The Scottish Banker of Surabaya Read online

  PRAISE FOR THE WATER RAT OF WANCHAI

  WINNER OF THE ARTHUR ELLIS AWARD FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL

  “Ian Hamilton’s The Water Rat of Wanchai is a smart, action-packed thriller of the first order, and Ava Lee, a gay Asian-Canadian forensics accountant with a razor-sharp mind and highly developed martial arts skills, is a protagonist to be reckoned with. We were impressed by Hamilton’s tight plotting; his well-rendered settings, from the glitz of Bangkok to the grit of Guyana; and his ability to portray a wide range of sharply individualized characters in clean but sophisticated prose.”

  — Judges’ Citation, Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel

  “Ava Lee is tough, fearless, quirky, and resourceful, and she has more — well, you know — than a dozen male detectives I can think of . . . Hamilton has created a true original in Ava Lee.”

  — Linwood Barclay, author of No Time for Goodbye

  “If the other novels [in the series] are half as good as this debut by Ian Hamilton, then readers are going to celebrate. Hamilton has created a marvellous character in Ava Lee . . . This is a terrific story that’s certain to be on the Arthur Ellis Best First Novel list.”

  — Globe and Mail

  “[Ava Lee’s] lethal knowledge . . . torques up her sex appeal to the approximate level of a female lead in a Quentin Tarantino film.”

  — National Post

  “The heroine in The Water Rat of Wanchai by Ian Hamilton sounds too good to be true, but the heroics work better that way . . . formidable . . . The story breezes along with something close to total clarity . . . Ava is unbeatable at just about everything. Just wait for her to roll out her bak mei against the bad guys. She’s perfect. She’s fast.”

  — Toronto Star

  “Imagine a book about a forensic accountant that has tension, suspense, and action . . . When the central character looks like Lucy Liu, kicks like Jackie Chan, and has a travel budget like Donald Trump, the story is anything but boring. The Water Rat of Wanchai is such a beast . . . I look forward to the next one, The Disciple of Las Vegas.”

  — Montreal Gazette

  “[A] tomb-raiding Dragon Lady Lisbeth, sans tattoo and face metal.”

  — Winnipeg Free Press

  “Readers will discern in Ava undertones of Lisbeth Salander, the ferocious protagonist of the late Stieg Larsson’s crime novels . . . she, too, is essentially a loner, and small, and physically brutal . . . There are suggestions in The Water Rat of Wanchai of deeper complexities waiting to be more fully revealed. Plus there’s pleasure, both for Ava and readers, in the puzzle itself: in figuring out where money has gone, how to get it back, and which humans, helpful or malevolent, are to be dealt with where, and in what ways, in the process . . . Irresistible.”

  — Joan Barfoot, London Free Press

  “The Water Rat of Wanchai delivers on all fronts . . . feels like the beginning of a crime-fighting saga . . . great story told with colour, energy, and unexpected punch.”

  — Hamilton Spectator

  “The best series fiction leaves readers immersed in a world that is both familiar and fresh. Seeds planted early bear fruit later on, creating a rich forest that blooms across a number of books . . . [Hamilton] creates a terrific atmosphere of suspense . . . ”

  — Quill & Quire

  “The book is an absolute page-turner . . . Hamilton’s knack for writing snappy dialogue is evident . . . I recommend getting in on the ground floor with this character, because for Ava Lee, the sky’s the limit.”

  — Inside Halton

  “A fascinating story of a hunt for stolen millions. And the hunter, Ava Lee, is a compelling heroine: tough, smart, and resourceful.”

  — Meg Gardiner, author of The Nightmare Thief

  “Few heroines are as feisty as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s Lisbeth Salander, but Ian Hamilton’s Ava Lee could give her a run for her money . . . Gripping . . . [Ava is] smart, gutsy, and resourceful.”

  — Stylist UK

  “With Ava Lee comes a new star in the world of crime-thrillers . . . Hamilton produced a suspenseful and gripping novel featuring a woman who is not afraid of anything . . . Captivating and hard to put down.”

  — dapd/sda

  “Thrillers don’t always have to be Scandinavian to work. Ava Lee is a wonderful Chinese-Canadian investigator who uses unconventional methods of investigation in a mysterious Eastern setting.”

  — Elle (Germany)

  “Ava has flair, charm, and sex-appeal . . . The Water Rat of Wanchai is a successful first book in a series, which will definitely have you longing for more.”

  — Sonntag-Express

  “Hamilton is in the process of writing six books and film rights have already been sold. If the other cases are similar to this first one, Ava Lee is sure to quickly shake up Germany’s thriller-business.”

  — Handelsblatt

  “Brilliantly researched and incredibly exciting!”

  — Bücher

  “Page-turning till the end of the book! . . . Ava Lee is the upcoming crime-star.”

  — dpa

  “Exciting thriller debut with an astonishing end.”

  — Westdeutsche Zeitung

  “Seldom does one get a thriller about white-collar crime, with an intelligent, independent lesbian and Asian protagonist. It’s also rare to find a book with such interesting and exotic settings . . . Readers will find great amusement in Ava’s unconventional ways and will certainly enjoy accompanying her on her travels.”

  — Literaturkurier

  PRAISE FOR THE DISCIPLE OF LAS VEGAS

  “I started to read The Disciple of Las Vegas at around ten at night. And I did something I have only done with two other books (Cormac McCarthy’s The Road and Douglas Coupland’s Player One): I read the novel in one sitting. Ava Lee is too cool. She wonderfully straddles two worlds and two identities. She does some dastardly things and still remains our hero thanks to the charm Ian Hamilton has given her on the printed page. It would take a female George Clooney to portray her in a film. The action and plot move quickly and with power. Wow. A punch to the ear, indeed.”

  — J. J. Lee, author of The Measure of a Man

  “This is slick, fast-moving escapism reminiscent of Ian Fleming, with more to come in what shapes up as a high-energy, high-concept series.”

  — Booklist

  “Fast paced . . . Enough personal depth to lift this thriller above solely action-oriented fare.”

  — Publishers Weekly

  “Lee is a hugely original creation, and Hamilton packs his adventure with interesting facts and plenty of action.”

  — Irish Independent

  “I loved The Water Rat of Wanchai, the first novel featuring Ava Lee. Now, Ava and Uncle make a return that’s even better . . . Simply irresistible.”

  — Margaret Cannon, Globe and Mail

  “Hamilton gives his reader plenty to think about . . . Entertaining.”

  — Kitchener-Waterloo Record

  PRAISE FOR THE WILD BEASTS OF WUHAN

  “Smart and savvy Ava Lee, a Toronto forensic accountant, returns in this slick mystery set in the rarefied world of high art . . . [A] great caper tale. Hamilton has great fun chasing villains and tossing clues about. The Wild Beasts of Wuhan is the best Ava Lee novel yet, and promises more and better to come.”

  — Margaret Cannon, Globe and Mail

  “One of my favourite new mystery series, perfect escapism.”

  — National Post

  “As a mystery lover, I’m devouring each book as it comes out . . . What I love in the novels: The constant travel, the high-stakes negotiation, and Ava’s willingness to go into battle against formidable opponents, using on
ly her martial arts skills to defend herself . . . If you want a great read and an education in high-level business dealings, Ian Hamilton is an author to watch.”

  — Toronto Star

  “Fast-paced and very entertaining.”

  — Montreal Gazette

  “Ava Lee is definitely a winner.”

  — Saskatoon Star Phoenix

  “The Wild Beasts of Wuhan is an entertaining dip into potentially fatal worlds of artistic skulduggery.”

  — Sudbury Star

  “Hamilton uses Ava’s investigations as comprehensive and intriguing mechanisms for plot and character development.”

  — Quill & Quire

  PRAISE FOR THE RED POLE OF MACAU

  “Ava Lee, that wily, wonderful hunter of nasty business brutes, is back in her best adventure ever . . . If you haven’t yet discovered Ava Lee, start here.”

  — Globe and Mail

  “A romp of a story with a terrific heroine.”

  — Saskatoon Star Phoenix

  “Fast-paced . . . The action unfolds like a well-oiled action-flick.”

  — Kitchener-Waterloo Record

  “A change of pace for our girl [Ava Lee] . . . Suspenseful.”

  — Toronto Star

  “Ava [Lee] is a character we all could use at one time or another. Failing that, we follow her in her best adventure yet.”

  — Hamilton Spectator

  “Crackling with suspense, intrigue, and danger, your fingers will be smoking from turning these pages.”

  — Terry Fallis, author of Best Laid Plans and Up and Down

  “Ava Lee returns as one of crime fiction’s most intriguing characters. The Red Pole of Macau is the best page-turner of the season from the hottest writer in the business!”

  — John Lawrence Reynolds, author of Beach Strip

  THE

  SCOTTISH

  BANKER

  OF

  SURABAYA

  Also in the Ava Lee Series

  The Water Rat of Wanchai

  The Disciple of Las Vegas

  The Wild Beasts of Wuhan

  The Red Pole of Macau

  THE

  SCOTTISH

  BANKER

  OF

  SURABAYA

  AN AVA LEE NOVEL

  IAN HAMILTON

  Copyright © 2013 Ian Hamilton

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Distribution of this electronic edition via the Internet or any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal. Please do not participate in electronic piracy of copyrighted material; purchase only authorized electronic editions. We appreciate your support of the author’s rights.

  This edition published in 2013 by

  House of Anansi Press Inc.

  110 Spadina Avenue, Suite 801

  Toronto, ON, M5V 2K4

  Tel. 416-363-4343

  Fax 416-363-1017

  www.houseofanansi.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, and events are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

  Hamilton, Ian, 1946–

  The Scottish banker of Surabaya / Ian Hamilton.

  (An Ava Lee novel)

  Issued also in print format.

  ISBN 978-1-77089-235-4

  I. Title. II. Series: Hamilton, Ian, 1946– . Ava Lee

  novel.

  PS8615.A4423S26 2013 C813’.6 C2012-905950-1

  Cover design: Gregg Kulick

  We acknowledge for their financial support of our publishing program the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund.

  For my aunt, Margaret Burns, and in memory of her husband and a good friend to me, Dr. Archie Burns

  PROLOGUE

  Revenge was not an emotion she was accustomed to managing.

  In the course of business there were times when things came unstuck and she found herself on the wrong end of an outcome. But in her mind it was still business, and the people who were causing her grief were simply exercising their own right to do business as they saw fit.

  This was different. He had made it personal, more personal than she could have imagined possible.

  She lay in the dark, cold despite being wrapped in a thick duvet, and she thought about the day that was about to dawn.

  She was going to get him. She was going to hurt him. The thought of it didn’t bring peace. It ran unchecked in her mind, bouncing from pain to pain.

  She prayed she would be calmer and in control when the moment came. It might be revenge she sought, but she still wanted it to be quiet, and private.

  ( 1 )

  It was the Friday before the Labour Day weekend, the last weekend of Canadian summer, and Ava Lee woke with the realization that her two months of relative seclusion were about to end.

  She lay quietly for a moment, listening for the sounds of birds that greeted her every morning through her open bedroom window. She heard the leaves rustling and lake water lapping against the dock, and she knew the wind was up.

  She moved her legs and felt a burning sensation in her right thigh. Two and a half months before, she had been shot there during a house invasion in Macau. Luckily the bullet hadn’t struck bone or cut through an artery. She had flown back to Canada two days later, using crutches that had evolved into a cane and then a limp. To her surprise she had been able to start a modest workout regime soon after getting to the cottage. Given that she was supremely fit and that the bullet hadn’t done any structural damage, it was all about pain management. Most mornings she felt nothing in the leg, only to have the pain reappear randomly, burning and throbbing; it seemed to twitch, to almost be alive.

  Ava was a debt collector. It was a job often fraught with peril, and over the ten years she had worked with her Hong Kong partner, Uncle, she had been stabbed, kicked, punched, hit with a tire iron, and whipped with a belt. None of them had left a permanent mark; none of them revisited her like the muscle memory of that bullet.

  She pulled down the sheets and glanced at her leg. The doctor in Macau had done a good job getting the bullet out of her thigh and treating the initial wound, but he was no cosmetic surgeon. Her girlfriend, Maria, had gasped when she first saw the raw red scar, which eventually turned into a less ugly long pink worm.

  She slid from the bed, slipped on her Adidas training pants, and left the bedroom. She walked softly down the hallway so as not to disturb her mother and went into the kitchen. The hot water Thermos she had brought from her Toronto condo sat ready on the counter. She opened a sachet of Starbucks VIA instant coffee and made her first cup of the morning.

  The sun was well over the horizon, but she could still see the last remnants of morning dew glistening on the wooden deck. She opened the kitchen door and felt a slight chill in the air. She put on her Adidas running jacket, slipped her cellphone into a pocket, grabbed a dish towel, tucked her laptop under one arm, and, balancing her coffee, walked across the wet grass to the dock.

  Ava started every morning on the dock with her coffee and her electronic devices. She wiped the dew from the wooden Muskoka chair and eased herself into it. One broad arm held her coffee, the other comfortably accommodated the laptop. She turned on her computer and then her phone.

  It was just past nine o’clock, and the emails from the part of her world that was beginning its day were first in line. Maria had emailed at eight. I have a seat on the Casino Rama bus leaving the city at 4 this afternoon. I should be at Rama by 5:30. Do you want me to take a cab to the cottage?

  Ava started to reply and then reached f
or her phone. Maria would be at her desk at the Colombian Trade Commission office by now. She called her direct line.

  “Hi, honey,” Maria said.

  “I’ll pick you up in front of the casino hotel,” Ava said.

  “Your mother is staying at the hotel again?”

  “Yes.”

  “She doesn’t like me.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “She never wants to be in my company, and when she is, the only two things she ever says to me are that I have nice manners and that I look good in bright colours.”

  “Those are compliments.”

  “I make her uncomfortable.”

  “No, we make her uncomfortable. Although we’ve never discussed it, I know she can’t stay in the cottage when you’re here because she wouldn’t be able to stop herself thinking about what’s going on in our bedroom. She’s very Chinese and very Catholic, and as understanding as she tries to be, there are limits to what she can handle. Is your very Colombian, very Catholic mother any different?”

  “No,” Maria said softly.

  “So I’ll see you tonight. The weather forecast for the weekend is fantastic.”

  Ava returned to the computer. Her sister, Marian, had sent one of her typical newsy emails. The girls go back to school on Tuesday. New uniforms for them this year. I bought them over a month ago, and when I did I couldn’t help but remember how Mummy always left doing that until the very last minute, and how we ended up in long lines that took hours to process and were lucky at the end to find uniforms in the right size.

  Ava sighed. Her mother and her sister had personalities that didn’t mesh well, a fact made even more contentious when Marian married an uptight gweilo civil servant who was incapable of understanding a woman like Jennie Lee.

  And I can’t believe that she actually stayed at the cottage with you for two months, Marian wrote. She came to our cottage in the Gatineaus once and barely lasted the week. She said she didn’t like blackflies, squirrels, raccoons, horseflies, mosquitoes, dirt roads, and cold lakes.

  Give the girls a hug for me, Ava replied. I’m sure they’ll have another great year at school. As for Mummy, well, she initially came to the cottage because she knew I needed her help, and she stayed because I stocked the fridge with Chinese food, brought in Chinese cable TV, told her to invite her friends from Richmond Hill to play mah-jong, and most evenings I drive her over to Casino Rama to play baccarat.