Away Day
DAM WAS HAPPY TAKING a turn as the tour leader. So far, he had only turned down trips to the jungle for his reasons, but this trip, he was not only going; he was in charge, the boss.
'Come on, Dam, where are we going?'
'Okay, cousin, how good were you at geography and history at school? For example, which of our Kings caught malaria near our destination? And for an extra point, what was he doing?'
'Easy! King Mongkut of Siam. He died in Bangkok. Is that where we are going?'
'Yes. And no. You are correct about the King's name, but my question was, where did he catch malaria? Not where did he die from malaria? What was he doing then?'
'I know, I know,' trumps up Myrtle, 'It was the "King and I", he must have been dancing and singing too much.'
The Thais in the room found no humour in her answer.
'Please, Myrtle, donʼt mention that film. Donʼt you know it is banned here?' Skylab answered.
'Oh. Sorry, I did not understand. We all watched it in Koh Samui.'
'Anyway, come on; anybody got the answer?' After a short wait, 'Clearly not, King Mongkut caught malaria in Prachuabkhirikhan while watching an eclipse of the sun. An event that our King predicted more accurately than all the other experts of their day.'
Dam was proud of his knowledge of Thai history.
'And that, my friends, is where we are going.'
The cheer went up; the group seemed thrilled with Damʼs pick.
'Charlie and his girlfriend, Lek, will join us, Emma and Gi, us cousins, Kev and Nick and Myrtle, so we have a happy group. All ready to go tomorrow?'
Dam, the tour leader, informed them, 'The train leaves at 11.44, so for sleepy heads amongst us, it is not too early. And it arrives about 2 hours later. donʼt miss this train, as there is not another one until around 6 p.m.'
The happy bunch arrived at probably the prettiest railway station in Asia at 1130 a.m. However, the group was not all happy. Emma looked anxious. Only Gi knew what was wrong with Emma. Gi only knew part of the problem. The rest soon became apparent.
'Gi, I have to speak with you before we go. That slime-ball man caught me while I was walking the dogs this morning. He quizzed me about our trip. Why, I wonder?'
'Just nosy, maybe?'
'God, I hope you are right.'
Thai trains are very slow, not only because the engineering is dated, but because there is only a single track, meaning the north or south heading train had to pull into a siding until its opposite number passed through. None of this mattered. It was close enough to lunchtime and to get the Esky out. Jokes were flying around their carriage. The idea of the game was that each person had to crack a gag typical of the country they came from. The clear winner was Lek's effort.
'A man went to buy his wife a bra. The sales lady wanted to know what size he needed. The man said he did not understand. He thought they were all the same size. The lady asked were his wife's boobs like watermelons? No, answered the man, laughing. Well, how about coconut size, continued the sales girl. Again, no was the man's answer; it was too big. So the lady said egg size? At this, the man said yes.' Everyone looked at each other, and then Lek said, 'Fried egg!'
When the train reached their destination station, plenty of aged and rickety "sailors" were waiting, which allowed Nick one to himself. The three-wheeled bikes pulled up outside their hotel after about a twenty-minute ride. One driver refused extra payment for having Nick as his passenger even though he was sweating more than he looked healthy. Skylab slipped the man an additional note.
The hotel staff grabbed their bags and took them to their rooms. It wasn't very comfortable for Skylab, as she had to share with Kev. However, Dam had made the booking and ensured no one was watching as she slipped into Kevʼs room.
The general opinion was that it was very comfortable and airy. Large floor-to-ceiling windows, open to allow the net curtains to blow inwards on the beach breeze, polished wooden floors and bronze fittings, and wonderful-smelling soap were all very romantic.
They were all to meet in the hotel's bar when everyone was ready and rested at about 6 pm. Dam had arranged for a nearby restaurant to provide a memorable seafood meal. Unfortunately, Hua Hin had over-fished the area, so lobsters and oysters were expensive and hard to find. Nevertheless, enjoying the succulent creatures near their home was a real treat.
What a feast Dam had arranged. Grilled Snapper, oysters served with fresh garlic and chilli, king prawns, and giant lobsters - a gourmet's heaven. Unfortunately, the wine was the only part of their meal that did not meet expectations, particularly for the French girls.
'Never mind, the beer is cold.'
Dam explained that the following day would be spent relaxing and exploring near the hotel, and the final day would be a romantic visit to Phraya Nakhon Cave.
Prachuabkhirikhan city centre was packed with market stalls, boasting a vast selection of tie-and-dye clothes and fishing equipment. Vendors had packed their places high with fruit and vegetables, and cobblers and tailors lined the pavement. The tailors were Thai, which made Nick smile. They were very different from the Hua Hin and Bangkok tailors. Not that he wanted a new suit, not just yet, anyway.
As they enjoyed the previous evening's dinner, they did it again without the wine. Dam was again showing off his local knowledge and history.
'When we arrive at the highlight of our trip, you had all better be prepared for a long and strenuous walk, up and up,' he stressed by aiming two index fingers at the sky. There are rough steps which help, but I think it's about half a mile, so Nick, you will feel it, but it's worthwhile. Inside the hidden cave is a beautiful model of a temple.'
Dam had arranged it all, and he was proud of himself.
The following day, when they arrived at the beach, they faced a choice: walking up and over the hill or a boat ride around the head of land. There was no choice, so they all jumped into the waiting boat. A few minutes later, they landed at a beautiful, secluded beach.
'You may prefer to stay here,' Dam said with a smile, pointing, 'that is the way, through the fir trees and then up.'
'Let's go.'
Dam led the way. At first, just a stroll on the beach, the sand underfoot changed to small pebbles, then bigger and bigger stones and rocks. Then the climb started. Nick was already gulping down the bottled water he carried. Finally, Charlie called for a rest, so they all took a breather. Dam tactfully mentioned that they were not even halfway yet. He was the fittest and was keen to get going, but the rest of the group needed longer to sit and rest. So off they went again, all quietly cursing Dam under their breath.
On and on, up and up. They could see between the trees and the still sea at intervals. The view was great, even if it was hard work getting there. By now, even Dam was sweating. At last, they reached the top. Now, they had to clamber down inside the hill at the cavernous entrance. Going down was more demanding than going up, maybe because their leg muscles were aching. No one was talking. They did not have the energy.
Finally, they could see the temple in a giant glass box from a fair distance away. As they clambered down into the vast opening, they stood in awe when they reached the bottom. It was a magnificent example of Thai handicraft skill, showing their love for Buddhist beliefs and the Monarchy.
The cave roof had a huge opening, through which the sunbeams fought their way through the overgrowing vegetation and shone directly onto the temple, a truly remarkable sight. That day, nobody else had braved the climb. Their group were the only people inside.
Nick had his back to the model, facing his friends, who were all wondering what he was preparing to say. The others gathered around as the big man cleared his throat for the second time. Not a man used to public speaking, Nick held up his hands to get their attention.
'Now we have all got our breaths back. I want to say a few words.'
Myrtle was shuffling her feet and looking at the father of her unborn baby.
'Darling, please come and stand next to me.'
As Nick rummaged through his shorts pockets, his hand found a small box he extracted from all the tissues, cash and other clutter he had accumulated.
'As most of you know, I have been a single man all my life. However, this changed the day I set foot on the lovely…'
He halted the speech, and Nick shielded his eyes, 'Lovely island of ...' He began again.
Something had caught his eye, and he had now stopped speaking. The group looked at each other and wondered what was wrong.
A flash of sunlight glanced off the metal, and something or somebody moved behind the group on the steps.
'Get down!' Nick shouted.
The brief flash of light had caught the man's watch, giving his position away. Nick had spotted two men dressed in black creeping between the rocks. One had lifted his arm and threw a pineapple-shaped object. Only Nick saw it as it looped through the air, and he guessed what it was.
Nick pushed his way through his friends and dived onto the grenade.
In the hand of his outstretched arm, he was holding an engagement ring in his clutched fist.
The noise was deafening, the glass case protecting the model shattered, the whole cave shook, and time stood still. Nobody moved; they could not hear, and they could only see dust slowly coming to earth, with the sunlight glinting off each particle, making a strange floating rainbow. A pitiful wail broke the silence; Myrtle was lying on the inert body of Nick, trying to wake him, slapping his face, thumping his back. Kev and Dam tried to calm her, and they wanted to stop her from turning him over. They could imagine the sight that would greet her. A puddle of blood was spreading.
It did not take a person with medical training to know Nick would never eat again.
The girls moved Myrtle away and tried to console her. Gently, each member of the group checked their cuts and bruises. There was plenty of blood, but luckily, the cuts they sustained were not too deep. A few stitches would be needed here and there. Charlie's girlfriend was limping badly, Kev and Skylab were in a dumb shock, and silent tears were running down dusty cheeks. Both were rocking backwards and forwards, holding on to each other. The truth sank in. Nick had saved them all from severe injury and probably death.
It was Damʼs tour, so he took the lead.
'Everyone, wait here. I'm going to check to see if those animals have gone. Then I'll get some help down here.'
There was no sign of the perpetrators, and Dam guessed they would not know if they had succeeded or failed. They would assume total success. The steps inside and outside the cave looked untouched and damage-free, but Dam was taking no chances. He took each stride carefully. There was no one in sight. When he got to the beach, he saw the boatman lying face down in the sand. The man was severely hurt; he had taken a beating protecting his boat, but he was still alive. His boat was gone.
As Dam tried to revive him, he heard people running behind him. As he turned, he saw it was Skylab and Kev.
'Oh my God, is he dead too?'
'No Skylab, he's alive but needs medical care quickly. Are you two okay?'
'Yeah, we are fine. But, Skylab, you had better stay with the boatman. Dam and I must go a long way round and fetch help.'
Dam and Kev had only just reached the top of the mound when they saw a group of people rushing towards them.
When the villagers saw their boat sailing north, they knew something was wrong, so they hurried to the cave as fast as possible. Dam quickly told them what had happened. They sent one villager to phone the police and get medical help. The others all continued towards the cave. The boatman's wife and two others went to tend to the injured boatman, and the rest went inside the cave.
Myrtle sat silently, staring at Nick's lifeless body. She had retrieved the engagement ring and was wearing it.
Luckily, one villager knew where some freshwater dripped from the rock; one of their group collected some by soaking strips of torn cloth. She cleaned wounds and picked out small rock splinters.
Later, the medical team arrived by boat. They first treated the boatman, and he could limp home, aided by his wife. The team then went into the cave. Myrtle needed an injection to calm her, and she was carried out on a stretcher. The others were walking wounded, and even Lek could hobble to the boat. The police would have to examine Nick's body in situ and then collect evidence before moving him to the morgue.
The shell-shocked group had their wounds cleaned and covered, and then they were taken to the nearby hospital. They were all advised to stay in the hospital for the night to ensure there were no more unseen but severe head injuries. Also, the police would want to take statements, so staying where they were would be much easier.
At six the following day, Black arrived.
'Morning, Kevin. Terrible this. I'm very sorry for your loss. I will see Nick's girlfriend first, then come back and talk to you. So sad, she lost the baby.'
All the males were together in a large ward. Likewise, the females were beside each other in a ward down the corridor.
Black entered to console Myrtle. He took her hand gently in his own; she stared ahead, lost in thoughts. Black made promises about how the Embassy could help her through his colleague in the Irish Embassy, but it seemed she did not hear or care. Black would gain no information from her, so he moved on, questioning each patient. Nobody in the female ward had anything new to help with his investigation, and he returned to the male's room.
He got a similar set of answers from the men. As the others said, Kev only glimpsed the bombers and did not recognise them. Nevertheless, he had a question for Black.
'Why?'
Black hinted that it might have had something to do with the arrest of the East Germans. But, unfortunately, Kev did not understand the police in Bangkok questioning the German visitors.
'So what happened?'
Black answered, 'My friend in the Serious Crime Squad in Bangkok had them all arrested and searched. They had several valuable stones.'
'Please donʼt tell me Nick was murdered because of a few rocks?'
'No, it was not the rubies, but the paperwork found alongside the jewels.'
'Come on then, tell me!'
'Okay, I think you should know. Also, I will need your help soon. One of the Germans hid proof that a British citizen was working for the North Vietnam Secret Service during their war. They had awarded him a certificate of thanks, which was of great value to the Scot. It is like our OBE. He would have hidden it years ago, and he wanted it now. He must need it to settle there or for some other reason.'
'Oh, he was a Scot?'
'Yes, born in England, English father, Scottish mother, but the wanted man likes to tell everyone he is Scottish.'
They were disturbed by a nurse who informed them that the police were there to question her patients.
Black was just about to meet his friend outside the hospital when they were sidetracked, even before they talked, by a rude reporter shouting questions while still sitting on her bike.
'I will give you fifteen minutes if you promise to leave all the patients alone. They have been through enough. Deal?'
After spending fifteen minutes and not a second longer with the reporter, Mr Black greeted his cricket captain.
'Hello, Skip,' said Black.
'My squad has taken over this case from the locals, who are unhappy about it.'
'No, I donʼt suppose they are. You might as well start with Kevin. Come on, and I'll introduce you to him.'
'Hello Kevin, call me Skip. There is no need for formalities. I want to find out as much as possible and try to clear up this dreadful case.'
The Police Captain questioned each patient and discovered nothing new. His team had found out that the grenade was from Pranburi army barracks just down the road - a good start.
After their session with the policeman and a checkover from the Doctor, they were all released from the hospital with armfuls of pills. With the Embassy paying the hospital costs, Black told Kevin he would keep in touch.
Thanks to Black, they arranged for a minibus to take them back to Hua Hin. It was on the bus that Emma was again very emotional. Tears were flowing like monsoon rain. She had told the police nothing of her conversation with Pi Meow, but now it all came out to Skylab.
She blamed herself. Emma told her friend the whole sad story. An instant alert from Myrtle also accused her. Myrtle had been silent and sat in a zombie trance. Finally, she got up from her seat, leant over the back of her chair and, reaching back, slapped Emma's face. Emma did not resist and did not defend herself; she sat there and took all that Myrtle could give her. Slap, slap, slap until Kev and Charlie pulled Myrtle back, her body shivering with rage when she sat down. Skylab came forward, put her arm around her, and calmed her with soothing words in her ear. Gi did the same to her bruised best friend.
The driver had pulled over and stopped the vehicle. Kev had asked the driver to find him a phone as quickly as possible. But he had to get a message to Black's office. Then Black's secretary told him.
'Keep Emma with you. Lock the doors and go nowhere. Some of Skip's men will pick up Pi Meow. Post a guard at your office, and the local police must not know of this. Skip's guys have caught the soldier who sold the hand grenade. He is a drug addict and needs money. The next job is to find out who he sold it to.'