“I thought I’d be doing my homework alone this trip,” he said.

“And you will be,” said Siri. “But we feel like we’re really close to putting all the pieces together. We had an epiphany that we’re now on a treasure hunt with an evil Japanese villain watching our every move. How much more thrilling could it all be? While you’re at the clinics and pharmacies, we’ll go to see Kyoko and find out whether her sensei has any news for us. We’ve decided that the answer to everything lies within the ranks of the yokai. Hiro has led us into the world of the demons for a reason. That’s where we’ll find the treasure.”

They docked the old boat at its usual disused pier and Beer padlocked it to a post even though they all doubted anyone would bother to steal it. He put the key under a rock. They agreed to meet back there at eleven to compare notes.

“What do we do about Yuki-san?” Beer asked.

“He worries you, doesn’t he,” said Daeng.

“If he was on the village raid, he must have accomplices who are killers,” he said. “Yes, I’m excited about solving the mystery of the lost treasure, especially if there’s a chance of my sharing in the spoils, but I’m not in a hurry to die for it. I’d never met Yuki before but he came straight up to me in the market and asked about you. So he knows who I am and where to find me. I’m not a fighter. I’m not you, Madam Daeng. If it comes down to it, I’m a coward.”

“I understand,” said Siri. “When we get back to Thakhek today we’ll use our contacts to trace him. We know people at police HQ. It can’t be that difficult to find a foreigner with a family, not even in the mountains. If he’s on the Vietnamese side they’d have a record of him. We’ll find him. Once Yuki-san stops being anonymous, he stops being a threat.”

“I was . . . I was kind of thinking you’d already started a search for him,” said Beer.

“Not so simple, Beer,” said Siri. “You know what communication’s like in this place. But don’t panic. We won’t let anything happen to you.”

They shook hands and went their separate ways. Siri and Daeng took the river road, stopping to admire the pickled monkey bushes, looking across the river at the dinosaur country they lived in.

“Do you think we can find something for him in Vientiane?” Siri asked.

“Beer? Are you still collecting people, Dr. Siri?”

“More like an investment, I’d say. If his face wasn’t split in half he’d be snapped up by the UN or some NGO: hardworking, responsible, honest, fluent in half a dozen languages. He could be on a living wage somewhere.”