Read Online Assignment Bangkok by Unknown Author - Free Book Online Page B

partly off the table. The hands that held him grabbed for new grips and slid away. He fell to the floor, ducked under the table, choking in the sawdust. There were more shots, more yells. The gang of sawyers around him ran away. Durell rested for a moment on hands and knees. His mouth ached where he had been clobbered by someone’s fist, but none of his teeth were loosened. He heard a shouted order, and the great saw blade slowly whined down to a moaning halt.
    He heard Benjie say, “Oh, Sam . . .”
    He stood up and looked into the muzzle of a gun pointed squarely between his eyes.

10
    “You are under arrest, Mr. Durell.”
    “What for?”
    “Let us say you have been disturbing the peace.”
    “I’m an innocent bystander.”
    “Not so innocent, we think. Come, we’ll give you medical attention.”
    “Stop pointing that gun at me, Major.”
    “Of course. Sorry. You were inciting a riot?”
    Durell said, “I do my best.”
    The Thai wore a military uniform with the pips of his rank. A number of Thai soldiers stood about in the sawmill yard. Someone had put on all the floodlights. There was no sign of the wounded Chinese or his men. Durell was not surprised.
    “You didn’t find the men who attacked Miss Slocum?” “We understand there was a labor disturbance here. The men are on strike, we believe. But your presence is another matter. And you have been quite active in Bangkok tonight, Mr. Durell. We are advised that your presence in Thailand is that of an undesirable alien. I am sorry.”
    Durell walked out with the Thai officer through the wide doors near the concrete ramp to the klong . His ribs ached and the back of his shoulders felt as if he spent an intimate time with a medieval torture rack. Walking, he tested his left leg. It was all right, except for some new twinges.
    “Where are we going?”
    “You are under security arrest. Protective custody.” The Thai’s English was smooth and melodious. He was a small man with graying hair and a smooth, boyish face. He introduced himself as Major Luk Ban Long of the Thai Third Army Security Forces. His smile was apologetic. “I am truly sorry about the difficulties you have been having in our country, Mr. Durell.”
    “You’re a long way from home. You’re supposed to be chasing guerrillas out of the mountains, Major Luk.”
    “My work takes me everywhere. Come, please. I shall try to intercede for you.”
    “With whom?”
    “General Uva Savag. Do you know him?”
    “That bastard,” Durell said.
    “Then you have heard of him,” Luk said calmly.
    Durell said, “He wiped out three villages up in Nan province, last year. Charged the tribesmen with being insurgents, without trial, just lined them up, men, women, and children, and shot them.”
    “Do not mention that to him, Mr. Durell.”
    Durell saw Benjie walking amid a squad of other Thai soldiers. The girl looked angry, but she gave him a wry, lopsided grin as they met at the main gate to the sawmill. “You’re pretty good, Cajun. A real tiger.”
    “You’re not bad yourself, Benjie.”
    “Are we under arrest?”
    “For disturbing the peace.”
    The road outside the sawmill led away from the klong . The gravel crunched under their feet. The moon was rising over the palms that lined the canal. Across the water were low, thatched houses, each with its own landing. The aii felt cooler. He favored his left leg again as he walked.
    A small convoy of army trucks was parked just around the first bend in the road. A heavy limousine stood at the head of the column. As Major Luk hastened to open the door, the light went on inside and Durell stared at the cruelest face he had ever seen.
    “General Uva Savag,” Major Luk murmured.

11
    “I’ve had enough,” Durell said.
    It was an hour later.
    “We have not yet begun, Mr. Durell,” said Savag.
    “I want the American Embassy, and the Ambassador.”
    “What you will get is a quiet, unmarked grave, if you do not cooperate. You did not confide in