The Dying Beach (34 page)

‘Khun Charlie, see that fabric dangling from the pipe,' she said in Thai. ‘It looks very much like the bag you've got in your hand.'

The Thai man sprang back as if he'd been stung.

‘That makes you an accessory to attempted murder if you don't cooperate,' Jayne said, rising to her feet. ‘Your—friend's—name.'

Charlie swallowed hard. ‘Intradit Jothaprasert,' he said.

‘Nickname?'

‘Choom.'

Jayne turned to Singh. ‘Uncle, you'd better call the police.'

61

Singh sent for the Ao Nang police as the case was in their jurisdiction. Jayne wanted Sergeant Yongyuth there, too, to brief him on her suspicions about Choom's involvement in Pla's death. But his number was in her phone, and her phone was on the bed where she'd tossed it after trying to call Rajiv. She made Paul stand guard while she retrieved it, a short dash inside the room enough to leave her heart racing.

She caught her breath and looked at the screen. Three missed calls, all from Rajiv. He must have tried calling after she fled the cobra, around the same time she was throwing herself at Paul. She fought the impulse to call him straight back, and focused on the task at hand.

She caught Sergeant Yongyuth on duty and convinced him to come from Krabi town despite the late hour. Paul volunteered to retrieve the rest of the stuff from her room, and she was dressed by the time two young officers from the Ao Nang Tourist Police arrived. When Jayne said Sergeant Yongyuth would be joining them, the junior officers busied themselves with filling in forms and left the scene undisturbed.

Yongyuth conferred briefly with the officers before asking Jayne to go over what happened. He took detailed notes as she argued the case that Choom, who was responsible for the attack on her, was also involved in Pla's death. She showed Yongyuth the reference in Pla's notes and told him that Choom had denied ever meeting Pla. She relayed their conversation at the bullfight and pointed out the proximity between their meeting that afternoon and the attempt on her life. She noted, too, Choom's history of working with snakes.

The police sergeant spoke again with his colleagues before using his own torch to inspect the cotton sack in the drainpipe. He interviewed Charlie, making him retrace his steps as he recounted what happened, using chalk to mark the place in the shower recess where the snake was found. He also interviewed Singh.

‘I agree there are grounds to issue an arrest warrant for Khun Intradit, known as Choom,' he said finally.

Jayne felt a wave of relief.

‘You'll need to come to the station in Krabi tomorrow to make an official statement.'

‘Tomorrow's Sunday. You'll be working then?'

‘Of course. Once we make the arrest, we'll also need you to identify the accused in a line-up as part of the investigation.'

‘Sergeant, how long will all this take? I mean, how much longer should I anticipate staying in Krabi?'

Yongyuth frowned. ‘Hard to say, Khun Jayne. A week or two in the first instance, depending on how the investigation progresses. We need time to put together a report to the public prosecutor.'

‘And after that?'

‘Assuming the public prosecutor deems the evidence and facts sufficient, the case will proceed to indictment and trial. Most likely you would be called as a witness, which means returning to Krabi.'

‘For how long?'

Yongyuth shrugged. ‘Hard to say. A week. A month. A trial can be adjourned, an appeal lodged. You might have to come back and forth several times.'

Jayne's heart sank as she contemplated breaking the news to Rajiv. ‘What are the chances of making it to trial?'

‘On the attempted murder charge, there's strong circumstantial evidence, which will be corroborated if we manage to lift prints off the drainpipe.' He nodded to where his colleagues were dusting the blue PVC piping.

‘What about Pla's murder?'

‘No evidence. Weak motive. Short of a confession…' He shrugged again. ‘We could charge him with extortion on the grounds he threatened Khun Singh's livelihood by planting a cobra in his guesthouse.'

‘What would be the point?' Jayne asked.

‘The penalties for offences against property are strict.'

Jayne shook her head. ‘No, not extortion. Murder. I know he killed Pla. Make him confess.'

The police sergeant raised his eyebrows. ‘You've had a nasty shock tonight, Khun Jayne, on top of another violent incident only days ago. Your anxiety is only to be expected.'

‘But I'm not—'

‘People say things they don't mean when they're in a state of heightened anxiety, like suggesting a member of the Royal Thai Police might force someone to make a confession.'

Jayne blushed. ‘Of course. I mean, of course not. Forgive me—'

He dismissed her apology with a wave. ‘I'll see you tomorrow morning. Try to get some sleep.'

Sleep was the last thing on her mind.

‘There's half a bottle of rice whisky in my pack,' she said to Paul when the police finally left.

Paul produced the bottle and two glasses. Jayne lit a cigarette while he poured two generous shots. She raised her glass to his and downed the contents in one gulp.

Paul shot her a worried look. ‘You okay, Jayne?'

She gave him a tipsy smile. ‘I have to make a phone call, only I'm too scared to go back to my room to make it in private. I thought some Dutch courage might help.'

His worried look stayed in place. ‘Make your phone call out here,' he said, pouring her another shot. ‘I'll be inside. Call me when you've finished.'

She caught his hand on the way past. ‘Thanks,' she said. ‘For everything.'

He gave her hand a brief squeeze and closed the door behind him. Jayne drew back on her cigarette deeply and dialled Rajiv's number.

62

Rajiv was roused from his bed by the phone. Still half-asleep, he struggled at first to get his head around what Jayne was saying. But when she mentioned the cobra, he was suddenly wide awake.

‘I don't think I would have made it without you,' Jayne said. ‘It was as if I could hear your voice inside my head, telling me what to do.'

Rajiv was too alarmed to be flattered. ‘I am finding it hard to believe this Choom fellow was trying to kill you. Perhaps he meant only to scare you.'

‘In that case, surely he would've used a snake that looks dangerous but isn't.'

‘Maybe he thought you could tell the difference.'

Her laugh was sharp, verging on hysterical.

‘Jayne, are you okay? How soon are you coming back?'

There was a pause on the end of the line. Rajiv could hear her smoking.

‘I'm not sure,' she said. ‘Sergeant Yongyuth wants me to make an official statement tomorrow and then there'll be an investigation. He said something about a police line-up. He thinks there's a strong chance Choom will be charged with attempted murder, but I reckon we can still get him charged over Pla's death, too.'

‘So you will be making your statement tomorrow and then coming back?'

‘No. That's what I'm saying. I need to be here, Rajiv. I need to keep pushing for the cops to look into Pla's death and make sure Choom doesn't try to pay them off.'

‘Have you told Sergeant Yongyuth everything?'

‘Yes. He's even taken Pla's notebook as evidence.'

‘Then surely the police are capable of conducting further investigations without you,' Rajiv said. ‘I don't want you to stay away any longer, Jayne. I need you. The business needs you—'

‘That's what really matters to you, isn't it? You don't care about Pla. You just want me back so I can start earning money again. It's all about the fucking business.'

Rajiv took a deep breath. Jayne wasn't herself. She'd be traumatised after her ordeal with the cobra. He tried to remember what he'd read about how to deal with people suffering from post-traumatic distress. Don't take it personally. Don't judge. Don't expect much. But don't tolerate unacceptable behaviour.

‘Jayne, you've had a terrible shock and—'

‘If one more person tells me I've had a terrible shock, I'll scream,' she said.

Rajiv took a deep breath, tried a different tack. ‘I'm worried about you. I nearly lost you tonight, Jayne. Come home.'

‘Home?' Her voice rose dangerously. ‘You call what we have a home? It's nothing more than a glorified office where you occasionally sleep when it suits you.'

‘Jayne, please—'

‘You're happy for us to be registered as business partners but you won't introduce me to your family. Hell, you haven't even told them about me. For all I know you're just using me to get a toehold in the PI industry before heading home to India to marry some nice girl your mother picked out for you.'

Rajiv wondered where all this was coming from. Wasn't it obvious that in formalising their business partnership he had indicated his long-term commitment to their relationship?

‘I'm sorry if I've given you that impression,' he said. ‘There's no one else. I am wanting to be with you only, Jayne. I thought you understood that.' He listened to her smoke, trying to imagine the look on her face. ‘Come home,' he said again.

‘I can't,' she said. ‘I have to see this through.'

‘No, you don't,' he said softly. ‘You are doing what you accuse me of, putting business before our relationship.'

When she didn't respond for a moment, Rajiv wondered if she was still there.

‘I just can't drop it all now,' she said finally.

‘You always have choices,' he said.

‘But—'

Rajiv cut her off. ‘I love you, Jayne, and I am wanting to be with you. But not if you are making me second best. In that case, I will not stay.'

He heard a sound that could have been a cough or a cry before the phone went dead.

63

Jayne woke on Sunday morning to see the clock on the bedside table change from 5.45 to 5.46. She was surprised to have slept at all, given her state of mind.

The pre-dawn chorus started as she watched the clock, birds whistling, whooping, screeching and cawing. Jayne rolled over and looked at Paul, fast asleep in the bed beside her. On the understanding they would ‘just sleep', she'd asked to stay in his room, too frightened to return to hers and sleep alone. He told her she needn't worry, made a joke of wearing underpants as well as shorts to bed, and went out of his way to be accommodating and polite. They lay back to back at first. But after an hour's sleeplessness, Paul rolled over and put his arms around her. Jayne didn't resist. He made her feel protected. She fell into a grateful sleep.

The clock switched to 5.47. The birds fell silent as the sonorous dawn prayer rang out from the nearest mosque. Jayne eased herself up, careful not to wake Paul. She threw cold water on her face and dressed in the dark, taking her handbag as she crept out of the room.

A young girl with a damp ponytail was topping up the pots of sugar, chilli flakes, soy and fish sauces on the tables in the guesthouse restaurant. Jayne ordered coffee and a bowl of noodles. She fought the urge to light a cigarette—she'd been smoking way too much—and turned on the nearest fan, the air already warm enough to make her sweat.

She glanced at the television mounted on the wall above the bar. It was tuned to MTV. A girl in big glasses with a cat was singing to the camera as it followed her around a warehouse. Lisa someone. The volume was barely audible but Jayne knew the song. The title flashed across the bottom of the screen: ‘Stay (I missed you)'.

Rajiv's words of the previous evening came back to her.
If you are making me second best, I will not stay.
She hadn't lied when she told Paul her partner was direct.

Jayne had wanted to know if Rajiv was serious about their relationship and he'd called her bluff. Did they have a future together? Wasn't it too soon to be asking? She hadn't thought it through. Nothing new in that. For the past five years she'd made spur-of-the-moment decisions, with life-altering consequences. The decision to leave Australia. The decision to stay in Thailand. The decision to work as a private investigator. The decision to go into business with Rajiv. None of it thought through, and not a moment of regret.

But this was different. What Rajiv offered wasn't about running off on a whim in pursuit of the next adventure. It meant staying for the long haul.

Jayne sipped the coffee that had arrived without her noticing and took a notebook and pen from her bag. There had to be a way she could write herself out of the case, a different story she could tell to account for the same phenomena.

She let the noodle soup go cold and was onto her second coffee when the idea came to her. She began drafting an official statement to give the police.

She outlined her reasons for believing Choom to be behind both Pla's death and the attack on her. But his intended target, she wrote, was actually the Australian volunteer Paul O'Donnell. Choom recognised Paul as the environmentalist who'd been monitoring the power plant project alongside Pla. Choom got Pla out of the way when she threatened to expose his plans to establish shrimp farms in the mangrove forest. But when Paul showed up soon after, Choom guessed Pla had told Paul of these plans. Choom thought he was planting the cobra in the room assigned to Paul, but due to a mix-up at reception, the cobra had ended up in Jayne's room. She'd need to get Singh to corroborate this part of the story but didn't think it would be a problem. Singh would do anything to help put Choom away.

There was a risk in fabricating Choom's motive. But if the illegal shrimp-farming plans didn't kill his credibility, the charge of attempted murder by cobra would. And given his ongoing denial of involvement in Pla's death, Jayne had no scruples about bending the truth. Plus she was confident that Paul would substantiate her version of events. Something told her he'd welcome a shot at playing the hero.