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“You don’t take this train often, do you.”
    “No.”
    “Well, if they didn’t have these holding areas, everyone waiting for the train would be crowded as close to the platform edge as they could get. The people on the arriving train would find it almost impossible to get out. When the train gets in and all the passengers have disembarked, the doors here open and we can get on. It’s a very efficient system.”
    Three minutes later Ava witnessed the system at work. After the train disgorged what looked like thousands of people, she watched as thousands more ran from the holding area towards it. She could hardly imagine the chaos if the two human waves ever collided.
    She walked rather than ran to the train and was still able to find a seat. Five minutes later she forced herself to stand. Her jet lag had returned and she was struggling to keep her eyes open. Being on her feet helped, but she began to worry about what she would do when she got back to the hotel in Mong Kok. There was no way she could stay in her room without succumbing. As she contemplated her options, her phone rang. Her senses were so dulled that she didn’t recognize the ring at first.
    “ Wei ,” she said.
    “This is Pang from the Good Luck Hotel. You gave me your phone number.”
    “Oh, yes.”
    “I just saw your uncle.”
    “What?”
    “He walked past me as he was heading out.”
    “Are you sure it was him?”
    “If it wasn’t, it was someone who looked exactly like the person in the photo you gave me.”
    “So he’s a hotel guest?”
    “I think so. I showed his photo to the guy who works the bell desk full-time and he said he had seen him coming and going for a few days.”
    “That’s great,” Ava said.
    “So what are you going to do now?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “You owe me more money.”
    “Of course, of course I do. I’m on the train heading back to Kowloon. I need to get off and reverse my course. Are you going to be there?”
    “Till six.”
    “Okay, then we’ll hook up in about an hour,” Ava said, and felt a sudden surge of energy. “Tell me, did your colleague happen to know what name my uncle is using at the hotel?”
    Pang became quiet and Ava realized that her question must have sounded ridiculous to him.
    “I mean, you know he’s not really my uncle, don’t you,” she said.
    “Yeah, I figured that.”
    “So, do you have a name?”
    “No, but I found out a couple of other things that you should know.”
    “And those are?”
    “He’s never alone. According to my friend, Chew, he has two tough-looking guys with him. And you’re not the only person asking questions about him.”

( 8 )
    SHE EXITED THE train at Fo Tan, crossed the platform, and five minutes later was on her way back to Shenzhen. When she reached Lo Wu station, this time she noticed how easy it was to leave the train, and any last doubts about the use of the pens vanished.
    “I’m only going to the Good Luck Hotel,” she told the cab driver when she got outside. “But I’ll pay you a hundred Hong Kong.”
    He nodded. She climbed into the back seat, her mind full of thoughts about Johnny Kung. So I’ve found him , she thought. Now what do I do?
    Pang waved at her as she walked through the front door of the hotel. Beside him, an older, shorter, rounder man stared at her. She went over to them.
    “This is Chew,” Pang said.
    “Hi,” Ava said, trying to ignore Chew’s eyes, which were locked on to her chest. Ava did have larger breasts than was usual for a Chinese woman, and in China they seemed to generate keen interest.
    “I showed him the photo and he recognized your guy,” Pang said.
    “He’s been here for at least three days,” Chew said.
    “Is he here now?”
    “No.”
    “You mentioned that there were other people asking questions. Who were they?”
    “I have no idea, but they’re in the lobby now.”
    “Where?”
    “Don’t turn around right away, but when you can, look towards the sofas. There’s a