DANIEL SWIPED SEVERAL TIMES through his contacts until he saw the name Lu Xiao Ping. He smiled, remembering their special relationship — forged across numerous business deals, some very rewarding, others harrowing disasters — and his final mission where he crossed a personal Rubicon he thought was inviolable. He had vowed never to kill, a vow he had been forced to break.
Then he dialed and waited for a voice to answer in a time zone twelve hours ahead.
“Wei?” Her voice sounded tired and warmly familiar, even after so many years.
“Xiao Ping? It’s me, Daniel. Daniel Ritter.”
Several seconds passed. “Well, well, Daniel.” A long pause before she said, “In trouble again?”
He smiled. “Sorry for calling you so late. Yes, I need your special access once again.”
“Hmm. And what will it be this time?”
Daniel glanced at MacKinnon, who sported a surprised look. “Dinner at the Hyatt Beijing?”
“We did that already. How about Hong Kong? The Peninsula?”
“Good choice.”
“Who will be paying this time?”
“This one’s company-free.”
“So you’re still retired?”
He cracked another smile. “True. I’m a professor now. I’m respectable. I teach. I write academic papers.”
“Are you saying you’re harmless now?”
“I’m trying to be.”
A pause. “Is it working?”
“Until yesterday, yes.”
“What happened?”
He took a big breath. “It’s complicated. Let’s just say I’m under police protection now.”
“How ironic.”
“Like I said, I’m really trying. Can we change the subject?”
“Get to the point.”
“Do you still have access to banking information for private clients?”
“For official use only, Daniel.” He could hear her stir in her seat as she thought. “Are you retired, or aren’t you?”
“Yes, I’m retired. But I need to understand all of the banking details for a Canadian dealmaker. Patrick Forrestal.” He spelled out the name.
“Who is this person?”
“Was. He’s dead, and I need to find out why.”
“Not because of you, I hope.”
“Of course not.”
“Another case of financial foul play?”
“I don’t know.”
“An unhappy customer?”
“That’s our working hypothesis.”
“‘Our?’ Is it connected to your police protection?”
“Oh, most definitely.”
“I’m intrigued.”
“I’ll tell you more when you call back with the goodies.”
“Nice to work with you again, Daniel. I hope it’s as productive as our last assignment in Hong Kong.”
A smile spread across his face. That assignment involved helping a Canadian auto parts assembler that suspected their Chinese supplier of embezzling, skimming at least 20 percent off the top of any contract. Calls to the Chinese authorities went nowhere. So the Canadian company’s CEO called around for someone who could manage the labyrinth that was the Chinese business world. They hired Daniel, through his consulting firm, to hunt down who was doing the embezzling. He and Xiao Ping caught the executive vice-president of the Canadian company receiving fat envelopes of U.S. hundred-dollar bills from the owner of the Chinese firm. It turned out that the VP had also sold company technology secrets to the Chinese.
“He was so surprised to see us,” said Xiao Ping. “Just another case of corporate and security espionage, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” said Daniel, “we finally got to do both of our jobs at the same time.”
“A very satisfying case, Daniel.”
“Can’t hide from us.”
The man was serving twelve years in a federal prison in Manitoba, Daniel recalled. “Can’t hide from you.” They even got a special commendation for their work from the minister.
“Ready for another one?”
She paused. “It has been a bit quiet recently. Maybe I have a bit of free time.”
“Can you also check a bank transfer between two banks in the Caymans? I’ve got the SWIFT code of the receiving account. It’s apparently in my name.”
“You getting greedy?”
“Believe me, it’s not mine. But someone set it up to make it look like mine. I want to know why and who is responsible.”
“No problem.”
He emailed her all the information MacKinnon had.
“Call me when you have something.”
“Will you be in town anytime soon?”
“Not for a while, unfortunately. You coming back home for a visit?”
“My posting is for another year.”
“It would be nice to see you again. The Peninsula, Hong Kong, when I’m back?”
“Or at the Château Laurier when I get back.”
“Either way, I’ll look forward to it.”
He remembered her smile, confidence, and curves. They made a great team. Both on and off duty. Of course, that was before Vanessa. Before he knew why he was doing what he did. And before Emily, who was now thousands of kilometres away.