“So we’re not cronies?”
“No, we’re very much cronies. I don’t believe the essence of the note, the part about him backing off.”
“Hiding in the bushes close by?”
“Close enough for a pouncing if they saw Rosey.”
“I figure you’re going back into the confusing capital as if a solution might manifest itself in that city geography.”
It was another of Starnes’ now-and-then hunches, I suspected.
“Solution might be too much of a stretch, but yeah, I’ll leave tomorrow mid-morning. Don’t want to miss that little get together between Thad and Sai.”
“You think Rosey might know this Sai Leekpai person?” Starnes said.
“A possibility, but a lotta good that does us now.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll call.”
“You think they’re tapped into your ancient relic of a phone?”
“No. They have limitations as well. Besides that, you still have that ancient relic of a phone that Diamond loaned you. Besides that, we have no reason to suspect that they were following us to Big Bald. I think we’re still safe for the present.”
“I’m hungry. I’ll betcha Laurel is way beyond that,” I said.
“Whattaya hungry for?”
“Retrieve that recipe for the spaghetti and meat sauce you do so well.”
“No such animal. It wouldn’t matter if I did have a recipe. Any fool can cook that, with or without a recipe,” she said as she got up and went inside the house.
I mentally cringed. My mother would have voiced a heated disagreement in regards to cooking an Italian meat sauce. However, my attitude was leaning towards Starnes’ ability to blend the necessary ingredients as she had done in the past. A functional meal when one is tired seemed to be the best course for me at present. And I really liked her spaghetti and meat sauce.
An hour later Laurel, Starnes, and I were sitting at the table in the kitchen enjoying Starnes’ version of the great Italian dish. Hunger was more dominant than culinary critiques. We ate all of it with great relish. Satisfaction all around the table.
Starnes left us and drove over to retrieve her now three-legged faithful companion, Dog. Sam went on his after-supper stroll. Laurel and I sat on the front porch looking at the stars and black sky. We left the porch light off so we could view the massive night sky. Say what you will about life in the mountains, but the night skies can be spectacular. If you like stars and darkness as well as time to sit and enjoy such.
Despite the lateness of the hour and the carbs bringing on sleep quickly to my tired body, I was engaged by the young person sitting close to me. I was able to keep sleep from overtaking me completely.
“Think you’ll ever leave this place?” I said to her.
“Why would I want to leave?”
“It’s a big world. Things you might like to see.”
“You don’t know much about the mountains, do you?”
“Not as much as you do.”
“I haven’t finished exploring all there is here,” she said.
“You could do both,” I said.
“Not if I leave.”
“You could explore two worlds.”
“I think there’s a word for that,” she said.
“Seeker,” I offered.
“Schizophrenic.”
She made me smile. Tough kid. Smart, too.
“You like doing what you do?” she asked me as if trying to change the subject.
“Most of the time, yeah.”
“What are the times you do not enjoy your work?”
“Getting shot at … and having to shoot people. Not on my to-do list when I get up in the mornings.”
“Yet, you chose this work.”
“I did. … at least I think I chose it. Maybe it chose me.”
“Wow,” she laughed. “A philosophical detective.”
“You’re too smart to be a mere twelve year old.”
“How smart is a twelve year old supposed to be?”
I shook my head and smiled to myself in the shadows. This was some little girl from McAdams County. Little might not be the best adjective to describe Laurel Storm Shelton.
I was silent for a while, staring at the night sky and counting some of the stars. I gave up after I passed twenty-five. My conservative estimate would be a few million. I think I read somewhere that it is more likely our stars number in the billions. Yikes. I pondered just how small I really was for a few seconds.
Laurel seemed to enjoy the darkness. We were both silent. Time seemed to be hanging there, not really moving for either of us. Restful. Full of peace. Good therapy. God knows I needed the therapy.
“You ever get lonely?” she said after several minutes had passed without our awareness of the other.
“Not that it affects me adversely,” I said. “I have a lot of work, I have Sam, and I have others in my life. Not really sure that I ever think about being lonely. Why?”
“I get lonely. I don’t really have anyone except my mountains. Nature, I guess you’d say. She’s with me, but not so much people.”
“Your mother?”
“Naw, she’s too much into her herb garden and growing vegetables and flowers and the like. And I think she’s looking for a man.”
“Looking for a man,” I said back to her.
“Yeah, like a huntress, you know. Thinks she needs a man around.”
“And you don’t agree with that.”
“Not so much.”
“No siblings.”
“Nope. My daddy died too early. I guess that was the reason. Anyhow, the mountains are all I have. That’s why I know them so well. They’re my friends.”
“Maybe you and I could be friends.”
“You live in a different world a few miles away.”
“I do. If you ever consider coming for a visit, let me know. I could have you delivered.”
“Like cargo.”
“More like a taxi service. Starnes knows the way to my apartment in Norfolk. You should come and see me. I could show you the ocean.”
“Not much on water.”
“You’ve never seen that water, right?”
“Photographs. Online. Some books I’ve read.”
“Firsthand would be different.”
“You say.”
“I do.”
“Maybe I’ll come.”
“It’s a standing invitation. You have to learn to take chances sometimes.”
“I take chances everyday, out here in the mountains. Nature is risky, you know.”
“Yeah, I get that. But I was referring to the risk we have to take with people.”
She stared at me for a moment and then looked up towards the sky filled with those countless stars. She had nothing else to say. Silence reigned between us.
Penny for your thoughts, Laurel Shelton.
38
I pulled into a Motel 6 just off of I-66 and was about to turn off the engine after the long drive from McAdams County to Falls Church, VA. I left Sam with Starnes and Dog. He provided me with a strong hint that he was as tired of driving back and forth to D.C. as I was. When I told him it was time to go, he simply raised his head, turned toward Dog as if it was a gesture, and then lowered his head back to the top of his long, front paws. I got the idea.
I was still using Diamond’s Silverado since my Jeep was long gone. I keep mentioning that because I figured that I was in one of those stages of grief with dealing with my loss. Ahhhh. Anguish and grief. Bad to be attached to a vehicle like that. Diamond had insisted that I keep the truck for the time being. She said she would procure another mode of transportation. I didn’t ask her definition of the word procure.
I had both Starnes’ and Diamond’s out-dated cell phones. Some lines I recalled from Poor Richard’s Almanac about not being a borrower or lender crossed my mind when the obnoxious ring sounded in my pocket. Starnes’ loaner. Despite it’s muffled location, it still was too loud to suit me. It
might be a few years before I could get used to the sound of it, the sound that Starnes preferred. I turned off the truck’s engine and retrieved the phone from my pants’ pocket.
“Ready for an update?” Rogers said.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You know, if you had a so-called modern phone, I could text you a lot of this information and I wouldn’t have to disturb you with these frequent vocal conversations.”
“I’m sort of used to these frequent vocal conversations, as you put it. You’re like a sister who stays after me.”
“You never had a sister. How would you know what a sister is like?”
“I read a lot.”
“Are you sitting down?”
“I just drove from McAdams County to Falls Church. I turned off the truck’s engine. The phone rang. I answered it. I have not moved from this position inside the truck for the last several hours. My derrière is sore and tired. Talk to me before I hang up on you,” I said.
“Yikes. A bit testy are we? Is this the way in which sisters act toward each other?”
“A bit.”
“Okay, I’ll be brief. The person Thad is meeting tomorrow is a woman. Sunsisa Leekpai from Bangkok. Her nickname by which she is known in Thailand is Sai. That particular word refers to a dagger-like weapon used in martial arts. It is her weapon of choice by the way and she carries it with her at all times as far as I could ascertain. A vicious looking type of weapon which, aside from just being a dagger, offers two curled prongs emanating from the handle. They are called yoku. Probably the reason they call her Sai. Thought you might like to know that.”
“A veritable bundle of information you glean from your comings and goings via the internet.”
“What makes you think I only utilize the internet?”
“Too much information. Allow me to continue living with my ignorance concerning the vastness of your sources.”
“I’m at your disposal, my love. And, just so you’ll know, I generally gather my information from reputable files and sources which are sometimes stored on internet data-banks, but not solely. Some agencies, by the way, are accessed through their linkage with the internet and I am quite capable of rummaging through their files and gleaning what I seek.”
“Like I said, more than I need to know,” I said.
“Well, I thought I might clarify since it sounded as if you thought I looked up the information for you on Wikipedia or other such sources found in the world wide web. Just saying,” she offered.
“You learn anything about how she might fit into this little escapade occupying my life at the moment?”
“She’s the number one man, well, woman, of a crime magnate named Phueng Pen-Chan. She’s his emissary, body guard, go-between in most negotiations, and, apparently, has the authority to make unilateral decisions. She’s truly his number one person. May be that he is number one for her as well.”
“Odd that a woman would have such influence coming out of that culture,” I said.
“She must be special. Further digging did in fact reveal that she has some associates. They must come as a package deal, although it is her reputation that permeates the Bangkok underbelly.”
“These associates have names?”
“Indeed, like most of us. Twin brothers, Chanarong Lai and Kamol Lai. The twins are well traveled and educated. They spent several years in the U.S. studying. Graduated from Duke. Both have degrees, one in International Banking and Accounting.”
I waited to see what else she would divulge. My impatience grew thin.
“And the other studied …what?” I said.
“Criminal Justice and Computer Science. Interesting, huh?”
“To say the least. Both have double majors. Smart twins.”
“Actually, Chanarong was the double major-guy. Kamol had a single major, banking, and then went on to earn his masters degree in accounting. I count that as a double major, of sorts.”
“Specificity is good. Which brings me to a more necessary detail at present. Did you get a time for the rendezvous between Thad and Sai?”
“Thaddeus had the number six blocked in red on his computer calendar. There was no name by it. Her name was at the top of the column for that day. My deductive skills would suggest that six would be the time for the meet.”
“At the Best Hunan Restaurant place.”
“Actually old Thad had not done his proper homework. He should have had one of his office assistants make arrangements, but since this meeting is no doubt off the books so to speak, he tried to make arrangements by himself. He failed. The actual name of the restaurant is Banana Leaves Asian Restaurant and Sushi Bar.”
“Changed their name,” I said.
“They did and neglected to tell Thaddeus. Same location, different name. He’ll be surprised when he arrives for dinner. If there is to be a dinner. He likely gave Sai the old name he had for the place.”
“She’ll find it. Bet money on it,” I said.
“We women have our ways, huh?” Rogers said.
“Any way of knowing if the twins will be traveling with Sai?”
“Not really, but I can tell you that only Chanarong Lai is directly related to Phueng Pen-Chan. I can find no link between Kamol Lai and Phueng Pen-Chan.”
“Does related refer to blood-kin?”
“Probably not in this case, since the two brothers, twins, are in fact blood-kin.”
“Of course. So the term associates is rather broad.”
“Considerably,” she said.
“Perhaps you need to narrow the broadness for me. I need to know just how the twins are associated with Sai Leekpai.”
“I’m on it. Oh, by the way, I’m following a lead on that Michael Salzburg name you gave me a while back.”
“And?”
“Nothing to tell you at the moment. I’ll see where it takes me.”
“One more thing. I’ve been thinking of an angle,” I said as I exited the truck, locked it and headed towards the motel office to pay for a room.
“Good for you,” Rogers said.
“Do some mathematical calculations for me and let me know what you work out as soon as you can.”
I told her what I wanted and she shut down our connection. I have often found it interesting that she does not say goodbye or see you later or talk to you soon. She simply stops talking and ends our connection. Must be an internal command. No doubt Uncle Walters did that simply because I do not recall creating any program for that function. Or, maybe it is a learned behavior. If so, then social graces, like phone etiquette, are evidently not on her need to learn or know basis. Wonder if that is an AI kind of thing. Comparisons might be a tad difficult. Not too many machines like her around of which I am aware.
I took advantage of the impending supper time meeting between Thaddeus Wilkerson and Sai Leekpai to sleep the rest of the day. I needed the extra slumber after the last several days of stress and those grueling mountain trails. I pride myself on being in decent shape, but the body can only take so much climbing mountains. I slept.
I headed into D.C. late afternoon in order to arrive at the restaurant earlier than my targets. I needed to see a layout of the restaurant so I could plan. My strategy was to listen to their conversation. Since I didn’t know where they would be seated, I had to devise some ploy in order to move close to them after they arrived.
The hostess showed me to a table by a window and I drank some hot tea while I studied the area. I surveyed the restaurant’s layout looking for a table in a less busy corner. My hunch was that Thad would want to be as secluded from the other patrons as much as possible.
I spotted a table which a reserved sign prominent. Ever the sleuth.
It was 5:15 and time to make my move. I figured that Thad desired to talk with Sai in a remote location, so I asked my waitress if I could move to a spot with less light pouring in from the window. I was conveniently wearing sunglasses and my ever-trusty Washington Nationals ball cap. Clever disguise, I know.
&
nbsp; She looked around to see what might be available.
I pointed to the table in the back corner close to the one with the reserved sign.
“How about that one?” I said.
Her eyes shifted.
“Yeah, that’ll work.”
Her facial features were Asian, but her English slang usage told me more of the story. She guided me to my new place of enjoyment and I sat down in a parallel position to the two chairs of the reserved table. I was now in a happier position, much closer to the table I concluded to be Thad’s choice. There was another table between mine and my best guess at Thad’s choice, but I figured that I could at least look into the eyes of one of the two people soon to be meeting in this quaint restaurant. Surveillance of only one would be better than putting them at my back. Life is full of choices and gambles. I liked my position.
I ordered two egg rolls and some mixture of Chinese vegetables blended with chunks of chicken. I waited for the food and Thaddeus.
Since it was still early for the dinner hour by D.C. standards, I took the occasion of the lull in business to deftly move quickly to the reserved table, plant a tiny microphone I had been given by Diamond days ago from her vast collection, and return to my seat without being noticed. I put the small mike at the bottom of the basket of napkins in the middle of the table. If they were messy and used all of the napkins there, the device could be discovered and my devious scheme thwarted. Or if they were particularly clumsy, then my device likely found. I was hoping for sophisticated diners and polished people. A stretch for Thad, but Sai and her training would be a no-brainer. My hope was that Thad would somehow behave himself.
My food arrived and I ate slowly and waited on the two key participants to show.
5:45 the waitress brought me more hot tea.
5:50 Thaddeus Wilkerson entered the front door. I pulled my ball cap down and stared at floor to my right. He sat down in the chair facing the same direction as mine. I could watch him peripherally. He ordered a Daiquiri. Very Asian.
6:03 a woman entered in a brightly colored outfit of pants, revealing top, and flowing cape all of the same fabric and conglomerate coloration. No doubt the cape was used to conceal the sai which she was carrying somewhere on her shapely proportioned body. Not quite what I would refer to as voluptuous, and yet, she was definitely a woman in a slender, yet compact well-endowed body. She was not tall as I was, but one could tell that she was athletic. She was quite attractive, but her beauty belied the fierceness she could not veil when I looked into her eyes.
Out Jumps Jack Death: A Clancy Evans Mystery (Clancy Evans PI Book 8) Page 20
