“That’s too bad,” said Laura.

“Only for a couple of days,” replied Lee. “I’ll arrive either Monday or Tuesday. Besides,” he winked, “it is very romantic where you are going. I’m sure I won’t be missed that much.”

“Did you hear that, honey?” asked Laura, sounding excited. “A romantic getaway.”

“I heard,” replied Jack. I’m sure Natasha will be excited to hear about it, as well …

“I think you will enjoy Samui,” continued Lee. “Thai people are nice. Buddism is prevalent, and overall they are a gentle race. Not the type of people you would encounter, say, on the street a block or two from Goldie Locks. Okay, Laura?”

“You heard about my mugging incident?” asked Laura.

Lee smiled and said, “Actually I saw it. I was on my way to meet Goldie and an associate at the time. I was impressed. Where did you learn karate?”

“Just as a kid growing up. I had three older brothers and needed something to give me an advantage,” Laura added with a smile.

“And you, Jack? Have you received any training in hand-to-hand combat?”

“Lots,” replied Jack.

“Really? The both of you happen to be trained in martial arts?” asked Lee suspiciously.

“Oh, none of that leaping around and chopping boards or bricks for me,” replied Jack. “My training was hands-on experience. Not officially recognized as schools. More like barrooms and back alleys. I prefer a baseball bat, broken bottle, or a gun. Trying to chop at somebody with the edge of my hand isn’t my style.”

“I see,” replied Lee. “Perhaps not as impressive to watch as Laura, but the desired outcome is still … brutally attained.”

Later, when Lee left to use the washroom, Laura asked, “So what do you think? Why are we being sent on alone?”

“Could be the truth,” replied Jack, looking up from his Thai phrase book, “but more likely they want us to think we are alone.”

“That’s what I’m thinking, as well. They’re going to want to be confident that we’re who we say we are before showing us the goods.”

“So we frolic and play for a couple of days. Act like we don’t have a care in the world.”

“And hope Lee does show up,” said Laura. “Otherwise the bean counters might be a little upset.”

Lee said goodbye to them at the Hong Kong International Airport and assured them that he would see them soon. Jack and Laura continued on to Bangkok, arriving shortly before midnight on Friday night. The following morning found them on a one-hour flight from Bangkok to Koh Samui, where a van from the hotel met them and a forty-five-minute drive brought them to the Pavilion Samui Boutique Resort.

Jack went to the reception desk and said, “Jack O’Donnell. I believe you were expecting us?”

The receptionist was friendly and obliging when Jack requested a room with twin beds.

“He’s a kicker,” said Laura, with a smile as she wrapped her arm around Jack’s waist.

“A kicker?” asked the receptionist.

“When he sleeps, he kicks,” said Laura.

On their way to their room, Jack whispered, “Connie would be so disappointed if she knew.”

Jack and Laura set out to explore their surroundings. They discovered the hotel was in a small town called Lamai and it was set on the ocean. The long, sandy beach was lined with palm trees and several other hotels, but not so many as to make it overcrowded. Local industry appeared to be either fishing, or catering to the tourists with numerous tailor shops, bars, and souvenir shops.

It was evident that many of the bars catered to prostitution, but with Laura present, Jack was seldom propositioned or annoyed. Jack called Sammy and learned he was booked into the hotel next door to theirs. For now, they would keep their distance.

Jet lag and exhaustion took its toll and on their first night they decided to go to bed early. But not so early that Jack didn’t stand and rattle the headboard against the wall. Laura rolled her eyes and said, “I’ve got a headache. Don’t … stop! Jack? Don’t … stop.” Soon her plea picked up in pace to, “Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop!” as Jack increased the rhythm of banging the headboard against the wall. They did not know if the room was bugged, but by the knowing smiles they received from an elderly couple in the adjoining room the following morning, they knew someone had heard.

Over the next two days, Jack and Laura found the Thai people exceptionally friendly. Some were timid at first, but they did enjoy a good laugh, and a little humour went a long way. As did a basic knowledge of their language when it came to the simple niceties.

The Pavilion Hotel catered to the more wealthy tourists, and although the staff were polite, Jack and Laura preferred to frequent the restaurants or locations that the Thai people did. They discovered a bar on the main street in Lamai called The Outback. It was owned by an Australian by the name of Bart and his partner, an attractive Thai woman by the name of Tukta, who acted as bartender. Soon Jack and Laura were on a first-name basis with everyone who worked there.

The bar, like most others, was built with an open front facing the main street. People from all over the world passed by on the sidewalk and in and out through the bar. Short, squat-looking tribal women from various mountain regions of Thailand and dressed in traditional costumes strolled the sidewalk selling handcrafted souvenirs. Transvestites, or what the Thais referred to as “ladyboys,” occasionally entered the bar along with other prostitutes. It was a spot where humanity seemed to set their differences aside and accept each other for who they were. It was a great place to people-watch — or be watched.

In the evening, The Outback had a Thai band perform most of the hits from the seventies to the eighties. Jack thought they were exceptionally good, until Laura clued him in that they were lip-synching. After Jack impersonated them, the band had a tough time trying to lip-synch without laughing.

By Monday morning Lee had not yet appeared, and Jack advised the hotel that something had come up and they were checking out. He and Laura took their own suitcases and trudged along the beach for about twenty minutes to another hotel they had located called Bill Resort. It was much less fancy than the Pavilion, but Jack and Laura had discovered that they had great food, a beautiful pool, and more importantly, had the atmosphere of a family-run operation with loyal staff.

Jack called Sammy as soon as they checked in and said, “Well?”

“Yeah, you picked up a tail walking down the beach,” said Sammy. “Stocky fellow and taller than most Thai people. He purposely kept out of sight, but was definitely watching the two of you. Wearing navy-blue long pants and a yellow T-shirt.”

“A lot of them wear yellow T-shirts,” said Jack. “It has something to do with symbolizing their love for their king.”

“He also had on a cheap-looking watch with an oversized silver strap.”

“Good, we’ll keep our eyes open. No sign of Lee yet. He is supposed to arrive today or tomorrow. I left a message at the Pavilion for him to phone my cell.”

“We’ll keep our distance. Let us know if you want us to move in closer.”

Monday night found Jack and Laura back at The Outback. Music was blasting and the place was filling up. They found a seat and each ordered a Thai beer, Chang for Jack and Singha for Laura.

Jack could hear Bart’s thick accent as he sat drinking beer with several grey-haired Australian expatriates at a table directly behind him. One of the older men swore and Jack heard Bart say, “Watch it, mate. There’s a lady behind you.”