Chapter 12: Just Another Delay

MY CLOCK was finally getting adjusted to the time zone. Or maybe I was just too restless to sleep at a decent hour like everyone else did. I didn’t know what to think of Char. It felt like being set up for a serious fall. I’m not into casual affairs. In fact, I haven’t been with anyone since ... It was too painful to remember my short time with Andi. I needed something to occupy my mind.

I hadn’t made direct contact yet, but I was confident I’d found Terrance Whiteman. There was no sense making up searches that could expose my location to Uncle Sam. I did check in on my network at my office. Everything was running fine and I quickly sorted through my email, not the least of which were half a dozen messages from Jordan demanding to know where I was. The last one was just two days ago.

I had a computer in my vault that I could take over remotely. I composed a quick email to Jordan and sent it from the slaved computer. It would look like it came from my office in Seattle.

On the trail. May have info by the end of the month. Africa is hot.

I figured that should hold him for a couple of days. His messages had started about the time I caught my flight to Singapore, so if anyone was still trying to track me, a lead to Africa was as good a distraction as any.

While I searched through my files, my email lit up with another message from Jordan. He must be working late as well. Then I computed the time change. It was just after midnight in Thailand, which meant Jordan was in his office working at ten a.m. yesterday. I opened the email.

That’s not what the Ruskies say. We have two tailing them. They’re not as good at disappearing as you.

He attached a grainy photo of me in an airport, obviously captured from a security scan. If I had to guess, it was my arrival in Singapore. I needed to be somewhere different.

After looking for nightlife in Chiang Mai, I called a tuk-tuk and in twenty minutes was headed into town. This is a twenty-four-hour city. The traffic was only slightly better than it was at six in the evening. The driver dropped me off at the Night Bazaar in the middle of the city. I needed to do some shopping and this would be a good place to be lost for a while. I intended to pick up a new look.

I’m a conservative dresser. It used to be just jeans and T-shirts until Andi and Cali got hold of me. When I went to work undercover at EFC, they insisted I look more corporate. Since then, even when I was working at home, I wore gray suits and white shirts. For this little trip, I’d dressed down but that only meant I was wearing slacks and short sleeved dress shirts. I really stood out when I was around other, far more casually dressed tourists. It was time to get with the program.

I dragged myself into the kitchen with the others getting coffee and an incredible sweet cake David made. I didn’t think the coffee would help, but I needed to see Char as soon as possible.

“I thought you were a computer geek,” she said when she slid into the seat next to me and began sipping her coffee. “Why are you here so early in the morning?”

“I haven’t been to bed yet.”

“That makes sense. He was up all night, too. Just dropped off to sleep. If you go to bed now, you’ll probably wake up about the same time.”

“I don’t think I dare do that. I was spotted in Singapore. It won’t take them too long to figure out where I went. I need to lead them away,” I said. “We don’t need anyone coming around here.”

“I was just getting to like you. It’s not nice to run away.”

“I’m sorry. It’s not my choice. I’d like to see him before my flight tonight.”

“He’s already arranged things,” Char said. She reached into her ever-present bag and hesitated while the last of the others left for their day’s activities. She pulled out a document folder and handed it to me. Inside were two tickets to Ho Chi Minh City. One for me and one for her.

“He’s as good as I thought. But why is there a ticket for you?”

“There needed to be a reason you were here and a reason you left. I get to be the reason. Supposedly, I’m leading you to him.”

“I should have left a trail they can track more easily.”

“Don’t worry. He used one of your credit cards. He said he’d reimburse you. You need to check out here and pack. Do you always wear such formal clothes?” she asked.

“I went shopping last night.”

“Good. Go get some sleep and be up in three hours to meet with him before we go to the airport. Do you need me to come tuck you in and sing you a lullaby?”

“I’m afraid if you came with me, I might not get any sleep at all.”

“There is that. Not a bad prospect. Can I make you another cup of coffee?”

“Char...”

“Don’t worry, Stefan. Not this time. It’s going to be a restless night tonight. Our flight is at six and we don’t get in until nine in the morning. There’s a layover in Bangkok where we can be seen together. And I’m sure by the time we get to Ho Chi Minh City, we’ll both need sleep. First.”

“I’ll see you in three hours,” I said. I headed for my bungalow and stretched out to sleep.

I was having a hard time reading Char. Sometimes she was all professional and concerned about Terry. Sometimes she seemed not to have a care in the world and flirted with me. Her suggestions made it seem like this would be a holiday for her and she was looking forward to traveling with me. But I also knew she was operating under Terry’s suggestions. She was about five-six and nicely built. I’d confirmed that when we went swimming yesterday. She had closely cropped dark brown hair. Her smile lit up her whole face and her brown eyes reflected fire, no matter what the lighting was.

My dreams were full of her and I was reluctant to wake up when my phone alarm roused me. I showered, dressed in my new clothes, and went to my first meeting with my quarry.

“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, Dag Hamar,” he said when I walked into the bungalow. He sat in a chair with a blanket over his lap, which I thought must be hot as hell in the eighty-degree weather with eighty percent humidity. I was dressed down in pre-distressed jeans and an open-collar print shirt. I had T-shirts, but didn’t feel comfortable traveling in one. I wore my new Panama hat that I’d slept on so it looked a bit squashed. I was wearing sandals that I’d picked up in the market. They weren’t particularly comfortable, but they fit. “Please forgive me for not standing to greet you. I don’t move much these days.”