Chapter 49

  Shawn went to his bedroom to get dressed. He entered his room and found his old army uniforms cleaned, pressed, and lying on his perfectly made bed. He lifted his jacket and said with a slight chuckle, “No way you’re going to fit into that again, mister.” He set the jacket back down, went to his closet, and got something a little larger. While putting on his clothes, he noticed his little Teerak on the balcony, still in her birthday suit, sunbathing on a chaise lounge. She had an iPod in her hands and earbuds in her ears, probably listening to music only someone her age could enjoy. He waved at her and said, "I'm sure that's not the Oak Ridge Boys."

  Knowing she wouldn’t respond, she blew him a kiss but kept the earbuds in and bobbed to the music that only she could hear.

  Even though he had a full-time manager who handled most of the club's duties, he was still a hands-on owner. Shawn walked back into the kitchen and looked out at the balcony. Kasem was sitting on the rattan sofa, drinking tea. The usually good-natured man hadn't been himself lately, and Shawn knew why. The man had no other family and was sad that the woman he came to love as a daughter was no longer living there. He sighed and made his way to the garage.

  Shawn climbed into his Range Rover, started it up, and backed it out. Halfway to the security gate, he heard the old-fashioned sound of a classic 1950s phone ringing. He looked at his iPhone and saw the picture of his club manager smiling at him. He was a bit apprehensive about taking the call after she stormed out of the house, but he knew they had to talk. He pushed answer button and then the speaker.

  "Kim, what's up, my love?" Shawn said a little too casually and knew it immediately when there was a long pause on the line. When she did answer…she was very businesslike.

  "I was wondering if you were coming in today; I have some things I want to go over with you."

  Kim and Kasem had been with him for years. Kim was smart, witty, and still a beautiful woman. But in her younger days, she was a stunning beauty. She reminded him of Madame Chi.

  “Is there a problem?” Shawn said with a slight concern in his voice.

  “No, everything’s fine, except the usual bickering from some of the girls that can’t seem to get along.”

  “Anything that can’t wait?” Shawn asked.

  “No, just some invoices and things we need to order, nothing I can’t take care of.”

  It pained him that she had been so formal since moving out of his house.

  “You know you don’t need me to look over your shoulder. You can just pay and order whatever you want.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that, but I still would like to go over a few things with you if you don’t mind.” Kim said without a hint of sarcasm.

  “Ok, I’ll try to make it in this morning.”

  There was an awkward silence on the line until Shawn asked.

  “By the way, did you hear about the explosion that killed the President of the United States yesterday?”

  “I just saw it on the news his morning. It’s unbelievable that this could happen with today’s security measures.”

  Just listening to Kim’s soft voice stirred up his emotions.

  “Why don’t you come back to the house? Kasem has been treating me like shit since you left; he misses you.”

  There was another long pause on the line before Kim answered, but her voice was raised when she did.

  “Oh, I see…it’s Kasem that misses me. And what about you? Do you miss me?”

  Shawn wasn't good with intimate relationships. Kim was only sixteen when he found her on the streets of Phuket. She had run away from the family who had bought her from her parents at the tender age of twelve. Her family was poor and starving, and they sold their only commodity. They felt that everyone would be better off. They would have food, and their daughter would have a better life with a wealthy family. Sadly, that was not the case. Kim was physically abused by the rich man's sixteen-year-old son almost immediately. When Shawn found her, she was like a frightened alley cat, ready to strike at anything that got close to her. He charmed her, smoothed out her mangy fur, and gained her confidence. At the time, Shawn was a young part-time bouncer and bartender at one of the busiest clubs on Bangla Road. He took her in, and they remained in a close, frequently stormy relationship ever since. Shawn grew to love her, but he couldn't give her what she wanted most: a family of her own. Over the years, she was happy just to be with him, but his constant flirtation with the young girls at the club proved to be too much for her to handle.

  Shawn inwardly sighed, "I do miss you, Kim," Shawn said softly.

  "Will you please come back to the house?"

  "So I can watch you entertain all those girls you bring into YOUR HOUSE?"

  Shawn let out a long sigh, but this one was audible; "They don't mean anything to me, not like you do. I can't have a rational conversation with them like I do with you. They don't understand me like you do."

  "So why do you dote over them? No, wait, you don't have to answer that."

  Shawn was listening, and he just shook his head;

  "Kim honey, you know I can't live without you… but…”

  "But what?"

  There it was. Out in the open, and Shawn reluctantly had to answer.

  "They keep me…alive. They make me feel young. That's all they mean to me, nothing more!"

  Kim's response was immediate.

  "So as I grow old and ugly, you run after these girls who could be your granddaughters just so you can feel young?"

  "You're not old and ugly. You're a beautiful woman, and I miss you. Will you come back to the house tonight?" Shawn said pleadingly.

  There was a pause on the line. So long that Shawn looked at his phone to see if they were disconnected.

  “Are you still there?” he asked.

  “If you get rid of any girls you have there, I might come over for one night just so we can talk.”

  “Done, now I have to go and see an old friend; I’ll see you tonight, sweetie,” and he rang off.

  Kim just looked at her phone in disbelief, let out a scream, and threw her phone against the wall.

  *****

  Shawn found Kesam's cell number and hit the call button. He answered on the second ring.

  "Did you call to give me some more shit?" Kasam asked.

  "No, Kim's coming back home tonight. Can you get rid of that pretty thing lounging on my balcony?"

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  Kesam's attitude changed immediately;

  "You got it, boss; I'll take care of it right away."

  "Great, Oh…and Kasem…that young lady might not have anything covering her beautiful little body, so try not to peak; I don't want you to have a heart attack, old man."

  There was a long pause, and then Kasam said,

  "Fuck you" in Thai, and then rang off.

  Shawn chuckled and said, "I love you too, man."

  *****

  Shawn parked his Range Rover in the street in front of the run-down building in a part of town that most tourists never saw. An old gray-haired man with no teeth sat smoking a hand-rolled cigarette on the steps leading to Phuket Investigations second-floor office. Shawn walked by him and said in his native language. "How are you today, Addison?" The old man nodded as he walked by and continued looking into the street. Shawn climbed the dirty stairwell until he reached the second-floor hallway leading to the private investigator's office door. He rapped on the opened door and walked in. Tim Choi sat behind a cheap wooden desk in an old leather high-back chair. Choi was typing away at his keyboard when he looked up and saw his old friend walk in. Choi and Shawn had worked the bars together in the early days as bouncers when Shawn was fresh off the boat. Choi was a martial arts expert in Muay Thai, the combat sport in many Indochinese nations; called "The art of eight limbs" because it uses hands, feet, elbows, and knees against their opponent. Besides his Private Eye business, Choi owned and ran a Muay Thai training center in Phuket. Choi had shown him how to survive against the street thugs, gangs, racketeers, and corrupt police and politicians. Shawn had learned how to stay alive in military combat, but in the streets of Phuket, it was a much different kind of war, a much tougher war with enemies just as determined as the NVA and Vietcong.

  *****

  "Shawn, you old bastard, you should have called. I would have at least cleaned my office up a little. Can I get you something to drink?" The old Chinaman got out of his chair and greeted his guest with a firm handshake.

  "You haven't cleaned this office in years, so why start now! As far as the drink, I'll pass. By the way, I met Addison down on the steps. Is he your security guard? I know you wouldn't just leave your door open like that so anyone could come up here and kick your ass like they almost did a few years ago!"

  Choi laughed!

  "I don't have to pay him much. I just hope he stays awake."

  "He does look pretty menacing, but I'd keep your door closed just the same," Shawn said with a straight face.

  "Don't be fooled by his appearance; the man's a killing machine," Choi smiled.

  "I think the only things in danger of being killed by him are possibly the bugs that cross his path?"

  Choi didn’t respond to the jab. “Take a seat and rest your tired old ass.”

  Shawn walked over to a beat up chair and looked at the stack of papers and assorted other crap that was piled up on it.

  Choi noticed his concern and said, “The cleaning lady forgot to come in this week; just throw that shit on the floor and make yourself comfortable.”

  Shawn complied, although the chair proved anything but comfortable. He moved from side to side until he found a position that was tolerable.

  Now that the good natured ribbing was over Choi asked; “So what brings you over to my side of town? I’m sure you didn’t come all the way over here to give me advice on interior design or to discuss my security.” Choi paused; “Does this have anything to do with what happened in the U.S. yesterday?”

  Shawn knew that Choi was sharp, but was taken aback by his intuition.

  “To some degree it does. I need your help in locating someone in the U.S. Does your grandson in L.A. still do some work for you?”

  “Yes he does. What do you need?”

  “I’m going to need his assistance in locating a man for me. The bad part is; I don’t know his name.”

  “Ok, that’s a problem,” Choi answered.

  “Actually, the man I’m seeking is dead. He was a young man who worked for the CIA. He was killed in Xuan Loc, Vietnam in March of 75 just before I was stationed there. I actually want you to try and find his parents.”

  Shawn went on to tell him about the circumstances surrounding his death and about the encrypted letter that he found just before he left Xuan Loc. He also told him everything he could remember about what Jesse had told him about his conversation with Dave Sanders in his Jeep all those years ago.

  Choi listened and took notes as Shawn told him his story. When Shawn finished, Choi said,

  "Do you think this man's parents have the key to that encrypted letter you found?"

  "If they don't, they don't. End of story."

  "Well, I can tell you one thing for certain. I don't think the CIA will be very cooperative. Have you tried to contact Jesse Taylor? Perhaps he will remember the man's name."

  Shawn slowly shook his head, "I'm not even sure if he survived. I tried to find him after my enlistment was up, but I came up empty. Then, as you know, after my incident with my stepfather in Florida, I was forced to flee the country or face trial for murder. Over the years, I often thought about searching for him, but time has a way of stealing away good intentions.

  Now, it was Choi's turn to nod. He was fully aware of his legal problems in the United States. In their younger days, and after they had become good friends, Shawn told him the real reason that he had made Phuket his home.

  "Do you know of anyone else that might know the identity of this nameless agent?" Choi asked.

  Shawn thought about the question for just a few seconds before he answered.

  "The only other person I can think of is my former CO. His name is Paul Bennett. He was a Green Beret Colonel then, and I'm sure he's retired by now."

  "Do you have any other information on him? His age, or where he was from?"

  "I think he was a Southern California boy, and I guess he would be in the late 60s to early 70's."

  "And Taylor?"

  "He was from a small town in western New York. He lived on a lake with a funny name. But I can't remember the town's name."

  "That's ok. Let's start with this and see what comes up. If you remember the name of the town, let me know."

  "His Age"`

  "Around the same age as me," Shawn said with a smile.

  "Okay…so somewhere between twelve and fourteen, but I am leaning toward twelve," Choi said with a tight smile.

  It took a while, but Shawn finally let out a couple of short chuckles. "Yeah, right, asshole."

  "Well, I simply couldn't pass it up. You left the door wide open, Shawn."

  They spoke for several more minutes, and when Choi was confident that he had enough information to give to his grandson, he leaned forward in his chair and asked a probing question.

  "Can I ask you why you're doing this? You just might be kicking a hornet's nest."

  Shawn had asked himself that very question many times on the drive to Choi's office, but for some reason, he had no clear answer. As a Green Beret, he swore to protect and defend the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Now, he had something in his possession that might change the course of a nation. He also had to consider the danger his actions might bring to the ones he loved and cared for. It would be so easy to go back to his life and forget the matter altogether, yet something keeps gnawing at his conscience. He had nothing against Sydney personally. Was it justice, justice for a young man whose life was stolen at an early age? Shawn didn't know what to say to his friend, so he simply said,

  "I really don't know Tim. Maybe the answer will come over time."

  Choi looked at Shawn and pulled on the few hairs on his chin before answering. Choi liked him from the moment they met and had always been intrigued by the man. He was often cavalier, yet when he needed to count on him, he would give you the shirt off his back. Shawn could be brutally hard at times, yet he had a heart of gold and hated injustice. He was with Shawn when they ran into a group of young street thugs who were harassing Kim. Choi was willing to walk by, but not Shawn. Despite being outnumbered six to one, he took out the first three so quickly that the others made a hasty retreat without so much as looking back at their fallen friends lying on the street.

  "Time does have a way of reviling things."

  "That it does," Shawn said with a nod.

  "I don't want to put you or David in any danger. So if you want to bow out, I will understand."

  "I can see where there might be some risk involved. But if something as simple as risk stopped everyone from doing something, nothing would ever be accomplished. I'll inform David of your concerns and see what he wants to do."

  "Thanks, Tim; that's all I can ask. If David decides to take this job, I want to double his normal fee but don't tell him until he accepts. I don't want to influence his decision with money."

  "I will do that. Are you going to double my fees also?" Choi asked half-jokingly.

  Shawn looked at Choi and started to chuckle.

  Getting up to leave, Shawn was happy to get out of the chair. It was extremely uncomfortable. The two men shook hands again, and Choi escorted Shawn to the door.

  "I'll give you a call when I get David's decision. Oh, by the way, my other grandson installed some new encrypted email software on my computer and sent a copy to David. He says it's the best, although he may be slightly biased. He helped develop it, just in case you're worried about Big Brother."

  "What?"

  "The NSA, CIA, or whatever agency they use to spy on people these days."

  "Are you saying that the United States Government reads emails?"

  Choi laughed, "What rock have you been hiding under, son? Emails, phone calls, the internet, and every other way people communicate in the world. Why do you think Bin Laden went low-tech to communicate with his minions? Yes, the U.S. Government spies on everyone, including their own citizens, especially after 9/11. You should talk to my grandson; he could tell you things that will scare the shit out of you."

  "To tell you the truth, I haven't given it much thought, but what you say makes sense. Thanks, Tim. Oh, and one more thing. Get rid of that chair; it sucks."

  Choi snickered and said, "I can't get rid of it. It's a family heirloom."

  "Heirloom my ass; that thing will give you hemorrhoids. Keep in touch, man."

  "I will."

  *****

  When Shawn left, Choi walked behind his chair, looked out the dirty window, and watched as Shawn got into his Range Rover. He wondered if they both were getting into something over their heads. Instead of a hornet's nest, it just might be something a great deal larger and with a lot more sting. He had been around long enough to know that, despite their ideology and outward appearance, people in power were, with few exceptions, absolutely ruthless. After he pulled away from the curb, Choi sat down and started to type the e-mail.