‘What’s the name of your task force?’ Chang smiled. ‘It’s a serious investigative unit, so it doesn’t have a silly name. The people we’re interested in launder drug and extortion money by buying boats, insuring them, scuppering them and collecting the insurance. Then they collect on the salvage. Sometimes they rehabilitate the boat altogether and go through the process again. They have people inside the insurance companies playing along, also some inside finance companies. It’s complex, with all sorts of legal and accounting tangles.’ I said I knew Nordlung had been involved in a dodgy insurance deal. ‘But he isn’t Asian or Lebanese.’ ‘His wife’s Chinese.’ ‘Her name’s Gretchen.’ ‘She changed it. We think Nordlung was up to his balls and beyond in this stuff. Something must’ve gone wrong and he paid a price. He wasn’t the only one. These people don’t hesitate to clean a slate. How did you know about Nordlung?’ I produced DS Caulfield’s card.
