The Scottish Banker of Surabaya - By Ian Hamilton Page 0,65

to behind the front desk. He opened the door and then stood aside for her. There was another door at the back of the work area, with a security lock. He punched in six numbers and said, “After you.”

His office was small, with barely room for a desk, a small credenza, a filing cabinet, and two chairs. There was a picture on the credenza, a much younger Pak Indra with a woman and seven children. “This is my personal space,” he said when he saw her staring at the photo. “Next door is the real security office, with our monitors.”

“Thank you for seeing me.”

“You made it hard for me to refuse.”

He was a big man. Ava guessed he’d been a policeman, and from the way he spoke and carried himself, he’d been an officer. “Do you know why I’m here?” she asked.

He began to answer and then stopped when Ava’s eyes caught his. She stared, not blinking, expressionless, right into him. Whatever he had been going to say was left unsaid.

“Do you know what happened to me last night in this hotel? I have some idea but I would like you to tell me.”

He moved his right hand onto a manila file folder on the desk and slid it in front of him. He took out a sheet of paper, read it, and said, “According to the report from my man on night duty, you and a companion were having drinks in the lounge when you became incapacitated. Your speech was slurred and you were groggy, almost asleep. Your companion told my man that you had been drinking all evening and that a combination of the liquor and jet lag had hit you quite suddenly. He said he wanted to take you to your room and make sure you were safely in bed for the night. He asked my man to help him take you there. Which he did.”

“And then left me alone with him?”

“Yes, that too,” Indra said, his eyes shifting away. “When they got to the room, your companion said he would look after you. My man had no reason to stay.”

“Have you run the security tapes from the time indicated on that report?”

“Yes, I have. In fact, I did it before you even called. Anytime a report is filed I review whatever I can on video, assuming we have video.”

“And what did the video show?”

“Videos. One from the lounge, the other from the elevator. They supported the story that my man recorded.”

“Story is the right word.”

Indra shifted his weight on the chair and put his elbows on the desk, as if he was remembering whose office he was in and who should be in charge. He looked at her. “Ms. Lee, I am quite unclear about what point you are trying to make.”

“My companion, you know who he is, right?”

“Of course, Mr. Cameron is a regular patron.”

His eyes drifted away. Ava sat quietly, waiting for him to look at her again. When he finally did, she said, “Your regular patron, he drugged me. That’s why I was groggy.”

Indra slowly shook his head. “All my man could see was a woman who was having difficulty. Under the circumstances, I believe he acted in a responsible manner.”

“I’m not here to condemn your man, so you don’t have to defend him to me.”

“As for Mr. Cameron —”

“He raped me,” Ava said.

He flinched, his eyes flickering. “Ms. Lee, that is an incredibly serious charge.”

“I don’t know for certain about the drug yet, as the lab won’t get back to me until later today. As for the rape, well, I had a doctor visit me at the hotel this morning, and if you don’t want to take my word for it, you can talk to her.”

“I’m not sure that is necessary.”

“He also robbed me of some jewellery — a very expensive and valued set of jade cufflinks.”

“If this is true, and I’m not saying I doubt you, you should be calling the police. You do intend to call the police, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t,” she said.

Indra cocked his head to one side, as if trying to see her from a different angle. “Ms. Lee, I have to tell you I find your reaction quite strange,” he said, his voice acquiring an edge.

He thinks I’m trying to shake down the hotel, Ava thought. “Mr. Indra, you were a policeman, I believe.”

“I was.”

“An officer?”

“Yes, a senior officer.”

“So tell me. I’m here on a two- or three-day visit, a tourist. Cameron lives here. Even if