The Red Pole of Macau

by Ian Hamilton

  “No,” she said softly.

  “It is something that needs consideration. These are not men who forget.”

  ( 18 )

  It was rush hour and the Star Ferry was as crowded as an mtr train. She couldn’t find a seat and found herself wedged against an outside rail, barely able to turn her head to look at the skyline. Time was beginning to weigh on her, and she was annoyed that she hadn’t been more precise with Michael in pinning down what the four days he had negotiated actually meant. Was Lok counting from the day of the call? If he was, they were already into the third. Talking to Michael moved to the top of her must-do list.

  Then there was the gate, and the truck. She’d have to talk to the guy at Citadel again, try to pry more information out of him. Then it occurred to her — he was in Zhuhai. She could go to see him.

  When she got to her room, she went directly to the desk, opened her notebook, and began writing. As she did, she realized just how ill-formed her earlier thought process had been. Removing the cops from the scene made all the difference in the world. What it came down to was her ability to organize a plan properly, to control it, to take as many elements of luck out of it as she could.

  She called Michael at the apartment. He sounded tired, depressed. Without offering explanation she said, “I need you to talk to Lok today. Wait until you get the photo, then call him and tell him you need to start making arrangements for exchanging the money for Simon. Ask him if he has a place in mind. He’ll try to tell you that he’ll release Simon once he has the funds. Tell him that won’t do. You want to make an actual physical exchange, and you insist that it happen in a public place.”

  “Ava, you have the money?” he asked, brightening.

  “We’ll talk about that later. Just concentrate on what I’m telling you now. I expect Lok will fudge it, say that he needs time to think about it, and that’s fine. What I really want to do is fix the day, the time. Today is Wednesday. For us the ideal situation would be to do it on Saturday afternoon. So tell him you want to do it Saturday and see if you can get him to buy in to that. If you can’t, then it has to be Friday. And Michael, it cannot — I repeat, cannot — be any sooner than Friday afternoon, because I don’t think I’ll have control of the money until then.”

  “I think Friday is what we agreed to anyway,” he said.

  “But get me one more day if you can.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “Now, you don’t fix the location until you fix the day. I think the lobby of one of the new hotels would be perfect, so suggest the Four Seasons or the Venetian, someplace with good internal security.”

  “All right. If he’s getting his blood money, he shouldn’t care.”

  “Good. Now, I’m at the hotel this morning and then I have to go to China this afternoon, but I’ll be back tonight. Call me on my cell the moment you have a day for me. Now let me talk to Amanda.”

  “She’s not here; she went to work. She wanted to stay but I sort of pushed her out the door. Call her mobile.”

  Ava called her number. Amanda picked up right away. “I was hoping you’d call.”

  “How are you doing?”

  “I’m okay. Michael is a bit droopy, and I was worried about you last night — you seemed down.”

  “Last night was last night. Do you have time to do something for me today?”

  “I’ll make the time.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “I’m at the office.”

  “Later I’d like you to drop by the concierge desk at the Mandarin and pick up the floor plans. I’ll have left them there. Take them to a print shop and get them blown up as big as you can. Then find a map of Coloane, as detailed as possible, and blow up the entire southern area. Concentrate on Coloane Peak and everything around it.”

  “Then what?”

  “Bring them to me first thing tomorrow morning at the hotel.”

  “Will do.”

  Ava hung up and dialled Carlo’s number. He sounded as tired as Michael, though she guessed it wasn’t from stress. “Uncle said he talked to you,” she said.

  “My two friends are in already.”

  “They don’t know what I’m paying.”

  “They don’t need to.”

  “Everyone has weapons, right?”

  “How much firepower do you think we’re going to need?”

  “As much as they have and can carry, and they’re going to have to move quickly, so take that into account.”

  “All right.”

  “Carlo, Uncle said you could get everything we need to Macau ahead of time. Can you?”

  “Yeah, sure. I have a cousin who’s a day-boat fisherman. He’s constantly back and forth between here and there. He can take the stuff over, no problem.”

  “I’d like to get it there tomorrow and then have him wait for us to arrive. That might take another day or two. Will he be okay with that? I mean, I’ll pay him whatever he wants.”

  “It’s better than fishing for a living.”

  Ava checked her notes. “You’ll need to round up the weapons today, then, and get them to your cousin. Uncle said Andy and his brother-in-law are in as well, so you need to touch base with him. Organize it from his end. And Uncle’s getting a gun for me and said he’d have it today. I’m going to be in China for most of the afternoon and early evening, so I need to leave it to you to collect it for me.”

  “No problem.”

  “Tomorrow we’re going to have to meet — all of us, I mean — to go over the plan. I have to find a place and set a time. I’ll call you when I know, and then you can give the other guys and Andy a heads-up. Just make sure everyone leaves the next two to three days completely open. And let them know I’m paying as of today. I’ll guarantee at least four days’ work at five thousand a day for the men, and ten thousand a day for you and Andy.”

  “That’s too much.”

  She ignored him, her attention focused on the notebook, certain she had forgotten to tell him something. And there it was. “We’ll need a ram for the front doors. They’re wooden.”

  “I have a Cobra ram. It can open any wood door in about five seconds.”

  “Give that to your cousin as well, and throw in a large crowbar, a dozen sets of handcuffs, and a couple of rolls of duct tape.”

  “With the ram, we won’t need the crowbar.”

  “Add one anyway.”

  The line went quiet, and Ava wondered if Carlo had hung up on her. “Hey, you still there?” she asked.

  “I was just writing things down, and I don’t write that fast,” he said.

  “Take your time.”

  “Okay, I’m done,” he finally said. “I’ll get on this stuff right away, and you won’t hear from me unless I have a problem.”

  “That’s the way I like it.”

  “And, Ava,” he said carefully, “Andy was a bit nervous yesterday when we talked about this job. If you hadn’t been involved, we might have backed out. You didn’t seem too hot to trot either, to be honest. But you seem more upbeat today. Did something happen?”

  “Yes. I went from thinking this might work to thinking this will definitely fucking work.”

  “I’ll let Andy know.”

  “I appreciate that, and everything else.” She closed the phone.

  Ava stood up, walked to the window, and stretched. It was a glorious day. Victoria Harbour was as beautiful as she had ever seen it. She checked her watch and calculated whether she had time to squeeze in a quick run in the park. It would be cutting it close, but all she had left to do was call the Citadel Company in Zhuhai, and then it would be a matter of waiting and thinking. Then her phone rang.

  “May just called me from the Wuhan airport,” Uncle said. “She got an earlier flight, so she will be in by noon.”

  “That’s good. Phone me when you p
ick her up and I’ll head over to the Macau ferry terminal.”

  “I did reserve a helicopter. Go directly to that wing and we will meet you there.”

  So much for a run, she thought as she called Zhuhai. “I got the specifications, thank you, but I’m not exactly technical and I’m having some problems understanding them. Fortunately I’m going to be in Zhuhai this afternoon, and I’m wondering if I could drop in to go over them with you. Where is your office?”

  “We’re in the Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, but I’m afraid dropping in may not be possible. We have a very strict company policy about visitors.”

  “Our chairwoman is going to be with me — Wong May Ling, the wife of Wong Changxiang. I’m sure you’ve heard of them.”

  “Who hasn’t heard of him? He is the man behind your project?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll talk to my boss. Let’s see if he’ll agree.”

  “You can also tell him that Madam Wong is in Zhuhai to meet with General Feng from the Guangzhou Military Region headquarters. Ask your boss if he needs a recommendation from the General, because if he does, we’ll get it.”

  “You know what, I’ll talk to my boss, but I think it will be okay for you to visit. Let’s just plan on it, shall we?”

  “Somewhere between three and four?”

  “My name is Su, I am director of sales. You are Ms. Lee, right? I’ll leave passes for you and Madam Wong at the security entrance.”

  Guanxi, Ava thought as she hung up.

  ( 19 )

  Ava stood to one side of the entrance to the helipad. There was hardly a customer in sight, a situation that would change when it got to Friday and the gamblers were anxious to make an early start.

  She wore her best professional clothes: black linen slacks, pink Brooks Brothers shirt with modified Italian collar, crocodile stilettos; her hair was pulled back and secured with her lucky ivory chignon pin. She wore as little makeup as she could without looking washed out, just a touch of red lipstick and some black mascara. When she had met May Ling in Wuhan, the older woman had worn no jewellery, and Ava had mimicked her there. But not today — she had her gold crucifix around her neck and her Cartier Tank Française watch on her wrist. By Hong Kong princess standards, she looked almost like a pauper.

  They appeared at the farthest end of the terminal, walking slowly side by side. Ava tried to figure out who was keeping up with whom. Uncle was in his black suit and open-necked white shirt. May Ling shone in the same pink and white Chanel skirt and jacket she’d worn when Ava met her for the first time in Wuhan. Was that deliberate? In any event, she looked stunning, and she walked gracefully, erect but flowing, without an iota of self-consciousness. Ava had never seen anyone so elegant and so intimidating at the same time. As she worked her way towards the gate, Ava noticed the attention May was drawing. There wasn’t a man she walked past who didn’t stop, turn, and stare.

  Ava stepped forward so that she would be visible. Uncle gave a little wave, May a tentative smile. This is too awkward, Ava thought. She walked towards them, more purposeful than graceful, but drawing her own share of attention.

  May Ling held out her hand. Ava moved past it, slipped her hand around May’s waist, and leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. “Thanks for coming,” she said.

  May was flustered. Uncle beamed. “You know what everyone is thinking? ‘What is that old man doing with the two most beautiful women in Hong Kong?’”

  “The helicopter is leaving in five minutes. We’d better board,” Ava said.

  “How long is the flight?” asked May.

  “About fifteen minutes.”

  “I called the General from the car. He’s sent someone to meet us at the Macau terminal and drive us to Zhuhai,” May said, calmer now.

  “We have to go now,” Ava said to Uncle.

  He stepped between them and then kissed each of them on the cheek. “Good luck.”

  They were the only two passengers on the helicopter, and Ava thought that would give them a chance to talk. But as soon as the rotors kicked in, she knew she’d have to yell to be heard. May spent the flight looking out the window and occasionally glancing at Ava.

  Ava remembered how anxious May had been in Wuhan, her eyes dull with worry, the skin around her mouth etched with lines. Now her face had taken on a younger, vibrant look. Her eyes were black orbs in a sea of pearl white, her skin taut, not a line, not a sag. She was in her forties at least, maybe even fifties, but if Ava had been paid to guess, she would have said late thirties.

  There was one more obvious difference from Wuhan — her jewellery. May wore diamond stud earrings that had to be a carat each, a Movado watch with a large diamond at the twelve-o’clock mark, a ring with the largest diamond Ava had ever seen, and a delicate white nephrite jade bracelet. It was the bracelet that really caught Ava’s attention. The jade had been carved into small round beads that were separated by slivers of what looked like platinum. Ava knew the bracelet was rare, and probably old. It was so Chinese — if you had the taste to want it and the money to acquire it.

  Macau appeared on the horizon and Ava braced as the helicopter began to descend. As it did she felt a rush of anxiety. An awful lot — perhaps too much — depended on one woman’s guanxi. She glanced at May Ling. Her face was completely impassive.

  As they disembarked, Ava couldn’t help saying, “You’re wearing jewellery today.”

  “In Wuhan I don’t have to impress anyone. When I travel, I have an image, there are expectations, and I don’t like to disappoint,” she said.

  What looked like an army officer stood at the entrance to the helipad. He opened the door for them and then stepped back. “I’m Captain Kuo. General Feng sent me to meet you.”

  “A pleasure, Captain,” May said.

  “The car is outside. Please follow me.”

  “How about Customs and Immigration?”

  “No need.”

  The two women slid into the back seat of the Lexus and the captain sat up front with the driver. “We’re going to meet the General at a restaurant. He thought, given the time, that lunch would be appropriate.”

  “Wonderful,” said May.

  The car took what to Ava was now a familiar route over the Friendship Bridge to Taipa and the causeway to Coloane. But instead of turning west towards the park, they went east. The Barrier Gate, the entrance to China proper, was in the distance. There was a lineup of buses, trucks, and cars that Ava knew would take hours to clear the border. She was thinking that they would be late for lunch when the driver pulled the Lexus to the far right and drove along the shoulder until they reached a lane marked Restricted, which led to a guard booth. Ava reached into her bag for her passport. The captain looked back at her and said, “No need.” The car drove through, the driver waving at the guard.

  The two women hardly talked during the drive. Ava was comfortable with silence, and it seemed to her that May was as well.

  Ava hadn’t been to Zhuhai. She knew it was the second of the Special Economic Zones set up by the Chinese government, hard on the heels of Shenzhen. But whereas Shenzhen had gone from being a town of twenty thousand to a city of ten million in twenty-five years — visually, culturally, and environmentally representing everything ugly about uncontrolled growth — Zhuhai had barely grown at all. Its population was just over one million, and it was more of a sleepy tourist destination than a boomtown.

  They were somewhere near the centre of the city when Ava’s phone rang.

  “I spoke to Lok,” Michael said.

  “And?”

  “We’ll make the exchange Friday afternoon, and he’s agreed to the Venetian.”

  “You couldn’t get Saturday?”

  “Ava, he blew up at me. He said the original deadline was Thursday. I had to argue with him for ten minutes to get him to agree to Friday.”

 
“I wasn’t being critical, Michael. Friday will just have to work.”

  “It wasn’t easy.”

  “I believe you.”

  “And I got Simon’s photo. Physically he looks fine, just completely depressed.”

  “That’s natural enough.”

  “Ava, the money?”

  “I’ll get the money,” she said sharply.

  “And the exchange — I have no idea how something like that will work.”

  “Don’t sweat it. We’ll meet Friday morning and go over everything in detail. Did Lok say how he wanted the money?”

  “No, actually he didn’t.”

  “He will, if not today, then tomorrow. Knowing him, he’ll ask for cash. Tell him that’s difficult — we’d need about four suitcases — and ask if he’ll go along with a certified cheque.”

  “What if he insists on cash?”

  “Then we’ll find a way to do it. At least carrying a bunch of suitcases into a hotel lobby won’t look strange.”

  “God, this is so complicated.”

  “Michael, relax. Friday will be here before you know it and then this will be over.”

  May threw her a quizzical glance. “My brother,” Ava said, as she put away her phone.

  “He doesn’t know what your plans are?” May asked.

  “No. He’s not much of a liar and he has to handle communication with Lok. I decided it would be better if he really believed we were going to pay.”

  “Sounds like he needs his hand held.”

  “Sometimes.”

  “Typical. I mean, typical for a man.”

  “This restaurant is very famous for its dim sum,” the captain interrupted as they drove past signs saying they were headed towards the Pearl River.

  When they pulled up in front, they saw that the lineup had spilled onto South Lovers’ Lane. Is there a North Lovers’ Lane? Ava wondered. How about a West and an East? The captain led them past the throng and towards an army of hostesses. “The ladies are joining General Feng,” he said to the only woman in a cheongsam. And then he turned to May and said, “I’ll be waiting in the car.”