She greeted us confidently and beckoned us over to chat. She was a lawyer. That was as much detail as I heard because Herjuno quickly signalled me to leave the two of them alone. He obviously thought she was the modern-day incarnation of the Queen that Ki Joko had told him about. I excused myself and slipped off behind a table of canapes. A waiter passed in front of me with a tray of drinks. I chose a Cabernet Sauvignon and held the glass to my nose. Notes of raspberry mixed with sandalwood.

Almost an hour later, Herjuno came over.

‘That woman isn’t just any lawyer,’ he whispered. ‘She’s got her eye on what my company is up to.’

‘You mean your father-in-law’s company?’

‘She knows about what’s going on with the waste.’

A few months ago, a researcher had disclosed his findings to Herjuno. The marine zone near the waste disposal site of his father-in-law’s company was contaminated with hazardous compounds. Arsenic and cyanide polluted the water. Fish were growing tumours, dying. Residents nearby complained of itchy rashes all over their bodies. Pregnant women miscarried. The researcher was insisting on publishing his report in a prominent newspaper. After a lengthy set of back-and-forth discussions, he agreed not to go public with his findings in exchange for a considerable payoff. At least the money would guarantee his research projects for five years.

‘How did she find out?’

‘Rumours are circulating among environmentalists. Maybe the researcher didn’t keep his word. But there might be others out there looking into the issue too.’

‘How many billions do you have to give away to keep them all quiet?’

Herjuno shook his head. ‘That’s not the way it’s done.’

I found out later that a journalist was going to publish an article about the contaminated waters that week and that the news had reached the lawyer’s ears from the editor of a bi-weekly magazine. According to Herjuno, though, the woman he had just met promised to help him wage a media war.

She would use her influence to have several researchers and journalists create competing accounts. If possible, they would hold workshops at universities. The validity of the research could always be thrown into doubt and there were always powerful people available to distract the public.

I listened to Herjuno carefully. He had mentioned the waste issue before but I had no idea that it had become this complicated. Still, why was this woman concerned?

‘It’s not just my people who have interests here, Gus,’ my friend said. ‘Other parties will get hurt if this case blows up. And she’s representing those parties.’

I asked how much money she wanted. Herjuno looked at me with a knowing grin.

‘Jun?’

‘We haven’t reached an explicit agreement about compensation yet. But I promised to take her home tonight.’