Cocktails & Dreams

by Lilburne, Guy

  The manager wai’d to them as he approached them and Bee told him about Peter Lawford. The manager was more than happy to keep the arrest as low key as possible and he quickly escorted them to the top floor before his hotel was swamped with uniformed police officers. Bee told him that she wanted him to open the door with the master key and she would go in to arrest the man, followed by Danny.

  The manager’s heart was banging in his chest as he stood at the door to the room. He tried holding his breath to steady his nerve and stop his hand from shaking so much. Bee stood next to him, her gun already drawn and held up in front of her. Danny stood behind the two of them. The manager looked again at Bee and she nodded. He had to use both of his hands to steady the key card enough to slip it into the slot. The red light flicked green and Bee pushed down the handle and crashed open the door. She raced inside, her gun pointed out in front of her.

  “POLICE! ARMED POLICE! FREEZE!FREEZE! she shouted the commands.

  Danny heard two shots as he dashed into the room just steps behind Bee.

  “Feck.” He ducked his head. Bee had stopped in her tracks, her gun still pointing out in front of her. The huge naked body of Peter Lawford was sprawled on the bed. His mouth and eyes open. The look of shock was still on his face. There was a bullet hole between his eyes central on his forehead, another one in his chest to his heart. A perfect double tap. He died instantly. Some blood splattered on the headboard from the head shot, and blood was seeping from the chest wound.

  “Holy Jesus Mother of God!” said Danny.

  “I told him to freeze. I said Police. I said freeze and he just came at me. What else could I do?”

  Bee turned into Danny with tears in her eyes and hugged him. Danny put his arms around her. He had an instant flashback to the moment that he had shot dead the east end gangster, ‘Mad’ Micky Harrison, back in London all those years ago. The knot of terror in his stomach came back now, as it did in the moment of the shooting. He knew what Bee was feeling.

  “It’s OK.” He kissed her on the top of her head. Police flooded into the hotel. It was going to be a very long day. The Chief gave a very upbeat press conference and was happy to announce that the serial killer had been shot dead while trying to resist arrest. As the news spread people celebrated. The death of a serial killer was no loss to society and the Chief released a lot of details about the killer and the evidence that linked him to the murders. Bee was still upset and, after making her statement, she was sent home while the rest of the team crossed the T’s and dotted the I’s. The case was wrapped up.

  Bee stripped off in her bedroom and walked naked to the shower. She stood under the cool cascading water for the longest time, as if she was waiting for the shower to wash away the visions that kept repeating in her head.

  Chapter 29 Time to celebrate.

  Baan Rim Pa Restaurant is located just north of Patong at the fashionable Kalim Beach. A four-minute ride from the centre of Patong, Baan Rim Pa is on a small cliff overhanging the beach (‘Pa’ means ‘cliff’ in Thai so the name translates as ‘The House by the Cliff’). Baan Rim Pa has sweeping views of the whole of Patong Bay.

  Colonel Wattana had booked the whole restaurant for the entire night for all the officers who had worked on the serial killer case, their partners and friends, a few other invited guests like his own boss, some local business people, two local politicians and some influential people from the press and TV. The tables had been rearranged to his specific request. There was no doubt that he would be holding court. This was a time to celebrate and he had a lot to gain from tonight. The success of the serial killer case had already increased his own celebrity and standing in the community. The restaurant was not cheap, but it would be worth every baht.

  Nok and Meiwa had spent most of the day out shopping. They had both bought beautiful evening gowns, paid for on expenses that would be paid for by Colonel Wattana. The Holiday Inn Hotel had arranged for a rental tuxedo to be delivered to Danny’s room. He had been impressed with the service. In the morning he was measured and picked out a tuxedo from the catalogue. He picked a white jacket, black trousers, white shirt and red bow tie with red rose button hole. He thought it was a bit ‘James Bond’, but he liked it. There was an excitement building throughout the team about the extravaganza planned by the Chief at the exclusive Baan Rim Pa restaurant.

  Bee had her own plan for the outcome for the night. She had just finished putting on her stockings and white lacy thong when Pon arrived to pick her up. She wrapped a short cream coloured silk robe around herself and let him in. Pon pretended to play it cool, but the sight of Bee in dark stockings and wrapped in a little silk robe made him start to shake; a shake that also made his voice tremble when he tried to make small talk, so he gave up.

  “Help yourself to a drink” said Bee as she walked back into her bedroom. Pon couldn’t see where the drinks cabinet was and he was too polite to ask, so he did without the drink. A moment later Bee came back into the room in a bright red evening dress, a slit up one side to the thigh.

  “Can you zip me up please Pon?”

  Bee walked and stood in front of Pon, she turned her back to him and lifted her long hair up. She smelt magnificent and her long neck and smooth back looked elegant and sexy. Pon suddenly thought that he didn’t want to zip her up. He wanted to take it off and make love to her. She was driving him crazy. He loved her and he hated himself for loving her. He didn’t know how to melt her cold heart, but he couldn’t stop trying. He slowly pulled the zip up and she turned around and kissed him on the cheek.

  “You look so beautiful” he said.

  “Thank you.”

  When they got in Pons car he handed her a rose.

  “I thought you might like this” he said, handing her the rose.

  “It’s red” she said without emotion.

  “Yes.”

  “It will clash with my dress. You should have got me a white rose.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t know what colour dress you would be wearing. I just thought you might……..Sorry.”

  “Pon, on the way to the restaurant we have to pick up Khun Simon Humphreys.”

  “What!”

  “I want you to pick up Simon on the way. He is a friend of the Chief’s and I have invited him to come.”

  Pon’s heart sank to his shoes. He, along with nearly everyone else who knew Simon Humphreys, hated him. He was a sick individual who enjoyed humiliating women and his exaggerated claim to fame was that he had slept with every single bar girl working in Patong. What wasn’t exaggerated was the fact that he had an extensive network amongst the bars that would tip him off if there was any ‘new meat’ in town. He was a self-made millionaire and had a string of bars and hotels in the Patong area. Still only in his early forties, his over-indulgent lifestyle had made him overweight and he had the appearance of a man much older. He kept his long hair gelled back in a pony-tail and one of his front teeth was nearly black. For years people had wondered why he had never had it fixed, but he hadn’t. It was usually hidden by a fat King Edward cigar, which he kept clamped between his teeth. Simon Humphreys sponsored the Patong police football team, and, as the sponsor, it gave him pretty much free reign to do what he wanted around Patong, and he did a lot. He liked hurting women’s feelings, especially bar girls. Humiliation was his thing. Over the years many official complaints from bar girls had been brushed away with a cash broom, paid to the police, the bar and the bar girl concerned. Humphreys always said that he was only playing, but sometimes he went too far and people got physically hurt.

  “Why did the Chief invite him tonight?” asked Pon.

  “I told you, I invited him.”

  Pon’s night had been ruined before it even started. They collected Simon Humphreys on the way to the restaurant and, after the initial greeting, Pon couldn’t bring himself to speak to the man again. If Hump
hreys wasn’t so thick skinned and already slightly intoxicated then he would have picked up on the bad atmosphere and tension in the car, but it all went over his head. He was out for a ‘freebie’ dinner and he would pick up a couple of bar girls later. It was going to be a good night as far as he was concerned.

  The Chief had paid for two official photographers, who were taking photos of people as they arrived, and would wander around the tables during the evening taking more photos of the guests. After having the official entrance photos taken Bee went into the restaurant and rearranged the place settings to make sure that she was on the same table as Danny O’Brien and that Simon Humphreys was sitting next to him. Nok, Meiwa and Pon would take up the other seats on the table.

  Taxi’s and tuk-tuks arrived, manoeuvred and dropped off well-dressed guests at the front door of the exclusive restaurant, then buzzed off to pick up more, like bees bringing nectar to the cone. Each of the guests was announced after handing in their invitation, were then greeted by Colonel Wattana and offered a glass of Champagne by one row of waiters holding silver trays. Danny arrived with Nok and Meiwa, one on each arm. His greeting from the Chief was warm and sincere. Both men recognised that they had become genuine friends over the last few years. Danny took a glass of orange juice from the last of the trays. Nok and Meiwa both looked stunning. Both produced digital cameras from their handbags to take a lot of photos of themselves, each other, the restaurant and scenery, and even the food. The restaurant was packed with glamorous people and the chatter and laughter and clink-clink of glasses set the tone of a great evening to come. The gong sounded and was the signal for people to take their seats. Nok and Meiwa, still linked up to Danny, froze in their tracks as they approached their table and saw Simon Humphreys. They whispered quickly in Thai. Simon Humphreys watched them and, as the recognition dawned upon him, he smiled and raised his glass towards them.

  “What’s the matter?” asked Danny.

  “Tee rak, the fat farang with greasy hair. He not good man. He very, very bad person” said Nok.

  “Don’t worry. I won’t let him hurt you Nok.”

  “If we know he be here we not come” said Meiwa.

  Danny could tell from their concerned voices that they were shocked to see the fat man again. Their voices were shaky and laced with fear.

  “Why is he so bad? What did he do that was so bad?”

  “Nothing tee rak. No problem. We not speak this” said Nok.

  They approached the table and Pon greeted them with wais, handshakes and smiles. Simon Humphreys just grinned.

  “Wow! Nok and Meiwa! How nice to see you again. This is like old times, the three of us spending a night together” said Simon Humphreys, winking at both of them. “You have gone into the up market escort business. Give me your card. I can use you both tomorrow night.” He puffed on his cigar.

  “It’s money well spent chap. They fuck like rabbits and do a great double act” he continued looking at Danny.

  “You fecking eejit!” Danny, fists clenched, stepped towards the still grinning Simon Humphreys and both Nok and Meiwa pulled back on his arms.

  “No! Tee rak. Please not box him. We just have nice time tonight. Not to worry something.”

  “Simon Humphreys, this is Danny O’Brien, the famous British detective” said Bee. Humphreys offered his hand and Danny ignored it.

  “I’m not British, I’m fecking Irish.” Danny was angry.

  “I’m sorry about Khun Humphreys” said Bee. “He has had a little too much to drink. He doesn’t mean any harm.”

  Nok nudged Danny’s arm forward.

  “Please tee rak, do for me. I want good night” she whispered.

  Danny reluctantly gripped Humphreys hand and they shook. Humphreys roared a laugh that was just a little too loud. He patted Danny on the shoulder with a heavy hand.

  “Come on chap, chill out. We’re all here for the same thing, tight Thai pussy. There is nothing else to come here for in this God forsaken place” he said pulling out the chair for Danny to sit. Danny was grinding his teeth as Humphreys sat next to him and everyone else took their seats.

  Danny leaned over toward Nok.

  “You slept with this eejit?”

  Nok felt her stomach turn over, while the humiliation that Humphreys had caused her flashed through her mind and suddenly repeated on her like bad pork. She couldn’t speak. Her shame, her loss of face was too great. She lowered her eyes. The man she really loved, the man she would always love had just asked her to admit the greatest shame of her life. She nodded her head without looking back at Danny. She couldn’t look at him.

  “Jesus!” said Danny. The word stabbed through her heart like a knife.

  A waitress came to the table, smart in her tight black skirt and white blouse. She carried two bottle of fine white wine and placed them on the table. Humphreys put his chubby hand up her skirt and gave her crutch a squeeze. The young waitress gasped and struggled to hide the shock on her face with a thin Thai smile, as she smoothed down her skirt again, wai’d to Humphreys and quickly walked away before she started crying in front of the important guests.

  Humphreys dug a hard elbow into Danny’s ribs and laughed.

  “She’s not a bar girl. She’s probably still a virgin, but I’ll be fucking her before the morning. She’ll sell her pussy if the price is right. They all do.”

  “Simon, I think I should explain something. Nok and Meiwa do not work the bars anymore. They are now business associates of Khun Danny. Nok is the proprietor of The Great British Detective Agency” said Bee, with a smile that didn’t hide the fact that she was enjoying the discomfort that everyone else around the table was suffering. Two more waitresses headed towards the table carrying trays of prawn cocktail starters.

  “If you lay a finger on any of these girls I’ll snap the fecker off. Do we understand each other?” said Danny.

  “Chill out chap.”

  The two waitresses, having been warned by the first waitress, stayed the other side of the table from Humphreys.

  “Danny, you should relax. You and Khun Humphreys have a lot more in common than you realise” smiled Bee.

  Danny suddenly felt sick. He suddenly realised that Bee had set this up. This was her revenge. He had already anticipated what she was about to say and his brain started spinning trying to think of a way to stop her saying it. He wanted to stop time. He wanted to be away from there. He suddenly felt himself in a cold sweat. He knew she was about to announce to the world that his beautiful wife had slept with Humphreys. It was cruel, it was evil. Suddenly he hated Bee and he hated Humphreys. He hated his beautiful wife Ling and he hated his life. He hated himself. He wanted to stop Bee from speaking, but he couldn’t. He looked into her eyes, pleading silently with her not to do this. Pleading for mercy, for compassion. Bee was smiling. It was a self-satisfied smile, a wicked smile, a hurtful smile, cold and malicious.

  “Simon, who was your best ever bar girl?” she asked Humphreys.

  Nok. Meiwa and Pon all looked down, uncomfortable and ashamed of what Bee was doing. In Thailand to take someone’s face is even worse than them losing it themselves, and she was so publically taking Danny’s face.

  “The best bar girl I ever fucked was Ling. She was beautiful, sucked like a vacuum cleaner and had a tight pussy like a mouse’s ear. She would fuck all night long. Now that girl knew how to give a good service” he laughed out loud and slapped Danny hard on the back.

  “Which bar did she work in?” asked Bee.

  “The Blue Dolphin. I wonder whatever happened to her.”

  “Shut the feck up” said Danny through gritted teeth.

  “She got married Simon” said Bee.

  “He must be a lucky man, but she’d still come back to me for some more Humphreys humping. She loves the money. She does everything on the se
x menu.”

  “I said shut the feck up” said Danny.

  “Well, maybe you can arrange something with her husband. He is sitting next to you. Danny O’Brien married Ling.” Bee sat back in her chair and sipped her Champagne, watching Danny’s reaction over the top of her glass.

  “Well done chap” said Humphreys, slapping Danny hard on the back. “Do you rent her out? If you do………………”

  Humphreys stopped speaking and the smile on his face was replaced with pain and shock. Danny had clenched his fist and, leaning over, had his full body weight pressing down through his fist onto Humphreys’ testicles, squashing them into the hard chair. Humphreys’ mouth was open, but he couldn’t speak and he was gasping and gagging for air. The others around the table looked up. They could see Danny leaning into Humphreys but couldn’t see what he was doing under the level of the table. Humphreys’ eyes had glazed over and water ran down his cheeks. The pain was excruciating, like nothing he had ever experienced before. He thought he was dying, and he was. The shock to his body had stopped his breathing. His throat couldn’t open long enough to take in air and every few second just made a noise like a choked hiccup. His face was now purple and Danny still pressed down his full weight, trapping Humphreys’ testicles, rupturing the blood supply. Humphreys felt hot and was losing control of his body and his conscious senses. Danny turned to look at him face to face and spoke through gritted teeth, his spit flicking onto Simon Humphreys’ face. Humphreys’ body was already starting to go into spasm.

  “If I ever see you again I’ll fecking kill you. If you ever mention my wife’s name again, I’ll fecking kill you. If I ever hear that you have mistreated a girl again, I will fecking kill you. Give me one excuse to fecking come and kill you and I will. Do we understand each other now?”