The Two Sisters of Borneo (15 page)

The two women turned. Ah-Pei’s head was still slightly lowered and tears filled her eyes. Ava saw that her hands were trembling.

May walked towards Ah-Pei and embraced her. “We’re partners. This is what being a partner means. Chi-Tze is going to recover. And so is our business,” she said.

As Ava and May left the room and started back down the hallway, May said, “She’s actually getting stronger.”

“I notice she didn’t mention her brothers,” Ava said. “Does she really believe they had nothing to do with this?”

“No, she just can’t bear to think that they did. She hasn’t mentioned their names once since I’ve been here. I’ve decided to follow the same policy. You should do the same, at least in her presence.”

“I will.”

They waited for the elevator to take them to the main floor, Ava’s eyes fixed on the doors.

“You said you needed to find out who did this to the girls. Do you have a way of doing that?” May asked.

“I have the name of someone who might help me.”

“He lives here?”

“Yes.”

“Have you spoken to him?”

“No. I’m told he doesn’t take phone calls.”

“So how will you get to him?”

“Evidently he uses a restaurant in the city as his office. He’s there most evenings, I’m told. I’m going to go there tonight, so don’t count on me for dinner.”

“How did you get the name?”

“Uncle.”

“So this guy, he is . . .”

“Not exactly, but probably close enough,” Ava said.

The elevator doors opened.

“Ava, if you want me to go with you —”

“No, let’s stick to the plans you told Ah-Pei. We’ll go the factory this afternoon and then you can take Peter and Grace and her out to dinner tonight.”

The Borneo Fine Hardwoods and Furniture Company was located near an industrial park in Spanggar, an area to the south of KK about a twenty-minute drive away.

“That is one huge operation,” Ava said, eyeing the complex of buildings from the car. “It’s so damn big.”

“Not really. We have larger operations in Wuhan, and the Shanghai warehouse and distribution business we bought in to is at least twice this size.”

“The biggest thing I’ve ever owned is my condo.”

The buildings were surrounded by concrete-block walls topped by razor wire, and the entrance was guarded by a steel gate. As the Mercedes approached, the gate rolled open slowly. A security guard stood to one side, pressed his heels together, and gave a very smart salute.

“I can’t get used to that,” May said.

As they drove into the courtyard, Ava saw a three-storey wood-frame structure directly in front of them. On either side were five-storey buildings made of corrugated steel. None of them had windows, and up close they weren’t as impressive as they had been when they filled the horizon.

“Warehouses?” Ava said.

“This is a business that needs lots of space,” May said. “We have two buildings where we actually manufacture the furniture, four where we store the lumber, and six where we keep the finished goods. It costs a fortune to transport furniture because in weight terms it takes so little to fill a truck or a container.”

The wooden structure was where the office was located. May led Ava inside, nodded at the receptionist, and took a sharp left. The air conditioning was so cold it almost took Ava’s breath away. At the end of the hall she could see a glass-enclosed boardroom with five people sitting around a table.

“Peter Chik is the young man in the grey suit and Grace Chik is in the red dress. They aren’t related,” May said as they drew near. “Peter is an accountant; Grace has her
MBA
and works for us in sales and marketing. Those others work here. They’ve been getting Peter and Grace up to speed.”

When the people in the boardroom saw May and Ava, they stood up. The young man May had identified as Peter Chik came to the door and opened it.

“Ms. Wong,” he said, bowing his head.

“This is Ms. Ava Lee. She is my partner in this business, and others,” May said. “Peter, why don’t you introduce us to everyone here, please.”

In addition to Grace Chik there were two financial people, both men, and one marketing person, a woman, attached to the firm. Ava could see that they looked apprehensive, and she wondered how much they had been told about the Netherlands and about Amanda and Chi-Tze. May sat and motioned for Ava to sit next to her. The others sat too.

“Are things going well?” May asked.

“Well enough. We spoke with the bank an hour ago and there shouldn’t be any problems maintaining the business at its current level of production for the foreseeable future,” Peter Chik said. “I’ve gone over the numbers with the staff here, and things are very well organized. They have excellent systems.”

“Great. And Grace, how are you doing on the marketing side?” May said.

“We’ve been reviewing accounts. Dorothy and I have made a list of current customers that we’re going to start calling to see if we can increase their order rate. I brought with me a list of our key importers and trading partners from the Wuhan side. We’ll start calling them tomorrow to let them know we’re now in the furniture business and that we want them to become clients.”

“I want to know who is supportive and who isn’t,” May said. “I’ll personally call anyone who’s reluctant to help us with this new venture.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Grace said.

Ava looked at the group around the table. They were all young, probably still in their twenties. The three locals were dressed casually in jeans and shirts, while Peter and Grace looked the part of young professionals. There was also a difference in their demeanour. The Borneo Furniture employees looked nervous, their eyes darting from face to face. The Chiks seemed calm, completely in control. On her most recent trips to China Ava had noticed this self-confidence among the new young cadre of university graduates.

“Do you have any questions for me, any of you?” May asked.

“How is Ms. Chi-Tze?” Dorothy asked.

“She’s recovering, and we think she’ll be going home in a week or so. Ms. Ah-Pei will be back and forth between here and the hospital and their house,” May said. “Anything else? If not, then I think Ms. Lee would like to take a tour of the facilities. Dorothy, will you show her around?”

For the next two hours Ava was guided from building to building, learning about the availability and costs of various hardwoods as Dorothy pointed to stack after stack. Ava could hardly tell one wood from another. Her interest was piqued when they walked into the first of the actual manufacturing centres, but after being taken through the assembly of a dining-room set, there wasn’t anything more she actually wanted to know. By the time they had left the last building, Ava was exhausted from a combination of jet lag and information overload. She was also hot and sweaty again. The factory buildings had no central air conditioning, just huge overhead fans for circulating air and fans built into the walls to expel the dust the processing operations generated.

May was locked in deep conversation with Peter Chik and the other financial people when Ava and Dorothy returned to the boardroom. The table was covered with spreadsheets streaked with red and black marker, and May held the black marker in her hand. Ava had never actually seen her in full business mode before.

“How was the tour?” May asked.

“Just great,” Ava said.

“We’re just verifying the cash-flow projections,” May said, waving a hand over the papers. “Do you want to sit in?”

“Under normal circumstances I would, but truthfully I’m feeling really jet-lagged and wouldn’t mind going back to the hotel and having a rest. It could be a long evening.”

“We’ll get the driver.”

“Thanks.”

“What time do you think you’ll leave the hotel for your meeting?”

“About seven.”

“We’re planning on dinner around the same time.”

“I’ll call you when I’m done or if there are any changes in my plans,” Ava said, and turned to leave.

“Wait a second,” May said. “Jack Yee gave me this note for you. I put it in my purse and entirely forgot about it.”

It was a single folded piece of paper. Ava opened it as she walked to the car. It had two words written on it:
GET THEM
.

Ava had to fight to keep her eyes open on the drive to the hotel. When she arrived there, she barely had the presence of mind to confirm with the concierge that the Fa Pang did indeed exist and was within walking distance. As soon as she got to her room she stripped and crawled into bed. The jet lag was overpowering, and she needed to sleep if she was going to be alert when she met with Wan. She was just dozing off when she realized she hadn’t set an alarm. She set the bedside clock to wake her at six thirty and flopped back onto the pillows. The next thing she knew the alarm was buzzing and two and a half hours had passed in what felt like an instant.

She showered, brushed her hair, and fixed it with the ivory chignon pin. She debated whether to wear a skirt or slacks, and opted for the skirt. This wasn’t any accountant she was meeting, and looking conservative wouldn’t necessarily be a plus. She put on a light touch of red lipstick, some mascara, and her Annick Goutal perfume.

At ten to seven she walked into the hotel lobby. The Méridien was right on Sutera Harbour, and from its doorway Ava could see what she presumed was the esplanade, running along beside the water and all lit up. The doorman pointed towards it. “The restaurant you want is on the left, just past the swordfish monument.”

She started along the esplanade on a wooden boardwalk edged by a weather-beaten wooden railing that overlooked the sea and an unending row of metal street lamps that looked as if they belonged in Victorian London. The sea was on the right, and on the left were shops and restaurants. The sun had set but the tropical climate still bore down on her. She hadn’t gone fifty metres before she began to sweat, and by the time she reached the giant blue and silver leaping swordfish statue, her armpits and the waistband of her skirt were wet.

Fa Pang was about twenty metres past the swordfish, directly facing the harbour and the South China Sea. It was fronted by two banks of fish tanks three tiers high, angled from front to back. It was an impressive live display of spiny lobsters, crabs, several species of shrimp, squid, clams,
garoupa
, and flatfish. Ava stepped inside. The restaurant was small; there were fewer than twenty tables, and half of them set for two diners. The place was plain, with white tile floors, white walls, unadorned wooden tables, and aluminum chairs with plastic seats. There were only ten customers in the place, a family of six at one table and couples at two others.

A small, bald man in a dirty apron emerged from the back of the restaurant. “Sit wherever you want,” he said.

“I’m actually looking for a Mr. Wan,” she said. “I don’t see anyone here who looks like it might be him.”

“Is he expecting you?”

“No, but I was told I could find him here.”

“Sometimes that is true. But it’s always true that he doesn’t like surprise visitors.”

“I was also told that he doesn’t answer phone calls, so how else was I to get hold of him?”

“Anyway, he isn’t here,” the man said, staring intently into Ava’s eyes.

“Do you expect him?”

He shrugged. “He doesn’t fill me in on his schedule.”

“But he’s here most nights?”

“What’s your name?”

“Ava Lee.”

“And who told you about Wan?”

“People who know him, who may have worked with him. People who live in Hong Kong.”

“If he does come in, and he does want to talk to you, how can he reach you?”

“My cellphone number is on this card,” Ava said. “I’m staying in KK and I can be here in ten minutes.”

“If I see him I’ll tell him.”

“Thanks.”

“Now, excuse me. I have a business to run.”

Ava hovered. “I haven’t had dinner.”

“And you aren’t going to have it here,” he said. “If Wan wants to talk to you, he’ll call. I don’t want you hanging around.”

“I’ve heard of another seafood restaurant called Lu Ying. Would you recommend it?”

“Not bad.”

“Where is it?”

“Go out the door and turn left. It’s a two-minute walk.”

“Is it a safe place for a woman who’s on her own? I heard that two young women were attacked in their parking lot a few nights ago.”

The man looked away, reached for the hem of his apron, and wiped his hands on it. “I don’t know anything about that.”

“I find that rather strange.”

“I don’t care if you do.”

“I see. Well, please let Mr. Wan know that I’m waiting for his call.”

“If he comes.”

“Of course. If he comes.”

Ava went back onto the esplanade, where some people were strolling and even more were leaning against the railing, looking out at the South China Sea and Sutera Harbour. She thought about waiting at the railing herself to watch the front door of Fa Pang, and then dismissed the idea. She didn’t know what Wan looked like. Besides, she was hungry. She turned left and started towards Lu Ying. She would have dinner there and wait for his phone call. If it didn’t come by the time she finished, she’d revisit Fa Pang.

Lu Ying was farther along the esplanade than she had been told. In fact it was almost at the most westerly end, and she was sweating by the time she got there. Like Fa Pang, its entire façade was obscured by fish tanks, but Ava’s attention was drawn to the parking lot beside the restaurant. It was completely exposed: no walls, no fences, and open to plain view from both the esplanade and the street. It was dimly lit, the only illumination coming from a corner street lamp and the headlights of passing cars. But the lot was only big enough to hold about twenty cars in two rows. She figured that Amanda and Chi-Tze would have been clearly visible. Any car or pedestrian passing on either side of the lot was sure to have seen them.

She walked onto the lot and glanced to the right, towards the restaurant, which had a glass door and a large picture window. She could see at least ten tables from where she was standing. May had said that the restaurant owner saw the attack and reported it. She knew enough about how people react to violence to understand why no one had tried to intervene. There would have been initial shock, followed by confusion about what to do. By the time any decision had been made, the thugs would have been able to escape. What really bothered Ava was how brazen the attack had been.

The restaurant was at least ten times larger than Fa Pang, and the man who greeted her wasn’t dressed like someone who had been killing fish in the back room. He was tall and slim, with a thick head of black hair, and dressed in a loose short-sleeved white shirt over lightweight grey slacks. Behind him Ava saw two young women in pale blue cheongsams.

“Do you have a table for one?” she asked in Mandarin.

“Certainly,” he said with a smile.

“My name is Ava Lee. I’m a friend of Amanda Yee and a colleague of Chi-Tze and Ah-Pei, who I understand are known to you.”

“My name is Yip,” he said, his easy manner replaced by a frown. “And yes, I know the women, and I also met your friend. It is a terrible thing that happened to them. How are they?”

“Amanda is in Hong Kong; she was flown there this morning. Chi-Tze is at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital here. Both of them will recover physically, but it will take time. Emotionally, I’m not so sure.”

“I’m so sorry that we couldn’t have done more . . . moved faster, you know.”

“I know, though I don’t think there is much anyone could have done to prevent what happened. From all accounts it was premeditated.”

Yip nodded, his eyes flitting around the room. “Are you actually here to eat?” he asked.

“Oh yes. I didn’t come specifically to talk about the attack, although I did want to see where it occurred and find out all I could about what people actually saw.”

“I was the one who saw it first,” he said quickly. “Truthfully, I heard it first — men swearing outside. I went to the window and there they were, in the middle of the parking lot, swinging bats at two women on the ground. The men wore black T-shirts and blue jeans and had masks pulled over their faces. I yelled at one of my hostesses to call the police, and then I ran to the door. When I opened it, I think they saw me. In fact, I know they did, because one of them stared at me. Then he turned away and hit one of the women again. That was the last blow. They swore at the women, screamed at me to mind my own fucking business, and then went east along the esplanade on foot.”

“They just walked away?” Ava asked, surprised by how eager Yip seemed to be to talk about it.

“Yes.”

“No rush?”

“No, they were almost casual about the whole thing.”

“And no one pursued them?”

“I was the only other person in the parking lot by then, and I ran to the women. Maybe I should have run after the men, but the women seemed more important.”

“Yes, of course.”

“Your friend, Amanda . . . her head was quite bloody.”

“Yes, I know.”

“And Chi-Tze was in great pain when the paramedics moved her.”

“Broken ribs, and breaks in her arm and leg.”

Yip sighed. “Please send them my best wishes.”

“I will.”

“And now let me find you a table.”

The restaurant was almost full, and Ava found herself near the back, next to a swinging kitchen door. Every time it opened, aromas wafted through, and she could hear the sizzle of what she knew would be at least twenty giant woks being put to hard and good use. She placed her cellphone on the table so she wouldn’t miss its ring. A waitress in the same blue cheongsam she’d seen at the entrance appeared with a menu.

Ava waved it away. “All I want is steamed fish with some white rice.”

“
Garoupa
?”

“Perfect.”

“Soy sauce, cilantro, chives?”

“Also perfect.”

“And to drink?”

“Jasmine tea.”

When the waitress left, Ava saw Yip looking at her from across the room. She waved at him and motioned for him to come to her table. “I didn’t mean to ask so many questions before,” she said when he was standing next to her. “I hope it didn’t upset you.”

“No, it was actually good to get it out of my system.”

“The police didn’t interview you?”

“All they asked was if I recognized the men, and when I said they were wearing masks, they didn’t ask me anything else.”

“They didn’t want a physical description?”

“I think I might have said something about the T-shirts and jeans, and mentioned that they were average size.”

“What do you mean by average?”

“Not thin, not fat, medium height.”

“I see. Tell me, Mr. Yip, does this kind of thing happen often around here?”

“No, it was quite unusual.”

“So don’t you find it a bit strange that the police weren’t more aggressive with their questioning?”

“I assumed they’d spent more time talking to the women.”

The waitress arrived with Ava’s pot of tea. As she poured the first cup, Yip started to move away from the table. “Mr. Yip, do you know of a man named Wan?” Ava asked.

“Why do you ask?”

Ava noticed the waitress glance in her boss’s direction. There was confusion, and maybe a touch of concern, on her face.

“I’ve been told he is the man I should speak to about this attack.”

“Speak to?”

“I want to find out who did it. I’ve been told he can help.”

“That is possible,” Yip said. “He is a man who has very broad business interests. He is a man who knows a lot of people.”

“You say that very carefully.”

“He can also be a difficult man.”

“A dangerous man?”

“He isn’t someone you want for an enemy.”

“Do you do business with him?”

“Only indirectly.”

“Protection money?”

Yip looked down at Ava as if he was trying to memorize her face. “Are you police?”

“No, I told you, I’m in business with Chi-Tze and Ah-Pei.”

“Then ask them about Wan. They know who he is.”

The kitchen door opened and a server appeared with a silver
garoupa
nestled in a bed of spring onions.

“That was quick, and it looks fantastic,” Ava said.

“Thank you,” Yip said, backing away from the table.

Ava sipped tea while the server used a fork and spoon to separate flesh from bone. Just as he was finishing, her cellphone rang.

“Hello,” she said.

“It’s May.”

“Oh.”

“You sound disappointed.”

“I’m waiting for the man I want to meet to call me.”

“Where are you?”

“In a restaurant.”

“You should have let me know. We’re at the hotel just sitting down for dinner. You could have joined us.”

“Better that I didn’t. How did the day end?”

“Well enough, I think. On the financial side, things are under control and in capable hands. The salespeople have more work to do. You don’t lose a piece of business as big as that Dutch contract and replace it in a heartbeat. Luckily our trading base is big enough that Grace should be able to find some immediate takers. And then, just before I left the office, I spoke to Michael.”

“He called you?”

“No, I couldn’t help myself. But he didn’t sound angry that I called. The trip was uneventful. Amanda was no worse for it and now she’s in a private room at the Queen Elizabeth. Michael plans to sleep there until they know exactly what the damage is.”

“That’s not where he imagined he’d spend part of his honeymoon.”

“No, but he was in good enough spirits. I think getting back to Hong Kong improved everyone’s mood. He said he would call you when he had the chance. The last time you spoke, he said, he was a bit abrupt. He knows what happened isn’t anyone’s fault.”

“That’s not true.”‘

“No, but you know what he means.”

“Look, May, I’m sitting here with a plate of steamed
garoupa
that’s getting cold. You have your dinner and then we’ll talk when I get back to the hotel. If my contact doesn’t call me in the next half-hour, I’m going back to the place where he’s supposed to hang out.”

“Keep in touch.”

“I will.”

“I don’t like the idea of your being alone.”

“You do remember what I did for a living?”

“Yes, and I also remember you with a bullet in your leg.”

“I’ll be careful,” Ava said.

She ate slowly, finishing the body flesh before turning her efforts to the head. She plucked the meat from the fish’s cheeks and then snapped the bones in the head and sucked on them. Uncle and her mother always ate the eyes. It was one of the few things in Chinese cuisine that Ava wouldn’t eat. When she was done, the eyes and a pile of bones were all that was left on the plate.

She looked at her watch — almost eight o’clock. She waved at her waitress for the bill.

The waitress came to the table empty-handed. “Mr. Yip said the meal is on the house,” she said.

Ava glanced around the restaurant. There was no sign of Yip. She reached into her bag. “Tell him thanks, and give him this and tell him to spread it around any way he chooses,” she said, handing the woman a U.S. hundred-dollar bill.

As she left Lu Ying she noticed there had been a change in the night air. What had been hot, heavy, and oppressive now had some life in it. The air was infused with a light aroma of brine that a newly arrived breeze carried in from the sea. She crossed the esplanade so she could walk along the harbour’s edge. The tide was edging in, lapping against stone walls. She walked for more than a kilometre, passing Fa Pang, and then turned and walked back. The harbour was surrounded by a number of small islands, close enough that she could see lights glinting from them. She passed a ferry terminal and thought how very casual it all was. Unlike Hong Kong’s harbour, where the sea was constantly being churned by propellers, there was hardly a boat in sight.

She stopped directly across from the restaurant, leaning against the railing. The fish tanks blocked the view of the interior. She looked at her watch again and then double-checked her phone to make sure it was on. Waiting had never been her strong suit. She was more of a charge-right-in kind of woman, except in this case she had no one to charge at. She felt frustration gnawing at her. She would give it until nine, she decided, before heading across the street again to the restaurant.

Fa Pang was busier now, a steady stream of customers coming and going, nearly all families and couples. The one male she saw enter by himself looked as if he was barely out of high school. She checked the time every five minutes, and by ten to nine she had had enough. She put her phone in her bag and stepped off the sidewalk. Just as she did, her cell rang.

“Ava Lee,” she said.

“Jacob Smits here.”

“Your timing —”

“Sorry. Do you want me to call back?”

“No, I have a few minutes,” she said, moving back onto the sidewalk.

“I’m in Rotterdam. I found a dealer here who was prepared to be co-operative. I’ve just left him.”

“And?”

“He spent three hundred thousand euros for furniture he guesses is worth a million. He said the sellers were eager to do a quick deal. A ‘quick deal’ meant fast payment.”

“Exactly what you thought.”

“He sent a wire transfer.”

“To where?”

“Aruba.”

“Do you have the account information?”

“I have an actual copy of the wire.”

“How soon can you email it to me?”

“I’ll find an Internet café here. Give me an hour.”

“Jacob, this is good, really good.”

“Thanks.”

“And I’m sorry if I sounded a bit annoyed when you called. It’s nine in the evening here and I’ve been waiting for a phone call to confirm a meeting. I thought that was the other party.”

“No bother. By the way, where is ‘here’?”

“I’m in Borneo, where the furniture is made.”

“So you’re how many hours ahead of us?”

“Seven.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“How difficult was it to persuade the buyer to help?”

“Ten thousand euros difficult.”

“Still worth it.”

“I thought so.”

“Whose name is on the bank account?”

“It’s a numbered company.”

“Which bank?”

“Barrett’s, an English bank.”

“I know them.”

“Is that good?”

“It could very well be.”

“So now what?”

As Ava was speaking, her eyes had never left the other side of the esplanade. Now she saw four men emerge from the corner where the statue of the swordfish stood and turn in the direction of Fa Pang. The smallest walked in front, talking on his cellphone as he did. The others trailed, one on either side, one straight behind. From a distance they were a cluster, but as they drew closer they became distinct.

The one in front, the leader — and in Ava’s mind Wan — was wearing a loose-fitting short-sleeved black silk shirt over a pair of black jeans and sandals. His head was round, and made even rounder by long hair that was parted in the middle and fell over both ears.

The others were all in T-shirts, blue jeans, and running shoes. One wore his hair long like Wan’s, but combed straight back. The other two had buzz cuts. All of them had spectacular tattoos covering both arms, and while only one had designs that extended above the collar of his shirt, Ava guessed his friends would have close to the same coverage.