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Authors: Ian Hamilton

Tags: #Fiction, #General, #Mystery & Detective, #Women Sleuths, #Electronic Books

The Disciple of Las Vegas (27 page)

BOOK: The Disciple of Las Vegas
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“I am not sure, but he sounded distressed.”

“Something personal?”

“Certainly pressing, if I read his manner correctly.”

“So it's urgent?”

“He asked us to come to Wuhan to talk. He offered to pay our expenses and a fee of fifty thousand dollars for our time.”

“I'm still on the cruise for another week.”

“He said he needs to see us as soon as possible.”

“You mean, Uncle, that he needs to see you.”

“No, Ava. He was very specific that you come with me.”

“How does he know —”

“That doesn't matter. He does.”

“The cruise —”

“When he says as soon as possible, he does not mean a week from now.”

Ava paused. The idea of working for Wong Changxing intrigued her, and if her father hadn't been on the cruise she wouldn't have hesitated to leave for Hong Kong. But she couldn't abandon him so easily. “I'll have to talk to my father,” she said.

“He is a man who has always understood the demands of business,” Uncle said.

“Perhaps, but I still need to talk to him, and I can't assume he'll be that understanding. So let me call you back.”

“I will wait up.”

She called her father's cellphone, which he answered on the first ring. She could hear kids shouting and water splashing in the background.

“Can you talk?” she asked.

“I'm at a dolphin sanctuary, or show, or something. Bruce paid several hundred dollars so that he, Marian, and the girls could swim with the dolphins. They're in the water now. I'm supposed to be taking pictures.”

“Something has come up,” she said.

“Business?”

“Yes, I just got a call from Uncle. He wants me to go to Hong Kong right away.”

Her father had heard the rumours about Uncle's past and was quietly disapproving about her association with him. “Is it that important?”

“Wong Changxing.”

“The Emperor of Hubei.”

“I'm told we shouldn't refer to him as that.”

“It doesn't change the fact that he's the most powerful man in the province.”

“No matter, he's asked us to go to Wuhan for a meeting. I asked if Uncle could go alone, and he said Wong had specifically requested that I accompany him.”

“And you're calling me to ask for permission.”

“Yes.”

“You don't have to.”

“Yes, I do. This is your holiday, and if you think that my absence will cause any disruption I won't go.”

“This holiday was the worst idea —”

“I've spoken to Marian about Bruce.”

“And I've spoken to your mother.”

“Two immoveable forces.”

“Bruce is a bureaucrat, professionally and personally. Your mother is every bureaucrat's nightmare. He wants a plan for everything and your mother can't think past her next meal.”

“So do you need me? Do you want me to stay?”

“No, you go,” he said quickly. “I'll try to spend as much time as I can with Marian and the girls and hope time flies.”

“I love you.”

“Me too. Be careful.”

Ava went inside the synagogue to say goodbye to Henry and Bella. They were sitting on one of the benches, their eyes closed. She left as quietly as she could and made her way back to the ship to look for Jennie Lee.

She found her mother in the casino, sitting at the baccarat table with a stack of twenty-five-dollar chips in front of her.

“I have to leave,” Ava said. “Uncle just called. We have a client in Wuhan who needs us.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Your father won't be happy.”

“I spoke to him first and asked his permission. He told me to go.”

Her mother shook her head. “You can't leave me alone with them.”

“Marian and the girls love you to death. And Daddy is still here.”

“You are the only one who understands me.”

You mean who tolerates you
, Ava thought. “That's not true,” she said.

“Stay until we get back to Miami.”

“I can't. It's a crisis.”

Her mother stared at her. When Ava didn't capitulate, she said, “I think Bruce may try to throw me into the sea somewhere between here and Miami.”

“He probably thinks the same of you.”

Her mother had kept on playing as she talked to Ava, her stack growing larger as she doubled her bet on the banker. When she won, she doubled her bet again, with success. “I suppose I can't stop you from leaving, can I.”

“No.”

“Well, have a safe trip and call me whenever you can.”

“I need you to do something for me,” Ava said.

“What?”

“My clothes — I brought this ridiculous suitcase with me and I have all these clothes that I can't wear anywhere else. Can you take them back to Toronto for me?”

“What will you wear?”

“I'll take my running gear, some T-shirts, my toiletries, and some jewellery. I'll throw everything in my carry-on. I can buy some business clothes when I get to Hong Kong. I need some new things anyway.”

Her mother sighed and passed her room key to Ava. “Leave your case in my room.”

Ava leaned over to kiss her mother on the forehead.

“Be careful,” Jennie said.

Ava went to her room and turned on her laptop. She found a flight that landed at 8 a.m. in Hong Kong with a stop in Newark. She booked it and then called Uncle. He didn't react when she told him she was coming, and she knew he had probably expected nothing less.

“There's an early Dragonair flight from Hong Kong to Wuhan,” he said.

“No, Uncle, I'm sorry. I have no business clothes with me and I need to shop. See if you can book something for later in the day.”

“Where do you want to shop?”

“There's a Brooks Brothers store in Tsim Sha Tsui,” she said, knowing that his Kowloon apartment was no more than ten minutes from the popular shopping district and tourist destination.

“I will send Sonny to meet you at the airport. He will take you wherever you need to go. Wong will have to wait.” Uncle paused. “I hear that his wife is very attractive and a real power in their business. They should know that we have the whole package too.”

About the Author
Ian Hamilton is the author of
The Water Rat of Wanchai
, the first Ava Lee novel. He has worked as a journalist, a senior executive with the federal government, a diplomat, and a businessman with international links.
About the Publisher

House of Anansi Press was founded in 1967 with a mandate to publish Canadian-authored books, a mandate that continues to this day even as the list has branched out to include internationally acclaimed thinkers and writers. The press immediately gained attention for significant titles by notable writers such as Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, George Grant, and Northrop Frye. Since then, Anansi's commitment to finding, publishing and promoting challenging, excellent writing has won it tremendous acclaim and solid staying power. Today Anansi is Canada's pre-eminent independent press, and home to nationally and internationally bestselling and acclaimed authors such as Gil Adamson, Margaret Atwood, Ken Babstock, Peter Behrens, Rawi Hage, Misha Glenny, Jim Harrison, A. L. Kennedy, Pasha Malla, Lisa Moore, A. F. Moritz, Eric Siblin, Karen Solie, and Ronald Wright. Anansi is also proud to publish the award-winning nonfiction series The CBC Massey Lectures. In 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011 Anansi was honoured by the Canadian Booksellers Association as “Publisher of the Year.”

BOOK: The Disciple of Las Vegas
3.23Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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