away and I was taken into the captain’s office. It was the same officer I’d made the original complaint to three years ago. When he saw me he just smiled, smugly.
I was glad I had a chance to confront him.
‘Why didn’t you arrest O’Connor?’ I asked. ‘He never left Thailand. He was living in the same house, driving the same car, even using the same God damn telephone number!’
His answer was simple.
‘Why didn’t you pay me?’ he said. ‘If you’d paid me I would have arrested him.’
I could have argued that it was actually his job to arrest criminals, but I didn’t think there was much point. He was corrupt, just like the rest of them.
I explained everything over and over again, in the smallest of detail. The interrogation went on and on for hours. But there were a few things I kept from them.
I didn’t tell them who Chuck really was, because I’d promised not to involve him if possible. The Aussie expat who’d given me O’Connor’s number also wanted his part kept quiet, so I said that I’d just phoned O’Connor’s house on the spur of the moment. It was a lie, but only a white lie. I kept my word, and that was more important.
Once the police captain was satisfied that he knew everything, he reached over to his fridge and took out two tins of beer. As we drank, he congratulated me on catching O’Connor and for being so clever as to trap him with his own trick.
He asked me to wait at the tourist police office to make a preliminary identification. He said his officers were checking their files for any other complaints against O’Connor, Mitch or the boss of OCS. I knew him in all three guises, so if a charge came up under any of his names I could identify him.
In the meantime, I went out and had something to eat in the restaurant next door. I sensed no problems.
I thought they would charge O’Connor with fraud or theft, or force him to repay the money in order to get some cash from me. I phoned Nanglung and told her I wouldn’t be home for another few hours.
When I went back into the tourist police, O’Connor had been brought back from the cells and was being questioned. I’d given the police O’Connor’s cheques. He was busy explaining to the police where he’d got them.
When it came to the last cheque, he said, ‘This is from my partner, Mr Brett Holdsworth.’ Then he turned, pointed at me, and added, ‘And he killed him!’
Everyone in the room looked at me.
I knew that O’Connor would try to worm his way out of it any way that he could, but I hadn’t expected him to accuse me of murder.
‘What the fuck is he talking about?’ was the first thing out of my mouth.
I’d already told the police that Holdsworth had attacked me, that we’d had a fight and that he’d run off somewhere. I explained that Holdsworth wasn’t O’Connor’s partner, he was his bodyguard. Nobody was dead, or even hurt – although they had tried to kill me. There had been no murder. O’Connor was lying.
But he insisted.
‘He killed my partner,’ he said. ‘And I can prove it. I’ll show you where he’s hidden the body, if one of his gang hasn’t already moved it.’
O’Connor explained that I’d kidnapped him and his partner while he was at a business meeting with a man named Bill Turner. He said that I’d demanded ten million baht, and when he’d refused to pay, I’d killed his partner and then forced him to take me to his apartment, where I’d stolen the three cheques.
He then claimed that I’d held him and his wife hostage until he could take me to his bank in the morning. He said he wasn’t a criminal – he was a businessman.
I tried to interrupt a few times but the police told me to be quiet and let him finish. They listened attentively to him.
It was at this point that I began to worry and fear for my own safety.
The police asked him how I’d killed his partner.
‘He beat him up, then gutted him like a fish,’ said O’Connor.
The police next asked him
I was glad I had a chance to confront him.
‘Why didn’t you arrest O’Connor?’ I asked. ‘He never left Thailand. He was living in the same house, driving the same car, even using the same God damn telephone number!’
His answer was simple.
‘Why didn’t you pay me?’ he said. ‘If you’d paid me I would have arrested him.’
I could have argued that it was actually his job to arrest criminals, but I didn’t think there was much point. He was corrupt, just like the rest of them.
I explained everything over and over again, in the smallest of detail. The interrogation went on and on for hours. But there were a few things I kept from them.
I didn’t tell them who Chuck really was, because I’d promised not to involve him if possible. The Aussie expat who’d given me O’Connor’s number also wanted his part kept quiet, so I said that I’d just phoned O’Connor’s house on the spur of the moment. It was a lie, but only a white lie. I kept my word, and that was more important.
Once the police captain was satisfied that he knew everything, he reached over to his fridge and took out two tins of beer. As we drank, he congratulated me on catching O’Connor and for being so clever as to trap him with his own trick.
He asked me to wait at the tourist police office to make a preliminary identification. He said his officers were checking their files for any other complaints against O’Connor, Mitch or the boss of OCS. I knew him in all three guises, so if a charge came up under any of his names I could identify him.
In the meantime, I went out and had something to eat in the restaurant next door. I sensed no problems.
I thought they would charge O’Connor with fraud or theft, or force him to repay the money in order to get some cash from me. I phoned Nanglung and told her I wouldn’t be home for another few hours.
When I went back into the tourist police, O’Connor had been brought back from the cells and was being questioned. I’d given the police O’Connor’s cheques. He was busy explaining to the police where he’d got them.
When it came to the last cheque, he said, ‘This is from my partner, Mr Brett Holdsworth.’ Then he turned, pointed at me, and added, ‘And he killed him!’
Everyone in the room looked at me.
I knew that O’Connor would try to worm his way out of it any way that he could, but I hadn’t expected him to accuse me of murder.
‘What the fuck is he talking about?’ was the first thing out of my mouth.
I’d already told the police that Holdsworth had attacked me, that we’d had a fight and that he’d run off somewhere. I explained that Holdsworth wasn’t O’Connor’s partner, he was his bodyguard. Nobody was dead, or even hurt – although they had tried to kill me. There had been no murder. O’Connor was lying.
But he insisted.
‘He killed my partner,’ he said. ‘And I can prove it. I’ll show you where he’s hidden the body, if one of his gang hasn’t already moved it.’
O’Connor explained that I’d kidnapped him and his partner while he was at a business meeting with a man named Bill Turner. He said that I’d demanded ten million baht, and when he’d refused to pay, I’d killed his partner and then forced him to take me to his apartment, where I’d stolen the three cheques.
He then claimed that I’d held him and his wife hostage until he could take me to his bank in the morning. He said he wasn’t a criminal – he was a businessman.
I tried to interrupt a few times but the police told me to be quiet and let him finish. They listened attentively to him.
It was at this point that I began to worry and fear for my own safety.
The police asked him how I’d killed his partner.
‘He beat him up, then gutted him like a fish,’ said O’Connor.
The police next asked him
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