know?”
“Who spoke?” she said.
“Lok.”
“What did he say?”
“He said they were going to hold Simon until we paid the money we owed them. He said they were giving me forty-eight hours to come up with the money, and if I didn’t they would kill him. He said that if I went to the police, they’d find out and kill Simon anyway.”
“Did you ask to see Simon?”
“No, I wasn’t thinking.”
“What did you say?”
“I said I would do what I could, and then someone punched me. It went quiet and I thought I was going to get hit or burned again, but Lok just said they were going to take me back to Hong Kong, and that I was to call him on his cell when I had the money.”
“How did they get you back? Not on the jetfoil.”
“No, they drove me. They put me in the trunk of a car and then we drove for close to three hours.”
“They brought you in through Guangzhou.”
“I have no idea.”
“Where did they drop you off?”
“Here, about a hundred metres from the building. They pulled me out of the trunk, untied my hands, and told me to count to thirty before taking off the blindfold. And then someone — I think it was Wu but I was so out of it I can’t be sure — said that they knew where I lived and that if I didn’t come up with the money, Simon was dead and they knew where to find me.”
The kitchen went silent. Amanda put her arms around Michael. Ava got up and walked to the living-room window. It was early afternoon on a beautiful Hong Kong day. She looked down and watched people going about their normal routines, and then she went back into the kitchen.
“Before you say anything, we can’t call the police,” she started. “They will know if you do, and they will most certainly kill Simon.”
“Are you sure?” Michael asked.
“Listen to her,” Amanda said.
“We also can’t discuss this with the family — I mean, families. Not a word to Daddy, not a word to your brothers. And, Amanda, keep your family out of it as well.”
She nodded.
“Now what about Jessie? Have you heard from her?”
“No, but I imagine I will,” Amanda said.
“Simon is a Macau regular,” Michael said. “He has pulled all-nighters there before.”
“That’ll get us through today, but not much longer,” Ava said. “Amanda, I think we need to visit Jessie. She needs to know what’s going on, and she needs to know that she has to keep quiet.”
“Tell me what you want me to do.”
“I have to figure out what I’m going to do first.”
( 9 )
Uncle didn’t answer his apartment phone, and his long-time housekeeper, Lourdes, said she didn’t know where he was. Ava called his cell and it went to voicemail. “I need to talk. It’s urgent,” she said, and then called Sonny.
“I need Uncle,” she said when he picked up.
“He’s in a meeting.”
“Where are you?”
“Hong Kong side. He’s at the Korean barbecue restaurant just up the street from your hotel.”
“Please ask him not to leave until I get there.”
She looked at her brother and Amanda. He was spent, exhausted. “You need to sleep. Take some pills if you have to, but get some sleep.”
Amanda seemed better; the tears had dried up and she had a look of determination in her eyes. Ava couldn’t help noticing how tiny she was, maybe pushing five feet without her stilettos, and she couldn’t have weighed a hundred pounds. Without any makeup she looked even more like a teenager. Still, there was something to her, a strength. “Look after him. I’ll call when I know something,” Ava said.
“Don’t worry,” Amanda said.
Ava walked to the restaurant, her sense of urgency balanced by the need for time to think. The first thing she had to do was get over her anger at the stupidity of the two men she’d actually considered going into business with. How could they have imagined, for even a second, that Lok was being sincere? How could they think that in the few hours between the rancour of the lunch and early
“Who spoke?” she said.
“Lok.”
“What did he say?”
“He said they were going to hold Simon until we paid the money we owed them. He said they were giving me forty-eight hours to come up with the money, and if I didn’t they would kill him. He said that if I went to the police, they’d find out and kill Simon anyway.”
“Did you ask to see Simon?”
“No, I wasn’t thinking.”
“What did you say?”
“I said I would do what I could, and then someone punched me. It went quiet and I thought I was going to get hit or burned again, but Lok just said they were going to take me back to Hong Kong, and that I was to call him on his cell when I had the money.”
“How did they get you back? Not on the jetfoil.”
“No, they drove me. They put me in the trunk of a car and then we drove for close to three hours.”
“They brought you in through Guangzhou.”
“I have no idea.”
“Where did they drop you off?”
“Here, about a hundred metres from the building. They pulled me out of the trunk, untied my hands, and told me to count to thirty before taking off the blindfold. And then someone — I think it was Wu but I was so out of it I can’t be sure — said that they knew where I lived and that if I didn’t come up with the money, Simon was dead and they knew where to find me.”
The kitchen went silent. Amanda put her arms around Michael. Ava got up and walked to the living-room window. It was early afternoon on a beautiful Hong Kong day. She looked down and watched people going about their normal routines, and then she went back into the kitchen.
“Before you say anything, we can’t call the police,” she started. “They will know if you do, and they will most certainly kill Simon.”
“Are you sure?” Michael asked.
“Listen to her,” Amanda said.
“We also can’t discuss this with the family — I mean, families. Not a word to Daddy, not a word to your brothers. And, Amanda, keep your family out of it as well.”
She nodded.
“Now what about Jessie? Have you heard from her?”
“No, but I imagine I will,” Amanda said.
“Simon is a Macau regular,” Michael said. “He has pulled all-nighters there before.”
“That’ll get us through today, but not much longer,” Ava said. “Amanda, I think we need to visit Jessie. She needs to know what’s going on, and she needs to know that she has to keep quiet.”
“Tell me what you want me to do.”
“I have to figure out what I’m going to do first.”
( 9 )
Uncle didn’t answer his apartment phone, and his long-time housekeeper, Lourdes, said she didn’t know where he was. Ava called his cell and it went to voicemail. “I need to talk. It’s urgent,” she said, and then called Sonny.
“I need Uncle,” she said when he picked up.
“He’s in a meeting.”
“Where are you?”
“Hong Kong side. He’s at the Korean barbecue restaurant just up the street from your hotel.”
“Please ask him not to leave until I get there.”
She looked at her brother and Amanda. He was spent, exhausted. “You need to sleep. Take some pills if you have to, but get some sleep.”
Amanda seemed better; the tears had dried up and she had a look of determination in her eyes. Ava couldn’t help noticing how tiny she was, maybe pushing five feet without her stilettos, and she couldn’t have weighed a hundred pounds. Without any makeup she looked even more like a teenager. Still, there was something to her, a strength. “Look after him. I’ll call when I know something,” Ava said.
“Don’t worry,” Amanda said.
Ava walked to the restaurant, her sense of urgency balanced by the need for time to think. The first thing she had to do was get over her anger at the stupidity of the two men she’d actually considered going into business with. How could they have imagined, for even a second, that Lok was being sincere? How could they think that in the few hours between the rancour of the lunch and early
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