The Scottish Banker of Surabaya - By Ian Hamilton Page 0,92
the help of Perkasa and his two men here to make it happen.”
“Do you need me to talk to him? Do you need more money?”
“No, let me handle it.”
“Ava,” he said quietly, “no matter what, I want you on that six o’clock flight. I know those people. They are to be taken seriously.”
“I’ll be on the plane.”
“And I will be at Chek Lap Kok to meet you.”
“I’ll call you after I check in at the airport here.”
“Be careful,” he said.
“As always.”
She phoned Perkasa as soon as she ended the call with Uncle. “We need to figure out what to do with the banker,” she told him before he could speak.
“Do you have anything in mind?”
“Yes, I want him to go to Singapore or Manila or KL.”
“Okay,” he said.
“Tell me, how tough is it for anyone to fly directly from Surabaya to any of those places?”
“There are all kinds of direct flights.”
“That’s what I thought, but that’s not what I meant. How difficult is security? Could we book a flight in Cameron’s name, get a ticket in his name, and then have someone else check in using his name?”
He said, “I’m glad to hear you say he’s not the one actually flying.” And then he added, “You would need to know someone working at one of the airline check-in counters.”
“Does either Waru or Prayogo?”
“We have to ask. If they don’t, I can make some phone calls to Jakarta.”
“How about at the gates? Do they double-check ID here?”
“If they check a boarding pass, it’s normally just to make sure you’re getting on the correct flight.”
Ava said, “Call the boys and see if they know anyone who can help at the airport.”
“They may ask for more details,” he said. “Like, if one of them gets on a flight, how do they get back?”
“I was thinking more of you getting on a flight. Do you have your passport with you?”
“I do. But I think I’d like more details.”
She said, “I haven’t thought it all the way through yet. The only thing I know, and Uncle agrees, is that we don’t want the Italians chasing after us. Look, you talk to Waru while I check today’s flight schedules.”
She hung up the phone, went online, and did a quick scan of airlines flying from Surabaya to other major south-eastern Asian cities. There was a host of them: Cathay Pacific, Malaysian Airlines, Garuda, Singapore Air, and two airlines she’d never heard of. If the Indonesians had a contact, she thought it was likely she’d find a flight.
She phoned Perkasa. “Did you get Waru?”
“Just finished with him. Between him and his friends, they have contacts at virtually every airline that flies out of here. As long as you’re willing to pay enough, there won’t be any problem.”
She ran through the flight schedules. “There’s a Malaysian Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur at five thirty and a Singapore Air flight to Singapore at seven. Call Waru back and tell him to make arrangements for the one that works best. And tell him I don’t care how much it costs, I just want it done right. If we have to pay ten people, then I will.”
“Okay, I’ll tell him . . . Then what?”
“Call me back with the details so I can make the booking.”
“Five minutes.”
“Good. Then get over to the Sheraton, pack your bags, and check out. Then come back here and pick me up. I’m going to be packed as well and ready to go.”
“Where are we going?”
“Away from Surabaya, but first back to the house. We need to look after the banker,” she said, and hesitated. “Will this be an issue with the brothers?”
“I thought it might come to this,” Perkasa said. “Uncle thinks it is best?”
“He thinks it’s the only sensible thing to do. He also wants me out of here today and you back in Jakarta as fast as you can get there. So will any of this be an issue with the brothers?”
“No. We’ll pay them a bit more.”
“They may have to do more than keep their mouths shut.”
“No problem. It’s all about the money.”
“I have lots of money.”
“No need. Uncle sent me enough for a small army.”
“Fine. Then I’ll see you in about twenty minutes,” Ava said.
She looked around the room. She’d be leaving Surabaya without any money for Theresa Ng. She couldn’t remember the last time — actually, any time — she had been happy to leave a place without collecting any money or even having any hope of collecting it. There was