“I’m going to want to take a look at that warehouse myself.”
“We can do that.”
“And I want to meet Guy Thackeray. Can you arrange it?”
“How’s your game of mahjong?”
Bond had little experience with the game that was so popular in Hong Kong. “Not very good, I’m afraid. I’ve played one of the western versions a bit.” The game’s rules and play varied from country to country.
“No problem. I give you quick lessons. Hong Kong version easier than western version or Japanese version, uh huh?”
“When does he play?” Bond asked.
“He plays tonight! You have money? Big stakes. Thackeray is big winner. I do not know how he does it. Always wins. If we get there before he does, we have better chance at getting in game with him. Let us go, okay?”
“Sure. Just how much capital will I stand to lose?”
“Thackeray plays 100 Hong Kong dollars per point,” Woo said with eyes wide. “With a two-point minumum, ten-point maximum! Maximum Hand is worth 38,400 Hong Kong dollars!”
Bond frowned. That meant that Thackeray played a very challenging and risky game. A winning hand must be worth at least two points or a stiff monetary penalty would be imposed. SIS might lose thousands of pounds. Nevertheless, closely observing Thackeray for a couple of hours over an intense game of chance just might be the best way for Bond to evaluate him. He believed that a man revealed every side of his personality during the course of any gaming contest in which a great deal of money was at stake.
“Fine,” said Bond. “Let’s do it.”
Woo caught the waiter’s attention and said, “Mai dan,” miming the international scribble gesture. “I get this, James. You are now indoctrinated into our concept of maijiang. ”
Bond said, “I know all about maijiang. Face. Reciprocity. In other words, I’ll get the next one. Sikdjo. ”
Woo grinned. “Ah, you been to Hong Kong before?”
“Yes, a few times. Japan, too.”
Bond knew the Eastern philosophy of maijiang was very important to Asian people. It meant, quite literally, the selling of credit. Maijiang was used when a person gave or was given face and when reciprocity was implicitly understood and expected. If a person did a favour for a man, then he was expected to do something in return. Saying sikdjo meant Bond agreed.
Woo paid the bill and the two men left the relatively tranquil ambience of the restaurant. They did not notice the strange albino Chinese man who sat reading a newspaper at the Harlequin Bar, just outside the entrance to the Man Wah. As soon as they left, he went to make a phone call.
SIX
THE PREVAILING WIND
4:00 P.M.
The Viking 66 Sports Cruiser skipped along the water away from the Causeway Bay docks and into Victoria Harbour. T.Y. Woo introduced the captain as his elder brother, J.J. The elder Woo, when not assisting at the antiques store on Cat Street, was a yachting enthusiast. T.Y. often used his brother’s boat for official Secret Service business. Like T.Y., J.J. was very agreeable. He said little; when Bond addressed him, J.J. would just nod his head and smile. Bond assumed the man’s English wasn’t as good as his brother’s.
The boat was built in the UK primarily for the American market with US components, but J.J. managed to have a model shipped over to Hong Kong. Apparently the Woo family had been very wealthy, and J.J. and T.Y. had each inherited a private fortune. The 66 had a solid glass hull, twin 820-hp MANs, and the capability of topping out at 30 knots. The deep-V design gave the boat true offshore capabilities—and a smooth ride. T.Y. proudly told Bond that J.J. had bought the boat for a song—only 1.5 million Hong Kong dollars.
It was still broad daylight. The harbour was extremely busy and full of all types of vessels. T.Y. told Bond that they had nothing to fear from the Marine Police—his boat was registered with them and would not be stopped. Even so, it was apparently not at all difficult to slip away from Hong Kong and over to Macau without Immigration finding out. The only trick was finding a discreet place to dock in Macau.
After twenty minutes, the boat was speeding through the strait north of Lantau Island and below the New Territories. Soon, they were out in the open South China Sea. J.J. opened up the MANs, and the Viking reached maximum speed.
“We will be in Macau in another three-quarters hour, uh huh?” T.Y. said, grinning. The wind was blowing through his short dark hair, and Woo seemed to take great pleasure in the sensation. Bond was feeling the effects of jet lag. He hoped some strong coffee would sharpen his wits enough for him to play a fast-paced game of mahjong, especially since he was not very familiar with it.
“Where are we going exactly?” Bond asked.
“Lisboa Hotel and Casino,” Woo said. “Not one of my favourite establishments.”
Bond knew the Lisboa. It was a prime tourist attraction in the legendary territory. Macau’s history was almost as colourful as Hong Kong’s. It predated the British colony by several centuries, its story part of the seaborne Age of Exploration that brought fifteenth century Portugal to prominence. Trade was the underlying catalyst for its development, specifically the immense wealth to be gained from the spices and silks of the Orient. The port of Macau was set up by the mid-1500s as a stop between Malacca and Japan. The territory flourished, especially during the early seventeenth century. By the twentieth, however, it had declined and had developed a reputation as a hotbed of spies, vice, and intrigue. In 1987, the anti-colonial Portuguese government signed an official agreement with China to hand over Macau on 20 December 1999. Unlike Hong Kong, Macau residents who gave up residency had the right to live in any EC country, including, ironically, Great Britain.
“You need quick mahjong reminder?” Woo asked Bond.
“That would be most helpful.”
Woo gestured that they should get out of the wind and into the boat’s cabin. They left the teak-covered deck, went below, and sat at a small table. Woo made some strong coffee and said, “Okay, tell me what you know.”
“The game is a mixture of gin rummy, dominoes, and poker, you might say. There are four players who play against each other. There isn’t much skill involved, mostly luck, and the trick is to play defensively and try to out-guess what your opponents need. There are three suits—Bamboo Sticks, Circles, and Characters. There are four sets of tiles numbered one to nine in each of the three suits. There are also four Red Dragon tiles, four Green Dragon, four White Dragon, and four tiles of each “wind”—the East Wind, West Wind, and so on.”
“Yes, that is all true,” Woo said. “There is skill, James. You must play fast and be creative in building your hand for most possible points. Every point worth a lot of money, uh huh?” Woo grinned. “We brought 80,000 Hong Kong dollars of company’s cash to lose. I already cleared it with M. She just said we better not lose it!” Woo laughed at that. “If Thackeray on a roll like he always is, M is in for big surprise!”
“Why is he so good?” Bond asked. “The game really does depend on the luck of the draw, doesn’t it?”
Woo shrugged. “I do not know. If he cheats, I do not know how he does it. It is very hard to cheat at mahjong, uh huh? He wins thousands of dollars a night playing.”