by Ian Hamilton
Ava caught her breath and felt a cold wave descend over her like a shroud. “Suen, are they even sure it is meningitis?”
“They said it’s unusual but not unknown for someone his age, but he has most of the symptoms, and the doctor I spoke to didn’t seem to have any doubts.”
“But they don’t have the test results yet?”
“They have some, not all.”
“When will you have the rest?”
“By late morning or early afternoon.”
“Call me the instant you know anything.”
“I will . . . And Ava, what do I do about Auntie Grace?”
“I’ll talk to her.”
“Thanks. I think it’s better that way.”
Ava ended the call and turned to Fai. “There’s a problem in Shanghai. Xu is ill. I have to call Auntie Grace again. While I’m doing that, could you do me a favour? Go online and look up meningitis and its symptoms.”
“Sure,” Fai said.
Oh, fuck, Ava thought as she phoned Auntie Grace. Don’t let anything happen to Xu.
“Ava,” Auntie Grace said.
“I spoke with Suen. The doctors think that Xu has a form of meningitis. They’re still running tests, but he seems to be in good hands. Suen is at the hospital and won’t leave. He’ll call me as soon as they know anything definitively.”
“What’s meningitis?”
“Just a second,” Ava said, and walked across to Fai, who was hunched over her laptop. She looked over Fai’s shoulder and read what was on the screen. “It’s caused when bacteria enter the brain or spinal cord. The symptoms are a lot of what you described — headaches, neckaches, nausea, fever, and disorientation and confusion. It can be treated with antibiotics, but I can’t see anything about how long it takes for them to kick in.”
“How do you get something like that?”
“It can be spread by a sinus or ear infection. Did he have either of those?”
“He’s been sniffling and blowing his nose a lot.”
“That probably explains it.”
Auntie Grace became quiet and then said, “I’m so scared. Given the life he leads, you’d think I would be used to the idea of him dying young, but I can’t imagine my world without him.”
“He’s in good hands,” Ava said, tears welling in her eyes in response to Auntie Grace’s emotional honesty.
“Ava, I know Suen is capable, but is there any way you can come to Shanghai? Xu mentioned that you’re in Beijing. That’s not so far.”
“Yes, but I can’t do it tomorrow, or maybe even the day after. I’m involved in something here that is very serious, and I can’t leave until it is resolved. As soon as it is, I promise you I’ll fly to Shanghai. In the meantime, I’ll stay in touch with Suen and with you, and you can call me anytime you wish.”
“Okay, my dear.”
“And Auntie, when I do come, I may bring a friend with me, if that’s all right with you.”
“A woman?”
“Yes.”
“Pang Fai?”
“Yes.”
“Xu mentioned that you and she are friends. He was very happy for you. I’m happy too, and I’ll be thrilled to have her under my roof — although not as much as having you here.”
Ava ended the call and slumped onto the couch next to Fai. “I didn’t mean to make any commitments for you,” she said. “You don’t have to join me in Shanghai if you don’t want to.”
“I’d love to go to Shanghai with you. But do you think we’ll be able to wrap things up here as quickly as you told the Auntie?”
“We can’t let them drag this out, or make our decisions for us,” Ava said. “One of the few Western films Uncle ever saw was Doctor Zhivago, and the thing he always remembered about it was how Zhivago’s indecision changed his life.”
“I’m not sure what he was referring to.”
“In the film, Zhivago is married to Tonya and in love with Lara, and he keeps going back and forth between them, not able to decide which woman he should be with. One day, as he’s riding a horse from one house to another and still dithering, a Red Army partisan unit swoops out from behind the trees and forces him to join them as their battlefield doctor. Uncle said it served Zhivago right. Whenever you put off making a hard decision between A and B, don’t be surprised if you end up with C — something you didn’t expect and don’t want.”
“How does that apply to our situation?”
“I want us to act first. We need to force the issue towards resolution.”
“With Mo or Xia or both of them?”
“I don’t know yet. I’d like Chen’s input before we make a final decision.”
“So you trust him a bit more now?”
“I trust his analysis. Do you?”
“It makes too much sense not to be true.”
“That’s another good thing about being aggressive,” said Ava. “We’ll get to the truth that much faster.”
( 50 )
Ava didn’t sleep well. Her arm ached and she felt dehydrated, twice getting up to drink large glasses of water. But her biggest problem was her mind. It was on fire as it leapt from thinking about how to approach Mo and Xia to worrying about Xu and Auntie Grace.
She finally got out of bed at seven, went to the bathroom, drank more water, and took a painkiller. When she came out, Fai was making her way downstairs dressed in jeans and a sweater. Ava joined her in the kitchen.
“I was thinking of going out to get congee and coffee,” Fai said.
“That sounds great. I’ll make some phone calls while you’re gone. What time does Chen start his day?”
“Early. Do you want his number?”
“I already have it on my phone.”
Ava walked Fai to the door and then reached for her phone as soon as it closed. She called Suen first.
“Ava?”
“Yes. Where are you?”
“I’m in my car, heading back to the hospital. I went home for a change of clothes.”
“How is he?”
“Sedated. He slept most of the night.”
“Any word on the test results?”
“Now they don’t expect them to be completed until sometime this afternoon.”
“Is he still feverish and achy?”
“I haven’t spoken to him since very early this morning, and he wasn’t exactly communicative.”
“Being at loose ends mentally is one of the symptoms.”
“I know. They told me.”
“I talked to Auntie Grace again last night,” Ava said. “I told her I’m going to come to Shanghai. The problem is, I don’t know when. I’ll try for tonight, but tomorrow is more likely.”
“I’m glad you’re coming. I’m not very good at handling these kinds of things.”
“I’ll keep you informed about my schedule, and you call me as soon as you hear the results of those tests.”
“Okay. And Ava,” he said, “have you heard from Sonny about Wanchai?”
“What do you mean?”
“Xu told me he asked you and Sonny to poke around a bit.”
“Sonny hasn’t uncovered anything that should be of any immediate concern.”
“Good, because with the boss indisposed like this, we don’t want that to flare up again. Those sons of bitches would use any weakness as an excuse to cause trouble.”
“How many people know the boss is ill?” she asked, Suen’s point hitting home.
“Auntie, me, you, and a couple of the men who guard the house.”
“Make sure it stays that way. We don’t need this being broadcast.”
“I agree, but a lot of people call him every day. If he’s not available, some of them are going to call me, and questions will be asked.”
“Tell them he’s gone to Thailand wi
th a girlfriend for a few days and doesn’t want to be bothered unless it’s really urgent.”
“That’s not something he’d do.”
“What do you suggest?”
“It has to be business-related.”
“How about he’s gone to Vietnam to meet with a gang that wants to formally join the society?”
“Better.”
“Then use it. I’ll tell Auntie Grace to pass along the same story to anyone who calls her.”
Ava called Auntie next, and the old woman answered before the first ring ended. “How is he?” she asked.
“They’re waiting for some final test results that will be in this afternoon. In the meantime, he’s resting and seems better. Suen will stay at the hospital with him and I’m planning to fly to Shanghai no later than tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
“One more thing. If anyone calls the house looking for him, I want you to say that Xu is in Vietnam on business. If they want to know more than that, tell them to call Suen.”
“I’ve already had two calls this morning.”
“So early? From whom?”
“I don’t know, but one of them spoke Cantonese.”
“What did you tell them?”
“I said Xu wasn’t available, that he was indisposed,” she said. “That’s what he normally tells me to say when he has a girl with him or he’s having dinner and doesn’t want to be disturbed.”
“I’m sure that was exactly the right thing to say,” Ava said. “Now, I don’t want you to worry about anything. Suen won’t leave the hospital until I get there, and I’ll stay in touch.”
Xu being ill in Shanghai was the last thing she needed, she thought, as she ended that call and searched for Chen’s number.
“Wei,” he answered.
“I hope I’m not calling too early.”
“I’ve been up half the night.”
“We have that in common.”
“I was thinking about our entire conversation, and in particular your last comment about who we should meet with and what we should say.”
“Do you have an opinion?”
“Yes, but I have a feeling you’re going to do whatever you want, regardless of what I think.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Ava said. “Chen, you’re sounding nervous. Have you had a change of heart about working with us?”
“I am nervous, I won’t deny it. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I could be signing my own death warrant — figuratively, not literally.”
“If you want to back out, no one is going to stop you.”
“I said I’m nervous, not that I’m pulling back.”
“And I wasn’t suggesting that you were. You are a practical man, and the practical thing to do is stand on the sidelines and let whatever happens, happen.”
“But I don’t want to do that.”
“What do you want to do?”
“I thought at first we should go after Xia, but then I realized that was because I didn’t want to risk going after Mo. It was a selfish idea and, more important, it was an ineffectual one. Mo is the only person who can call off this vendetta against Fai and you. Xia could just tell us to go fuck ourselves and then release Fai’s video, without realizing there would be consequences for Mo.”
“You’re that sure that Mo didn’t tell him about the photos we have of his son?”
“One hundred percent. He’d never tell Xia anything so personal,” Chen said. “Mo is a closed book to all of us. Besides, as I said last night, he wouldn’t have to give Xia a reason to go after Fai. He’d just have to make it known that he wanted it done.”
“So you want us to confront Mo?”
“Sooner or later, that’s what has to happen. Let’s make it sooner.”
“I like your approach,” Ava said.
“I suspect that’s because it’s what you’ve already decided to do.”
“I was leaning that way,” Ava said with a smile. “You just pushed me over the edge.”
“I had another thought, though it might sound silly,” Chen said. “What if it transpires that Mo had nothing to do with this and it was all Xia?”
“Do you really think that’s possible?”
“Possible, yes. Probable, no.”
“A very clever agent convinced me last night that Mo has to be behind what’s happened. Maybe Mo didn’t plan it all out, but he planted the seed that made it possible. I see no reason to change my mind.”
“So, when do you want to meet him?”
“As soon as you can arrange it.”
“He’s usually unreachable until about nine. Where do you want to meet him?”
“Anywhere he chooses. My message won’t change.”
“And what is that message?”
“I’m still working on it.”
“I doubt that, but I’ve never minded surprises.”
“Good, because I haven’t decided yet how harsh I want to be.”
“That sparks another silly question. What if he refuses to meet?”
“If that happens, you can tell him that Ava Lee, the bitch he met at the Kempinski Hotel, has told you she’ll make public at noon today the pictures she showed him at the hotel.”
“Would you really do that?”
“I would.”
“That does define ‘harsh.’”
“Well, it’s where we’re headed. There’s no point in playing nice anymore.”
( 51 )
Ava phoned May Ling while Fai reheated the congee. She got the voicemail on May’s cellphone and then on her office phone. She left the same message on both: “I’m going to be tied up most of the day. I’ll call again when I can.” She thought about mentioning Xu but didn’t. There were hints of sexual tension between Xu and May that Ava found disturbing. The last thing she wanted was for them to begin a relationship, so she found herself avoiding any personal comments when she discussed one with the other.
Fai served the congee. They ate slowly, Fai drinking tea and Ava drinking coffee. It was all about killing time.
At eight Ava said. “Even if Chen can arrange a meeting, you don’t have to be there.”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
At eight-thirty Ava went into the courtyard and began to walk its perimeter. The sky was overcast; she could barely find the sun through a haze that was a mix of cloud and smog. She was tired of Beijing, she decided, fed up with rain and smog and traffic. Well, I’ll be out of here soon enough, she thought.
“Can I join you?” a voice said from behind as she started another lap.
She turned and saw Mr. Lam.
“I’d be pleased if you did.”
“How’s your arm this morning?” he asked, coming to her side.
“Sore.”
“That’s a nasty weapon he was using. You were lucky he hit just that part of the arm.”
“I guess that’s one way to define luck,” she said, and smiled.
“Two attacks in two nights. And according to Fan, the three who attacked you the night before had knives.”
“That’s right.”
“Someone doesn’t like you very much.”
“My hope is that we’ll deal with that today. It won’t happen again.”
“I still think you should go to the police.”
“No,” Ava said, and glanced at Lam. “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but my experience with police forces in China — and in places like the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam — is that they tend not to be overly concerned about the welfare of foreign visitors. It’s as if they figure we’ll be leaving their country in a few days or weeks, so why bother doing work that will probably amount to nothing. And — again I hope you’re not offended — that attitude is even stronger where women are concerned. In you
r career, for example, how many charges do you know of that were brought against local men who’d raped or molested a foreign female visitor to Beijing?”
“In cases like those, there was always the problem of the witness leaving China,” he said.
“That’s a poor excuse.”
“Yes it is, and you make a very good point. But I’m curious. When you mentioned those other countries it struck me that this kind of thing may have happened to you before.”
“It has a few times. I was in the debt-collection business — large debts, nasty people.”
“Ahh. That might also explain your martial arts expertise. It’s impressive, by the way.”
“Thank you. My mother made sure her two daughters are able to look after themselves.”
They continued to walk, the conversation lagging, until they came to the courtyard entrance for a second time.
“Pardon me for asking this, but do you think you’re going to be a regular visitor to the hutong?” Lam asked.
“I think so. I hope so.”
“The reason I ask is that we try to look out for each other. It could be interpreted as us being nosy, and maybe it is a bit, but I guarantee that not many people went to bed last night until they saw you and Fai safely entering her house.”
“Your intervention last night was the furthest thing from being nosy. And in case I didn’t thank you appropriately, let me say that I’m immensely grateful.”
“I like to think that you’d do the same for me.”
They were near Fai’s and Ava stopped walking. “Mr. Lam, I can promise you that I most certainly would, although I can’t guarantee the same rate of success.”
“Ava,” Fai said from the doorway.
“Yes?”
“Chen is sending his car to pick us up at ten.”
“I’ll be right there,” Ava said, and then turned to Lam. “We’re going to a meeting to resolve the differences that led to the adventures of the past two nights. If we’re not around tomorrow, that means it went well. If we are, you should keep your eyes open and your gun handy.”
“Well, then, here’s hoping that I don’t see you again for quite some time.”
Ava entered the house to find Fai waiting at the bottom of the stairs. “Our meeting with Mo is at eleven. Chen is completely stressed out.”
