第 24 页

Both of them had been to Hong Kong before a few years ago on a previous assignment with

Creasy, and had been massively impressed. The city and its harbour literally buzzed with people

and activity. Across the water in Victoria skyscrapers rose like stalagmites.

From the balcony Jens could count over twenty ferries plying back and forth. It was bliss. He

had been a ferry buff since he was a small child. He had sat on his parents' patio at Helsingor

watching the ferries passing through Oresund Strait.

Much to the chagrin of his wife Birgitte, his idea of a restful holiday was taking one of the big

Swedish ferries that plied the Baltic. She could never understand it since he would spend most of

his time in the bar drinking beer with Schnapps chasers. He had even joined the Ferry

Appreciation Club and he and other ferry fanatics would go on trips and get profoundly drunk.

He had been looking out over the harbour for half an hour. The Owl was lying on his bed with

his Walkman by his side and the earphones clamped to his head. He was silently conducting

Beethoven's fifth symphony.

Jens tore his eyes away from the view, glanced at his watch and

shouted: "Let's go! We'll take the Star Ferry to Victoria and pay a visit to the business

registrations office. I want to find out who's behind the Cuontum Import-Export Agency."

Reluctantly, The Owl switched off Beethoven and stood up. Jens opened his briefcase and from

one of its pockets took out a stack of business cards. He flicked through them and selected one,

saying: "Today I'll be Svend Torp, managing director of the Viking Credit Rating Agency."

Twenty minutes later they were at the inquiries counter of the business registrations office, and

Jens was charming the middle-aged Chinese woman in charge. She studied his card as he told her

that he wanted to see the records of the Cuontum Import-Export Agency. It was a routine

inquiry on behalf of a Danish company who were about to start trading with it.

She went off into a back room and returned three minutes later with a blue file tied with a black

ribbon. She explained that he could only take photocopies of the statutory directors and

shareholders list. Being a private company, it did not need to file its annual balance sheets, but it

did need to record changes on the board of directors and major shareholders.

He went immediately to the back of the file and noted that there were only two directors who

had founded the company.

One was William Crum and the other Tam Wok Lam LD. He flicked through the pages and

noted that in March 1977, William Crum had ceased to be a director and that Connie Lon Crum

had been appointed to the board four years later. Her address was given as care of the other

director, Tam Wok Lam, in a building on Ice House Street. There had been no other changes on

the board since the company was first formed in 1962.

He turned the file around, pointed and asked the woman: "What does LD signify?"

She looked at the name and said: "It signifies that Mr Tam is a lawyer. In fact, he's a very

prominent lawyer in Hong Kong with many business interests. He also sits on the Legislative

Council, appointed there by the Governor. He's a very respectable person."

"That's good to know," Jens said. He closed the file. "Thank you for your help. I don't need to

make any photocopies."

Outside on the busy street, Jens turned to The Owl and said: "I need to learn a little bit about

gemstones, especially those that originate from Indo-China. Let's go and find a jeweller. And

then, maybe, we'll go and talk to Mr Tam. But before that I have to phone a friend in

Copenhagen." He smiled cheerfully. "Then, this evening, I'm going to ride a few of those ferries.

Do you know that they have eighteen different destination points from the island to the

mainland?"

"I didn't know that," The Owl answered. "It's a very serious gap in my knowledge of trivia."

"A very serious gap," Jens said severely.

The Dane ended up buying a small sapphire ring for Birgitte. It cost him two thousand Hong

Kong dollars, but he considered it money well spent, since he had deliberated for over an hour

with the shop's owner, examined most of his stock, and gleaned a great deal of information

about the various gemstones and their sources.

They made the five-minute ferry journey back to the hotel and Jens phoned a good and old

friend in the police department. He needed to know the name of a jewellery importer in

Denmark who on the surface appeared reputable, but was maybe a little shady in the

background. Someone who would deal in gemstones as a front for money laundering. His friend

promised to phone him back soonest, and for the next half hour Jens watched the ferries while

The Owl conducted Beethoven.

Chapter 50

It was the most luxuriously appointed office that Jens had ever been in. A deep Tientsin carpet

covered the floor, the walls were panelled with mahogany and the furniture was comprised of

leather and carved ebony. On the desk was an intricately carved ornament of ivory. The man

behind the desk was short and bald and dressed in an immaculately cut dark suit. He rose as Jens

entered the room and took the proffered business card which had been printed only an hour

before. It indicated that Jens was a Mr Lars Petersen of the Odense Import Company in

Denmark. Mr Tarn offered Jens a seat, and a girl brought in a pot of jasmine tea and two gilded

cups.

As Jens described his business, the Chinese man sipped at his tea and watched him intently.

Then he asked: "Why have you come to me, Mr Petersen? Why did you not go directly to the

Cuontum Import-Export Agency and see Mr Fu, the manager?"

"For two reasons," Jens answered. "Firstly, I discovered that it's always better to discuss

business with the organ grinder than with the monkey. And secondly, I prefer dealing with

lawyers."

Mr Tarn smiled and nodded slightly. "But how did you know that I was connected in any way

with the Cuontum Agency?"

"I make it a rule to always find out who are the directors and the shareholders of the companies

I deal with. Then I require information about their reputations. I was at the business registrations

office earlier and noticed that you were one of the two directors, along with a Miss Connie Lon

Crum. You are also a fifty per cent shareholder."

"That's correct. I founded the company with Connie Crum's father. After his death, she acquired

his shares and the directorship."

"That was in 1977, wasn't it?"

"Yes, I believe so. Mr Crum died in 1977 and left his shares in the company to his daughter,

Connie. She became a director some years later, when she reached the minimum age of

twenty-one."

"Yes, I noticed that from the records. Now, Mr Tarn, I've only been in Hong Kong a short

time, and I know of your fine reputation. But I know nothing about Miss Crum. And there is

another important factor. I am mainly interested in buying Cambodian sapphires. Naturally,

over the past years, the supply has been very erratic."

Mr Tarn nodded in agreement, and said: "That's the strength of our company. You may know

that most of the sapphires come from the Cardamom mountains and that area is largely

controlled by the Khmer Rouge. Miss Crum's mother was Cambodian and it happens that she

has close connections with the people operating in the Cardamom mountain range."

"You mean with the Khmer Rouge?"

"No, no," Mr Tarn answered with a slight smile. "I would never even suggest that. She spends a

lot of her time in Paris and in Bangkok. But because of her connections, she does have an

influence in south-west Cambodia, and that influence means that the Cuontum Trading Agency

has a regular supply of top quality sapphires. You need have no worry about that. I'm sure that

Mr Fu can help you. He carries considerable stock. Would you like me to make an appointment

for you?"

"Not just yet," the Dane answered. "First I would like to discuss financial matters with you."

Mr Tarn was immediately alert. "Financial matters?"

"Yes. You might know, Mr Tam, that import duty and taxes are very high in Denmark. My

company intends to import a very significant amount of sapphires over the next few years. Of

course you would understand in this business that such stones are a financial commodity easily

transported."

"Of course."

"We'll need to come to an arrangement with the Cuontum Agency so that the stated value of the

stones we import would be somewhat different from the real value."

"I understand, Mr Petersen. It's quite common and it's not a problem in Hong Kong, which is a

free port. I assume that you would pay the invoice value by irrevocable letter of credit?"

"Certainly. And the difference will be paid before shipment into any bank account you nominate

anywhere in the world."

"Very reasonable," Mr Tarn said and then gave a conspiratorial smile. "Although business taxes

in Hong Kong are quite low, it's still painful having to pay them. The arrangement will suit us.

When would you like to see Mr Fu and inspect his stock?"

"Not for a couple of days. I only arrived in Hong Kong this morning and it makes good

business sense to get over the jetlag before sitting down to what I know will be tough

negotiations. I plan to do a little sightseeing before getting down to business, and perhaps go to

Macau for a day trip."

The Chinese man stood up and said: "You're a practical man, Mr Petersen. I suggest you phone

Mr Fu when you're rested. In the meantime, I'll brief him on our conversation. And I look

forward to a long and profitable relationship."

"What will happen," The Owl asked, "if Mr Tarn checks with the Odense Import Company?"

They were sitting in the Captain's Bar at the Mandarin Hotel, round the corner from the lawyer's

office.

Jens answered: "It's no problem. My friend in the police headquarters in Copenhagen has

twisted a couple of arms down in Odense. If they get a fax from Mr Tarn, they'll send a fax back

stating that Lars Petersen is their purchasing director and he's currently travelling on business in

the Far East."

He took a contented sip of his Carlsberg beer. He had not ordered it out of patriotism; he just

preferred it to the local San Miguel. He looked around the crowded room and muttered:

"Connie Crum, aged thirty-four, daughter of Bill Crum. She's the one stalking Creasy."

Chapter 51

Creasy listened and then said: "It's good work, Jens. Well done! I want you to go to Bangkok

and try to dig up some information on her there. Meanwhile, Susanna will see what the American

Embassy might have or be able to find out."

He hung up the phone, turned to Susanna and Guido and said: "Bill Crum had a daughter by a

Cambodian mother. She's thirty-four years old and is apparently well connected to the Khmer

Rouge. From what Jens told me, she could even be part of that organization. She spends time in

Bangkok and Paris and presumably also in south-western Cambodia. Jens and The Owl will

leave for Bangkok this afternoon and try to get more information about her. In the meantime,

Susanna, I'd like you to talk to your ambassador again. The CIA may have a file on her and it's

almost certain that they have satellite surveillance photographs of the whole of Cambodia. It

would be useful to see some pictures of the area where that temple is located. I'll give you a map

grid reference."

She picked up the phone, called the Embassy and arranged a meeting with the Ambassador in

twenty minutes.

After she had left, Guido stated: "This is a matter of revenge, and it has been very cleverly

arranged. The woman must know that you killed her father. She's three-quarters Oriental and we

both know that Oriental people have long memories and huge patience. She has waited a long

time and whatever she has in mind for you will not be pleasant. I think you should get the hell

out of here..."

Creasy shook his head. "You know damn well I won't do that! Their organization is superb. It

stretches from Cambodia all the way to San Diego. She obviously has a lot of money and

influence. It's not in my nature to run and hide and even if I did, she would find me. In a matter

like this it's her life or mine. She's planning to kill me for sure. My guess is that first she wants to

talk to me. She wants to tell me why she's doing it and she wants to watch my face. I've no other

choice but to go down the trail that she's laid so cleverly. If she's one per cent as evil as her

father, killing her will not bother my conscience a bit."

Guido was probably the only person in the world who could truly understand Creasy's mind.

He said: "Then I'm going to call in some back-up in the shape of Maxie and Rene. If you're even

dreaming of going into Khmer Rouge territory, you're going to need firepower and you're going

to need information. Whatever satellite photographs the CIA may have are probably not going

to be enough. They will just represent routine surveillance of a wide area which is heavily

forested." He pointed at the phone. "I think you're going to have to phone Senator Grainger.

The Ambassador here will co-operate with Susanna, but you need more than mere cooperation."

Abruptly, the Italian smiled. "It's like old times," he said. "I already feel ten years younger."

Chapter 52

"Don't ask me," Colonel Jonas Chapman said to his co-pilot. "We just fly the damn thing. The

fucking onboard computers know more than I do. The orders come from the top, A1 priority.

We overfly Manila and then pretend to be a civilian aircraft en route to Bangkok. We make a

slight diversion over south-west Cambodia at twenty thousand feet and there the computers