The Scottish Banker of Surabaya - By Ian Hamilton Page 0,69
and Uncle who could hurt her. Cameron had violated that self-image, not just physically but, more important to her, psychologically. She needed to regain that feeling of immunity, and she was going to do it her way.
She called Hong Kong.
“Wei.”
“Uncle, it’s Ava.”
“How is it going?”
“Good. I had dinner last night with Andy Cameron, the CEO of Bank Linno. He’s a sneaky little guy. I tried to get him to open up about the bank and its operations and he was completely evasive. There’s something strange going on there, I feel it,” she said in a rush, and then immediately told herself to slow down. Uncle was clever at picking up her signs of stress.
“Do you think it will have any relevance to our clients?”
“I don’t know. That’s the thing, I don’t know.”
“A British guy running an Indonesian bank is unusual.”
“A British guy who was somehow recruited from a job in Rome.”
“And the bank’s growth is startling.”
“He told me last night that he’s increased their capital base twenty-fold.”
“What else did you get out of him?”
“Almost nothing else. I asked about their international business and he slammed the door on me.”
“So what do you want to do?” asked Uncle.
“I’ve asked Perkasa to come to Surabaya,” she said and then paused, giving him the chance to acknowledge that he knew.
“Yes, he told me,” he said.
Ava didn’t miss a beat. “I think it’s time we had a private conversation with Cameron, one in which he’ll be more amenable to answering questions. If it leads to nothing, then I’ll be back in Hong Kong in a day or two.”
“Do you have access to him?”
“I’m arranging that.”
“Ava, do you think this is worth that kind of trouble?”
“We have clients; we owe them our best. I don’t know any other way of getting to the truth about what happened between Lam, Purslow, and the bank.”
“Perkasa arrives today?”
“This afternoon.”
“When will you pick up Cameron?”
“I’m aiming for tomorrow.”
“Well, if it has to be done, it has to be done. Just make sure there are no repercussions if Cameron and the bank have nothing to hide. I do not want you being hounded.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“Keep in touch.”
“As always.”
“And good luck.”
It wasn’t entirely a lie, she thought as she ended the call.
Ava opened her notebook and starting making a list, a short one, of the things that needed to be done. Indra’s information was at the top and she hadn’t heard from him.
She called downstairs to the front desk. “This is Ava Lee. Can you tell me if there is a hardware store in the immediate neighbourhood?”
“There’s an Ace Hardware in Tunjungan Plaza.”
“Thank you, and could you also tell me if Pak Indra is still in the hotel?”
“He’s standing next to me.”
“Can I speak with him, please?”
He came on the line almost at once. “I assume you’re calling about that information you wanted.”
“I am.”
“I just put it in an envelope. It will be delivered to your room in a few minutes.”
“Wonderful. Is it complete?”
“Absolutely . . . How much longer do you think you’ll be a guest in the hotel, Ms. Lee?” he asked casually.
“Another day or two.”
“And then back to Hong Kong?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of your time with us.”
“That is the plan.”
“But please be cautious. Surabaya isn’t a violent place, but young single women need to be careful.”
“I normally am,” she said.
She waited by the door for the envelope. She had expected it to be hand delivered, but the bellboy slid it under the door. She opened it as she walked back to her desk. Cameron lived in a house in Citraland. Indra had underlined the fact that he had full-time, live-in domestic help. He drove a black Porsche Boxster with a standard plate number. He golfed at a private club, Paradise Run, that had security at the entrance. There were four phone numbers at the bottom of the page, for mobile, home, office, and golf club.
Ava went online and searched for Citraland. There it was, “the Singapore of Surabaya,” a large high-end, affluent community in the western part of the city, home to Surabaya’s professional class. Paradise Run was also in the west, farther out from the city by about ten kilometres. It advertised itself as East Java’s finest and most exclusive golf and country club. She had no doubts that the security Indra had mentioned would be tight.
She copied the information into her notebook and then began to detail the options they had for getting to Cameron. She wondered how capable Perkasa’s local contacts