“It’s only for a couple of hours. We can say we thought we were being taken to the border. If we happen to stray into Burmese territory for a couple of hours, we’ll say we had no choice. I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”

“I can see it being a problem for Sammy and the others,” said Laura abruptly, while gazing out to sea.

“We have to catch a ferry in the morning to leave Koh Samui. Sammy showing up with a surveillance team on the boat would be a dead giveaway. And I mean, dead. Then there’s what, a six-hour ride in a van to the other side where we clear Thai Immigration before taking a boat across a river to Burma. Tough for any cover team to follow.”

“Exactly,” replied Laura. “There is no way I want any Canadians around me, unless it’s our two unknown friends from Quebec. Wish we could find out who they were. I’d like to thank them.”

“Likewise,” replied Jack. “Maybe someday I’ll figure out a way, but right now, are you agreeable to going into Burma?”

“I guess, but what do we tell Sammy?”

“Tell him we’re going on an elephant trek with Lee tomorrow. We’re supposed to be back tomorrow night. Then we’ll say Lee sprung it on us as a test. He’s an operator, he’ll likely know we’re lying, but at least he’ll understand.”

“Yeah, whatever,” replied Laura, acting disinterested.

“Okay, Laura,” said Jack, grabbing her by the shoulders and spinning her around to look at her face. “What gives?”

“Nothing. What are you talking about? I’m fine,” she added defiantly.

“Ever since we came down for dinner, you haven’t been acting yourself. If I’ve done something to make you angry, I want to know. There is enough stress going on as it is. Whatever is bugging you, I want to know.”

Laura sighed and kicked at the sand with her toes. “Sorry, it’s not you,” she replied. “Well, then again, it probably is.”

Jack felt his heart sink. Whatever I did, I never meant to hurt you …

“When I was putting makeup on for supper I saw it,” said Laura.

“Saw what? I waited out on the porch while you got ready. What are you talking about?”

“Grey hair,” sighed Laura, pointing to a place on her scalp.

“A grey hair?” Jack laughed.

“It’s not funny! Not just one — a whole group. I’ve never had any before. Now it’s like overnight and wham! Suddenly I have grey hair and am being called madam. I bet you saw it,” she added, touching her hair. “If you were a friend, you would have told me!”

“Sorry, I never noticed. To be honest, I have a hard time looking at you too closely.”

“Why?”

Jack looked at Laura and gave an intentionally loud sigh and said, “Because you’re so damned beautiful. I have to slap my brain daily to keep you in the sister category,” he added, sounding frustrated.

Laura looked shocked as she stared at Jack. A moment later she turned so he wouldn’t see her smile. He is such a liar, but I think I’ll let him get away with that one for now.

At four-thirty in the morning, Lee’s van appeared with a driver who appeared to speak little English. They were on schedule, and, at noon, Jack and Laura patiently stood in line at the Thai Immigration Office in Ranong and watched as their passports were stamped.

Jack turned to Lee and asked, “Aren’t you getting your passport stamped?”

“No, I am not going with you,” he replied. “It is better I wait here while the boat takes you across to Burma. Our people on the boat will look after you. Trust me.”

Later Laura had the opportunity to whisper to Jack and say, “He’s not coming with us and says to trust him?”

Jack nodded.

“So what do you think? Something’s gone wrong and we’re going to be executed and he doesn’t want to dirty his hands?”

“Maybe. Let’s hope we can trust him.”

“Trust him? N-F-L!”

Normally Jack would have grinned. The letters stood for not fucking likely. It was a phrase the narcs sometimes used, however, not one he had ever heard Laura use before. But at this moment, his sense of humour had disappeared. In the pit of his stomach, he was worried that Laura might be right.

Jack and Laura left the Thai Immigration Office in a van with Lee. The driver took them slowly through a quiet ghetto for another ten minutes before arriving at an abandoned warehouse alongside a river. Lee spent the time talking on his cellphone, and when they arrived at the warehouse, three Thai men were waiting. Lee smiled and gave them the thumbs-up sign.

There was little doubt, Jack knew, that their ten-minute ride through the ghetto had been monitored to detect surveillance.

“Now,” said Lee, “it is about a forty-five-minute journey across the mouth of the river to Kaw Thaung in Burma. These three men will take you across and you will be provided with an opportunity to see the product you wish to purchase.”

“What if something goes wrong?” asked Jack. “Where will you be to help us?”

“I assure you, my friend, that nothing will go wrong. Part of this exercise is to build trust between us. It is time for you to trust me.”

Jack and Laura climbed into the boat, which was like an oversized canoe. It was called a long-tail boat because of a long length of gear shaft that extended from a motor in the back to the propeller. The length of the shaft made it well-suited to handle the large swells from ocean waves without allowing the propeller to come up out of the water. This particular boat did have a canvas canopy overhead to provide relief from either the sun or monsoon rains — both of which Jack and Laura had seen plenty of in the last couple of days.

Only one of the three men, wearing an American Eagle brand ball cap, spoke a little English. Very little, as Jack would discover.

They were soon on their way across a muddy and dirty expanse of water. They passed one more Thai Immigration Office on a jetty opposite a stationary raft in the river holding three Thai soldiers all dressed in camouflage.

Minutes later, Thailand was behind them and everyone was quiet. American Eagle took off his shirt and Jack nudged Laura so she could get a look at his full back tattoo. Jack had the distinct impression that the tattoo was gang-related. As they neared a dock in Kaw Thaung, Jack saw a large sign welcoming people to Burma.

American Eagle put his shirt back on, looked at Jack, and pointed to a plastic bag partially hidden by a pile of rags and said, “You want whiskey, cigarettes, or Viagra?”

Jack would have laughed except the situation was serious. He politely shook his head, but saw Laura cover her mouth to hide a giggle and look away.

“Not allowed for Thai running boat. Okay for tourist. You sure?” persisted American Eagle.

“I’m sure.”

The three crewmen moored their boat next to another boat at the end of the dock. “Okay,” said American Eagle. “Burma Immigration end of dock. Must hurry. Both get passports stamped and come back. Hurry.”

Jack and Laura left the boat and waited to have their passports stamped by Burmese Immigration.

A young man approached Jack and whispered, “You want whiskey, cigarettes, Viagra?”

“No!” said Jack, perhaps a little too loudly.

“Why not?” demanded the young man.

“I don’t smoke, I don’t drink whiskey, and I don’t need Viagra.”

“Okay,” he shrugged and moved away.

“You sure you don’t want me to call Natasha and get a second opinion?” asked Laura.

A few minutes later, they returned to the boat, and as they were getting in, Jack said, “We got our passports stamped. Where to from here?”

“Back to Thailand,” replied American Eagle. “As soon as we finish loading.”

Jack felt a chill go up his spine. A wooden section of the floor behind the driver had been lifted out and Jack saw numerous plastic-wrapped bricks stowed away. He realized the heroin had come from the boat they were parked alongside.