Behind the Night Bazaar

by Angela Savage

  She returned his wai. ‘Sawadee ka, Khun…Komet, was it?’

  He nodded.

  ‘Have we met before?’

  ‘Ah…’ He smiled and gestured outside. A few guests were eating breakfast—a sleepy-looking woman picking at the remains of a banana pancake, a man studying the Lonely Planet guide in German—and Jayne followed Komet to a table in a quiet corner.

  ‘Would you like something to drink?’ she asked as they sat down, conscious of her own need for coffee.

  ‘Just water, thank you.’

  She summoned the waitress—one of Ornsri’s daughters—who shuffled over at glacial pace to take the order.

  ‘Khun Ornsri said you’re a friend of Bom’s,’ Jayne said. ‘And I think I recognise you…But I don’t remember where we met.’

  Komet coloured slightly and shift in his seat. ‘Ah, Khun Simone, we haven’t exactly met before. But I have some information for someone, and I think maybe you can pass it on.’

  ‘What kind of information? To pass on to who?’

  ‘To Khun Jen Kee Ni.’

  There was no mistaking the transliteration of her name. In that moment she realised neither Bom nor Deh knew she’d changed hotels. Jayne felt her stomach sink. ‘What makes you think I know this person?’

  ‘Ah, maybe you don’t know her,’ Komet said nervously. ‘Maybe I made a mistake. But it would be a pity because I have some important information about her friend Khun Di who was killed last weekend.’

  ‘What do you know about his death?’

  She regretted the words as soon as she’d said them. Before Komet could answer, Ornsri’s daughter reappeared, spilling coffee into the saucer as she set it down on the table.

  ‘I read about the farang’s death in the papers,’ Jayne said when the waitress was out of earshot. ‘What more does anyone need to know, Khun Komet?’

  ‘They need to know that Khun Di wasn’t killed because he was trying to resist arrest,’ he said in a low voice. ‘And they need to know he didn’t kill Khun Sanga like the papers said.’

  The sinking feeling in Jayne’s stomach turned to butterflies. She wanted to drink her coffee, but didn’t trust her hands to remain steady enough to pick up the cup. ‘And how do you know all this?’ she said.

  ‘Because I work for the Chiang Mai police.’

  Jayne remembered where she’d seen him before: he was the third man at the Kitten Club with Ratratarn and Pornsak, and before that, the guard at Didier’s place the night she broke in. How could she have been so blind? She had a photo of the man in her backpack! It was the uniform—she hadn’t recognised him without it.

  She forced a smile. ‘I’m sorry Officer Komet, but you must be mistaken. I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  She picked up her coffee. Over the rim of the cup, she saw him throw her a wounded look.

  ‘Oh, th-that’s a shame,’ he stammered. ‘I thought, that is, I was hoping to find Jayne Keeney to tell her what I know. You see, my superior, Lieutenant Colonel Ratratarn, he’s trying to find her, too. He’s worried she knows about how he and the farang, Khun Kelly, worked together to kill her friend and Khun Sanga. I wanted to find her first, to warn her and, and to tell her the truth.’

  He was good, Jayne thought. He was very good.

  ‘And why would you want to do that? Didn’t you say you’re a police officer yourself?’

  ‘Yes, b-but…but what they did is wrong!’

  Was this a trap set by Kelly and the cops? Jayne didn’t underestimate their intelligence, and for them to send a sweet-faced young rookie from Isaan to plead their case was a masterstroke. Yet something in Komet’s demeanour made her think again. Neither spoke for a moment, the passion in his outburst lingering in the air between them.

  ‘They’re selling children,’ he whispered, staring at the ground as he spoke. ‘Not girls, children. Children who could have come from my own village…’ He shook his head. ‘Khun Di knew about it, so they killed him. That is, Lieutenant Colonel Ratratarn killed him. It says in the official report there were two bullets fired on the night, the first as a warning shot. But that’s not true. There were two bullet casings at the scene, but only one shot. I know.’ He looked up, imploring her with his eyes. ‘I was there.’

  Jayne averted her gaze, swallowing hard to fight back tears.

  ‘And the so-called murder weapon,’ Komet said, ‘it wasn’t behind the water trough. I searched there before the forensic team arrived. The lieutenant colonel planted it when I wasn’t looking. He must’ve picked it up from Kelly, or the man Kelly hired to kill Khun Sanga.’

  Jayne said nothing.

  ‘Oh, yes, Kelly killed Khun Sanga,’ Komet said. ‘Not directly, but he was responsible. Sergeant Pornsak said Kelly drugged Khun Sanga before handing him over to be killed. Pornsak said the assassin came from Mae Sai. He called the man a kha, a barbarian. That’s what they think, Pornsak and the lieutenant colonel. They think people from the hill tribes are savages. As for people from rural areas like me, we’re all as stupid as cows.’

  ‘Why are you telling me this?’ she said.

  ‘Because someone has to stop it. And I thought…I thought Jayne Keeney would help me. They say she was a close friend of Khun Di. And I thought even if no one else believed me, she would.’

  ‘Don’t you think she might worry that this is a plan to trap her? I mean, you say the police are looking for her. Why should she trust you?’

  Komet shrugged his shoulders. ‘Maybe she thinks Thai police are the same. Bad men. Corrupt. Hungry for money. Maybe many Thai people feel the same way…’ His voice trailed off for a moment. ‘But Thai police are not all the same. Some of us just want a job in the city, not to be a farmer any more. Farmers are poor, always struggling. We are young and headstrong when we turn our backs on our families. We look at our fathers’ dark skin and dirty hands and say, “No! I don’t want this! I want a job with a nice uniform and a regular paycheque!”’

  He smiled his sad smile. ‘We never dream the day will come when what we wish more than anything is that we never left the farm.’

  He reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper. ‘If you see Jayne Keeney, please give this to her. It’s the same story I told you, only I wrote it down and signed my name.’

  Jayne inhaled sharply and scanned the document, picking up enough of the Thai to see it checked out. She let out her breath in a sigh, no longer frightened.

  ‘What about you, Khun Komet?’ she said. ‘What would happen if your superiors knew what you were doing?’

  ‘No need to worry for me,’ he said. ‘Kam sanong kam.’

  ‘You’re a very brave man,’ she said.

  ‘I’m a simple man, but it’s not difficult to tell the difference between right and wrong, Khun Simone.’

  ‘It’s Jayne,’ she said softly. ‘My name’s Jayne Keeney.’

  Sergeant Pornsak dismounted from his motorbike, straightened his cap and marched inside to sign off from his shift. He assumed the air of a man charged with a secret mission. With the exception of Ratratarn from whom he received his orders, none of his colleagues could tell he’d spent the night counting fireflies in a dead farang’s garden.

  He made a show of checking his mobile phone for messages; there were none, but the digital chimes and bright flashing lights were guaranteed to attract a few envious looks. Officer Tanin who was standing by the noticeboard turned to see where the noise was coming from.

  ‘Sergeant Pornsak,’ Tanin said, ‘I was hoping to see you. I—’

  Pornsak cut him off by raising a hand, the other still pressing the buttons on his meu teu. He frowned as if some vital message appeared on the screen and nodded, before switching off the phone and restoring it to his belt.

  ‘What is it, Tanin?’ he said gruffly. ‘I don’t have much time.’

  ‘It’s Officer Komet, Sir,’ Tanin said. ‘I think he’s got a farang girlfriend.’

  Pornsak started. ‘What?’

&
nbsp; ‘I-I saw them, Sir, Officer Komet talking with a farang woman, at the Mountain View Lodge. In the garden. Around midnight.’

  ‘Dog fucker!’ If Komet had found the woman before him, that blew his best chance of getting back into Ratratarn’s good books.

  ‘She was very nice,’ Tanin said, tracing the outline of a woman’s body in the air. ‘I saw them on my rounds and—’

  With a glance at the roster, Pornsak left Tanin mid-sentence and rushed to the lieutenant colonel’s office door.

  ‘Sir!’ He came to an abrupt halt and saluted.

  ‘What do you want, Pornsak?’ The lieutenant colonel sat behind his desk, a crease in his brow.

  ‘Sir,’ he said, panting slightly, ‘Officer Tanin reports seeing Officer Komet conferring with a farang woman last night. I wondered if this meant we’d had a breakthrough in the case and—’

  And I could be excused from sentry duty, he’d wanted to add, but the lieutenant colonel cut him off.

  ‘What?’ Ratratarn rose to his feet, fingertips splayed on the desk. ‘Sergeant, what the hell are you talking about?’

  ‘Komet, Sir. I had reason to believe he’d located the farang woman we’ve been looking for. Didn’t he say any—?’

  ‘Where’s Komet now?’ Ratratarn said.

  ‘I checked on my way, Sir. He signed off an hour ago.’

  ‘Find him. No, wait! Is Tanin still here?’

  Pornsak dashed back to the front desk where Tanin was signing off and dragged the younger man back to Ratratarn’s office.

  ‘Sergeant Pornsak tells me you saw Officer Komet meeting with a farang woman last night,’ Ratratarn said.

  ‘Y-yes, Sir,’ Tanin stammered. ‘At the M-Mountain View Lodge.’

  ‘Who was she?’

  ‘I-I don’t know, Sir,’ Tanin said. ‘I just saw Officer Komet talking with her in the garden. I thought she might be his girlfriend.’

  Ratratarn shook his head. ‘Tell me, Officer Tanin,’ he said with exaggerated courtesy. ‘Do you think you could recognise this woman again?’

  ‘Hmm, maybe,’ Tanin said.

  ‘Maybe isn’t fucking good enough.’ Ratratarn’s hand shot out across the desk, grabbing Tanin by the collar. ‘Could—you—recognise—the—farang—woman— again?’

  ‘Y-y-yes, Sir!’ he cried.

  ‘Good!’ Ratratarn released his grip and sent Tanin reeling to the floor. ‘Let’s go to the Mountain View together. I want to have a little chat with this farang woman about the nature of her relationship with Officer Komet.’ He picked up his cap. ‘Sergeant?’

  ‘Sir!’ Pornsak stood to attention.

  ‘Find Officer Komet and bring him here at once. I want to know what the hell he’s playing at…And Pornsak,’ he added, ‘let’s surprise Officer Komet, shall we?’

  Pornsak saluted, turned on his heel and marched back down the corridor. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but at least he seemed to be back in favour with the lieutenant colonel. Only minutes ago he’d actually been jealous of Komet. But right now, Officer Komet Plungkham was the last person whose shoes he wanted to be in.

  Ratratarn couldn’t tolerate the thought of being duped by a junior officer from the ban nok. At the Mountain View Lodge, he learned only one farang woman had checked in on Tuesday, a French Embassy employee named Marie with a diplomatic passport to prove it. Ratratarn flashed the ID photo at Tanin who confirmed it was the woman he’d seen with Komet. He instructed the receptionist to summon her, brushing aside protestations that the guest didn’t take breakfast for another half-hour.

  The receptionist placed the call, her cheeks reddening as she apologised to the person on the line. Ratratarn noted the farang spoke Thai and was wondering what that said about Komet’s strategy, when his mobile phone rang. He checked the caller’s number.

  ‘Krup,’ he grunted. ‘What is it, Pornsak?’

  ‘Officer Komet’s house is empty, Sir. No wife, nobody. Could be they left in a hurry, too. There’s still food on the stove.’

  ‘Where’s Officer Komet from? What’s his hometown?’

  ‘Nakhon Phanom,’ Tanin piped up.

  ‘Tanin says Komet’s from Nakhon Phanom,’ Ratratarn said. ‘Check the bus terminal. Talk with the neighbours, see if they know anything. Find out what the hell’s going on.’

  As he hung up, a blonde woman approached the desk. At the sight of the two policemen, her scowl deepened.

  Ratratarn mustered all the charm he could manage. ‘Kor thort krup, Khun Marie,’ he said, ‘I wonder if I might have a word—’

  ‘Look,’ she interrupted him, ‘I already told the other officer I don’t know anything.’

  ‘What’s that?’ Ratratarn feigned innocence. ‘Have you already spoken with one of my officers?’ He shot Tanin a look warning him to keep his mouth shut.

  ‘Yes, last night,’ Marie said. ‘I was on my way to bed then and now you’ve woken me up this morning. What is it with you people?’

  Ratratarn opened his notebook at a random page. ‘Excuse me, Madam,’ he said, ‘but according to our records, three farang women are to be interviewed. One says she’s a victim of gem fraud, one reports theft of her credit card whilst trekking, and a third is wanted for questioning in relation to the death of a Canadian last weekend.’

  ‘That was me!’ she said. ‘That’s what your officer was asking about. But I explained that I only know what I read in the papers. He was very persistent. Even insisted on seeing my passport. Said he was looking for someone who might be in disguise.’

  ‘And you didn’t call the police in relation to a gem scam or a stolen credit card?’

  ‘No, I didn’t call the police at all.’

  Ratratarn closed his notebook. ‘My apologies, Ma’am. There’s obviously been a misunderstanding. Rest assured I will see to it personally that those responsible are disciplined, and steps taken to ensure such mistakes do not occur in the future.’

  The woman nodded curtly.

  ‘I trust the spirit of co-operation between our two countries will not be adversely affected,’ he added.

  He smiled at his paraphrasing the platitudes of that arse-licker from the Canadian Embassy. But the woman thought the smile was for her.

  ‘Mai pen rai,’ she said.

  ‘S-Sir, do you want me to follow up on the stolen credit card?’ Tanin said as they returned to the car.

  ‘What?’ Ratratarn said. ‘What the hell are you talking about?’

  ‘The stolen credit card you mentioned, S-Sir. I have experience in this area and—’

  ‘Shut up, Tanin.’

  Ratratarn wanted to believe Komet was working in their collective interests, but he could smell a rat. Although Komet maintained he hadn’t come up with any leads on Jayne Keeney from his survey of the town’s hotels and guesthouses, he was onto something if he was going around interviewing Thai-speaking farang women about the dead Canadian.

  Ratratarn recalled Komet giving him a list of places where women in Jayne Keeney’s age group had been registered. Back at the Bureau he shuffled through the papers on his desk until he found it, scanning the list to see where else Komet might have been.

  ‘Son of a bitch!’

  The Mountain View Lodge wasn’t even on the list. The document was a hoax.

  Ratratarn collapsed into a chair and rubbed his temples. When Pornsak rang to report that, according to the neighbours, Komet’s expectant wife had gone home to have her baby, Ratratarn saw an opportunity.

  ‘It seems we were mistaken about Officer Komet,’ he said. ‘I’ve just found a report he left me on his interviews with various farang women, including the one Tanin saw him with at the Mountain View Lodge. He was taking initiative, Sergeant, which is to be commended—though in future such initiatives must be authorised in advance through the correct channels.’

  ‘Sir?’ Pornsak sounded confused.

  ‘Go home, Sergeant. Come back for your regular shift tonight.’

  ‘For more surveillance duty?’ h
e asked plaintively.

  Ratratarn decided to let him sweat. ‘We’ll see about that when you come in.’

  The lieutenant colonel smiled as he switched off the phone. That took care of any loss of face he might have had with Pornsak, and Tanin was too stupid to worry about. That only left Komet.

  When Pornsak said Komet’s wife had gone away for her confinement, Ratratarn realised the food on the stove wasn’t the sign of an abrupt departure; it was the dutiful wife’s parting gesture. And as Komet didn’t know Ratratarn was onto him, no doubt he’d turn up for work that night as usual. All Ratratarn had to do was wait.

  As soon as Komet left, Jayne ordered another coffee, wiped down the table with a serviette, and took what she needed from her backpack: pen, gluestick, stapler, dictionary, surveillance photos, and the police report she’d swiped from David Freeman. The report had been printed single-sided, making it easy for Jayne to lay out the alternative scenario, drawing arrows from the printed text on the right to her notes and photos on the left.

  She began with the interviews conducted by police where Nou’s body was found and made a note of her personal communication with Pairoj Nilmongkol. She went through the official account of Didier’s death and its aftermath, picking it apart using the information Komet had given her. Here, she knew her source would carry more weight and noted:

  Personal communication as per signed confession (see attached), Police Officer Komet Plungkham, Thurs 9 May 1996.

  Next she wrote:

  Max Parker (Second Secretary, Australian Embassy, Bangkok), a close friend of M. de Montpasse, can testify to his character in order to counter police claims that amphetamines were found on the premises.

  Thinking of Max made her feel guilty, and she made a mental note to contact him.

  On a blank page, she translated Komet’s statement into English, pasting in photos of Kelly, Ratratarn and Pornsak as illustrations. She also noted ‘confirmation by an independent witness’ that Sanga was with Kelly around 1am on the night of his death, not long before his body was found at Man Date.

  Satisfied with her handiwork, Jayne stapled Komet’s statement to the inside front cover, added his photograph, then sat back and lit a cigarette.