by Ian Hamilton
“It was a bit of a shock to me. And it’s not just the physical resemblance. When you looked at me, I felt a connection. The Taoists call it qi — life force — and I felt it pass between us. And I thought, ‘I know this girl, and this girl knows me.’
“I didn’t say anything to my husband, but I didn’t really have to. For the next hour he kept repeating how strange it was to see you, how much it reminded him of meeting me for the first time. And then of course we had to endure that dreadful evening — the party, the karaoke, and then our meeting in the gallery. I knew, the moment my husband made the reference to revenge, that he had lost you. I also knew, almost right away, that regardless of what Uncle thought or wanted to do, he would defer to you. And I found that remarkable.”
“You give me too much credit.”
“No, I saw what I saw, and I knew what I knew,” May said. “And then I came to your room and begged you to help my husband, and I cried. I can’t begin to tell you how unlike me that was. You know my husband’s nickname is ‘Emperor Hubei’? Well, mine is ‘the Stone Lady.’”
“I never felt that about you.”
“I know. You seemed to see into me, just as I thought I could see into you. Taoists believe in kindred spirits, in soulmates. We have yin and yang; some people believe their symbol represents man and woman, but they don’t necessarily mean that. We all lack something in our lives, and most of us never find that missing piece. When I saw you, I thought you could be my missing piece, that you could be the friend, the kindred spirit, I’ve never had.” She paused and drank deeply from her glass of wine. “That’s why I’m apologizing, that’s why I’m so anxious to make things right between us. Unless things are made right, we’ll never know what kind of friends we can be.”
Ava sat back and looked across the table at May Ling. She was so formidable and yet so vulnerable, and her eyes, strong and warm, reflected both. “I think, May, that I would like to know that too,” Ava said.
“Two strong women in a world run by men.”
“Two strong women in a world that men think they run.” Ava laughed as she said it.
May stood up and came around the table. Ava rose from her chair and held out her arms. They hugged, and then smiled. “I’ve had too much to drink,” May said. “But I would never have gotten through that otherwise.”
They left the restaurant with arms looped together. Ava wasn’t sold on the kindred spirit idea, but she couldn’t deny she felt a connection to May Ling. Maybe it was qi. She decided to let events unfold and let them lead to whatever destiny had in store for her and May. Then the practical part of her kicked in. There are worse things, she told herself, than being friends with a woman who can command a general in the PLA.
“What are the plans for tomorrow?” May asked.
“I have to brief the men in the morning. Actually, thanks for reminding me, because I need to book a meeting room downstairs.”
“I have a three-room suite, and one room is set up like a boardroom. You can use that if you want.”
“You really don’t mind? These guys aren’t boardroom kind of guys.”
“What time will they be here?”
“Ten.”
“Bring them up.”
“Great.”
“And so we go to Macau tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“And when do you invade the house?”
“Dawn on Friday.”
“You aren’t afraid?”
“I’m always afraid, but it’s an emotion I can’t succumb to because it will affect everyone around me. The men need to see me calm.”
May Ling stopped at the elevator. “Do you really have to go in yourself?”
Ava shrugged. “I’d never ask anyone to do something I wasn’t prepared to do myself. “
( 22 )
She saw Wu and Lok standing on the second-floor mezzanine with guns aimed at the front door of the house. She and the men were sitting ducks. She was screaming, “Get down, get down!” when the hotel phone woke her. She realized at once where she was but her senses were still on edge.
She made a coffee and got the papers at the door. She opened the South China Morning Post first, turning to the day’s forecast. Dry and sunny for the next two days, sunrise at six fifteen a.m. She leafed through the Post and the Herald Tribune, her mind too distracted to concentrate on the details of more financial fallout, this time in Europe. With a fresh cup of coffee she went to the desk and opened her notebook.
Ava read and reread her notes from the night before and then made a list of things that had to be organized in the next few hours. She started with the cars, and a phone call downstairs to the concierge. She asked him to reserve two SUVs for her in Macau, tinted glass if possible. She put both on her credit card and listed Sonny Kwok as the driver of the second vehicle.
Then she called the Kingsway Hotel and booked five rooms for that night, all on her credit card. One room was under her name, the others under the names of Carlo, Andy, Sonny, and May.
Finally, Ava took six hotel envelopes from the desk drawer and carried them to the bed. She removed a wad of U.S. hundred-dollar bills from her jacket pocket and took another stack from her purse. She apportioned the money, wrote names on the fronts of the envelopes, and put the envelopes into her bag.
It was eight o’clock when she finished. By this time tomorrow, she thought, I’ll have Simon To and all my men halfway back to Hong Kong. She went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth hard. Then she showered, washing her hair with as much vigour as she had brushed her teeth. There was something about being clean that fuelled her optimism.
She dried her hair, pulled it back, and clasped it with the ivory chignon pin. She put on a clean, crisp white shirt, fastening the cuffs with green jade cufflinks, and black linen slacks. She finished off the look with a pair of black leather pumps, her gold crucifix, and her Cartier watch, then applied black mascara and a light touch of red lipstick. She was dressed for business in a way the boys expected. More than presentable, she thought, looking in the mirror. Then she packed her runners and tracksuit into her Shanghai Tang “Double Happiness” bag.
She went back to the desk and turned on her computer. Into her inbox tumbled two days’ worth of emails from Maria, Mimi, other friends, and her father. Out of nowhere she felt a need to connect with them. The feeling caught her by surprise, because it wasn’t in character for her to call home when she was working. All that did was make her feel more isolated, more alone, and she hated any negative vibes, any distractions, when she was on a job. She started to answer the emails and then stopped and picked up her cellphone instead.
“Buenos días, this is Maria. I’m sorry I can’t take your call right now. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
It was Wednesday evening in Toronto. Maria would be at salsa. “Maria, this is Ava. It’s Thursday morning and I’m still in Hong Kong. I’m going to be out of touch for a day or two. Not to worry — I’ll be home maybe by the weekend. Anyway, miss you and love you.”
Mimi answered her phone on the second ring. “Ava, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“You never call when you travel.”
“I miss home this trip. I just wanted to see how you’re feeling.”
“I’m great. I’ve never been happier.”
“It’s real, huh?”
“As real as it’s ever been. Derek is such a doll.”
“Have you told the parents about the baby?”
“We told mine two nights ago. My mother was thrilled for me, but my father was slightly pissed off that I’m not married yet. The fact that we’re engaged doesn’t impress him. But he likes Derek, he really does, and I think it will work out. I’m not sure about Derek’s parents, though.”
“Why?”
“He emailed them to tell them that we w
ere engaged and that I was pregnant. I said that wasn’t the way to do things, that he should have at least called, but he insisted that they email each other all the time and it was no big deal. He sent them a photo of us with his hand on my belly. The problem is, they haven’t answered him yet, and we’re into the second day. If he doesn’t hear from them by morning, I’m going to make him call. Ava, you’ve met them, right?”
“A couple of times.”
“They wouldn’t resent the fact that he’s marrying someone who isn’t Chinese, would they?”
His father just might, Ava thought, remembering some intemperate remarks about gweilos. With the mother, an aging Hong Kong princess, it would probably be more a case of jealousy. It was one thing to have as a daughter-in-law a flat-chested Chinese girl who understood the roles and rules in the family hierarchy, but it was quite another to have a six-foot-tall blonde, busty Canadian with a mind of her own. “I’m sure they’re happy for you and that there’s some other reason they haven’t contacted Derek. His father travels a lot, you know, and his mother often goes with him,” Ava said.
“When are you coming home?”
“Hopefully this weekend, and when I get there I’m going to plant my ass in Yorkville and not go anywhere for a while.”
“Ava, I really like Maria, you know.”
“Me too.”
“What do you think you two guys are going to do?”
“You mean, like move in together?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“I don’t know, Mimi, I really don’t know. And right now isn’t the time to think about it.”
The hotel phone rang. Ava let it go to voicemail. “Look, I have to go. I’ll email you when I make the travel arrangements for coming home. Give Derek my love.”
She hesitated, trying to decide between the two phones. Well, I’m on a roll, she thought, and dialled her mother’s home line.
“Marcus Lee.”
“Daddy, it’s Ava.”
“How are you? I’ve been worried.”
“I’m fine, and listen to me: things are moving along very well here. By this time tomorrow I expect I’ll have resolved most of Michael’s problems and I’ll be on a plane back to Toronto. We’ll be able to spend some fun time together before you have to go back to Hong Kong.”
“I’m getting a different feeling from your brother,” he said.
“I haven’t told him everything. In truth, I haven’t told him very much at all. He has a low threshold for stress, and I don’t need him badgering me,” she said, and then realized how critical that sounded. “Daddy, he’s a great guy, and he may be a capable businessman, but he’s not cut out for the kind of people he was trying to deal with.”
“We all have our strengths and weaknesses,” he said.
“Speaking of which, have you spent much time with Amanda Yee?”
“A little. She’s a nice enough girl, comes across as a bit spoilt.”
“She’s a keeper. You make sure Michael marries her. She’ll be a tremendous asset to him and the family.”
“I don’t hear you throw around compliments like that very often.”
“Well, there you go. Now can I speak to Mummy?”
Marcus Lee laughed. “She’s not here. She’s gone to play mah-jong. This is closing in on the fourth consecutive week I’ve spent with her. That’s the most time in one year since she left for Canada. I think I’m beginning to wear on her, and by the time I leave she’ll be more than happy to put me on the plane so she can get back to her regular schedule.”
“How is Marian?”
“I speak to her every day. She’s getting over the cruise fiasco. I may fly up to Ottawa to see her and the girls before I leave.”
“If I’m back I’ll go with you. How about Mummy?”
“I think we’d do better to let things settle a bit more first.”
“That’s probably smart. Well, okay, I have to go — busy day today. Give Mummy a kiss for me. I’ll email you when things get finished here.”
He paused, and she knew she shouldn’t have mentioned things getting finished. “Ava, are you really sure that this will get worked out? I’m already getting emails from my bank — nothing dramatic, but there are hints they’re concerned about Michael and Simon.”
“Thing will get worked out, and by tomorrow,” she said.
“You aren’t taking any foolish chances, I hope.”
“I have everything under control.”
“I really want to believe you,” he said, doubt in his voice.
“Tomorrow. It will be over tomorrow,” she said, and ended the call.
The message light on the room phone was blinking. She entered the code and listened to Amanda saying she was downstairs in the lobby. Ava checked the time. It was nine thirty already. She put Toronto completely out of her mind, grabbed her bag, and left the room.
Amanda sat by herself on a lobby sofa, the cardboard tube leaning against her leg, a small box next to her. She was wearing designer jeans and a baby-blue cashmere sweater. Her hair, which looked freshly washed, sparkled under the lobby lights, and her skin was radiant and without makeup. She looked as if she were still in high school.
“Hey,” Ava said.
Amanda jumped to her feet and reached for the cardboard tube. “Here are the copies, and I’ve got the balaclavas in the box, black balaclavas.”
“Thanks. Now, would you have time for one more errand?”
“Sure. I booked the day off at the office.”
“I need a megaphone, a power megaphone.”
“And where would I . . . Oh, never mind, I’ll figure it out.”
“I’m going to be in May Ling Wong’s suite on the twenty-second floor for the next few hours. Bring it there.”
Amanda did a double take. “May Ling Wong? The May Ling Wong?”
“I know only one.”
“From Hubei? That May Ling Wong?”
“Yes, that one.”
“What is she doing here?”
“She’s helping with our project.”
“Ava, this is nuts. How is this possible?”
“It’s a long story and we don’t have a lot of time, so go and get the megaphone. I’ll introduce you to her when you get back,” she said, spotting Carlo at the hotel entrance. He was glancing around and looking decidedly uncomfortable. Ava checked her watch; it was only nine forty. “Here, I’ll walk with you,” she said to Amanda.
Carlo smiled when he saw them, and Ava was pleased to see Amanda smile back. The girl had manners. “You’re early,” Ava said.
“You said ten o’clock and not to be late. Everyone else is already outside, including Sonny.”
“Wait here,” she said to him, and then turned to Amanda. “Come up to the suite when you’re done.”
Ava went to the house phone and asked for May’s room. “Everyone is here early. Can we come up?” she said.
“Of course.”
“We’ll be there in five minutes.”
Ava went to the hotel tuck shop to buy some cellophane tape and then left the hotel. The six men stood off to one side; she could see Andy laughing at something Carlo was saying. Sonny was in a suit and the others all looked respectable, or at least as respectable as they could, in jeans and long-sleeved shirts that covered most of their tattoos. Ava walked over to them and an uneasy silence greeted her.
“Hi, I’m Ava,” she repeated as she went from man to man, holding out her hand. “Thank you for coming.” When she got to Sonny, the idea of a handshake seemd ludicrous. She got on her tiptoes and kissed him on both cheeks. “Let’s go inside,” she said.
She had Carlo gather the tube and the box from the lobby and then she led them to the elevators. She saw hotel security eyeing them, and wondered how far they would get if they weren’t with her.
The door to May Ling’s suite was open when they got there. Ava walked in, the boys following close behind. “This room over here,” May called from an open doorway on the right. She was in a white Chanel suit with black trim and gold buttons.
They filed in, the men looking around as if they felt guilty for being there. There were eight chairs around the table and one at the far end. Carlo and his two men sat on one side, with Andy, his brother-in-law, and Sonny on the other. Ava moved to the head of the table. To the side she saw a table with a tea urn and bottles of water and soft drinks. “This is May,” she said to the men. “She’s working with us on this.”
May was standing against a wall. One by one, they got up and bowed. While they did, Ava took the enlarged floor plan and the map of Coloane and taped them to a wall.
When they were seated again, Ava pointed to the map. “This is where we’re going.” Then she pointed to the floor plan. “This is the house. We enter it at dawn tomorrow, that’s six fifteen. There are no neighbours and we don’t expect any police response. It’s just us, the house, and the guys in the house.
“I want to make one thing very clear before getting into detail. Our sole purpose is to rescue a guy, Simon To, they’re holding for ransom. Here is his picture. Please pass it along,” she said, giving it to Carlo. “Now, we aren’t at war with Kao Lok and his men. If we can get Simon without a single shot being fired, that’s perfect, so I don’t want anyone taking it upon themselves to turn this into something else, something unnecessary. Now obviously, if they fire on us we’re going to defend ourselves, and you should all know that I don’t do that in half measures and wouldn’t expect any less from you. So no shooting unless we have to, but if we have to, make it count.”
She took out her notebook and turned to the pages she had worked on the night before. “Now let me get into specifics.”
She spoke for more than an hour, giving them every detail, every possible negative scenario and how they were to react to it. The first time she had briefed Carlo and Andy on a job they had tried to wave her off, saying they didn’t need to know everything, just to give them the basics. She had refused. The details, in her mind, showed that planning had been done, that thought had been brought to the process, and she felt that should impart confidence. She wanted confident men. And the wrinkles were just as important. Things would not go smoothly, she told them — they never did. And then she went over what could go wrong, to the extreme perhaps, and then addressed each possibility specifically, making it clear what the appropriate reaction was. “I don’t want you guessing,” she said. “If A happens, do B; if B happens, jump to C. Don’t waste time thinking, just do.”
