The Couturier of Milan

by Ian Hamilton

  “I could meet up with you on the road here and there,” Ava said.

  “No, I don’t want you to,” Fai said. Being gay in China was still considered unacceptable, and public knowledge of Fai’s sexuality would destroy her career. It was a burden that Ava, Hong Kong–born but Canadian-raised, could barely comprehend but knew to be true.

  She feigned pain and pulled the duvet over her head.

  Fai rushed to the bed, pulled back the duvet, and crawled in beside her. She nuzzled Ava’s neck. “I’m going to miss you, more than I’ve ever missed anyone,” she whispered. “No one but you and me will know that the misery I convey in this role is because you’re not with me. When the film is done, I want to go away with you for weeks, or months, or for however long you can put up with me.”

  “Would you consider coming to Toronto? I have a condo in the centre of the city. There are lots of designer shops and every type of restaurant within walking distance. And we can be ourselves without you having to worry about how people will react,” Ava said. “I also don’t think you’d have to worry about being recognized —my neighbourhood is not that Chinese.”

  “I think my ego can handle not being recognized.”

  Ava reached down and gently lifted Fai’s chin. She wasn’t wearing any makeup and her hair was slightly dishevelled, but she was the most mesmerizing woman Ava had ever been with. The slightly square chin, strong cheekbones, modest lips, and proud nose were in almost perfect proportion. And then there were her eyes. They were large, almost Western, and had triggered gossip about who her parents really were. But it wasn’t their size that Ava found remarkable; it was the way they pulled her in. In many ways her eyes reminded Ava of Uncle, her former partner, her mentor, and —in every way imaginable, except for bloodline —her grandfather. She had always thought that Uncle communicated with the world through his eyes rather than with words or physical mannerisms. Now she felt connected in the same way to Fai.

  “When do you really have to leave?” Ava said.

  “Now.” Fai sighed.

  Ava slid her hand down Fai’s body until it rested between her legs. “I can’t convince you to stay?”

  “You probably could, but if we start again, how will we stop? I don’t want to leave here feeling guilty.”

  Ava kissed her on the forehead. Fai rolled off the bed and reached for her underwear, which lay on a chair. As Ava watched her dress, her phone rang. She picked it up and saw that the incoming number had the Philippines country code.

  “Shit, I forgot about this,” she said.

  “What is it?” Fai said.

  “I think Uncle Chang Wang from Manila is calling. I don’t know if you remember, but he phoned me in Hong Kong. I put him off then and told him to call me tonight.” Ava pressed the answer button. “This is Ava.”

  “Good evening, this is Chang. I hope this time my call isn’t inconvenient.”

  “No, I was expecting to hear from you. Is Mr. Ordonez there as well?”

  “Tommy is in Singapore on business, so it’s just me.”

  Tommy Ordonez was the richest man in the Philippines. Chang Wang was his second-in-command. Despite his name, Ordonez was Chinese. He had been born Chu Guang in Qingdao and moved to the Philippines as a young man. In an effort to blend into society —and to avoid periodic outbursts of xenophobia —he had changed his name. It was such a common practice in the Philippines that there was even a word for it. Chinese immigrants who adopted Filipino names were called Chinoys, a play on Pinoy, Filipinos’ informal term for themselves.

  “I’ve always enjoyed our conversations, with or without Tommy,” Ava said.

  “That’s a very diplomatic remark. It reminds me of something that Uncle would say.”

  He was referring to Chow Tung, Ava’s former partner. He and Chang were both from Wuhan, in Hubei province, and had known each other since they were boys. After leaving China, they had stayed in touch for more than fifty years and helped each other innumerable times. The last occasion had been a few years before, when the Ordonez organization hired Ava and Uncle to recover stolen money. They had successfully returned close to fifty million dollars.

  “I can’t begin to list the things I learned from Uncle,” she said.

  “I miss him,” Chang said quietly. “We used to chat most weekends. Some Sunday mornings I pick up the phone to call him and then realize he isn’t there anymore.”

  “I feel that way nearly every day.”

  “I know how close you two were. He talked about you often. He adored you.”

  “And I loved him.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Ava saw that Fai was now dressed and putting her makeup bag into the small suitcase she’d brought with her. Ava reached under the pillow and pulled out a black Giordano T-shirt that she slipped over her head. “Uncle, excuse me for just a moment. Don’t go away. I’ll be right back,” she said, sliding out of bed and placing the phone on the bedside table.

  She walked over to Fai and hugged her so tightly she could feel their hearts beating.

  “I want you to call me every day,” Fai said. “You can text and email me too, but I want to hear your voice. The best times are before eight in the morning and after six in the evening.”

  “I will,” Ava said. “This is going to be a long ten weeks.”

  “But when it’s over, I don’t have any other immediate commitments, and I’m not going to let my agent make any.”

  “I’m determined to get you to Toronto. I know you’ll love it.”

  “I’ll love anywhere as long as I’m with you.”

  “And I feel the same way. But still, you’ll enjoy the freedom we’ll have there.”

  Fai nodded but Ava saw doubt in her eyes. How can you explain freedom, she wondered, to someone who’s never truly experienced it?

  “You’d better go back to your friend on the phone,” Fai said.

  “I’ll call you in the morning.”

  “Please don’t forget,” Fai said.

  Ava waited until the door closed before picking up the phone again. “Sorry, Uncle.”

  “That’s not necessary. I realize this is rather an imposition on my part.”

  “Except I don’t know what it is you’re imposing.”

  “As I said to you the other night, we have a problem here in the Philippines that we need some help with.”

  “But I don’t do debt collection work anymore. I’m partners in an investment company with May Ling Wong.”

  “Does she still live in Wuhan, and are she and Changxing still married?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ve known them for many years, although I haven’t had any contact with them recently. She is very capable and I’m sure an ideal business partner.”

  “That’s been my experience,” Ava said. “She’s also a good friend.”

  “As someone who doesn’t have any family, I place enormous value on friendship. I was fortunate to have Uncle for so many years.”

  Ava didn’t doubt Chang’s sincerity, but she suspected he was stalling as he searched for a way to circumvent her less than enthusiastic reaction to his request for help. “And you still have Tommy.”

  “We’re not friends in the way I was with Uncle,” Chang said. “We have different tastes and personalities, and outside of the office we never socialize. Inside the business, though, we trust and support each other and think almost as one mind. For example, when I mentioned to Tommy that I wanted to involve you in our problem, he leapt at the suggestion.”

  “Perhaps I didn’t make it clear enough. I’m not only not in the old business, I have absolutely no interest in or intention of returning to it.”

  “This has nothing to do with debt collection.”

  “Then I’m confused, because I can’t think of any other way that I could be of use to you and Tommy.”

  “I could spend several minutes repeating what Tommy and I have said about your abilities, but my experience with you leads me to believe you wouldn’t welcom
e that kind of flattery. Tommy also suggested that we offer you money, but I told him —aside from the fact that you’re a wealthy young woman —this isn’t the kind of problem you can put a price on,” Chang said. “So I guess what it comes down to is I’m asking you to help us as a personal favour —the kind that Uncle and I did for each other over the years.”

  God, he’s smooth, Ava thought. Despite her cynicism, her curiosity was aroused and she couldn’t dismiss his request for a favour out of hand. “Uncle, you have my interest,” she finally said. “What kind of problem can’t you put a price on?”

  “On the surface —and truthfully this is Tommy’s main concern —we believe one of our most successful businesses could be at risk. And there are larger issues, Ava, that could have an impact not just on us but on many other people, in the Philippines and beyond.”

  “And what do you imagine I could possibly do to prevent whatever it is you’re alluding to?”

  “I allude, as you call it, because we lack hard information. We have suspicions but we need to confirm them. We need to determine whether we actually have a problem,” Chang said. “And if we do have one, we need to develop a strategy to deal with it. But that all starts with having facts. We need someone we trust totally to confirm some things we’ve been told and to gather as much additional information as possible. As Tommy and I remember very well, you have an extraordinary talent for getting to the truth. The truth is what we’re after, and we think you’re the person who can find it for us.”

  “What is this potential problem?”

  Chang hesitated. She thought she heard ice clinking in a glass and wondered if he was drinking. “Ava, I would like that explanation to take place in Manila,” he said. “I know this will sound vague and maybe even conspiratorial, but I’m not comfortable explaining it to you over the phone. First, it’s very complicated, and I’m not as well informed as some other people I’d like you to talk to. Second, this isn’t something that can be explained in half an hour, or even several hours. I believe you should meet and take the measure of the people who’ve related at least part of their suspicions to us.”

  “And you have no one in the Philippines you can turn to?”

  “Absolutely not. As I said, this is about trust, and the number of people who Tommy and I truly trust we can count on one hand. Of those, only one lives in Manila, and he’s the first person we want you to talk to.”

  “Uncle, I really don’t know what to say. I have other responsibilities now.”

  “Give us one day,” he said quickly. “Get on a plane tomorrow and come to Manila for one meeting. If you decide to go back to Toronto or Hong Kong or wherever after that, the issue will never be mentioned again and we’ll still be grateful for your time.”

  “I’m expected in Shanghai tomorrow for a business review that’s scheduled to last several days.”

  “Postpone it,” Chang said. “Please, Ava.”

  The word please startled her. It wasn’t something she could remember Chang or Tommy Ordonez ever uttering. Not only was it out of character, in her mind it was an acknowledgement that she was their equal.

  “I can’t give you an answer this minute,” she said. “I have to think about it, and I also want to talk to my partners and the people expecting me in Shanghai.”

  “Of course, do that,” he said. “But there is urgency to this matter. Waiting four days to talk to you wasn’t easy —more than once I reached for the phone. Can you possibly speak to them tonight?”

  “Yes, I can, and I’ll call you when I have.”

  “I’ll stay up until I hear from you,” he said.

  “Uncle, you do understand this doesn’t mean I’m leaning towards saying yes?”

  “Please, give us that one day, Ava,” Chang said. “My belief is that if you do, you’ll commit to helping us get to the bottom of this problem.”

  He’s dangling bait, she thought. She admired how skillfully he had handled his end of the conversation: He had started it by invoking their connection through Uncle. Then he’d complimented her while insisting that he thought she was above flattery. Finally, he had framed his request as a personal favour. She didn’t know why he thought he had the right to ask for one, since he and Ava were hardly friends, but he had anyway and it had been exactly the right approach. Indeed, it was probably the only approach that had a chance of succeeding with her.

  “Let me make some calls,” she said.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Almost unbelievably, this is the tenth installment in the Ava Lee series, and as Ava’s life expands and grows, so does our readership. The challenge for me with every new book is to meet (and hopefully exceed) those readers’ expectations. I’m not the best judge of my own work and I always like to get feedback from the readers. So when you finish this book and if you’ve read these acknowledgements, please send me an email or go to our Facebook page and let me know what you think.

  As always, writing this book was a journey, and one that I didn’t take alone. I want to thank those who came along with me.

  First, Carrie Kirkman and Mary Turner —style mavens and professionals in the fashion trade —made it possible for me to write intelligently (I trust) about an industry I didn’t know that well. I have attempted to weave their inside knowledge and details into something coherent and plausible. If I’ve failed, it isn’t because of them.

  As always, I had the eagle eyes of friends and family scanning the original manuscript and page proofs for me. A huge thanks to my amazing daughter Jill and to great friends Catherine Roseburgh and Robin Spano.

  My publisher, Sarah MacLachlan, and her team at House of Anansi Press were, as usual, unfailingly responsive and supportive. Laura Meyer, my publicist, is an absolute joy to work with, and I also have to mention the honest and completely professional support I get from Matt Williams and Barbara Howson: Barbara is the vice-president of sales and Matt is the vice-president of everything else.

  But the truth is, these books wouldn’t get published without the applied talents of my editor, the great Janie Yoon. Janie is very protective of Ava and doesn’t let me stray in terms of her character and relationships. I value her input and expertise beyond measure.

  My agents, Bruce Westwood and Carolyn Forde, continue to have my back. They are a remarkable duo and I can only thank the lucky circumstances that brought me into their orbit.

  IAN HAMILTON is the author of ten novels in the Ava Lee series. The books have been shortlisted for numerous prizes, including the Arthur Ellis Award, the Barry Award, and the Lambda Literary Prize, and are national bestsellers. The Water Rat of Wanchai was the winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel and was named a best book of the year by Amazon.ca, the Toronto Star, and Quill & Quire. BBC Culture named Hamilton one of the ten mystery/crime writers from the past thirty years that should be on your bookshelf. The series is being adapted for television.

  PRAISE FOR IAN HAMILTON AND THE AVA LEE SERIES

  PRAISE FOR THE WATER RAT OF WANCHAI

  WINNER OF THE ARTHUR ELLIS AWARD FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL

  “Ian Hamilton’s The Water Rat of Wanchai is a smart, action-packed thriller of the first order, and Ava Lee, a gay Asian-Canadian forensics accountant with a razor-sharp mind and highly developed martial arts skills, is a protagonist to be reckoned with. We were impressed by Hamilton’s tight plotting; his well-rendered settings, from the glitz of Bangkok to the grit of Guyana; and his ability to portray a wide range of sharply individualized characters in clean but sophisticated prose.” — Judges’ Citation, Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel

  “Ava Lee is tough, fearless, quirky, and resourceful, and she has more —well, you know —than a dozen male detectives I can think of . . . Hamilton has created a true original in Ava Lee.” — Linwood Barclay, author of No Time for Goodbye

  “If the other novels [in the series] are half as good as this debut by Ian Hamilton, then readers are going to celebrate. Hamilton has created a marvellous character in Ava Le
e.” — Globe and Mail

  “[Ava Lee’s] lethal knowledge . . . torques up her sex appeal to the approximate level of a female lead in a Quentin Tarantino film.” — National Post

  “Formidable . . . Ava is unbeatable at just about everything. Just wait for her to roll out her bak mei against the bad guys. She’s perfect. She’s fast.” — Toronto Star

  “Imagine a book about a forensic accountant that has tension, suspense, and action . . . When the central character looks like Lucy Liu, kicks like Jackie Chan, and has a travel budget like Donald Trump, the story is anything but boring. The Water Rat of Wanchai is such a beast . . . I look forward to the next one, The Disciple of Las Vegas.” — Montreal Gazette

  “[A] tomb-raiding Dragon Lady Lisbeth, sans tattoo and face metal.” — Winnipeg Free Press

  “Readers will discern in Ava undertones of Lisbeth Salandar, the ferocious protagonist of the late Stieg Larsson’s crime novels . . . she, too, is essentially a loner, and small, and physically brutal . . . There are suggestions in The Water Rat of Wanchai of deeper complexities waiting to be more fully revealed. Plus there’s pleasure, both for Ava and readers, in the puzzle itself: in figuring out where money has gone, how to get it back, and which humans, helpful or malevolent, are to be dealt with where, and in what ways, in the process . . . Irresistible.” — Joan Barfoot, London Free Press

  “The Water Rat of Wanchai delivers on all fronts . . . Great story told with colour, energy, and unexpected punch.” — Hamilton Spectator

  “The best series fiction leaves readers immersed in a world that is both familiar and fresh. Seeds planted early bear fruit later on, creating a rich forest that blooms across a number of books . . . [Hamilton] creates a terrific atmosphere of suspense . . .” — Quill & Quire

  “The book is an absolute page-turner . . . Hamilton’s knack for writing snappy dialogue is evident . . . I recommend getting in on the ground floor with this character, because for Ava Lee, the sky’s the limit.” — Inside Halton