Phnom Penh Noir by Christopher G. Moore

Author:Christopher G. Moore
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: christopher g moore, john burdett, andrew nette, bob bergin, christopher minko, christopher west, giancarlo narciso, james grady, kosal khiev, roland joff
Publisher: HeavenLakePress

Friday morning, Mark walked across the office to his desk, and along the way, he saw that Raksa was happy. Happier than he remembered ever seeing her. Once he’d settled in, Raksa bounced over and sat on the edge of his desk.

“Did you win the lottery?” he asked.

“Better than a lottery win. Call your source at Child Protection. I heard they are following a Cambodian pedophile, and this will be the first case like that they’ve worked on.”

“And that’s why you’re jumping up and down?”

“It’s a huge step, Mark. Don’t tell me that you don’t want to work on this case.”

“You need to put a Cambodian reporter on a Cambodian pedo case. Doesn’t that make more sense?”

“You’re our resident expert. That feature got lots of people talking. They want to hear from you. I want to hear from you.”

Mark dialed Davuth’s office and got his assistant, named Thy.

“I heard you’re investigating a new case, and it’s a Cambodian pedo,” said Mark.

“The police arrested him last night, and he goes to court today. And they have another guy who was sharing his room. Birds of a feather, as they say.”

“Oh, really? You guys are fast.”

“I’ll send you the press release once I’m done.”

“Okay, thanks. I’ll look forward to reading that.”

Mark opened his email and started reading the message.

“On June 20th,” it read, “the Phnom Penh anti-human trafficking and juvenile protection police arrested a Cambodian national, Mr. Ken Sam, aged thirty, for allegedly having sexual intercourse with three boys of ages eleven to fourteen years. His accomplice was a twenty-six-year-old Cambodian national named Lim Sonith, who was found in their apartment along with pornographic videos.

“According to the police, a thirteen-year-old boy was lured by Sam to his house in Daun Penh district. Sonith was also in the house at the time. Both men were arrested. According to the police, Sonith, who claims to be innocent, admitted that he knew his friend was bringing young boys to the house. But he refused to give evidence.”

Mark looked up from the press release and sat back in his chair. His past was reeling through his mind. He understood the panic that Sonith must have felt when the police had come into the house and arrested Sam and him.

He forced himself to read the rest of the press release.

“Child Protection has been following Sam for two years. They saw him with the kids along the river many times. Sonith had to know. He had a duty to turn Sam in. He didn’t.”

By the time he’d finished reading, Mark felt that life had made a choice for him, just as it had in England. Sooner or later, his story would come out. Sonith’s case was a warning. It was only a matter of time. There was no one he could turn to who would support him, stand beside him.

“Mark, have you read the press release from Child Protection yet?” asked Raksa. “It’s dynamite. Another story for you.”

Mark didn’t respond.

“Mark! Do you hear me?” she asked again.

“Can I not work on the story today?” Mark asked his assignment editor in a murmur.

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