| General Fiction posted April 23, 2024 | Chapters: |
...23 24 -25- 
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A Romantic Thriller set in Thailand and Australia
A chapter in the book Panpipes
Panpipes - Chapter 25
by tfawcus
The author has placed a warning on this post for violence.
A summary of the preceding chapters is in the Author Notes below.
End of Chapter 24
‘Please at least consider it,’ Ayesha said. ‘I know of a new charitable foundation being formed in Sydney that is on the lookout for places dedicated to the conservation of elephants. It might look favourably on such a project. I could investigate for you.’
Runrot dismissed the idea with a sardonic smile. ‘Find me some fool with a quarter of a billion bahts to give away, and I’ll consider it.’
‘All right,’ Ayesha said. ‘I will. It’s been a pleasure to meet you, kuhn Runrot. A very great pleasure.’
As she made her way back to her car, Runrot turned to Chanarong and said, ‘Who was that feisty young lady friend of yours, you old goat?’
‘That,’ Chanarong replied, ‘was Mrs Davidson. You will have read of her in the papers, no doubt. If rumours are correct, she has become an extremely wealthy widow. She may not be joking, you know.’
Chapter 25
Ayesha arrived in the carpark to find Chanin slouched against the bonnet of the Yellow Peril with a cigarette dangling between his lips. He was punching the buttons of his mobile phone and appeared to take no notice as she approached. She ignored him and slid into the driver’s seat, expecting him to move away when she started the engine. Instead, he swung around, opened the rear passenger side door, and slipped in behind her.
‘What do you think you’re doing? Get out of my car.’
He leant forward and blew smoke at her. The air was filled with a slightly sweet, woody smell that made her eyes water.
‘I need a lift into town.’
Ayesha fumed. How dare he! ‘Like hell I’m taking you. I’m not going there anyway. Get out this instant before I call the police.’
‘Oh, I think you are, missy.’ His voice was low and sinister. She felt the cold face of a blade pressed against the side of her neck. ‘Do what I say, and you won’t get hurt.’ He sat back in his seat and waited.
She glanced in the rearview mirror. He was watching her through narrowed, bloodshot eyes. An insolent smile played around his lips. He brought his fingers to his face and drew a last lungful from his reefer, letting the smoke trickle from his nostrils.
She thrust the car into gear, thinking for a moment that, if she were to slam her foot on the accelerator, she might be able to throw him off balance. As if he were reading her mind, he flicked the butt out of the window and brought the knife up into her field of view and toyed with it, moving it casually from one hand to the other.
When they reached the outskirts of Kata Beach, he tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to a bank up ahead. ‘Pull in over there. I’m short of cash. Hand me the keys and bring your credit card. No funny business.’
He opened the car door for her and helped her out, making sure she could feel the knife pressed against her side. He put his arm around her as though they were lovers and propelled her towards the ATM. She dared not make a false move. ‘How much do you want?’
‘This one will let you take out three thousand bahts. That will do for now.’ He leant over her shoulder as she entered her passcode, and with the transaction complete, he walked her back to the car. She got in and looked up at him, her eyes ablaze with fury. He dangled the car keys just out of her reach and swung them on his finger. ‘Now the credit card, and your mobile phone.’
As soon as she’d handed them over, he threw the keys into the back of the car, slammed the door, and loped off down the street, disappearing into an alleyway between rows of shanty houses. For a moment, she sat with her heart palpitating. The colour had drained from her face and the sweat on her brow made it cold and clammy. She buried her head in her hands and started to sob.
Gradually, she pulled herself together, took several deep breaths, and scrambled out of the car to retrieve her keys. Her first thought was to cancel the card. She ran back to the bank and burst through the doors, elbowing other customers aside. A security guard put his arm on her shoulder and led her towards the window, presumably hoping to avert an incident. She pushed him away and shouted, ‘Let go, you ape! I want to see the manager.’
In a trice, her arm was pinioned behind her back. By now, there was a wide circle of onlookers. An old lady Ayesha had nearly knocked over came forward and shook an umbrella in her face, hurling a tidal wave of abuse at her. The manager came hurrying out of his office. ‘What seems to be the matter here?’ he said. A rapid exchange in Thai took place between him and the security guard. Ayesha tried to interrupt but was restrained.
Eventually, he turned to her, and she blurted out, ‘I’ve been robbed. A thief has stolen my credit card, and I need to cancel it before he starts drawing money from my account.’
The bank manager said, ‘Come this way, miss. I’ll see what we can do for you.’ He led her into a side room. ‘There’s nothing to worry about. You can cancel it online with your phone. Do you know how to do that?’
She looked at him, and her bottom lip started to tremble. He slid a box of tissues across the desk and waited patiently while she composed herself. The story of her kidnapping and assault came tumbling out.
‘This is a serious matter. We must inform the police immediately. Meanwhile, if you could write down the details of the stolen card for me, I’ll arrange to have it blocked.’ He passed her a biro and a pad of paper and picked up the phone. She looked at the paper blankly. This was turning into a nightmare. She could end up being here for ages and not getting anywhere.
‘I can't remember my card number. Look, I’m sorry to have wasted your time—and don’t worry about the police,’ she said. ‘I’ll report it myself. Major Kamul is a personal friend of mine. I know who the thief is. It shouldn’t take long to track him down.’
‘Give me your name and bank details. Cancelling the card will take a little longer, but there should be no problem. We may be able to stop him from draining your account.’
She took the pen and paper and wrote everything down for him and then, thanking him once again, returned to the Yellow Peril and drove to the police headquarters in Patong. It was a building she had no difficulty in finding. Her last visit, when she had been escorted there by Kamul and a less-than-friendly policewoman, was etched deep into her psyche. The thought of Major Suttikul sent a shiver up her spine. How glad she was that he was no longer in charge. She had plenty of time to dwell on that previous visit, as she became snarled up in the tourist traffic along the coast road. It took almost half an hour to get there.
By this time, she had calmed down and was more civil than she’d been at the bank. She approached the front desk and said, ‘I need to see Major Kamul. It’s urgent.’
The desk sergeant was impassive. He finished what he was writing and said, ‘Have you got an appointment?’
‘No, but I’m sure he will see me. Tell him it’s Mrs Davidson.’
‘May I also tell him what it’s about? The major is a busy man.’
‘I’ve been assaulted and robbed. My mobile phone and credit card have been stolen.’
‘I’m sorry, Mrs Davidson, but these are not matters for the major. You need to report the theft at the Tourist Police Station in Karon. By car, it’s a quarter of an hour south of here on the coast.’ He pointed to a map on the wall behind him. ‘Here.’
Ayesha wasn’t going to be fobbed off. She said, rather more brusquely than she’d intended, ‘I know where it is. I drove through Karon on my way here from Kata Beach.’ She had no intention of being given the run around by the tourist police so she changed tack. ‘Thank you, sergeant. You have been most helpful. However, I would still like to see the major. It’s on a personal matter relating to his predecessor. I’d appreciate it if you could tell him I am here.’
Knowing Kamul as she did, she felt sure he would get things moving. More importantly, she wanted to quiz him about Bruno’s death. She still couldn’t understand how his arm could have been washed ashore on Manly Beach when she had personally identified his body here in Phuket, attended his cremation, and flown back to Adelaide with his ashes. Yet the evidence of the ring was incontrovertible.
A summary of the preceding chapters is in the Author Notes below.
End of Chapter 24
‘Please at least consider it,’ Ayesha said. ‘I know of a new charitable foundation being formed in Sydney that is on the lookout for places dedicated to the conservation of elephants. It might look favourably on such a project. I could investigate for you.’
Runrot dismissed the idea with a sardonic smile. ‘Find me some fool with a quarter of a billion bahts to give away, and I’ll consider it.’
‘All right,’ Ayesha said. ‘I will. It’s been a pleasure to meet you, kuhn Runrot. A very great pleasure.’
As she made her way back to her car, Runrot turned to Chanarong and said, ‘Who was that feisty young lady friend of yours, you old goat?’
‘That,’ Chanarong replied, ‘was Mrs Davidson. You will have read of her in the papers, no doubt. If rumours are correct, she has become an extremely wealthy widow. She may not be joking, you know.’
Chapter 25
Ayesha arrived in the carpark to find Chanin slouched against the bonnet of the Yellow Peril with a cigarette dangling between his lips. He was punching the buttons of his mobile phone and appeared to take no notice as she approached. She ignored him and slid into the driver’s seat, expecting him to move away when she started the engine. Instead, he swung around, opened the rear passenger side door, and slipped in behind her.
‘What do you think you’re doing? Get out of my car.’
He leant forward and blew smoke at her. The air was filled with a slightly sweet, woody smell that made her eyes water.
‘I need a lift into town.’
Ayesha fumed. How dare he! ‘Like hell I’m taking you. I’m not going there anyway. Get out this instant before I call the police.’
‘Oh, I think you are, missy.’ His voice was low and sinister. She felt the cold face of a blade pressed against the side of her neck. ‘Do what I say, and you won’t get hurt.’ He sat back in his seat and waited.
She glanced in the rearview mirror. He was watching her through narrowed, bloodshot eyes. An insolent smile played around his lips. He brought his fingers to his face and drew a last lungful from his reefer, letting the smoke trickle from his nostrils.
She thrust the car into gear, thinking for a moment that, if she were to slam her foot on the accelerator, she might be able to throw him off balance. As if he were reading her mind, he flicked the butt out of the window and brought the knife up into her field of view and toyed with it, moving it casually from one hand to the other.
When they reached the outskirts of Kata Beach, he tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to a bank up ahead. ‘Pull in over there. I’m short of cash. Hand me the keys and bring your credit card. No funny business.’
He opened the car door for her and helped her out, making sure she could feel the knife pressed against her side. He put his arm around her as though they were lovers and propelled her towards the ATM. She dared not make a false move. ‘How much do you want?’
‘This one will let you take out three thousand bahts. That will do for now.’ He leant over her shoulder as she entered her passcode, and with the transaction complete, he walked her back to the car. She got in and looked up at him, her eyes ablaze with fury. He dangled the car keys just out of her reach and swung them on his finger. ‘Now the credit card, and your mobile phone.’
As soon as she’d handed them over, he threw the keys into the back of the car, slammed the door, and loped off down the street, disappearing into an alleyway between rows of shanty houses. For a moment, she sat with her heart palpitating. The colour had drained from her face and the sweat on her brow made it cold and clammy. She buried her head in her hands and started to sob.
Gradually, she pulled herself together, took several deep breaths, and scrambled out of the car to retrieve her keys. Her first thought was to cancel the card. She ran back to the bank and burst through the doors, elbowing other customers aside. A security guard put his arm on her shoulder and led her towards the window, presumably hoping to avert an incident. She pushed him away and shouted, ‘Let go, you ape! I want to see the manager.’
In a trice, her arm was pinioned behind her back. By now, there was a wide circle of onlookers. An old lady Ayesha had nearly knocked over came forward and shook an umbrella in her face, hurling a tidal wave of abuse at her. The manager came hurrying out of his office. ‘What seems to be the matter here?’ he said. A rapid exchange in Thai took place between him and the security guard. Ayesha tried to interrupt but was restrained.
Eventually, he turned to her, and she blurted out, ‘I’ve been robbed. A thief has stolen my credit card, and I need to cancel it before he starts drawing money from my account.’
The bank manager said, ‘Come this way, miss. I’ll see what we can do for you.’ He led her into a side room. ‘There’s nothing to worry about. You can cancel it online with your phone. Do you know how to do that?’
She looked at him, and her bottom lip started to tremble. He slid a box of tissues across the desk and waited patiently while she composed herself. The story of her kidnapping and assault came tumbling out.
‘This is a serious matter. We must inform the police immediately. Meanwhile, if you could write down the details of the stolen card for me, I’ll arrange to have it blocked.’ He passed her a biro and a pad of paper and picked up the phone. She looked at the paper blankly. This was turning into a nightmare. She could end up being here for ages and not getting anywhere.
‘I can't remember my card number. Look, I’m sorry to have wasted your time—and don’t worry about the police,’ she said. ‘I’ll report it myself. Major Kamul is a personal friend of mine. I know who the thief is. It shouldn’t take long to track him down.’
‘Give me your name and bank details. Cancelling the card will take a little longer, but there should be no problem. We may be able to stop him from draining your account.’
She took the pen and paper and wrote everything down for him and then, thanking him once again, returned to the Yellow Peril and drove to the police headquarters in Patong. It was a building she had no difficulty in finding. Her last visit, when she had been escorted there by Kamul and a less-than-friendly policewoman, was etched deep into her psyche. The thought of Major Suttikul sent a shiver up her spine. How glad she was that he was no longer in charge. She had plenty of time to dwell on that previous visit, as she became snarled up in the tourist traffic along the coast road. It took almost half an hour to get there.
By this time, she had calmed down and was more civil than she’d been at the bank. She approached the front desk and said, ‘I need to see Major Kamul. It’s urgent.’
The desk sergeant was impassive. He finished what he was writing and said, ‘Have you got an appointment?’
‘No, but I’m sure he will see me. Tell him it’s Mrs Davidson.’
‘May I also tell him what it’s about? The major is a busy man.’
‘I’ve been assaulted and robbed. My mobile phone and credit card have been stolen.’
‘I’m sorry, Mrs Davidson, but these are not matters for the major. You need to report the theft at the Tourist Police Station in Karon. By car, it’s a quarter of an hour south of here on the coast.’ He pointed to a map on the wall behind him. ‘Here.’
Ayesha wasn’t going to be fobbed off. She said, rather more brusquely than she’d intended, ‘I know where it is. I drove through Karon on my way here from Kata Beach.’ She had no intention of being given the run around by the tourist police so she changed tack. ‘Thank you, sergeant. You have been most helpful. However, I would still like to see the major. It’s on a personal matter relating to his predecessor. I’d appreciate it if you could tell him I am here.’
Knowing Kamul as she did, she felt sure he would get things moving. More importantly, she wanted to quiz him about Bruno’s death. She still couldn’t understand how his arm could have been washed ashore on Manly Beach when she had personally identified his body here in Phuket, attended his cremation, and flown back to Adelaide with his ashes. Yet the evidence of the ring was incontrovertible.
 Recognized |
Summary of Chapters 1-24
Ayesha, an Australian tourist, is on honeymoon in Thailand with Bruno, her rich and abusive new husband. One day, she repels his attack, and he loses his balance, hitting his head when he falls. Thinking she has killed him, she flees on a tourist coach going to an elephant trekking lodge. She meets Bapit there, a beach hawker who had previously sold her a set of panpipes. She is in a panic because she has no money on her. Bapit is now working at the lodge, looking after a badly abused elephant called Abhamaru. Tourists are fascinated when he plays his panpipes to soothe the elephant. When he learns of her predicament, he suggests that, until she can find a better alternative, she can stay with his friend, Somchai, a street hawker who can rent her a room.
Bapit falls for Ayesha and they go to watch his brother in a kickboxing match. She is disguised in a hijab and they evade the police, who are searching for her. They end up in a hotel together, but his idea of romance is gauche. She throws him out. He gets drunk in a gay bar and is subsequently ruthlessly sodomised.
Meanwhile, the hotel night porter informs on them, and Ayesha is arrested by the police in the morning. When Bapit comes around, he is alone, hungover, and filled with shame. He stumbles into the road, is hit by a car, and his leg has to be amputated. Ayesha is distraught when she finds out.
It turns out that Bruno was only concussed. He and Suttikul, the Chief of Police, are engaged in a drug smuggling operation. However, the drug squad are closing in, and Suttikul needs to get Bruno out of the country fast. He stages an elaborate deception making Bruno appear to be dead and gets Ayesha to identify the body. He arranges a funeral and cremation, using another body. The urns are then swapped, and Ayesha ends up unknowingly carrying an urn full of heroin back to Australia. The drug squad is aware of the deception and lets the urn through, hoping to catch bigger fish at the Sydney end of the operation.
Bruno turns up in Sydney under an assumed name. He goes fishing with his financial advisor and partner in crime, Johnno, but he dies from the result of a delayed concussion while hauling in a big fish. Realising how awkward it would be to explain Bruno's second death, Johnno throws his body to the sharks. However, sometime later, an arm is washed ashore with Bruno's wedding ring on its finger. Major Suttikul is arrested, as are some of the Sydney gang. However, Johnno is released again because of a lack of evidence.
Ayesha knows nothing of this. She renews her visa and returns to Phuket, where she helps Bapit through the first stages of his rehabilitation while he teaches her how to play the panpipes. The lawyers in Sydney handling Bruno's estate inform her that she is now an extremely wealthy widow. She decides to use the money to rescue Abhamaru. The owner of the elephant lodge, Chanarong, has had a stroke, and she hopes to be able to buy the lodge and repurpose it as a sanctuary.
She returns to Sydney, where Johnno tries to persuade her to let him invest Bruno's fortune for her. She declines and arranges for her lawyer, a young man called Steve, to investigate setting up a charitable foundation with the money.
Johnno is after her, both because he wants the money and to prevent her from identifying Bruno's ring, but she escapes and flees back to Thailand.
Characters in this chapter:
Ayesha, a rich Australian widow
Chanin, Runrot's son, a mahout at the trekking lodge
Major Kamul, Chief of Police in Phuket
British English spelling, punctuation, and grammatical conventions are used throughout.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Ayesha, an Australian tourist, is on honeymoon in Thailand with Bruno, her rich and abusive new husband. One day, she repels his attack, and he loses his balance, hitting his head when he falls. Thinking she has killed him, she flees on a tourist coach going to an elephant trekking lodge. She meets Bapit there, a beach hawker who had previously sold her a set of panpipes. She is in a panic because she has no money on her. Bapit is now working at the lodge, looking after a badly abused elephant called Abhamaru. Tourists are fascinated when he plays his panpipes to soothe the elephant. When he learns of her predicament, he suggests that, until she can find a better alternative, she can stay with his friend, Somchai, a street hawker who can rent her a room.
Bapit falls for Ayesha and they go to watch his brother in a kickboxing match. She is disguised in a hijab and they evade the police, who are searching for her. They end up in a hotel together, but his idea of romance is gauche. She throws him out. He gets drunk in a gay bar and is subsequently ruthlessly sodomised.
Meanwhile, the hotel night porter informs on them, and Ayesha is arrested by the police in the morning. When Bapit comes around, he is alone, hungover, and filled with shame. He stumbles into the road, is hit by a car, and his leg has to be amputated. Ayesha is distraught when she finds out.
It turns out that Bruno was only concussed. He and Suttikul, the Chief of Police, are engaged in a drug smuggling operation. However, the drug squad are closing in, and Suttikul needs to get Bruno out of the country fast. He stages an elaborate deception making Bruno appear to be dead and gets Ayesha to identify the body. He arranges a funeral and cremation, using another body. The urns are then swapped, and Ayesha ends up unknowingly carrying an urn full of heroin back to Australia. The drug squad is aware of the deception and lets the urn through, hoping to catch bigger fish at the Sydney end of the operation.
Bruno turns up in Sydney under an assumed name. He goes fishing with his financial advisor and partner in crime, Johnno, but he dies from the result of a delayed concussion while hauling in a big fish. Realising how awkward it would be to explain Bruno's second death, Johnno throws his body to the sharks. However, sometime later, an arm is washed ashore with Bruno's wedding ring on its finger. Major Suttikul is arrested, as are some of the Sydney gang. However, Johnno is released again because of a lack of evidence.
Ayesha knows nothing of this. She renews her visa and returns to Phuket, where she helps Bapit through the first stages of his rehabilitation while he teaches her how to play the panpipes. The lawyers in Sydney handling Bruno's estate inform her that she is now an extremely wealthy widow. She decides to use the money to rescue Abhamaru. The owner of the elephant lodge, Chanarong, has had a stroke, and she hopes to be able to buy the lodge and repurpose it as a sanctuary.
She returns to Sydney, where Johnno tries to persuade her to let him invest Bruno's fortune for her. She declines and arranges for her lawyer, a young man called Steve, to investigate setting up a charitable foundation with the money.
Johnno is after her, both because he wants the money and to prevent her from identifying Bruno's ring, but she escapes and flees back to Thailand.
Characters in this chapter:
Ayesha, a rich Australian widow
Chanin, Runrot's son, a mahout at the trekking lodge
Major Kamul, Chief of Police in Phuket
British English spelling, punctuation, and grammatical conventions are used throughout.
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