“How long until we get there?”
“Five minutes.”
Logan shut the door, and turned back to Aaron. “Sorry,” he said.
“Sorry about what?”
Moment later, Aaron was unconscious again.
35
The offloading of Aaron went smoothly. Afterwards, Logan and Daeng tried to get a few hours of sleep, then got up early, and were sitting in the dining car just a little past 6 a.m.
Daeng ordered a bowl of noodles, while Logan went with only coffee.
“So you still want to try it,” Daeng said once Logan had gone back over the plan they sketched out after they’d gotten rid of Aaron.
Logan nodded. “It could be important.”
“It could also cause problems.”
“I’m trusting that you’ll be able to keep that from happening.”
Daeng grunted, but said nothing else.
For the next half hour, Logan did little more than stare out the window at the tropical jungle that covered the hills around them. The train was moving slowly now, the upward climb a challenge for the engine.
As he was contemplating getting another cup of coffee, Daeng said softly, “Here they come.”
Logan casually raised his empty cup to his lips, pretending to take a final drink, while Daeng focused on what little was left in his bowl of noodles. From the corner of his eye, Logan could see two people walking past their table, then suddenly stopped.
“You’re the guy who helped me last night, aren’t you?” a voice asked.
Logan looked over. The man who spoke was the guy Logan had helped by playing doorman. Standing next to him was the other member of their group.
“Hey,” Logan said, smiling. “Beer guy, right?”
“Yeah,” the man replied, no humor in his voice. “We’re looking for a friend of ours. Wondering if you might have seen him.”
Logan kept the smile on his face, staying in friendly-tourist mode. “How much did you guys have to drink?”
“He’s in his early twenties,” the man said, ignoring the comment. “About my height. Short brown hair. White guy.”
Logan paused like he was thinking. “There’ve been a few people like that in here this morning, but most headed toward the back of the train when they left. Was he traveling back there?”
“No.”
“Hmmm.” Logan shrugged. “Sorry. I guess not.”
“What about your friend?” the other guy asked, looking at Daeng.
“Oh, uh, I’m not even sure he speaks English.” To Daeng, Logan said, “Do you understand?”
Daeng glanced up from his bowl. “No speak good,” he said, his accent thick.
“You see another white guy like me? Younger?” Logan asked.
“
Logan turned back to the men. “I don’t think he’s going to be much help. Your friend’s probably at the end of the train, hanging out with the backpackers.”
“Thanks,” the guy said.
“No problem.”
As soon as they passed the snack counter, and disappeared down the passageway, Logan was up and heading toward the front of the train. Daeng, per their plan, stayed right where he was.
Logan moved quickly through first class until he reached the door to Aaron’s cabin. There was no lock, so it slid open easily when he pushed on the handle. The curtain was already drawn across the window in the door, so he was able to work without being watched.
There were only two berths in the room. That surprised him. Counting Aaron, there was three of them. Logan located all the luggage, but there was no backpack. He was sure Aaron hadn’t lied to him about that. So where was it?
He quickly went through each of bag anyway, but the envelope wasn’t in any of them.
Standing up, he frowned. Two beds, three people, with beds barely big enough for even one.
They must have another cabin. There was no other explanation.
He was about to head back into the hallway when he realized there was a door in the sidewall. If he’d noticed it earlier, his mind must have written it off as the entrance to an en suite bathroom. But now, he realized, that
