“Just because you came up with some kind of get- rich-quick scheme a decade ago? That’s preposterous.” Cody picked up a beer mat and rolled it across the table.
“That’s what we thought – a huge joke. Honestly, I thought Lee must be losing his mind. He acted so weird. It all sounded crazy. So I called Patrick and asked him if he could spare some time to chat.”
“Stevie and I met after Lee left. I was heading back to Cornwall that afternoon, and asked Stephen if he and Rebecca wanted to come for a few days until things settled. He said maybe.”
“The meeting with Lee had been so bizarre, I craved normality.” Chandler took up the tale again. “I suggested we take an hour off and escape among the Egyptians. For old time’s sake. We were just leaving, when news of Lee’s murder appeared on a news wire. What a shock. Suddenly it didn’t seem so funny. It seemed real and terrifying.”
“You’d never knowingly accepted Triad money into your funds?” Pitcher asked.
“Of course not. We had accepted investments from Hong Kong via Peak. There was no reason to think they weren’t legitimate. Our money laundering checks are scrupulous.”
“Scrupulous enough?”
“Lee hinted some of the money which came via Peak might have been Triad. Of the three of us, I was the number one target.”
Silverman bit his lip. “I’d never taken Mantel or Lee’s money. Never trusted them.”
“The easiest thing for me to do was disappear,” Chandler continued. “I didn’t tell Rebecca, to protect her. Simpler to disappear without her. Lee was dead, the first to pay the price. Who would be next? That’s right isn’t it?”
“Maybe right but for the wrong reason,” Pitcher interrupted. “I’ll explain in a minute. What interests me is why would he care? Why bother to warn you? You weren’t friends. Hadn’t seen each other for years.”
“That’s what I couldn’t get,” Silverman creased his brow.
“I wondered at first, too,” Chandler sighed. “And I still don’t know, but shall I tell you what I think? In a strange way, I think he did care.”
Pitcher and Cody exchange looks.
“Compassionate to a fault,” Silverman leaned back, his lazy eye blinking.
“Think about it, Pat,” Chandler turned to his friend. “Adam Lee drew a lot of short straws in life. His family may have been powerful, but they traded in violence and double dealing. He spent his whole life looking over his shoulder. He was scared.”
“Why come running to you?”
“I realise this will sound crazy Chief Inspector, that weekend, but locked away in a castle, the storm raging outside. We all gelled. Team bonding, that’s what it was supposed to be about.”
“A new family?” Pitcher raised an eyebrow.
“You bought the place,” Cody added, looking at Silverman with a touch of irony. “It must’ve meant something to you?”
“You don’t think he was killed in revenge?” Silverman stretched a questioning hand towards Pitcher.
“No I don’t. This is all very interesting, and it would make a great detective story, but Lee was in London for a very different reason. We now know that one of Mantel’s biggest Triad customers here is threatened by a new rival from Hong Kong. They needed guns, and Lee was the bag carrier, sent across with cash to fund the haul.”
“So the crash has nothing to do with it?”
“I wouldn’t say nothing. People are angry. They’ve lost money. Tempers are tested. Rivalries become more bitter. Everything’s connected in the end. I’m sure he believed the warning he gave you was for real.”
“And this new gang works for?” Silverman asked.
“Like them all, works for itself and its community. Britain’s full of legitimate Chinese businesses. Even legitimate businesses like to have friendly accountants who can handle tax and VAT fraud, not to mention lose small fortunes if they need to hide it away.”
“Do dodgy accountants hack people to death?” Silverman couldn’t resist.
“Gambling, prostitution, trafficking, drugs and benefit fraud. Intimidation means power. Messages – short, sharp and not particularly sweet. You finance guys talk about empires. These are the mega empires of the 21st century. And they have armies and arsenals to protect their interests.”
“There’s a war coming?” Silverman asked.
“We’re not sure how far he got to sealing the deal. He didn’t have the money with him when he was found. We believe we found the weapons. Which were never collected.”
“The weapons were abandoned?” Cody scratched his head.
“Not abandoned. Triads work in silos. Information costs lives. Something broke down somewhere, with Lee’s murder. The first part of the deal, the delivery, was honoured, but this information never reached the customer.”
They were quiet for a few moments.
“Which brings me on to Halamanning,” Pitcher began again. “Did Lee mention him too?”
“Yes he did,” Stephen leant forward. “Said he owed it to Patrick’s father to stop them.”
“Patrick’s father?” Cody sounded astounded.
“Yet again, it all goes back to Hong Kong,” Silverman said. “Dad did various stints working on the island. When Adam was very small, maybe six, he was caught carrying a parcel of heroin by the police. It was still a British colony, Dad was a magistrate. He came up before Dad. Could’ve been serious, even for a small child. He let him off and was very kind to him. Not only that but he got him a place at St Paul’s. A scholarship. His way out.”
“What did he have to say about Halamanning?”
“He gave Mantel his first job,” Chandler took over. “He’d helped him get on fast – rocket to the top at Hemmings. There was some scandal, all hushed up. Halamanning went back to London.”
“For God’s sake Stevie spit it out. The man had a gambling problem. Then and now.”
“Not so much now,” Pitcher couldn’t resist.
“OK,” Chandler agreed. “Anyway, according to Lee, Halamanning was again in hock, big, to the Triads – gambling debts. He was a regular at the Limehouse casino. He’d already taken £1 million lose change from the Whittingdale Trust. He was getting desperate, so called Mantel and asked for another loan – for old times’ sake. Mantel being Mantel saw an opportunity. He offered several millions on condition together they mortgage property held by the trust.”
“Think about it,” Silverman said. “The plan was First State would make massive advances of cash on the back of this property. They were selling London. Mantel and Halamanning would take the cash and disappear never to be seen again. Triad problem solved.”
“While they lived out their days on some remote exotic island,” Pitcher tapped his empty glass.
“Steal from a trust dating back to Shakespeare? Rob millions of Londoners of what was rightly theirs?” Cody sounded shocked, as he stood to return to the bar.
“Yes, Cody, that was the plan. But it didn’t happen. I had some powers of attorney from when Dad was ill. I froze all transactions, and removed all the deeds I could find to safe-keeping, after Lee tipped us off. In a strange way Lee was repaying my father by protecting his legacy.”
“Halamanning never got his money?” Pitcher said. “And the Triads didn’t get their gambling debts paid.”
“You can’t raise mortgages without deeds,” Silverman’s face was grim.
“They murdered him, because that’s what happens if you cross the Triads,” Pitcher took a fresh full glass from the tray Cody was carrying back to the table.
“And they did it in the Girl Guide camp, because that was owned by the trust of which he was Treasurer. They wanted to ram home the point they didn’t care who they hurt, no matter how young and vulnerable.”
THEY WERE GETTING ready to leave when Pitcher’s phone rang.
“It’s Julia,” he mouthed. All eyes were on him as he listened.
“What time is it there?” he looked at his watch. 6pm London time.
“One in
the morning. OK, I see, I see, go on,” he said calmly. “OK. Go straight back to your hotel room, and make sure the door’s locked. Wait till you hear from me.”
He looked at the faces turned towards him round the table.
“A Triad gang has kidnapped Laura and is demanding a $10 million ransom. Julia’s their messenger. And they want the ransom in diamonds.”
“I’ll pay it,” said Silverman without a blink of an eye. “But we can’t leave this to Julia. It’s too dangerous. She’s out there on her own.”
“At least there, I do have some good news,” Pitcher smiled. “She is not alone.”
CHAPTER 46
1am Friday August 27
Hong Kong
JULIA CLICKED her phone shut at the end of the conversation with Pitcher. Her first move on returning to the car had been to reach for the charger. As soon as she saw life, she dialled the Inspector. It was over to him. She couldn’t think straight any more, but slumped back in her seat, watching the cheap mean streets glide by. A sharp pain stabbed her ribs, where one of her attackers had kicked her. Her shin ached, and she felt a bruise coming up on her face. But it was not the first time she had been attacked in the line of duty and it wouldn’t be her last. It disgusted and terrified her, but she pushed these thoughts aside, as the midnight lights of Hong Kong flashed past the car driving her back to the hotel.
I must be strong, she dug a nail into her palm hard enough to draw blood. Laura’s in danger. What if they kill her?
Anxious thoughts blitzed her brain. Events were descending into a tawdry nightmare. Out-manoeuvred, played for a fool and above all, betrayed. She looked down at her nails, and saw they were still caked with the thick grease paint of her attackers. She scraped out the odious filth, spotted with blood, where Julia had dug her nails into her assailants’ flesh.
How did I ever get so way
out of my depth? she thought.
ONCE BACK INSIDE her hotel room, door bolted, her heart-rate gradually slowed. She took a calming tea sachet from the welcome box, and made a cup. Adrenaline slipped away, as she sipped slowly. She stopped shaking.
She ran a bath to soothe her bruises, and scrubbed and scrubbed to remove the last traces of that night’s defilement. She dressed her cuts, then rubbed foundation over her facial wound.
I don’t need constant reminders of the dangers ahead, she thought, brushing on some powder. Pitcher will sort this. I need to stay strong and focussed.
She turned on the television and flicked between channels in search of distraction, to help her wind down to sleep. Some half-an-hour later, her blood froze at a knock at the door.
My God, who’s this, at this time?
The knock came again.
“Are you there Julia?”
She recognised Richard’s voice.
“Julia, are you there?” he repeated. “Can I come in?”
She hesitated. Could she trust him? Had Ziggy been right? Could Richard have betrayed her?
Don’t be ridiculous, Julia answered her own question. There’s only one traitor round here, Ziggy’s face drifted before her. Richard’s as honest as the day is long. She unbolted the door.
“It’s late, why you here?” she asked, stepping back to allow him to enter.
“Had a call from a policeman in London. Big shot friend of yours.”
“Chief Inspector Pitcher?”
Richard nodded handing her a bottle of wine. He threw off his jacket and hurled it across the bed.
“Said you needed a friend. This gun’s for hire.”
Laughing, he did a hammy impression of a gunslinger. Despite herself, she laughed. But tears soon welled in her eyes. She bit her lip.
“I’m in big trouble Richard.” She recounted the events of that evening, the terror in the alley, the devil masks coming for her, the violence.
Richard eyed her wounds with compassion.
“I don’t want you to tell anyone about this, especially not the Chief Inspector.”
“Are you crazy? This changes everything. You should be in hospital.”
“I’m fine, stop fussing.”
“Julia, be sensible, it’s far too dangerous.”
“Maybe, maybe not. Only you and I know what happened here tonight. As long as Pitcher doesn’t find out, this could still end well. The bigger problem is how can I rustle up a cool fortune in diamonds by tomorrow night? I mean what does $10 million in diamonds even look like? How much does it weigh? Can I carry it? This is a nightmare without end.”
“Calm down Julia. That end of the business is sorted. Silverman will foot the ransom. Apparently he didn’t even blink at the thought. Got security contacts. They’ll deliver the rocks here tomorrow.”
“How does he know anything about this?”
“He was with Pitcher when you called. With Stephen Chandler apparently.”
“What?”
“We don’t need to get into that now. He’ll make arrangements for the diamond drop tomorrow. You need to let Mantel know, and find out where the trade will take place.”
“I can’t bear the thought. What if something goes wrong? She’ll be a dead duck. It’ll all be my fault.”
“You’ll feel better in the morning. Wait until then. Think of it as a job Julia. A trade. Information like any other.”
“You sound just like Mantel.”
“Never. But hand over the ransom and free Laura Wan Sun. Finding Laura and bringing her home is what you’ve wanted all along.”
PITCHER CALLED as Julia was sipping her first coffee of the day. She slept deeply, and woke refreshed. The Chief Inspector confirmed what Richard told her the previous night. Silverman was arranging for a packet of diamonds to be delivered to her hotel room later that afternoon.
“Are you up for this Julia?” he asked. “Meeting Mantel again at some kind of secret rendezvous?”
“No. I’m terrified,” she managed a laugh, but said nothing about the previous night’s attack. “Honestly, Pitch, what option do I have?”
“If I thought you were in danger, I wouldn’t let you take the risk. You know that don’t you?”
She smiled. If only he knew.
“There’s no one else,” he continued, “if we want to find Laura. I can’t get there fast enough to be sure it wouldn’t be too late. Hand over the diamonds and get out of there as fast as you can.”
“Trust me, I can’t wait to get home, smell the river and taste the smog.”
“So you’ll call Mantel this morning and tell him the trade’s on.”
Julia bit her lip. “I will.”
SHE WAITED until 11 o’clock before making the call. Her hand shook as she punched the number into her mobile. Butterflies clawed her stomach.
Mantel picked up immediately. “Glad you’re seeing sense, my dear. As I said yesterday, neither of us has skin in this game. We are middlemen. Nothing to win or lose.”
Can’t believe for a minute you won’t be lining your pockets, Julia thought.
“I just want to get Laura safely home.”
“She may not want to go home as you call it.”
“She has a right to decide for herself.”
“Have you been able to arrange the diamonds? Not a huge sum at today’s prices.”
“Yes.”
“Silverman, I presume? He’s in love with her, you know?”
“I can bring them to you later tonight,” she said, ignoring his comment. “I’ll hand them over after you discharge Laura into my keeping.”
“Is that supposed to frighten me? Julia you must give up these negative thoughts. Think of us as partners rather than adversaries.”
“Partners, huh?” Julia laughed. “Forgive me if that’s an invitation I can refuse. Look, don’t let’s make this more painful than it is. Where can we make the switch?”
“I’ve thought about this. We need privacy, and solitude. We don’t want to be interrupted. All difficult in this frenetic city.”
“I’m sure you have a suggestion.”
“I do. How does Victoria Peak sound? Yes it’s a big tourist attraction. But it closes at 11pm. After that it’s a ghost town. No tourists, no trams, no buses. If we meet at, say, 2am at the Lion Pavilion, we can guarantee to be quite alone.”
“How will I get there?”
“I’ll send a car. The whole site will be locked up, but our driver knows paths up through the jungle. Make sure you come alone. Can you be ready at say half-past midnight? It’s a long difficult drive to the top.”
Julia said nothing.
“And never forget my dear, you’re a long way from home. No friendly police or politicians in your pocket. So no tricks. This is Hong Kong. We do things differently.”
“Send the car,” Julia said.
Richard rang at noon.
“Spoken to Mantel?”
“He wants to make the switch in the early hours of tomorrow morning. At Victoria Peak.”
“You’ll be isolated up there. Want me to come?”
“Thanks Richard but no. He said to come alone. I started this journey alone and that’s how I’ll finish it.”
Julia stayed in her room for the rest of the day, flicking across romantic comedies on the networks. She needed to keep her mood light. She ordered a substantial lunch from room service, chicken, vegetables and noodles, plus a sandwich for later.
At 5pm a bellboy knocked at her door. Beside him stood a man in black leathers wearing a motorcycle helmet. He handed her a package.
She closed the door behind him and locked it again. She sat on the bed, holding the brown parcel for a few moments, before stripping off the sellotape and paper. Like an onion, inside was a gold box, tied with a silver ribbon.
She opened it gingerly to find a black velvet purse, the contents of which she emptied into her palm.
They were so small, yet brilliant, sparkling in the light, edged with thousands of tiny cuts.
Nothing left now, but to wait.
She placed the diamonds casually on her dressing table, and returned to her film.
CHAPTER 47
THE EVENING CREPT by at an agonising pace, as if a power surge slowed all the clocks, and silenced the telephone. Tick Tock. Julia measured out the waiting hours in commercial breaks. She stretched, she sang. She checked out numerous online maps, and committed every corner of Victoria Peak to memory. She drew a dozen diagrams of the Lion Pavilion and the terrain below. She massaged her bruises from her street fight. They looked uglier with the passing hours, but the pain was easing.
Take A Thousand Cuts Page 24
