by Ian Hamilton
“I wish that’s all it was,” Amanda said tensely.
Now what? Ava thought.
“I’m in Chi-Tze’s office,” Amanda said a few minutes later. “She grabbed me the instant I arrived at the factory this morning. She told me that Dominic Ventola called Clark last night.”
“How does she know that?”
“Gillian told her. Ventola said to Clark that he regrets the way things have been handled and promised him a place in the VLG organization regardless of what happens. Ventola also said that if Clark and Gillian can find a way to persuade Three Sisters to sell its rights and shares, there’s still time to salvage PÖ.”
“If Gillian knows all this, then she and Clark obviously discussed the conversation.”
“They did. And thank god Gillian trusted us enough to talk to Chi-Tze.”
“It’s a bit late in the game for the Pos to change their minds,” Ava said, biting back a feeling of frustration that was laced with anger.
“They haven’t done that, at least, not according to what Gillian told Chi-Tze.”
“But Ventola has planted the seed,” Ava said. “I have to give him credit. He knew exactly what to say to entice Clark and to undermine us.”
“Except nothing has resulted from it.”
“Not yet anyway, but it’s certainly one more reason why we need to resolve our issues with VLG tomorrow night in Macau,” Ava said. “Speaking of which, I think you should tell Chi-Tze, Clark, and Gillian that we think we’re getting close to a resolution. You can even tell them we’re expecting something to happen within the next seventy-two hours. That might prevent Clark from considering doing something precipitous.”
“Do you think we can reach an agreement that quickly?”
“If we can’t, I don’t like our chances of ever getting one,” Ava said. She paused. “Is there anything else I need to know about Clark?”
“No, that’s all, but I did tell Chi-Tze to stay close to Gillian and to let us know if she detects any reason for us to worry.”
“Good. Now let’s talk about that purchasing agent.”
Amanda drew a deep breath. “He was here this morning and spent some time with Gillian and Chi-Tze. They thought he was a bit strange. It was like he was pretending to be interested in the PÖ line while he was really eyeballing the factory. He also asked Gillian about the ownership group.”
“Did she mention May and me?”
“Only in the most general way. He just asked who the investors are and how many partners we have. She said the Po siblings and Three Sisters Investments are the owners. He asked who the partners are in Three Sisters. Gillian told him our names and nothing else.”
“And he didn’t press for more details?”
“No.”
“Was he Chinese?”
“He was a Westerner. He said he was Swiss.”
“Shit. Lam thinks he was sent by the Italians.”
“Why?”
“To get a sense of our mood. And it seems everyone was so cheery that it stretched believability that two key owners of the business were supposedly badly beaten up less than forty-eight hours ago.”
“How should they have acted? Gillian, Clark, and Chi-Tze think you and May are just fine and working towards a resolution to our problem.”
“I’m not being critical.”
“I know, but no one at the factory knows what to say or how to act right now, and putting on a happy face is the default position.”
“Tomorrow we’ll make sure they can be happy for a reason.”
“I sure hope so,” Amanda said. “When are we leaving for Hong Kong?”
Ava gave her the flight details and they agreed to meet at the Cathay check-in counter. Ava then explained to Amanda why she and May wouldn’t be attending the actual meeting with VLG. Amanda was as understanding as May had been.
By the time they met at the airport late that afternoon, their thoughts about events at the Pudong factory were behind them and their focus was on the day ahead. The three women sat in the business-class lounge, and until it was time to board they talked about what they needed from VLG to repair the damage that had been done.
It was a two-and-a-half-hour flight to Hong Kong. Ava spent the time surfing the video channels, but her mind was so focused on VLG and the Camorra that she couldn’t find anything to distract her. Things were moving quickly, even more quickly than she had hoped for. Part of her believed that was good, especially now that Ventola was trying to lure Clark, but she couldn’t eliminate a nagging feeling that maybe it was too good. Except, why shouldn’t it be? The Camorra believed that all they had to do was cut a deal with Xu. They probably weren’t concerned about a few extra costs, given the profit margins they had. They had no idea that Xu’s involvement with PÖ went far beyond a manufacturing arrangement. And as for May and Ava, why would the Camorra think that Xu, or anyone else for that matter, cared about an attack on them —assuming they still believed it had taken place. Either way, she wondered how they were going to react when she made her appearance.
Should she have asked Lam to lie to them about the assault? Doing anything else would have been careless, she thought, because there had been no indication that events were going to unfold the way they did. The important thing had been to buy time, to prevent the Camorra from hiring someone else to go after them in Canada, in Wuhan, or wherever. If the Italians had been unresponsive to Lam’s request for a meeting, how long would they have waited before doing exactly that? No, the lie had been necessary. Even if they hadn’t entirely bought into it, it created doubt.
And what was the connection between the Camorra and VLG? Were they really business partners or did VLG simply contract out jobs to them? And if they were partners, for how long, and which partner had control? It was inconceivable to think Ventola could be a Mafia don, but then Ava remembered Lam’s remark about the way Franco Bianchi spoke of Ventola. What was the nature of their relationship that caused Bianchi to be so respectful?
As the plane began its descent, Ava looked out the window. The sea below was sparkling like a star-filled sky on a cloudless night. The flickering lights emanated from hundreds of ships coming and going from Hong Kong or anchored to wait their turn to enter the port. It was a familiar sight, and every time she saw it, she felt she was coming home. Until a dozen years before she hadn’t considered Hong Kong a home at all, just the place where she’d been born and where her father and half-siblings lived. But after she began her business with Uncle, Hong Kong became a constant presence in her life, and the more time she spent there, the more she loved it. She thought of it as the world’s bridge city: under British rule it was the entry point to most of Asia, and now it was the West’s doorway to China. Having one foot in China and another in the West was sometimes a difficult balance, but whenever the territory tilted too far to one side, events tended to pull it back towards the centre. The most recent example had been Hong Kong’s raucous democratic movement, which was dampened by the Communist government’s willingness to wait it out. But just as the movement lost momentum, it had revived, the Chinese government made concessions, and balance was once again restored.
This duality —this tug-of-war between Chinese politics, culture, and customs and the British systems of law, governance, and education that had taken root more than one hundred years earlier —was one of the things that made Hong Kong fascinating to Ava. The city had all the raw energy and future focus of the mainland cities, but funnelled through the framework that the British had created and the population respected enough to maintain.
The plane touched down on the runway, and they disembarked and headed towards Customs and Immigration.
In less than the thirty minutes Ava had anticipated, the three women walked into the arrivals hall to find Sonny waiting for them in the same spot he always occupied, directly under the sign that read ARRIVALS. He waved when he saw them, a shy smile crossing his face. He wore a black suit, white shirt, and black tie. It was his normal style of dre
ss. She had no doubt that Sonny had adopted it from Uncle, who always wore a black suit and white shirt buttoned to the collar, and that he’d never let it go.
The first time she had met Sonny, she was immediately intimidated. She’d never seen anyone whose combination of physical appearance and manner was so menacing. Over the years he had confirmed many times her initial impression, particularly when it came to protecting Uncle and, later, her. His devotion was absolute. Anyone who wanted to harm her would have to kill him first.
“Hey, boss,” he said as Ava drew near.
“Hi, Sonny. Thanks for coming to meet us,” she said.
He nodded and reached for her bag. She passed it to him and then stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on both cheeks.
“Hi, Sonny,” Amanda said from behind Ava.
“Hey,” he said. “I dropped Michael off at your apartment before I came here. He couldn’t be happier that you’re home.”
“Where’s the car?” Ava asked.
“The usual place.”
She smiled. The airport police had always allowed Uncle to park at the curb in a no-parking zone. Out of respect for him, the privilege had been extended to Sonny.
They walked through the exit, turned right, and in twenty steps were at the car. Sonny opened the back door for them and loaded their bags into the trunk. The night was damp and chilly, made more so by a gusty wind.
May shivered as she climbed into the car. “I’ve never liked Hong Kong winters,” she said. “The cold gets into your bones.”
“The only thing worse is a Hong Kong summer,” Ava said. “All that heat and humidity outdoors and arctic air conditioning indoors.”
“The way you two are going on, I should apply for danger pay,” Amanda said.
Ava laughed as she slid into the front passenger seat. “How’s traffic tonight?” she asked Sonny as he started the car.
“Pretty good. I figure half an hour should get you to the Mandarin Oriental,” he said.
The Mercedes joined the other outbound traffic. The airport was built on reclaimed land adjacent to Lantau Island. Their route would take them over the Tsing Ma Bridge, which spanned the Ma Wan Channel and linked Lantau to Tsing Yi Island. Ava knew they’d follow Route 8 over Tsing Yi into Kowloon, then journey south to Tsim Sha Tsui, where they’d connect with Route 3 and the Western Harbour Crossing that would take them to Hong Kong Island.
The Tsing Ma Bridge was more than two kilometres long and more than two hundred metres above the channel. It had been opened in April 1997 by Margaret Thatcher —one of the last official British events before Hong Kong was turned over to China on July 1 of the same year. Ava preferred taking the bridge during the day, when she could clearly see the profusion of freighters, tankers, pleasure craft, fishing vessels, and sampans below, but even at night it was a fascinating sight.
“That was a terrific job you did for us in Shenzhen,” May said to Sonny.
“It wasn’t so hard, and I had help from Lop and the guys in Fanling. In fact, Lop did most of the talking.”
“But you were the one who was actually representing our interests,” May said.
“That’s true,” Sonny said. He looked over at Ava. “On that subject, I was wondering, am I included in tomorrow’s meeting?”
“Of course,” Ava said quickly. “I should have made that clear. I’m sorry I didn’t.”
Sonny glanced at her again, and Ava expected him to tell her she never had to say sorry to him. Instead he said, “Who’s going to be there?”
“Xu and Suen. Lam is coming from Guangzhou with two men. Then you and me.”
“How about Lop?”
“He and Xu are working something out. Xu told him to make sure we’re protected in any eventuaIity. I have no idea what Lop may think is necessary. We’ll find out tomorrow, I guess.”
“He’s something else,” Sonny said, a touch of admiration in his voice.
“So are you,” Ava said.
He shook his head, but not too vigorously, and Ava knew he was pleased by her remark. Then he looked at her again. “I don’t mean to intrude, but you haven’t mentioned if May Ling and Amanda are going tomorrow.”
“They aren’t, but why do you ask?”
His face turned slightly red. Ava had rarely seen him look so uncomfortable.
“It’s just out of concern for their safety if things go sideways.”
“I would have hid behind you, Sonny,” May said from the back seat.
“Me too,” Amanda said.
“As pleased as I am that neither of you will have to do that, I still don’t think we should joke about it,” Ava said.
“Sorry to have raised the subject,” Sonny said as they reached the Western Harbour Crossing. “I know it isn’t my place.”
The hotel was on Connaught Road in Central, Hong Kong’s financial district. It faced Victoria Harbour and the Kowloon skyline, and behind it loomed Victoria Peak —the most expensive real estate in the city. Amanda and Michael had an apartment that was halfway up the Peak. Their goal was to one day be able to afford something closer to the top, something that would give them a better view of the harbour than the small slice they could see now.
“It makes the most sense to drop you and May Ling at the Oriental first,” Sonny said as the car exited the tunnel to Hong Kong Island.
“Of course,” Ava said.
“But I’ll come back to the hotel after dropping off Amanda, in case you need me for anything,” he said to Ava.
“No, don’t bother doing that tonight. I’m going to stay in. I’m tired and we have a big day ahead of us.”
Sonny nodded. “What are the plans for tomorrow?”
“Let me talk to Xu tonight. I want to know what time he’s arriving and what his schedule looks like. We should travel to Macau together if possible. We’ll coordinate our activities once I’ve spoken to him,” Ava said. “Are you available if he needs a ride from the airport?”
“If he does, Lop will arrange it,” Sonny said.
“Yes, of course,” Ava said, reminded again how respectfully relationships were valued and guarded. She was sure that if Xu had suggested Lop arrange to pick her up, she would have reminded Xu that it was Sonny’s job.
The hotel driveway was busy, forcing Sonny to double-park the Mercedes. He popped the trunk and got out. Ava and May stayed in the car until he opened their doors.
“Say hello to Michael. I’ll call you in the morning,” Ava said to Amanda.
“I know he’ll want us all to meet for dim sum,” Amanda said. “He might even ask your father to join us.”
Ava shook her head. “It isn’t the best time for socializing. Let me get this meeting behind me first.”
“I understand,” Amanda said.
A bellman came to get their bags. Sonny helped take them out of the trunk and then walked over to Ava. “My phone will be on at all times. I’m no more than half an hour away if you need anything.”
“Thanks. I’m expecting that we’ll leave here early tomorrow afternoon, but I’ll confirm that as soon as I know.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Sonny said. He looked at her, his expression betraying a hint of affection. “It’s great to have you back in Hong Kong.”
“And I’m happy to be here,” Ava said.
Ava and May checked in and followed the bellman to the elevators. May had booked two rooms that had views of Victoria Harbour and Kowloon. Ava was on the twentieth floor, May one floor above.
“Do you want to eat or get a drink in the bar?” May asked as they ascended.
“No, I really am tired. I’ll shower and then crash. I may get up early to run in Victoria Park. If I do, I’ll be back here by nine or so. We can have breakfast at the Mandarin Grill, or wait a bit and have dim sum at Man Wah.”
“I thought you weren’t in the mood for dim sum,” May said.
“I’m not in the mood to have dim sum with Michael or my father,” Ava said. “I don’t need or want the distraction, and I certainly do
n’t want to be answering questions about why I’m here and how long I’ll be staying. We have enough to deal with.”
( 41 )
It wasn’t until she was inside the room and unpacking her bags that Ava realized she hadn’t turned on either of her phones since she’d landed.
The new one had a message from Xu. He was arriving at one and would go directly to the Hong Kong–Macau Ferry Terminal. He said the TurboJet service left every thirty minutes and took fifty-five minutes to make the trip. He would call her as soon as he knew when he might get to the terminal. Where did she want to meet?
Ava did a quick calculation. If his flight was on time and traffic was okay, he’d reach the terminal by two-thirty. That would put them in Macau at around three-thirty or four and give them a chance to sit with Lam before the meeting with the Italians. She phoned him and was sent directly to voicemail. “We’ll meet you at the TurboJet counter and will be there before two-thirty. We can travel together to Macau,” she said. “Have you heard anything from Lop about what he expects when we get there?”
She picked up her usual phone and saw there had been three calls. She checked the log and saw the numbers for Pandolfo and Maria, and a Chinese number that she thought was Pang Fai’s. She guessed Pandolfo was still checking on her. She hesitated. There might not be any way for Pandolfo to know she’d accessed the message, but she wasn’t going to risk it. She checked the time. It was almost nine-thirty. Maria had phoned an hour ago from her cell, and Ava was sure she’d be at her Consulate office by now. Had she had a change of heart? She felt a surge of optimism as she prepared to make the call on her new phone.
She sat at the desk, her hand trembling slightly as she tapped in Maria’s number. The tremor surprised her. When the receptionist answered, Ava gave him her name and asked for Maria. There was a delay, one ring, and then Maria said, “Why are you calling me on the office line?”
“I have a temporary phone and I was afraid you wouldn’t answer if you didn’t recognize the number.”
“That was sensible, because I might not have,” Maria said.