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Strait Flush Ch 16 Tuesday 0810
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Strait Flush Ch 16 Tuesday 0810 The steady hum of traffic outside the hotel window woke Rossi from a comfortable sleep. After a quick shower and room service breakfast, Tom studied a complimentary map of Singapore to plan his actions. Seletar Airport was the only airport on the island's north side, obviously the airport the Thais spoke of. He called Li's office and was surprised to find the partner out. Lan said he had spent the weekend there and needed to go home momentarily. Rossi left the message of his whereabouts with the assistant and called a local car rental agency. The International Driver's License that he used in Hong Kong was adequate for driving in Singapore, so after arrangements to have a car ready for him, he left the hotel with his backpack still on the dresser. Traffic was still busy from the morning's traffic when his cab pulled into the boulevard. The early hours in a foreign city were surreal. After so many mornings waking up to a different country, Tom swore to himself that he'd retire in the sanctuary of his Texas ranch if he just made it through this adventure. He pulled the rented Toyota Bluebird into the street, mentally reminding himself that traffic was on the left side of the street here, as it was in Hong Kong. He flowed with the traffic north on the Central Expressway and turned onto the Upper Serangoon Road, heading towards the town of Serangoon. Tom turned off of the highway and motored north through the bedroom community of Hougang, according to the map supplied by the rental agency. The road through Serangoon turned into the countryside, dotted with jungles and marshlands. He followed the signs to the Seletar County Club and located the local airport, then parked the Bluebird near the commercial gate. Across a stretch of flatland, the Straits of Johore provided passage to several small boats, the Malaysian coast in the distance. The airport was small, but the commercial traffic was busy. A series of storage hangers and private planes lined the taxiway. The runway was a single strip with parallel taxiway. A large parking lot behind the tower was nearly empty, but a procession of trucks was being loaded and unloaded. Tom checked for signs of the shipment and searched for the possible hiding site. Recalling the Thai's description, Rossi headed toward the tower on the far end and stopped at the second hanger from the gate. The sliding door was locked. Tom spotted several Thai workers loading a truck two hangers away, then walked over to the Thais and was relieved to find an English-speaking member of the group. After enticing the man away from his job for the moment, Tom questioned the worker about the warehouse. The worker didn't know who rented it, but recalled the C-130 from the previous week. He spoke of the trucks and workers and recalled the two Thai pilots. The two trucks used were both blue. Other than that, he couldn't offer Rossi much help. Tom thanked him with a Singapore twenty-dollar bill and went back to the hanger. A smaller door on the backside of the building offered more privacy and was less secure. Tom kicked it twice and saw the frame budge. With a shoulder block, the door swung open to reveal a darkened warehouse. Rossi located a nearby light switch and flipped the overheads on. The warehouse was empty, except for several piles of rubbish and two large crates near the main doors. Upon closer examination, Tom realized that the rubbish was scrap lumber and piping, similar to that found in the hanger at Changi, as well as discarded banding material. The original band s from Bahrain, he thought. The crates were empty, each as large as a full-sized pickup truck bed. A thin layer of dust and dirt on the concrete floor revealed several sets of footprints and tire tracks. There was no office to speak of, and nothing else to be used as a clue. Except a pair of fire extinguishers. The foam sprayers were safety-tagged and listed the owner of the warehouse. Rossi ripped off the tag and walked out the door. Tom checked into the tower on the owner of the warehouse or any other information he could get about the C-130. The officials there didn't recall the plane's particulars, but did offer landing information listing Marty Harrell as the pilot. Nothing new, thought Tom. The tower had several pay telephones nearby; Rossi dialed the number for information and called the owner listed on the tag. The owner was in his office in Singapore. Apparently the hanger was rented quickly and paid for one month in advance. The order was placed on Thursday, a week and a half earlier. The day the weapons were taken to the warehouse in Bahrain. The renter was a company in Singapore by the name of Asian Mountain Development, Ltd, but he didn't have the name or addresses of the renter since there was no lease. Rossi thanked him for his help and checked information for Asian Mountain Development. There were no listings. He got back into the Bluebird and drove back to Singapore. Using the map, he guided himself back to the Central Expressway and into the downtown area. He parked the Bluebird on Coleman Street near a large patch of greenery named Fort Canning Park and walked two blocks to City Hall. The trees on both sides of the road gave the sidewalks a shady appeal, a relief from the heat of the early spring heat. The mugginess of the day began to take its toll on Rossi and soon he found his shirt damp with sweat. The State Building was immaculately manicured and swathed in a healthy green lawn. Facing the Marina Bay to its front, the Singapore River provided a backdrop to the Government Building with a row of colorful three- and four-story buildings, once residential, now converted to office and pub spaces. Across the street from the main Government Building was an enormous cricket field, where several youth teams were practicing. An impromptu soccer game was in play on one end as well. To one side, a bridge guarded by the famous Merlion, a half-fish, half-lion figure. Traffic flowed steadily through the exchange and routed itself around the buildings. Rossi entered the building and inquired at the information desk for Charters of Businesses. The thin Malay girl behind the desk directed him to the Office of Commerce and Tom strode across the air-conditioned marble floors to the office. An elderly woman behind the counter helped Tom locate the proper references, and soon he was looking at the Charter for Asian Mountain Development, Ltd. Asian Mountain Development, Ltd. was a subsidiary of Malagapa Partnership, Ltd., listing its business as import and export services. No kidding, thought Rossi. The CEO was listed as a Filipino, apparently from his Quezon City address. The local agent for services was a business agency located in an office complex on Orchid Road, Singapore. There wasn't much additional information, other than a charter date from several years ago and records of tax receipts. Tom checked for the local agent of service and found the Orchard Road listing current. He received directions to the office complex from the Malay girl and thanked her for her help and wandered back into the sweltering heat. Walking two blocks to the City Hall subway station, Tom submerged himself into the stairway leading to the trains. The station was clean as the rest of the city, with not so much as a speck of trash, cigarette butt or paper wrapper to be seen. The locals were much like those found in Hong Kong, but of less sturdy physical structure. There was the occasional stocky businessman in Singapore, but never the big-boned Mongolians and Cantonese found in the British colony. Most women here were thin and lithe, like the Vietnamese women that Tom learned to love during his two tours. This was a city to be admired for its will to exceed and devotion to order. Like Hong Kong, the subway was efficient, scattered with students, housewives and businessmen. A soft-spoken female voice announced upcoming stops through the speakers in Tamil, Cantonese and English. The next station was Dhoby Ghaut, then Somerset, finally Orchid, where Tom exited and walked up the two flights of stairs to the street level. The towering business buildings of Orchid Road and the hustle of vehicle traffic made Tom stop to regain his bearings momentarily. The crowd that exited the subway seemed to generally head behind the station stairwell. Tom followed and came to the corner of Scotts Road and Orchid Road. The six-lane street was lined with business centers and shopping malls towering five and eight stories above the street. There were several embassies within sight, the corner teeming with pedestrian traffic. Following the Malaysian girl's directions, he headed back east and passed the Argentinean embassy and crossed the busy street. Rossi located the address and checked the business index, listing the agency on the ninth floor. The building itself was older than most of the skyscrapers that dwarfed it and was utilitarian in fashion. The noisy elevator climbed to the ninth floor and open to a hallway. Behind a glass wall and double doors were several desks, occupied by women who busied themselves with the filing cabinets and computer screens. He recognized the name of the company and entered, causing several of the girls to look up to the tall American. A middle-aged Chinese woman with a dour expression and discriminating eye approached Tom. "May I help you, Sir?" "Yes, I'm trying to get in touch with the agent for one of the companies you represent. I own a computer company in the United States." She appeared to brighten. "Yes Sir, and which company are you trying to reach?" "I'm not sure of the name, it was given to me by an associate that is warehousing some of my stock here in Singapore. He said that your firm could help locate an export company that will market this computer in the Philippines." Tom amazed himself how fluent he could become in lying. "Of course. Please have a seat and I'll have Mr. Leong meet with you momentarily." She guided Tom to a row of grey cushioned seats and left through a doorway leading deeper into the office. Tom sat and smiled at the girl sitting nearest him, who smiled back. Rossi instinctively noticed the type of modem, computer and software she was using. "Excuse me, Miss." The girl turned to Rossi and smiled again. "I'm in the computer industry. I'm curious if you are satisfied with that edition of Polygon business software." She seemed surprised that he recognized the brand from the screen at a distance. "Yes, it is very friendly." "Doesn't it present problems in local area networking and printer sharing?" She was flattered that he valued her opinion and turned to face him from behind her desk. "Well, we don't have a LAN, but tie our modems into mainframes from other businesses. We don't have much printer use, so sharing isn't a problem." "So you don't use a dedicated line for the modems? All calls are dialed individually?" He could tell she was wrestling with the interpretation, beaming when she understood. "Yes, each modem has its own line. Most have the same information, but some computers must be used for specific tasks. It is a bit inconvenient, I sometimes need to go to another computer at another desk to get information because I cannot get it here. A LAN would solve that problem. Maybe next year, I hope." She giggled like a schoolgirl. "I suppose you do a lot of international work." "Oh yes, most of our work is international, mostly Asian, but some European and American." "How do you work around the time differences?" "Oh, the computers are left on at night, and there is a paging system where electronic mail is left for us." "Of course. How convenient." Tom looked away to see a man coming through the doorway in a brown business suit. The girl turned and resumed her work as Tom got to his feet and shook the outstretched hand. "I am Mr. Leong, the office administrative supervisor. We serve as agents for several Philippine-based businesses." He seems legit, thought Tom, but who knows? "Tom Rossi. Mr. Leong, I am pleased to meet you. I am the owner of Rossi, Incorporated and Centex Computers and I am planning to open markets overseas. It is still a small company by today's standards, but we have some innovative ideas that can make us a giant within a year. I need to find someone to open a market in the Philippines, since I already have a wholesaler here and in Hong Kong." He seemed to realize that he's being used for information purposes only, thought Tom. His obligation to his should make him receptive nevertheless. "I am pleased that you came to me. We have several companies to choose from, please follow me." He turned and led Rossi through the door into a short hallway, then choosing a door on the left about halfway down. The office of Mr. Leong was drab, same type of filing cabinets, desk and computer station. He did have a good view through his window behind the desk of the backside of yet another building. The air was a bit stuffy, Rossi noted, as the businessman slipped into a seat behind his desk. "Please, Mr. Rossi, have a seat." Tom sat in one of the two chairs across the desk from Leong. The Singaporean began scanning his computer, typing on the keyboard. Old system, thought Rossi, as he eyed the paperwork on Leong's desk for possible clues to Malagapa or AMD. Leong knew Rossi's actual name, which in itself posed a problem that Tom knew he could've avoided if he'd thought quickly enough. "OK, Mr. Rossi. I am preparing a list for you and I am sure that you will find at least one satisfactory. One moment please." He picked up the telephone, punched three buttons and spoke briefly into the receiver, then hung up. "What area of the Philippines were you planning to wholesale from?" "Well, Manila, naturally, but I'm open to additional locations." "Forgive me for asking, but why do you choose a company from Singapore when you can go directly to Manila?" "I have a warehousing firm and distribution center opening here. We are in negotiations and I am trying to bring more work to them to sweeten the deal. The Philippine branch will receive all directions and stock from the office here, I am merely here to begin a path that I hope will become a highway." Leong smiled at the prospect to playing a hand in the early stages of a promising enterprise. "Who is your local distributor?" "We are still in negotiations and I haven't decided on the better of three companies." "I see. I think you can do much good here, Mr. Rossi. And I hope to help as much as possible." The door opened after a sharp knock and a young girl walked in carrying a sheet of paper. She handed it to Leong and departed quickly, closing the door behind her. Leong studied the paper momentarily, then handed it to Rossi. It was a list of nine companies, all based in the Philippines, and all import/export services, according to the titles. Malagapa was the fifth company. Rossi pulled a pen from his pocket and sat back in the seat, crossing his legs as if to study the paper. Leong squirmed uneasily. "This second one, Mr. Leong, what do they handle mostly?" Leong scanned his monitor for a moment. "Ah, I believe they import various types of lamps and lighting accessories. They are the distributor for a major light bulb company into the Philippines." "Do they have any high-tech experience?" "I believe they have general electrical experiences, nothing high-tech." "Tell me about this Malagapa company." "Ah, they import lumber, medical supplies and plumbing hardware into the Philippines. I think they export clothing to distributors in the Mid East and Europe, as I recall." "General medical supplies?" "Yes, basic things. Still nothing high-tech." "Are there any companies that are familiar with computers or telephone systems?" "The last company, Saranaga Enterprises, Ltd. They handle some high-tech lines. That may be your best bet." Tom pondered as if he were studying the list, actually trying to figure his next move. "This Malagapa company, does it have island wide distributorship?" "I believe so. I am vaguely familiar with the in-country distributions. I know well of their export capabilities and what they buy here." "Malagapa has pull with hospitals in the Philippines?" "That would be a safe bet, Mr. Rossi." "Do they have a local man here as a purchasing agent?" "Yes, but he works for another company. I could give him your number..." "I will only be here for a few more days. How else can I reach him?" "He is constantly on the go, traveling to and from the Mid East and Europe on shopping sprees. I believe he just returned from there. I will need to check and let you know. How can I reach you?" "I can call you tomorrow morning, is that OK?" Bingo, thought Tom. "That is fine. I will try to reach him as soon as possible. Call just before lunch, if you don't mind." Tom got to his feet as Leong stood up and extended his hand. "That is fine. I hope to see you again." "And you as well. Thank you for coming to see me." "I can show myself out." Tom left the Singaporean behind the desk and went back down the hallway and back into the front office. He walked over to the girl that he spoke to earlier and leaned over her desk. She blushed slightly and stopped typing. "Hi there again. I have a trial sample of an update program that Polygon is issuing, would you like to get a free copy of it?" "Oh, Sir, that is very thoughtful. But any changes to our operating system can only be entered through the administration staff." "Well, I can send you a copy and you can let them proof it before grafting it into the system, can't you? It cures a lot of the access time problems and changed the spreadsheet completely to an easier operation. Let me zip a copy to you." Rossi had on his best lady-killer smile and charm. "Well” She said coyly "I suppose it would be all right to see an advance copy." "Great! I'll send it to you in a few days from my Hong Kong office. What is this modem number?" "Ah..." She paused momentarily and looked around. "I'll write it down for you." She snatched a piece of paper with the company letterhead and jotted the number with her name underneath, then handed the paper to Rossi. "Thank You...Emma?" He glanced up to see her blush. "It is my westernized name. I am from Malaysia, my real name is Mai Li." "Well, both names are very pretty. I need to be going now, but I will be in touch. Thanks!" He left her smiling at the desk and walked briskly out the office doors and punched up an elevator. When the doors opened, he returned her polite wave and smile before hopping in. Back on the street, Rossi walked east until he came to the first large shopping mall and entered from one of the many street level doors. It was shaped like a brick and had all the luxuries of one, with shops lined along the outer walls for six stories. Additional shops created a figure-eight hall pattern, while in the center were a series of escalators zipping passengers up and down the stairwells. The shops themselves were varied. Jewelry, luggage, stereo equipment, cameras, a pub on the fifth floor, clothing and jackets, each store having its owner making deals from the sanctuary of his hovel, the merchandise spilling into the hallways. The air smelled like a noodle house and pathways were crowded with Asians milling about. A tattoo parlor on the fourth floor. An acupuncturist on the third. Interesting, thought Tom. He inquired for a computer store at a photomat and was directed to the opposite end of the mall building. There he found the store between a travel agency and a beauty salon. After a few minutes of shopping on capabilities, he paid cash for a laptop with a large hard drive and internal modem, as well as two additional software packages. Tom bagged the hardware and rode the escalator to the ground floor, then back out into the busy streets. It was nearly four o'clock and traffic began to increase. He walked quickly back to the subway and rode it back to City Hall, located the car and sped off toward the hotel. It could be a long night.  |
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I have never heard of an International Drivers License before. Are they honored in most countries? The imagery you have been using throughout this story has been great.
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Hi Keith...I confess, I've only seen the International Driver's License in Europe, I'm not sure it's in Hong Kong, Singapore, etc. I'd hate to drive there anyway...all the drivers drive Brit-style, on the lefthand side of the road, which is okay until you come to an intersection or a roundabout...then your thinking goes backwards. Hi 'A'...you should zip over to Singapore for a shopping trip...I think you'd like it very much. I'd LOVE to go back... ...thanxx to you both for stopping in...
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