to find out what I can. It may come to nothing — just as you wish — or it may not.”
He seemed to sink into his chair, becoming as small as a child. Ava could see his mind turning things over and knew that he couldn’t deny her.
“There are two things you need to do right away,” he finally said. “You need to confirm that the partner is still alive. Have your brother call them and tell them he needs proof. If they will not do that, he is already dead. If he is alive, you need to buy more time. Your brother should tell them that he is willing to pay the ransom but he needs time to get the money together. Ask for a week. If they will not budge even a little, then it means they probably have no interest in the money anyway.”
“I can’t see them accepting a week.”
“Your brother has to negotiate. Anything more than the two days he has been given is a plus. And if this were a normal kidnapping and ransom, I would tell him to negotiate the money as well. In this case I would not do that. It would be a waste of time and just aggravate them.”
“Okay, we’ll do that as soon as I leave here.”
“And I will make some calls,” he said. “I do not want to, but I will.”
“Thank you.”
They walked from the restaurant together, his arm through hers. He was doing that more often these days, and she wasn’t sure why.
“Where does your brother live?”
“Mid-levels,” she said, pointing up towards the Peak.
“Shall we give you a ride?”
“No, I’d rather walk. The day is so beautiful, and I need to organize my thoughts.”
( 10 )
The doorman let her enter the building without hesitation, and Ava made a mental note to have Amanda instruct him not to let anyone in without her or Michael’s specific approval. She checked her watch. Her brother had been resting for about an hour and a half. It would have to do.
After she rang the apartment buzzer, Ava saw Amanda’s eye through the peephole. The door opened and there was the Amanda from the evening at Sai Kung — designer jeans, cashmere sweater, and lots of makeup.
“How is my brother?” Ava asked.
“Sleeping.”
“You need to wake him.”
“He just fell asleep.”
“It doesn’t matter, I need him to do something. When it’s done, he can go back to sleep.”
Ava went into the kitchen while Amanda went to wake Michael. There was an empty instant noodles bowl and a package of rice crackers on the table. Ava guessed Amanda wasn’t much of a cook, but then neither was she.
It took five minutes to get him out of bed, into a robe, and out to the kitchen. His face was creased with sleep, his hair out of control, his eyes puffy. “Wash your face in the sink and grab a glass of water,” Ava told him. “You need to make a phone call.”
She watched and waited until he looked like he could manage some comprehension. “Michael, I want you to call Lok. Do you think you’re up to it?”
“I don’t know.”
“It isn’t complicated and you don’t have to pretend anything.”
Amanda stood behind him, her hands resting on his shoulders. “What does he have to say?”
“We need to confirm that Simon is all right.”
“Is that all?”
“For now.”
“How would Michael do that?”
“He could ask to speak to Simon, but I don’t think they would let him. The best thing is to ask them to take a photo of Simon holding up the front page of today’s South China Morning Post. Then ask them to email it to him.”
“Why would they agree?” Amanda asked.
“Michael is going to start the conversation by telling them he’s going to pay them what they’re asking for.”
He looked up at her. “Ava, how the hell are we going to do that?”
“One thing at a time,” she said to both of them. “We need to do one thing at a time, not get ahead of ourselves. And right now that one thing is to find out if Simon is okay. Can you make the call?”
“Sure,” he said.
“Good. Now I want you to talk to Lok, no one else.”
“His is the only number I have.”
“Don’t try to chit-chat. You don’t need to be anything but direct. Tell him you’re prepared to get the money together but you need to be one hundred percent sure that Simon is fine.”