in Manila. And now Aunt Lily says youâre here in Vancouver already.â
Ava felt a tiny surge of optimism. If she had been speaking to Marx, then Maggie Chew knew something was going on. âWhat did Louis tell you about me?â
âHe said youâd been hired by my uncle but, despite that, you seemed to be fair.â
âI try to be.â
âAfter talking to Louis I was going to try to contact you anyway. You didnât have to drag Aunt Lily into this. Her call upset my mother. She doesnât want her friends to know that my father is going through a rough patch.â
âIâm sorry. How was I to know?â
âYou couldnât, I guess.â
âIâm sorry anyway.â
âAre you really in Vancouver, like Aunt Lily said?â
âYes.â
âYou move fast.â
âItâs what I do,â Ava said.
âShe said you wanted to meet with my father.â
âIf itâs possible.â
âIt isnât.â
âI see.â
âHe isnât making any sense right now. I think heâs had some kind of nervous breakdown. My mother and I have been trying to get him to see our family doctor or go to the hospital, but we canât get him to listen to us. He seems totally lost, like heâs burrowed into himself.â
âLouis said he was distressed.â
âCatatonic is more like it.â
âIâm sorry.â
âYou keep saying that.â
âWhat would you prefer me to say?â Ava asked.
Maggie hesitated and then said, âIâll meet with you if you want. I have some understanding of whatâs been going on, and I know my Uncle Tommy will be howling for blood. Maybe thereâs a way we can manage all of this better.â
âIt certainly canât hurt,â Ava said, her optimism notching up another gear.
âWhere are you calling from?â
âThe Pan Pacific Hotel.â
âThereâs a very good Chinese restaurant near there, the Emperorâs Crown, in the Marine Building in the inner harbour. Could you meet me there in about an hour? Iâll be wearing a powder-blue sweatsuit.â
âBlack Adidas nylon jacket and training pants,â Ava said. âAnd Maggie, I wish I didnât have to ask you to do this.â
âWell, I know sooner or later weâll have to talk to someone, and better you than some other people I can think of . . .â
âIâll see you in an hour,â Ava said softly.
( 14 )
Ava got to the restaurant at exactly one oâclock. From the entrance she scanned the room for a powder-blue sweatsuit. When she didnât see one, she asked for a table for two by the window. She put the envelope that contained the information from Cousins and Edward Ling on the table and then sat for ten minutes watching float planes land and take off from the marina in the harbour.
A server was placing a pot of jasmine tea on the table when Ava saw a silver BMW pull into the lot. It was a high-end Series 5 or 6, and the driver was wearing a powder-blue sweatsuit. It was the kind of car she would expect the only daughter of wealthy Chinese parents to drive. She was no stranger to the breed. Not all of them were spoilt, arrogant, and manic about acquiring the latest fashion in clothes, cars, shoes, and purses. But more than enough were.
When Ava saw the BMW, she assumed Maggie Chew would fit the bill. But as she watched the short, pudgy girl walk into the restaurant, the image disappeared.
Ava stood up, and when Maggie saw her, she walked towards the table with her head down, her eyes fixed upon her unlaced white running shoes.
âThank you for coming,â Ava said.
Maggie raised her head. Ava saw that her skin was marred by bright red pimples high on her cheeks and small pits beneath them. Her eyes were large, with dark circles around them. âI didnât think I had much choice,â she said.
âShall we
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