Ava went into the living room, closing Seto’s door. “I can’t have you here when the banker comes,” she said to Robbins.
“I’m not leaving,” he said.
“Then we have a problem. Do we need to call your brother?”
“I’ll go to my room. The door will be closed. But I’m not leaving the apartment.”
Ava tried to think of a convincing argument that he was being unreasonable and failed. “Just be quiet, then.”
“I didn’t bring my drums,” he muttered.
She carried her file folder to the kitchen, opened it, and placed Bates’s two sets of documents on the table. She checked the signatures against the passport and the Hong Kong ID card. The only way they wouldn’t pass, she thought, was if the person looking at them had predetermined they weren’t genuine. They weren’t perfect, she knew; they were just good enough. And if Bates, God forbid, questioned any of them, she could always use Seto’s illness as an excuse.
“Hello, hello,” a voice said from the intercom by the door. “There’s someone here to see a Ms. Lee.”
Ava looked at her watch. Bates was early. She walked to the intercom. “Send him up, please.”
Robbins rose from the sofa and walked silently to his room.
Bates looked slightly uncomfortable when Ava opened the door. She hoped the idea of being in the apartment alone with her — well, almost alone — was behind it.
“I’ve never been in one of these apartments before,” he said. “I’ve heard good things.”
“Well, they give you value,” she said, directing him towards the kitchen. “Can I get you anything? Bottled water, coffee?”
“I’m fine.”
“Let’s sit then.”
He looked at the documents on the table.
“They’re all signed. Two sets for you, one for us.”
Bates sat at the table and began to peruse them. He went through both sets, which surprised her. Then he took a copy of one of the wire transfer requests and placed it alongside the copy of Seto’s passport, checking the signatures. He did it far more intensely than Ava would prefer, and she felt a quiver of doubt.
“It all seems to be in order,” he finally said.
“Are you ready to meet with Jackson?” Ava asked.
“That would be excellent.”
She led him to the bedroom door, gave it a light tap, and listened. “He may be sleeping,” she said, rapping harder. She counted to ten. “I think he’s sleeping. We’ll go in anyway.”
Seto’s covers had slipped a touch. She tiptoed towards the bed. Bates followed behind her, looking uncomfortable again and doing his best to be quiet. Ava leaned down. “Jackson,” she whispered. “Jeremy Bates is here. Do you want to say hello?”
“He looks very pale,” Bates said.
Ava nodded as she gently shook Seto’s shoulder. “He’s terribly dehydrated. I’ve been making him drink as much water as he can handle.”
“Food poisoning can be debilitating,” said Bates.
“Jackson, Jeremy Bates is here. He wants to say hello,” Ava said more loudly.
“Oh, leave him, please. Leave him,” Bates said. “I have everything I need.”
Ava backed away from the bed, bumping into Bates and stumbling. He reached out to steady her, his right arm slipping under her breasts. That’s when she heard a thud. To her it sounded as loud as a bag of bricks being dropped three metres onto a tile floor. She flushed.
“Sorry about that,” Bates said. “I thought you were going to fall.”
“I might have,” she said, scarcely believing he hadn’t heard the noise.
She led him out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her. “You mentioned earlier you might need a doctor?” he said.
“I don’t think that’s necessary now. He’s slowly coming around. I’ve had food poisoning myself, and it’s usually twenty-four hours of misery and then another twenty-four to forty-eight hours of recovery. I just hope he’ll be okay to fly. We’re supposed to leave tomorrow night. I may have to postpone if he isn’t feeling up to it.”
“There are worst places to be stuck,” Bates said.
“Admittedly,” she said with a little smile.
They walked back to the kitchen table and the documents. Bates gathered up his sets. “Do you think it will be possible to send the wires today?” she asked.
“I don’t see why not,” he said casually.
“Wonderful. We would really appreciate it.”
“You will want copies of the actual transfer, I presume, and confirmation that they’ve been sent?”
“Yes, I would. We need to let Hong Kong know as soon as possible that it’s a go from this end.”
“Why don’t I bring them with me tonight when we meet for dinner?” he asked.
That was smooth, she thought. “Jackson won’t be up to it.”
“Well, we’ll have to manage without him, won’t we?”
“Yes, we will. I’m looking forward to it,” Ava said, not missing a beat.
“There’s a French bistro called Les Deux Garcons on the first street before the bank. Are you comfortable with French food?”
“I eat everything.”
“Fantastic. Do you need me to pick you up?”
“No, please don’t. I’m going to spend the rest of the day sightseeing. I’ll find my own way.”
“Seven o’clock, then?”
“Yes, perfect. I’ll see you at seven.”
She waited by the door until she heard the elevator close. She was walking towards Robbins’s room when he emerged.
“Dinner?” he said.
“What the hell was that noise?” she said, cutting him off.
“You handled it, right?”
“If he had had any suspicions at all — ”
“But he didn’t, or it sure didn’t sound like he did. Dinner at seven, huh?”
“I had no choice.”
“We’ll drive you and we’ll wait outside. And don’t give me any story about having to go back to his place for a drink.”
“There’s no chance of that,” Ava said. “It’s dinner and out. I just want to get this thing finished and get myself on a plane back home.”
(37)
They left the apartment at quarter to seven. Ava had spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening going back and forth between the balcony, bedroom, and kitchen, her restlessness even getting on her own nerves.
Davey knew the restaurant and drove her to within a hundred metres of it. Ava looked up and down the street, not wanting Bates to see her getting out of the car. When there was no sign of him, she got out and moved away from the door. Robbins rolled down his backseat window. “We’ll be right here,” he said.
She got to the restaurant door at seven on the dot. There was no sign of Bates at the entrance. She stuck her head inside. It was a small place, only about fifteen tables, and unless he was in the washroom he hadn’t shown up yet. A short, round, cheery-looking woman with a menu cradled in one arm glanced at Ava, waved, and then walked towards her. “Ms. Lee?”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Bates called for you. He wants you to phone him at this number.”
Ava’s paranoia kicked in. This can’t be good.
“I’ll have to use your phone. I left mine at the apartment.”
“Certainly,” the woman said, pointing to a phone on the hostess stand.
Bates’s phone rang six times, and Ava was ready to give up when he answered.
“It’s Ava,” she said.
“Sorry, I didn’t recognize the number. I should have known you’d call from the restaurant.”
“Is there some kind of problem?”
“Ava, apologies. Actually there is.”
There was only one obvious question, and she wasn’t going to ask it because she didn’t want to hear the answer.
“A very important customer from New York dropped in unexpectedly with a long list of things he wants done, right away, of course,” he said. “He’s insisted I join him for dinner at his hotel at eight. And I’m not in a position to refuse.”
Ava could feel her tension melting. “That really is too bad.”
“You know, you can join us if you wish. I’m sure he won’t mind, since we’ve concluded most of our business already.”