The Diamond Queen of Singapore

by Ian Hamilton

  “Close to four million dollars.”

  “That’s a lot of pills.”

  “It was his largest order to date.”

  “When do you expect the next one?”

  “He usually gives us an order when he visits, so I would expect a new one when he’s here next month.”

  Ava sat back in her chair. “What do you know about the Evans Trust Company in Vanuatu?”

  “Nothing.”

  “When you get wire transfers from Jewellery Circle, is Evans Trust ever party to them?”

  “No.”

  “You’re absolutely certain?”

  “I’ll give you copies of the transfers and you can see for yourself.”

  “Thanks,” Ava said, and turned to Han. “After Mr. Yang gets me copies of the paperwork, I think we can leave.”

  Han reached across the table, his outstretched hand coming just short of the Yang brothers. “Listen to me, both of you. If Ava needs more information, you will provide it without question.”

  “We understand,” Chao said.

  “And you aren’t to notify Muir, Su Na, or anyone connected with them that we had this conversation,” Ava said.

  “Of course not.”

  “If you do, neither of you will ever walk again,” Han said. “Like I said, Ava is a special friend of my special friend. This is something that matters to me personally.”

  “Please, Han, we understand. You can trust us to stay quiet,” Jing said.

  “Good. Now go and get what she wants and we’re done here.”

  (29)

  Half an hour later, Han and Ava left the building. Jing and Chao Yang rode the elevator with them to ground level, all the while reassuring Han that they wouldn’t discuss the meeting with anyone.

  Willie greeted them in the parking lot and rushed to open the back doors.

  “Thanks for everything you did in there,” Ava said to Han after she’d climbed into the car. “I don’t think I would have gotten very far without you.”

  “I enjoyed scaring those little shits,” he said. “They know I mean what I say. I don’t make idle threats.”

  “Well, whatever they thought, the end result was more than I expected. So thank you again,” Ava said, wondering just how far he would have taken his threats.

  Han shrugged. “What are we going to do next?”

  “I should check into my hotel. I’m staying at the Ritz-Carlton in the city centre,” Ava said.

  “After that, do you want to pay a visit to the SCM warehouse?”

  Ava checked her watch. “It’s a little late. I would rather go during the day, when there’s a greater chance of catching Su Na. I’d also like a chance to review the paperwork the Yangs gave me.”

  “Well, would you mind if we scoped it out in advance?”

  “No. I think that’s a terrific idea.”

  “I’ll have a crew check it tonight,” Han said. “Where do you think those drugs are being sent?”

  “It’s logical that Muir is sending his to Canada. I have no idea about SCM.”

  “We’ve stayed out of that business. Some of my brothers in Chengdu believe I’ve been overly cautious, but I trust the judgement of men like Lam and Xu. They’ve always stressed that risky short-term gains — no matter how large — can’t match long-term economic stability.”

  “They’re astute businessmen.”

  “They are businessmen — that’s the key word. Besides, I tell my men that our profit margins from selling Xu’s knock-off perfumes and Lam’s knock-off designer bags are almost as healthy as from selling drugs, without running the risk of the government really slamming us,” Han said. “And that’s what’s going to happen to those drug manufacturers and peddlers. One day the government will feel the need to bring a stop to that business, and when they do it won’t be a pretty ending.”

  “Let’s hope that happens sooner rather than later.”

  “Will you join us for dinner tonight?” he asked suddenly. “I had planned to eat with my daughter Ru Shi and her husband, Lu, my Red Pole.”

  “I have work to do,” Ava said, holding up the papers from her lap.

  “The dinner doesn’t have to be a long affair, and the restaurant is close to your hotel,” Han said. “And while Chengdu has China’s worst air quality, it also has its best hotpot restaurants. The one I’ve booked tonight is famous. I had dinner there many years ago with someone you know, and he loved it.”

  “Lam?”

  “Uncle.”

  “You took Uncle to dinner?”

  “Not me, but I was there. Uncle came to Chengdu with Li, who was the Mountain Master in Guangzhou before Lam. My Mountain Master hosted them, and because both Uncle and Li had brought their deputies with them, I was invited as well.”

  “I know Lam was Li’s deputy, but who was Uncle’s at that time?”

  “Fong.”

  “Uncle Fong . . . My god,” Ava said with a smile. “I see him every time I’m in Hong Kong, and quite often we go to hotpot there.”

  “It can’t be as good as ours,” Han said. “Join us tonight. My daughter will be glad to have some female company.”

  “Okay, I’ll do that. What time is the reservation?”

  “Nine. We can meet you in front of your hotel ten minutes before.”

  “That’s perfect. It will give me an hour to go through these papers and do a bit of research,” Ava said.

  Han nodded, took a phone from his pocket, and hit a contact number. A few seconds later he said, “Lu, phone Lao Ma Tou and tell them we’re going to be four for dinner, not three. It shouldn’t make a difference, but the place is so damn crowded you never know. Also, send some guys to check out a warehouse tonight at 77 Zhou Enlai Street in the Longquanyi District. They should do it quietly; I don’t want anyone to know we’re poking around. We might be making a visit there tomorrow, and I don’t want any nasty surprises.”

  Ava saw they were nearing the downtown core and spotted the Ritz-Carlton logo at the top of a skyscraper. A few minutes later the Haval stopped in front of the hotel. Willie got out and opened Ava’s door. As soon as she stepped out, he walked to the back to get her bags. Han rolled down his window. “I’ll see you at ten to nine,” he said.

  The hotel lobby was busy, but no one else was checking in when Ava approached the grey marble reception desk. She handed the clerk her passport and credit card.

  “You’re in a Club Premier suite,” the clerk said. “We have one available on the forty-first floor, which is the very top of the hotel.”

  “The hotel has forty-one floors?” Ava asked, surprised.

  “No, we have thirteen floors, but they start at the twenty-eighth floor of the skyscraper that we’re built over.”

  After getting her access card, Ava turned down an offer from a bellboy to carry her bags and made her way to the elevator. When she entered her suite, she was struck by its modernity. It was large — almost 900 square feet — and well furnished, and it had a tremendous view. She thought about freshening up and changing for dinner but didn’t want to use up any part of the next hour on anything but work. Besides, if the hotpot restaurant was anything like those in Hong Kong, her hair and clothes would smell like oily chicken broth by the end of the night.

  Ava sat at the desk and recorded the details of the meeting with the Yang brothers in her notebook. Next she reviewed the papers and information they had provided. When she was finished, she opened her laptop and entered “SCM” into a search engine. When she didn’t get a hit, she switched to “Su Na” but also found no references. Frustrated, she reached for her phone, hesitated for a few seconds as she wondered if she was doing the right thing, and then called Toronto. When Derek answered, she heard the baby crying in the background.

  “Is this a bad time?” Ava asked.

  “No, I’ve been anxious t
o hear from you,” Derek said. “Give me a minute to pick up Amber. If I hold her in my arms she’ll stop crying.”

  Ava waited as Derek made comforting noises to the baby. He had turned out to be a much better husband and father than she could ever have imagined.

  “Okay, she’s calm. We can talk.”

  “I’m in China, in Chengdu. Without getting into too much detail, I need you to do some research for me.”

  “Can you at least give me a clue as to what you’re doing in Chengdu?”

  His question surprised Ava. In the past, Derek had usually taken whatever she said at face value, but she realized he wasn’t working for her now, and he and Mimi did have a lot at stake. “Some of the Harvest Investment Fund money has been circulating through here, although I’m not sure it’s the final resting place, and that’s what I need you to research. I know for certain that a company called Evans Trust is involved in whatever has been going on. Money is being redirected by them. That’s all I know, because I haven’t been able to find out a damn thing more about them.”

  “What else do you have for me to go on, other than the name?”

  “The company is registered in and operates out of Vanuatu, which is a series of islands close to Australia that has become the flavour of the month for offshore banking. The local government doesn’t acknowledge any financial laws or regulations except its own, and those laws support corporate secrecy to the utmost degree. I have an address, a phone number, a fax number, and an email address. I’ll send them to you after I hang up.”

  “Well, that’s a start.”

  “I also know they’ve been transferring funds to the Mercantile Bank of Chengdu, into an accounts registered to a company called Jewellery Circle and possibly another, called SCM. A woman named Jasmine Yip is attached to the Jewellery Circle account, and a woman named Su Na seems to control the SCM account. May Ling Wong helped me get banking information on the Jewellery Circle account, and she may be able to help with SCM. I’ll call her later tonight on that.”

  “You have been busy,” Derek said admiringly.

  “Yes, but I can’t help thinking it will all amount to nothing unless we can break into Evans Trust.”

  “What is it specifically that you want to know?”

  Ava took a deep breath. “Okay, Derek, listen. What I’m about to say can’t be repeated to anyone, including Mimi. I need you to promise to keep this strictly between you and me, at least for now.”

  “You have my word.”

  “I think there’s a chance,” she said slowly, “that money is going into Evans Trust from Malcolm Muir, Patrick and Essie Cunningham, Pastor Sammy Rogers, and the Bible Chapel itself. It could be sent by any one of them, or by a combination. It could be sent from companies they control in Canada.”

  “That’s a lot of connections to chase down.”

  “I know. Put your major focus on finding out who owns Evans Trust.”

  Derek was silent for a moment. “Ava, do you really believe that the Bible Chapel would do something like this?”

  “The Bible Chapel might have nothing to do with any of it, but that doesn’t mean everyone associated with it is so innocent.”

  “And if they aren’t?”

  “Then we know where to find them, and that’s always a good starting point.”

  “Yeah, I remember from the old days how that worked,” Derek said.

  “Call me if you come up with anything. If you can’t reach me, send me a text or email,” she said. “I’ll send you the Evans Trust information as soon as I hang up.”

  “I’m eager to get started,” Derek said, and ended the conversation.

  Have I ever involved so many people in a job? Ava thought as she began drafting the email for Derek. Deep down she knew she needed them if she was going to solve this puzzle.

  When the email had been sent, she called May Ling.

  “Ava, are you okay?” May said when she answered.

  “Yes, I’m fine, and I apologize for calling so late in the day again.”

  “You know that’s not a problem. What can I do for you?”

  “It’s the same bank in Chengdu but a different account. Could you ask your contact about a company called SCM and a woman named Su Na?”

  “I don’t think he’ll be able to do anything tonight, but I’ll reach out to him first thing in the morning.”

  “That will do. And thank you.”

  Next on Ava’s list was Todd Howell. When she told him she wanted him to research whether Muir or Cunningham had set up companies of any kind, his response was, “I’ll have my people on this within the hour.”

  She checked the time when she hung up from Howell, saw it was almost quarter to nine, and rose reluctantly from the desk. She could have made good use of another hour going through the paperwork. She almost wished she hadn’t agreed to go to dinner with Han, but it was too late to back out now without causing offence.

  The elevator stopped five times on the way to the ground floor, and when she exited she saw Han standing in the lobby by the hotel entrance. She waved and hurried towards him. “Sorry to be a little late. I got caught up in the information the Yang brothers gave us,” she said when she reached him.

  “Meiwenti,” he said.

  Ava smiled. Meiwenti was the Mandarin equivalent of momentai in Cantonese, and it meant “no problem.” It was a phrase that Uncle had used repeatedly.

  “Lu’s Land Rover is directly outside,” he said.

  She followed him through revolving doors to be greeted by a striking young woman standing on the sidewalk next to a black Land Rover. “I’m Ru Shi,” the woman said.

  Even in flat shoes, Ru Shi towered over Ava. She was more than six feet tall and slim, with long hair falling onto her shoulders.

  “I’m Ava. Pleased to meet you.”

  “The man driving is my husband, Lu,” Ru Shi said. Lu waved at Ava through an open window.

  “We should get going,” Han said. “They’re holding a table for us at the restaurant, but that place is so busy that the owner gets upset if a table isn’t being used.”

  Ava and Ru Shi got into the back seat of the car. As soon as Han closed his front door, they left the hotel and eased into heavy traffic.

  “Have you been to Chengdu before?” Ru Shi asked.

  “No.”

  “The city has a lot to offer if you have time to do some sightseeing. There are mountains, forests, and of course the panda bears.”

  “I don’t think I’ll be able to do much sightseeing,” Ava said. “I’m here on business, and when that’s finished I’ll have to head home.”

  “Where is home?”

  “Canada.”

  “I was there once. I went to Vancouver and then to Banff and Jasper. So beautiful, so many mountains and lakes, and the air was so clean and clear,” Ru Shi said.

  “But they didn’t have hotpot like ours,” Lu said, turning to smile at Ava.

  He was in his mid-thirties, Ava guessed, and clean-shaven, with hair cropped short and no visible tattoos. He was wearing a shirt and jeans that looked as if they had been ironed. His appearance reminded her of Lop, one of Xu’s senior men, a former officer in the Special Forces division of the People’s Liberation Army.

  “Excuse me for asking, but were you in the PLA?” she asked Lu.

  “Yes, I was. Why do you ask?”

  “You remind me of a friend named Lop. He works with Xu in Shanghai.”

  “I know Lop, but we didn’t meet until both of us had left the service,” Lu said. “He’s a fine man.”

  “Yes, he is,” Ava said, surprised one more time by the wheels within wheels that existed in the triad world.

  They hadn’t driven for more than ten minutes before the Land Rover stopped. Ava looked out at a neon sign flashing the name Lao Ma Tou Hotpot. Inside the restaurant
she could see a group huddling near the door, and a line of people ran from the door for at least twenty metres along the sidewalk.

  Their car was double-parked, but Lu and Han got out of the front seat anyway, and Ava followed Ru Shi out of the rear. A young man ran from the doorway towards them and Lu handed him the car keys. Han led them into the restaurant, where they were greeted by another man, who told them loudly that their table was ready and he’d take them to it.

  Lao Ma Tou was packed and the noise level was almost deafening. They were seated at a table set against a wall near the back of the restaurant, which put them on the fringes of the noise rather than in the middle of it.

  “Busy place,” Ava said.

  “It’s like this seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year,” said Han.

  Ava looked around. “Why do some tables have red pots and others have white?”

  “The red pots are the more traditional. They contain chili oil and hua jiao peppercorns. The oil is very spicy, very hot, and the peppercorns help numb the mouth,” Ru Shi said. “The white pots have chicken broth and sliced mushrooms. It isn’t spicy at all.”

  “What will you have? Red, white, or shall we get both?” Han asked.

  “I can’t come to Sichuan province and not eat spicy food. I’ll have the red,” she said.

  “My mother believed that our damp Sichuan weather is bad for the bones and circulation. The spicy food helps modify both and balances out the body temperature,” Han said. “I don’t know or care if that’s true. I eat hotpot because I love it.”

  A server came to the table carrying a tray with bottles of Tsingtao beer and water. Without asking, he set the bottles on the table. Behind him, another server came with a red pot. He put it in an opening in the middle of the table and reached underneath to turn on a burner.

  “We come here so often they know our tastes,” Ru Shi said. “Is there something else you want to drink, or any special food you’d like to order?”

  “I’ll drink water, and I’ll eat whatever you usually have.”

  A few minutes later the chili oil began to bubble, and right on cue the servers returned with trays of food that they set on small side tables. Ava recognized beef strips, cucumber, lotus root, bamboo shoots, and chicken kidneys, but two of the meats were foreign to her. She asked Ru Shi what they were.