She threw her arms over my shoulders and hugged me tightly. As our faces touched, she whispered in my ear; ‘find Esteban; he’ll know what to do.’ The Asians pulled us apart; delicately this time and I could do nothing but watch as they took her away from me.
‘Why couldn’t I go with her?’ I asked, once the boat was safely out of range.
‘It’s safer to keep you two apart,’ Clay replied. ‘Esteban only wanted you dead because you were close to Asia. The more distance between the two of you the better.’
‘So, I’m not getting on the next boat?’
‘Not yet. Esteban thinks that you trust him and we cannot afford to ignore that advantage.’
The coldness of his words made me feel sick.
‘You want to use me as bait?’ I asked.
‘Come on,’ he said, ignoring my question. ‘We’re going back to the resort and you, my friend, are going to help us catch a very dangerous man.’
I had no choice but to follow.
Chapter 10
The volume increased in direct proportion to the rate at which the light reduced. All around me an orchestra comprising of reptiles, birds and insects composed their eclectic symphony. The music blended in perfect harmony and I could no more tell the croak of a toad from the metronomic click of a cockroach. If a snake was amongst the players, I had no means to single it out. I tried my best to follow Clay’s footsteps exactly as he led me back through the forest.
No words were exchanged as we progressed along the trail. We made better time without the girls, but my senses were so active and alert that it seemed to take even longer this time. By the time that we were in sight of the resort, I was mentally exhausted from the stress of it all.
‘What do we do now?’ I asked.
‘The first priority is to draw him away from the crowds,’ replied Clay. ‘We cannot afford any more witnesses.’
‘How do you propose to do that?’
He turned to face me.
‘Not me - you.’
He was asking me to deceive a man who I had once called my friend; a man who had saved my life. I did not know if I could pull that off. Esteban knew me too well. The slightest mistake would give me away.
‘What do you want me to do? He is expecting us all to be camping on the beach; just my being here is going to arouse his suspicion.’
‘I already thought of that. Tell him you never made it to the beach. Barrett and I screwed you. We got you lost in the jungle and now you’re worried about Asia. He won’t have any trouble believing the story if you make us the villains; trust me.’
‘What makes you so sure?’
As my words still hung in the air they were cut off by a very distinctive sounding click. It was a sound that I used only to associate with the movies, but not anymore. Clay and I both turned our heads towards the source, but Barrett kept deathly still. Pressed against the back of his head was the nub of a pistol.
‘He knows that I will believe you, because technically it is true,’ said Esteban. ‘Thanks to your new buddies here, you have become hopelessly lost, my friend, and your girl is in more danger than you think.’
A part of me had hoped this whole charade would be proved a misunderstanding. That was no longer possible. Esteban was clearly aligning himself in direct opposition to the Americans. I had already chosen my side and now Esteban was my enemy as well as theirs. I thought if I could distract the Argentine, Clay would have time to come up with a plan. I was wrong. Esteban was above distraction. He steadfastly refused to be drawn into any dialogue.
Clay was ordered to lay down his gun and duly obliged. It was the first time I had seen his weapon and the fact that such a deadly instrument could be concealed with complete anonymity was unnerving. Barrett too, gave up a firearm and Esteban exchanged it with his own, which he reholstered. The American was also ordered to take off the rucksack he had been carrying. He was then beckoned onto his feet and we were all led back along the jungle trail. The Argentine kept a close tail on us and had a clear shot should anyone of us try anything stupid. I was given the bag to carry and a flashlight, which I was instructed to keep shining on the Americans as we walked. If I lowered it for just a second, I was told that he would shoot one of them instantly. If either of them tried to stray out of the beam, they were told that he would also shoot. Esteban had a second flashlight and he kept that one trained on me. Everybody did as they were told.
When we made it to the clearing the starlight was enough to reveal a comprehensive enough view of the beach and ocean. The tide had not changed much since we had previously left it and a small light out to sea signalled that the dinghy was making its return trip.
‘How many are on the boat?’ asked Esteban.
‘Two,’ replied Clay.
The Argentine looked to me for confirmation.
‘There were two before,’ I told him. I then added, ‘both armed.’
Barrett shifted uneasily. No doubt he saw my admission as treacherous, but the stakes were extremely high and Esteban was fully in control. It was pointless trying to deceive him and any attempt to do so would only increase the chances of this ending in blood being shed.
‘Okay,’ began the South American, ‘this is what we are going to do. Your friends in the boat are expecting three passengers. It is dark and it is unlikely that they will be able to recollect Ben with total clarity. I will take his place.’
‘So where does that leave me?’ I asked, almost afraid of what the answer may be.
‘It leaves you sitting quietly in the jungle with your mouth shut,’ he replied. ‘I suggest that you get into character right away.’
It was the first time he had snapped at me and I was not going to argue. He took my flashlight from me and then we all waited. The dinghy was now only yards from shore and one of the men jumped out to tow it in to the beach.
‘Start walking,’ Esteban ordered Clay.
Once the American was a few feet out of the clearing, Barrett was told to follow. This was when the big man made his move. He spun around with a speed that completed belied his size and knocked the pistol from Esteban’s hand. A second blow was ably countered by the South American, who was then able to high kick his aggressor away from him before turning to retrieve the gun from the floor. As he bent down to pick it up, I dropped the bag and slid in two footed in order to swipe it clear of his reach. He looked at me angrily, but had no time to remonstrate. Barrett was back on his feet and launched himself fists forward into the Argentine, sending them both crashing back into the jungle. That was when I heard Clay screaming at me.
‘Get the gun! Get the gun!’ he shouted.
I reached down and picked it up. For a split second, I considered using it to try and break up the fight between Esteban and Barrett, but the ferocity of their entanglement had already sent them deeper into the jungle. To go in after them in the dark would be far too risky. Instead, I retreated back onto the beach where I caught up with Clay.
‘Where’s Barrett?’ he demanded, as he took the gun from me.
‘I lost sight of them both,’ I replied. ‘If Esteban has any sense he will have fled. Maybe Barrett went after him.’
‘I can’t take any chances. He still has another gun. You wait by the dinghy and I’ll go in after them.’
He led me down to the boat and then issued instructions to the two men inside in a language that I did not understand. They instantly pulled out fully automatic rifles, which had been concealed within the dinghy. The weapons looked very similar to the ones carried by the soldiers in Sungai Kolok and had the potential to inflict a substantial amount of damage. As they prepared to leave, one of them suddenly became very animated and he began to point and shout wildly. We looked back beyond the beach where a figure was slowly emerging from the cover of the forest. It was Barrett.
The American seemed to lurch rather than walk and it was instantly apparent that something was amiss. When he got a few feet clear of the tree-line, he dropped to his knees and then fell
forward, flat onto his face. There was a knife stuck in his back. The same one he had showed us on the dive boat. It was off centre and closer to his shoulder blade than spine, but at such a distance there was no way to be certain if the injury was mortal or not.
Clay immediately signalled for one of his gunmen to advance up the beach.
‘This is suicide,’ I said. ‘We should get in the boat.’
‘Relax,’ replied Clay, who showed no emotion regarding his fallen friend. ‘We’re too far out of range.’
The Asian gunman continued up the beach and when he was halfway he fired three quick bursts into the foliage from where Barrett had earlier emerged. The stakes had been upped considerably and it was now clear that they intended to kill Esteban. As the smoke cleared from the barrel of the rifle another single shot rang out from the trees, but much further down the coastline than expected. This was followed almost instantly by a ping against the dinghy and then the hiss of escaping air.
‘He’s going for the boat,’ said Clay, as he turned and began firing in the direction of the bullets origin.
Both of the other gunmen joined him and the one who had earlier fired, ran back down the beach as he did so. Between them they sprayed the tree line with bullets and the plants splintered and exploded under their devastating impact.
Esteban had already moved. His next shot came from higher up, where he had climbed onto some rocks. He was moving closer, but keeping his shelter. This time his bullet hit one of the gunmen in the thigh, indicating that he was not simply aiming for the dinghy after all.
‘We’re sitting ducks here,’ announced Clay. ‘Get in the boat.’
He roughly shoved me against the dinghy and as I hit the side, the force was enough for me to carry on and topple inside. The other gunman was now back with us and he helped Clay push the vessel into deeper water before jumping in. The American then pulled on the cord to start the outboard motor.
As we sped away, Clay kept us perpendicular to the beach in order to keep the maximum distance between ourselves and Esteban’s hiding place. The Argentine soon ran out from his cover and started firing upon us. I ducked down and was almost deafened as the uninjured of the Asians returned fire. Clay was quick to stop this as the momentum of the boat and motion of the waves made for a most unsteady platform and the man was more likely to shoot one of us than his intended target.
I remained crouched down long after the shooting had stopped. We were well over a mile out to sea when I eventually dared to show my head. The injured man was being treated by his comrade and Clay was calmly steering us along. I noticed that the boat was slightly lopsided.
‘Are we sinking?’ I asked.
‘Relax,’ replied Clay. ‘The boat took a couple of hits, but not enough to deflate us completely. It’s designed to sustain the odd puncture.’
I looked back to the island. Several spots along the coastline were lit up where the resorts were, but I could not tell from which point we had just fled. I turned back to face the direction that we were travelling and saw the lights of a boat in the distance. Although it was dark, I thought I recognised the vessel. It was the frigate that had vexed Esteban earlier in the week.
A large spotlight was shone on us as we approached and the people onboard the vessel were extremely animated. Clay brought us alongside and ladders were quickly lowered to accommodate our boarding. A second, larger, portable craft was being stocked and loaded into the water as we made it onto the deck.
‘What’s going on?’ I asked. ‘Are you going back?’
Clay ignored me and it seemed like I was a ghost to all of the boat’s crew as well. They shoved past me as they hurried to prepare a second landing party. I waited until Clay had finished giving his orders before approaching him.
‘What do I do now?’ I asked.
He looked at me with vehemence.
‘You can start by shutting the fuck up,’ he barked. ‘I’m holding you solely responsible for that mess on the beach and if Barrett is dead, I’ll be dealing with your punishment personally.’
He called over two armed guards who then grabbed me roughly by each arm. They forcefully led me across the deck and down a staircase before bundling me into a small cell. The door was slammed and locked behind me. There were no windows, no bed, not even a bucket. For whatever reason I was being imprisoned, it was obvious that it would not be for long. I sat down in a corner of the claustrophobic, metal room and waited.
***
It was about an hour later when Clay returned. I knew that he was back onboard, because the engines had started. We were moving, but to where, I had no idea. Asia was somewhere on this boat and I wondered if like me, she was being kept prisoner. I also wondered about Barrett and Esteban. Was one or even both of them now dead? A CIA agent killed on foreign soil would be a major diplomatic incident and I was right at the centre of it. Wherever the boat was taking me, I knew that it would be a long time before I got home. As far as I was aware, I had broken no laws, but I was a witness. I was just waiting to be told exactly what it was that I was a witness to.
I had almost drifted off to sleep when Clay came for me. There were not any guards with him and his emotions were fully under control this time. A handgun was clearly displayed on his shoulder harness and I knew that he wanted me to see this. I expected him to have a lot of questions for me and the sight of a gun was always a muse to honesty as far as interrogations went. He led me down a long corridor before finally showing me into another room. This one was just as cold and metallic, but it did at least have seats and a desk.
‘When can I see Asia?’ I asked.
‘After you’ve answered some questions that I have,’ he replied.
‘Before we begin, I want to know what happened when you went back to the beach.’
He scoffed at my request.
‘That information is classified.’
‘Surely you can tell me whether or not Barrett is still alive.’
‘Fine, but that’s all that I will tell you. Barrett is in the medical bay as we speak, receiving stitches for the injury in his back. The wound was clean and missed all major organs and arteries. Given the nature of the injury, it would have been easier to have killed him, so we think that your friend kept him alive for a reason; probably to extract information.’
I noticed that he referred to Esteban as my “friend”. I wondered if he thought that I had somehow deliberately sabotaged the attempt to apprehend him on the island. As far as I could see, I had friends on neither side. I was only co-operating with the CIA so that I could get out of there.
‘And Esteban?’
‘Still at large.’
I leaned back in my chair. It was obvious what information he wanted from me and I did not see how I could help. Everything that I thought I knew about Esteban was a lie. I could not think of one useful piece of information I could tell him.
‘In that case, you should be out looking for him.’ I said. ‘What if he comes after Asia again?’
‘I’m actually counting on him doing just that. It saves us a lot of trouble if he comes to us.’
‘So why do you need me?’
‘I want you to tell us why he has been following the girl. If we knew that, it would make it a lot easier to figure out who he is and who he is working for.’
‘I already told you that I don’t know anything about him.’
He placed his hands palm down on the desk and leaned in closer.
‘Not him; her. Tell us about this girl of yours.’
‘What’s there to tell? Whatever you want to know, it would be much easier to just ask her yourself. Besides, I thought that the CIA knew everything they needed to know about their citizens. You probably know more about Asia than she does herself.’
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the wallet with the badge in it. He chucked it across the table to me. I flipped it open, not quite sure what he wanted me to see. As I looked over the document again, he un-holstered his handgun and placed it o
n the table.
‘Do you like the badge?’ he asked.
I shrugged, as I was not quite sure how to respond.
‘It only cost me the equivalent of two hundred bucks on the Kao San Road,’ he said, the smirk returning to his face. ‘It’s saved me a hundred times that amount in bribes. It fooled you and it will fool the coastguard if they come snooping around.’
I returned the wallet and swallowed hard. Esteban had said that they had played me for a fool and he was right.
‘Who are you?’ I asked.
He shook his head and put the wallet back into his pocket.
‘That is not how this game works. I ask the questions and you give the answers. If you stick to those rules, you may actually walk out of this room on your own two feet. Now tell me why somebody would be running surveillance on your girlfriend.’
‘I already told you that I don’t know.’
He picked up the gun and pointed it directly at my forehead.
‘Stick to the rules, Ben. You’re not allowed to pass on these questions. What makes your girl so special?’
If I did not tell him, the next person in this interrogation room would be Asia. If he was willing to kill me, he would not hesitate to torture her.
‘She’s a runaway.’
‘Running away from what?’
He kept the gun trained on me.
‘Her family, she has really overbearing parents. You know how it is; they put pressure on her to go to the right school and keep the right friends. She couldn’t take it anymore and bailed.’
‘Tell me about this family; are they rich.’
‘I guess so. It’s not something we ever talked about.’
There was a shift in his eyes. He had spotted something in my body language.
‘You’re lying. I won’t ask the question again.’
This time he really was about to pull the trigger. I had no choice.
‘Yes.’
‘Yes, you’re lying?’
‘Yes, they’re rich.’
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