"Good evening, Mr. Dunross." " Taipan sent for me." " Yes, sir." "Working late tonight, Claudia?" "Mr. Dunross, the taipan say you should go right in." "Good evening, Taipan." "You're early." "Five minutes early is on time, Taipan." "Isn't that what we've been taught?" "Filthy night." "Midnight." "Come in." "Ah, Philip." "On time, as usual." "Thank you, Taipan. I brought my son John as you requested." "Good evening, sir." "I am honored to be here." "Here it is our custom that there be a witness" "For the handing over from taipan... to taipan." "It's always our current comprador, and on this occasion, his son and heir." "Well, let us get on with it." "Ian Struan Dunross, I ask you formally, do you want to be taipan of the noble house?" "Yes, sir." "Here." "Read it aloud." "30th of August, 1841." "is this Dirk Struan's handwriting?" "Aye, it's his hand and his words." "Read them." ""My legacy shall bind every taipan that succeedeth me" ""and he shall read it aloud and shall swear before God" ""in front of witnesses in the manner set forth" ""by me, Dirk Struan, founder of Struan and Company," ""to accept them and to ever keep them secret" ""prior to taking to himself my medal." ""This is my legacy." ""First, there shall be only one taipan at one time," ""and he hath total, absolute authority over the company." ""Whatsoever he orders, it shall be obeyed." ""His power in the company is absolute." ""Second, the taipan alone chooses his successor," ""who must be kinsman to the Clan Struan by birth or marriage." ""Third, at each taipan's retirement, which will be solely his own decision" ""and be at a time when it pleasures him," ""he shall take no more than ten parts of every 100" ""of all value for himself." ""Fourth, each taipan shall approve the election of the comprador." ""who shall in perpetuity be from the house of Chen." ""Last, the taipan shall swear his successor, whom he alone" ""chooses in the presence of the comprador," ""using the words set down under my hand in our family Bible." ""Here in Hong Kong this 30th day of August" ""in the year of our lord 1841." ""Signed and sealed." ""Dirk Struan."" "Put your hand on it." "Do you, lan Struan Dunross, kinsman to the Struans, swear before God that you will obey the legacy of Dirk Struan, assuming all his promises, responsibilities, and obligations without question?" "I swear before God." "And do you solemnly vow before God in the presence of Alastair McKenzie Duncan Struan, 11th taipan, and Philip Chung Shin-Chen, fourth comprador, that you will also be bound before God to all of this legacy?" "I solemnly vow, so help me God." "Now..." "It's done." "Well, I'd like to be the first to wish you well, Taipan." "Anything I can do to help, you have." "And I am honored to be second." "Congratulations, Taipan." "Thank you." "All of you." "By custom, I become chairman of a London subsidiary, but you can terminate that anytime you wish." "It's terminated." "Whatever you say." "You will be much more useful to Struan's as deputy chairman of the first Central Bank of Edinburgh." "Struan's goes public next year." "Public?" "No." "We've always been a private company with no stockholders prying into our private affairs." "Ian, for God's sake-- lt's the only way we can survive." "The only way we can raise the capital we need." "Once you open Struan's to the public, Taipan" "Please forgive my son, Taipan." "Perhaps his American education was not the wisest decision I have made for him." "Or perhaps he should remain here instead of returning to the United States." "What do you think, John?" "I would prefer to return, sir." "I'll have my doctorate in a couple years and I've worked very hard." "Then it's up to you, Philip." "Typhoon?" ""Lasting Cloud" is due to dock tomorrow night." "Aye, but she'll be held somewhere off the Philippines." "Captain Moffitt's too canny to get caught in a storm like this." "I don't agree." "Moffitt likes hitting schedules." "This typhoon's on schedule." " "Lasting Cloud" better not get caught." " Why?" "We've got a new computer onboard and £4 million worth of jet engines." "Uninsured." "Or at least we're carrying the paper." "Well, it was that or lose the contract, and it's a chance to double our money." "Besides, the decision had to be made, and I made it." "That was your privilege." "But there's a lot of risk in one ship." "Well, there's damn little I can do about it now." "Philip, these are some private matters." "Will you excuse us, please?" "Certainly, Tai" "Mr. Struan." "I shall be wherever you need me, Taipan." "Sending John to an American university was a total blunder." "He'll never be as good as his father." "If I were you, I'd have Philip start training some other relative." "There's no need." "Philip is Struan's last comprador." "We longer need an intermediary between the Noble House and the Chinese." "The idea's outdated." "The formal system ends with Philip." "is there anything in the Noble House you're not going to change, Taipan?" "I'll change anything that needs changing to save Struan's, and that may be quite a lot after the mistakes you've made." "Now, what are these private matters?" "Open the Bible and you'll see what you've inherited." "Now read your destiny, Taipan." ""l swear by the lord God that whomsoever has" ""the other half of any of these coins," ""l shall grant him whatsoever he asks." ""Dirk Struan."" "Signed by every taipan since him." "Add your name after mine." "And if I don't?" "You'll sign, by God, or another man will." "The curse goes with the blessing." "Take it all or take nothing!" ""Fang-Shoi, paid in full 18 June 1845." ""Calum Struan." ""Sun Chen-Yet, paid in full, October 10, 1911, Hag Struan."" "Who has the other two halves?" "You'll sign blind like all the other taipans before you." "Now, answer my question, damn you." "The answer, Taipan, is that I don't know." "And now you can pray with all your soul that you never find out, because you're bound by Dirk's promise just as I have been." "It's your phone now." "Not mine." "Dunross." "Telex for Taipan." "No." "Mr. Alastair Struan has retired." "I'm the taipan of Struan's now." "Yes. lan Dunross." "What does the telex say?" "Yes." "It's all right." "I understand." "That was from our office in Taipei." ""Lasting Cloud" has foundered off the coast of Taiwan." "They fear she's gone down with all hands." "Hi. lt's a wonderful party." "Yes." "Thank you." "Hello, JohnJohn." "Quite a party this year, Taipan." "Yes." "Philip outdid himself." "I can think of better ways for Struan's to spend their money." "Mm." "You're beginning to sound like a banker, Paul." "Would that Victoria Bank could afford a little time for a celebration." "Oh, yes, we can." "But from what I've been hearing, you can't." "You should know better than to believe the rumors." "Enjoy yourselves." "Damn sight more than rumors." "Even with the market fluctuating the way it has been, we haven't dropped a point." "You know what, Philip?" "When John comes home, you ought to put him with us for a while." "Seriously. lt'll be an invaluable experience." " l'm sure it would be." " Mention the idea to him." "When is he arriving?" "Probably next week." "He hasn't let us know exactly." "It was good of you to come, Mr. Tipp." "I hope I can assume the Bank of China approves of this occasion." "You may assume whatever you please, Taipan." "Since you were kind enough to invite me, I could hardly refuse, could I?" "In any event, I'm always pleased to see you." "After all, China is China, the Middle Kingdom." "We of the Noble House have always considered China to be the mother and father of our home here." "Your home." "Our land." "Temporarily administered by the British." "Hong Kong is and always was earth of the Middle Kingdom." "What do you forecast will happen in 1997 when the treaty making Hong Kong a British colony expires and all this reverts to us and Hong Kong becomes truly part of China once again?" "1997 will take care of 1997." "Old friends will still need old friends." "As I am your guest today, I will not disagree..." "But...but should old friends fail you, how will you remain the Noble House and for how long?" "And, um, what about Noble Star?" "Well, that's the taipan's best horse, if you ask me." "But can she run against Pilot Fish?" "That stallion's good, but not in the same class, unless there's an act of God or the devil." "And there's always that to consider." "Tell me, Linbar, is there any truth in the gossip that your taipan's pulled off a marvelous deal, yet another rabbit out of the battered old hat?" "Who has put that into your ear?" "Only the last five people I've spoken to today." "I was waiting for you to take your turn." "Then I'm afraid you'll have to keep waiting." "Race tips are the best I can manage, and no one's been known to win a bundle on my expert advice." "Though, Buccaneer is worth a bet." "Here we go." "May I have your attention, please?" "Thank you." "Believe me, I won't make a very long speech." "But, as Struan and Company celebrates its 150th year, there are a few things I would like to say, some of which may interest some of you." "First of all, we've always been a Hong Kong-based company." "And we shall remain a Hong Kong-based company." "As a firm demonstration of that, while other companies have been making foreign investments because of these uncertain times," "Struans has been searching for an investor to come here to Hong Kong." "And so, I'm very pleased to announce on this occasion that Struan's is about to expand-- a multi-million dollar expansion with the investment of Par-Con lndustries of Los Angeles, California." "Par-Con?" "That's Lincoln Barlett." "The man's raided a dozen companies in the past two years and taken over most of them." "Dunross can't be that big a fool." "Hello, Philip." " How are things?" " Robert." "I didn't expect to see you here." "Well, your airport contact mentioned to immigration that you were coming to meet a special plane." "Yes, but that doesn't usually bring out the head of the criminal investigation department." "Oh, I was just passing by and thought I'd lend a hand, bypass all the red tape for you." "It's the least we can do for the Noble House." "I sent a constable to take your car to the gate." "It'll be waiting at the gangway for you and your guest from Par-Con." "If you'd like to go up and greet your guests." "Thank you." "No trouble at all." "Good evening." "I'm Philip Chen of Struan's." "I've come to meet Mr. Bartlett." "And me." "I'm Casey Tcholok." "Linc, Philip Chen's here." "Mr. Chen." "It's a real pleasure." "I've certainly heard a lot about you." " You have?" " Yeah." "Hey, we got a little surprise for you." "Ran into him in L.A. and we offered him a lift." "Hey, John." "Your father's here." "Hi, Dad." " How could you do this?" " What?" "I just wanted to surprise you." "And, indeed, you have." "Be in my office first thing tomorrow morning." "Welcome to Hong Kong." "If I could have your passports, please." " Of course." " Thank you." "Get these stamped, Sergeant Lee, and quickly, please." "Yes, Superintendent." " Superintendent?" " Armstrong." "Superintendent Robert Armstrong, Chief of C.l.D." "Do you greet all private planes, Superintendent?" "Only the special ones." "You're very well informed, Miss." " lt's part of her job." " The car is right over here." "Please." "What's that smell?" "Oh, that's Hong Kong's very own, Mr. Bartlett." "That's the smell of money." "And the taipan wondered if 10:00 tomorrow would be convenient." " lf that's too early?" " 10:00 will be fine." "This is your first trip to Hong Kong, Miss tcho--?" "Please call me Casey." "It's easier." "And yes." "First time in Hong Kong." "First time in Asia." "And for you, Mr. Bartlett?" "Never got past Hawaii before, but I'm sure I'll enjoy it." "Exactly what does taipan mean, anyway?" "Taipan means "supreme leader" in Cantonese." "The person with the ultimate power." "The European heads of all the old trading companies are all taipans to the Chinese." "But even among taipans, there is always the greatest-- the Taipan." "And that's lan Dunross?" "That is the taipan of the Noble House." "I hope your accommodations will be satisfactory." "I'm sure they're very nice." "Shall I send a car for you in the morning?" "Say at 9:45?" "Don't bother. I think we can find our own way." "Thank you for everything, Mr. Chen." "Hi." "These two in here." "The rest over there." "Oh, wait a second." " Here." " Thank you, sir." "I hope you have a profitable stay." "It will be profitable, pal." "Take my word for it." "And I thought I had the bridal suite." "What do you think?" "I think our Mr. Dunross knows what brand of beer you drink." "What else do you think he knows?" "More than you want him to," " But not everything." " Nope." "What do we know about him?" "Want to review his bio?" "You know what I mean." "Charming, good at his job, maybe even brilliant, and tough-- ruthless if he wants to be." "I wouldn't like him for an enemy." "Sometimes an enemy is more valuable than a friend." "This is his home turf, Linc." "He knows the game better than we do." "Yeah." "We learn fast." "Go on." "Let's see... lan Struan Dunross." "That makes him family." "Born Hong Kong." "Oxford grad." "Fluent in Chinese-- Mandarin and Cantonese dialects." "Wife died nine years ago." "He likes fast horses and fast cars." "Taipan." "Sounds a lot better than boss." "Don't start getting ideas." "We make this deal, turn it around a few times, and go home." "Isn't that what you said?" "Nothing long-term." "What's the matter, Casey?" "Don't you like Hong Kong?" "It's a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want my money here when the Chinese come knocking at the door with an eviction notice." "1997's still a long ways away." "Folks around here don't think so." "Have you looked at the cash flow out of this place?" "What do you think brought me here?" "Don't worry." "I know exactly what I'm doing." "I hope so." "How do you want to handle this 10:00 meeting?" "I don't." "You handle it." "I'll wander in later." "Long day." "Yeah." "Hello, Mr. Dunross." "Hello." "We've never met, have we?" "No." "But we're about to." " l'm Casey..." " Miss Tcholok." "Of course." "I had a rather deranged call from Philip Chen last night." "Something about refusing to be picked up." "Philip was afraid that you and Mr. Bartlett might get lost." "Where is Mr. Bartlett, by the way?" "Linc will be coming later." "He asked me to handle this first meeting." "I hope that won't upset things too much." "If it does, we'll try to accommodate the problem." "Would you and Mr. Bartlett care to be my guests at the races on saturday?" "I think that would be lovely." "But I'll have to check with Linc-  when he arrives." " When he arrives." "After you, Miss Tcholok." "Try Casey. lt's easier on the jaw." "Why is the front door at an angle?" "Sorry?" "The front entrance to the building." "It seems to be at a slight tilt, not quite straight." "I was wondering why." "You're very observant." "The answer's feng shui." "When the building was put up, someone forgot to consult our feng shui man." "That's the man who makes sure you're building on the earth dragon's back and not on his head." " What?" " Oh, yes." "You see, every building in all of China is built on some part of the earth dragon." "To be on his back is perfect." "But if you're on his head, that's very bad." "And if you're on the dragon's eyeball, that's really terrible." "When the feng shui man was finally consulted, he said we were just fine, right on the dragon's back, but the devils were getting in the front door." "So we shifted the angle slightly, and now all the devils are deflected." "Tell me the real reason." "That is the real reason." "Feng shui." "You really believe that?" "Devils and dragons?" "I believe none of it." "But when you're in China, it's always best to act a little Chinese." "Morning, Taipan." "Morning." "Marie, this is Miss Casey Tcholok." "Will you please show her into the boardroom?" "Yes, sir." "Shall I?" "No." "There's no need to announce her." "I'll see you later." "This way, Miss." "Hello, Taipan." "And what did you and Miss Casey Tcholok talk about in the elevator?" "I'm surprised you don't already know." "My sources of information are not that good." "But almost." "What's she like-- Miss Casey Tcholok?" "Attractive." "Confident." "Very observant." "Philip wasn't too keen on her." "He said she was like California fruit-- great to look at but no taste." "Philip's a snob." "Oh." "And he asked whether you've heard from John." "John?" "No." "Why?" "Philip said he was due in the office first thing this morning, but there's no sign of him." "And there's no answer at his flat." "You know how John came home." "Yes, I know." "Philip called me last night." "He was very upset." "Claudia, let me know as soon as John arrives." "I'd like an explanation of why he was on Bartlett's plane." "I repeat." "We can better any arrangement you can make with Struan's, Mr. Bartlett." "Any arrangement." "Dollar for dollar, Mr. Gornt." "Precisely." "Now, it's no secret that our companies are very serious rivals." "But we can outbid Struan's and outmatch them." "I can arrange our share of the financing within the week." "And I can set up our joint company under Hong Kong law." "That means a maximum tax of 16.5%." "That's a lot better than the United States." " Oh, much better." " Well?" "How can we seal our relationship?" "First I have to find out what Struan's are after." "I started negotiating with them, and I don't like changing airplanes in mid ocean." "Oh, I can tell you exactly what they're after-- profit for them and to hell with anybody else." "The deal we've discussed is very fair." "They invented Hong Kong rules." "Do you know what they are?" "No." "Tell me." "Anything is legal, so long as you don't go to jail." " And they're pushing that these days." " And you don't?" "Oh, we do what we have to." "One of these days, I'm going to take Struan's down." "If you can, why haven't you done it before?" "Oh." "It's been my company's intent for many, many years, Mr. Bartlett." "I nearly had them three years ago when their previous taipan's joss ran out." "Joss?" "What's joss?" "Oh, joss is a Chinese word for luck or fate." "And a bit more." "You'll find that we are very superstitious here." "Joss is terribly important." "It's like timing." "Alastair Struan's joss ran out." "He had a disastrous year." "Struan's nearly went under then, but Dunross squeezed out." "He went right to the very edge, but he got away with it." "He won't get away with it again." "If I were you and wanted to take Struan's, I'd join with another company here, say, Asian Properties." "Go in strong." "is that what you want to do?" "Take Struan's?" " ls that possible?" " Yes." "But not with Asian Properties as a partner." "Their taipan, Jason Plumm, he's got no guts." "You'd need me." "Now, it's no secret that I detest Struan's generally and lan Dunross personally." "How serious are you?" "I'll tell you after I've seen Dunross." "And are you going to suggest to him that the two of you can swallow Rothwell-Gornt?" "My purpose here is to make Par-Con international." "Up until a short while ago, I'd never heard of Struan's or you." "Very well, Mr. Bartlett." "We'll leave it at that." "Whatever you do will be interesting." "But remember you're in Hong Kong, Mr. Bartlett." "You're not in Los Angeles or Chicago or New York." "We do things differently here." "Would you like a small demonstration?" "Very much." "There's a small Chinese bank here-- the Ho-Pak." "It's run by a man called Richard Kwang." "Oh, it's not like the Victoria." "It is small but solid." "I'd place it somewhere in the middle of the list." "And there are 125 licensed banks here in Hong Kong." "Now, I will start a run on the Ho-Pak by this afternoon." "How can you do that?" "You weren't listening, Mr. Bartlett." "This is Hong Kong." "Once, on a rainy afternoon, there was a bus queue standing outside a bank." "Somebody in the building opposite looked out of the window and he thought that the line was waiting to get into the bank." "So he rang a few friends, warned them to get their money out." "And they rang a few friends." "And, in a few hours, what was imagined became real." "Yes, Mr. Gornt?" "Call my stockbroker." "Tell him to start selling Ho-Pak short." "20,000 shares." " Right away, Mr. Gornt." " That's all it takes?" "That and a few phone calls." "The right phone calls." "is this just to impress me, Mr. Gornt, or is there profit hiding behind the gesture?" "Oh, yes." "Here in Hong Kong, profit is our pleasure." "You'll discover that soon." "Why not another bank?" "Why pick on the Ho-Pak?" "Because it is vulnerable, and because I don't particularly like Richard Kwang." "Excuse me, Mr. Gornt." "Ms. Ramos is here." "Could you spare her a few minutes?" "Are we concluded?" "Yeah." "Send her in." "Well, I hope we can have dinner together sometime." "Right." "Hello, Quillan." "Sorry to interrupt." "But I just got back from Bangkok." " l wanted to say hello." " l'm glad you did." "This is Linc Bartlett from America." " Orlanda Ramos." " Hello." "Hi." "Oh." "Linc Bartlett." "The American millionaire with his own jet." "What?" "Don't look so surprised, Mr. Bartlett." "Hong Kong is just a village." "Everyone gossips." "And it's my business to know these things." "I'm the society reporter for one of the Chinese television stations here." "Perhaps you'd like to do an interview." "Not in Chinese." "The language of your choice." "Orlanda Ramos." "Spanish?" "Portuguese." "From Macau." "Sorry to have broken into your meeting." "No. I was just leaving." "Mr. Gornt, I'm sure that we'll talk soon." " l'm sure we will." " Ms. Ramos." "Bye." "Nice-looking man." "He's a cocky American beggar who needs to be taken down a peg." "is that what you want me to do?" "Not at all." "I want you to distract him." "I want you in his thoughts." "Make him fall in love with you, Orlanda." "is that all?" "Succeed with Bartlett, I'll give you a present-- a new Jag." "What's so important about Linc Bartlett?" "Why is he so important to you?" "Sorry." "I shouldn't have asked." "Mr. Plumm is here, sir." "Here." "Go and buy yourself a new dress." "And Orlanda... I wouldn't like Bartlett to know about our arrangement." "Nor would I." "Jason, old boy, do come in." "Sorry to keep you waiting and worrying." "Well, what happened?" "Bartlett suggested a raid." "On Struan's?" "Then I'm in." "Provided I get control of Struan Ships, their Hong Kong property operation, and 40% of their holdings in Thailand and Singapore." "You must be joking!" "But you need me." "You and Bartlett can't pull this off on your own." "Besides, you won't be satisfied just with destroying Dunross." "You want the whole pie and a stake in the American market." " And you?" " No." "We know where our toast is toasted." "We're content to tail along behind." "We don't want to be a Noble anything." " ls it a deal?" " No." "The offer's good for a week." "That should give you time to make up your mind." "I'll think about it." "Oh, by the way, I would unload my Ho-Pak stock if I were you." "Ho-Pak?" "But that's a blue chip." "That hasn't been down in years." "What have you heard?" "is Richard Kwang in trouble?" "Just a little advance warning, Jason." "Will I see you at Dunross's party tonight?" "Good god, Quillan." "You're not going to accept in person?" "Oh, I wouldn't want to miss the last great party of Struan's' last taipan." "Taipan?" "Mr. Linbar's here." " Any word from John Chen?" " No." "But I just had another interesting call." "It seems that Mr. Bartlett went to Rothwell-Gornt this morning for a private meeting with Mr. Gornt." "Are you sure?" "Oh, yes." "Very sure." "He's on his way here right now." "Send Linbar in, please." "Mr. Linbar." "You look too happy." "What's the deal?" "Par-Con will commit up to 40 million in cash, according to the lady." "And when I asked her when Bartlett would confirm the deal, the little scrubber had the bloody cheek to say," ""Oh, it's confirmed now." "I can commit up to 40 million" ""without consulting him or anyone."" "Do you think that's possible?" "I don't know." "It sounds too good." "Tell me about Casey." "What's she like?" "Well, she's good at figures." "Fast and confident." "And she's the best-looking bird I've seen in years." "What's her weak spot?" "Impatience." "She wants to belong, to be one of the boys." "I'd say her Achilles heel is she desperately wants acceptance in a man's world." "No harm in wanting that." "Like the Holy Grail." "This way, please, sir." "Hello, Mr. Bartlett." "Taipan is expecting you." "Straight down the corridor." "That's pretty good service." "We try, Mr. Bartlett." "We always try." "I can see that." "Mr. Bartlett." "Mr. Bartlett." "Welcome to Struan's." "I'm Ian Dunross." "Won't you come in, please?" "Quite a view from up here." "How's the meeting going?" "Quite well, as I understand it." "My fellows seem to be very impressed with your Ms. Tcholok." "Casey knows her facts and figures." "She said she can finalize everything herself." "Can she, Mr. Bartlett?" "Yeah." "She can negotiate and settle up to 40 million." "Why?" "Nothing." "Just wanted to find out your form, that's all." "Please sit down." "Lunch won't begin till 12:40." "is that tradition?" "Yeah. I'm afraid so." "We have a lot of them here." "So, tell me about yourself, Mr. Dunross." "Oh, come now, Mr. Bartlett." "I'm sure there's nothing I can tell you that you don't already know." "I doubt that." "Your father was taipan here once." "Yes." "He was very good." " At first." " And then?" "Ah, a skeleton so early, Mr. Bartlett?" "Well, briefly, we had a rather long, tedious, drawn-out difference of opinion." "Eventually, he handed it over to Alastair Struan, my predecessor." "With the understanding that eventually the job would go to you?" "No. lt doesn't work that way." "The taipan chooses his own successor." "Why were you chosen?" "I was well-trained for the job." "By your father?" "My father wanted me to be worthy to become taipan one day." "Although he never thought I'd amount to much." "Sounds like my old man." "Such are the things that spur us on, Mr. Bartlett." "Listen, why don't you call me Linc, and why don't I call you lan?" "We just drop this "Mr." business." "All right." "Linc." "That's better." "Ok, lan, let's put it on the table." "I want into Asia, and you need to get in the States, ls that a fair statement?" " l think that's fair." " l got what you lack." " And you got what I lack." " Yes." "And now what we both lack is lunch." "Well, I'm always ready to eat." "Thank you." "Ah, where's Philip?" "He begged off." "Something at home." "Oh." "Gentlemen, Lincoln Bartlett." "Jacques Deville." " Linbar Struan." " Pleasure." "How you doing, Casey?" "Just fine, thanks." "We've come up with a proposal for your consideration, Mr. Dunross." "Yes, I have the outline of it." "How does it sound?" "It sounds as if you can proceed on the assumption that, in general terms, it's acceptable." "That's a pretty cautious answer, lan." "There may be a few legal problems to be ironed out." "No. I already checked with your attorneys." "Our attorneys?" "Yes. I had them review our joint hypothetical needs-- yours as well as ours-- and they had no problems." "Anything wrong with that?" "No, no." "Not at all." "It's just that it's very adventurous of you." "Casey likes to cover all the bases." "Evidently." "My compliments." "Can you finalize by next Tuesday?" "I'll let you know tomorrow." "Shall we?" "Thank you." "Mr. Bartlett, why don't you sit opposite Ms. Tcholok?" "Some people are surprised that I have a woman as my negotiator." "Are you?" "No, actually, this company was once run by a woman" " The Hag." " The Hag?" "Hag Struan." "Our eternal boogie man." "Who was she?" "Calum Struan's wife." "He was Dirk Struan's son." "Her real name was Tess." "She was the daughter of Dirk's most hated enemy--Tyler Brock." "Calum and Tess eloped, the story goes, when she was beautiful, sweet 16, and he heir to the Noble House." "Legend has it that she ruled Calum all his life and tyrannized the Noble House until the day she died at age 92." "Toothless, hairless, vicious and dreadful to her very last day." "So you call her the Hag?" "Everyone did." "She went round in a long, black dress and wore a funny hat with a huge, moth-eaten feather and carried a black walking stick." "There wasn't anyone who wasn't totally terrified of her." "What she was, Linbar?" "Your great-great-grandmother?" "Oh, good lord, no. I'm not descended from Dirk's line." "I'm descended from Rob Struan, Dirk's half-brother and partner." "Only the taipan is descended directly from Dirk." "You can see the family's resemblance." " How?" " From the family portraits." "If you and Casey would like to be my guests tonight, I'll show you the whole gallery." "I'm having a small party, and I think you may enjoy it." "It's terrific." "What time?" "I'll have a car fetch you at 8:30." "Fine." "I'd like to take a look at Dirk Struan." "is there a portrait of the Hag?" "Oh, two, in fact. lf you like" "What's the matter?" "That's one of our house rules." "No phone calls during lunch unless it's an emergency." "It's for you, Taipan." "Hello." "What?" "No." "No." "No. I'll be right there." "Uh, Linbar, have Claudia cancel my afternoon board meetings, will you?" "Yes, Taipan." "That was from Philip." "I'm afraid John's been kidnapped." "Struan and Company, may I help you?" "I've just seen Dunross's car leave." "Do you know where he's going?" "No, sir. I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that." "But I can certainly try to find out if you can call back later." "Find out as soon as possible." "Thank you, sir." "Bye-bye." "Taipan, I cannot believe that this has happened to us." "My poor John." "I'm very sorry, Diane." "You know we'll do everything we can." "Have you called the police?" "Philip did." "You all right?" "I..." "Yes." "Where's the letter?" "In there." "They sent John's wallet and his keys." "When you called the police, who did you talk to?" "Brian Kwok." "I don't know what to do, Taipan." "The only thing you can do." "Pay the ransom." "They want $500,000." "They could have asked for a million." "Yes." "You're right, of course." "Still, it is a lot of money." "It's John we must worry about, not the money." " Mrs. Chen." " Yes." "Come in, please." "Brian." "Robert." "Thank you for coming so quickly." "Bad news. I'm very sorry, Philip." "Yes." "Thank you." "is that the box?" "How did it arrive?" "It was hand-delivered." "One of the servants answered the door." "There was a young man on a motorcycle." "All he said was, "There's a parcel for Mr. Philip Chen" and went away." "There's a ransom letter inside." "Who's touched this?" "I opened it, and only me." "You didn't remove anything?" "No, of course not." "Why would I remove anything?" "This one's for you, Brian." ""Mr. Philip Chen, I beg to inform you that I'm badly in need" ""of 500,000 Hong Kong currency, and I hereby consult you about it." ""So wealthy that it is like plucking one hair from nine oxen." ""Being afraid that you might refuse," ""l, therefore, have no alternative but to hold your son hostage." ""l send you your son's wallet and keys as proof of his situation." ""You will hear from me very soon, and if you smoothly pay the money," ""the safety of your son will be ensured." ""lf you fail to do this, your son will learn" ""the true meaning of cruelty, pain, and death." ""By the Werewolf."" "Sounds fairly serious." "You heard of this Werewolf?" "It doesn't ring any bells." "We'll run it through the computer." "If Mr. Werewolf has a history, we'll find it." "You didn't see or talk to John again after his arrival?" " No." " Taipan?" "I haven't seen him at all." "What are you getting at?" "Oh, just that John flew in on Mr. Bartlett's plane." "And well, I was wondering if there's any connection." "And then no one mentions it again?" "As if it didn't even matter." "John Chen is kidnapped, and it's..." ""Oh, dear." "Well, let's get back to business."" "That was the most cold-blooded demonstration I have ever seen." "Nothing cold-blooded about Dunross." "Did you see the look on his face?" "I don't know." "But I get the feeling there's something we don't know." "Maybe bringing John back with us wasn't one of my brighter ideas." "If Dunross suspects" "We can kiss this deal good-bye." "Not necessarily." "He needs us more than we need him." "Now, it's just not gonna be as easy as I thought it'd be." "What do you mean?" "Nothing." "Forget it." "Linc, is there something I don't know?" "Relax." "You had all those meetings with John Chen privately." "I said relax." "It should be an interesting party tonight." "Wait your turn, please." "I'm here to see Mr. Kwang." "Never mind." "There he is." "Philip, what a terrible thing to happen." "Poor John. I could hardly believe the news when you phoned." "Oh, never mind this." "Just nervous customers." "You know how these damn rumors get started." "This is to John's safe deposit box." "You must let me open it as a favor." " That's against-- - you must!" "Well..." "Under the circumstances." "Hurry!" " Please." " But this will remain..." "Absolutely private, richard." "I'll--l'll be outside." "Thank you." "My god." "What on earth?" "Be quiet and listen." "John has betrayed us." "He has betrayed the family." "What are you saying?" "I took John's safe deposit key from his key ring," "And I persuaded Richard Kwang to let me open the box." " Look." " What is this?" "A contract John signed with Par-Con a year ago." "He's been working for them, giving them private information about the Noble House." "No." "Here's a copy of a memo from John to Lincoln Bartlett with a list of all the important stockholders and their secret holdings, including mine." "Now listen to this." ""l can guarantee that you will have no trouble" ""in any takeover Par-Con cares to mount" ""if you agree to give me 3%" ""of the new Par-Con Asia Trading Company."" "Oh, my God, Philip, if the taipan finds out, he will ruin us." "You've got to burn everything." "When could John have" "Oh, my God, he came home for your birthday in March." "Yes, and this was his present." "My son is a traitor to all his ancestors, to the house of Chen." " Oh, no." " What?" "Get the servants into the back room and close the curtains." " But" " Now!" "Yes." "Oh, my son, my son..." "All gods curse you to hell." "Father..." "Curse those seabirds that fly over my head." "The taipan is coming now." "You have good eyes, seventh son, but when he arrives, you will call me Uncle, just one of many uncles, understand?" "Yes, Father, but don't you" "Why do you think that I have given you your name and spent so much money to have you learn to be like the people from the Golden Mountain?" "To help the family, Father." "Then go and greet the taipan, and after that, listen...carefully." "Good afternoon, sir." "I'm Paul Choy, Mr. Wu's nephew." "My uncle is waiting for you." "Nice to meet you, Paul." "Hello, Taipan." "It's good to see you." "Long time, no?" "Too long, old friend." "Please." "Have you heard the news about John Chen?" "Oh, yes." "Bad charts for the house of Chen," "Very bad charts." "Ransom note was signed "The Werewolf."" "Have you ever heard of such a name?" "Werewolf?" "That is a new name for my ears." "Perhaps if you asked among your friends, your friends who hear almost everything." "That is a possibility." "How much is this Werewolf asking?" "$500,000." "Aiyah!" "How noble house Chen must be suffering." "This has been a bad day." "Tomorrow could be worse." "Yes, for all of us." "Tell me what you've heard about the Ho-Pak bank." "Are they finished?" "is Banker Kwang ruined?" "The Ho-pak has always been sound, but I heard the stock has been sold short." "Curse all banks." "I will ask my friends about this Werewolf." "Thank you, old friend." "Could you get the boat, please?" "Certainly, sir." "On reflection, I suggest you put your nephew with Rothwell-Gornt-- better for him, better for us." "I want you to gather all my captains," "Goodweather Poon, and Two Hatchet Tok." "Have them here by sunset and then write a letter to the noble house Chen." "Tell him that my men will protect him, if he likes, when he goes to pay the Werewolf's ransom." "Yes, Father, but why should you concern yourself with this Chen business?" "It's not our family's affair." "Listen, my young fool." "Everything I do is for our family." "It is not John Chen I want to find." "It is what he has." "The house of Chen has no secrets from me, my son." "What does John Chen have?" "Hmm, something." "Something that will give me great power," "Power to control the Noble House." " Hello, Martin." " Hello, Miko." "Just a small party?" "Oh, put on your best smile, and everyone will think you're friendly." " A drink, madam?" " No, thank you." "Let's go do it." "Divide and conquer." "Ah, Casey, good to see you." " Where's Linc?" " Working the room." "This is quite a house." "Well, it goes with the job, Taipan's residence." "It suits you somehow." "That couldn't be true for many men." "is that a compliment?" "No. I'd say it's more in the area of naked admiration." "Have you any news about John Chen?" "No, but we're hoping to hear soon." "There's someone I'd like you to meet." "Christian..." "Were you summoning me, Taipan?" "I'm gonna do you a very great favor, Christian, and introduce you to this lady." "Christian Toxe, editor of the china guardian, may I present Miss Casey Tcholok," "Vice President of Par-Con?" "Oh, this is a favor." "Miss Tcholok, I'm enchanted." "How very nice to meet you." "If there's anything Christian doesn't know about Hong Kong, it isn't because he hasn't tried to find it out," "So I'm leaving you in very good hands." " See you later." " Oh." "Well, where shall I begin?" "Whose family tree shall I reveal to you?" "How about lan Dunross?" "Still can't get over the fact that you speak better Cantonese than I do." "Starting to think you're almost Chinese." "Well, part of me is." "Well, part of your brain, anyway." "Any word on John Chen?" "Oh, nothing." "It's a little odd, don't you think, his being kidnapped just a few hours after his return?" "Maybe, but I can't think of a better victim than the son of noble house Chen," "Unless, of course, someone decides to kidnap you." "Well, don't think I'm worth much of a ransom these days." "I think you're just saying that to fool the cogs, lan, but I wouldn't worry too much about that." "After all, I keep my eye on you." "Oh, is that supposed to make me feel safe or nervous?" "Who knows?" "Perhaps a little bit of both." " Whitmore." " Ah, Mr. Bartlett." "How are you?" "Let me introduce Paul Havergill of Victoria Bank and Richard Kwang of the Ho-Pak, one of our finest Chinese banks." " Hello." " Gentlemen." "We've just been discussing a small run on the Ho-Pak today." "Perhaps you've heard." "Yeah." "Nothing serious, I assure you, Mr. Bartlett." "is Miss Tcholok here?" "She's inside. lt's a nice party." "Yes, very." "If I can be of any assistance to you while you're here or if Richard can help you, please don't hesitate to call on either of us." "You see, Mr. Bartlett, in banking, we are all friendly competitors." "Why do the Gornts hate the Struan's so much?" "Not certain of all the reasons-- thank you-- but I suspect it goes back all the way to Tyler Brock." "Have you heard of him?" "He's Hag Struan's father, right?" "You obviously know the history." "Rumor has it-- and it is only a rumor-- that the Gornt family are Brock's descendants." "Where did it all start between Tyler Brock and Dirk Struan?" "When Dirk was a boy, he was an apprentice seaman on Tyler Crock's ship." "Brock flogged young Struan unmercifully then left him for dead somewhere on the China coast." "Dirk was 14, and he swore before God and the devil that he'd return the beating but with a cat o' nine tails." "As far as I know, he never did." "Dirk was killed in a typhoon in 1841." "Brock lived for another 22 years," "Though he died penniless, thanks to his own daughter." "The Hag." "Quite a lady." "She plotted against her own father and brought him down." "Brock lost everything-- ships, his property, his wealth-- and Struan's position as Noble House was safe." "Tyler Brock died swearing revenge." "So, if Quillan Gornt is really related to Tyler Brock-- that would explain many things." "Bet you can't do that again." "How much?" "It's nice to see you again, Mr. Bartlett." "Don't you like the party?" "Oh, the party is fine." "I just saw this beautiful table, and I couldn't resist." " l'm Linc Bartlett." " l'm Lando Mata." "Are you a gambler, Mr. Bartlett?" "No. I'm only an amateur." "You play?" "I'm afraid billiards is not my game." "Orlanda, if you'll excuse me, I must pay my respects to the taipan." "Mr. Bartlett." "Pleasant surprise to see you here." "Hong Kong is very small, Mr. Bartlett." "It's almost impossible not to see familiar faces." "You mean, because I'm a friend of Quillan's?" " l'm Lando's date tonight." " Just tonight?" "He's an old family friend." "We're both originally from Macau." "Too bad he doesn't play billiards." "I worked my way through college shooting pool." "Lando only plays games he knows he can win." "He owns one of the largest casinos in Macau." "If you're a gambler, you should go see it while you're here." "It's only a short trip." "I only play games l know I can win, too." "I caught a glimpse of your associate." "She's very beautiful." "is she your mistress?" "Casey is my executive vice president." "Everyone is speculating about it." "The two of you are quite the talk of Hong Kong." "Don't believe the gossip." "I'm very particular about what I believe." "That's the only way to survive out here." "Funny little man, but his sources of information are really first-class." "The china guardian is a pretty reliable magazine." "Maybe it's because Christian Toxe has a Chinese wife that he's so well tapped in." "is she here?" "I'd like to meet her." "Well, she's always invited, of course, but she never comes." "It's face, to save her husband's face." "Why, because it's a mixed marriage?" "God, what's that bastard doing here?" "Excuse me." "I thought I'd drop by." "I hope you don't mind." "Not at all." " Bad joss about John Chen." " Yes." "You know, I have always envied you this house." "It really is quite beautiful, quite beautiful." "Excuse me." "Did you want me to join you?" "I believe you two know each other." "No." "We've never met, but of course I know who Mr. Gornt is." "Ah, let me introduce you formally." "Quillan Gornt, taipan of Rothwell-Gornt," "Miss Casey Tcholok of Par-Con lndustries." "I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Gornt." "From the wrong sources, I'm sure." "Perhaps, you'll let me tell you our side of the legends one day." "How long are you staying, Miss Tcholok?" "That's up to my boss Linc Bartlett." "Oh, I know Mr. Bartlett." "In fact, we had a meeting this morning." "You did?" "He didn't mention it to me." "Oh." "Well, I'm sure he will." "Once negotiations begin, you'll find that we can better any offer that Struan's can make," "Any offer." "That decision is up to Linc, not me." "Yes. I know." "I just wanted to tell you personally, lan, that we're in the same market." "Then we shall see, won't we?" "We shall see who makes the best deal." "If you'll excuse me..." "Yes." "Don't worry about us." "We can look after ourselves." "What was that, a formal challenge to battle?" "All life is a game, Miss Tcholok, only here in Hong Kong, we play by different rules." "Let's go and find your Mr. Bartlett, shall we?" "I wanted to say hello to him." "How do you explain that, Jacques?" "You're better at guessing than I am, but for Gornt to show his face in this house?" "If the ghosts were asleep, they're certainly awake now." "Awake and angry." "Makes it $10." "I'm afraid I'll have to owe it to you." "I thought a lady had to pay her gambling debts at once." "Linc, Quillan Gornt wanted to say hello." " Evening, Mr. Bartlett." " Hello, Orlanda." "Mr. Gornt, didn't expect to see you here tonight." "Oh, I'm always invited to lan's parties, just as he is always invited to mine." "Of course, we never go." "Except tonight." "Casey, this is Orlanda Ramos." "I was just showing her the finer points of billiards." "How do you do?" "Lando must be wondering where l am." "So nice to meet you." "I thought it only fair to notify Dunross of our intentions." "I'm sure he knew already." "And I'm sure he'll appreciate your consideration." "Hardly, Mr. Bartlett, hardly." "If you two are free at the weekend, perhaps you'd care to come out and spend the day on my boat Sunday, if the weather is fine." "That's very kind of you." "I won't be staying for dinner-- thank you, lan-- but thank you so much for your hospitality." "Miss Tcholok, Mr. Bartlett." "I'll walk out with you." "Gentlemen." "Have you made a deal with Gornt?" "No, not yet." "But you have examined the possibilities." "Well, I'm in business to make money, same as you." "Yes, but there are ethics involved." "Hong Kong ethics?" "How long you been dealing with Gornt?" "Few weeks, but you can agree to our proposal right now." "You said Tuesday." "I'll tell you Tuesday." "Until that time, I have the right to deal with Gornt or anyone else, for that matter, but if you accept our offer now, the deal is closed, and, frankly, I'd rather deal with you." " Why?" " Because..." "You're the Noble House." "Gornt isn't." "He wants to be." "But you are, at least for now." "We've managed to stay on top for the past 150 years." "We plan to stay there." "And I think you will... provided you can come up with the 24 million cash you need to pay off your 3 January notes to Orland International." "Hmm, you seem to be particularly well-informed." "Well, I can do better than that." "You've got 8.4 million in consolidated corporate losses so far this year against a written-up paper profit of 15 last year." "Do you want me to go on?" "No." "That won't be necessary." "I don't suppose you want to tell me who in my company is your informant." "Why would I need a spy?" "All that information's available from banks, if you know how to dig and who to ask." "is that--Now, that has got to be Dirk Struan." " Yes." " There's a hell of a resemblance." "My offer is firm till Tuesday." "midnight Tuesday." "Midnight Tuesday." "One minute into Wednesday, and all debts and friendships are cancelled, and you may need friendship more than you think." "More inside information?" "If I were you, lan, I'd close this deal tonight." " l'd close it right now." " Right now?" "I want 14 million U.S. on signing." "Casey offered 4, and your man Deville said that would be acceptable." "It isn't. 14 million is." "No deal." "Very well." "Let's return to the party." "Wait." "All right." "14 million, contracts next Tuesday." "That'll give me time to get my tax people here." " Well?" " l accept." " Are we agreed?" " lt's Casey's deal." "You mind shaking with her?" "A taipan deals with a taipan on closing." "It's an old Chinese custom." "is she the taipan of Par-Con?" "No. I am, but I want her to close it." " l promised." " l repeat..." "Who's the taipan of Par-Con?" "A promise is a promise." "You, of all people, should understand that." "Yes." "Tell Casey I'll meet her here." "It's Tyler Brock." "Sorry." "Didn't mean to make you jump." "I didn't hear you come in." "It's a bit melodramatic, isn't it, leaving the knife like that?" "Hag Struan did it." "She ordered it left that way." "She hammered it into the wall with a cricket bat and cursed before God and the devil anyone who took her knife out of her wall." " Why?" " Pleased her." "She was taipan." " Seriously, why?" " l was serious." "She hated her father, and she wanted us all to be reminded about our heritage." "This is her. lt was done just after she and Calum were married." "There's also another one done a couple years later." "What about when she was older?" "No portraits survived." "She destroyed them all." "is that jade?" "Emeralds." "Dirk Struan willed her the necklace on the condition that it never left Asia and was passed down to the wife of each taipan." "Hag Struan kept the necklace all her life, and when she died, she ordered it buried with her." "And was it?" "Must've been worth a fortune." "What a waste." "No." "She kept Sstruan as the Noble House of Asia for almost 75 years." "She was the taipan, the real taipan." "Although others had the title, it was Hag Struan who kept faith with Dirk's legacy." "An emerald necklace isn't much, compared to that." "Besides, it was probably pirated from the treasury uf some mandarin who stole it from someone else." "We have a deal to shake on." " No." "Sorry, but I have to cancel out." " What?" "Linc agreed to the 14 million up front." "I didn't, so you'll have to close with him." "He's waiting in the bar." "Besides, a taipan should deal with a taipan, no?" "is this your idea or his?" " Does it matter?" " Very much." "If I say it was Linc's idea, he loses face, and if I say it was mine, he still loses face in a different way." "You're very generous, Casey." "Yes." "We're all bound by saving face, one way or the other." "Come on." "Stop, damn you." "Come on!" "Bloody lan Dunross." "Of course, Dunross could've buggered my brakes." "At a party with all those guests around?" "Oh, come on, Quillan." "Even lan bloody Dunross wouldn't go that far." "You're wrong." "For all his Scots cunning, he's an animal of sudden, unpremeditated action," "And that's his failing." "What did the police say?" "Oh, all I told them was that my brakes had failed." "There was no need to involve those nosy buggers," "At least not yet." "We certainly don't need the police to wash our linen, however droll, do we?" "No." "The peak is no road to lose your brakes on." "Must've been very unpleasant." "Do you really believe in this whole plan?" "In the next ten days, Jason, you and I are going to pluck the Noble House like a dead duck." "is Bartlett in, I mean, really in?" "He will be." "The prize is too great for him to resist." "And if Struan's manages to get a desperation loan, borrow enough money, or extend their line of credit, then what?" "Struan's won't be increasing anything." "Take my word for it." "With Mr. Linc Bartlett's money to back me..." "Quillan, you're not making any sense." "If Dunross wants to extend, he'll ask the Victoria Bank, and Paul Havergill will have no choice but to put it to a vote of the board, and you know as well as I do Struan's has the votes." "This time, they won't." "Richard Kwang will vote against them." "Have you gone bonkers?" "For God's sake, Richard Kwang isn't even on Victoria Board." "He will be, and Dunross will never expect an attack from there." "What in hell are you up to?" "You'll find out in time." "Oh, one other thing-- Victoria doesn't have a regular board meeting scheduled for a couple of weeks." "I know that, but all it takes is a phone call from Dunross, and Havergill calls a special meeting." "He won't." "Trust me." "Then, by God, I think this time, you may have done it." "You're damn right, I've done it." "I'm in... for 25% and a seat on the board." " Ten." " 15." "Agreed." "Shall we put that in a memo?" "Perish the thought." "Nothing in writing till after the funeral." "Down with the Noble House." "Straight down to hell." " Have you decided anything?" " Uh-uh." "Why do I feel so uneasy?" "Maybe it was something you ate." "Listen, Linc." "I know you're the boss and you make the decisions, but" " Would you relax?" " Relax?" "Suppose the taipan finds out John was working for us." "The Struan deal is closed." "We shook on it." "Besides, he needs it more than we do." "Linc, I know you don't have to tell me everything, but" "That's right." "But what was John Chen going to give you that was so important?" " A coin." " What?" " Actually, half a coin." " Are you kidding me?" "Maybe I am." "Now forget all about it." "Get Seymour Steigler on the phone for me, will you?" "You forget how to dial?" "What the hell is eating you?" "Have you made a deal, any deal, with Quillan Gornt?" "No." "Gornt wants to raze Struan's and asked if I wanted to play." "And you said... I said--l said I'd think about it." "By all gods, let's just go if the bank doesn't open in the next ten seconds." "Stop." "Get back in line, please." "Queue up or go home." "If you don't form a line, I will have the bank closed, and none of you will get inside, and none of you will get your money, so please get back in line." "Come on." "Move!" "I haven't got all day." "You want to close all your Ho-Pak accounts?" "Yes." "Now." "But we haven't-- l want my money now, cash or bullion now." " Don't you understand?" " Yes, sir." "I can give you a cashier's check." "I want money, understand?" "Money!" "Yes, sir, but that much cash" "My cash, you miserable worm." "Now give it to me." "Cashier's check is just the same, Uncle." "We can take it to the Victoria, and they will honor it instantly." " l can guarantee." " Shut your mealy mouth!" "And what if this--this--this cashier's check is no good?" "What then, Nephew?" "It is good, Uncle, and it is the quickest way for you to remove your money from this bank, and wouldn't it be better to have the money out as fast as possible?" "Yes. I want it fast." "What?" "All right." "Make the check..." "Yes, sir." "And make sure that every last penny is there." "Yes, sir." "$53,778,627.08." "Come here, old woman." "I want to talk to you." " Why?" " Just come here." " What's in the bag?" " What bag?" " This bag." " This?" "Nothing." "Just my shopping." "I saw you come out of the bank." " How much money have you got in there?" " No!" "No." "Oh, please..." "$756." " What are you, a beggar?" " My money." "My cut now is 20%." " Five." " Ten." "Six." "You are strong and young." "The strong must protect the old and weak, aiyah?" "True, true." "Very well. 7%." "You owe me eight cents out of that." "Yes. I know." "Now run along, old woman." "I have more important things to do." "You must be very important." "I can tell." "More important than you think." "Have you heard of the Werewolf, the one who has kidnapped the son of noble house Chen?" "Aiyah!" "is that you?" "That's...a close friend of mine." "The brave have great friends, and if you are brave enough to want another customer, I see a easy one." "Who?" "He was in the queue before me, and the man withdrew $8,000." "Which one?" "Where is he?" "15% share?" "Seven I took for you." "Seven I give you." "Now where is he?" "You see that man in a gray suit with a big, black bag?" "Hai, poon." "God of gamblers, come sit on my shoulder." "Let him in." " Did you mail the letter?" " l got everything." "What took you so long, smallpox kin?" "I had to wait for the bus, father." "Water. I need water." "Give him a drink, dog-eared Chen." "Oh, water." "Come on." "Sit up." "Hey, what's that around your neck?" "Nothing." "Let me see it." "Wait!" "Enough." "Only meant to bend his head a little." "I think he's dead." "You killed him." "High-born fellas must have soft skulls." "What's he have around his neck?" "It's just an old broken coin." "Îíà íè÷åãî íå ñòîèò."