The Dragon Head of Hong Kong (13 page)

“Andy implied that you had to pay off some officials.”

“That is normal enough.”

“And when you say we had to let Kung go, does that mean we didn’t collect any money from him?”

“It does.”

“So you are out of pocket on top of that.”

“It is not a concern.”

“I want to repay you that money.”

“That is not necessary.”

“But —”

“Please do not go on about the money. Things happen for a reason. And in this case it brought you to my attention, so good has come of it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I would like you to come and work for me.”

( 1
7 )

AVA REACHED FOR
her wineglass and in two large sips almost drained it. She refilled it from the bottle in the ice bucket.

“I wasn’t sure what you were going to say to me, but offering me a job wasn’t anywhere in the mix,” she said.

He pushed his chair back from the table. “Do you mind if I smoke?”

“Not at all.”

He took a package of Double Happiness White Label cigarettes from his jacket pocket, lit one, inhaled deeply, and then blew the smoke away from the table. “I have more business than I can handle, but some of it — some of the most interesting and potentially lucrative jobs — I have to turn away because I do not have the right kind of people for it.”

“Excuse me, Uncle, I’m not a hundred percent sure just what your business is. I understand that you collect debts, but is that the extent of it?”

“It is.”

“And you are Hong Kong–based?”

“I am, although I have a client base that goes beyond.”

“And you use Hong Kong collection methods, or at least the approach I saw Andy and Carlo take?”

“Do you mean threats, intimidation, embarrassment, kidnapping, and ransom, in all their variations?”

“Yes,” Ava said. “Uncle, I could never work like that.”

“You misunderstand me,” he said. “It is true that right now we do practise traditional collection tactics, but that is mainly because of the rather limited talents of the people I have working for me. But as well, it has been my experience that the thieves we chase are not usually inclined to be responsive to gentle persuasion or empty threats. When I was a young man, starting my business, I soon learned that most people do the right thing for the wrong reason. I have drummed that lesson into the men who work for me, and some have become adept at finding those wrong reasons.

“That said, the clients I mentioned earlier — the ones I have had to turn away — they have problems that demand a far more sophisticated approach in terms of detection and recovery. The sums of money involved are, I assure you, far more substantial than what we were trying to pry out of Kung. Someone with your talents would be invaluable.”

“I’m not really looking for a job,” Ava said.

“And I was not looking for someone to hire. We seem to have stumbled into each other.”

“And Uncle, I’m not sure what talents you’re referring to. I’m an accountant.”

“Exactly, and one who happens to speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and English fluently.”

“There must be others who are in Hong Kong already.”

“There are. But I have not met any with the imagination and flair you displayed in getting Kung to rise to the bait.”

“I was jet-lagged and not thinking clearly.”

“You are modest as well.”

She had to smile. “Actually, my mother is always taking me to task for being a know-it-all.”

“There is nothing wrong with having confidence. There is also nothing wrong with having the ability to look after yourself. In this business there are always physical challenges. Andy said he could not believe that you took Kung’s man down once, let alone twice.”

Ava shook her head. “It wasn’t anything I enjoyed or would want to repeat. The fact of the matter is I have my own business in Toronto. I also don’t think I could live in Hong Kong, with all the ties I have in Canada.”

“When we first spoke, you mentioned that your father lives in Hong Kong. So you have ties here as well, no?”

She drank some more wine, even though she knew it was getting to her. She looked at Uncle. He was smoking another cigarette, and he did it with the same urgency with which he ate.
There are strong currents running beneath that calm surface
, she thought. “My mother is a second wife and we are a second family. After we were shipped off to Canada, my father took a third wife and now there’s a third family. My roots are in Canada,” she said.

“Are you always so plain-spoken?”

“I try to be.”

“What is your father’s name?”

“Marcus Lee.”

Uncle paused. “I believe he and I know each other. Not well, but in Hong Kong, when a man has business of a certain size, it is difficult for it to be otherwise.”

“Well, as I said, my father may be here,” Ava said, having no wish to pursue the subject, “but my roots are in Canada.”

He nodded. “So, if you won’t come to Hong Kong for family, will you come for money? Whatever you are earning now, I will double.”

“I just can’t,” she said. “I’ve tried working for other people and it didn’t work. In fact, it was a disaster. I may be young, but I’m not so young that I’m prepared to start repeating mistakes.”

“I understand.” He sighed. “I too was anxious to be independent when I was your age. So then, we will finish dinner and part as new friends.”

“Yes, as new friends.”

“Tell me, have you informed your client yet about our collective failure? That is always the hardest part of this job.”

Ava gasped and felt the blood rush to her face.

“Did he react that badly?” Uncle asked.

“No, it isn’t that at all.”

“Then why do you look so distressed?”

“Uncle, suppose I had managed to get my hands on some of Kung’s money. Would the deal you struck with him compel us to give any of it back?”

He became still, his face expressionless as he stared at her across the table. Then his lips tightened and formed a small smile. “Andy said you seemed excited at some point in the day. He did not know why. I think I do.”

“Yes. I’m so sorry and I feel so silly. You completely distracted me with your talk about a job.”

“You found some of Kung’s money?”

“I did, and I accessed the account and transferred it to my bank account in Toronto.”

“How much?” he asked.

“Just over a million dollars.”

“Hong Kong?”

“Canadian.”

He closed his eyes. When he opened them, she saw a gleam.

“You are an amazing young woman, Ava Lee,” he said as he reached for some shrimp and put them in the pot. Then he added oysters and mushrooms. “Would you like more beef?” he asked.

“Please.”

They ate the beef quickly. Uncle opened another beer and Ava poured herself more wine, until the bottle was almost empty. When the mushrooms and oysters popped to the surface of the broth, Uncle served them both.

“Thanks,” she said. “Uncle, I have to say, I find it strange that you haven’t mentioned the million dollars.”

“I am still digesting the information. It was not expected.”

“It’s a lot of money, and we have to decide how to split it.”

“How much are you charging your client?”

“Ten percent of what I recover, but he’s paying my expenses.”

“We charge thirty and pay our own way. My experience is that paying your own expenses works better in the long run.”

“I don’t have any experience.”

He laughed. “You are learning quickly enough. Now as for the split, given the extraordinary circumstances involved, I suggest that we take the two hundred thousand that we were going to get from our deal with Kung, and you take the balance.”

She blinked in surprise. “That’s not fair. We had agreed on fifty-fifty, and you paid off the police. We should split that cost as well.”

“We cannot take that much. We did not earn it.”

“We had an agreement. I don’t feel right going back on it.”

“You are not. I am the one making the changes.”

“Uncle, I want you to take your half.”

“No,” he said quietly, but forcefully all the same. “I only insisted on fifty-fifty because I thought my men would be doing all the heavy work and you were just along for the ride. That is not how it worked out. As it turns out, without you we would have nothing. Our shares must more accurately reflect our contributions. The figure of two hundred thousand is entirely fair and satisfactory.”

“What about the bribes you paid?”

“They were minor. Shenzhen is still so new that the scale has not reached Shanghai proportions.”

Ava sighed. “I really don’t know what to say.”

“Yes will be sufficient.”

“Then yes. Yes and thank you.”

“And thank you for not arguing too much about it,” he said.

She nodded and reached for her wineglass. It was almost empty. She took the bottle out of the ice bucket and poured the last dregs into her glass. “I can’t remember the last time I drank a bottle of wine by myself,” she said.

“And I cannot remember the last time I offered someone a job and they turned me down and then gave me two hundred thousand dollars,” he said with a smile.

( 1
8 )

THEY LEFT THE
restaurant together, both of them tipsy. It was close to eleven o’clock but the restaurant was still packed, with people jostling at the front for the next available table. Sonny was waiting for them just inside the door. He was leaning against the wall, scowling, his eyes darting around the room. Ava wondered if he had been there the entire time. When he saw them, he gave a slight nod and turned towards the exit, clearing a path as he went. That drew Ming’s attention, and he left his stand to run towards Uncle and Ava.

“Thank you for another wonderful meal,” Uncle said, passing him what Ava saw were several Hong Kong thousand-dollar notes.

“No money from you,” Ming said.

“If you want me to come back, you will take my money,” Uncle said.

Ming lowered his head. “It was an honour, as always,” he said, letting Uncle press the money into his palm.

The night air was chilly and Ava shivered when they reached the street. Luckily the car was parked exactly where Sonny had left it, in front of the restaurant. She saw a policeman standing next to it, and assumed it was about to be or had just been ticketed.

Sonny opened the back door of the Mercedes. Uncle stepped back so that Ava could slide in, and then he followed. As Uncle was getting in, she heard Sonny say to the policeman, “Thanks for looking after the car,” and saw some hundred-dollar notes exchange hands.

The drive to the Oriental Crocus seemed faster than the drive to Ming’s, and again there was no conversation in the car. Sonny was focused on his driving and Uncle seemed lost in his own thoughts.

When they got to the hotel, Ava reached into her bag. “Uncle, here is my email address and fax number. Please send me your banking information as soon as you can and I’ll arrange to wire the money we agreed upon.”

“I will do it tomorrow,” he said.

“I’m not sure when the money will actually clear and go into my account, or how long a return will take, but I’ll advise you once I know.”

“I have no worries about any of that.”

“Then goodnight, and thank you for a great meal,” she said as Sonny opened the door.

“It was my pleasure.”

Ava started to leave the car but then hesitated, stopped, and turned back. She leaned in and gently kissed Uncle on the cheek.

As she walked through the lobby of the hotel, it began to dawn on her that the most remarkable two days in her life were ending. Given everything she had gone through, she could scarcely believe that she had landed in Hong Kong only forty hours before. It had been a whirlwind. What surprised her was how comfortable and in control she had felt in most of the situations.

When she got to her room, she undressed, washed, and threw on a black T-shirt. It was almost noon in Toronto, and she debated who to call first, Mr. Lo or her mother. She sat on the side of the bed as she dialled.

“
Wei
,” the familiar voice said.

“Mummy, it’s Ava.”

“I’m so glad you finally called. I’ve been worried.”

“Everything is fine.”

“So you got in okay and the hotel is passable?”

“The flight was okay and the hotel is clean.”

“And the jet lag?”

“Not an issue.”

“When do you start working on Mr. Lo’s problem?”

“Mummy!”

“I don’t mean to be pushy, but I’m playing mah-jong with his wife tonight and I know she’s going to ask questions.”

“Well, you can tell her that I have been busy,” Ava said, hearing the excitement in her own voice. “In fact, I haven’t stopped working since I arrived.”

“Have you made any progress?”

“I think you can call it that.”

“Ava, don’t be coy with me.”

“Mummy, I got back all of his money,” she said.

Her mother fell uncharacteristically silent. “Don’t tease,” Jennie finally said.

“He was out of pocket around a million dollars. I have managed to recover it all. By the time I deduct my commission and expenses, he’ll have about nine hundred thousand back in his account.”

“How is this possible? His wife told me he used every means imaginable.”

“Don’t sound so shocked,” Ava said. “You know me better than anyone. You know that when I think I’m right, I can’t take no for an answer.”

“And you’re not teasing?”

“Mummy, as if I would about something this serious.”

Ava could hear her mother breathing heavily. It was usually a prelude to tears. And the tears flowed most often when her pride in her daughters overcame her.

“I can hardly wait to see Mrs. Lo,” Jennie gasped.

“Well, before then I have to talk to Mr. Lo. I’m going to do that when I hang up with you.”

“Yes, go and do that,” she said. “And Ava, have you heard from your father?”

“He left me a message. I’ll call him in the morning.”

“When do you plan to leave Hong Kong?”

“Maybe as soon as tomorrow.”

“Why don’t you take an extra day or two? Spend some time with him.”

“I’ll see,” Ava said. “Now let me call Mr. Lo.”

His office phone rang five times and went to voicemail. Ava was disappointed and wondered how much information she should leave. “This is Ava Lee,” she said, and then she heard the phone picked up.

“Yes, this is Lo,” he said.

“I’m calling in to report.”

“What took you so long? It’s been three days since you left. I was just about to phone the hotel to make sure you’d checked in.”

“Don’t speak so rudely to me,” Ava said, annoyed at his tone.

“I didn’t know what you were doing. What was I supposed to think?”

“Well, I wasn’t taking a holiday, if that’s what’s on your mind.”

“I’m sorry if I was rude. It’s gotten worse here since you left. My wife’s brother is now sticking his nose in my business and asking questions about the money he put into it. I can’t bluff him and I can’t lie to him. All I can do is try to avoid him, and I can’t do that much longer. Once he finds out, he’ll ruin me with the whole family.”

“Calm down,” Ava said.

“I can’t sleep and I’m not thinking straight. This is as calm as I can be.”

“Mr. Lo, I have managed to get back some of your money,” Ava said quietly.

“What!”

“I have managed to get back some of your money.”

“How much?” he said, his voice starting to crack.

“By the time I deduct my commission, you will have about nine hundred thousand dollars back.”

“Aaahhhhhhhh!” he shouted. He began to talk, but Ava couldn’t understand a word he was saying. She realized he was crying; his words were being drowned in deep, heavy sobs.

She waited, not sure what to do or say. A minute passed and the sobbing began to ebb, but he still didn’t seem capable of speech.

“Mr. Lo, I think I can have the money in your account within the next day or two. So if you’re talking to your brother-in-law, keep that in mind.”

“I prayed,” he said.

“Yes, Mr. Lo, I’m sure you did.”

“I haven’t prayed in years, but I got down on my knees and prayed. My wife saw me and said, ‘Is it that bad?’ and I couldn’t answer her. Now I can.”

“I’m glad your prayers were answered, Mr. Lo.”

“I have to call my wife,” he said.

“Yes, you do that,” Ava said as his line went dead.

She sat on the side of the bed for a minute.
Lo didn’t even say thank you
, she thought bitterly, and then the memory of him huddled and weeping on the floor outside her office came back to her. For him, this was as much about maintaining the respect of his wife and his family as it was about the money. It was natural enough for him to want to reach out to them.

Ava yawned. Like the night before in the apartment in Shenzhen, the adrenalin that had kept her going was spent. She leaned towards the pillow and then keeled sideways, sleep enveloping her.