‘I slammed the bathroom door into my face. It was agony, but like you say, it worked.’ Shen poured her a martini and she took a swallow. ‘Thanks, that’s good.’
He said, ‘A couple of these will get you back in shape.’ Then, without much feeling, added, ‘Well done, Angela, you did a great job. Leo’s safely away for a while where he can’t do any more harm.’
‘I was terrified they wouldn’t believe my story. You don’t know what those policemen are like, they’re brutes. Until the doctor confirmed what I said, they treated me like I was guilty and not Leo.’ She took another sip, looking concerned. ‘But he’s not guilty, is he? Are you sure he’s going to get out OK? I feel sorry for him, locked away like that.’
Elodie put her arm around Angela’s shoulder and kissed her bruised cheek softly. ‘Don’t worry about him, we’ll take care of everything. When Shen’s sure the project’s finished and ready, we’ll get him freed. And by that time you’ll be safely back in Sao Paolo. Just relax and everything will be fine.’
‘I still don’t understand what he did that was so bad, and why you couldn’t just fire him or stop him coming into work. It must be awful in that horrible place, he doesn’t deserve it.’
‘I explained it to you when I came round on Thursday afternoon.’ Elodie put on her sincerest voice. ‘After Shen found out he was sabotaging the project, he tried to get rid of him, but Leo threatened to go to the press and cause XPC a huge amount of trouble with the other employees and the authorities.’
‘That’s right.’ Shen took over the explanation. ‘We’re in a vital stage of production; he would have destroyed everything we’ve worked for and we just couldn’t take the risk. This way, he can’t damage the business, and when he gets released at the end of the month, it’ll be too late for him to do anything.’
‘Have another drink, darling.’ Elodie filled her glass and clinked her own against it. ‘Here’s to you getting home to your father. I know it’s been difficult for you, but now you can afford to do it in style.’
‘Thanks to you and Shen, you’ve been such good friends.’ She took another drink. ‘Oh, I forgot to tell you, I’ve already found someone to take over the flat. They want it right away, so I agreed to move out by the end of this week. I just need to book my ticket and I can leave any time. So I need the money quickly, please. When can I have it?’
Shen looked at Elodie and she took the girl’s hand. ‘What we suggest, Angela, is that we book your ticket now, for the end of the month, and we give you the cash when you leave. That way, we’ll be sure nothing goes wrong with the plan in the next few weeks.’
She put her glass down. ‘What are you talking about? No, that’s not what you promised. I can get rid of the flat now and leave straight away. My father needs me beside him and he needs the hospital treatment, so I’m not wasting any more time here. And my rent’s only paid until the end of the month. If I don’t have someone to move in, I’m still liable and I can’t afford it. I need the whole 20,000 to look after my dad when I get home.’
Elodie took her hand. ‘Alright, chérie, don’t worry. We’ll go to the bank and sort it out tomorrow.’
‘You promise? I only agreed to do this because it’s my lucky chance to get home, and I have to take it now. And Shen, why did you say Leo might be in prison for a few weeks? You told me it would just be a couple of days, otherwise I’d never have done that to him.’
‘It was just a figure of speech. The project is almost completed, we need just a few days more then we can work on getting him released.’
She looked mollified, and Elodie said, ‘Let’s have a drink to seal the agreement.’ Shen filled her glass again and all three clinked glasses. ‘Now,’ she said, ‘just lie back and relax and I’ll take away all your pain.’
Angela lay back on the couch and Elodie gently massaged her shoulders and neck, leaning down to kiss her frequently. Soft kisses that became deeper and longer until she gradually pushed her tongue between her lips. Angela responded, opening her mouth and pulling the woman’s head to her. Elodie slowly unfastened the buttons on her shirt to reveal her coffee-coloured body, glistening in the lamplight. She lay alongside her, kissing and fondling her breasts.
Chérie, I’ll miss you when you go,’ she whispered. ‘I love your body so much, I wish you could stay longer.’ Then feeling the girl stiffen slightly, she said, ‘But I understand, you must get home as quickly as possible. So this might be our last moment together.’
When she relaxed again, Elodie took one of her nipples in her mouth, rolling her tongue around it, then the other, in turn. Her hand moved down to the zip of Angela’s jeans and slid it open. She pushed her hand inside her panties and explored gently with her fingers. Angela moaned with desire and arched her back as the stroking became more insistent.
‘Oh, Elodie, querido, I’ll miss you as well.’ She sat up and pushed the woman down on the soft wool rug, both removing their clothing piece by piece until they were naked.
Shen sat watching in his chair, his martini in his hand. After a while he put down his drink and unzipped his fly. He didn’t go to join the two women.
London, England
‘Well, that was ridiculously easy.’ Ilona Tymoshenko printed off the item from her computer screen and went in to see Dr Middleton. ‘The Lee-Win Tower Hotel and Casino has accounts with Macau InterTrade Bank, but the Lee-Win family has a long-standing banking relationship in Hong Kong. Even though Macau’s a part of mainland China now, they’re hedging their bets by keeping the money outside their main banking system, smart family.’
‘Indeed, a wise option. And which establishment is custodian of their wealth?’
‘BIP Hong Kong. It’s a subsidiary of Banque Internationale de Paris, you must know them, they’re all over the world.’
‘That was rather quick research, even for you. How did you find it?’
‘Actually, I asked one of my ex-boyfriends. He’s a prolific gambler from Ukraine and he has accounts with several casinos around the world. It so happens he has one with Lee-Win, and that’s where he pays his very substantial gambling debts. The account is in the name of Lee-Win Group Ltd, so I suppose they skim off their profit in Hong Kong before sending what’s left to Macau.’
‘We’re obviously in the wrong business, Ilona dear. Now, how do we find out if that’s where the proceeds of sale of the technology business went, and who sent it?’
‘I’ll get onto that on Monday, Hugh. Now can we please finish our planning discussion? You remember, that’s why I sacrificed my Saturday’s shopping.’
Jumeirah Beach, Dubai
‘Will we see you tomorrow, chérie? What about going to Club 27?’ It was ten-fifteen and Angela was dressed and ready to leave.
‘There’s an Emirates flight tomorrow night, so if I get my money early enough I might be able to get a seat.’
Elodie said, a little too quickly, ‘I don’t think it can be done quite so fast, darling. We’ll go tomorrow, as we promised, but we have to make some arrangements to withdraw so much money. It won’t be a five-minute transaction.’
A conflicting expression flickered across Angela’s face. ‘Maybe this whole idea was a mistake. If I go to the police and say I was wrong, it was all a misunderstanding, Leo could be out of prison tomorrow. I could explain to him and everything would be all right between us.’
Shen replied with a malign smile, ‘You’re right, Angela. Leo could be out of prison, and you’d take his place for making a false accusation and lying to the police doctor. It’s your choice.’
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
‘She’s leaving now. There’s a taxi pulling up.’ Ed had called Coetzee just after eight, when he saw Angela going into Shen’s apartment building. He’d been instructed to stay where he was until she left, then follow her again and report as soon as he knew where she was going. It was now ten-thirty, and he was beginning to understand the ‘wait and observe’ doctrine. He’d asked the South African where he was and r
eceived another monosyllabic answer, ‘In the right place.’ Since then he’d chewed a half a pack of spearmint gum and struggled to stay awake. Now he was happy to be following her again.
When he was certain of her destination, he called Coetzee. ‘She’s coming back to her apartment.’
‘Wait in the car park for me. I won’t be too long. Oh, and could you book me a room somewhere, I forgot to do anything about it.’
‘It’s a bit late to be looking for a room. I suppose you could sleep on the couch in my flat. Will that do?’
‘Sounds perfect. See you in an hour or so.’
THIRTY-THREE
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Saturday, 10 July 2017
Angela let herself into her apartment. It was almost eleven and she was exhausted, disappointed and frightened. Shen’s last remark had stunned her. She vaguely suspected she had been simply a tool in some kind of a plot to trap Leo, but her head was hurting and she couldn’t think straight. She went to switch on the table lamp.
‘Hello, Angela.’
She screamed at the sound of the voice and spun around to see a man sitting on her couch. He was solid and square and had a suntanned, pockmarked, expressionless face. ‘Who are you? What do you want?’ She backed away from him to the other side of the room.
‘I’m Marius Coetzee. I’m a good friend of Leo’s, and I want to ask you a question.’
‘How did you get in here? You’ve got no right. I’ll call the police if you don’t leave now.’
‘It was easy, and I wouldn’t if I was you.’
She took her mobile. ‘I’m phoning them now unless you go.’
He stood up. ‘Fine, go ahead and call. I’ll leave as soon as you talk to them. But then they’ll come and find all the stuff I’ve planted around the flat. You know what they’re like about abusive substances. I think you’ll end up in more trouble than you already are.’
She looked around her in confusion. ‘What stuff, what did you hide? Why did you come here to threaten me?’
‘OK. Let’s start again. I didn’t come here to threaten you or hurt you, that’s not what I do. I’d like to ask you one question and if I’m wrong, I’ll leave. And if I’m right, we can have a talk. Sound reasonable?’
‘What do you want to know?’
‘How much did they pay you?’
‘O que? What? I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who do you mean, paid me? Paid me for what? Nobody paid me anything. Nada. That’s your answer and you’re wrong. Now get out of my flat and leave me alone, you’ve got no right to be here. I’m tired and I need to sleep, I’ve got a busy day tomorrow.’
‘I suppose you’ll be travelling, going back to Brazil, to Sao Paulo?’
At this, she broke into tears and sat on a chair by the door, her head in her hands.
‘You’re not leaving?’
‘That’s what I thought. But I can’t go, not yet.’
‘So they haven’t paid you yet. Not even an instalment?’
She stared at him across the room and shouted, ‘Nada. Aqueles porcos mentirosos. Nothing, those lying pigs. They promised me $20,000 and they cheated me. Now I’ll be in trouble with the police and with this flat and I can’t get back to Brazil. And you’re going to hurt me because of Leo. Mio Dios, why did I do it?’ She burst into tears again.
‘I told you, I don’t hurt people. I help them, and now I’m helping Leo and it’ll probably help you too. Calm down and we can have our talk. Then we’ll decide what can be done. OK?’
She looked around the room again. ‘Did you really plant drugs in the flat?’
‘What do you think?’
‘All right, what do you want to know?’
‘What did they tell you about Leo?’
‘You mean Shen and Elodie? He said Leo was sabotaging a big project at their company and he would cause them a lot of trouble if they tried to fire him. They had to get him out of the way for a few days until they could finish the project.’
Coetzee smiled inwardly at the girl’s naivety. ‘And who suggested the rape charge?’
She shifted uneasily on the chair. ‘It was Elodie. She knew I was mad to sleep with Leo, but I didn’t dare. I can’t afford to get involved with someone here. My dad’s sick in Brazil and I have to get home to look after him and I don’t have the money. I’ve got no job and I’m completely broke.’
‘How can you pay for taxi rides if you’re broke?’
‘Elodie likes spending time with me. At the club, or when Shen’s away on business. She gives me some cash sometimes, not a lot, just enough to keep me out of trouble.’
‘So, this time she offered you a chunk of money to sleep with Leo, then cry rape and get him out of the way.’
‘Sim. It was all the money I needed. Enough to pay my ticket and for my dad’s hospital treatment. I was stupid and I believed her, and now they keep delaying it and I’m sure they won’t pay me and I’ll be worse off than before.’ She broke down again and Coetzee brought her a glass of water from the kitchen.
‘Obrigada.’ She drank a little and wiped her eyes.
He sat down again. ‘They didn’t just lie to you about the payment. The whole story about Leo sabotaging the project was a fabrication. I know Leo, he’s clever and he’s honest, a builder, not a destroyer. The truth is probably the other way round, it looks like it’s Shen who’s the saboteur and Leo found out too much.’
‘What? I don’t believe it.’ Coetzee just sat looking at her, and she saw the truth in his eyes. ‘And they used me to get him out of the way. Mio Deos, how could I be so stupid? Now Leo’s in that horrible prison and it’s all my fault. And there’s nothing I can do. Eu sinto muito, I’m sorry, Senhor, I was desperate and I just believed what they said.’
‘Why did you say there’s nothing you can do?’
‘Tonight, they said if I tell the police what really happened I’ll go to prison, and I’ll never be able to get back to Brazil.’
‘They lied to you again. That won’t happen if you do it the right way.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You do it on this.’ Coetzee held up his mobile. ‘I video you telling me what happened, and you sign a statement withdrawing your accusation. I show them to the police after you’ve left for Sao Paulo.’
‘I just told you I can’t leave. I’m broke.’
‘How about we book a flight for you right this minute and I pay you the $20,000 in the morning, and you go home to see your dad tomorrow night?’
‘You wouldn’t do that after what I did to Leo.’
‘If it gets him out of prison, I’ll forgive you for what you did. You were stupid and naïve, but you were desperate. Desperate people can do terrible things, I know, been there, done that. So, is it a deal?’
Angela looked at him cautiously. ‘I don’t believe you, you’re trying to trap me into something.’
‘That’s better, Angela, you’re learning. After what happened with those other guys, you need to be sure I keep my word. Call the airline and we’ll book that flight right away.’
It was eleven-thirty when Coetzee left her, video and statement accomplished and a flight booked at six-fifteen the next evening with Qatar Airways. Angela was weeping again, but this time tears of joy. She didn’t have the courage to kiss him at the door, but took both his hands in hers. ‘I didn’t know there were people like you in the world any more. Thank you for everything, Sr Coetzee, obrigada.’
‘I’ll pick you up as soon as I know which bank we’re going to. It’ll probably be late morning or afternoon because of the time difference. Have your bags packed and ready, and don’t go out until I come. Don’t go anywhere near those people and if they call, tell them you’re sick and you’ll see them tomorrow. They’ll probably be happy to hear it.’
She nodded gratefully, and he carried his holdall out and went to the elevator. ‘Goodnight, Angela. Sleep well.’
Ed was dozing in the car park and they drove to his apartment. He wai
ted as long as he could before asking, ‘How did it go?’
‘I’ll show you when we get to your place. Do you have any whisky?’
‘A half bottle of Johnnie Walker.’
‘That should get us through.’
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
‘That stupid bitch. She’s likely to screw up everything if we’re not careful.’ Shen Fu Liáng poured himself another whisky, his third since Angela had left.
‘I think we can keep her under control for a while, but not too long. Certainly not until the end of the month.’ Elodie was sipping champagne. She knew she drank too much these days, but it helped her cope with Shen’s limitations.
‘So what do we do now? We can’t remove her, she’s too visible, and the body count’s getting too high for comfort. You’re the brains of the outfit. What do we do?’
She took away his glass. ‘That’s enough drinking. You’ll need your wits about you in the morning. We’re going to have to change the game plan.’
‘What do you mean? You can’t change the plan overnight, it’s taken five years to get here, we’ve got to be patient.’
‘We don’t have the time to be patient. You told me Leo’s programmes are working perfectly, and Sharif is confident he can finish without his or Ed’s help.’
‘That’s what he told me, but I still don’t see—’
‘Realistically, how long does he need to get the final package ready for Shanghai?’
‘He said he could finish well before the deadline, so I’m guessing a week at most.’
‘OK, so it’s actually a simple situation, and we can manage it if you keep your head and do what I say.’ He remained silent and she continued. ‘Tomorrow’s Sunday. I’ll call Angela and arrange to take her to see Louis at the bank the following day. I’ll get him to say he can get the funds ready for Wednesday and I’ll buy her ticket for Friday. She’ll be fine with that, it’s what she wants, to get home by the weekend. We keep her busy all week and then she goes.’
The African Diamond Trilogy Box Set Page 132
