The Kiss of the Dragon

by Lilburne, Guy

  “I started talking to this Thai guy called Sak Wannadee. He made it obvious that he was in the drugs game, so I just bigged myself up, telling him about businesses and bars that I had all over the place. We were making a verbal agreement that he could supply me with vast amounts at a reduced price, if I could take the quantity. I was just playing a role. I used my old name of Jack Morgan, so I was safe enough because now I was Norman Walker. All the bars and businesses I talked about were nothing to do with me. Well, except for Captain Morgan’s Bar of course. Anyway, I was splashing my money around……….”

  “Norman Walker’s money.”

  “Well, yes. But I was Norman Walker from the day he died in my bar. So I’m spending all this money, buying drinks and talking bollocks about spending a small fortune with Sak Wannadee. Sak told me about a business partner, a big Chinese man called Wong. He said he would confirm the amount that would be available and we agreed to meet again to close the deal. It was all friendly and there was a lot of drinking. I had no intention of ever meeting Sak Wannadee again. I’m not a drug dealer. It was just part of the night’s entertainment and I was trying to spy my chance to get money out of him, but it never arose. However, he had a laptop leaning against the side of his chair, so I decided I would take that when I went. So I did.”

  “As simple as that. You just stole his laptop?”

  “Yes. He thought I was a new friend and business contact. He trusted me. I went to the toilet, picked up the laptop as I went past and walked out of the club. I knew I was never going to see him again. I was not planning to stay in Bangkok and he would never find me, because he would be looking for Jack Morgan and not Norman Walker. I really liked being someone else. My life had never been so good and now I had a new laptop. I was not even going to keep it. I thought I could sell it and recover the money that I had spent, but when I got back to my hotel I opened it. He had not even got it password protected, so he deserved everything he got. I opened it up and had a look. I got interested because he had a lot of photos on it; porno pics. They weren’t professional. These were real photos and real girls. They were sexy and it got me interested. So I started opening up his documents. It was all in Thai, so I just opened up Google translator and, just like magic, it was suddenly all in English. I could not believe what I was reading. He was not just a local drug dealer; this was international smuggling on a huge scale. Drugs, precious stones and even women. There was all sorts of contact information for this bloke Wong as well.”

  Danny lit up another cigarette and poured himself another large Jack Daniels.

  “So you decided to see what you could get out of it?”

  “I’m a scammer. I live on my wits. I had been drinking and did not think anyone would believe me, but I started sending out emails and messages, making deals to undercut Wannadee and Wong. I even had shipping information about deliveries for the next few days. I was getting other people to pick the stuff up or getting the people who were already picking it up to take it to different addresses. Really Mr. O’Brien, I was just messing around. Playing on a computer; just pressing buttons and sending messages. But people are greedy. Suddenly Jack Morgan is a big player and everyone wants the cheap deals I am offering. I opened up a Thai bank account in Norman Walker’s name the next morning, as soon as I could get the forged documentation that I needed. By midday I had people from all over Europe and America sending money to it. I could not believe it. I was just messing around with a laptop. I did not think for a minute that people would send me the amounts of money that they did, but they did. Within hours I was becoming a rich man…………”

  Jack Morgan hesitated, haunted and frightened by the memory of what happened next.

  “So, what happened Jack?”

  “I started getting emails from Sak Wannadee. I replied to them. I was not scared. He was never going to find me and he would be looking for the wrong person. Sak Wannadee never threatened me. He was calm and just wanted his laptop back, but he did say that, if I did not return it within the hour, then Wong would kill me and he would not be able to stop him. I was not too bothered, but then, an hour later, I got an email from Wong. It was chilling and he scared me. The stuff that I had people re-direct and re-distribute was all his. All the money that people had paid into my new account was all his. He did not want to negotiate, he just wanted to kill me.”

  “So, how did Wong frighten you so much?”

  “He already knew stuff about me. He knew all my real details. He knew my old addresses in Birmingham and all about my criminal record in the UK. He knew about Captain Morgan’s Bar and he said that I was going to be as dead as Norman Walker. Jesus, did he scare me. I suddenly realised that I was not as safe as I thought I was and Wong was not interested in any deal. He told me that he was going to kill me. I got the feeling that he was going to kill me because I had offended him, not because I had ripped him off. The bloke is crazy.”

  “So, what did you do?”

  “I panicked. My head was spinning trying to think of a way out of it, and then it just came to me. I told him that I would take the laptop to him and we could negotiate the return of his money.”

  “But you already knew that he had no intention of negotiating with you.”

  “Yes, and I had no intention of taking the laptop to him. I knew he would kill me but, if he thought that he had already killed me, then he would not come looking for me again.”

  “So you got Charlie Brown to take the laptop to him?”

  “Sort of. I rang Charlie and told him that I was in a bit of trouble because I had stolen a businessman’s laptop. If I gave it back to him, then he would not involve the police, but I was too scared to take it back myself. I told him that if he did this last thing for me, then I could return to the UK and not go to prison in Thailand. Charlie came up from Pattaya and Wong gave me an address in China Town, down near the river, where I had to take the laptop.”

  “So you gave Charlie Brown the laptop to take to Wong, knowing that Wong would kill him?”

  “Yes, but I did not give him the stolen laptop. I kept that just in case I needed it as a bargaining tool at some later stage.” Jack could see the disgust in Danny’s eyes.

  “I do not expect you to like me Mr. O’Brien, but life is all about survival and I’m a survivor. I liked living my life as someone else. I liked being Norman Walker and now I was going to like being Charlie Brown. As soon as Charlie left me that day with the laptop to meet Wong, I left Bangkok and came here to take over my new bar and my new life. I transferred the money from Norman Walkers account into Charlie Brown’s account. Now I have enough money to live a good life. No more crime. You worried me when you turned up at the bar looking for Jack Morgan, but I knew you would never find him, because he just doesn’t exist anymore.”

  “You’re a feckin eejit. You do exist and I have found you.”

  “Mr. O’Brien, I can give you a lot of money to turn around and walk away. Nobody needs to know anything and we can all live happily ever after. I’m talking big money. Now that you’ve killed Sak Wannadee you only have to worry about Wong, and he doesn’t know who you are.”

  “Wong is dead.”

  Jack Morgan smiled. It was a huge smile that took over his face, a smile of real relief. The fear that he had been living with suddenly started to evaporate into the hot Pattaya air.

  “Thank God for that. We can do a deal then.”

  “No we can’t. You are not in a position to do any deals. I want the laptop.”

  “It’s there. That’s the laptop under the counter.”

  Danny turned around and there it was.

  “Have you any idea how many people have died because of you?”

  “Not because of me, because of Wong. What are you going to do with the laptop?”

  “I’m going to give it to the Thai authorities, along with you.”


  “I’ll be in prison forever. I would rather die than spend my life in a prison in Thailand.”

  “Your choice. I don’t give a feck.”

  “Can I ask you something? It was saying on the news that you work for the British Government, some kind of spy, but then the British were denying that. Are you MI5?”

  “No, I work for myself.”

  “Then why did you come looking for me and how did you find me?”

  “I found you because I’m a detective. I came looking for you because your Thai girlfriend Nui sent me a letter asking me to find you, because you had gone missing and she cares about you.”

  “I don’t know what you are talking about. I have never had a Thai girlfriend and I have never heard of Nui.”

  “You’re full of shite, Jack Morgan.”

  “No Mr. O’Brien. He speaks the truth on this occasion” said the big bald headed Thai man standing behind Danny.

  Danny looked around and saw that they were surrounded by a number of Thai men dressed in black combat clothes, with guns drawn and pointing at them.

  Chapter 54: Sgt. Wattana

  Jack Morgan slowly raised his hands in cautious surrender and in the hope that he was not about to be shot dead. Danny looked at the big Thai man with the bald head. He recognised him immediately and remembered his name was Sgt. Wattana of the Kathu District Police Station in Patong. The last time Danny had seen him he had left the big Thai man sprawling on the floor of the police station nursing a broken nose. Danny had head butted him after the Sergeant had beaten up Danny’s prisoner.

  “Jesus! Sgt. Wattana.” Danny was trying to work out in his mind why a police Sergeant from Patong should be surrounding him now with a team or armed men.

  “I am not Sgt. Wattana anymore. I am Captain Wattana, a special agent of The Department of Special Investigations of the Ministry of Justice of the Royal Thai Government.”

  “Jesus! You have got yourself a big job title now then Wattana.”

  “I know that there must be a lot of questions that you want to ask me right now” smiled the big Thai man.

  “Yes, but I am just trying to prioritise them in my head.”

  “First Mr. O’Brien, I would like you to put your weapons onto the bar. Then we can speak.”

  Danny looked at the armed officers who had him in their sights. They did not flinch or blink.

  “Okay. Everybody take it easy. The weapons are going down now” said Danny.

  Danny very slowly and carefully removed the hand gun from his waist band and placed it on top of the polished bar. He then pulled the holdall from off his shoulder and placed the bag next to the hand gun.

  “Wattana, I have to tell you about this man. His name is Jack Morgan………….”

  Wattana put his hand up to stop Danny speaking.

  “It is okay Mr. O’Brien. We have your whole conversation on tape. We know who he is. Let me tidy up here and we can go somewhere more comfortable to talk and get you some proper medical attention.” He turned to the armed officers and spoke in Thai. The men gathered up Danny’s weapons and grabbed Jack Morgan. They spun him around and handcuffed him with his hands behind his back. Morgan screamed out in pain as his crushed fingers were held by one of the officers as the handcuffs were applied. He was spun back around to face Wattana.

  “Jack Morgan, I am arresting you for being involved in the murder of Charlie Brown, theft and international drug smuggling.” Wattana did not bother with any caution and did not wait for any reply.

  “Take him away” he ordered.

  “Wattana, that is a stolen laptop that I think might be of interest to you.” Danny pointed out the laptop and it was taken away by one of the officers.

  “Thank you Mr. O’Brien. We were hoping that you might recover the laptop. Now Operation Tiger Lily can get well and truly under way.”

  “Operation Tiger Lily?”

  “Yes. It is an international operation. Agencies from across the world are waiting for the go ahead from the Thai Government. We have a lot to discuss Mr. O’Brien, but first I want to get you cleaned up and have you medically checked out. I have things to arrange right now, but I will meet you very soon and we can talk.”

  Danny did not have a chance to ask any questions. A black Land cruiser with blacked out windows pulled alongside the bar and the backdoor swung open. Danny could see one man sitting inside.

  “Please, Mr. O’Brien.” Wattana held out his arm directing Danny to the vehicle. “My men will take you to be checked out and then I will meet you in a little while.”

  Danny put his hand into his pocket and pulled out the necklace that he had pulled from Wong’s neck. He tossed it to Captain Wattana.

  “The teeth on there belong to Charlie Brown. I’m sure dental records will confirm.”

  “Thank you Mr. O’Brien.”

  Danny limped to the vehicle and climbed in the back. The door slammed shut and the vehicle drove off.

  Danny was driven for about ten minutes before the vehicle stopped and Danny was escorted inside a private medical centre. He was given an extensive examination by a middle aged female Doctor, who checked and redressed his wounds. She gave Danny an injection and almost instantly he felt no more pain.

  “Jesus! What was that?”

  “Tramadol. It is an opiate pain killer. I want you to take these tablets, they will help you sleep. Captain Wattana will come to see you tomorrow.”

  Danny got dressed again and was escorted back outside and into the waiting vehicle. He was driven to the Royal Wing Suites and Spa Hotel on Pattaya beach. It was a beautiful hotel and the members of the reception staff were expecting him. He was greeted warmly and taken to his room. It was huge and the view over the pool and beach was magnificent. Danny was impressed, but extremely tired. He got into bed and slept until the next morning, when the phone on the bedside cabinet rang. A very sweet sounding receptionist asked him to come down and join Captain Wattana for breakfast.

  Chapter 55: It’s complicated

  Captain Wattana stood up from the table and greeted Danny with a warm handshake. Breakfast, along with coffee and fresh juice, was being served to their table by two very pretty uniformed waitresses as Danny entered the hotel restaurant.

  “Good morning Mr. O’Brien. Please sit down. I have taken the liberty of ordering a full English breakfast for both of us. An English breakfast is my guilty pleasure.” The Captain smiled and it was obvious to Danny that it was a genuine smile. Danny decided to make sure that there were no ill feelings between them.

  “Oh, that’s grand. I could eat a horse. I’m starving. Look Wattana, I want to say that I’m sorry about the way we parted last time. I should not have head butted you and I am very sorry.”

  “Mr. O’Brien, I deserved it. It was I who was in the wrong and that incident was the catalyst for who, and what, I have since become. I learnt a lot from you Mr. O’Brien.”

  “So, we are friends now?”

  “Yes, we are friends.”

  “In that case please call me Danny.”

  “And my name is Gee. Did you sleep well Danny?”

  “Yes I did. It was the first proper sleep I have had for a while and I feel much better today. Thank you.”

  “Good. The Doctor said that your wounds are healing well.”

  Both men started to eat the bacon and eggs that were now in front of them. They carried on chatting as they ate. It was relaxed and friendly.

  “Gee, can I ask you something?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “You said that you had my conversation with Jack Morgan on tape. You said that he was telling the truth when he said that he didn‘t know anything about a Thai girlfriend called Nui.”

  “Yes, we do have you on tape and he did not know anything about a Thai girlfriend c
alled Nui.”

  “How did you know I was going to be there to get me on tape? What is going on?”

  “Maybe it will be easier if I start at the beginning.”

  “I’d be delighted.”

  Captain Wattana wiped his mouth with the napkin and drank some fresh orange juice.

  “The Thai Government has known for some time that a well organised crime syndicate has been operating out of Thailand, smuggling drugs, people and precious stones to Europe and America. We are not the only country who has such problems. We had long suspected that there may well be a Chinese influence, but our own intelligence, just like the British and the Americans, came up with a complete blank. We have close diplomatic ties with both governments of course, but ties have been complicated by the deep political and economic instability in the wake of the September 2006 coup, which displaced Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The British and the Americans have not been as up front with my government as they once were, and they are reluctant to accept the emerging new world order. My government also has very close ties with China. So, with the problem that we had, the lack of cooperation we were facing and with the possible involvement of China, I am sure you can imagine it was a volatile mix. The name Jack Morgan suddenly popped up on all the intelligence systems. It was a real breakthrough. Suddenly, and for the first time, there was a name to attach to the smuggling organisation. We tried to work with the British and Americans to identify the target, but behind the diplomatic courtesies, they decided not to cooperate with my government or with China. They started illegal operations, both here and in China, in an attempt to find out who Jack Morgan was and to track him down. I am sure you remember my uncle, Colonel Wattana from the police in Patong. Well, it was quite by chance at a family wedding that he mentioned to me that a Jack Morgan owed some money to various people around Patong. Jack Morgan had the bar called Captain Morgan’s. I looked into it, but he had vanished without a trace. It seemed too much of a coincidence for it not to be the same Jack Morgan. The only problem was we had to find him before anyone else did. It was important for the Thai Government to be seen by the West to be capable of keeping our own affairs in order.”