“Because it keeps us alive,” said Daeng. “Because your mind needs quality control sometimes. You’re a book reader. You’re easily fooled by a clever phrase or a deep thought. It diverts your instincts. You should always be expecting an attack.”

“Can I expect an attack tonight?”

She laughed.

“It might wake the children,” she said.

“I doubt it,” said Siri. “I put two teaspoonfuls of rum in their rice porridge.”

“If I thought that was true I’d leave you for Malcolm. He has an aquarium.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

The Tunnel of Love

Siri, Daeng, and Beer waited for Yuki-san for an hour at the roadside restaurant, but he didn’t show. In that hour one other customer arrived on a bicycle, ordered something to go, and went.

So there were only three of them for lunch. Roper was with the governor putting in an official complaint about Big Daddy’s clan. The girls were with Malcolm. Siri and his party were the only seated customers. Having learned from their previous noodle experience, they did not order noodles. They ate sticky rice with a few assorted dips, most of which were so spicy they couldn’t tell a carrot from a chicken liver. But the owner had a few bottles of beer from across the river and the current Singha Beer ad campaign was “We put out your fire.” Which was appropriate.

Their own Beer was busy mopping up the dips with the leftover rice.

“Do you think anything will happen to Big Daddy and his gang?” Siri asked him.

“No,” said Beer. “You’ll all go home and that official report will be lining the bottom of a parrot cage in the governor’s garden. If they’ve got access to a helicopter there have to be at least some military bigwigs in on the racket. And there’d be sufficient volume to make it worth everyone’s while. There are still family groups headed on foot toward the border. They’ll be easy pickings for someone like Daddy and his team.”

“No worries,” said Siri. “We’ll get the chief inspector of police on it when we get back.”

“Right,” said Beer with a distinct lack of belief.

“And getting back might come sooner than we expected,” said Daeng. “Roper’s talking about heading off tomorrow morning.”

“And leaving the Toshi case dangling?” said Siri.

“It’s not a case, Siri,” said Daeng. “Right now it’s still a story. And without your Japanese witness there’s nothing else you can do.”

“We still have clues,” said Siri.

“Like what?” said Daeng.

“Like the Tunnel of Love, for one. Where do you think that might be, Comrade Beer?”

“Difficult to say, Doctor,” said Beer. “Khammouane Province has more tunnels and caves than people.”

“But are any of them notably loveable?” asked Siri.

“I’m not a fan of confined spaces myself,” said Beer.