Free The Two Sisters of Borneo by Ian Hamilton

the hospital early this morning. We caught a flight before lunch.”
    “And you are feeling okay?”
    “I napped on the plane.”
    “Sonny is with you?”
    “Of course.”
    “Are you at the hotel?”
    “For an hour.”
    “The Peninsula, correct?”
    “Yes.”
    “Uncle, please take it easy. Nothing good can come from overdoing things.”
    “Ava, stop worrying. I am not here to lift bricks.”
    “Still . . .”
    “And how are things for you in Amsterdam?”
    “I don’t know. I just woke up and I’m about to make my first contact.”
    “Good luck.”
    “Thanks.”
    “If you need me, call. It appears I will be here for at least two full days.”
    “And you will call me, or you will instruct Sonny to call, if you need me?”
    “I said I would.”
    “Sorry for being a pest about it,” she said, sensing a touch of annoyance in his voice.
    “Ava, go and look after your business. I will see you in Hong Kong in a few days,” he said gently.
    He’s right , she thought, opening the notebook. There was nothing to be gained by worrying about what he was doing eight thousand kilometres away. Better that she focus on the problem less than five kilometres from her hotel doorway, one that started with Timmerman BV, the bankruptcy trustee. She picked up the hotel phone and made the local call.
    From her previous trip to Amsterdam she knew that most Dutch people speak English, and many of them other languages as well — a testament to their trading background. So she wasn’t surprised when the receptionist at Timmerman switched to English as soon as she heard Ava’s voice.
    “How can I help you?” she asked.
    “My name is Ava Lee. I’m here for a creditors’ meeting tomorrow, and I’d like to speak to the trustee who is handling the file for Janssen Volker NV.”
    “That would be Patrick Visser,” the woman said, and then paused.
    “Is there a problem?” Ava asked.
    “No, I’m just checking to see if he’s in the office today.”
    The line went silent and Ava knew she had been put on hold. Several minutes passed and she began to get impatient. Then a man’s voice said, “Visser.”
    “Hello, my name is Ava Lee and I’m in Amsterdam for the Janssen Volker creditors’ meeting.”
    “Really?”
    “You sound surprised. The meeting is still scheduled for tomorrow, isn’t it?”
    “Yes, of course, but I wasn’t expecting any creditors to actually show up. Just who is it you represent?”
    That’s strange , Ava thought, and then said, “Borneo Fine Hardwoods and Furniture.”
    “And you came all the way from Borneo?”
    “Hong Kong, actually.”
    “Your English is excellent, if I may say.”
    “I’m Canadian.”
    “Ah, that explains it. But tell me, what is your relationship to this Borneo business?”
    “I’m an officer and a shareholder.”
    “I see,” he said, and then hesitated.
    “Mr. Visser, I have to tell you I was somewhat surprised when I saw the list of creditors. It seemed to me rather short for such a large filing.”
    “It is, of course, but it’s accurate. Aside from your company, Meijer Finance is the only other major one. They, of course, are secured and have already started the process of recovering as much of their funds as they can.”
    “Short or not, I couldn’t help being even more surprised to see there were no other furniture suppliers listed.”
    “Janssen rid themselves of nearly all of them over the past few years. Their business appears to have become almost completely focused on your products.”
    “And there was only one bank involved?”
    “Yes, and that was only for operational purposes — paying bills and payroll and things like that. Janssen had a very modest line of credit. It was secured, of course, but I’m told that Meijer paid it off so they could have uncontested rights to whatever assets still remained in the business.”
    “And what assets were those?” Ava asked, knowing already what the answer was going to be.
    “Furniture.”
    “Just