Stealing Asia (9 page)

The others were
still on the boat and they helped each of us back onboard. Obviously, Esteban
had been trying to fix the broken dive vest. With the American pair; I wondered
if they had seen the shark and not dared enter the water. They did at least
help Asia and Manu remove their heavy equipment. The shark, of course, had
already relieved me of mine.

Even after I
removed the regulator from my mouth, I was still breathing heavily. Only with
the danger now passed did I appreciate the full extent of it. Asia, however,
had not taken the incident quite so badly. She was giddy with excitement and
eager to tell the others of what had happened. It was like listening to her
describing a scene from a movie.

‘The shark
attacked you?’ asked Izzie, her eyes wide with terror.

‘Too right it
attacked us,’ replied Asia. ‘It seemed to target Ben the most.’

Poor Izzie
looked at me like I was a ghost, but I just shrugged away her concern. It could
hardly have been personal that the shark went for me. I was just the weakest
swimmer and had probably given off similar signals to an injured fish. Even the
fiercest of predators will choose the softest target. It is nature’s way.

‘What happened
to your tank?’ asked Esteban.

There was a
slight hint of suspicion underneath his concern.

‘I had to ditch
it,’ I replied. ‘The shark wouldn’t let go and Asia actually had to cut me out
of my BCD.’

The Argentine
narrowed his eyes.

‘So did it want
you or the tank?’

‘Well, it didn’t
let go once I’d been freed, so I guess it preferred the tank.’

He nodded,
thoughtfully. Clay had been listening in and he walked over, determined to be a
part of the conversation.

‘Sharks will
chew on anything they can fit into their mouths,’ he said. ‘It sounds like Ben
had a lucky escape and he has Asia to thank for it.’

Attention
quickly shifted away from me and Asia was all too happy to lap it up. I
suspected this had been Clay’s intention. I let her enjoy her moment of glory
while I changed out of my wetsuit. Manu checked my back for any wounds, but
apart from a couple of superficial bruises he found nothing that I needed to
worry about.

‘Has anything
like this ever happened to you before?’ I asked him.

‘Never,’ he
replied. ‘I’ve come across sharks a hundred times and bigger than that one too.
Some have showed signs of aggression, but that’s the first one I’ve actually
seen attack. It makes no sense; something must have triggered it into acting
like that.

‘It was probably
just me. I seem to attract trouble lately. In this past week I’ve had a gun
pulled on me, been scammed by ticket touts, almost drowned falling from a pier
and now attacked by a man eating shark. Fate definitely has it in for me.’

Manu chuckled as
if he was privy to information beyond my grasp.

‘It sounds more
like fate is taking care of you. If your story is true; you, my friend, have a
guardian angel.’

‘Are you kidding
me? Didn’t you hear what I just said? I got robbed and could have died three
times.’

‘That is
precisely my point. It is typical of an Englishman to be so negative. To cheat
death once is most fortunate. To cheat death twice is a blessing, but three
times? Somebody has to be watching over you.’

‘I guess so,’ I
replied. ‘I never actually thought about it that way.’

Manu had a
point. Maybe I was lucky after all. We went back up to the top deck and I
helped him pack the equipment away. Whilst the Frenchman started the engine to
take us all back to shore, I joined Asia at the back of the boat. Now the
adrenaline had died down she was not quite so vocal about the attack and I
sensed that underneath the surface she was beginning to take in the full
magnitude of what had happened. Between the mugging, the quad bike and the
shark attack, her luck during the past week had been no different to mine.

‘Thank you,’ I
said, placing my arm around her shoulders.

‘For what?’ she
replied.

‘For saving my
life.’

‘I suppose this
makes us even now.’

‘Hardly; I’d
gladly take a hundred muggers over one tiger shark any day.’

‘They were both
sharks. The only difference was that one had a gun and the other had teeth.’

She was right. I
held her tightly and we said no more for the rest of the journey. Everybody was
tired when we got back to shore and no one felt in the mood for socialising.
The only exception was Esteban, who persuaded Manu to stay and have a beer with
him. I guess he knew that I wanted to spend time with Asia as he did not invite
me to join them. The other couples stayed in their beach huts and Asia and I
did the same. When we got inside, we lay down on the bed and just held each
other. For once, sex was not at the forefront of my mind.

Chapter 8

I woke up sometime
during the night. A storm was blowing in from the sea, which was creating
strong winds outside. There was also a repetitive clatter as something banged
against the front of the beach hut. I carefully pushed aside the mosquito
netting that surrounded the bed and got up to take a look. The force of the
wind almost blew the door into my face as I undid the lock. The disturbance
caused Asia to stir slightly in her sleep, but she did not wake. Leaving her to
her slumber, I stepped outside and pulled the door closed behind me, careful to
secure it so that it did not blow open again.

We had a hammock
strung out on the porch and even in the dark I could see that it had come
loose, which was the cause of the noise as it flapped against the wood
panelling of the hut. I quickly fastened it down and was about to return to bed
when I noticed a light about a hundred yards away. The resort had no power
during the night as the generators were usually turned off shortly after the
bar closed. The source of the illumination was not from any of the cabins or
the reception. It was from a boat.

Not wanting to
give my presence away, I crouched down behind the support struts of the cabin
and watched as a figure cloaked in black threw something over the side of the
vessel into the dark waters below. The mystery figure then dived into the water
themselves only to emerge thirty seconds later on the shore. A light was shone
on the swimmer from the boat, probably just to make sure that they made it to
the beach safely as it turned off once it found its target. Before it did so, I
managed to catch sight of the stranger take hold of a rope and begin to pull. I
guessed that whatever had been thrown overboard must have been attached, but
could not confirm it as I was too far away in the darkness. I then glanced back
to the boat and saw it accelerate away with the sound of the wind masking the
noise from its engines. When I looked back to the shore the interloper was
nowhere to be seen.

Rather than go
back inside straight away, I waited. The beach was cloaked in complete darkness
and the stranger was somewhere on the sand in front of me. Until I knew what I
was dealing with, I could not afford to be seen. After a while I could feel the
wind gaining strength and once the rain started I had no choice other than to
return to my cabin. I made my move quickly and could only hope that my being
outside had gone unnoticed.

After locking
the door behind me, I waited and listened before getting back into bed. I heard
nothing and I was too spooked to dare attempt another peek outside. Whatever
was going on was not meant to be seen, otherwise there would not have been the
need to use the cover of darkness. Dozens of questions were fighting for my
attention. Who had swum ashore? What was in the bag? Did they see me? My gut
told me that knowing the answers would likely only leave me feeling worse.

Trouble seemed
to be finding me all too easily during this past week. First there was the
mugging then Sungai Kolok and now this. At least when the shark attacked I
could put it down to simple misfortune. The other incidents I was not so sure
about. Despite logic telling me otherwise, I could not help but feel that they
were all somehow connected. There was only one common denominator that I could
think of. I glanced down at Asia as she slept peacefully beside me. I did not
know how and I did not know why, but I was certain that something terrible was
going to happen and she would be right at the centre of it all.

Chapter 9

Asia was the first
to rise. I remained in the bed with my eyes closed, though I was not sleeping.
The truth was that I had not slept at all since seeing the stranger emerge from
the boat. To avoid worrying her, I thought it best not to let on about my
sleepless night until I had more information. She placed her hand on my
shoulder and gently shook me.

‘Is it that time
already?’ I asked, pretending I had just woken up.

She crawled over
me and climbed out of the bed in order to go to the bathroom. When she
returned, I was sat on the edge of the mattress. She grabbed my hand and
hoisted me up onto my feet before pushing me into the bathroom.

‘Hurry up and
get ready, will you,’ she said. ‘I don’t want to miss breakfast.’

The restaurant
was full when we got there. As well as the tourists staying in the other cabins
there were also some day trippers from a boat moored a little off shore. Due to
the limited table space, we ended up sharing with the other couples. I always
enjoyed the company of Dee and Izzie, but the American pair had really been
getting on my nerves the previous few days. I glanced around for Esteban, but
he was nowhere to be seen. Cordial greetings were exchanged and then we ordered
our food.

Breakfast was
the one meal where I could enjoy some of the more familiar home comforts. As
well as the Thai staples of rice and noodles, we had the opportunity to partake
in traditional western fare. I opted for fried egg on toast, whilst the others
all settled on pancakes. Barrett was the only one not to order as he claimed to
be suffering from some sort of imbalance in his ears due to diving the previous
day. He attempted to ease the pressure by chewing gum.

The English girls
had fresh fruit with their pancakes, but Asia and Clay both ordered theirs
plain and drenched them in maple syrup as soon as the plates were put in front
of them. It never ceased to amaze me how people could eat what was essentially
a dessert for breakfast.

‘What are
everybody’s plans for today?’ I asked, as I cut into my egg, spilling the yolk
over the bread.

‘Anything that
doesn’t involve going in the water,’ Dee quickly replied.

Now that we had
all been given time to put the shark incident into perspective the way in which
we viewed the ocean had changed. The water no longer seemed so warm and
inviting, but cold and dangerous. Even Asia had foregone her morning swim.
Although nobody admitted it, they were relieved that Dee had ruled out the
option from the start.

‘Me and Barrett
have an idea for a little excursion if you guys are up for it,’ suggested Clay.

Rather than
reply myself, I decided to just leave this one to Asia. They were, after all,
her friends, not mine.

‘What do you
have in mind?’ she asked.

‘It’s starting
to get a little crowded around here,’ replied Clay. He looked over each
shoulder in turn to indicate the other tourists, but I got the impression that
he was really referring to Esteban. ‘I propose that we check out one of the
beaches further along the coast. Some have no permanent settlements, so we will
be able to camp out directly on the beach.’

I kept my eyes
focused on Asia, hoping to gauge her reaction. Despite having strong
reservations about the American pair, I was open to the idea. After what I had
witnessed the previous night, I was planning on raising the subject of leaving
the resort anyway.

‘That sounds
like a good idea,’ she said. ‘What do you think, Ben - are you up for a bit of
camping?’

I shrugged. So
long as I offered no objections Asia would take it for granted that I would go
along with whatever she wanted to do. It was agreed that we would depart later
that afternoon. After lunch I went to Esteban’s cabin to tell him about our
plans.

‘Do you think
that this is wise?’ he asked. ‘Those Americans are nothing but trouble and you
would be a fool to trust them.’

‘It was their
idea,’ I replied. ‘I think they realise that they have been acting like
arseholes these past few days and are trying to make amends.’

I could tell that
he was far from convinced.

‘I also think it
would be good to experience a change of scenery,’ I added.

‘The scenery
will be no different at the next beach,’ he said. ‘Or do you have a more
specific reason for wanting to leave here?’

I thought about
what I had seen the previous night; a stranger swimming ashore under the cover
of darkness with a mysterious bag in tow. I feared something bad was going to
happen if we stayed and that Asia was in danger. He picked up on my
apprehension immediately. It was almost impossible to keep anything from him.
He had an acute talent for reading people. To Esteban, the slightest facial
movement or change in posture was like an elaborate mime.

‘Something is
worrying you,’ he said. ‘Do you care to share what that something is?’

I told him about
the swimmer. Whether he thought I had a justifiable concern or was just being
paranoid, I could not tell. Unlike me, his features gave nothing away. After a
moment’s contemplation he offered up a theory of his own.

‘It sounds to me
that what you saw was nothing but one of the locals indulging in some spear
fishing. It is forbidden virtually everywhere, hence using the cover of
darkness. I bet that bag contained nothing but a few illegally caught
barracuda.’

‘Spear fishing?’
I queried.

‘Sure,’ he
replied. ‘It’s really common in these parts. Not something I would recommend
myself, mind you. Especially after seeing how aggressive that shark was
yesterday. They follow the fishermen and can sometimes attempt to steal their
catches. Imagine feeling a tug on the line and turning to find a large shark
has stolen your dinner.’

It seemed
plausible. The resort staff had often come across as slightly odd and it would
not surprise me to discover they were doing some things that they shouldn’t. It
did not change my mind about the camping trip though. I was tempted to invite
Esteban to join us, but I knew that Barrett and Clay would only object and
cause even more disharmony in the camp. Besides, we would only be gone for one
night and would not be checking out of the resort just yet, so I expected that
I would see my friend again.

The sun was not
due to set until after eight o’clock so we planned on having an early dinner
before heading to the next beach. Asia was already at the bar with Esteban and
the girls when I walked over to meet them. Barrett was sat outside of his cabin
with a bottle of beer and I thought it strange that he was not drinking with
the others. He had his back to me and his view appeared to be split between the
bar and the ocean. As I approached, I took a casual glance from side to side.
The cabins were divided into two rows with the front ones directly facing the
ocean and the rear ones just behind them. The difference between the two was
about ten feet and two hundred Baht.

Esteban had one
of the cabins in the rear. Everyone kept their doors shut to keep out unwanted
visitors such as snakes or lizards, but I noticed that the Argentine’s door was
clearly ajar even though he was at the bar. I assumed he had not closed it properly
and the wind had blown it open. I walked over to close it for him when I
detected movement from inside.

‘Hey!’ I
instinctively called out as I ran towards the door.

Upon reaching
it, I quickly pushed it fully open and stepped inside. The layout was identical
to the one I shared with Asia. It even had a double bed, which unlike mine was
perfectly made. I saw nobody in the bedroom so assumed whoever was in there had
fled to the bathroom when they heard me coming. I took a step forward, but then
suddenly felt a strong hand muzzle my mouth and drag me into the corner of the
room. I struggled to break free, but my assailant was stronger than me and
their hold proved immovable.

My initial
suspicions fell on the mystery night swimmer. My mind overflowed with the
possibilities of what might happen next. Would I be kidnapped, killed or simply
knocked unconscious; left to wake up with a thunderous headache and even more
painful questions buzzing around my mind. None of these things happened.
Instead, my assailant merely asked me to stay calm and keep my mouth shut. It
was a voice that I clearly recognised.

‘Esteban Cruz is
not who you think he is,’ the man said. ‘I can explain everything, but first
you are going to have to trust me. Do you understand?’

Sensing a trick,
I continued to struggle against his hold.

‘Ben, listen to
me,’ he said. ‘I think that Asia in danger.’

This time he got
my attention. I stopped struggling and in turn I felt his grip on me loosen. I
pushed his arms away from me and took a few steps deeper into the room. I did
not attempt to flee.

‘What does
breaking into my friend’s cabin have to do with Asia?’ I asked.

Clay crouched
down beside Esteban’s backpack. He then reached into a side pouch from which he
removed a manila envelope. He threw this onto the bed.

‘Before you ask
any more questions, you should take a look at this.’

The envelope was
not sealed and I peeled back the cover to peek inside. It contained a selection
of large photographic prints. I slid the first one out and I realised at once
that Clay was telling the truth. Esteban Cruz was certainly not who he claimed
to be. The photo was of Asia, but it was not recent. It had been taken before
Esteban had met her or even me for that matter. At least that is what I
assumed. Evidently, he had an interest in Asia before the introduction at the
full moon party.

‘There is more,’
said Clay, urging me to look further.

I tipped the
rest of the envelope’s contents onto the bed. There was a selection of
passports, all of which represented different nationalities. Though the name on
each of them was different, the pictures were the same. They all belonged to
Esteban Cruz, if indeed that was his real name.

‘I don’t
understand,’ I said. ‘What does all of this mean?’

Clay took the
pictures and the passports from me and after putting them back into the
envelope, he returned it to the side pouch of Esteban’s bag. He then moved
closer to the bed and placed his hands underneath to retrieve something else.

‘Asia is his
target. You merely got in the way; a problem that he has been trying to
rectify.’

He slid a large
black bag out from under the bed. It was the same bag I had witnessed being
smuggled to shore the previous night. The story of the spear fishermen was an
obvious lie as I now realised that Esteban had been the one on the boat. I
almost did not want to know what was inside. As Clay peeled back the zip, I
looked away fearing that a body would fall out.

‘You should look
at this,’ he said.

I glanced over.
There was no body in sight, but what I did see raised an even greater question.

‘Why?’ I asked.
‘What use could that possibly be to anyone; it’s been destroyed.’

He peeled back
the vest of the BCD to reveal the cylinder attached to it. There were about a
dozen scratches across its surface and there was a puncture at the bottom. A
single tooth was still embedded in the aluminium casing. Clay reached his hand
up to the point where the air tank had been attached to the vest. He turned his
wrist as if attempting to unscrew or perhaps even just twist something loose.
When I saw his hand again there was a palm sized metal device resting on it. It
did not look like any part of the kit that I was familiar with.

‘What is it?’

Rather than
passing it over for my inspection, he placed it into his pocket.

‘It’s a shark magnet.’

This was not
something that I had ever heard of.

‘A shark
magnet?’

‘All living
things give off an electro-magnetic field. Sharks have tiny sensors built into
their snouts that enable them to pick up on these signals. Each creature has a
unique signature and the sharks can read this and use it as a hunting tool. The
shark magnet gives off a pulse that is undetectable to a human, but easily read
by a shark. They can be tuned to resemble the same signature pulse of an
injured fish in distress. Big game fishermen use them to help them bring in the
biggest catch.’

‘So these things
are legal?’

‘Not quite.’ He
returned the bag to its hiding place under the bed. ‘I’ll explain outside. It’s
safer if we do not hang around here for too long.’

We left the
cabin and I noticed that Clay refastened the padlock as we did so. He then led
me back towards my own cabin. It put us out of sight of the bar, but I could
see that Barrett was acting as a lookout.

‘Commercial
shark magnets are much bulkier than what I just showed you and require an
external power source. The fishermen attach the electromagnet to a battery by a
waterproof cable that they lower into the water. The tech that we are dealing
with here is much more sophisticated as it has its own power source. Of course,
the compromise comes in the form of a greatly reduced battery life; possibly no
more than a few minutes, but when you know that there is a shark close by that
is enough.’

It did not take
me long to figure out what he was implying.

‘You’re saying
that Esteban was trying to kill me?’

‘Think about
it,’ he said. ‘Your so called “friend” was very eager to exchange BCD’s with
you when yours became damaged. A little too eager, maybe?’

I began to feel
light headed.

‘He can’t have.
You saw that my BCD was broken. That is why we exchanged.’

‘Not broken;
sabotaged. Esteban deliberately rigged your air filter to jam so that he could
give you the BCD with the shark magnet attached. It also gave him an excuse to
stay out of the water. The plan very nearly worked too.’