The Mountain Master of Sha Tin, page 11
“Sammy and Carter and their men left the mall?”
“We saw them leave the restaurant and followed them to their cars. They’re gone,” Carlo said.
“Good. I wouldn’t want to get ambushed on the way out of here.”
“Sonny said you want to talk to us about the men the Wings are holding,” he said.
“Yes. We need to find them. We need to find them today,” she said. “I’m willing to pay a million Hong Kong dollars for any information that leads us to them. And if either of you comes up with a connection who has the information, I’ll pay you two hundred thousand.”
“That’s a lot of money.”
“It isn’t that much when you sectionide it by six.”
Carlo turned to Andy. “We have a lot of contacts in Sha Tin. Do you want to partner on the two hundred thousand?”
“Right now, no one in Sha Tin seems interested in talking to me.”
“A million dollars might change some minds,” Carlo said.
“It just might,” Andy agreed with a nod.
“Before you start calling people, I want to remind you that time is not our friend. You need to be aggressive but there’s a danger that word you are poking around could get back to the Wings. You could be added to their enemies list. Are you okay with that?”
“Sammy hates me already,” Carlo said. “One more reason isn’t going to make any difference.”
“The same goes for me,” Andy said.
“Then go to it. Try to find those men. I’ll have my cell on, but if you can’t reach me, call Sonny.”
Carlo turned to leave but Andy lingered.
“Is there something you want to ask me?” Ava said.
“What do we do if we find someone with hard information and he wants more than a million?”
“We’ll pay whatever we have to pay. If a million isn’t enough, then agree to whatever they want.”
“One more thing. I expect that whoever we find will want to deal in cash. I can’t imagine them turning information over to us without getting paid first.”
“I’ll make sure I have a couple of million in cash available by early this afternoon,” Ava said. “But Andy, what happens if we pay them and they stiff us? What if the information is bogus?”
“Carlo and I know all these guys, and Sonny will know most of them as well. No one will pull that kind of stunt when they know we’ll come after them.”
“No one is going to stiff us and get away with it,” Sonny added.
“Then I won’t worry about that possibility,” she said to Andy. “Now you and Carlo get going, please.”
“Where are you going to get that much cash at such short notice?” Sonny asked as Carlo and Andy left.
“Do you have a million or two readily available?” she asked Ko.
“No. We try not to keep too much cash on hand in case we’re raided, and all our banking is funnelled through Shanghai. We could ask them to do a wire transfer or something.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll look after it myself,” she said, picking up her cell.
“Hi, Ava. I was wondering if I’d hear from you,” Amanda Yee said as she answered Ava’s call.
“You would have eventually. This is a bit sooner than I expected, but I need some help.”
“What can I do?” Amanda asked without hesitation.
“I need two million dollars in cash within the next two hours or so.”
“American dollars?”
“Hong Kong.”
“That should be easier. Let me call the bank and get back to you. I don’t think it should be a problem,” Amanda said. “How do you want me to get the money to you?”
“I’m not sure where I’ll be, so call me when you have it and we’ll figure out a plan then,” Ava said.
“Okay, I’ll get right on it.”
Ava put down her phone, delighted with her partner’s reaction to a request that begged for questions. “Amanda will get the money,” she said to Sonny. “I’ll probably meet her in Central. Where do you think you’ll be?”
“Andy and Carlo can handle Sha Tin. I’ll ask around in Fanling and Tai Po. There’s a lot of interaction between those gangs and Sha Tin.”
“How about you?” she said to Ko.
“I think my time will be best spent finding more firepower for Suen. I have a list of Mountain Masters I haven’t spoken to yet. I think I’ll stay here and do that.”
“What kind of reception are you getting from the ones you’ve spoken to?”
“They’re reluctant to get involved but they don’t want to piss off Xu entirely, so they throw just enough weapons my way to make it look like they’re co-operating.”
“Have you talked to Lam in Guangzhou?”
“No.”
“He’s been a good friend and ally to Xu. If you like, I can make that call for you,” Ava said.
“I’d appreciate it.”
Ava nodded. “I think that wraps things up for now. If you’re going to Tai Po, you’ll need the car,” she said to Sonny. “I’ll take a taxi back to Central. Both of you keep yourselves completely available.”
“We haven’t heard back from Suen or Xu,” Ko said. “Should we wait here until we do?”
“Whatever decisions they’re making won’t affect what we’re trying to do over the next few hours,” Ava said. “We don’t have time to sit and wait — even for Xu.”
( 11 )
Ava caught one of the distinctive green and white New Territories taxis at the mall exit and told the driver to take her to the Star Ferry terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui. She considered calling Lam, the Mountain Master in Guangzhou, but decided to wait until she’d heard from Suen or Xu. She hoped it would be Xu, but it was Suen who reached her as the taxi was leaving Sha Tin and entering Tai Wai.
“They’re keeping Xu in isolation for another day,” he said the instant he heard Ava’s voice.
“Has there been a setback?” she asked, trying to hide her disappointment.
“No, he seems stronger, and he was certainly more alert and talkative,” Suen said. “I think they’re just being very cautious.”
“I’ll be so glad when he’s back home.”
“No more than him. He’s really frustrated about not being able to speak to you. He tried to convince the doctor to let him use a phone, but there’s no flexibility in the cellphone rule.”
“Did you tell him about the man killed by the Wings?”
“No, I decided it wouldn’t serve any useful purpose. If he were stronger I wouldn’t have hesitated, but — ”
“I understand. I think you made a smart decision,” Ava said. “What did he have to say about our meeting and the Wings’ ultimatum?”
“He was disappointed but not surprised. He said that taking out Lop showed the Wings’ level of commitment. He doesn’t expect them to back off until we give them no other choice.”
“Does that mean you’re coming to Hong Kong?”
“I have a flight booked for tomorrow morning. I don’t want to leave until Xu is out of isolation. Can you and Ko handle things until I get there?”
“There isn’t much to handle right now beyond trying to find your men.”
“Xu asked what you think your chances are of being successful.”
“I have no idea, but we might have increased our odds by offering to pay for information that leads us to them. Sonny, Andy, and Carlo are spreading the word now. I told them to offer one million Hong Kong dollars, but I’ll go higher if I have to. In fact, I’m on my way right now to pick up two million in cash. If the boys can find a snitch, I want to have the cash in hand to pay him.”
“Where did you get the cash?”
“From my company. You can count on my billing you for whatever amount I have to pay.”
“You know that won’t be a problem,” Suen said.
“What did Xu say about the hostages?”
“Unless you can find them, there’s nothing to be done. He won’t do a deal with the Wings just because they’re threatening to kill six of our men. If he did, we’d look weak and we’d be opening the door for other gangs to pull the same stunt. We can’t let the Wings establish a precedent by giving in to extortion.”
“I can’t abide the thought of letting those six men die,” Ava said, and knew the statement was unfair the second she voiced it.
“Ava, you know that’s the last thing Xu wants, but whether they live or die will be decided by the Wings, not us,” Suen said carefully. “And I have to tell you, despite how real you think their threats are, Xu and I both think they could be bluffing.”
“We’ll know soon enough. Midnight isn’t that far off.”
“Speaking of which, Xu asked if you could try one more time to get an extension from them,” Suen said.
“Using what reason?”
“Whatever you think will work.”
“I don’t think anything will work.”
“It was just a thought . . . ”
Ava realized she might have sounded dismissive and said, “I’ll tell you what, if we haven’t located the men by early evening, I’ll call Sammy. I don’t think it will accomplish anything, but I’ll try anyway.”
“I’ll let Xu know, and I’ll tell him about the money you’re putting up,” Suen said. “An amount that size might just entice someone.”
“That’s our hope.”
“And if it does?”
“Then that’s when we’ll talk about what to do next,” she said. “Obviously we’ll make every effort to free the men, but who knows what that would entail.”
“I’m going to call Ko when we finish our conversation,” Suen said. “Xu wants him to follow your directions until I can get to Hong Kong.”
“Suen, I’m more comfortable with him reporting directly to you.”
“I’ll stay in touch with him, but you’re there on the ground. Xu is just worried that Ko might get motivated to try something on his own. He wants to make sure that someone he trusts is keeping Ko in check.”
“From what I’ve seen of Ko, I don’t think it’s likely he’ll strike out on his own.”
“Maybe not, but it’s what the boss wants.”
“Okay, tell the boss I’ll keep an eye on Ko,” Ava said, knowing it was pointless to argue with Suen.
“I’m going back into the hospital in a few minutes, but I should be available by phone in an hour or so.”
“I won’t call unless I have something concrete to tell you,” she said, and ended the call. As she did, she noticed the taxi driver looking at her suspiciously in the rear-view mirror. He had obviously overheard her conversation with Suen, and she could only imagine how strange he must have found it.
“We’re making a movie,” she told him. “That was my partner on the phone, and we were discussing different plot ideas.”
“Sounds like an exciting movie,” he said.
Ava put the cell in her bag next to the gun and then sat back as the cab wound its way through Kowloon to Tsim Sha Tsui. She got out at the ferry terminal just as a boat was leaving the dock. That was no concern, since she knew there was a ferry every eight minutes at that time of day. She paid the HK$2.70 fare — about thirty US cents — and walked over to the waiting area. There she found a quiet corner and phoned Mountain Master Lam in Guangzhou.
“Ava Lee. To what do I owe this honour?” he answered.
“How are you, Lam?”
“I’m well enough. But then, you haven’t told me what you want yet.” He laughed. “That may change things.”
“It is a bit serious, I’m afraid.”
“As serious as what we’ve done in the past?”
“It could be headed in that direction,” she said. The memory of Lam putting a bullet into the head of Li, his Mountain Master and a co-conspirator with Sammy Wing against Xu, was still vivid.
“Oh. Then I’ll just listen.”
“Sammy Wing is trying to reclaim control of Wanchai, with the assistance of his nephew Carter. They shot and wounded Lop and they’ve also killed one of Xu’s men and are holding six more as hostages. They’ve threatened to kill them tonight at midnight unless Xu agrees to their demands. He won’t agree,” she said.
“I’ve heard rumours about the Wings but I didn’t give them any credence,” Lam said calmly, which was his usual state. “But why are you calling to tell me this? Why haven’t I heard from Xu?”
“Xu is in hospital in Shanghai. He has meningitis and he’s in an isolation ward, with no means of communication except through visitors,” she said, feeling comfortable about sharing the information with a man Xu trusted. “He’s going to be okay and should be home in a few days, but in the interim we have this problem with the Wings.”
“You certainly do.”
“It’s already a mess and has the potential to get much worse. Suen is flying from Shanghai with fifty to a hundred men, but he needs weapons for them. With Lop out of action, it’s fallen to his man Ko to supply them. Ko has come up with enough for about fifty men. I was hoping you could supply enough for another fifty.”
“Does Xu know you’re calling me?”
“No. Do I need his permission?”
“What I meant, Ava, was did this request originate with him?”
“I didn’t mean to snap,” she said, realizing she might have offended him.
“You can snap at me anytime.”
“Thank you, I’ll remember that. And in reply to your question, no. I’m the one who thought you might be able to help.”
“We have trucks leaving here every day for Hong Kong. I’ll see what I can do about getting one loaded by tonight with what you need. I assume, since a war might be in the offing, that you’ll want semi-automatics and automatics.”
“I don’t know how imminent a war might be, but your weapon options sound right.”
“Ava, I will send the weapons, but I hope they won’t need to be used,” Lam said. “When we fight among ourselves, no one wins. All that happens is we attract unwelcome attention that the cops and the army use as an excuse to hammer us.”
“Xu knows that, and he’ll do everything he can to avoid conflict. But Lam, you can’t expect him to roll over because Sammy Wing demands it.”
“Sammy Wing is nothing but a fat, useless fuck, but his nephew is a different animal. Tell Xu to take care when dealing with him.”
“He knows.”
Lam paused. “Who do I inform about the shipment?”
“You can call me.”
“You will hear from me or my Red Pole, Wa, before the end of the day.”
“Thank you, Lam. I’ll let Xu know how helpful you’ve been. He values your friendship.”
Lam paused again. “Ava, is he really going to get well? Meningitis is a tricky disease. I don’t want to lose him — our brotherhood can’t afford it.”
“The doctors expect him to be going home in a day or two. They caught and treated the disease in time.”
“Thank God for that.”
“I’ll wait for your call,” Ava said as a ferry pulled into the dock.
She went to stand in line as the ferry emptied and then filed on. She went to the front of the boat so she was facing the Hong Kong skyline. It was a fifteen-minute crossing, and her favourite time to make the journey was in the evening, when the skyline was a wall of almost magical light. Ava loved the design of the seventy-two-storey Bank of China building and of the International Finance Centre, with its auspicious eighty-eight storeys. But her favourite building was Jardine House; every time she saw it, she smiled. At fifty-two storeys it wasn’t as imposing as many others, but it had a distinctive feature: 1,700 identical circular windows. Those windows had prompted the local population to nickname the building “the House of a Thousand Arseholes.” That name came to Ava’s mind every time she saw the building, and it did so again, prompting yet another smile.
Ava waited until they had docked at the Star Ferry pier in Central before making more phone calls. She hit Sonny’s number as she started walking up Pedder Street towards the Mandarin. The hotel was less than a kilometre from the pier, and with normal foot traffic it usually took her about ten minutes to get there.
“Ava,” Sonny answered. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes. I spoke to Lam. He’ll send enough guns for fifty men by truck later today. I don’t have any details yet, but could you let Ko know he’ll have the weapons he needs for Suen? Also, when you have a chance, text me Ko’s number.”
“That’s great news. It’s funny how things turn out. When I first met Lam, I had no time for him and didn’t trust him at all — he was just so slick,” Sonny said. “How wrong I was. He’s been a great friend to you and Xu.”
Lam, like Xu, was the furthest thing possible from the typical public image of a triad. Tall and slim, with long grey hair that he wore in a ponytail, Lam usually dressed in designer jeans and silk shirts and looked at the world through small, round red-tinted glasses. “Now I’m going to owe him another favour. I’m losing track of how many that will make,” Ava said. “I hope he never decides to cash them in all at once.”
“Are you in Central yet?”
“I just arrived on the ferry and I’m walking to the hotel. I’ll call Amanda in a minute and arrange to meet her and get the money.”
“I’m in Tai Po. While I don’t want to sound overly optimistic, I’m getting some interesting reactions to our offer. A couple of the guys I talked to said they don’t know anything but thought they might know someone who does. They’re trying to get hold of them now.”
