The Disciple of Las Vegas (6 page)

“Is that a threat?”

“No, a friendly warning.”

“I'm not giving it back,” he said again.

She could tell he was uneasy, but the truth was she didn't want to push too hard. The two million wasn't going to make much difference to Ordonez, and Cousins had been cooperative. She could always explain to Manila about the contract and tell them she didn't want to risk having Cousins go public.

“Fair enough,” Ava said. “Tell you what, we'll leave it like that for now, under the condition that you don't show that contract to anyone else. This is strictly between you and me.”

“Why would you do that?”

“You've been honest with me when you could have lied.”

He looked dubious.

“I'm not lying to you,” Ava said.

“And all I have to do is bury the contract?”

“Basically.”

He extended his hand across the table. “It's a deal.”

Ava sat in the rented Audi outside Cousins' apartment building, going through her options. About one thing she was certain: if she went to Chang Wang and Tommy Ordonez with the information she had, her involvement would be over. They would circle the wagons around the family and deal with Philip in their own way. She did not want that to happen. For one thing, she was curious, really curious, about the Costa Rica connection. Even if there wasn't any money for her to reclaim in Central America, she wanted to understand the how and the why of what Philip had done. And then there was the money — maybe a lot of money — and she wanted her chance to go after it. The job still had the potential of being one of the biggest paydays she and Uncle had ever had.

It was just past one thirty in the afternoon, which meant that it was four thirty in the morning in Hong Kong. Still too early to call Uncle, but the perfect time to call Vancouver. She needed to confirm for whom the shares were being held in trust. She didn't have much doubt that it was for Philip Chew, but it would be a way for her to start a conversation with Edward Ling, and he might help get her access to Chew.

The receptionist at McDougal, Fraser, and Ling informed her that Mr. Ling was not in the office and asked if she wanted to leave a message. “This is a matter of some urgency involving a member of his family,” Ava said. “I need to speak to his assistant.”

“To whom am I speaking?” Ling's assistant asked.

“My name is Ava Lee. I need to speak directly to Mr. Ling.”

“What is this concerning?”

Ava knew she wasn't going to get anywhere by being evasive. “I'm an accountant, a forensic accountant, and I've been engaged by a multinational corporation to investigate the improper transfer of a considerable amount of their money. I believe that your law firm has an involvement in this transaction. Specifically, I believe Mr. Ling has an involvement through a client of his.”

When the assistant didn't respond, Ava made things clearer. “I need to talk to him to straighten this matter out, one way or another, before I submit my report and various authorities,
legal
and otherwise, get dragged into it,” she said.

“He's in conference and won't be back for another hour or two.”

“Please have Mr. Ling call me as soon as possible. I'll be waiting.”

Ava sat in the car looking up and down Post Street for a restaurant, but she didn't see one that interested her. Then she realized she was only a short ride from Chinatown.

At one time San Francisco's Chinatown was pre-eminent in North America. But with a growing Chinese diaspora across the continent, the Bay area could no longer boast having the best Chinese restaurants. Maybe she was just being biased, but Ava didn't think any city could surpass Chinatown North in Toronto. In fact, she and Uncle sometimes argued about whether Toronto was on par with Hong Kong. A thousand of the best Hong Kong chefs were now practising their trade in Toronto, and they hadn't lost their skills in moving to the West.

Ava parked her car in a lot on Bush Street and walked two blocks east to Grant. The southern entranceway to Chinatown was framed by two sets of double pillars connected by an archway crowned with a traditional green tile roof. She headed north and was immediately immersed in the sights and smells of every Chinatown she'd even been in: restaurant windows displaying barbecued ducks and pigs; porcelain, fabric, and furniture stores selling “genuine” Chinese antiques; herbalists and tea merchants; fruit and vegetable stands spilling out onto the sidewalks; and clinics offering acupuncture and whole-body massage. She admired the quality of the architecture. The Bank of America's columns and doors were tattooed with gold dragons and there were fifty or sixty dragon medallions on its façade. She stood in front of the Bank of Canton and studied its triple-tiered green slate roof with upward-sweeping eaves, the edges painted poppy red.

She walked the entire eight blocks to Broadway Street, turned, and then headed back. She stopped at the Sing Chong Building, a jewel of old Chinese-style architecture and the first structure to be erected in Chinatown after the 1906 earthquake, before entering a neighbouring restaurant that advertised dim sum for four dollars a plate.

She ordered hot and sour soup, chicken feet, steamed cow stomach, and salty fried scallops. The dishes came in quick succession.
The food is good
, she thought.
Maybe not quite Toronto good, but good.

She was halfway through her meal when her cellphone rang. The screen displayed a Vancouver area code, and she guessed it was Ling.

“Ava Lee.”

“Ms. Lee, this is Edward Ling.”

“Thank you for calling me back —”

“I'm not sure what game you're playing,” Ling said swiftly, “but you caused some distress to my assistant.”

“I assure you, Mr. Ling, this is not a game.”

“Then what is it? I'm a senior partner in this law firm, and my client list is exceedingly short and select. I'm not aware that any of them have engaged in the kind of activity you described to my assistant.”

“I'm in San Francisco. I flew here this morning from Manila. My plan is to catch a plane to Vancouver either late this afternoon or early this evening. I would like to meet with you when I get there.”

“Manila?”

“Yes, Manila. I've been hired by a company with its headquarters in Manila.”

“Do I have to guess who it is?”

“I think it's best if you don't. I just want to assure you that right now I am party to information that I haven't yet shared with my client. There are questions that still need answers, and I think you can help me and perhaps help your client as well.”

“And which client of mine are you trying to assist?”

“Mr. Ling, let's not say any more than we have to over the phone. We can discuss the situation when we meet.”

“I really don't like doing this,” he said.

“Me neither, but the alternative is almost guaranteed to be less palatable.”

He sighed. “I have a working dinner at six o'clock at the Pan Pacific Hotel. Meet me in the lobby at eight o'clock.”

“Do you know anything about the flight schedules between here and there?”

“There will be a flight every hour or so, and the flying time is only an hour.”

“Then I'll see you at the Pan Pacific,” she said. “I'll be wearing a blue button-down dress shirt.”

“This is my cellphone number,” he said, reciting it. “Call me if there are any changes in your plans.”

She called her travel agent in Toronto, and within five minutes she had a flight to Vancouver and a room at the Pan Pacific. She decided it was time to call Uncle.

“
Wei
,” he said.

“It's Ava.”

“Did you find him?” he asked.

She was surprised by his abruptness. “I did.”

“And the money?”

“No.”

There was a heavy silence.
Uncle told Chang Wang more than he should have
, she thought.

“Do you know what happened to it, where it is?”

“Jim Cousins doesn't have it. He was a just a conduit,” she said.

“You are certain?”

“I'm one hundred percent certain. Cousins was hired to be the front man for this piece of work.”

“By Chew?

“Of course.”

“I was hoping for something else — anything else.”

“Not to be.”

“This is very bad,” he said.

She wondered what he meant by
bad
. “The thing is, I don't want you to say anything to Chang Wang or Tommy Ordonez just yet.”

“I told Chang that you had located Jim Cousins.”

“Now tell him that Cousins wasn't in San Francisco when I got there. Tell him that I'm on his trail and I'm confident I'll catch up to him in a day or two. Buy me a couple of days.”

“Why, Ava?”

“Because I don't know what happened. I mean, I do know what Chew did and I have the documents to prove it, but I don't know why he did it and I don't know where the money is. It will take some time to figure it all out. If you mention that we have proof Chew did it, Ordonez won't be able to contain himself. He'll be on the first plane to Vancouver and the situation will degenerate into a family brawl, and any chance we have of collecting our fee will be dead.”

“I trust Chang,” Uncle said.

Ava took a deep breath. “Uncle, you told me that Chang is Ordonez's creature. He may be an old and dear friend, but you know his primary loyalty is to Ordonez.”

It wasn't often that Ava argued with Uncle, partly out of respect for his position and his age, but also because she accepted that he had tremendous judgement when it came to understanding situations and people. Uncle had gone quiet after her outburst, and she feared she had offended him.

“Do you have a plan?” he finally asked.

“I do.”

“A few days, you said.”

“Hopefully.”

“I would like to collect our fee as much as you would.”

“Then let me run with this,” she said softly.

“I will tell Chang that Cousins has not been run to ground yet.”

“Thank you, Uncle.”

He paused, and Ava was wondering if he was angry at her when he blurted, “How could Philip Chew do this to his family?”

In Uncle's world,
family
extended far beyond blood relations, and disloyalty, even to the remotest fringes of the group, was cause for dismay. Causing harm to your immediate family was unthinkable to him. “That is what I hope to find out,” Ava said.

She was expecting him to criticize Philip Chew some more, but instead he said, “Ava, I have not found Jackie Leung yet, but I know who he contracted with. I have confirmed that there are two men looking for you.”

“I see.”

“The gang is from Guangzhou. I have been negotiating through an intermediary to have the contract cancelled. So far they have resisted, but I am not done yet. Either way, Jackie Leung will be located and dealt with. In the meantime, stay alert.”

Ava was sitting in the lobby of the Pan Pacific Hotel in black slacks and a powder-blue Brooks Brothers shirt with her jade cufflinks. Her hair was still damp from the shower she had taken after checking in. She glanced at her Tank Française watch. It was just past eight o'clock.

She saw Edward Ling before he saw her. A bulky man with a shock of white hair, wearing a tailored navy-blue pinstriped suit and a blue Hermès tie loosened at the neck, he was walking down a staircase from the mezzanine, scanning the lobby.

Ava stood so he could see her. He acknowledged her with a nod and walked towards her.

“Are you Ava Lee?” he asked.

“Yes, I am,” she said, offering her hand.

“You aren't what I expected. Not at all what I expected.” He slurred ever so slightly, and she knew there had been alcohol with dinner.

“I don't know what you mean.”

“You're so young.”

“I'm not as young as I look.”

“Do you have a business card?” he asked.

She opened her purse and handed one to him. She also pulled out her Moleskine notebook and the envelope that contained Jim Cousins' contract. Sitting down, she placed the papers next to her on the couch. Ling sat down across from her. She could tell he was agitated, and wondered how much he knew.

“Are you a daughter of Marcus Lee?” he asked.

“Yes,” Ava said, startled. “I am.”

Ava was the second daughter of Marcus Lee and his second wife, Jennie. Jennie had become Marcus's wife in the old style, which is to say he had never left or divorced the first. Ava and Marian had become his second family, acknowledged and cared for but with no hope of inheriting anything more than their names and whatever their mother could put aside for them from Marcus's generous allowance. Their father had four children by his first wife, who lived in Hong Kong, and another two with wife number three, who lived in Australia. It was — at least to Westerners — a strange approach to family life. But in Chinese eyes it was traditional and therefore acceptable. It was also not a lifestyle for a man without wealth.

“I met you when you were two years old.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I met you in Hong Kong when your father was still living with your mother. You have an older sister, right?”

“Marian.”

“When I heard your name earlier today, I had a vague recollection. And then I called a friend in Hong Kong and he made the connection for me. I wasn't sure until I saw how young you were.”

“How do you know my father?”

“We were schoolmates in Hong Kong, and then later we knew each other in Australia.”

“What a coincidence.”

Ling stared at her and she began to feel uncomfortable. “You look a lot like him,” he said. “Although looking like your mother wouldn't be so bad. She was a real beauty.”

“She still is,” Ava said.

“Do you stay in touch with your father?”

It was a rude question, designed to humiliate her. “Yes, and I'll be sure to tell him we met and that you inquired about our relationship.”

Ling flinched. He realized he had gone too far. Marcus Lee wasn't a close friend anymore, but he was a man who had too much wealth, power, and influence for Ling to dare offend him. “Well, anyway, it's such a small world, isn't it?”

“I'm here about Philip Chew,” Ava said.

“I thought as much when you mentioned Manila.”

“You incorporated a company called Kelowna Valley Developments for him. A man named Jim Cousins was designated president but the shares were held by Chew.”

“Are you always so direct?” he asked with amusement.

“It saves time.”

He shrugged. “As I remember, the shares in that business were held in trust by our law firm.”

“You incorporated the company for Philip Chew. It's logical to assume that the shares are being held in trust for him.”

“I haven't actually admitted incorporating the company for Philip. That is your assertion.”

He's a bit tipsy but he's not slow
, she thought. “Do you deny it?”

“Ms. Lee, where is all this leading?”

“Mr. Ling, I had several choices when I found out what had been going on. Coming to you was the one I thought would cause the least amount of damage to everyone involved.”

Ling pinched an eyebrow between his thumb and index finger. “The thing is, I have no idea what you're talking about. I may have incorporated Kelowna Valley Developments, and I may have done it for Philip, but that's where my involvement ends. I had nothing to do with the company after its inception and I don't have the slightest idea why you're talking about damage.”

“Do you care about Philip Chew?” she asked.

“What kind of question is that?”

“Is he a valued client? Is he a friend?”

“Both, and what of it?”

She picked up the notebook and the envelope and placed them on her lap. Ling stared at the envelope. “I would like to have a very frank exchange of information with you, but I need to know that it will remain between the two of us unless we both agree otherwise.”

“Do you trust me?”

“If you really are a friend of Philip Chew, then I think I do.”

“I am.”

She patted the envelope. “Over the past six months, Philip Chew orchestrated the removal of more than fifty million dollars from company accounts. He did it through Kelowna Valley Developments and he used Jim Cousins as the front man. I've already met with Cousins and he's admitted to his role in the affair. This is a copy of the contract that existed between Chew and Cousins. It outlines quite precisely what was to transpire.”

Edward Ling didn't flinch. His eyes bored into hers, searching for any shred of a lie, any hint of exaggeration. Ava didn't turn away. “That's ridiculous,” he said loudly.

“It's the truth.”

His head swivelled in the direction of the stairway he had just descended. “Why would he do that? It's his own company, for God's sake.”

“It's his brother's company,” she countered.

“I've known Philip for close to twenty years.”

“So?”

“You're cynical for someone so young.”

“I chase bad debts for a living. You can't be cynical enough.”

“Why would he do something like this?”

“That's what I'm trying to find out.”

“And you want me to help you?”

She picked up the envelope. “I'm prepared to give you a copy of the contract. It will satisfy you that what I'm saying is true. What I want in return is confirmation that Philip did indeed incorporate the business and ask you to hold the shares in trust.”

“And then what?”

“I want to speak to him. I want you to call him and persuade him that it's in everyone's best interest if he meets with me.”

“You won't go directly to Tommy Ordonez with this information?”

“Do you know Tommy?”

“Not really,” he said, with a shrug. “I don't do any of their corporate work. They use a Manila law firm for most of their legal work and another law firm here that's affiliated with it. Philip was a personal client.”

“If I go to Tommy, all hell will descend on Philip. He'll hardly be able to breathe, let alone explain himself — assuming there is an explanation for fifty million dollars wandering off from corporate coffers.”

“Why should you care?”

It was a fair question, and she knew her answer couldn't be glib. “I have several reasons, all of them more or less self-serving. First of all, I was hired to find out what happened to the money. I think I've taken that between seventy and eighty percent of the way, and I'm professional enough to want to finish the job. Second, I get paid a fee for every dollar I recover. I can't recover anything unless I know what's left and where it is. Third, I have taken a certain dislike to Tommy Ordonez. I think he's the kind of operator who uses people. If I went to him with what I have, he would cut me out without a thought. I don't want to give him that opportunity. And finally, I really am intrigued by the way Philip handled this deal and the story he spun to Jim Cousins. He's been very creative, and I want to know the truth.”

Ling looked at the envelope, and she knew he was anxious to view its contents. “You see, it is interesting,” she said.

He shook his head. “Yes, Philip did incorporate the company and asked me to hold the shares.”

“I want it in writing.”

“No problem.”

“Good. I'll give you a copy of this contract when I get your letter confirming the shares.”

“How about arranging a meeting with Philip?”

“That's not a condition,” she said. “I just want you to do the best you can. I am serious when I say that I'm his best chance to avoid his brother's anger.”

“Jesus, you remind me of your father,” Ling said. “Every deal he ever negotiated left something on the table for the other party.”

“There's no point in being unreasonable,” she said.

“Maybe you should say that to Tommy Ordonez.”

“I will, when I know exactly what happened.”

“You don't think Philip just made off with fifty million dollars?”

“You know him better than I do. What do you think?”

Ling shook his head again. “Not a chance.”