by Easton, Don
He had previously given Natasha permission to contact him up until noon of that day. After that, contact by anyone would only be made in emergency situations. Jack smiled and reread the message before deleting it.
Minutes later, Laura also sent him a short text: H.B. Wish I could give you a present by telling you I double-tapped our friend, but no reason to … yet.
Jack might normally have sent back a humorous response, but Virgil was too evil and too dangerous to joke about. Besides … Laura isn’t joking …
Two hours later, Jack checked into the Chatrium Hotel and promptly received a knock on an adjoining door to his room. He answered and a young man stuck out his hand and said, “G’day, mate. ’Ow ya goin’?”
Jack saw that Randy and Tina were already in the room with his Australian contacts.
After the introductions were made, Randy held up a transmitter for Jack to wear and said, “This is a present for you from Jim Purney.”
“Forget it,” replied Jack, brushing Randy’s arm aside. “I’m going to be in a restaurant all night. If you see someone trying to stab me with a desert fork, shoot ’em.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought you would say,” replied Randy, putting the transmitter down. “I didn’t think you would use it here, either, but wanted to give you the option. In the future, I’ll leave it up to your discretion. You’re best to know when you need it, or when you might be patted down.”
As it turned out, security was not needed. Jack’s dinner went as planned and he met his guests in a high-end restaurant in the hotel called The Emporia.
There were thirteen dinner guests. Six were couples and the one on her own was a beautiful young woman who was elegantly dressed. She introduced herself to Jack as Chit and sat beside him.
Everyone was friendly and most spoke a little English. Chit was too friendly, thought Jack, when she explained to him that in Myanmar her name meant love.
“Interesting,” said Jack.
“Yes,” said Chit, smiling, while reaching her hand under the table and patting his leg.
Jack realized she had been brought along for his pleasure and was glad he wasn’t wearing a wire. Chit used every opportunity she could think of to affectionately hug or pat him on his back or thigh during the course of the evening.
As the evening drew to a close, Jack received assurances from the exporters that they would welcome foreign capital in their company. Jack was assured that he would be the first to know once the opportunity presented itself.
The only look of disappointment was on Chit’s face when Jack turned down her suggestion that she should stay and have a drink with him after the rest had gone.
When he got back to his room he sent a text message to Oskar, saying all had gone well. He received a text back: Good. Meet you at the Imperial Golden Triangle around suppertime on the 20th.
The next day, Jack arrived back in Bangkok during the noon hour. Randy and Tina both scrambled to get their luggage and board a Thai Airways flight to Chiang Rai, departing at one-forty in the afternoon.
Randy and Tina would each rent cars in Chiang Rai to make the one-hour drive to the resort. They wanted it to appear like they were not together for surveillance duties later on.
Jack knew he was safe in the airport and was booked on a flight leaving Bangkok at suppertime. He had made arrangements with the hotel to pick him up at the airport in Chiang Rai.
Jack had previously been given the option by Oskar to stay in Bangkok overnight, as he was not required up at the Golden Triangle until the day after. Jack, however, wanted to get a layout of the hotel in the Golden Triangle, as well as whatever sites were around it. One such site, he figured, might be where someone planned to murder him.
All went as planned and Jack arrived in Chiang Rai on schedule. He was met in front of the airport by a man standing beside a silver van with IMPERIAL GOLDEN TRIANGLE RESORT emblazoned on the door.
The driver was friendly and was not the type to look around as he met Jack and loaded his luggage into the van.
This was something Jack was relieved about, because he noticed two men gesture to two other men parked on motor scooters, before getting into a nearby car. Jack periodically caught sight of the scooters and the car on their way to the resort.
The Thai police are on the job …
Jack checked into the hotel an hour later. It was located near the end of the main road which ran alongside a river in a small town called Chiang Saen. The hotel was beautiful with a huge lobby and was directly across the road from where the two rivers intersected to form the famed Golden Triangle.
An open walkway leading to the rooms ran along the back of the hotel. As Jack approached his room on the third level, a voice called out and said, “Excuse me, buddy, do you speak English?”
Jack looked past an open door to a room and saw Willy, with Jim in the background.
“I do speak English,” replied Jack. “What can I do for you?”
“Do you know where I could buy some olives?” Willy grinned as Jack approached.
“I’m not sure, I’ve just arrived,” said Jack. “But if you have the gin and vermouth, I’ll be sure to find some.”
“The hotel is practically deserted,” whispered Willy. “There is hardly anybody around except for hotel staff. The five of us and four Thai policemen make up most of guests.”
“So we stand out.” Jack frowned.
“I think it will be okay. It’s quiet at the moment, but it has been busy off and on.”
“Let me drop my bag off in my room and I’ll be right back.”
When Jack returned, Jim said, “Yesterday this place was packed with tourists, but they left on a couple of buses this morning.”
“Thai tourists?” asked Jack.
“No, mostly European and Chinese. Enough that we don’t stand out.”
“Good.”
“The Thai police followed you tonight from the airport,” said Willy.
“I know,” replied Jack. “They were a little obvious. Fortunately my driver wasn’t paying much attention.”
“I’ll speak to them,” said Willy. “They are eager and seem anxious to please. This is my room. Tina has the room next door. Randy and Jim are up on the fourth level and our four Thai friends are in two rooms on the fifth floor.”
“What’s the area like around the hotel?”
“Small town with lots of tourist shops,” said Willy. “Stretches down the road for about ten blocks. A bunch of massage parlours line one side of the street. You can walk across the road out front and get a boat across the river to Laos. There is a big casino there. You can see it easily from this side of the river.”
“Gambling isn’t my thing,” said Jack. “Anything else?”
“You can also go across the river to Myanmar. Other than that, there is not a lot to see. There is a big golden Buddha down the street that a few tourist buses pull up to once in a while. Most people stop for an hour or so and leave, except for the ones who decide to overnight.”
“Many other hotels around?”
“Not as nice as this,” said Willy. “The town itself is a little grungy farther on down. A guy might want to keep his wits together if he is out there drinking. Last night Jim and I went out and ate at a small place beside the river. I’m sure the owner was an ex-hooker. Friendly, but you could tell she had been around the block a few times.”
“I bet this was quite the place in its day, when boatloads of heroin were going through,” said Jim.
“That hasn’t entirely stopped, from what I know,” said Jack.
“The U.S. doesn’t think so, either,” said Jim. “There are benches all over town donated by the DEA, along with posters offering rewards for smugglers. It’s a bit like the Wild West out there.”
“Yeah, Asian-style,” said Jack. “So where’s the Sangsom?”
“Upstairs in Randy’s room,” Jim said, grinning, “if the rest of the team hasn’t finished it off. If you don’t feel like rum, I also have beer.�
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“You guys go and I’ll sneak up in a few minutes. I received a text from Oskar confirming that he is arriving tomorrow, so everybody keep their distance then. If we need an emergency meeting, I’ll slip into Tina’s room.”
“At least you’re only on the third floor,” noted Willy. “Not high enough to get killed if you go over the balcony.”
“It’s being killed before I go over the balcony that concerns me,” replied Jack.
Later that night in Randy’s room, Jack was introduced to a Thai policeman by the name of Pom. Jack recognized him from being at the airport when he arrived. Pom looked to be about thirty years old and was physically fit. He was from Bangkok and was in charge of the team of Thai policemen that had accompanied him.
“You were the passenger in the car that followed me from the airport in Chiang Rai,” noted Jack.
“You know me from airport?” said Pom, in surprise.
Jack nodded.
Pom looked embarrassed. “Sorry if I watch too closely. Next time I more careful.”
“It takes practice. Some of the criminals we work on spend a lot of time looking to see if they are being followed.”
“And you remember me, so …” Pom smiled, “maybe we all not look same after all.”
Jack smiled back. He was glad that Pom had a sense of humour. He sensed that everyone would work well together.
The following day was uneventful for Jack as he did a little exploring on his own. There was a Thai temple on a hill near the hotel, along with dozens of tourist shops. He bought a silk scarf for Natasha and wooden hollow frogs for each of the boys. The frogs came with a stick held in their mouths. If you pulled the stick out and stroked it across bumps on the frogs’ backs, they would make a sound like they were croaking.
Randy sidled up to him after he paid for the items and whispered, “You cheap bastard, is that all you bought for Natasha? A scarf?”
“What did you get Donna?”
“A gold pendant of an elephant.”
“You asshole. I’m not making sergeant’s wages. I’m going to tell the girls that your conscience must be troubling you.”
Randy chuckled and moved away.
Jack continued to explore the town. He decided that Willy was right on his assessment that parts of the town were grungy and falling into disrepair. Across the street from the hotel, near the river’s edge, was an abandoned building that Jack figured had been a posh restaurant in its day. Now it was a decaying structure with an open wooden patio on the ground floor.
Jack went in and saw that the patio was built over a cliff. The rear of the patio was on stilts, three stories above the riverbank. He imagined that it would have been a popular location at one time for heroin dealers to sit and enjoy a cold beer while watching the boats arrive from Myanmar and Laos.
He was glad to see other tourists roaming around and obliged a few by taking their pictures overlooking the famed rivers. Most were European, but spoke good English. Jack smiled when he saw his cover team following nearby and snapping pictures like carefree tourists themselves.
That evening, Jack was in the hotel restaurant having dinner when Oskar arrived and walked over to join him.
As Jack stood up to greet him, another voice called out, “Hey, Jack! How you doing?”
Jack’s body tensed and his brain felt numb. “Stew Pot! What are you doing here?”
“Oskar hired me, too,” said Stew. “Isn’t this great!”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Later that night, Jack bade good night to Oskar and Stew. He was glad they were staying two floors above him, but was still careful when he tapped on the door to Tina’s room.
She opened the door and said, “Yes?” as if she did not know him.
“Noticed you were travelling alone and wondered if you would like some company,” said Jack.
Tina stuck her head out in the hall and saw that it was empty. She smiled and let Jack in her room. “Come on in, but if I sexually harass you, it’s your fault.”
Also in the room were Randy, Willy, Jim, and Pom.
“Everyone see the arrival?” asked Jack.
“Christ, I couldn’t believe it,” said Willy. “I thought that guy lost out to you when you were hired.”
“So did I,” replied Jack, shaking his head. “He goes by the nickname of Stew Pot. He’s a really nice guy.”
“I told you I should have broken his leg,” muttered Willy. “What the hell do we do? He looked pretty chummy when he was having dinner with Oskar tonight. Seeing as he just arrived, it will look really suspicious if we tell him and he suddenly up and quits.”
“It gets worse,” said Jack. “Ben Pike was also supposed to be arriving tonight, but apparently his flight was delayed in Los Angeles due to mechanical problems. Oskar said it looks like he won’t arrive until tomorrow night now.”
“If he’s coming to do a hit,” said Randy, “who on? You or Stew Pot?”
“Or maybe the both of you together,” commented Tina.
“Anything is possible,” replied Jack. “Their plans may have been skewed a little by the flight being delayed, as well.” He looked at Pom and asked, “Is there some way you could verify Ben Pike’s flight?”
“I call office at Bangkok,” said Pom, dialling his cellphone. Pom spoke rapidly in Thai and after hanging up, he said, “No problem. I get call back soon.”
Jack nodded. “Tomorrow Oskar wants Stew and I to go into Myanmar and check out a clothing factory in a city called Tachileik.”
“Tachileik is one-hour drive from here,” said Pom.
“That’s what Oskar figured,” replied Jack. “Originally Pike was suppose to come with us. According to Oskar, it’s a rough area.”
“It is dangerous,” agreed Pom. “It is busy for gangs to deliver heroin and speed out of Myanmar. Many people there are poor and desperate.”
“Maybe that’s the real reason Oskar had planned for Pike to be there,” said Jack, “although I had a sense that having a bodyguard was to impress the people we are dealing with.”
“A matter of image,” said Willy.
“Possible, but now that we have Stew Pot to protect, I convinced Oskar that it would be okay for Stew and I to do it alone, without Pike.”
“And he agreed to it?” asked Tina.
“Yes, I think he was going to suggest it, regardless. He arranged for a representative from the company to pick Stew and I up at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. Oskar said he wasn’t going because he wanted to stay in his room with his laptop and do a bunch of paperwork.”
Jack looked at Pom. “Is there any problem with you and your team going Tachileik? Do you have contacts you can trust?”
“The contacts are maybe trust … maybe not. Better we go and if trouble, then I ask help for contacts,” replied Pom.
“I see,” said Jack, feeling uneasy. “The next day, on the twenty-second, I am supposed to check out a company in a place called Mai Sai.”
“Mai Sai is across river from Tachileik,” said Pom. “They are connected by bridge. Mae Sai has many tourists. Much shopping and is good. For why you go to Mae Sai?”
“To check out a company that exports jade jewellery,” replied Jack.
“Jade is popular in Mae Sai,” Pom said, nodding. “They bring stone from China and make jewellery. It then go to all places in world.”
“At least it sounds legit,” said Willy.
“It’s not me I’m worried about,” said Jack. “I haven’t told you about another problem. While I’m checking out the jade company, Oskar, Stew, and Pike are to fly to Kunming, China, to look at a copper-smelting company. Mr. Yu is to meet them there. Oskar, Pike, and Stew are then to return on the twenty-fourth.”
“We have everything arranged for security there,” said Tina. “You already knew that China was on the list.”
“But I didn’t know that it would be Stew Pot and not me who would be going. We need a game plan. If there is even a remote chance that we can’t protect him in
China, we may have to risk telling him and getting him to quit.”
“When he just got here?” grumbled Willy. “That would blow us out of the water.”
“I do know something about the Chinese,” said Jim. “I’ve worked there before. I also spoke to our LO in Beijing. It would be normal for the Chinese to keep an eye on a businessman coming to China. Most people know that.”
“Actually Oskar mentioned that tonight. He joked that if you wanted to order some chop suey at night, speak into your pillow.”
“He may have a point,” said Jim. “What I was going to say was that they do not need an order like we do to get a wiretap. The idea of even a remote chance of a foreign businessman being murdered in their country does not sit well with them. Personally, I think security on Stew Pot would be tighter than what the U.S. president gets.”
“Judging by Oskar’s chop suey comment, it doesn’t sound like he plans on killing anyone in China,” said Randy.
“I agree,” replied Jack. “Still, we’ll need to have someone go to China to liase with them, as well as the LO. They will all be waiting in customs at the airport when the plane lands.”
“Do we draw straws?” asked Willy.
Jack looked at Randy. “Your call on this.”
Randy nodded. “I know the LO and the Chinese will have heavy security, but I think two should go.” He looked at Jim. “By the sounds of it, your services won’t be needed in China.”
“I agree,” replied Jim. “I might be of more use here.”
Randy looked to Tina. “You would fit in well, so you just volunteered.”
“Oh, great,” Tina said, smiling. “What if someone steals my ID and passport? I’ll be stuck there. Probably have to support myself by making tofu or opening a DVD burn shop or something.”
Randy grinned. “Willy, you go, too. I want the both of you at the airport before Oskar, Pike, and Stew get there.”
“Wee-hah!” chortled Willy.
“How hard would it be to have one of your men be the taxi driver for Oskar, Pike and Stew when they go to the airport?” Randy asked Pom. “Could it be done discreetly?”
