The Imam of Tawi-Tawi

by Ian Hamilton

  “Tell the casino manager that we’re going to get approval from Pinetree to access al-Touma’s financial records and any videos they have of him. He should start getting them organized. If he bitches about the videos, tell him we can provide him with the approximate dates when al-Touma was there.”

  “You’re assuming a day or two before he flew to Amman to make deposits?”

  “Yes,” Dulles said. “And Bobby, can I also assume that the manager and the two owners you met have been told not to contact al-Touma?”

  “Absolutely, and quite forcefully.”

  “Okay. Stay in touch.”

  He shut off the phone and then pushed the chair back from the table, leaned back, and linked his hands behind his head. “This is bizarre,” he said. “Have you heard of Tom Allison in Canada?”

  “An American billionaire who made his first fortune in oil and manufacturing, then a second and larger fortune by being the money angel for tens, if not hundreds, of high-tech start-ups, some of which hit it very, very big.”

  “That’s him,” he said. “What you neglected to mention — and what made me say ‘bizarre’ — is that he’s also a leading right-wing Republican, a publicly loud fundamentalist Christian, and an ardent defender of Israel and all things Jewish.”

  “Oh,” said Ava.

  “That may be the most restrained reaction I’ve ever heard.”

  Ava started to reply when her phone rang. She saw Wahab’s number and felt her pulse quicken. “Yes?” she said. “Do you have something?”

  “We have al-Bashir’s hairbrush and toothbrush. Now what do we do?”

  “Just a second,” Ava said, covering the mouthpiece. “The boys from Bongao have two of the imam’s brushes. What should we do with them?” she asked Dulles.

  “Have someone fly to Manila and I’ll send Susan Crawford to the airport to meet them. She’ll be in the arrivals hall. She’s tall and blonde and will be holding a sign with the person’s name on it. We’ll need to know who’s coming and the flight details.”

  Ava returned to Wahab and repeated the instructions.

  “I’ll send Ben,” he said. “Who is Susan Crawford?”

  “A friend of mine, someone you can trust.”

  He hesitated, then said, “As you know, there’s only the one flight from Bongao to Zamboanga. He’ll get on the next one and then connect to the same flight you took to Manila. If there’s any change in those plans, I’ll phone. Otherwise, tell Ms. Crawford that Ben will see her at the airport.”

  “It’s being arranged,” Ava said to Dulles after hanging up. “Ben will be bringing the brushes to Manila tonight on a Cebu Pacific flight from Zamboanga that lands at eight p.m.”

  “I’ll call Susan,” he said.

  It took him only a few minutes to brief her, and then he said, “Look at the Rolodex in my office, will you? There should be a cellphone number and email address for Tom Allison. I need them.”

  “How long will it take to check the fingerprints?” Ava asked while they waited for Crawford.

  “The lab is part of the Philippines National Bureau of Investigation. It’s first-rate but we don’t have any control over it and we aren’t always a priority. Susan knows this is important and she’ll push them. If she’s her typically effective self, I would expect to get results tomorrow night or the day after.”

  “I don’t like to jinx myself,” Ava said, “but you know, I have a feeling that things are starting to move in the right direction.”

  Susan Crawford came on the line before Dulles could respond.

  “She just gave me Allison’s contact info,” Dulles said a moment later. “Now we’ll find out if your intuition is correct.”

  ( 30 )

  Dulles called the cell number Crawford had given him, listened for a few seconds, and shook his head in disappointment at Ava. Then he said, “Mr. Allison, this is Alasdair Dulles calling. I’m not sure if you remember me, but I was the American commercial attaché in London when you were trying to land some government contracts. I need to talk to you on a matter that is of some importance to me and our government. I’m currently stationed in Manila but I’m phoning you from Sydney. I think that makes me about fourteen hours ahead of Dallas. Please call me whenever you can.”

  “Are you going to send an email as well?” Ava asked when he was finished.

  “Not yet. I’ll wait until tonight.”

  “What are the chances he’ll call back?” she said.

  “Slim at best,” he said.

  “So what now, we just wait?”

  “Yes, for a while at least,” he said, just as his phone sounded. They both stared at it.

  “It couldn’t be possible, could it?” Ava said.

  Dulles picked up the phone. “This is Alasdair Dulles.” He paused, the phone pressed against his ear. “Tom, thank you so much for calling me back.” He smiled at Ava as he put the phone on speaker mode and placed it on the table. Ava leaned in.

  “How could I not? You were most obliging when I was in London, and your message was full of mystery,” Allison said. He spoke slowly, carefully pronouncing every word. It was an affected style and could easily have sounded stilted and artificial, but with Allison’s deep bass voice, the way he stressed inflections made it sound as if he were speaking a song.

  “I’m pleased you said ‘mystery,’ because I think that describes what I’m involved in.”

  “I’m slightly flattered but even more confused. Why do you think I might be able to help you with it?”

  “Well, it concerns the Paradise Casino in Beirut, which I understand you own part of.”

  “Alasdair, that casino is part of Pinetree Gaming, a rather small business I rather reluctantly invested in a few years ago. It was at the urging of one of my strategic planners, who was enamoured with the profits being generated by the casinos in Macau. His enthusiasm wasn’t warranted.”

  “But you do know of the casino?”

  “Of course.”

  “How about a man named Fileeb al-Touma? Or Omar Obeidat?

  “I’ve never heard of either of them.”

  “We’re told they’re one and the same, and that he’s referred to as a whale.”

  “I know enough about the casino business to know what a whale is, and I also know they come in many sizes.”

  “This one has evidently won about five million dollars at the Paradise Casino over the past two to three years.”

  “From what I’ve been told, we have whales who can win or lose that over a weekend.”

  “I’m not interested in other whales.”

  “And what is your interest in this Mr.…al-what?”

  “Al-Touma.”

  “So, what has Mr. al-Touma done to warrant so much attention from a commercial attaché with the U.S. government?”

  “I’m no longer with the commercial division,” Dulles said.

  “I thought not,” Allison said with a laugh. “In fact, when I met you in London, it was suggested to me that you have additional and strictly non-commercial duties.”

  “That is the case.”

  “I understand. You don’t need to elaborate.”

  “Thank you,” Dulles said. “So now that we’ve established who’s who, I would like to be completely straightforward with you.”

  “You shouldn’t have called if that wasn’t your intention.”

  “Tom, there are security concerns that have to be respected.”

  “Alasdair, were you aware that I sit on the president’s most influential economic advisory panel?”

  “No, I wasn’t.”

  “I was honoured when the president offered me the appointment, but even with his backing, I was still subjected to a substantial vetting process,” he said. “Among other things, I had to qualify for one of the highest levels of security clearance.” />
  “That’s good to know, but this is a particularly sensitive matter.”

  “I don’t care how sensitive it is. If you’re asking for my help, you’re going to have to put some faith in me and be more forthcoming,” Allison said. “Throwing a name or two at me in conjunction with one of my minor investments doesn’t qualify as being forthcoming. It isn’t likely to elicit the kind of response you want.”

  Dulles glanced at Ava. She could see he was struggling with the conversation. “Be blunter,” she whispered.

  “Tom, I don’t know what level of security clearance you have, but whatever it is, it has to be applied,” Dulles finally said. “This has to be a conversation between just you and me. No one else can be told about what we discuss.”

  “I can agree to that.”

  “In that case, let me tell you that we have reason to believe that this man al-Touma has been using the Paradise Casino to launder money.”

  “Okay. Assuming you’re correct, why isn’t that an issue for the Lebanese tax authorities to pursue? Why are you talking to me about security clearance?”

  “Because we also believe that the money is being used to fund a terrorist organization.”

  Allison became quiet, and Ava thought she heard the sound of footsteps on the other end of the line. “Say that again,” he finally said.

  “We aren’t inventing it,” Dulles said. “We have a money trail that starts at your casino, winds its way through banks in Riyadh and Amman, and ends up in a bank on one of the most isolated islands in the Philippines, where it is being use to fund a college that is training terrorists.”

  “How do you know all this? How do you know the money comes from the Paradise?”

  “I can’t get into that level of detail over the phone.”

  “And what possible proof can you have that the casino is an active participant in this money-laundering scheme?”

  “Truthfully, that is a supposition. We can’t confirm or disprove it without your organization’s co-operation.”

  “Which organization? I have interests in many.”

  “Pinetree, or whoever can give us the information we’re looking for.”

  “I have virtually nothing to do with that company. It’s a pimple on our corporate ass.”

  “That may be the case, but whenever we ask questions, we’re directed further up the line. I thought you might be able to break the logjam for us.”

  “I’ll do better than that,” Allison said abruptly, his voice rising. “I’ll make the enquiries myself. I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  “As generous an offer as that is, we can’t be excluded from the process,” Dulles said.

  “Where are you exactly? Are you really in Sydney?”

  “I am.”

  “Well, I’m in Hong Kong. Can you meet me here?”

  “I guess that’s possible.”

  “When can you come?”

  “Today?”

  Allison hesitated, and Ava wondered if he was reconsidering the invitation. “Sure, that would work,” he finally said. “My schedule is full today, but you won’t get here until tonight, and by then I’ll make sure I’ve talked to my people.”

  “I’m sure we can find a flight.”

  “I’ll make enquiries. By the time you arrive, I’ll have some answers for you.”

  “Where are you staying?”

  “The Island Shangri-La in Central.”

  “I know it.”

  “You’ll be alone?”

  “No, I have a colleague, Ava Lee, who’ll be coming with me.”

  “Call me when you land,” he said. “I’ll leave the entire evening open.”

  ( 31 )

  Phil Johnson drove them to the airport. They were on a Cathay Pacific flight that was departing at five after two and would get them into Hong Kong at 9:30 p.m. local time. Ava sensed that, despite Dulles’s remark about his lack of curiosity, Johnson was bursting with questions. But all he did was make laughing comments about the short length of their stay. He dropped them off in front of the terminal. “Have a safe journey, and please let me know how this — whatever it is — ends,” he said.

  They hurried through the terminal, checked in, cleared Immigration and Security, and made it to the gate about five minutes before boarding started. They were seated separately again, and that was fine with Ava. Her head was a jumble, what with Tom Allison now added to the mix of the casino, al-Touma, Jason Said, and Imam Tariq al-Bashir. Is there no end to this? she thought.

  When they were airborne, she pulled out her notebook and began to write down, in as much detail as she could remember, her conversation with Said and Dulles’s with Allison. She filled three pages and then went back over them, underlining points that raised questions or needed clarification. Most of them were related to Allison. Jason Said’s recital had the advantage of being familiar, thanks to Ben and Alcem. Still, there were new elements that grabbed her attention, and one was the website that had led him to Zakat College. She couldn’t believe that the numbers the website used for its address were random. And as for Allison, why had he returned Dulles’s call so quickly, and why was he being so co-operative? Ava knew men with his kind of power and money, and there was no way they would pick up the phone themselves to call someone who was at best a casual acquaintance. But then, she thought, most of the men she knew were Asian. Maybe American billionaires like Allison were different, or maybe it was because he felt — given his connections with the government — an obligation to help however he could.

  She considered discussing the website address with Dulles. He was sitting a few rows in front of her, but she saw that his seat was reclined and she guessed he was sleeping. That’s not a bad idea, she thought, but then dinner service began, and she realized she hadn’t eaten all day.

  After dinner she located the classic movie channel and watched High Noon. She was about halfway through when she remembered Pang Fai’s description of the movie she was making. It was also about a person taking on the system. Ava realized how much she missed Fai and wished they were together. As the film ended, Ava drank the rest of her second glass of white wine and then fell asleep, imagining Fai curled up next to her.

  They began their descent into Chek Lap Kok Airport before nine. It was odd for her to fly into Hong Kong and not be met at the airport. During her ten years working with Uncle, she’d been there countless times, and with very few exceptions he was always there to greet her, usually sitting in the Kit Kat Koffee House with a racing form on the table and a cigarette in his mouth. Since his death, Sonny had assumed that role and guarded it jealously. But things had been so rushed in Sydney that she hadn’t even thought about letting him know she was coming.

  She and Dulles turned on their phones as soon as they landed. He listened to a message as they disembarked and then said, “Susan Crawford has the brushes. They’re on their way to the lab now.”

  Ava listened to two voicemails as they walked through the terminal. Fai had called. She had had a good day of shooting and was feeling more optimistic about the film. Wahab was the other caller. He wanted her to know that Ben had landed in Manila and given the brushes to Crawford. He sounded pensive, and Ava could only think how much worse he would feel if he knew who she was travelling with and what they were discovering. But any guilt she felt about not keeping him fully appraised was offset by the knowledge that, thus far, she’d honoured her commitment to provide the Brotherhood with some cover.

  “I was thinking we should book rooms at the Shangri-La,” Dulles said.

  Ava’s hotel of choice in Central was the Mandarin Oriental, but she figured she was travelling as a guest of the CIA. “That’s fine.”

  “I’ll call from the taxi,” he said.

  “And you told Allison you’d call him when we landed.”

  “I’m not as Hong Kong–savvy as you are,” h
e said. “How long will it take us to clear Customs and Immigration and get to the hotel?”

  “Forty-five minutes to an hour.”

  He looked for Allison’s number on his phone and hit it. Seconds later he was shaking his head. “This is Alasdair Dulles. We’ve arrived in Hong Kong and are just leaving the airport. We should be at the hotel in about an hour.”

  When they had cleared Customs and Immigration, they walked into the arrivals hall and headed for the taxi stand. It was dark and there was a trace of damp, cold Hong Kong winter in the air. Ava shivered as they waited in line.

  “My Hong Kong friends ask me how I can withstand the Canadian winter,” Ava said. “They don’t believe me when I tell them that I’ve always felt colder here.”

  “I feel the same way about winters in upstate New York compared to routine weather in Bangkok. At least in New York I can dress heavily enough for long walks. In Bangkok there’s no amount of undressing I can do that makes it comfortable to walk any more than a few hundred yards.”

  Dulles called the Shangri-La when they left the airport, and by the time they were on the Tsing Ma Bridge, he had two reservations. The journey over the bridge in daylight presented one of Ava’s favourite views. Tsing Ma was one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. It spanned the Ma Wan Channel — the route for thousands of ships, boats, and sampans making their way between the South China Sea and Hong Kong’s harbour — and provided a spectacular view of the vessels and the sea. When she looked down at the channel at night, the lights from the ships below made it look as if the velvet sky were beneath her.

  She was about to comment on it when Dulles said, “I’ve been thinking about the address of that website Jason Said mentioned.”

  “Me too,” Ava said. “Those numbers can’t be random. They have to have some meaning.”

  “One that does have meaning is May 14, 1948.”

  “Which is?”

  “The date of Israeli independence.”

  “Oh shit,” Ava said.

  “That’s only a guess.”

  “Except it makes perfect sense.”