“I could be your spotter.”

“We could always try to shake Simolzak down for another pistol,” teased Condley.

Muir shrugged, pretending seriousness. “I think the moment has passed on that one, unless you brought another girl.”

“Have you ever fired a gun, Professor?”

“Actually, I used to own a BB gun. They came in handy in Indiana. I was twelve at the time.”

“Not good enough.”

“I knew that.” Muir suddenly chuckled, as if the whole thing were so ludicrous that it was logical. “Oh, all right, I will be your squire. Lead on, fair knight. And I shall follow.”

It was growing dark. Condley drained his beer and checked his watch. “Then let’s go.”

Muir took a deep breath. His eyes moved this way and that, avoiding Condley’s. “Can I go to the men’s room first?”

Condley laughed, rising from his chair. “I’ll go with you. This is probably going to take a while.”

When they left the hotel Condley walked down to the nearby Oriental Pier, where he flagged a boat taxi rather than taking a tuk tuk or a cab to Klong Toey. From this part of Bangkok the river was far faster than the choked roads.

The two men sat on low seats near the waterline in the long, slim boat, its outboard motor whining and the warm, musky water of the river splashing against their faces. The bright lights and gaudy hotels of new Bangkok slipped quickly past them as they sped down the river. A bridge flashed overhead, choked with evening traffic. The river bent slowly around a turn. And soon the boat’s driver had beached them up against the darkened shoreline near the shacks and concrete gutters of the slaughterhouse. They landed only yards from where Manh and Dzung had stood a few hours before.

“Amphibious assault,” joked Condley quietly as he helped the lumbering Muir out of the boat. Then the boat taxi sped away, and they were alone. It was pitch-black. Nothing moved around them. Uphill they could hear the woeful screams of dying hogs.

Muir’s face shined from the glow of a distant light, his terror palpable. “Don’t get too far away from me, Brandon.”

“Stay right behind me.” Condley pointed toward the noise. “It’s not far. Walk slowly and don’t talk. If somebody sees us, pretend you’re bored. We’re going up this hill.”

“Bored?” asked Muir, breathlessly following Condley. “Bored?”

“Like maybe you’re here to buy some meat.”