The Thai Dragon

by Lilburne, Guy

  Danny didn’t know why he was feeling so guilty, but he was. He just couldn’t shake off the feeling, as if somehow he had been unfaithful to Ying. He thought about confessing his ‘one night stand’ with Nok last night, but then talked himself out of it.

  Ying watched the tuk-tuk pull up and Danny walking to the apartment through the monsoon rain that was falling. She was just happy that he was home. She had not slept much last night and she did not need Danny to make any confessions. She already knew what had happened and she even knew why. She did not need to speak to him to have it confirmed. When Danny came through the door, dripping wet, they smiled at each other and said ‘Hello’.

  “Danny, do you want to take a shower and change and I’ll make you some breakfast?”

  “That will be grand. Thanks Ying.”

  After breakfast they studied the mobile phone list and the names and numbers that they had retrieved. Some they could easily match to photos on the laptop, but others they could not.

  By mid-morning the rains had stopped and the blazing sun made it another spectacularly hot day, only being cooled slightly by another downpour in the afternoon and another one late into the evening. Danny and Ying worked hard all day, making contact with the names and numbers on the list and arranging meetings to eliminate them from the murder enquiry.

  Most of the men were easy to trace and were compliant. Some were more difficult, but it usually ended up with the reason being that they were married or had a girlfriend. Sometimes they were in a sensitive position at work and did not want to get involved because of the possibly publicity. The one thing that they all had in common was that they were all Sarah Appleby’s lovers and they all really loved the girl. Time after time they told Danny and Ying that they had never met a woman like her and that she had a power over men that nobody could resist. The work was slow and long. The days turned into weeks. But, one by one, they were traced, interviewed and eliminated from the enquiry.

  Danny and Ying had a warm and close relationship. Ying knew that Danny loved her, but could not allow himself to show it and she was happy with that. There was an underlying sexual tension that smouldered between them, but it never ignited into sexual passion. Sometimes at the end of a long day, or maybe travelling back to Phuket on the train or plane, she would put her head on him to sleep and he would put his arm around her. They took time out most days to visit a temple and now, more often than not, they would find somewhere to eat out. They sometimes ended up holding hands as they walked back to the apartment. There was a love between them, but would it ever be anything more physical than this?

  Danny would spend hours and hours looking through his KIV (Keep in View) book, re-reading the exhibits book and the forensic reports and even longer staring at the white marker board, now full with scribbled names and entries along the ‘Time Line’. Ying had always assumed that he was getting inspiration. Sometimes he was. Sometimes he was just getting drunk.

  “Ying, we are missing something.”

  “What are we missing?”

  “This man in the phone. Boots. He has to be the drug dealer and if you look through all these photos, what stands out?”

  “I have looked many times. How can you spot a drug dealer?”

  “Maybe we need to print them out and see them all together, rather than on the computer.”

  “I think we will need a lot more printer cartridges then.”

  Chapter 23 Only Guilty Men say ‘No Comment’.

  They spread the printed photos out across the floor of the apartment.

  “Okay, Ying. What are we looking for in the photos?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Yes, you do. You’re a detective, a Murder Squad Detective. Come on.”

  “Well, drugs I guess. Drug paraphernalia. Signs of drug abuse, drug taking?”

  “Exactly.”

  Ying beamed a huge smile at Danny, happy that she had just passed his test.

  “We examine every single photo now. Anything at all, even in the background. Anything that looks like it might be associated with a drug dealer. We look at the photo again on the laptop, very closely, blowing up any background that needs it. One of these men is the drug dealer and remember Brad, the Aussie boyfriend?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “He said something about wanting to meet her that night and she said she couldn’t, because it was Tuesday.”

  “And then she changed it to something else” added Ying.

  “Yes, but at first she said ‘I can’t, it’s Tuesday.’ So you have to assume that Tuesday is set aside for something or someone special.”

  “Tuesday night is re-supply night. Yes, of course. There were a lot of drugs found at the murder scene. You think he visits to supply every Tuesday?”

  “I think that there is a good chance. We have heard from so many men now how amazing Sarah was and how much power she had over men. So what if Boot’s starts to fall in love with her over the weeks he delivers the drugs and he wants some of the action with her. Maybe he tried to that night. Maybe she wasn’t interested. I don’t know, but I think that Tuesday night is the night she sets aside for Boots the Chemist to deliver and something was different that night. Something went wrong and Sarah Appleby was murdered because of it.”

  “But how can we trace Boots? He has thrown away the chip and nobody had ever registered as the owner of that phone when it was originally bought.”

  “Of course he didn’t register it. He’s a drug dealer before he became a murderer. He was never going to make it easy for the police to trace him.”

  “You think he is the murderer?”

  “Yes, of course he is. He is the only one on this list who has got rid of the phone. He doesn’t want to speak to us. Only guilty men go ‘No Comment’, Ying.”

  For hours and hours they scanned every single photo looking for the clues they were seeking. There were hundreds and hundreds of them to look through. They decided to put them into two piles. First pile was for the ones with nothing of interest on them and the second pile required a closer look. They worked on the floor, sitting amongst the scattered photos, stopping occasionally to consult with each other or have something to eat. Sometimes Danny had to get up because he was stiff and aching sitting on the floor for so long. Ying would put her hand to her mouth and giggle as he grunted and groaned as he got to his feet, then stretched and arched his back, before going out on the balcony for a brandy and a cigarette.

  “Danny, you sound like such an old man” she laughed.

  “I know. I think I need you to give me a good massage.”

  “No problem. I can do. I’m actually fully trained in Thai massage and I’m very good. You should let me massage you every night after your shower. You‘ll feel much better, trust me”

  “I do trust you. OK, you’ve got the job” he laughed and went out onto the balcony.

  Danny lit up a cigarette and blew out the smoke. It hung heavily in the warm air. Even though it was now after 2:00am in the morning it was still warm and humid. Ying came dashing out onto the balcony clutching one of the printed photos. She hugged Danny tightly.

  “Danny! I think I’ve found it.”

  She handed Danny the photo. It was Sarah, naked and kneeling down in the lounge of her apartment, performing oral sex on a naked Thai man as he stood in front of her. He was looking directly at the camera.

  “Look in the background, on the table, amongst the junk from the Seven Eleven shop. See, there are bags of white powder and I bet those are Yaa-Baa pills on the table. I think he is the drug dealer. I think he is Boots.”

  Danny looked closely at the photo. He blew out some more smoke and a smile slowly crept across his face.

  “Holy Jesus, Mother of God! You got him Ying. Good girl.”

  “Shall we try and find more photos of h
im?”

  “Yes. We need them all. If it’s okay with you, I’ll sit at the computer and look on there, if you don’t mind carrying on searching through the printed ones?”

  “That’s fine” laughed Ying. “We have done good tonight?”

  “Yes, we have.”

  They searched through all the photos and found others of the man they believed to be Boots. But they were too tired to study them properly, so they collected them ready for tomorrow. At just after 4:00am they had a break and sat on the leather settee, moving piles of photos to make space. Within a few minutes they were both asleep.

  Chapter 24 Going to Catch a Killer.

  They decided to tidy up the flat and then go out for breakfast before examining the photos of the person that they believed to be Boots, the drug dealer. After having taken showers and getting changed, they went along to the Jungceylon Centre and had breakfast looking out at the galleon ship sailing amongst the fountains, which was being photographed by tourists and locals alike. After breakfast they returned to the apartment.

  They had about 20 photos of their suspect and in most of the photos there was evidence of drugs somewhere in the picture. Once again they spread them out on the apartment floor and looked for clues.

  “How are we going to find him Danny?”

  “Do you remember when you first found this photo and came out on the balcony to show me?”

  “Yes of course.”

  “Can you remember what you said?”

  “No, not really. I was too excited.”

  “You pointed out the Yaa-Baa pills on the table and you said something like ‘Look at the drugs amongst all the junk from the Seven Eleven shop’.”

  “Oh yes. I remember that.”

  “How did you know that it was stuff from a Seven Eleven shop?”

  “Because that’s the sort of stuff you buy from a Seven Eleven or a Family Mart shop.”

  “Look at these photos again. Besides the signs of drugs, what else can you see in these photos?”

  Ying looked again at the photos.

  “Junk from a Seven Eleven shop.”

  “Yes, in most of them. If we look at the photos from the crime scene, more junk from a Seven Eleven shop; crisps, chocolate bars, sweets, cigarettes, pot noodles, cans of Coke and a bottle of vodka. I think whenever your man visited to deliver drugs he took snacks, treats, booze and fags with him as well.”

  “Yes, I think you might be right. So we try and find out where he bought these things from?”

  “Yes, we do. I think we need to blow up one of these photos, so that we have a close up of his face and we need to take a composite photo of all the things together that we think he might have bought from a Seven Eleven on the Tuesday night. We go to every Seven Eleven and Family Mart until we trace him.”

  “Where do we start?”

  “How many roads into Patong?”

  “Four.”

  “Well, we start a mile out of town from each road and check every shop on the route to Sarah Appleby’s apartment. If we still haven’t found the shop, we then do every shop in Patong, street by street. If we still haven’t found it we cast our net even further and start all over again; 5 miles out of town, and then 10 miles. But we will find this shop.”

  “Wow! I believe you. But that is a lot of shops, Danny.”

  “Well, let’s get the photos done and get started then. We have work to do.”

  They worked throughout the day and late into the night. Then the next day they did the same, recording and eliminating each shop as they went.

  At 11:30pm on the second night, the shop lady looked at the photo and did not hesitate.

  “Yes I know him.”

  “You know him?” repeated Danny.

  “Yes, he bought all these items from my shop.”

  Danny started laughing, then clapped and punched the air and then wai’d the shop lady, who wai’d back before asking Ying, in Thai, why he was waiing to her.

  “I think he bought these items on Tuesday the 8th April. Would you remember that?” asked Danny.

  “Yes, I remember. That was the last time he came in.”

  “The last time. He came in more than once?” asked Ying.

  “Yes, he came in every Tuesday for the last six months. Every Tuesday he buy the same things, nearly the same things. He is not from Patong. He was having an affair. He is married.”

  “How do you know?” asked Danny.

  “He used to come every Tuesday. Always smell nice, nice clothes, very smart. He definitely having affair. He stop outside on his motor bike and come in and buy these things. Then he just stop. I think his wife find out and make him stop.”

  “How do you know he was married and how do you know he isn’t from Patong?” asked Ying.

  “I see him twice at Kamala market with wife and a baby. He is Muslim. I think he live in Kamala.”

  “Do you know his name?”

  “No, but I know he is a Muslim man.”

  “Is he Thai?” asked Danny.

  “Yes. Thai Muslim.”

  Danny turned to Ying.

  “Where is Kamala, Ying?”

  “About 15 minutes’ drive north from here, along the coast road. Just the other side of the mountain. Do you want to go now?”

  “No, it’s late. We’ll go to Kamala tomorrow.” He turned back to the shop lady.

  “Will you make a statement telling us everything you can remember?”

  “Yes, can do. No problem.”

  Chapter 25 Kamala Beach.

  The mountain that Ying had talked about was really more like forested hills. As they drove over the headland there were breathtaking views out over the clear turquoise sea, shimmering in the bright sunshine. The thought crossed Danny’s mind that he could happily live here. They descended the other side, dropping down into Kamala. It was a lot smaller and quieter than Patong. It had the feeling of a small town or a village, rather than a holiday resort.

  They had decided to make enquiries at the local shops. If Boot’s was a local man then somebody in one of the shops should know who he is. Ying did the talking and spoke in Thai. In only the second shop that they went into the lady identified him from the photo.

  “He is Prawat Ratchasima” said the elderly shop lady in English.

  “Are you sure?” asked Ying.

  “Yes, of course I’m sure. He used to play at the back of my shop; I have fed him many times and smacked him just as many. I was friends with his mother for over 50 years before she died. She was a good woman. She would not be proud of Prawat now. He is a lazy boy and everybody knows that he deals drugs. Maybe Allah took her to spare her the shame.”

  “Do you know where he lives?” smiled Ying, showing due respect to the passing of her old friend and Prawat’s mother.

  The old lady smiled back. She only had five teeth, but it was still a nice, friendly smile and she gave the address to Ying with clear directions how to get there and identify the house. They went back and sat in the cool air of the air conditioned car.

  “What do you want to do now?” asked Ying.

  “We need to get some uniform officers here, for back up and to surround the house before we approach. If he is the killer, he might make a run for it or try and shoot his way out. Call someone out Ying and we’ll meet them here, before we approach the house.”

  Ying rang on her mobile and the buzz went around Kathu Police station when she requested ‘Back up’ to make an arrest for the murder of Sarah Appleby. Although she had only requested two uniformed police officers, four police cars turned up with nine police officers. Another plain car also arrived in the convoy. It was Ying’s colleague, Phong. There was a buzz of excitement amongst the police officers and their sheer numbers soon drew a crowd of interested onloo
kers. Danny wasted no time in briefing them and Ying translated.

  They surrounded the little breeze block and cement house. It only consisted of three rooms; a living room, bathroom and bedroom. The kitchen was Thai style and outside the back of the house. There was a door to the front and one to the rear. The roof was green painted corrugated tin. When everyone was in position Danny, Ying and a uniformed officer went to the front door. Prawat and his wife were sitting on rush mats on the floor, watching a game show on the TV. Prawat’s wife was breast feeding their baby.

  BANG, BANG, BANG on the front door.

  “Open up! POLICE!” shouted Danny.

  Prawat jumped up at the first bang and ran out of the rear door. His wife screamed. Danny heard the commotion and raised his foot. A well-aimed boot at the door lock and the front door crashed open, sending the flimsy lock flying across the room. As Danny and Ying dashed into the house, Prawat was being dragged back into the room by three uniformed officers, who had grabbed him as he attempted his escape. He struggled, but it was useless. His wife kept screaming,

  “Kat ta gam, kat ta gam”

  “What is she shouting?” asked Danny.

  “She is screaming ‘Murderer’ at her husband” said Ying.

  “Arrest him, Ying.”

  Ying spoke in Thai.

  “Prawat Ratchasima. I’m arresting you for the murder of Sarah Appleby. You do not have to say anything, but anything you do say may be given against you in a court of law.”

  “It wasn’t me. It was the man in the suit” replied Prawat.

  Danny was surprised that Prawat answered in English, and in clear English.

  “What man?” asked Danny. But Prawat didn’t answer. In fact, he did not say another single word. Ying told the police officers to handcuff him and take him to the Police station. One of the other officers asked her if she wanted them to search the house, but Ying told them not to bother, that she and Danny would sort it out. She wanted to talk to his wife alone and she asked them all to leave. Calm and quiet descended on the house as the policemen walked to their cars. Ying asked Prawat’s wife if they could ask her some questions.