Empire of Gold

somewhere in South America. Perhaps the second was there too – Stamford West would have been able to smuggle it out of the country without it being found by customs agents.’

Nina pursed her lips. ‘I’m not sure about that. There’s been nothing to suggest that the second statue came from there.’

‘Well, it is just a theory,’ Kit said with a shrug. ‘But the third statue could be in southern Venezuela, and these Inca treasures are coming from southern Venezuela. Perhaps the same place. I think – Interpol thinks – it is worth investigating. Mr West may have some answers.’

‘He’s in Singapore, you said?’ Eddie asked. ‘I’ve got a friend in the Singapore police; she’ll be able to help us out when we go and see this bloke.’

‘Wait, “we”?’ said Nina. ‘We are not going anywhere – there’s too much to do here.’

Eddie waved dismissively at the piles of books and papers on her desk. ‘That’s not exactly my kind of reading. If I go to Singapore with Kit, at least I’ll be doing what I’m good at.’

Kit looked between them, noting Nina’s glare at her husband. ‘A personal connection with the Singapore police could be very useful.’ The glare turned on him. ‘But I will, er . . . let you both decide what you want to do. I’ll be in New York until tomorrow, so call me. Good to see you again.’ He gathered up his files and left the office.

Nina rounded on Eddie. ‘So you’re going to Singapore, huh?’

‘Oh, so it’s all right for you to jet off round the world whenever you feel like you need a break, but not me?’

‘You think you need a break?’

‘I didn’t mean it in a Ross and Rachel sense,’ Eddie said irritably. ‘You heard Kit. I can help him out.’

‘But you still meant it in an “I don’t want to deal with my issues, so I’m going to run off to the other side of the world” sense, right?’

‘What bloody issues?’ Eddie protested. ‘You got a bit embarrassed in front of two people, neither of who you’re ever going to see again—’

‘So you’ve decided that, have you?’

‘Why, do you want to see them again?’

‘They’re my family now, so maybe I might.’

‘Oh, might you? Just don’t expect me to go with you. Anyway, the only issue is that you’ve blown everything totally out of proportion.’

‘Oh, for—’ Nina dropped heavily into her chair. ‘I sometimes wonder why I married you. Fine, okay, go to Singapore. Try not to get arrested for chewing gum.’

Eddie gave her a sarcastic look. ‘I’ll go and pack.’ He departed, leaving Nina to knead her forehead in frustration.

Once outside the UN building, Kit made a phone call. ‘It’s Jindal. I’ve just left the IHA.’

‘And?’ said a terse male voice.

‘It took a while to convince Dr Wilde that the Venezuelan connection is our best lead to the third statue, but she seems to have accepted it. And Eddie has offered to help with West.’

‘Eddie?’

‘Mr Chase.’

‘Don’t get too involved with these people, Jindal,’ came the disapproving response. ‘Once the Group has all three statues we will still need Dr Wilde, but Chase is irrelevant. Just make sure you maintain your cover at Interpol until we have them.’

‘Yes, sir. I’ll report again when I’ve found out if West has the information we need.’

A sound of confirmation from the other end of the line, then the abrupt click of disconnection without a further word. Not that Kit had expected anything more. He pocketed the phone and walked away into New York.

6

Singapore

The port of Singapore was one of the busiest in the world, its sprawling docks occupying several square miles of the island state’s limited land. Tens of thousands of shipping containers were stacked throughout the great concrete expanse, huge long-legged gantry cranes trundling back and forth from the moored globetrotting megaships in an intricate computer-directed ballet, gripping the steel boxes in their cable-mounted ‘spreader’ mechanisms.

On the port’s fringes, the walls of containers gave way to warehouses and offices. One in particular was the subject of Eddie’s attention as he waited with Kit and several officers from Singapore’s police and customs forces, sheltered from the rain beneath an awning. Across a wide road leading deeper into the metal maze was a two- storey cabin with a sign reading S Q West Import-Export, the upper floor’s windows illuminated behind Venetian blinds. ‘He’s working late,’ he said, looking at his watch. It was after nine p.m.

‘Many nights, Mr West doesn’t leave until almost midnight - and some nights he doesn’t leave at all,’ said Go Ayu. The Singapore Police Force staff sergeant was in her early thirties, of mixed Japanese and Thai descent, prim and formal in her dark blue uniform despite the humidity and the rain.

‘Can’t have much of a social life, then.’

‘He has enough to keep good friends with some of Singapore’s most important people. He is a very well- connected man.’