He’d been listening to the conversation coming up through the first floor.
It wasn’t the thing about the four hours. That he hadn’t forgotten.
It was after.
Right after.
The woman.
He’d assumed at the time the speaker had been talking about whoever it was they were supposed to be meeting. But wasn’t it possible it meant something else?
Something more straightforward? Like…
“No,” he said softly to himself.
“What?” Daeng asked.
Logan stared into the distance for a moment longer, then glanced at Daeng. “Give me a minute.” Pulling out his phone, he called his father.
“Hello?” his dad said.
“Is Tooney still staying with you?”
“Logan?”
“Dad, please. Is he?”
“Yeah. He’s still here.”
“I need to talk to him.”
“He might be asleep.”
“Now, Dad.”
“Sure, sure. Hold on.”
Logan looked down at the table, hoping that he was wrong.
“Yes, Logan?” Tooney voice sounded old and resigned, like he was expecting bad news.
“When I talked to my father yesterday he said your daughter was on her way to Thailand. Do you know if she made it yet?”
“Sein? I believe so.”
“Do you know specifically where she was going?”
“Everything I find out from other daughter. Sein not talk to me again after she call about Elyse.”
“Tooney, I need to know where she is.”
Tooney paused. “Can you wait? I call Anka.”
“I’ll stay on the line.”
Logan glanced at Daeng, and could see his new friend was putting the pieces together, too.
Less than a minute later, Tooney came back on. “Anka says Sein in Chiang Mai.”
Logan closed his eyes. He was right. “Do you know where?”
“Hotel called NS Guest House.”
“Do you have a cell number for her?”
Tooney gave it to him, then said, “Do you think…is Elyse…”
“I’m doing everything I can,” Logan said.
A pause. “I know you are. Thank you. I wait to hear from you again.” Tooney hung up.
Logan dialed Sein’s number, but the call went directly to a voicemail message that merely restated the phone number. After the beep, but before he could even start leaving a message, a recorded voice cut in and told him, “Mailbox full.”
“Dammit.” He looked at Daeng. “Does your friend here know of a place in town called NS Guest House?”
Daeng spoke with the driver for a moment, then said, “He thinks he knows, but can make a phone call to be sure.” He paused. “He can do that on the way.”
• • •
As they headed back into town, Daeng asked, “Can I see those papers again?”
Logan had almost forgotten about the pages he’d taken from Aaron’s bag. Earlier, he’d stuffed them into a mesh holder on the back of the seat in front of him. He pulled the packet out, and handed it to Daeng.
After Daeng read for a moment, he said, “The oil rights are for an area off the Burma coast. The payment for the rights is a little vague, though. Money, yes, but there is an extra condition. It’s only alluded to, but not stated.”
