order?â Ava asked, a believer in the calming quality of the dim sum ritual.
âI donât know how much I can eat.â
âWhat would you recommend?â Ava persisted.
Maggie picked up the dim sum menu. âThe sticky rice is good . . . the chicken feet in black bean sauce . . . turnip cake.â
âHow is the har gow?â
âI prefer the shrimp-and-chive dumplings.â
When their order had been taken, Ava poured tea for Maggie. Maggie tapped her middle finger gently on the table as a sign of thanks. She has manners , Ava thought.
âIâm sorry I had to reach you through Auntie Lily. I tried Edward Ling first.â
âAunt Lily is just about my motherâs closest friend, and my mother canât stand Edward Ling. Besides, when he called last night, he insisted on talking to my father and didnât even mention your name.â
âDid he speak to your father?â Ava asked.
âNo. I told you, my father is not in a state to talk to anyone.â
âMaggie, do either you or your mother know whatâs happened to your father?â
âMy mother knows that something has gone wrong with the business, but she isnât interested in all the gory details. She couldnât handle them anyway. Iâm a bit stronger.â
âSo you know something? I mean, you know what happened? You know the details?â
Maggie closed her eyes, squeezed them tightly, then shook her head. âIâve spent the last week at my parentsâ home trying to keep my father sane and trying to get my mother to stop crying,â she said, waving a hand to indicate her sweatshirt. Ava noticed the cuffs were badly frayed. âI usually donât dress like this, but I havenât been getting much sleep and Iâve let myself go. When you called, I was at my condo getting some clean clothes to take back to West Van. Thatâs where my parents live.â
âThe British Properties?â
âYes. That was my motherâs choice.â
âAnd I hear youâre a student.â
âLaw school. My fatherâs wish.â
âIâm an accountant.â
âI know; Louis told me. He said you were hired by Uncle Tommyâs company to look into some missing money, and he was shocked when he met you. Young, good-looking, female, capable â not my Uncle Tommyâs normal type of employee. Louis said some of the people in Manila were actually afraid of you, that you have some amazing connections.â
Ava didnât want to talk about her connections. Instead she patted the envelope that held her paperwork. There isnât much point , she thought, in being coy . âThe money thatâs missing â your father took it. I have all the records here.â
Maggieâs eyes flicked over the envelope. âI know he did,â she said.
Ava blinked. âWell, since you know,â she pressed, âIâd like you to tell me why he did it. And Iâd like to know where the money is.â
The turnip cake arrived. Maggie Chew slathered chili sauce on a slice and bit into it. âWhy havenât you gone to my uncle with your information?â
âHow do you know I havenât?â
âBecause if you had, thereâs no force on earth that would keep him from descending on my father, with every ounce of malice and viciousness he could muster. There are only two things he cares about: his position in the family and his money. When it comes to family, my Uncle Tommy talks a good story, but the reality is that he thinks of it as his family. He thinks that everyone should be grateful to him â the oldest son, the trailblazer â for whatever they have in life, and should express their thanks by being obedient, subservient, and loyal as a dog. Then thereâs his money â heâs married to it. My father and my uncle in Hong Kong were supposedly partners in the business, but the
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