The Red Pole of Macau by Ian Hamilton Read Free Book Online

the fish in Thailand but rarely in Hong Kong or China. It had to be close to four pounds, its skin a golden brown, the flesh on either side cut into cubes they could pluck with chopsticks.
    “This is one of the finest seafood meals I’ve ever had,” Ava said to the man as he put the platter on their table.
    He smiled at her, and then at Jessie and Simon.
    “My father-in-law runs the best seafood restaurant in Sai Kung,” Jessie said. “This is nothing special — this is the way he always cooks. So make sure you come back, and make sure you tell your friends.”
    “I will, I will,” Ava said, pleased by the way Jessie had praised him and promoted his business.
    They all reached for the pomfret, but before Michael could take his piece his cellphone rang. He looked annoyed as he pulled it out of his shirt pocket, and then anxious when he looked at the incoming number. “Excuse me, I have to take this,” he said, standing and then moving off about twenty metres.
    While the women ate, Simon focused his attention on Michael. Ava, watching the two of them out of the corner of her eye, saw Michael motion for Simon. Simon stood and left without saying a word.
    Michael covered the mouthpiece of his phone as he talked to Simon, the smaller man nodding his head aggressively. Then Michael moved closer to the table and said, “Ava, can you come here for a minute?”
    She thought the other women would find that to be a strange request, but they paid no heed when she walked over to join the men.
    “It’s our friends in Macau,” Michael said. “They’re available tomorrow.”
    “Where do they want to meet?”
    “Macau.”
    “Tell them to come to Hong Kong.”
    “I tried. It’s a no-go.”
    “Then tell them it has to be a neutral site, not their office or their lawyer’s office.”
    “Okay.”
    “Make sure you tell them I’m coming. No surprises,” she said.
    The two partners exchanged glances, and Ava’s previous sense that Simon hadn’t been thrilled to see her was confirmed.
    “I’ve already told them. They were reluctant, but I said that you’re our financial adviser and we need a fresh set of ears and some different approaches to handle this matter. We can’t just keep going around in circles,” Michael said, as much to Simon as to her.
    Simon shrugged. Michael returned to the phone and told the caller they’d come to Macau, but only if the meeting place was neutral. She could hear the caller arguing, and then Michael said, “If the place isn’t to our liking, we’re not coming.” There was a long silence. Then Michael covered the mouthpiece again. “The Treasure Palace restaurant in the City of Dreams at one o’clock?” he said.
    “That’s fine,” Ava said.
    “You’re on,” he said to the caller.
    Ava said to Simon, “I don’t mean to be rude, but you don’t seem overly pleased that I’m involved in this.”
    He took a deep breath. “I thought we could handle it without outside assistance.”
    “But we haven’t been able to,” Michael said, after ending the call.
    “If you two want to talk alone and if the end result is that I fly home, I won’t have any objections,” she said.
    “No, I want you there,” her brother said.
    “What the fuck?” Simon said.
    “I want her there.”
    “Okay, okay.”
    They walked back to the table, Simon a few paces ahead of them, his tension visible to Ava’s eye. This was immediately confirmed when he looked at his wife and said, “We have to leave. We have a meeting tomorrow in Macau and I need to get some rest.”
    Jessie pointed to the pomfret. “We aren’t finished.”
    “I’ll tell my father and I’ll settle the bill,” he said, and then turned and headed towards the kitchen.
    The two women stared at Michael. “He’s had a long day,” he said.
    Jessie stood. “He’s been having a lot of them lately.”
    “It’s a stressful time for the business,” Michael said.
    Ava sat at the table, her appetite lost. Amanda Yee picked at