The Scottish Banker of Surabaya - By Ian Hamilton Page 0,107
most of the countries I mentioned had access to the records we have, they could seize nearly all those properties and turn around and flip them for a profit. On top of confiscating the properties in Canada, the RCMP could also do well by selling the information to other jurisdictions.”
“That sounds terrific, but we aren’t in the real estate business.”
“I don’t mean to overemphasize the money side of things; I’m just trying to justify the thirty million dollars. The main reason, of course, that the RCMP would want to get their hands on this information is that the records my client has identify every single person and company that owns a piece of real estate as a result of this fraud. Everyone named is either ’Ndrangheta or affiliated with them in some way. The records would give complete access to their membership and their support system on a worldwide basis. What kind of value does that have to the RCMP? What kind of brownie points would that earn the force with the Americans and Interpol?”
All she could hear was the buzz of the phone line. “Are you there?” she asked.
“I’m processing.”
“Take your time.”
“I have a buddy I can talk to in Ottawa. He’s attached to the organized crime unit, and he’s senior enough,” he said. “We went to the RCMP Academy in Regina together, so we go back a long way. He’ll at least take my call, and he knows me well enough that he won’t completely blow me off when I start to tell him this story.”
“It isn’t a story.”
“I get that. I’ll need to get him to get that too.”
“Listen, Marc, I don’t want to say too much until I know there’s some interest. And when I say interest, I don’t just mean they would like to get their hands on the information; I mean they’re willing to pay thirty million dollars for it. So if that’s understood, and if your friend says that under the right conditions the money could be available, then I’m prepared to give them the name of the banker and the bank and whatever else they need to confirm my client’s credentials.”
“Assuming I can reach him and if I get that far, I’ll let him know.”
“Then call me back, please. I’ll stay up until I hear from you,” Ava said.
“Okay, I’ll try to reach him. If you don’t hear from me in a few hours it will be because I didn’t.”
“Marc, if you do get hold of him, the other thing he needs to know is that we have to move quickly. My client is in extreme peril. He can’t hang around waiting for the government to make a decision.”
“What’s your time frame?”
“A few days, no more than that.”
“Ava . . .”
“Yes, Marc?”
“This is real, right?”
“As real as it gets.”
( 40 )
Ava ended the call and then closed her eyes. She had just put a lot of trust in a man she barely knew. It was the kind of thing she knew Uncle did from time to time. He had a sense about people, not based particularly on what they said but more on how they carried themselves. He believed you could tell a lot about a person through body language and eye contact, and he told Ava that it was often more productive to observe than to listen. It was something she now practised without really thinking about it.
She thought back to meeting Lafontaine at his office in Guyana, sharing dinner with him, and the conversation she had just had. Her instincts told her she had called the right person. Still, it came down to how well he could sell the story, and though she thought it hung together quite well, she wasn’t sure it would under intense scrutiny. The thing was, she had no intention of putting herself in a position where there would be that risk.
She turned to look at the clock. It was past midnight but she had promised Uncle she would phone. She punched in his number. Lourdes answered.
“Let me speak to Uncle, please.”
“He’s sleeping.”
“Ah.”
“Do you want me to get him?”
“No, leave him be. But if he wakes before I get the chance to speak to him again, let him know I did call.”
“He didn’t look very good when he got home.”
“I know. I had dinner with him.”
“What are we going to do?”
“His doctor is back in Hong Kong next week. I intend to speak to him.”