“Then let’s get this over with. I know how to keep my mouth shut.”
“I saw you leave Lok’s this morning. How often have you been there?”
“I can’t count.”
“That many?”
“I’m a regular. Wu has a thing for me.”
“For how long?”
“At least three years.”
“Good. Now just wait a minute while I get something,” Ava said, standing up.
The woman’s eyes grew large, and Ava knew she’d frightened her. “It’s a floor plan of Lok’s house, that’s all,” she said.
“The castle, you mean.”
“Castle?”
“That’s what we call it.”
“I’ll be right back,” Ava said.
Amanda was still sleeping. The two boys stood at the window, Carlo with the binoculars fixed on a smaller hotel across the street. Ava opened the cardboard tube and extracted the floor plans. The boys didn’t even turn around as she headed back into the bathroom.
She spread the drawing across the bathroom sink and counter. “Come and look at this, please,” she said.
When the woman was right next to her, Ava could smell the mixed remnants of perfume, sweat, and sex. “Couldn’t you have showered?”
“I was told to move my ass, so that’s what I did.”
Ava sighed and passed a pen over the plans. “Okay, this drawing is eight years old. I need you to look at it and tell me if there have been any big changes. For example, there is a kitchen and dining room here on the right — is that still the case?”
“Yeah.”
“How about the other side, with the den and living room?”
“It’s one big room, that’s all. Lots of couches and throw cushions and a huge high-definition television. That’s where the guys hang out.”
“And here,” Ava said, moving the pen to the wing. “This is where some of the guys sleep?”
“Yeah.”
“How many?”
“It’s always changing. I’ve seen as few as three and I’ve seen the entire house filled with them.”
“How many is ‘filled’?”
“Fourteen, fifteen . . . I’m not sure.”
“How many last night?”
“I think there were seven.”
“Does that include Lok and Wu?”
“No, just the guys.”
“And they all sleep in this wing?”
“Yeah, unless there’s an overflow. Then they’ll put some of them upstairs, but I know they don’t like to do that. One time it happened when I was there and Wu didn’t stop bitching about it.”
“There are five bedrooms on the second floor. Where do Lok and Wu sleep?”
“Wu is here, the bedroom at the top of the stairs. Lok is at the other end.”
“So, three empty bedrooms separating them?”
“No, there are two servants, a husband and wife. They sleep in the middle bedroom.”
“Servants?”
“Yeah, they cook and clean. Nice old couple,” Fay said, turning towards Ava. A raw odour hit Ava like a hammer.
“You didn’t even brush your teeth,” Ava said.
“I did, but we ate salty fish last night, and that smell stays with you for days.”
“Then breathe away from me,” Ava said. She pointed to the third floor. “What’s there?”
“I don’t know. Never been there, and I’ve never seen anyone go there.”
“There are stairs.”
“Yeah, but at the top there’s a door, and I’ve never seen it open.”
“When you’re in Wu’s room, have you ever heard any sounds coming from the floor above?”
“Like what?”
“Footsteps, furniture moving, a television or radio?”
“Never.”
“What are the evenings like there? How does everyone spend their time?”
“What do you mean?”
“The other two girls were Russian, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Both for Lok?”
“That’s what he likes. Big girls, big tits, and always two.”
“So how did the five of you spend your evening?”
“We didn’t get there until eleven. We sat in the kitchen and had something to eat and drink, and then we went upstairs to fuck. That’s it.”
“Where were the other guys?”
“In the den, playing cards or mah-jong or whatever and watching TV, like every other time I’ve been there.”
“Do they go to bed early?”
“Midnight is early for those guys.”
“So what time do they go to sleep?”
“One, two, three, something like that. Every time I get up to pee it seems like the TV is on.”
“How about in the morning — any early risers?”
“Yeah, the husband and wife, that’s it.”
“How early?”
“I don’t know, maybe seven o’clock. I do know that I’ve gone down earlier to get something to drink and the entire place was empty.”
“This is good, Fay,” Ava said. “You’re being helpful.”
“Then can I have a smoke now?”
“No, but we’re almost done.”
The woman sighed, her breath leaking sideways. Ava almost gagged. “You can sit down, though,” Ava said, motioning to the toilet. “Now I want to talk to you about security.”