“They were sold. The girls remember Big Daddy arriving in a helicopter, shaking hands with their parents, and being herded aboard. The village I went to with Roper was the depot. All their acquisitions passed through there on their way to the border and the camps. It’s like when Phosy shut down the traffickers on the Thai border, except this was legitimized at the camps with UN paperwork. They hire someone to be the mother, she and the kids are registered at the camp, the NGOs push for single mothers to be fast-tracked, and whoosh, there they are in Wisconsin. They’re met by American agents who sell them to the highest bidders. The women who acted as the mothers are probably sold into some sort of bonded labor.”

“You’re angry.”

“I am not. I am thoroughly pissed.”

“And when you’re angry you have a habit of making unilateral decisions.”

“Nonsense,” said Daeng, searching the wardrobe for something to drink.

“So you haven’t done anything outrageous?” he asked.

“Of course not.”

She went to the bathroom and ladled cool water from the tank onto her feet. This confirmed it for him. Her feet never lied.

“I’m going to be a father, aren’t I?” he said.

She came back and sat beside him on the bed. She put a hand on his thigh.

“Just for a little while,” she said.

Siri hadn’t needed a lot of persuading. He’d been taking in strays for some time. And his conscience would never have allowed those two scared girls to be returned to the families that had sold them. After a day that seemed to rid the two of their devils, they slept now without fear of what the future might bring. Siri and Daeng sat on the balcony in front of their room.

“So now you can tell me about Toshi’s revival,” said Daeng.

It was an annoying night. The heavens were tossing rain here and there. The balcony was covered but the occasional splash on the wind would water down their drinks then slap their faces. But they weren’t about to give in to it. Siri told her about Yuki-san and his relationship with Major Hiro. He said that if she was free from mothering responsibilities the next day, Daeng should join him at the only functioning restaurant in town. She could meet the Japanese and see what she thought of him.

“Where did he go?” she asked.

“When?”

“When he left you,” said Daeng. “He said he had to go and he’d see you for lunch tomorrow. So where did he go?”

“I don’t know,” said Siri. “He probably has influential friends here from the old days. A lot of ex–freedom fighters are somebodies now.”

“Like us?”

“Exactly. Why are you always so suspicious?”