“If you’re asking if we have someone to chase, no. But we do have some people we can interview. They could provide valuable information.”
“Okay. Here’s what we’ll do. Agent House, Detective Sokolov, your purpose in Bangkok has been fulfilled. I want you two on a flight back to the States as soon as possible. Abby, how soon can you conduct your interviews?”
“I’m not sure. The Royal Thai Police are rounding up people of interest as we speak. As soon as—”
“So they’re not currently in custody?”
“No, but—”
“And they might not be in custody?”
“Well, I’m sure—”
“Abby, I’m done making decisions based on ‘what ifs.’ You and Detective Kang can join your partners on the same flight home.”
“But I’m sure they will be taken into custody at any moment, and talking to them could help us learn something of significance,” I shot back. It took effort to keep my emotions in check and not let my voice rise. “These people worked with Somchai. They might have information that can lead us to the mastermind.”
“Abby, this isn’t a discussion. Say goodbye to the Big Mango. It’s time to come home.”
Before I could object, the line went dead.
Chapter 63
Silence blanketed the room. Had Reilly really just put an end to our investigation?
Kang was the first to voice his thoughts. “What now? We all go back to our jobs and forget about the game?”
All eyes settled on me. I knew House and Sokolov weren’t invested in the case as Kang and I were. Their feelings would be neutral. They were in Bangkok because I had needed help, and it made sense for them to return home.
But ordering Kang and me to come back before we’d had a chance to follow up with Somchai’s people, well, that was just Reilly asserting his authority and probably covering his ass should Somchai’s death become political or should blame start to get thrown around. I got it. It’s harder to point a finger at someone if they’re not standing there in front of you. The sooner he had us back on US soil, the better.
“I’m sure he’ll say we can keep working the case,” I said, “but it’ll be from our offices back in San Francisco.”
“He probably thinks targeting overlords of the Chinatowns in the cities where the game is in play is akin to shutting down the game,” House said with a shrug. “That bit of information sealed the deal here. Just saying.”
I couldn’t say that doing that wouldn’t end the game. I mean, if the people who managed the game on a local level were taken out, how would the game continue? It would take time to replace those people. And sure, other cities could be activated, but that’s all theory. The game could very well be limited to twenty cities.
Sensing my frustration, House, as usual, tried to help. “I’m sure we could stall for a day, maybe two at the most, but after that, it’ll be hard to explain why we’re not on a plane.”
“I think the flights are full tomorrow,” Sokolov added.
I should have said, “Thanks but no thanks,” but that’s not me, and they all knew it. Give me an inch and I’ll take off and never look back. If they were willing to help buy me time for my interviews, I’d take it. I smiled at House and Sokolov before looking at Kang.
“I hurt my back last night,” he said as he reached behind and rubbed himself. “I think I need to get it looked at before I subject myself to sitting in an airplane seat for fifteen hours.”
I laughed because I was at a loss for words to describe my friends’ willingness to rally around me. It was time to call Artie for an update. “Uh-huh, okay. Thanks, Artie. Let me know as soon as possible.”
I put my cell back into my purse before addressing the group. “He hasn’t heard anything yet, but he’s sure his men were able to apprehend at least some of them. He said he would check and get back to me.”
The “happy and hopeful” balloon in the room had deflated a tad with my news, but we had to remain positive. It made no sense for us to think Artie’s men hadn’t come through.
“Here’s what we’ll do,” I said after a moment of thought. “Tracy, go ahead and make arrangements for us all to be on the same flight home in two days. Worst-case scenario, we don’t have anyone to interview, and there’s no need to be here.”
“Got it.” She pulled out her smartphone.
“In the meantime, I’ll keep bugging Artie. Kyle, Pete, it’s up to you what you want to do with your time from here on out.”
Kang looked at Sokolov before addressing me. “We’re fine waiting it out here with you. But I would suggest we all try to sleep for a few hours.”
It was a little after two in the morning. Kang was right. I said goodnight to the three of them and watched them file out my door. I waited one minute before I picked up my cell phone and made a call.
“Artie, it’s Abby. Where shall I meet you?”
Chapter 64
Artie had an unmarked car pick me up a half hour later. I didn’t recognize the driver, and he acknowledged me without saying a word. As I opened the door to the front passenger seat of the vehicle, he protested and pointed to the back. I ignored him, sat down and closed the door.
I didn’t get the impression he worked for the Royal Thai Police. He wore an aged T-shirt, shorts, and no watch, and his car smelled of garlic. This guy had been hired to drive me, and that’s it. Any further engagement would garnish no useable information. I was content with staring out the window.
On the ride to my undisclosed destination, I thought about how I would keep this bit of information from my partners, the people who had risked their lives that night for my investigation. A tinge of guilt crept up my throat, forcing me to swallow more than necessary. I had essentially lied to them about my conversation with Artie, but I’d had good reason.
The conversation that had taken place between the two of us hadn’t been anything like what it had sounded like on my end. He’d had the individuals in custody and had already transferred them to a location where he had already started his interrogation. I never did like that word. Connotations of torture filled my mind whenever I heard it. It’s probably why I always referred to that process as an interview.
I knew firsthand that most questioning conducted by the authorities around the world, including those in Hong Kong, started out with a lot of physical contact. In the States, it was different—at least with the FBI. We had procedure, and it was followed very closely for a few good reasons. The rooms where people were detained and questioned were outfitted with video cameras and microphones to record everything that took place. The best reason, and probably the most effective, was that Americans loved to sue each other. Only a hint at stepping out of line, and threats of a lawsuit were paraded around.
But that wasn’t the reason why I had withheld the truth of my conversation. Artie had, in fact, demanded that I not involve the others. It had been a last-minute addition to the conditions he had already set in place for my interview. I couldn’t carry on a discussion without the others being privy, so I agreed. The fact that I’d heard a man screaming in pain in the background assured me that I had made the right decision.
Artie extracted information in a way that wasn’t conducive to FBI or SFPD procedure. The way I saw it, I didn’t need to involve my partners in a situation that could get them in trouble or, worse, get them fired. I was okay with putting my butt on the line but not someone else’s. I’d endangered them enough with this investigation already. I felt I could explain my actions after the fact.
The driver drove me down a series of side streets. I didn’t know where we were, but from the looks of it, we were deep inside a Thai neighborhood, far from the touristy Sukhumvit area that had surrounded me since my arrival.
There were no food vendors in sight, and I saw only the occasional person walking alongside the road. In addition, the lack of appropriate street lighting made every car, building, and stray dog we passed into a shadow. I’m sure I was the only non-
Thai in the area.
He continued to weave the vehicle along the narrow road, making so many lefts and rights that it all appeared random to me, and I lost track of the direction we were heading. He had me completely turned around. Was that the goal?
Through the dirty passenger window, the condos and apartments I eyed gave way to small homes, which eventually gave way to shanties built out of rusted aluminum siding. Thirty minutes later, the vehicle stopped outside what seemed like a warehouse or a small factory—odd, even for a shanty neighborhood.
I stepped out of the vehicle and, for the first time since I had been in Thailand, I heard crickets singing, the occasional dog barking, and the rustle of tree leaves filled my ears. My driver led me down a pathway between the building and a wooden fence. Ten feet in, he stopped and motioned for me to pass.
The walkway was so narrow, even my tiny frame couldn’t help but brush up against his equally small frame. He then opened a wooden door that swung in the opposite direction of where we stood, and I followed him into the dimly lit room. A musty scent with overtures of mechanical oil met my nostrils as we passed large pieces of machinery. It was too dark to make any further observations, and I prayed I didn’t jab myself on something. That place was a lockjaw shot waiting to happen.
We continued through a series of doors and narrow halls until we reached a metal door. It was shortly after passing through that doorway that I heard screaming.
Chapter 65
The small room was hot and smelled as if one hundred men had relieved themselves inside it. A single low-wattage bulb lighted the windowless room, but I still spotted a slumped body in the corner—dead, from what I could tell. Of course, the man stripped of all his clothing and hanging from his arms was impossible to miss. His arms were tied together at the wrists above his head with rope, which was attached to a chained winch. There was no way he could stand on his own. His face resembled a squashed tomato, puffy and slick. Contusions covered most of his body.
“Cut that man down!” I shouted just as one of Artie’s men coiled his arm back, ready to deliver another fistful of hurt. He stopped and turned toward me. His eyebrows were crunched, and his eyes were dark. He let out a dismissive breath before turning back to the task at hand. So did the other two men in the room, who seemed to be enjoying what had been taking place.
“Stop!”
I turned around and saw Artie sitting in a darkened corner behind me. I had been so shocked at what I had seen upon entering the room that I had completely missed him.
“Artie, this isn’t right.”
He stood up and walked toward me. He placed a hand on my shoulder. “Abby, this isn’t America. Things are different here. This man is a criminal, a thug. He would rob, beat, and rape you without thinking about it.”
I realized what Artie had said was the truth, but still, I wondered if he had tried talking first. “Look, I don’t doubt your techniques produced the desired results. It’s just that…”
“We have a different approach.”
“Yes, I would say that.”
Artie spoke in Thai to his men. One of them lowered the winch so the beaten man could sit in the chair moved into position by another man. They gave him some water.
“Let’s step outside and talk,” Artie said, motioning to the door.
I followed him into the hallway. “The guy lying in the corner, did you get any useful information from him?”
“No. He’s there to help motivate the others when it’s their turn to talk to us.”
Yeah, that’s working really well. I didn’t want to get into a moral discussion, so I forced myself to keep the conversation tuned to the reason I was there. “Who am I interviewing? I want to get started right away.”
“I had planned on giving you the girl who provided the answers to your riddles, but—”
“But what? She’s fine. I’ll take her.” She was one of my top picks for interviewing.
“She may look innocent, but she’s not.”
“I can handle myself.”
“She attacked one of my men earlier. You’re lucky she’s still alive right now.”
“What happened?”
“While they were transporting her here, she stuck a pencil into the throat of one of my men. They must have missed it during a pat-down.” Artie looked down and shook his head before returning his attention to me.
“Is he okay?”
“He’ll survive.”
I couldn’t believe what Artie had told me. That woman with the pixie frame and the large, doll-like eyes did that with a pencil? I shook my head. I didn’t know what to say.
Artie led me farther down the hall to another door where one of his men stood guard. They had a short conversation before the guard unlocked the door, opening it cautiously. That room was also windowless but surprisingly brightly—lit by two fluorescent lightbulbs. The girl sat on the floor, huddled against the far wall. She was also stripped of most of her clothing, clad only in panties and a bra.
“Where are her clothes?” I asked, my anger rising.
Artie motioned with his head to a table in the corner where her clothes were. “Removing clothing can make them feel defenseless. Don’t worry; my men don’t do what you’re thinking.”
I grabbed her clothing and threw it over to her. “Get dressed.”
Her bangs hung down over her eyes, but I could still see that she had swelling around one of them—a nice shiner. There was dried blood around her nostrils. One of Artie’s men rolled a bottle of water toward her. She snatched it off the floor and drained it.
I turned to Artie. “Does she speak English?”
He shrugged.
“Hello,” I said, keeping my tone soft. I took a step forward. “My name is Abby Kane. May I talk to you?”
I took another step closer. “Do you understand me?” I hoped she did. I wasn’t keen on having Artie translate our conversation.
I looked at the guard. He had a scowl on his face—reason enough for this girl to not trust anyone. I also guessed he was the one who had socked her in her eye. “Let me try talking to her alone,” I whispered to Artie.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said, his voice low but stern. “She’s dangerous.”
“I understand that, but I think it might help if it were just the girl and me. Leave the door cracked. You’ll still be able to hear everything that’s discussed between us.”
Artie bounced my proposal around in his head before agreeing to exit the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. He and his man stood outside, just as I had suggested.
When I turned back around, the girl had already closed the gap between us and was seconds from colliding with me.
Chapter 66
Instinctively, my right arm shot upwards. My hand, flat and rigid, cut into her throat. She fell to the floor, gripping her neck and choking for air. Artie and his guard rushed back into the room.
“What happened?”
“She got stupid, but I think I just smartened her up.” I crouched near the withering girl, who was still fighting for every breath. “Misjudged me, didn’t you?”
Surprisingly, she managed a few words, but they were in Thai. I looked at Artie with a raised brow, waiting for a translation.
“She asked if that’s all you had in you.”
I turned back to the girl. “This doesn’t have to be hard. I just want to talk. Answer my questions, and I’m sure you’ll be much happier about your situation because the alternative is not something you’ll want.”
When her coughing fit started to ease, I pulled her hands away from her throat. There was a bit of redness. “You’ll be fine.” I helped her into a sitting position. “Ready to talk?”
She nodded and coughed once more. I helped her to her feet, walked her over to a chair, and sat her down. Artie handcuffed her wrists behind her back while I pulled up a small stool and sat in front of her a few feet away, in case she got stupid again.
“Do you understand me?” I aske
d. I didn’t smile, but I softened my look. Even though I had karate-chopped her neck, I still needed the girl to engage with me.
She nodded.
“You know my name. Tell me yours?”
She swallowed and looked over my shoulder at Artie and his men.
“Sorry, I don’t think I can convince them to leave this time.”
“My name is Sei.” Her voice wavered slightly.
“Well, Sei, I’m glad we’re talking. I hope to get you out of here soon.”
“Who’s in charge? You or him?” She used her head to acknowledge between Artie and me.
“For now, let me ask the questions. Who told you to watch me?”
Her eyes shifted to the ground and then back to me. “My boss.”
“Is your boss Somchai?”
She nodded.
“Why did he want you to watch me?” At the time, I thought it was better to leave Kang’s name out of this conversation.
“I don’t know, but he knew you were an FBI agent.”
“So you provided him with information—what I did, where I went?”
“Yes.”
“That’s it?”
She nodded.
“I know you’re involved with the game Chasing Chinatown. You gave me the answers to both riddles. What else do you know about the game?”
“My job was to provide the answers to the riddles.”
“Was Somchai in charge of the game?”
The girl opened her mouth to speak but stopped. I repeated my question.
“Yes,” she finally said. “He is a Deputy Mountain Master in charge of Bangkok.”
I was familiar with the term she used. It was an elevated position in the Triad organization. That meant Somchai not only managed the game but also oversaw all Triad activity in Bangkok, probably in all of Thailand. Were the Triads really the ones behind this? Why? I still couldn’t believe they would waste their time with a game unless it generated money.
Lumpini Park (Abby Kane FBI Thriller - Chasing Chinatown Trilogy Book 2) Page 18