Pu Yai
THE GROUP COULD NOT take the girls to the next stage of their mission, so they decided Skylab would stay and help the girls as best she could. They gave her a radio. She was also told that more of Skip's men were on their way. They would be there in less than two hours, this time in a helicopter.
The group drove to the edge of the water. The owners of the small restaurant next to them stared through their windows. Then, they thought it better to hide away. Skip sent a man to get the boat keys. He flashed his ID.
'I need two sets of boat keys for those boats. Official business.' He pointed at a couple of speedy-looking crafts.
'Those down there are not our boats. Ours are round here. You can borrow that one,' pointing behind the restaurant to the larger craft.
'That is just what we need.'
'Please be careful with it. It cost us more than this restaurant. We take tourists water skiing or at least that was the plan until Pi Meow stopped us from using it on his lake.'
The gleaming boat had twin engines, room for the whole team, and a dinghy strapped to the roof, perfect.
'We'll try to look after it.'
The policeman went behind the restaurant and started the engine. The throaty roar of a boat was eager to take revenge on a man who had stopped it from working for a living. The policeman enjoyed his job and would love a boat like this. The plan was to get as close as possible without making a noise.
They cut the engine, the boat drifted towards their target, and they dropped anchor. Any sound would warn whoever was there that they were coming. They were as quiet as possible. They used the rubber boat, rowing silently, making two trips to get everyone to the spot where Kev landed on his last visit.
The dinghy set off with the first crew. These men landed and scouted while the inflatable returned for Kev and the others. The officer overseeing the oars changed jobs with one of the other men. Saving his energy for later, he wanted his full strength in a fight.
Kev and his boatload landed. One man tied up the landing craft and moved quietly but swiftly to catch up with the first team.
The first landing team had spread out along the brow of the hill. They approached the wooden structure, crouching with pistols drawn.
Soon, spotlights illuminated. One of Pi Meowʼs men started shooting. They hit one of Skip's men, who went down; he fell backwards and rolled to the water's edge. The rest of the team flattened themselves against the grass. Bullets kicked up the dried ground. They tried to approach military style but were held back by rapid gunfire.
Gradually, the shooting eased; they must be running out of ammunition. Black's man took his chance and shot out the lights. Then, again in darkness, the men crept forward, working their way up the slope. The occasional spit of gunfire came from above. Skip himself aimed at the spot where the fire came from. There was a scream, but no more shots. The men hurried to the space below the room Kev had slept in not so long ago. Two of the police officers climbed the steps. On reaching the open doorway, a dying man took a shot and hit his target, sending the officer backwards down the stairs. The other black-shirted man shot the wounded man crouching behind a table, finishing him.
The team went up and searched around for clues. Finally, they heard the whoop, whoop of a helicopter. The police chopper had cleared the park's northerly boundary. It flicked on its large searchlight.
There was another noise, this time from below. It was the sound of a speedboat engine coughing into action.
Forgetting himself, Kev ran to see what was happening. As he jumped down the last steps, they fired a shot, more than a warning, but it was enough to slow Kev. He saw a small but fast craft disappearing down one inlet, leading to the dam's large expanse of water. He could not tell if there were two or three people on board.
Skip was shouting orders by radio to the helicopter as it flew overhead. There was no need to guess what they told the pilot.
Kev could see a splash next to the boat, but it was too dark and far away to see what had happened.
Soon, the chopper's floodlight illuminated everything in dazzling white. The loudspeaker bellowed orders, which were ignored. Finally, the boat raced for the shore.
The craft slowed before hitting land. It was splintered as machine gun rounds from above cut the small boat in two, giving no chance to whoever was on board. The petrol tank exploded, and whatever was left of the burning craft slowly sank into the shallow water.
The helicopter made a sharp turn, flying as low as the pilot would risk over the flaming lake. A rubber-clad diver jumped out of the chopper into the water. He reported if anyone or anything remained. Kev rushed to Skip and explained what he had seen. Skip then ordered the helicopter team to find whatever had been jettisoned.
Skip and a team would search the area tomorrow in daylight, and Black would search on his own. But for now, it was time to see Skylab and the girls.
As they approached Pi Meowʼs house, Kev could hear crying. He ran to the building and embraced Skylab, smearing dust and mud onto her wet cheeks.
'I was so worried about you. I could hear gunfire, and I could hear the helicopter and trying to imagine what was happening. Never do that to me again.'
Kev smiled at her, and then they both laughed at her command. He was not planning on trying anything similar in the future.
Skip had been using his radio earlier and requested medical aid. A team from the nearby Petcharat Hospital was already treating the girls. Although nobody could talk to them, they were malnourished and filthy. They would be cleaned up, taken to the hospital, and given a thorough checkup.
Skip's men would remain on guard. Tomorrow's daylight would allow them to search both places.
Black had already started.