Impatiently, Paul waited for the two phone calls that would assure him that all was on track. As he greeted guests, chatting amiably and refilling glasses, he kept on checking his mobile phone. Finally, Jade called.
“I’m at the airport. The coffin has been checked in. Everything has so far gone to plan. Security was tight but all the papers were beyond reproach. I’m sitting in the business lounge, finally relaxing. Has Louis boarded his flight yet?” she added a touch anxiously.
“Not yet, remember I didn’t want to risk a chance encounter at the airport that could betray you both. His flight will be leaving two hours after yours. As we had planned. Don’t worry. Have a safe flight,” replied Paul smoothly. “Call me after you have met the family. On my secure line. At home.”
Shortly afterwards, Dr Kharma Sui called as well but the call was shorter.
“All done.”
“Thank you,” replied Paul. “Your fee will be wired to your denominated account as soon as I get home. I’ll also send you a confirmation fax. Have a good evening.”
After hanging up, he grabbed a champagne from a passing waiter and thanked his lucky stars, smiling at no one in particular. In two days’ time, he would be even richer. In his country, as in most, money was power and he revelled in the latter most of all.
Chapter XIII
Jade and More
Lily had the uncanny ability to sleep almost anywhere and basically on cue. On the other hand, both Stephanie and Sophie were fundamentally too anxious to fall asleep easily, under the best of circumstances. Their mind were usually too alive with jumbled thoughts to allow Morpheus anywhere near them. Adding jetlag to the mix meant that as tired as they were, an afternoon nap was almost impossible. After tossing and turning and sipping a cup of tea, a habit derived from living far too long in Anglo-Saxon countries, but known to alleviate her jagged nerves, followed by a cold shower, Sophie decided that her time would best be spent by following their latest lead. She was only half surprised to see Stephanie sitting outside her room, looking out to sea, her eyes clouded by her slowly drifting cigarette smoke, her feet buried in the warm sand.
“Couldn’t sleep, could you?” inquired Sophie almost tenderly, putting her hand on her shoulder. “I really wish sometimes I had inherited Lily’s nature and be able to sleep anytime my body needed some R and R.”
“Historians maintain that it’s this trait of character that was responsible above all else for Napoleon’s conquests,” replied Stephanie dryly.
“Well, see where that got him in the end,” smiled Sophie. “Are you up for a walk?”
“To interview jewellers?” asked Stephanie standing up and stomping out her cigarette in the sand filled half coconut shell purposefully provided outside each room to be used as an ashtray.
“Exactly. Unless you had something else in mind?”
They both slipped on their thongs and walked out of the hotel, leaving a note for Lily as to their whereabouts, but not before requesting a list of the jewellers in the area from a very obliging concierge, who recommended first and foremost his cousin’s boutique at the end of Lipong Road.
After the sixth boutique, they finally hit pay dirt. The quaint little jewellery store was located off the main beat, on the first floor of an unpretentious and rundown small building. The door was open. Peeling and creaky ceiling fans attempted to circulate the slightly rancid air. A small, wiry man, sporting old-fashioned horn rimmed round glasses, behind which they could see penetrating eyes, sat behind the horseshoe counter. The place was otherwise empty. There was little light, except directly over the pieces displayed in glass cabinets of dubious cleanliness. He looked up at the two women and judging them worthy of his attention, broke into a welcoming smile.
“Welcome. Is there something I can do for you?” he asked in effortless English. Sophie murmured a barely audible “Just looking”. On the other hand, Stephanie flashed him her most beseeching smile and told him she was a collector of jade and was looking for a special piece. She also admitted she had been looking for days and that nothing had tickled her fancy due to either the poor workmanship or the poor quality of the stones she had been shown. The little man’s eyes shone brightly.
“You might be in luck.”
At that very moment, Sophie, from the far corner of the shop, had spotted rows after rows of small jade ornaments; some of them mounted as jewels, others just as decorative figurative objects. She frantically motioned to her sister to come over. The jeweller was still talking.
“I specialise in jade carving. I’ve always loved the stone ever since I was a child. I love its feel, its history, its spiritual meaning, and the variations of its colour. Your friend over there seems to have found where I display my collection,” pointing his chin in Sophie’s direction.
Stephanie did not correct him at the mention of ‘friend’, something she would have normally done automatically, and instead walked over to Sophie’s side, who was scrutinising the pieces exhibited below her. Her disappointment was unmistakable.
“Not here,” she murmured.
“Were you looking for something specific?” asked the old man approaching behind them. Stephanie scrambled for a plausible explanation.
“Well, you see,” she said, “my older sister is a mathematician. And last night, in a nightclub, we met a young man who was wearing an infinity sign on a simple leather cord around his neck. It was made out of jade. I had never seen anything like it and I knew it would be the perfect birthday gift.”
“And you are sure it was jade?” queried the shopkeeper, looking intently at them both.
“Well, yes, I’m sure,” replied Stephanie not missing a beat.
“That’s quite a coincidence,” replied the old man, “because there aren’t that many around. Is this it?” he asked, lifting a small pouch from underneath the counter. He theatrically opened the palm of his hand for the sisters to see.
“That’s it!” exclaimed Sophie enthusiastically. “How much?” she asked immediately. “Lily would love it!”
“Well,” replied the jeweller, suddenly embarrassed. “Unfortunately, they aren’t for sale.”
“What do you mean?” asked Stephanie taken aback and trying to hide her disappointment.
“These are a special order. From one of my clients. It seems he gives it to his friends and employees. It isn’t commercialised. He designed it and I execute it for him, whenever he needs another one.”
With her most charming smile, her eyes twinkling, Stephanie cajoled.
“Would he ever know if you sold us one? I mean, if we promise not to wear it around here, would he know? Is this client of yours a mathematician as well? It’s such an unusual and beautiful piece and the carving is just so exquisite, so unbelievably smooth!”
“No,” replied the jeweller amused. “Mr Patek is not a mathematician, he is a pharmacist.”
“Really? Here on the island? Perhaps we could go and ask him permission?”
This time the old man laughed.
“No, not a pharmacist as in running a pharmacy, he owns a pharmaceutical company. He manufactures drugs.”
Neither Stephanie nor Sophie flinched.
“So, how much?”
Giving up, and seeing no harm in these two beautiful women owning the last piece he had in his inventory, the old man cagily replied, “One hundred US dollars.”
“That’s insulting,” exclaimed Sophie to Stephanie’s greatest astonishment.
“All right, don’t get upset, for you, because you’re so pretty, I’ll do it for 80.”
“60,” bargained Sophie.
“70. 65 if you pay cash.”
“Done,” intervened Stephanie quickly, still bewildered by what went on.
“Do you want this gift wrapped?” said the jeweller delicately replacing the piece in its velvet pouch.
“Of course!” said Stephanie. “I’ll give it to my sister next month, for her birthday. She is going to love it!”
While the old man carefully
wrapped the necklace, Sophie removed the one hundred dollar bill she had tucked away in her wallet. She always took the precaution of travelling with such a banknote, as she knew that most Asian countries trusted the currency and that it was more often than not a powerful bargaining chip. She received the change in bhats.
As they made their exit, they waved at the old man, who had returned to his stool, at the back of the store. They could not believe that not only had they obtained the necklace but that, inadvertently, the jeweller had also given them the name of the man who had commissioned them. They hurried back to the hotel and asked the concierge if he could find for them the address for a Mr Patek. The young man replied quickly he had no need to look it up. Mr Paul was well known on the island. He lived in the hills. With their heart racing, opening up a local map, they asked him to show them the location. He pointed to a location not far removed from where Louis’s body had been found. They thanked him and ran to their rooms. Lily and Charles, having a quiet drink around the pool, intercepted them.
“Where have you two been?” asked the latter brightly.
“Didn’t reception bring you the note we left for your attention?”
“They must have forgotten. Why do you look you so frazzled? Why are you so out-of-breath?” asked Lily suspiciously.
They both sat down and as they pulled the necklace out from their pocket, they told them what they had just discovered.
“I shall immediately call the Chief of Police,” said Charles, standing up.
“And tell him what, exactly?” asked Sophie, putting a soothing hand on his arm, forcing him to sit back down.
“Isn’t it obvious? Your late brother, his alleged girlfriend, and a young man who has recently been found murdered after a chat with you two, were all wearing the same necklace. Through your snooping, you’ve learned that this piece of jewellery is a custom order and that this so-called Paul Patek is the one who designed it. We also know that he only gives it to those who work for him. It can only mean that Louis has worked for him at some point or another. Moreover, Louis’s body was found on a road not far from his house. And if I recall your earlier conversations, the gift Louis had sent you at Christmas was inscribed with a double P: the initials for Paul Patek! This Paul Patek character definitely knows something about Louis, and we shall find out.”
“Isn’t it better to contact this man directly, now that we know where he is and who he is, rather than involve the police, which may put him on the defensive?” Sophie asked thoughtfully.
Charles nodded his agreement: the Police Chief had not been thrilled when he had gone to see him a second time; a third might put him off side for good. Moreover, they already knew that he had lied to their faces. If this Paul Patek was so well known around the island, he surely knew the Chief as well; the latter may have lied to protect him. Actually it was the only thing that made sense. It came to reason that involving him in their investigation at this particular juncture was not a wise move indeed.
“And how do we gain an introduction? We just show up at his door for dinner?” mocked Stephanie.
“I don’t think we’d be welcomed,” smiled Lily. “But what about using some subterfuge?”
“Such as?” asked Sophie intrigued.
“The Chief of Police told us that a group of climbers found the body. So what about us going ‘exploring’ as well? Except that we act like stupid tourists. For starters we don’t hire a guide and therefore get lost inadvertently. We will start our trek just before sunset so it becomes dangerous to come back down in the dark. We’ll knock at his door because we don’t know what else to do.”
“Brilliant!” approved Sophie. “I think it could work. Now all we have to do is gather the gear that will give our story a modicum of credence. We have all evening to do that and thus we could plan on this excursion for tomorrow night! Perfect!”
Charles looked from one sister to the other admiringly. How he wished he could act so impetuously, unafraid of taking risks! He had to agree though that the plan might just work. Moreover, he agreed they had nothing to lose.
“I shall come with you,” he added with a touch of authority.
“We wouldn’t dream of doing this without you,” agreed Sophie. “We do need a man to protect us. Moreover, we’d look more like tourists if the company is mixed. Three girls by themselves, it’s too suspect, I reckon,” she added with a wink.
“Our turn to relax,” said Stephanie. “You lazy bones,” she instructed, looking both at Charles and Lily, “can go and assemble what you think we might need to look like over eager and under prepared tourists trekking through the jungle. I’m going for a swim. Do not forget a map, a compass and that sort of things…”
The words trailed behind her as she left to go to her room and change.
“Good idea,” concurred Sophie. “We’ll catch up with you later for dinner. How about booking a dinner right here on the beach? I saw they advertised a Thai buffet for tonight. It’ll be away from the crowds and far from the noise and usual commotion.”
“As good as done. Your wish is my command…” said Charles, in a voice which was light with flirtation. Paying him no heed, Sophie followed Stephanie to the water’s edge.
They all wore pretty, off-the-shoulder dresses and together would have made a great ad for a travel brochure. With their table sunk into the sand still warm from the afternoon sun, they had gone barefoot. A bottle of Chardonnay was chilling in a bucket close at hand and Charles stood up when they approached, pulling a chair for Sophie to sit.
“Pretty as a picture,” he commented looking at all three sisters appraisingly, pleased once again to be seen in the company of the three women.
Lily surveyed the buffet with a critical eye while Stephanie peered at the other tourists, commenting on their antics. Sophie, on the other hand, relaxed for the first time that day, was simply happy to share the moment with her sisters, whom she rarely saw on a regular basis. Whilst they always made an effort to visit one another, it was not always easy, due to their respectively demanding careers; the visits were always somewhat rushed and to their mutual regret always over too quickly. Now it seemed they had all the time in the world. Charles also made for good company once he learned to relax.
When the waiter approached, she quickly ordered a round of Mai Tais and continued her reverie while her sisters chatted away. Charles was observing her in silence, intrigued by her poise. When their cocktails arrived, they toasted to the evening ahead and to their upcoming adventure, agreeing that they should perhaps go over their plan one more time. When the Maître d’ invited them to help themselves to the buffet, Sophie, sensing that Charles was sufficiently old-fashioned to dislike the idea of standing in line, offered to fill his plate, asking him teasingly if he preferred the dishes highlighting one chili pepper or three. When they finally sat down to enjoy their meal, they tasted the variety of dishes, whose spices often surprised them, regardless of the warning, to the point of guzzling their wine to kill the heat, followed by lots of giggling. After a while, a general sense of contentment brought them to a contemplative mood and a comfortable silence fell over the four diners.
Sophie, peering down the south end of the beach, was trying to understand the origin of the dozens small lights lazily ascending to the skies and called their attention to the phenomena. Then Lily noticed a few women, with children in tow, offering the tourists what looked like small and fragile paper air balloons. Intrigued as well, Stephanie asked their waiter what they were and they were told that it was a Thai belief that wishes and prayers could thus be carried to the heavens; the custom derived from ancient burial rituals when the soul of the dead ascended to Buddha. They only had to look at each other to know that they should follow suit and send a prayer in Louis’s memory. Charles brokered the deal with the street vendor and they soon found themselves standing in the sand, on the edge of the water, their hands holding onto the fragile paper structure, their eyes moist with emotion, while the ageless woman lit the candle he
ld in the tiny suspended basket. When the balloon slowly lifted, a silent tear brimmed over each of the young women’s eyelashes and they smiled at each other with all the love they held for one another. In that instant they wished Louis was there with them. It would be years though before they admitted to themselves, that it was on that very night and thanks to the small paper balloon dancing in the breeze, that they finally said goodbye to their only brother, permanently closing a chapter of their lives.
With great anticipation for the evening ahead, they woke up early the next morning. They traded their motorcycles for an open roof jeep. At the open markets, they bought small bum bags so that they could pack cameras, cigarettes, a compass, small maps, a pocketknife, a lighter and a few assorted bandaids. Since none of them would even dare qualify as an amateur hiker, they were not quite sure what else they needed to take along to try and look the part. A pair of hiking shoes, some knee-high socks, which they could roll up if the terrain happened to be rugged and full of spiky knee-high vegetation, jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt was all they could think of. In the back of the jeep, they nonetheless stashed a handful of water bottles, some mosquito repellent and a long rope, just in case. It was shortly before 5:00 pm when they set out, giddy with excitement. As designated driver, Charles carefully followed the directions given by the hotel, driving past villages, rice fields and coconut plantations. Just as they turned away from the main road, to climb what could only be described as a rough dirt road, the weather unexpectedly turned and day turned into night.
Within a couple of kilometres, Charles reached a fork in the road inexplicably absent from the map laid out on Lily’s lap. Presented with a choice between a dirt track which disappeared in the thick of the jungle, and another where the more compacted surface indicated that it was more frequently travelled, they hesitated. The forest around them had suddenly fallen silent, a sure sign nature was about to unleash. Intrigued, they stopped the car on a slow rising escarpment and exited the vehicle, walking down a few metres to take a better look at their immediate surroundings. Within minutes the sky above them flashed with a most spectacular lightening display. Lily and Stephanie involuntarily shuddered, yet Sophie remained unfazed, explaining how electrical storms were quite frequent in the region and that there was little to worry about; even though they always frightened her a little, she mentioned in passing how amazing they often were back home, when they abruptly exploded over Sydney harbour, arbitrarily picking here and there the top of a building, the canopy of a tree or a lone mast dancing on the water. She had barely finished her sentence, when torrential rain caught them completely off guard.
The Samui Conspiracy Page 26