The Scottish Banker of Surabaya - By Ian Hamilton Page 0,93

Cameron’s million dollars or so that she might be able to get her hands on, but she was sure it could be tracked. Even if he had ten million, it wasn’t worth the risk.

( 34 )

Perkasa phoned before she even had time to get her toilet kit packed. “Singapore Air,” he said.

She went back to the computer and, using the Visa card she’d found in Cameron’s wallet, bought a one-way ticket for him, business class, to Singapore.

Ten minutes later her bags were at the door. She took a last glance around the room, feeling that she had forgotten something. She did a quick search of the bathroom and double-checked the dresser drawers. They were empty. Then she remembered what it was she was looking for — her green jade cufflinks.

Ava carried her bags into the lobby and went to the front desk. She asked for her bill and for an envelope. While the clerk fussed with her computer, Ava wrote Uncle’s name and Kowloon address on the envelope and slid the USB key into it. If she didn’t make it back to Hong Kong, the information would.

Perkasa walked through the front door as she was settling the account. She waved him over. “When you get back to Jakarta, I’d like you to send this by courier to Uncle,” she said.

He stuffed the envelope into a front jeans pocket and reached for Ava’s bags.

Traffic was now as bad as she’d seen it all week. As Perkasa eased onto the road, Ava began to calculate the time they had left. If things went smoothly, she figured, they’d be at the airport by five.

“When do we kill the banker?” he asked.

“We have some business to finish first. Not much more than a few hours from now,” Ava said.

He nodded.

“We need to keep the Italians off-balance,” she said. “I want to make it look as if he’s still alive and has left Surabaya for reasons unknown. So we’ll drive the Porsche to the airport and park it there. We’ll have you board the plane as Cameron. I’d like for us to be able to check a bag in his name and have the bag picked up in Singapore; I think I may have a way we can get that done. When the Italians go looking for him, which they will, it would be helpful to have someone point them in the direction of Singapore.”

“The car and the ticket shouldn’t be a problem. As for the other two —”

“How close would he be to his housekeeper?” Ava asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Would the housekeeper be privy to his schedule?”

“Yeah, by and large.”

“So it wouldn’t be unusual for Cameron to tell his housekeeper he was going to Singapore on a business trip and that he needed to pack a bag.”

“Of course not, but how are you going to get him to do that without him getting completely paranoid?”

“We’ll have to side-door it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Let’s wait until we get to Waru’s house,” said Ava, closing her eyes and putting her head back on the seat.

Prayogo was standing outside when they arrived. He approached the Nissan as it drove up to the house and began to speak rapidly to Perkasa when he got out of the car.

“The banker has passed out a couple of times since we left. They’ve been throwing water on him to revive him, but they’re not sure what’s going to happen if we leave him in the sun,” Perkasa said to Ava.

“Then we’ll move him into the shade and they can give him all the water he needs,” Ava said, climbing the stairs into the house.

She stood inside the kitchen while the brothers moved Cameron into the shade. Perkasa stayed with her, leaning against the sink, looking outwardly calm. “Who is going to kill him?” he asked, his voice even.

“I am.”

“Do you think —” he began.

“No, there’s nothing to think about. It’s my job, my choice. Will Waru object if I use his gun?”

“Of course not.”

“You still need to explain our plan to them and why we think it’s necessary to eliminate him. And Perkasa, you can’t emphasize enough our concerns about our collective self-preservation. They can’t discuss this with anyone, not even their wives.”

“I’ll make sure they understand.”

“Good. While you’re doing that, I’m going to have another chat with Cameron.”

The brothers had moved the chair against the back wall of the house. It was in the shade, but that hardly made an impact in the heat. Cameron was wet from head to toe, his