The bar at the Nam Poo fountain was popular with foreigners even though the fountain never spurted and the beer was never cold enough to please everyone. When Siri arrived they saw Cindy drinking with a handsome young Asian man built like an athlete. It was dark, but he had sunglasses perched on top of his head. She let go of his hand when Siri arrived and didn’t introduce him.

“How’s the film going?” she asked.

“On hold,” said Siri.

“Yes,” she said. “We heard about Civilai. You and he were very close.”

“We were brothers.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you.”

He didn’t feel a lot of sincerity coming from her direction. She was clearly drunk and impatient to get back to her liaison.

“I was hoping you could find me some information about a pilot who was shot down over Vietnam in ’66.”

“Much of our records are still classified,” she said.

“This one should be open enough,” he said, and told her about Henry. He kept it brief because he felt he was intruding. She threw back a tall rum and Coke and signaled to the waitress for another while he spoke. He got a feeling her Grace Kelly looks wouldn’t be accompanying her into her forties.

“We all have to go to the parade tomorrow,” she said. “But I’ll see what I can find after.”

“I appreciate that.”

He nodded at the young man who merely glared back, and he went in search of Daeng on the other side of the fountain. They were in the middle of the city but there were no street or shop lamps around, so he used the table candles to light his way. He almost missed his wife, who was sitting at a shadowy table with Dani and Chanta, the owners of the bar.

“Siri,” said Daeng. “We may have some good news at last.”

“I don’t know,” said Siri. “There was something uneasy about her.”

He was sitting in front of Phosy’s desk at police headquarters telling them about his brief encounter with Cindy the night before.

“And perhaps she had something to be uneasy about,” said Sihot who was leaning against the wall behind his boss.

“Why’s that?” Siri asked.

“I was talking to the Swedes last night,” he said. “One of them said he saw your friend Cindy talking to Jim the photographer the night before he died.”

“That would have been after Dtui and I talked to them,” said Phosy.

“You think Cindy was the mysterious contact?” Siri asked.

“They’re sure to have spare keys for Silver City at the embassy,” said Phosy.

“You’d think we’d have been smart enough to change the locks,” said Sihot.

“There were no keys on the bodies,” said Phosy. “So, whoever tampered with the car had to be there to wave them off and lock up.”