Reluctantly Marissa took the glass he offered her.
Tristan raised his glass up to eye level.
“To our Hong Kong sleuthing,” he said.
Marissa clinked his glass with hers. They both drank.
“Now that’s what I call bubbly,” Tristan said. Then, turning to the window, he pointed out.
“You haven’t said anything about the view. What do you think?”
“It’s astonishingly beautiful,” Marissa said, eyeing the mountains of Hong Kong Island. White villas dotted the dark green foliage. Below, at the water’s edge and beginning to creep up the hills, were the modern high-rises, opulent testimony to Hong Kong’s power as a major economic center.
“It’s more beautiful than I thought it would be,” Tristan said.
Marissa agreed. She hadn’t imagined it would be so modern.
But then Tristan’s comment sank in. Turning to him she asked, “Haven’t you been here before?”
“First time,” Tristan said, still enjoying the view.
“But the way you talked about it,” Marissa said, “I was sure you’d been here.”
“A lot of my friends have been here,” Tristan said.
“But not me. I’ve heard a lot about the place and have always wanted to come. Just never had the chance.”
Looking back over at Hong Kong Island, Marissa felt a twinge of disappointment. She had counted on Tristan’s knowledge of Hong Kong to speed their inquiries.
“So anyway,” Marissa said, “back to my question. What’s our first step in contacting the Wing Sin Triad?”
“I don’t know,” Tristan said.
“Let’s try to come up with some suggestions.”
“Wait a minute,” Marissa said, putting her glass down.
“You’re telling me you don’t have any plan for contacting this Wing Sin Triad?”
“Not yet,” Tristan admitted.
“But it’s a big organization. I don’t think we will have any trouble making contact.”
“Oh, give me a break!” Marissa said.
“This is a fine time to let me know you’ve never been here before and that you don’t have any ideas about contacting these triad people. What are we going to do, go out on the street and start asking passersbyl” “We’ll do what we have to,” Tristan said.
Marissa stared at him in disbelief. She was beginning to wonder what kind of ally she’d come up with.
“But first things first,” Tristan said.
“Let’s go to dinner. I’ll call downstairs and get a proper suggestion for an authentic Chinese restaurant from the concierge.”
“You do that!” Marissa said.
She took a shower and changed her clothes. By the time she
K was ready, she’d recovered her composure to a great degree, but she was still irritated with him. She felt deceived. At the same time she was thankful he’d come and that she wasn’t on her own.
For dinner the concierge sent them to a “typical” Chinese restaurant. It was a four-story affair with a colorful facade painted bright gold and crimson. There were myriad dining rooms within, each lit by extravagant crystal chandeliers. Like Hong Kong itself, the place was bustling.
Both Marissa and Tristan were a bit unsettled by the apparent confusion. People were everywhere. Large tables of noisy diners dominated each room. Everybody seemed to be shouting. The scene reminded Marissa more of a stadium event than a restaurant.
Despite the hour, crying babies could be heard in every direction. And over the tumult floated strident Chinese music coming from hidden speakers.
Eventually Marissa and Tristan found a table. They were handed large menus bound in gold and crimson. Unfortunately for them the menus were written in Chinese characters with no translation. They tried to hail a waiter, but were roundly ignored.
Finally one waiter approached. At first he pretended not to speak English. Then he seemed to change his mind. He spoke to them in English, but he was distracted and less than helpful in translating the menu. Despite these obstacles, Marissa and Tristan ordered dinner.
“Do you have any idea what we’ll be getting?” Marissa yelled over the din after the waiter disappeared.
“I haven’t the slightest,” Tristan answered.
The noise in the restaurant precluded normal conversation.
Marissa and Tristan were content merely to observe.
In short order, their dinner arrived. It included a sizzling wok filled with unidentifiable wriggly vegetables. There was a basket of dumplings, something from the sea in a dark, salty sauce, several bowls of rice, and some haunches of greasy bird. There was also a pot of green tea.