“I’d still like you to send them.”
“They leave in an hour for Los Angeles. They will be in Las Vegas tomorrow night around ten.”
“Could you have someone email me the flight schedule? I’ll meet them at the airport myself,” she said before hanging up.
She checked the time — just past midnight. I hope Martin Littlefeather’s a night owl, she thought.
He answered on the fifth ring, his voice sleepy and hesitant.
“Martin, this is Ava Lee. I’m really sorry for calling so late.”
“That’s okay,” he said, without any conviction.
“Are you still in Victoria?”
“Yes, and you’re in Las Vegas?”
“I am.”
“Did you have any luck with Douglas or Ashton?”
“No, not yet, and that’s why I’m calling. I need your help.”
“Me? How?”
“I need you to fly to Las Vegas, preferably tomorrow.”
“That’s a strange request.”
“There’s something I need you to do for me here.”
“Ava, I just can’t up and leave Chief Francis at such short notice. We have meetings scheduled here tomorrow.”
“What I want you to do is probably more important than any meeting you have planned.”
“And if the Chief doesn’t agree?”
“Don’t tell him.”
“Ava, you’re crazy. You don’t know him — he’ll kill me.”
“He made you responsible for communicating with me.”
“But he didn’t authorize me to make that kind of decision.”
“Then I’ll talk to him.”
“I think you’ll have to.”
“Where is he?”
“In his room.”
“Do me a favour: go to his room and call me from there. We can talk on speaker phone so there’s no misunderstanding.”
“It’s past midnight.”
“Martin, believe me, he won’t care about the time after we’ve finished.”
“Okay, I’ll do what I can.”
Five minutes came and went. Ava was beginning to worry when her phone rang.
“Ms. Lee,” Chief Francis said, “I can’t say I’m happy to hear from you. I thought we had agreed we’d seen the last of each other.”
“And I’m not happy I had to call, but unfortunately things have gone a bit off track.”
“What do you want that is so urgent?”
“I want Martin — or you, if you think that’s better — to call David Douglas and arrange a meeting for the day after tomorrow. Tell him you don’t want to be seen at their offices or anywhere in public. Ask if you can meet at his house.”
“Under what pretence?”
“Chief, this company has potentially used the band to commit major fraud. They’ve put everything you’ve been working to accomplish at risk. That’s why you or Martin wants to talk with them. A phone call from some techie won’t cut it — or any phone call, for that matter. You want a face-to-face meeting with Douglas and Ashton. Tell them some nosy Chinese girl has been poking around, asking questions, stirring up trouble. You need their assurance that there’s nothing to it.”
Francis muttered something to Martin. She was sure it wasn’t complimentary. “And if they agree to a meeting?”
“Then I want you to send Martin to Las Vegas to represent you.”
“This is a very long way from never hearing from you again.” She heard him sigh. “Okay, now we have Martin in Las Vegas for a meeting. How does this help you?”
“I’ll go to the meeting with him.”
“How will he explain your presence?”
“He won’t have to.”
“Why not?”
“They won’t see me until it’s too late.”
“Too late for what?”
“To cancel the meeting.”
“Why would they cancel a meeting with Martin?”
“He won’t be at it. I’ll handle the meeting myself.”
“This is ridiculous,” Francis said.
“No, I’ll tell you what’s ridiculous,” she said. “Two weeks ago, one of The River’s clients — one of your clients, by proxy — went to them with the documentation I gave you. Two days later they blew up his car and told him to stay away from your people. Another client made a phone call to them. They broke into his apartment, trashed it, and left a threatening note. A third client — the one whose interests I represent — is lying in a Vancouver hospital close to death after jumping off the roof of his house out of sheer desperation.
“About ten hours ago I had a very polite one-minute chat with David Douglas. Six hours ago I was attacked by two men who threw me to the ground and kicked me hard in the ribs. Thirty minutes after that I was handed a note from David Douglas saying that they were his men and there was more of the same in store for me if I kept asking questions. Now, all of that is really ridiculous.”
The line went quiet.
“Ava, is all this really true?” Martin asked finally.
“No, Martin, I’m making it up,” she said, more harshly than she intended.
“Who else have you told about this?” Francis asked.
“No one. If I told my people in Hong Kong, all hell would break loose. I’m trying to keep the situation contained because I honestly believe that if I can get face to face with Douglas and Ashton I can resolve this matter in a discreet way.”
“You’ve tried that. What would make it different this time?” Francis said.
“They’ll listen to me.”
“What if those two men are there?” Martin interrupted.
“I’m going to bring two of my own as a precaution.”
“Jesus Christ, I think this is getting out of control,” Francis said. “You’re talking about some potential for violence here.”
Ava shifted on the bed, trying to relieve the pain in her ribs. “You know, Chief, when I read about you in the early days, it seemed that things didn’t always go smoothly or peacefully. One newspaper even wrote that the Thousand Islands should be renamed the Wild East. And I read a quote from you that said the occasional run-in with the law was regrettable but the Mohneida were more concerned about the greater good. So please don’t talk to me about potential for violence. I’m sitting here on a bed with taped ribs and an icepack on my hip, and the only reason I’m not in the hospital is because a kick that was aimed at my head didn’t hit square on. And just to be clear, my objective here isn’t revenge. All I want is to get back the money that was stolen from my clients. That is my greater good, Chief Francis.”
She could hear Martin speaking in the background but couldn’t make out his words.
“Ms. Lee, just who the hell are you?” Chief Francis said.
“I’m an accountant.”
“And where would you get two thugs? Accounting school?”
“The firm I work for in Hong Kong has a diverse portfolio.”
“Ava,” Martin interjected, “if I can arrange a meeting with Douglas and Ashton, how do you expect me to
