As if he had all the time in the world, the man in the white suit lit a cigarette. He clamped it between his teeth like a cigar. Cocking his head to the side to keep the smoke from his eyes, he picked up the wallets and went through them, looking at pictures and credit cards. What money was there he removed and put on the desk. Then he looked up at Marissa and Tristan.

“We are curious as to why you have been asking about the Wing Sin,” he said in perfect English with an English public school accent. “Triads are against the law in Hong Kong. It is dangerous to talk about them.”

“We are doctors,” Marissa said before Tristan could respond. “All we are interested in is information. We are trying to investigate a disease.”

“A disease?” the man asked with disbelief.

“Tuberculosis,” Marissa said. “We’re trying to follow the trail of a certain type of infection of tuberculosis that has been showing up in the United States, Europe, and Australia.”

The man in the white suit laughed. “What is this?” he questioned. “Triads are now being looked to for medical knowledge? What an irony! Politicians have been calling the triads a disease for years.”

“We’re not after medical knowledge from the Wing Sin,” Tristan said. “Just information about illegal aliens that the Wing Sin has been bringing out of the People’s Republic of China for an Australian company called Female Care Australia or Fertility, Limited.”

The man in the white suit eyed both foreigners. “The astonishing thing about this conversation is that I believe you,” he said with another, less humorous laugh. “What you are saying is so preposterous, no one would be capable of making it up. Of course, true or not, it does not absolve you from the dangers inherent in talking about the Wing Sin in public.”

“We’re willing to pay for information,” Tristan said.

“Oh!” the man in the white suit said. He smiled as did his henchmen. “You Australians have a commendable way of striking to the heart of a matter. And since everything in Hong Kong is for sale, perhaps we might be able to do business. In fact, if you were to offer something small like ten thousand dollars Hong Kong, I’d be willing to make a few inquiries and see what I could find out for you. No guarantees, of course.”

“How about five thousand,” Tristan countered.

The man in the white suit laughed again. “I admire your courage,” he said. “But you are not in a bargaining position. Ten thousand.”

“All right,” Tristan said. “When do we get our information?”

“Meet me at the top of Victoria Peak at ten tomorrow morning,” the man in the white suit said. “Be sure to take the tram.”

“Fine,” Tristan said. He stepped forward and reached for Marissa’s and his wallets and watches.