might call them off?”

  “I’d like to think he would.”

  “First of all, Raffi Pandolfo told me that it was Ventola, in a very angry state, who notified ‘some friends’ about VLG’s difficulties in China. We have to assume that those friends are the Camorra, and that Ventola knows exactly who he’s dealing with and what they’re capable of,” Ava said. “Even if he didn’t, we’d have to contact him to find that out. And the second we did, he’d be talking to the Camorra and they’d know right away that Lam has spoken to us. I can’t think of a result that would work to our benefit.”

  “I understand,” Amanda said, her voice calm.

  Ava looked at her and then at May, who also seemed unperturbed by the nature of the conversation. I should never have considered not telling them, she thought.

  “So, how do we extricate ourselves from this situation?” May said as the hot and sour soup was served.

  “I have a few thoughts.”

  “Are you going to share them?”

  “Give me a few minutes to sort them into some kind of order,” Ava said.

  They all ate quickly, but their attention was obviously elsewhere. The soup lacked a spicy bite and was a bit bland for Ava’s taste. She said no to a second helping and turned to the platter of geoduck sashimi that had been placed in the middle of the table. She mixed a large dollop of wasabi into some soy sauce until the sauce was a muddy brown. The clam had been cut into thin, translucent white slivers. She plucked one from the platter, dipped it into the sauce, and smiled as the clam almost melted on her tongue.

  “The first thing I have to do is talk to Xu and Lam,” she said as she reached for another piece. “We’re going to need their support.”

  “Do you have any doubts you’ll get it?” May asked.

  “Lam has already indicated his general willingness to help us. Now I need to get specific with him. Xu doesn’t know anything about this yet, but I don’t think that matters. He’ll help.”

  “Is there anything we can do?” Amanda said.

  “If Lam and Xu agree to my idea, there are not only things you can do, there are things the two of you will have to do.”

  May’s chopsticks were poised in midair, a sliver of geoduck suspended from them. She put the sticks back onto her plate. “I’m listening,” she said.

  “Can you lie low for a day or two? I mean stay off your phone and keep a very low profile. Have minimal contact with anyone, including Changxing.”

  “Could I tell him in advance?”

  “Is he discreet?”

  “When it’s called for.”

  “Is he capable of telling staff, friends, and business partners that he has no idea where you are or what you’re doing, and maybe expressing some concern about your well-being?”

  “He’d ask me why I want him to do that.”

  “I don’t want you to tell him anything specific. He’d have to do it on trust.”

  May nodded. “He would, I’m sure of it.”

  Ava reached for Amanda’s hand. “And now you —how good an actress are you?”

  “I’ve never done any real acting, outside of the time you got me to spin lies to those people in Macau, when I was trying to get those house plans for you.”

  “Well, we’re going to need you in full drama-queen mode.”

  “Who will be the audience?”

  “I’d prefer Dominic Ventola, but I suspect it will be Raffi Pandolfo.”

  ( 34 )

  Ava called Lam from the restaurant and explained what she wanted him to do. May and Amanda listened intently to her side of the conversation as she laid out her plans. Ava, rather self-consciously, found herself avoiding their gaze. No matter how close they had become, she still felt rather strange spinning out her plans in front of them. Even when she had worked with Uncle, she kept her strategies to herself unless she needed his assistance.

  As was his style, Lam listened without interruption. When she finished, he said, “It’s certainly worth trying, and who knows, it may work. But Ava, I need to make something clear: if there’s going to be a war with the Camorra, I don’t want my gang involved.”

  “If it comes to that, I’m counting on Xu,” she said.

  “Have you spoken to him yet?”

  “No.”

  “I expect he’ll do what you want.”

  “He’ll have to tell me that himself. For now I only need to know that you’re firmly onside.”

  “I am as long as Xu is. But you’ll have to let me know when I should contact the Italians.”

  “I won’t know until I talk to Xu. I’ll call you as soon as I have.”

  “Okay.”

  Ava put down her phone and looked at her partners. “Lam will co-operate. Now I have to talk to Xu, and that’s something I need to do in person.”

  “And alone?” May said.

  “I think that’s preferable.”

  May shrugged. “I have a lot of work to do anyway, especially since it appears I’ll be incommunicado for a while.”

  “And I promised our gang I’ll meet them in Pudong this afternoon,” Amanda said.

  “I’ll see if Xu’s available,” Ava said, hitting his number.

  “Ava,” he said.

  “I’m glad I caught you.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “The problem we have with VLG just became more complicated. I need to talk to you about it.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “No, I’d rather do it person.”

  “It’s that complicated?”

  “Yes,” Ava said abruptly.

  “I’m at the house. Where are you?”

  “At the Peace Hotel.”

  “I’ll send a car to pick you up. When will you be ready?”

  “Now.”

  “It will take about twenty minutes. Suen’s not back yet, so Wen will come with the driver.”

  “Thanks,” Ava said, ending the call and turning to May and Amanda. “He’s sending a car for me.”

  “Well, there’s no reason for me to hang around until it gets here,” May said. “I’ll go and work at the hotel.”

  “I’ll be in touch with both of you as soon as I get Xu’s feedback,” Ava said, and then looked at the platters of food they’d barely touched. “My mother would have a fit if she could see all this going to waste.”

  “I’ll pack it up and take it to Pudong with me,” Amanda said.

  Ten minutes later they made their way to the lobby and hugged at the hotel entrance. Amanda got into a taxi and May began to walk back to the Peninsula. Ava watched them leave with a sense of relief. They’d handled the situation as well as she could have hoped.

  A steady stream of luxury cars pulled up to the hotel. Ava thought she saw Wen more than once before she finally spotted him leaping out of the front passenger seat of the silver Mercedes. He waved at her and opened the back door.

  “Xiao lao ban,” he said.

  She climbed in, settled back, and then closed her eyes as they made their way to the French Concession. She knew she had asked a lot of May and Amanda, and even more of Lam, and now she was about to ask Xu to commit to a course of action that had no predictable end. Under normal circumstances she wouldn’t have any doubts about his reaction, but this involved the Camorra.

  As the car wove through the Concession, she replayed in her mind the strategy she’d come up with. She didn’t open her eyes until she heard Wen speak. The fruit vendor who guarded the entrance to the lane was leaning into the front window. “Everything’s clear,” he said.

  When they reached the house, the gate swung open and the car turned slowly into the courtyard. She saw Xu sitting by the pond with a cigarette in his hand. When the car came to a stop, she reached for the door handle, only to hear Wen exclaim
, “No, xiao lao ban, you must let me.” She sat back until he opened the door.

  Xu left his chair and crossed the courtyard to greet her.

  “I’m sorry about this,” Ava said.

  “I’m not accustomed to seeing you look so worried,” Xu said.

  “Well, we’ve been blindsided.”

  “I know. I just got off the phone with Lam. I called him on other matters and he told me what’s going on. I hope you don’t mind that he did.”

  Ava shook her head. “He’s been terrific.”

  “He does owe you some favours.”

  “I’ve cashed in several already.”

  “Some are weightier than others. He probably still feels he’s in your debt.”

  “Even so, I don’t like asking.”

  “Don’t concern yourself about Lam. He’s never been reluctant to say no,” Xu said. “Now, do you want to go inside or sit by the pond?”

  “Let’s sit by the pond,” Ava said. “Where’s Auntie Grace? She usually meets me at the door.”

  “It’s her naptime.”

  “I’ve never noticed that before.”

  “Whenever you’re here, she stays up. She doesn’t want you to think that she needs one.”

  “That’s silly. I wouldn’t care,” Ava said, taking a seat by the pond.

  “She does, though. She doesn’t want to look too old in your eyes.”

  “As if I would think that.”

  “I don’t pretend to understand how any woman thinks.”

  “Is that false modesty?”

  “I wish it were.”

  Ava looked towards the house, still half expecting Auntie Grace to appear. “Xu, I’m genuinely sorry that I have to bother you with this latest problem. I thought we had things moving in the right direction until Lam called. His news was a bit of a shock.”

  “He was taken aback himself,” Xu said. “But he mentioned that you have a plan to deal with it.”

  “Yes. I’ve asked him to convince the Italians to come to Hong Kong. I thought about Shanghai or Guangzhou, but Hong Kong is probably more neutral in their minds.”

  “It probably is,” Xu said.

  “Do you know the Camorra?”

  “I don’t know them specifically —Li’s Guangzhou gang was their point of contact in China —but I certainly know of them, and over the years we’ve done business with them, again through Guangzhou,” Xu said. “Like the triads, their organization goes back hundreds of years. As I remember, they have about a hundred gangs operating in a rather loose structure. I think there are about six thousand members in total. I’m sure VLG is involved with one specific gang rather than a group of them.”

  “Uncle was always wary when it came to dealing with the Italian Mafia, especially the ’Ndrangheta.”

  “From my experience, the Italian mobs aren’t much different from one to another. Uncle would probably have been as cautious about the Camorra. They all think in the short term and nearly always opt for violence over negotiation.”

  “That’s certainly part of their approach to resolving VLG’s problems in China.”

  “You mean the fact that they want to hurt you and May Ling, or worse.”

  “Yes.”

  “As long as Lam has the contract there isn’t much to worry about.”

  “I know, but he also says they’re impatient. If he doesn’t deliver, they’ll find someone else who can.”

  “I understand,” Xu said, taking out another Xiong Mao cigarette. “I wasn’t suggesting that we ignore the threat. I’m simply saying that we have a little time.”

  “And I want to use that time to get them and the VLG executives to Hong Kong before impatience can set in.”

  Xu lit his cigarette, inhaled deeply, and blew the smoke away from Ava. “How will you go about ending the dispute? Lam says they want the factories to resume manufacturing and to ship what they have on hand. Are you prepared to do that before VLG gives you what you want?”

  “No. It’s the only leverage we have right now.”

  “You say that as if there’s more pressure you can apply to them.”

  “There are a few more things we can do, but as long as the Camorra is part of the equation and May and I are targets, getting rid of that threat has to be the immediate focus.”

  “And you think that meeting them in Hong Kong will accomplish that?”

  “This battle between us and VLG has been a series of shock tactics, of surprise attacks. They hit us first by trashing Clark and demeaning us in front of potential and existing customers. We retaliated with the containers and supposed counterfeits, and we probably raised the ante with the factories. They’ve hit back and increased the stakes one more time. Now it’s our turn again, and we’ve got to match or surpass what they’ve done. And that most certainly includes some element of surprise.”

  “Lam said you want him to tell the Camorra that he’s had you and May Ling badly beaten up.”

  “That’s right.”

  “So your walking into a meeting in Hong Kong would constitute a surprise.”

  “Part of the surprise.”

  “What’s the rest?”

  “VLG has an affiliation of some sort with the Camorra. What neither of them knows is that the Shanghai triads don’t just have an affiliation with PÖ, they are in fact major shareholders in the business, with many millions of dollars at stake.”

  “You and May would be comfortable making that public?”

  “It would hardly be a public meeting, and I’m quite sure Dominic Ventola wouldn’t want to broadcast that information once he knew he had to do a deal with us.”

  “And how would Dominic Ventola reach that conclusion?”

  “I want you to tell them that you’re prepared to go to war to protect your interests,” Ava said. “And if it becomes a war, he’ll be the first casualty.”

  ( 35 )

  Xu didn’t speak for a few minutes. He finished his cigarette, took another from the pack, and lit it with the dying embers of the first. His silence didn’t concern Ava. He wasn’t a man to react quickly or become emotional. She was sure he was processing everything she had told him, everything that Lam had said, and working through layers of relationships and agreements that she knew nothing about. Finally he reached down and put the second butt into the can of water by the chair.

  “Do you want to go inside?” he asked. “Auntie Grace will be up now, and I feel like a drink.”

  Auntie Grace was emerging from her bedroom as they entered the house. She smiled at Ava and said, “I’ll be with you in a minute. I need to freshen up.”

  “There’s no rush, Auntie.”

  Xu sat in the living room on a bamboo chair with a padded seat. He placed his feet on the antique wooden tea chest that served as a coffee table. Ava sat across from him on a matching couch.

  “You do know that if I tell the Camorra I’m prepared to go to war, it can’t be an idle threat?” he said.

  “Yes, I know that.”

  “And you do know that while Lam is prepared to help in many ways, going to war with the Camorra isn’t one of them?”

  “He made that clear.”

  Auntie Grace joined them in the living room. “Welcome back,” she said.

  Before Ava could reply, Xu said, “Auntie, we really need a drink. Do I have any of the Macallan left?”

  “Yes.”

  He looked at Ava. “Two glasses?”

  “Sure,” she said.

  Auntie Grace walked to the sideboard, opened a door, and took out a bottle. She lifted two crystal tumblers from a shelf and carried the bottle and glasses to the table. She put them down rather deliberately. “It’s a bit early in the day for a drink like this,” she said.

  “It is exactly the right time for a drink like this,” Xu said.

  “Just not too much,” she said to both of them, and then turned and walked into the kitchen.

  Xu sat up and poured each of them two fingers of the Scotch. “Gan bei,” he said, lifting
his glass.

  “To our health,” Ava said.

  He took a sip and then leaned back again. “So, how do you see this playing out?”

  “I want Lam to call the Camorra and tell them that he’s taken care of May and me,” Ava said. “We’ll play it up a bit more from our side. Amanda is going to phone Raffaello Pandolfo and demand rather hysterically why they had to harm us. On top of that, May and I will make ourselves scarce until we meet them in Hong Kong.”

  “How would hurting you be a reason for them to come to Hong Kong?”

  “It won’t be. Lam will have to tell them that he’s talked and met with the factories and then make the case that even pressure from him couldn’t convince them to start producing or shipping again. He’ll tell the Camorra he suspects the plants have been communicating among themselves and want to renegotiate their agreements. He’ll recommend bringing them all to Hong Kong for a meeting with VLG, saying that if he can get them together in one room he’s sure they can be made to honour their current contracts.”

  “Why does VLG have to be there?”

  “Lam will say that the factories insist on dealing directly with the principals. Then he’ll add that if the Camorra can’t get VLG to come to Hong Kong, he doesn’t want to waste any more time on the project and will withdraw from the contract.”

  “Will the Italians buy that?”

  “Lam thinks so. It’s his idea.”

  “He always was creative.”

  “So, what do you think?”

  Xu sipped the Macallan, pursing his lips appreciatively. “It hinges on Lam’s ability to talk them into coming to Hong Kong.”

  “It does, and we’ll know whether he can soon enough.”

  “And if he’s successful, then it falls on us to convince the Camorra that leaning on PÖ and the factories isn’t going to get them what they want, and in fact it could be very messy and counterproductive.”

  “And I have complete confidence in your ability to do that,” Ava said.

  “Thank you,” Xu said, suppressing a smile. “But that still leaves us the challenge of convincing VLG to abandon its anti-PÖ campaign.”

  “Not just abandon, but reverse,” Ava said. “I’ll handle that part of the meeting.”