Part 29 (1/2)

I was stoical about losing the money and the Thai gra.s.s these things can happen but the arrest of my dear friend John Denbigh hit me like a ton of bricks: we forget these things can happen.

What about Frederick? Was he sailing into disaster? Was anyone left to meet his boat? Could this have been Frederick's Vietnamese dope the Mounties just busted?

It was. The busted boat had just met Frederick's and was landing the Vietnamese gra.s.s when the Mounties stepped in. Frederick had sailed off obliviously. Although John Denbigh, Bob Light, and some others were intimately involved in Frederick's Vietnamese scam, Gerry Wills and Ron Allen were uninvolved and totally unaware of it. The overlap of personnel in the Thai and Vietnamese scams had caused them to be busted for a deal they knew nothing about. They could hardly tell the Mounties that the millions of confiscated dollars were actually the proceeds of a previous Thai importation and nothing to do with the current Vietnamese one. If Ron and Gerry were upset with me, I couldn't blame them. It was my fault.

On the day I heard this tragic news, I visited Moynihan at the Palma Nova flat. He was uncomfortable, fl.u.s.tered, and unable to look me in the eye. I knew he was tape-recording me. I was tempted to say so, but I didn't let on. I tried to turn the situation to my advantage.

'You look worried, dear boy. Is anything wrong, Howard?'

'Yeah, some friends of mine got busted with a load of dope in Vancouver.'

'Oh dear! I'm sorry to hear that. Was it one of your loads?'

'No. Absolutely not. Nothing whatsoever to do with me. I didn't even know it was happening.'

'Which friends? Anyone I know?'

'Gerry Wills. I think I introduced him to you once in Manila or Bangkok.'

'Yes, you most certainly did. A pleasant fellow, I recall. Anyone else I know?'

'No.'

'While we're on the subject, do you mind if I ask you some questions about your business? I mean drugs, of course.'

Moynihan wasn't even attempting to be subtle.

'Go ahead, Tony.'

Moynihan fired all sorts of dumb questions about dope-dealing. I answered them, careful not to admit anything other than what was publicly known about me. He disappeared into the bathroom and came out looking doubly relieved. He asked if I could launder some money from him. It was a lot: several million, currently sitting in Miami. I said I'd put him in touch with my brother-in-law, Patrick Lane. He lived in Miami.

I rang Patrick and explained what I could about Moynihan. He was a fraudster. He was not to be trusted and he had no loyalty to anyone. But he wasn't a dope dealer. And he was an English Lord. And he did claim to have loads of money to launder. There was reason to believe his claim. Patrick told me to give Moynihan his number.

Malik left for London and Karachi. McCann left for Paris. Roger left for Amsterdam. Sunde, suitably remunerated, left for Dusseldorf, promising to ask Carl to find out if anything could be done to get John Denbigh out of jail. I stayed in Palma and made a vow which I have kept to this day: I was not going to do any more dope deals.

This was not a case of my suddenly seeing the light and realising that dope-dealing is a wicked and anti-social crime. I was simply not enjoying myself any more. Most of my close partners were in prison. Some were understandably blaming me for their fate. Others were correctly accusing me of endangering scams by doing too many. I was criticised and ridiculed for not being prepared to deal in cocaine. Some a.s.sociates were trying to set me up. Others were deliberately excluding me from scams that would not have begun without me. I was under surveillance. I was paying fortunes to the CIA to keep the DEA off my back. I wasn't making any money. I wasn't seeing my family. I broadcast my retirement to Roger Reaves, McCann, Phil, Malik, and Joe Smith, who happened to visit Mallorca on one of his global walkabouts. They received the news with scepticism.

When Frederick finally got in touch, I explained what had happened to his load and announced my withdrawal from any further scams. He took the news extremely well but begged me to get him a false pa.s.sport. Roger Reaves had asked for the same. I could not refuse these requests and ordered two more pa.s.sports from Jimmy Newton.

I couldn't decide what to do about the language school in Karachi. Although it was a legitimate business with good potential, it had proved expensive to maintain, and was now losing quite a lot of money. I flew to Karachi. The school was closed down, and George and a.s.sumpta were given money to pack up and leave Pakistan.

Malik said he would get what money he could for the hash he was storing on my behalf. We agreed that from now on we would do only straight business: paper-mills, import-export, and toothpaste.

The Vancouver bust of Thai gra.s.s frightened me from ever visiting Bangkok again. The ma.s.sage parlour, although technically a straight business and quite profitable, had lost its novelty value. Furthermore, I had gathered that before selling their daughters to ma.s.sage-parlour operators, fathers would often insist on being the first to take away their daughters' virginities. I thought enabling such practices would do little for my karma. I told Phil I wanted to withdraw. He wanted out too. We sold it, but we kept on the Bangkok branch of Hong Kong International Travel Centre.

I called Patrick Lane in Miami. He said he got on extremely well with Moynihan, but that no business would take place. He was doubtful that any would.

Gerry Wills, Ron Allen, and John Denbigh each got granted bail by the Vancouver court. Gerry and Ron promptly absconded. John stayed. He could never break a promise, not even to a policeman. Gerry and Ron got money to John's excellent Vancouver lawyer, Ian Donaldson.

My life was now very simple. I was a travel agent with a few legitimate trading sidelines. Common enough, but there was nothing for me to do. The business ran itself without me. I became fidgety.

'Balendo, if I was totally at your disposal, able to go anywhere, afford anything, what would you have me do?'

'Simple. Taiwan.'

'Why? What's going on there?'

'Economic explosion. Like Hong Kong and j.a.pan but better. Western companies no foothold. Travel business wide open. Many countries don't send national airlines to Taiwan because of political reason. Scared of China. Good place to investigate. Martial law finished. Your charm good for Taiwan.'

I read up on Taiwan.

Beginning its economic growth with the ma.s.s manufacture of cheap and easily breakable plastic toys, Taiwan had moved well up-market into high-quality electronics and nuclear research. Its exports were now valued as greater than China's. Despite its high technology, Taiwan's communications and banking systems were remarkably primitive. Its tourist industry was infantile. There seemed to be little catering for foreigners.

Without too much in the way of business strategy and forethought, I flew to Taipei and checked into the Fortuna Hotel on Chungshan Road. After refres.h.i.+ng myself in the hotel's Jacuzzi, I went for a walk in the area around the hotel. It was a mild night-life area with brightly lit bars and cafes. I called into one for a drink and struck up a conversation with the owner, a Filipino named Nesty. His wife worked in a travel agency. His sister worked in a bar, the Hsaling, which was very popular with Taiwan's few Western visitors. He suggested I meet him and his wife there the following evening. I had an early night. I was very relaxed going to sleep. No one knew where I was except a Filipino I'd just met. I was doing nothing against the laws of any country.

Early next morning, the phone rang.

'Good morning, Mr Marks. Welcome to Taipei,' said a female Chinese voice.

'Who is this, please?' I asked.

'My name is Joyce Lee from Overseas Buyers Centre. We understand you are visiting Taiwan for business, and we are glad to a.s.sist you. Would you like to come to our offices and explain your business requirements to us?'

'Yes. When?'

'How about I pick you up from your hotel at 10.30 this morning, Mr Marks?'

'That's fine.'

Joyce Lee was young and attractive. A limousine took us to her offices. I explained that my main purpose in visiting Taiwan was to promote my British travel agency. She quickly made appointments for me to see senior executives of the Taiwanese national airline, China Airlines, and major travel agencies. She was disappointed I didn't come with orders from Europe for Taiwanese goods. I said I might come back with some.

In the evening, I kept my appointment at the Hsaling with Nesty and his wife, Maria. She apprised me of the state of the travel market in Taiwan and the range of prices charged by various airlines and agencies for their flights.

They left the bar, and three New Zealanders squeezed next to me to occupy the two seats vacated. I was drinking whisky and water in separate gla.s.ses. Through clumsiness, I knocked over the gla.s.s of water on to the lap of one of my new companions. I apologised profusely.

'Are you Welsh?' he asked, brus.h.i.+ng off small pools of water.

'Yes, I am.'

'Ydych chi siarad Cymraeg?'

'Odw.'

'Roy Richards. Pleased to meet you.'

'Howard Marks. Sorry about the water.'

'Don't worry. Thank G.o.d it's only water. Not Welsh water by any chance, is it?'

'I shouldn't think so, Roy. Mind, a few years ago I was trying to s.h.i.+p the stuff from Wales to the East myself. Maybe someone stole my idea.'