The Disciple of Las Vegas by Ian Hamilton Read Free Book Online

waited until they had finished eating and were contemplating cognac before turning to business. “How was your time with Louis Marx?” he asked.
    â€œI found him entirely believable,” she said.
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œBeing a comptroller has to be one of the most thankless jobs in the world. It’s a constant juggling act. On the one hand you have a set of professional guidelines and a code of ethics that you try to adhere to, and on the other you have a boss who is constantly pressuring you to cut corners. Then if that weren’t enough, there’s outside scrutiny from companies like Deloitte, ready to point fingers at the slightest misstep. And when they do, of course, your boss forgets that he pushed you to compromise the law and lets you take all the blame. I think Louis Marx did what Philip Chew wanted him to do. Nothing more, nothing less.”
    â€œSo you think the fault for this loss lies with Philip Chew?”
    â€œOf course, and so do you,” she said to Chang.
    Uncle interrupted. “I spoke frankly to Ava.”
    Chang didn’t seem surprised. “But what about this Cousins — what do you think about him?”
    â€œHe’s an important part of this,” Ava said. “If we’re lucky he’ll turn out to be the villain. In any event, I need to track him down. As a starting point I want to see the reports from the detectives you hired. They weren’t in the files I saw today.”
    â€œI’ll have them for you in the morning.”
    â€œI also couldn’t find any record of incorporation for Kelowna Valley Developments. Didn’t anyone check to see who actually owned it?”
    â€œWe did,” Chang said. “It’s owned by a numbered company, also incorporated in British Columbia. But when we traced it, we found that the shares are being held in trust by a Vancouver lawyer.”
    â€œIn trust for whom?”
    â€œWe don’t know and he wouldn’t tell us. We assumed it was Cousins.”
    â€œI’ll need the name of the lawyer.”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œAnd there were no banking records for KVD?”
    â€œWe don’t have any. The account was opened by Cousins and he had sole signing authority. We’ve requested information, but the bank is not forthcoming.”
    â€œWhich bank?”
    â€œToronto Commonwealth.”
    Well, that’s a break , she thought.
    The two men ordered cognac. Ava was only halfway through the bottle of wine and wasn’t about to finish it. She waited until the snifters arrived before saying, “Uncle Chang, Louis Marx told me you made him sign a non-disclosure agreement. Do you need me to do the same?”
    â€œOf course not. You work with Uncle and you have his absolute confidence. And now you have mine. No one doubts your discretion.”
    â€œAnd discretion seems to be very important to you and Mr. Ordonez.”
    Chang held the snifter to his nose. “Tommy Ordonez is a Chinoy. Do you know what that is?”
    â€œYes,” Ava said.
    â€œThe fact that he is the richest man in the Philippines doesn’t change that. He has never been and never will be accepted by the six or seven old Spanish families who have run this country for centuries, families whose members take turns being president. They respect him to his face, of course, and they’re afraid of the power he can exert. But they will never accept him and they would like nothing more than to see him shamed. You noticed, I assume, that Tommy has a very unusual voice?”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œHe had a throat ailment when he was a boy, and it was badly treated. No more damage can be done and it doesn’t affect his health in any way, but he knows that in private they mimic and mock him. The condition is something he can’t change and their ignorance doesn’t affect him, but the way they perceive him as a businessman and as the head of his family