truck. Barring any problems, it could be in Macau as early as noon tomorrow.”
“Does Song know my name?”
“Why is that necessary?”
“Well, I assumed you were flying back to Wuhan tonight.”
“No, I’m not. I’m staying over.”
“I didn’t see any luggage.”
“Uncle has it. I’ve booked a suite at the Mandarin. He’s taken it there for me.”
“I see.”
“I’ll be going to Macau with you too.”
( 20 )
Ava walked with May to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, and then she backed away when she saw the fuss the staff was making over their new guest. They would have carried May to her room if she’d asked.
“I’m going to go now,” Ava said. “I have a tremendous amount of preparation to do.”
“We’ll have dinner?”
“Sure,” Ava said, putting aside more than one misgiving. “Let’s make it around eight. Why don’t you choose a restaurant? I’ll call you around seven thirty.”
As Ava rode the elevator to the twenty-third floor it seemed to her that her days were taking on the shape of elevator rides. She’d started down at the lobby the day before with the offer sheet in her hand, and returned with it rendered meaningless and Simon To’s life at stake. This morning she’d started the day feeling down, full of doubt verging on desperation, and now she was up again: she had a chance, a real working chance to salvage this mess.
When she got to her room, she took off her shirt and slacks and put on a T-shirt and track pants. She grabbed her notebook and a bottle of water and sat down at the desk.
Phone calls — she had to make her phone calls first or she’d never be able to concentrate on planning anything. She made a quick list and then turned on her phone. Uncle and Amanda had left messages. Both were on her list, him at the top.
“I was waiting,” he said.
“Sorry, we just got back.”
“How did it go?”
“The alarm will be disconnected, effective today, through Sunday.”
“I am not surprised.”
“Uncle, she is very sharp, very shrewd.”
“No more than you.”
“No, she operates at a different level.”
“All you need is the time, experience, and opportunity.”
Ava let the compliment slide. “She got us a truck as well. It will be in Macau tomorrow.”
“How confident are you about this working?”
“As much as I can be. The people who built the gate tell me it won’t withstand what we can throw at it. I have to trust them.”
“So, things are considerably brighter than they were this morning.”
“Thanks to you.”
“When do you plan to make your move?”
“Friday morning, as close to dawn as possible.”
“That’s quick.”
“No option.”
“I gave Sonny the message about your gun. He has been talking to Carlo and I think things have been arranged.”
“Thanks again.”
“Now what?”
“I have a lot of planning to do, and I want to get at it.”
“Do you want to have dinner tonight?”
“May has asked me already. Do you want to join us?”
“No, I think it is better for the two of you to eat alone.”
Amanda was breathless when she answered her phone. “What a crazy day,” she began. “I ran all over Hong Kong looking for your map, and Michael kept calling me every hour, and I’ve just got off the MTR from Sha Tin.”
“You went to see Jessie.”
“I had to. When I spoke to her this morning, she was a basket case, and I was afraid she’d start calling Michael or go to the police or God knows what. So I hustled over to Sha Tin and spent a couple of hours trying to calm her. Her mother is terrific, you know. She believed everything we said the other night, but Jessie is not so gullible. She knows something is not right and kept hammering at me for details.”
“How is she now?”
“I have no idea. I’m going to call in a little while.”
“Look, call her right away. Tell her we’ve finalized our arrangements with the people in Macau and that the deal closes on Friday. In fact, tell her that Simon will be home for dinner Friday night.”
“Ava, are you sure about this?”
Well, if he’s not home by Friday he’s not coming home at all, Ava thought. Either way, maybe they could spare Jessie an additional day and a half of anguish. “Tell her he’ll be home Friday.”
“Ava, you’re going to Macau then, aren’t you.”
How much can I tell her? Ava thought. And then she realized there was probably not much that Amanda hadn’t figured out already. “I am, and it isn’t something I want you to discuss with anyone