Bates looked at her business card and then back at Ava. She sat tall, Havergal style, her breasts thrust ever so slightly forward. “That all seems very interesting,” he said, words she knew meant nothing.
“Well, it’s never easy dealing with the Chinese,” she said. “Dynamic, though, has extensive experience in that area. They always try, for example, to negotiate terms that leave the investors with exit options in case of problems. Quite obviously, they have contacts inside China that make this possible, contacts they have nurtured over a great many years. The fees they charge for brokering contracts like this, for being the stable bridge between the two parties, are exceedingly reasonable given the level of protection they offer.”
He had a pen, a notepad, and a closed file in front of him. He didn’t write a single word as she spoke. “Our bank has a presence in Asia, of course, and I have heard how difficult it is to do business there,” he said.
“It can be incredibly frustrating,” Ava said. “We represented an American firm one time that was negotiating a contract in Shanghai. It dragged on and on for months, and every time they thought the deal was done, some new issue would emerge. Finally they thought everything had been put to bed and were told by the Chinese to bring their senior people to Shanghai for a signing ceremony. A week later their CEO flew into Hong Kong from New York to catch a flight to Shanghai. When he got to Hong Kong, he was met at the airport by his local staff. They had just received a fax from the Chinese company signed by someone none of them had met or even heard of. The fax advised them not to bother coming to Shanghai — the deal was dead. The Americans tried phoning, faxing, and emailing everyone they had met during the course of the previous months. No one would take their calls or respond to any of their communications.
“Dynamic made some phone calls for me and found out that the nephew of the Shanghai mayor had brought a German firm to the table the week before. All those months of work, all the complicated negotiations, all the money expended — it all went down the drain on the strength of a handshake between the nephew and the Germans.”
“What a story,” Bates said. “You know, if you don’t mind me saying, you seem very young to have this level of experience and responsibility.”
“I was thinking exactly the same thing about you,” she said. “I was expecting to meet some old banker in a tweed suit.”
“A tweed suit wouldn’t do in this climate, and actually I rarely wear a jacket of any kind,” he said, smiling. “As for my age… well, Barrett’s is very aggressive when it comes to recruiting and very progressive in putting younger staff in positions that place demands on their learning curve. I’ve just turned thirty-eight and this is my second foreign posting. I was second-in-command of our Paris office before this.”
“I had put you as even younger.”
“Thank you, I guess, though that’s not always good in this business. I get clients coming in here who keep insisting that they want to talk to my boss.”
“I get the same thing,” Ava said, shaking her head. “I’m in my early thirties and still get treated as if I graduated from university last year.”
“I can’t say I’m completely surprised. I mean, you do look younger than thirty.”
“Chinese genes.”
“For someone who is Chinese, your English is remarkably good,” he said, and then caught himself. “I didn’t mean that to sound condescending.”
“I was raised and educated in Canada.”
“I love Canada,” he said, leaning towards her. “I have a brother living in Montreal and a sister in Vancouver.”
“I love it too, but for work purposes I didn’t have much choice but to go back to Hong Kong.”
“Now, Mr. Seto… He lives where exactly?”
“He has a residence in Seattle and another in Hong Kong, and of course he has a home in Guyana.”
“Yes, we’ve most often dealt with him from Guyana.”
Ava didn’t want to go much further down that path. She opened her Chanel purse. It was time to raise the ante. “Here is the banking information for Dynamic,” she said, sliding a sheet of paper to Bates. “You already have their name and address. These are the bank’s particulars, including the branch address and the IBN and SWIFT numbers. The account number is at the bottom.”
“Mr. Seto wrote that he wanted to send a wire.”
“Yes.”
“For how much?”
“One for five million, and a second wire for two million.”
“Two wires?”
“Yes, the two million is to be sent to the holding company of the scallop plant as a deposit. Here is their data,” Ava said, passing over Uncle’s banking information. “The five goes to Dynamic. They’ll hold it in escrow until the deal closes, and that hopefully will be within the next twenty-four hours.”
“Seven million total, then?”
Could that be his only question? He had no concerns about the separate wires? “Yes, seven million.”
He opened his file. She saw copies of the emails she had sent from Seto’s address on top. They looked bona fide, even to her. “There is sufficient money in the account,” he said.
“I assume you’ll prepare two wire transfer drafts for Jackson’s signature?”
He picked up the two pieces of paper she had given him and put them in his file folder. “Give me a few minutes. I’ll get them started right away.”
Ava hesitated. He hadn’t mentioned the passport requirement or the need to present other ID. She thought about letting it pass and then just as quickly decided not to. Bates might not be entirely up to date with the account safeguards, but someone would be sure to flag them. It was better for her to be proactive, to appear as transparent as possible. She needed all the trust she could generate.
“Excuse me, Mr. Bates, I don’t mean to slow things down, but Jackson did mention that the bank normally requires him to present his passport and other forms of ID, and to sign and date copies of them. I brought the originals with me just in case you needed them.” She reached into her purse and removed Seto’s American passport, Hong Kong ID card, driver’s licence, and credit cards. She spread them in front of Bates. “Take whatever you need.”
He nodded. “Yes, thanks for reminding me. Marilyn usually handles this kind of detail. I’ll take everything to her and she can copy whatever she wants. She’ll be preparing the wire transfer drafts as well.”
“How long do you think it will take?” she asked.
“You’re in a rush?”
“No, no, it’s just that I really need to make a couple of phone calls and I left my cellphone at the apartment.”
“You can use the phone here if you wish,” he said, pointing to the one on the conference table.
“They’re long-distance calls.”
“Ms. Lee, I think the bank can afford to pay for a few long-distance calls. Any line will do. Dial nine for an outside line, and then 011 and the country code.”
“Thank you, I really appreciate it.”
“And I’ll close my office door. When you’re finished, just open it to let me know you’re free.”
Bates put Seto’s passport and other ID into his file. Then he stood up and looked down at Ava. “I must say, this is a nice break from my usual routine,” he said.
She watched him leave the room, grateful that he hadn’t made her ask to use the phone. Conscious more than ever of the camera at work in the corner of the ceiling, she tried to look as natural and composed as she could. Just pretend you’re calling Mimi, she thought, as she punched in Uncle’s Hong Kong cellphone number, fervently hoping he’d pick up.
“ Wei?” he answered.
“Uncle, it’s Ava,” she said.
“I don’t recognize this line. Where are you?”
“I made it. I’m in the British Virgin Islands,” she said, switching to Cantonese.
“Ava, I’ve been calling your cell. Why haven’t you been answering?” he said, matching her language choice.
“I’ve made it but I’m having a bit of trouble.”
