The Princeling of Nanjing Page 8
“Maybe not,” he said slowly.
“So call Feng for me.”
“If I do, I don’t want anyone but him, me, and you to know what you’re planning. We can’t have your name dragged into this thing.”
“I’ve actually told May what I’m thinking of doing.”
Xu paused. “I wish you hadn’t.”
“She won’t say anything to anyone. I trust her completely.”
“I know, but you have to be careful,” Xu said. “I’m not sure you understand. Tsai Men remembers your name. He mentioned it to me yesterday in Nanjing. So it would be a problem if it came up in connection with his companies or mine. He’d assume I put you up to it.”
“Why would he mention me?” Ava asked.
“It isn’t worth repeating.”
“Pang Fai said he’s a pig.”
“Then you have some idea of what he said.”
“Charming.”
“That’s the last thing he is,” Xu said. “Ava, I still don’t like this idea of yours, but I do see the possible benefits. You just need to be cautious.”
“I will be very, very careful,” Ava said.
“Okay, then I’ll talk to Feng.”
“Could you call him right away? Give him my cell number.”
“I’ll call him now.”
“Thanks, and have a safe journey. Give my regards to Lam.”
“He made a point of asking if you were coming with me. He has tremendous admiration for you.”
“We did go to war together.”
“And we won.”
Ava ended the call and went to her computer, hoping to see an email from her mother. It was the middle of the night in Toronto, and she hadn’t heard from her in what was now close to seven hours. She wrote: I’m worried about you. Hope you’re home safely from Rama. There were a couple of ways to interpret the word “safely” and Ava knew Jennie Lee would pick up on them both.
She then turned to a Chinese search engine and entered the name Tsai Lian. Page after page of references emerged, and every page she looked at confirmed that he was indeed an important man from an important family who held an important position. What are you doing asking Xu to open a drug factory? she thought. Before she could answer her own question, she heard her cellphone.
“Ava Lee,” she said.
“This is Feng.”
“Where are you?”
“At the office.”
“Did the boss tell you what I wanted?”
“He did.”
“Good. Now, what are the three Tsai companies you’re sending money to?”
He was quiet.
“There are three, correct?”
“Yes.”
“And they are?” Ava asked, slightly annoyed that she had to prod him.
“Nanjing Hallmark Consulting Company Limited, Nanjing Evergreen Trading Company Limited, and Jiangsu Gold Star Investments.”
“How is the money sent?”
“We remit monthly by wire transfer.”
“Against an invoice?”
“Always.”
“The same amounts to each?”
“Close enough.”
“How many of your companies are remitting?”
“Just three. We designated one factory for each of their companies. It keeps things simpler. The invoices come directly to me and I tell the factories how much to send, although it hasn’t varied in a while.”
“How much do you know about the companies you’re sending money to?”
“Not a lot. We have the company names and their bank account information. That’s all we need to send the wires.”
“Just a moment. Xu said that Tsai Men heads up one and that he has a sister who runs another, and her husband is with the third.”
“That’s right. They’re listed as the legal representatives, although we never actually confirmed that the sister is married.”
“Are there other individuals’ names attached to these companies?”
“Not that I know of, although I haven’t looked at the documents in a while.”
Ava again sensed reluctance, or caution, emanating from the other end of the phone.
“Feng, tell me, are you having a problem with this conversation?” she said.
He hesitated. “No.”
“Well, I think you are,” Ava said. “I’m not going to explain to you who I am. It’s enough that you know I’ve offered to help with this Tsai business and Xu has accepted my offer. If that’s an issue for you, call Xu and explain it to him.”
“I don’t have to call him. He made it clear enough.”
“So why are you behaving like this?”
“The truth is I’m scared.”
“Are you saying you’re afraid we’re going to kick a hornets’ nest?”
“No, I’m afraid you’re going to.”
“That’s the third warning I’ve received. Let me tell you what I told the others: I know how to keep my head down and I know how to be discreet.”
“I’m sorry if I sounded uncooperative.”
“Okay, let’s forget about it. How long will it take for you to get the names of all the people attached to those three companies?”
“I’ll call the bank now.”
“Speaking of our need to be cautious, do you trust the bank to keep your inquiry confidential?”
“My brother-in-law is my contact.”
“Is he completely trustworthy?”
“He took the thirty-six oaths. His only loyalty is to Xu.”
“Then please make your call and get back to me right away.”
Ava took a new notebook from her bag and wrote The Tsai Family across the top of the first page. When she worked with Uncle, she had kept a separate notebook for every case they took on. It was a handwritten history of the people involved, the crime committed, and the trail she had followed. She found that writing detailed information in this manner helped her thought process and gave her a permanent record. It was a habit she couldn’t break.
Ava started to write her impressions of the Tsai family on the first page of the new book. She turned back to the computer to glance at the Chinese website she’d accessed to glean information on them, and she saw that a text had finally arrived from Jennie Lee.
I’m in the car with Cindy on the way home with a big cheque from Casino Rama in my purse, Jennie wrote. I just sent a message to Marian saying I want to take her and the girls to Disneyland. How would you like to take a trip to Italy with me and Maria for your next birthday?
Ava blinked. Over the years her mother had had other big casino wins, and her immediate reaction was always to share. Ava knew no one as spontaneously and genuinely generous as Jennie, but even for her this was excessive. Just how much money had she won? Ava thought about asking and then dismissed the idea. Her birthday was months away, and no matter how much Jennie had won, it could likely all be lost by then. It was better not to know.
Italy sounds just wonderful, Ava wrote. I’ll tell Maria when I get back.
As she sent the message, her phone rang.
“This is Feng. I just talked to my brother-in-law.”
“Did you find out what I want to know?”
“I think so. There are different principals attached to each of the Tsai companies. Tsai Men is listed as the legal representative at Hallmark Consulting. His sister, Tsai Bik, has the same position at Evergreen Trading, and her husband, Hu Chi, at Gold Star.”
“And we’re sure they’re married?”
“Like I said, we remit payment by wire transfer. When our bank created new templates a few years ago, they asked for two contact names in each company. Tsai Bik gave Hu Chi’s name, and he gave hers. My brother-in-law, who doesn’t know anything about the business arrangement, thought the cross-referenci
ng was a bit odd and phoned their bank to see if a mistake had been made. He was told they were married and had shares in each other’s companies.”
“Does this mean they use the same bank?”
“Yes, the Founders’ Bank of Nanjing.”
“And Hallmark Consulting?”
“The same.”
“Who were the contact names for Hallmark?”
“Tsai Men and someone named Wu Bo.”
“What do we know about Wu?”
“Nothing, but I’ve already asked my brother-in-law to see what he can find.”
“How would he do that?” Ava said.
“He is going to call his contact.”
“At the Founders’ Bank?”
“I’m not sure if it’s someone who works at the bank or someone who knows someone who works there.”
“Whoever it is, it would be invaluable if we could find someone at that bank who would be prepared to share information with us about the Tsai companies. Would your brother-in-law be willing to make an approach on our behalf, without using names?”
“Names?”
“Not our names obviously, but not the Tsai name or any of the company names either. We just need to establish, in general terms, that the person on the other end is prepared to answer questions and provide us with copies of documents about bank customers — any bank customers. We’d pay, of course.”
“I’ll ask him to feel them out.”
“One last thing: what kind of information does a local bank require before it will open a company account?”
“Articles of incorporation, proof of registration, a tax number, the name of the legal representative, and some other minor stuff.”
“Would it require the names of shareholders and company officers?”
“If they get copies of the incorporation and registration, that information will be there. And our banks are very big on paperwork.”
“Good. I like it when things are well-documented.”
“Anything else?”
“Not for now. Please call your brother-in-law and get back to me as soon as you’re done talking to him.”
Ava turned the first page of the notebook and on the second sketched a small chart.
It took Feng less than an hour to get back to her, and when she heard excitement in his voice, she felt her own spirits rise.
“Huan spoke to his contact, and he thinks there’s a deal to be done,” Feng said.
“Who’s Huan?”
“My brother-in-law.”
“Sorry, I should have figured that out,” Ava said. “Does his contact work at the bank?”
“No, but the guy’s girlfriend does. His name is Zheng. I’ve met him a few times. I don’t know the girlfriend.”
“And she’ll go along with this?”
“He thinks so.”
“That sounds vague, and we can’t afford to be vague.”
“Huan says that she’s prepared to help if the price is right.”
“What kind of access to information does she have?”
“She’s quite senior. He thinks she can get anything we want.”
“Did Huan speak to her directly?”
“No, he worked through the contact.”
“Did he mention names?”
“My brother-in-law kept us and the Tsai family completely out of the conversation.”
“So what does she know?” Ava asked.
“He told her we want all the information she has on three accounts.”
“She didn’t ask which accounts?”
“According to her boyfriend, she doesn’t seem to care. It’s all about the money.”
“How much money is she asking for?”
“She says that depends on the amount of detail we want, but Huan says that’s bullshit. If it was a company owned by a nonentity she might charge ten thousand renminbi. Once she hears which companies they are and attaches the name Tsai to them, he guesses we’re in the hundred thousand range, maybe higher.”
“The money isn’t an issue. I want to be assured that we’re getting accurate information, and I want to be one hundred percent certain that she’ll keep her mouth shut.”
“The boyfriend will be the only name she knows. We’ll be left entirely out of the conversation. She won’t know who wants the information or where it’s going.”
“And you trust this boyfriend, Zheng?”
“He’s affiliated, and he knows, without getting too specific, that this is triad business. Zheng understands the repercussions if things don’t go as expected.”
“How will we know what we’re getting is real?”
“We’ll ask for copies of original documents if you think that’s necessary. We can also pay her half up front and withhold the balance until we can verify the facts.”
“Do both,” Ava said.
“Zheng says he’s done this kind of business with her before. There’s never been a problem. She has no curiosity.”
“Then tell Huan to close the deal.”
“What information do you want specifically?”
“I want copies of the registrations and incorporations. I want all of the personal information they have on file of the legal representatives, the shareholders, and the officers. I want to know the name of every company and individual who’s put money into those accounts. I want to know every company and individual who’s been sent money from the accounts. If money went in or out by wire transfer, I want copies of the transfers.”
“That could be a lot of information.”
“Let’s hope it is.”
“It might take a few days, or maybe even longer, for her to pull it together.”
“Pay her more to work faster.”
“How high are you prepared to go?”
“Feng, listen to me. Tell your brother-in-law what I want, and tell him I want it within twenty-four hours. However much she asks for, I’ll pay.”
“Okay.”
Ava pushed the chair back from the desk and took a deep breath. She was getting caught up in this chase and the feeling surprised her. She had forgotten just how exciting it could be. The information from the Founders’ Bank was going to open doors, and then, depending on how deeply the Tsai family wanted to bury its business secrets, those doors might lead to more doors and then more again. She knew that it all might add up to nothing, but that didn’t dampen her sense of anticipation. It had also put her on edge. She knew she needed a distraction and reached for the phone.
“Wei,” May Ling said.
“What time are you leaving for your meeting with Suki?”
“In about ten minutes.”
“I’ve decided to come.”
“That’s perfect.”
“I’m still dressed casually.”
“You might want to put on a pair of slacks and a blouse. Suki just told me she has someone she wants us to meet at dinner. He’s developed a carbon-fibre shipping container that she says will revolutionize the business.”
“She didn’t mention it at the reception, and it isn’t in any of her proposals.”
“Well, it’s a new day and she’s got a new idea.”
( 11 )
They met Suki in her office at the main Shanghai warehouse. She was surprised to see Ava and greeted her effusively. For two hours, they talked about her expansion plans and finally fixed on a three-month timeframe and a $100 million investment. There were contingencies attached, but despite that, Suki was satisfied. Ava imagined she wouldn’t be so passive if in three months the $100 million they had earmarked wasn’t available.
They met Wang, the man who had developed the carbon-fibre container, at a hot-pot restaurant that was a five-minute drive from the warehouse. He was already there when they arrived, a bottle of beer in front of him.
&nbs
p; “These are my partners,” Suki said.
Over the next two hours, between dipping oysters, shrimp, fish balls, mushrooms, tofu, lettuce, squid balls, and thinly sliced beef and pork into two boiling pots of chicken broth, Wang detailed the properties of carbon fibre and its use in sea and air transportation businesses. He lost Ava ten minutes into the scientific explanation. He regained her attention briefly when he started to talk about profit margins and market opportunity, but then her mind wandered to Feng. She had her phone on, hoping he’d call, and she kept checking it under the table in case he sent a text.
May noticed that Ava seemed distracted. “Anything wrong?” she asked.
“I’m waiting for a call, but it’s nothing urgent, so don’t worry about it.”
When they finished dinner, May complimented Wang on his project and said they’d tell Suki if they had any interest in pursuing it further. He seemed discouraged, and Ava wondered what Suki had told him.
May started talking about the carbon-fibre containers as soon as they got into a taxi to go back to the Peninsula.
“I don’t think I can handle this right now,” Ava interrupted. “I’m jet-lagged and not processing very well.”
“Are you thinking about Xu’s problem?”
“A bit.”
“Have you started looking into it?”
“We have a contact who might provide us with some information. I don’t know yet what it is or what it’s worth.”
“You’ll tell me if you find something useful?”
“Of course.”
“Tomorrow I have to head back to Wuhan. There’s business there that needs attending to.”
“When does Amanda return to Hong Kong?”
“The day after tomorrow.”
“I’ll go to Pudong tomorrow and spend some time with her and the girls. I might even go to Hong Kong with her for a few days. There are some people I’d like to see.”
“There are a lot of people there who’d be happy to see you.”
“What time is your flight?”
“Early afternoon.”
“Let’s have breakfast before you leave.”
When they got to the hotel, Ava dragged herself through the lobby and up to her suite. She glanced at the room phone and then quickly checked her email. No word from Feng. She showered, slipped into a clean T-shirt and underwear, and fell into bed.