The Freemason Building in Singapore. There’s a small scene in my novel, Smokescreen, which takes place in this building. Its colonial facade reminded me of old Singapore. The building is located near the old Blood and Bandage fire station at Coleman Street.
I had visited this place I was a young magazine reporter working on a story about scuba diving in Singapore. I had argued with my editor that Singapore isn’t really a place famous for scuba diving. The sea is murky to dive. But she insisted on a story. I arranged to meet a financial analyst and scuba diver. He suggested meeting here.
After the interview, I asked him about the history of the building but he didn’t answer me. When I returned to the office I told my editor where I had been… well, what do you know?