Chapter Five - "He's dead. That's all."
"I need to pee," bawled Revy.
"Shut up, monkey!" Eda shouted back over her shoulder over the roar of the Harley.
"You know, that's sorta racist."
"No it's not, you're just a monkey! Why are we here?"
Eda swerved between two cars and pulled up at the curbside of Lachada Street behind the bright red Mitsubishi emergency vehicles and the makeshift barrier that the crowd of spectators ignored in true Roanapur style. Revy swung off the back of the Harley and tugged at the fraying edges of her shorts.
"Cause Benny's been hanging out here, and since it's on the way to the boat, I better check it out first. This can''t be too serious..." her voice trailed off. They stepped past the barrier and started walking up the opposing sidewalk.
Smoke and dust hung in the air, the fire that had engulfed the interior of G Spot Bar had been put out. Glass and debris were scattered on the pavement by the building front where the firemen in their orange jumpsuits were still milling about in an unorganized manner.
Rowan "Jackpot" Pigeon, owner of the Goof Fest, stood out among a small group on the opposite side of the street. A full three heads taller than the people he was with, he was further distinguished by the bright red tracksuit he was wore. He was gesturing wildly with his hands and speaking loudly to whomever would listen.
"This is terrible, just terrible. It took me a year to get those people up in Bangkok to agree to put in a G Spot right next to the Goof Fest. And now it's all blown to hell," he stopped abruptly as someone tugged at his arm and pointed at the approaching women. His head spun around and the color drained from his face.
"Rebecca -- baby," he said uneasily, working his brows together beneath the retro afro as they came up to him. He fingered his goatee. "I guess you know then. Tell Dutch that they've already picked up your friend Mr. Benny, and taken him to the hospital. Just a concussion, he'll be alright. But, uh, I don't think the Japanese fellow you've been hanging with, well uhhm..."
"What?" said Revy distractedly. She was far too drunk to understand.
"What happened?" said Eda, any trace of humor suddenly gone. Rowan blinked at the sight of the nun.
"Sister, here's what I heard," said Rowan. "that guy, where'd he go? Anyway he said he saw it all. Mr. Benny and that Rock fellow were talking with this young girl at the bar, chatting her up when all of a sudden this other woman burst into with a bunch of gunmen. They drag the girl off. Then the place blows up, they musta thrown some grenades or something. Whole buncha payin' tourists hurt, probably a few dead. Business is going to suck for awhile when this gets out."
"Where's Rock?" said Revy sharply.
--
They pushed in past the protesting firemen and went in. It was dark, only the emergency lights were still on, casting a red glare on the aftermath. Eda covered her mouth against the smoke and smell. Revy moved swiftly without concern, scrambling over broken chairs and tables. She made her way through the wreckage of the bar to the back.
The body was a mangled pile of flesh and clothing, one leg was missing. There was only one side left to the face but it was badly burnt and unrecognizable. What was left of the grey slacks and white shirt were charred and torn.
Revy made a queer noise from deep within her chest. Her eyes were wide open now and dark. She stood in front of the burnt remains with hands hanging flat against her thighs. Then she fumbled for a pack of cigarettes stuffed in her back pocket.
Eda caught up to Revy and stood silently alongside her.
"That's what he wore when he stepped out this morning." said Revy after a long pause. She said it casually, as if it was of no interest.
"I told Rock he wouldn't live long," Revy continued. Revy tapped the tip of the cigarette against the carton and bent it it. "He shoulda stayed in Japan."
Revy pulled out a second cigarette and mashed that one also, her upper lip twisted. "What a dipshit."
A third cigarette broke apart. Revy clenched her hand and crumpled the pack. It slid out of her grasp and fell to the floor.
"Revy," said Eda.
"Don't." Revy said coldly. She turned away. "He's dead. That's all."
"I need the bike," she said almost inaudibly, walking towards the door. "I gotta get to the boat."
"Rebecca," said Eda.
"I said I gotta get to the fucking boat," snarled Revy.
--
Eda went back.
Coughing she covered her mouth and nose again with the sleeve of her habit, then squatted down on her haunches beside the corpse. The nun frowned. Something wasn't right.
There wasn't enough light for a proper examination. She ran her fingertip along the sole of the shoe on the remaining leg and nodded.
Lights flickered, her shadow suddenly leapt out on the sidewall. Two of the emergency workers had picked their way to the back of the ruined bar. Eda turned her head, "Over here," she hailed them in Thai and they came up behind her with a stretcher.
"There's no rush on this one," she said. "Here, I need that light." she pointed at the shoe.
The shoe was Italian made: a brand called Rinescante Valentiano's, a favorite of the Japanese salarymen, who were able to afford them. Rock usually wore the same pair of BK-870's, a reliable but cheap black leather shoe.
Her hands went up the side, to the waist. She felt the pockets, pulled out the bloodstained wallet.
"Here, shine it here," she said. The man in the photo id was similar to Rock, but the name listed was Ichiro Takahashi.
"Heh," Eda said. She stood up quickly and dropped the wallet on what was left of the dead man's chest. "No prayers for this one. He's gone to meet his maker, he's all yours now."
"Where the hell is Rock?"
--
CIA Worldbook Sarkhan (Extra Edition!)
History: Located on the coastline between Thailand and Cambodia, the small country of Sarkhan has had a troubled existence since it gained independence in 1951 from the French.
From 1945 to 1948, elements of the Manchukuo and Japanese military who were suspected of crimes against humanity took refuge in Sarkhan through the Asian version of the Odessa network. No concrete proof has ever been established of such a network.
Both the United States and the Soviet Union attempted to subvert the monarchy that tried to emulate the Third Way espoused by India.
The country received mild notoriety in 1952 when the Soviet Union was able to take credit for famine relief though the entire effort was done by the United States. The affair was documented in the book "The Ugly American." The film of the same name starred Marlon Brando.
A military putsch put the nation firmly in the American orbit during the Vietnamese conflict. Following the American withdrawal from Vietnam in 1975, a communist faction took control.
Henry Kissinger referred to the country at the Paris Peace Accords as the "Yutz of Asia."
In 1977, the Cambodian Khmer Rouge annexed the country leading to widespread famine and genocide. Thailand provisionally restored the country's independence in 1981 though it insists that the country not be recognized on any current maps as all disputed boundaries between Thailand and Cambodia are "fictional."
Capital City: Haidho. Located on a plateau overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. Inadequate harbor facilities and political issues have led to the city being a backwater. An attempt to make a deep sea port by the Soviets in the '80s was discontinued in favor of Camh Ranh Bay in Vietnam.
People: Split equally between Khmer and Thai.
Interesting Fact: Piracy has played a large part in Sarkhan's history.