Singapore Sling Shot - Andrew Grant [70]
The guard in the basement had been found seriously dehydrated and suffering severe concussion. Of the other two guards, one was not expected to live. The other, who had received serious head injuries and burns to much of his body, was expected to live. The only favour Lu’s men had done Sami was take the weapons that Sami’s men had been carrying. At least there were no arms charges on the slate.
The police eventually left. Because there had been no ransom demand for the missing staff members, their hands were tied. Missing person’s bulletins would go out and they would mount a full investigation. There was nothing else they could do.
Jo and I answered Sami’s call and went into the building and up to the fifteenth floor. The stench of burned plastic, gasoline fumes and water-sodden carpet filled the atmosphere. The air conditioning was on full. There were several broken windows and the others that could be opened gaped wide. The carpet and walls were blackened in places, soot covered everything, but the sprinklers and fire hoses had done the major damage. Everything was soaked. Everything, that is, apart from Stanley’s office.
Stanley, it appeared, had been security conscious in one way at least. The office had a heavy fire- and impact-proof door and a serious mortise lock. It had still been locked when the fire crew had smashed their way through the wall beside it. The sprinklers had soaked the room, but apart from that, it was intact.
With kidnap presumably highest on their agenda, Lu’s men had hit and run. I assumed that the fire had been more for nuisance value than anything else. Whatever, the office was where K and we three were now congregated. K had arrived from the Cairnhill apartment with the ransom note just moments after the police had left.
It was 15:22. In a little over three hours, Sami had to contact Lu.
“Where is he holding them?” Sami was staring unseeing at the huge satellite photomap of Singapore that was attached to the wall. The map was under a Perspex covering, so it hadn’t been damaged by water. Intella Island and the connecting bridge had been added using Photoshop.
“It’s a big island when you look at it like that,” I said, lighting a Marlboro. I went to stand at Sami’s side. I was referring to Singapore as a whole, minus Sami’s bolt-on island. Jo was looking out the window behind us. K was sitting on the edge of what had been Stanley’s huge desk, seemingly meditating.
“No more warehouses,” I replied. “He has to figure you’ve got him tabbed on that. Given that you cleaned the money out of the last one and he torched another. Just how much real estate can he own?”
“A lot,” Sami replied distractedly, “and much of that unofficially so we can’t check a register or anything like that.”
“Can we try the CCTV cameras again and see what vehicles left the car park just prior to the fire? It had to be a people mover or a van of some sort to shift two or three of Lu’s guys and the four women.”
“My people are working on it.”
“Can we pre-empt him?” It was Jo.
“How?” Sami and I queried simultaneously.
“Figure this,” he said. “I would bet that whatever exchange he is going to make, it will be at dawn tomorrow. It needs to take place in a semi-public area, but not right out in the open or in rush hour. Not too obvious, but there will have to be people around. The women will arrive in a van or small bus and there will be an exchange for a truck with the money. Simple swap and enough people around to prevent it all ending in a firefight.”
“That sounds about right,” I agreed.
“I know where he has the women.” It was K. He stood and walked to the map and stabbed a finger at it. “The hotel on Sentosa.”
“What makes you think he’ll hold them there?” Sami wanted to know.
“He thinks he is very clever. But he has to keep them in an isolated place and that is perfect,” K replied. “You said it was