Still hanging off the roof, Riley didn’t stand a chance. With the extra momentum from the sharp turn and the rapid acceleration he was propelled from the cab and sent flying into the Chao Phraya River. As he crashed into the filthy brown water he looked up to see Kunchai turning onto the main road and disappearing into the night.
9
“You fell in the Chao Phraya?”
Riley sighed. It was embarrassing enough explaining to Selena and Decker what had happened with Kunchai, but now he had to do it all over again to Charlie Valentine. “The point,” he said quietly, “is that we lost the journal.”
“You lost it, you mean,” Charlie said.
“To be fair to him,” Selena said, “Riley was hanging off the roof of a taxi at the time.”
“Let’s not focus on what happened,” Decker said. “If you want the damned book back, and if I want my money, then let’s think about what to do next. Charlie — did you find anything on Kunchai’s computer when we were on our magical mystery tour of central Bangkok?”
Charlie smiled and nodded his head. “I sure did. While Tarzan here was swimming through the typhoid in the Chao Phraya, I was getting forensic with Kunchai’s laptop.”
“And what did you find?” Selena asked.
“Lots. First, Kunchai might be the big man as far as putting the frighteners on local drug pushers and pimps, but as far as what’s going on with the journal I think he’s just small fry. As far as I can see by reading through various email threads, he was hired to get the journal by Lee Kuan.”
“And he is?” asked Selena.
“Thanks to Google I now know all about Mr Kuan. He’s a Chinese triad originally from Hong Kong but now he’s essentially an exile on the run from the Chinese authorities. He’s wanted in China on multiple charges of theft, fraud extortion, drug trafficking and murder.”
“One of life’s nice guys, huh?” Decker said.
Charlie gave a sad smile. “Something like that, yeah. And he’s a big deal. Kuan controls a large part of the opium crops in Thai’s sector of the Golden Triangle.”
Decker looked surprised, but quickly concealed it. The Golden Triangle was one of the most notorious opium-producing regions on the planet. Along with the opium produced by Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, known as the Golden Crescent, it was a dangerous place responsible for a large part of the heroin that wound up on the streets of Western countries.
The money involved was stratospheric, and those involved in the highly illegal trade were not known for their generosity when their business was harmed. If Professor Selena Moore and her friends were messing with Thai opium producers then that was one battle they could fight alone.
“If you ask me,” Decker said. “Kunchai has taken the journal to Kuan because he’s really not the sort of man you fail.”
“And where can we find Mr Kuan?” Riley asked. “Is there an address for this clown?”
“No,” Charlie said flatly. “A great deal of care has been taken to conceal private addresses of these people, but there are bookings for a lot of flights down to Ko Samui and they’re all on private planes — light aircraft by the looks of it.”
Selena said, “So now we know, we can go and get our journal back?”
Decker looked at her, and then scanned the faces of the other two men. “You really think messing with heroin lords is a good idea?”
“No choice,” Selena said. “We need that journal — it could lead us to Shambhala and God only knows why this Kuan is so keen to get there but we have to stop him and get there first. It’s my life’s work, Mr Decker.”
“So any clue where we’re looking on Ko Samui?” Riley said. “I know a girl down there.”
Selena rolled her eyes. “Of course you do.”
Charlie swung around in the swivel chair and faced them. “The only thing we have to go on is a few references to a specific hotel — the Grand Paradise Hotel. I checked it out and it looks like Kuan might own it as part of some sort of consortium.”
“In that case we’re go,” Riley said.
“Aren’t you all forgetting something?” Decker said, giving them an earnest glance.
“What?” Selena said.
“When do I get my twenty-five grand?”
Selena sighed. “Are you sill going on about that?”
Decker looked amazed. “Of course I’m still going on about it!”
“Very well,” Selena said. “We’ll go to the bank first thing in the morning.”
“And then I’m splitting, right?” Decker said.
Selena looked at him. “If you’re frightened to come with us, just say so.”
“I’m not frightened, lady,” he said. “I have a cargo business to run.”
She smiled. “Of course you do.”
Mitch Decker waited patiently in the street while Selena, Riley and Charlie went inside the bank and withdrew the money. It was the usual steamy day in Bangkok — much like hanging around fully-dressed in a sauna, he considered — but that was the case in so much of this part of the world so he didn’t hold it against the city.
He raised his hand to his face and wiped the sweat from his forehead, bringing his hand down to his side and habitually wiping the sweat off again on the side of his trousers.
Across the street, the Englishwoman, her Australian sidekick and the former English military policeman were exiting the bank. She had already seen him and looked with horror at the sweat-wipe move. She weaved through the traffic toward him.
“Have you never heard of a handkerchief?” she said.
“Listen…”
“Forget it. I’m not your mother.”
“You can say that again,” he said under his breath.
“What was that?”
“I said, I see you got the money.”
“Oh… yes. Here,” she held out her small canvas bag. “Just under nine hundred thousand.”
“Woah — I thought we said twenty-five grand?” he said mischievously.
“It’s Thai Baht, Mr Decker. You can pay the exchange fee to change it to American dollars all by yourself.”
“I know what it is,” he said, more quietly this time. He pushed the brim of his hat up an inch or so with his forefinger and took the small bag from her. “You don’t want your bag back?”
“Keep it.”
“That’s very generous of you,” he drawled. “It must be worth at least a buck fifty.”
“If you must know, my parents bought me that bag when I started my degree at Oxford.”
He looked down for a moment, realizing he had gone too far. “I’m sorry — here, let me just stuff the money in my pants and you can have the bag back.”
“Oh, Jesus,” Riley said, shielding his eyes.
“Please, no,” Selena said. “Not seeing you stuff anything down your pants is worth any price.”
Decker looked back up and for a moment they locked eyes. Even here in the heat and the dust and chaos of the Sathon Tai Road she looked beautiful, but also a little lost. He surprised himself by suddenly being grateful that Riley Carr and Charlie Valentine were with her. She could go just about anywhere with a former commando and ex military cop at her side and stand a better chance than most. That was something, at least.
“So this is it then,” she said, straightening herself up and holding out her hand.
“I guess so,” Decker said, and returned the courtesy.
In the American’s opinion, they shook hands for a second too long, but then Selena turned to the Australian. “Right then, we’re off.”
“You sure you’re going to be all right at this hotel?”