The Scottish Banker of Surabaya - By Ian Hamilton Page 0,132
her?”
“I don’t want to tell her anything. You call her.”
“I . . . would like that,” Jennie said slowly.
“Rub it in.”
“I’ll do more than that.”
“You handle it any way you want; you can say whatever you want.”
“The ungrateful bitch had the nerve to say she didn’t think you were taking it seriously, that you were never really working on their behalf.”
Ava sighed. “That sort of thing happens more often than you would believe. And then when Uncle and I come through for our clients, they pretend they never doubted us and overcompensate on the thank-you side. By then it’s too late, though. There aren’t many clients we’d accept a dinner invitation from.”
“Come home, Ava,” Jennie blurted.
“I can’t. Not right away.”
“I am worried for you. These dreams are bothering me. Maybe they’re affecting me because I don’t dream very often, but I want you nearby.”
“I’ll come home when I can.”
“The job is done.”
“I think Uncle may be ill,” Ava said slowly.
Her mother gasped, and then Ava heard her struggle to find her breath.
“Don’t panic. I don’t know for sure, but I need to stay here until his doctor comes back next week, so I can find out exactly what the situation is.”
“And if it is bad?”
“I may stay longer.”
“Why do —”
“I really don’t want to talk about it anymore. It’s all speculation coming from Lourdes and Sonny. I need to find out for myself.”
“But you suspect something?”
“Yes, I do. But he is an old man, and it would be unusual if he didn’t become ill sooner or later.”
“Ava, in my dream I saw you . . . I saw you lying in a hospital bed.”
“Mummy, please.”
“Uncle was there as well. He was by your side, lying next to you, holding your hand. I was sitting in a chair in the room and trying to speak to you. But you couldn’t hear me, or you couldn’t answer. When I spoke louder, Uncle lifted his head and asked me to be quiet.”
“Mummy, they’re going to board my plane in a moment.”
“You have to call me from Hong Kong.”
“I will, I promise.”
“I am going to pray for him.”
“Yes, Mummy, say a prayer for all of us.”
( 51 )
It was noon when the plane began its descent over the South China Sea to Chek Lap Kok. The sun was high in the sky and the sea glimmered in shades of gold and green. It was a beautiful day, and down below most people were basking in it.
She sped through Customs and Immigration and turned on her phone as she exited Baggage Claim and walked into the cavernous arrivals hall. She saw Sonny standing under the Meeting Place sign, dressed in his usual black suit, white shirt, and black tie, his face grim. He started to walk towards Ava as soon as he saw her. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks for coming,” she said.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said, reaching for her bag. “Did you talk to Uncle this morning?”
“Yes, I did. Why?” Ava said, surprised by his question.
“What did he tell you?”
“About what?”
“Why he couldn’t come to the airport this morning.”
“He doesn’t always meet me, Sonny.”
“He does if he is able to.”
Ava heard the strain in the big man’s voice. “He told me he couldn’t come because he was meeting a friend from Shanghai today.”
“He told me the same story,” Sonny said.
“Story?”
“It’s a lie. He went to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. There is no friend from Shanghai.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I followed him this morning.”
“Without him seeing you?”
“I borrowed a car.”
“He also told me he was going to Guangzhou and that he would probably stay overnight,” Ava said.
“He will be staying overnight, but at Queen Elizabeth. He’s getting radiation therapy, and they’ll keep him for at least another day.”
“And how do you know that?”
“My friend, the woman, was with me. When he got out of the taxi, she tailed him inside. He registered at the front desk. When he left, she waited for a few minutes and then went to the desk. She said she was with her uncle, Mr. Chow, and that he had obviously signed in and gone on ahead. She asked where she could find him.”
“And they actually said ‘radiation therapy’?”
“They did.”
“Let’s head there now,” Ava said.
Sonny turned and walked towards the exit without saying a word. The Mercedes was parked at the curb. He opened the back door for her, putting her bag on the front seat.