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little bald guy sitting by himself to the left; he’s got tattoos on both arms. Then look further left and you’ll see another guy by the door, with a ponytail and a wispy beard. He’s also got tattoos. They’re a team, I think.”
    “Why do you suppose that?”
    “They take turns sitting and standing.”
    “Triad probably,” Pang said.
    “What makes you think that?” Ava asked.
    “The tattoos. They’re almost like a uniform.”
    “The guys with the man you’re looking for have them too,” Chew said.
    “Triad?”
    “Could be — just different gangs.”
    “You need to be careful,” Pang said.
    “Thanks for the advice,” Ava said, and turned to Chew. “What kind of questions were those men asking?”
    “They had a picture, like you, and they wanted to know if I’d seen the guy. That was a few days ago, so by now they’ve seen him for themselves. They’ve been in and around the hotel ever since, but I haven’t seen them approach your guy. That’s a bit strange, don’t you think?”
    “I have no idea,” Ava said. She went into her bag and took out Hong Kong dollars. “Here’s your thousand, Pang, and I’ll give Mr. Chew here five hundred for his help. Does that work?”
    “Sure,” Pang said.
    When Chew said nothing, Ava pressed the bill into his hand. “Thanks again,” she said.
    Ava crossed the lobby towards the man on the sofa. He was slumped to one side, his elbow sunk into the sofa’s arm, his chin resting on his palm. He looks bored , she thought. She stopped directly in front of him. He didn’t notice her at first, but when he glanced up, she saw a look of surprise on his face. He turned away. She didn’t move, her eyes firmly fixed on him. He was in his thirties, she guessed, but in his black jeans, white T-shirt, and white running shoes he looked like a teenager.
    “I’m told you’re looking for Johnny Kung,” she said.
    His head swivelled towards her and she saw that she had flustered him. His eyes flickered briefly in her direction and then looked to the right, where the man Chew had identified as his partner was watching them.
    “Are you looking for Kung?” she said.
    “What’s going on here?” the man’s partner said.
    He was short, only a few inches taller than Ava, but he was lean and wiry and looked as if he could take care of himself in a fight.
    “I was asking if you two are looking for Johnny Kung,” Ava said.
    “What business is that of yours?” he said, moving closer, his eyes roaming over her body.
    “Because I am as well.”
    “Is that a joke?”
    “No, I’m completely serious.”
    “What is he, your father or something?”
    “Of course not.”
    “You look young enough.”
    “My age is irrelevant,” Ava said, looking at each of them in turn. “I just want to say that if you are looking for Kung, then we shouldn’t get in each other’s way.”
    “Who are you?”
    “My name is Ava Lee.”
    “You use an English name?” the man on the sofa said.
    “I’m Canadian.”
    “My English name is Andy, and he’s Carlo. Now what the hell do you want with Kung?” he said.
    “She has to be his girlfriend,” Carlo said, switching from Mandarin to Cantonese.
    “He owes money to one of my clients. I’m here to try to collect it,” Ava said in Cantonese.
    “Now you really are joking,” Carlo said.
    “I’m quite serious, and unless I’m mistaken I think you’re trying to collect money from him as well. When I went to his office today, they mentioned that other people were after him. I assume it’s you two.”
    “What outfit do you work for?” Andy said.
    “What do you mean?”
    “If you’re in the business, you’ve got to be working for someone.”
    “I’m working alone. What outfit are you with?”
    “Chow Tung’s.”
    Ava’s face registered no reaction.
    “You’ve never heard of him?” Andy said.
    “No.”
    “God, you are a rookie. There aren’t many people in Hong Kong who haven’t heard of him.”
    “Why is