Death Stake by Andrew Mayne

Author:Andrew Mayne [Mayne, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Crime, Thrillers & Mystery - Spy Stories
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: 2024-10-29T00:00:00+00:00

INTERCEPTION

Although finding out why Conover is in Bangkok is critical, the more urgent need is to locate Vik before anyone else does—especially Conover.

I have to assume Vik’s on the run and in hiding, unless the Royal Thai Police have him in protective custody. If that’s the situation, it would explain some of the mystery about the case but not why Bangkok is still filled with people trying to find him. Being in police custody should in theory mean the game is over. But I don’t even know what the game is, so who knows?

I’m back in xQuadrant’s neighborhood, trying to retrace the steps that Vik might have taken if he escaped being killed like his friends. Searching over aerial maps and property records can only take you so far.

Kiet Chantapong, the owner of the honey kiosk in front of the apartment building, eyes me with suspicion the moment I pull up on my motorcycle.

I give him a friendly greeting and ask if he speaks English. He shakes his head, so I pull out my phone with the translation app.

“I’m trying to find out what happened to the people who lived there,” I explain as I point to the apartment building.

He waves his hand in front of his face, indicating that he doesn’t want to talk. Other than Tommy’s grandfather, this man’s the closest I have to an eyewitness, so I’m not ready to let him drop the matter so quickly.

“If I buy some honey, will that make a difference?”

He looks around to see if anyone is watching, then hits the off button on my screen. “How much?” he asks in English.

There are about twenty boxes on the table. “Everything.” I set a wad of baht on the lid in front of me. “I’ll need it delivered.”

“Okay. One question,” he agrees.

“Let’s go for three.”

He makes a guttural sigh.

“How many gunshots did you hear?” I ask.

“Four. Bang. Then a long pause. Then bang. Pause. Then bang-bang.”

“How many men entered and how many left?”

This question makes him visibly anxious. “Four entered.”

“And left?”

“I was hiding by then.”

“Okay. Did you see anyone else running from the building? Like him?” I show Chantapong the photo of Vik.

“Nice boy. No.”

“You knew him?”

“Yes. He bought honey and had it sent to his mother,” he replies.

“His mother? She lives in Bangkok? Where?”

Chantapong waves away the question. “I don’t know.”

He’s lying, but I decide not to push. I’ll try to find that out later.

So, four men enter and who knows how many leave. Possibly without Vik, but nobody saw anything I can use to confirm that.

“Thank you. I’m going to leave my card in case there’s anything else you want to tell me.”

“Where send honey?” he asks.

“Oh yeah. Let me give you an address,” I reply, then write the location of Boonma’s warehouse complex. “Please tell him it’s from Mr. Sam.”

Thais aren’t very big on security cameras yet, so I wasn’t able to find anyone on either side of the street with footage of what happened on the day of the hit.

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