He didn’t dare risk taking the car across to Thailand, given how he’d come by it — the last thing he needed was to be jailed for driving a stolen vehicle — so he jettisoned his weapons and walked across under the watchful eye of the Thai military. Once in Mae Sai, he found a working taxi and was soon on the road south. He arrived at his destination at five a.m., dizzy from sleeplessness, and woke the proprietor of the hotel to rent a room. The old man seemed annoyed at the imposition until Reggie flashed his wad of baht, at which point he was all smiles.
Reggie stowed his gear and rinsed off in minutes, and felt marginally human by the time he knocked on Drake’s door. When Drake opened it, his hair was matted to one side from sleep, and he looked disoriented.
“I’m Reg. Where’s Christine?” Reggie announced as Drake glared at him with red eyes.
“She’s two rooms over. Number seven. Like I told Collins.”
“I tried that. Nobody answered.”
“Maybe she’s asleep,” Drake said with a shrug, and began closing the door. Reggie blocked it with his boot.
“Why don’t you be a sport and help me wake her?” Reggie asked, a smile in place, but his tone dangerous.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Drake spat, looking down at Reggie’s boot.
“I’m your new friend. Let’s see how Christine’s getting along and I’ll be out of your hair, okay? Sound like a deal?”
Drake didn’t say anything. Reggie waited while he retreated into the room, pulled on a new T-shirt with the name of a Thai chewing gum emblazoned across the back, and stepped outside.
Reggie knocked on Christine’s door again with the same result. Eventually Allie opened her door, which was adjacent to Christine’s room, and eyed Reggie and then Drake.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Where’s Christine?” Reggie demanded.
“How would I know?”
Something inside Reggie’s head snapped, and he growled an expletive and kicked Christine’s door as hard as he could. The flimsy lock gave and the door sprang open. All three of them looked inside, and Drake shook his head.
“Looks like she’s gone.”
“What do you mean, gone? Why didn’t you stop her?”
“You mean why didn’t I, a private citizen, stop another person, who’s over twenty-one, from doing whatever she felt like? Um, because I haven’t slept for two days and was catching up on pillow time, for starters. That, and I’m not a cop,” Drake said sarcastically. “And neither are you, Reg, are you? Because if not, it looks like you’ve got some explaining to do,” Drake finished as the proprietor neared them, carrying a baseball bat, two of his sons trailing him.
Reggie’s pulse throbbed in his temples while the owner glowered at him and jabbered in outraged Thai. Allie smiled at Drake and paused in front of her room. “Breakfast in maybe… six hours?” she asked.
Drake returned the smile and, after a wave at Reggie, winked at Allie.
“It’s a date.”
Chapter 49
Drake and Allie sipped tea after their meal in a local restaurant while Spencer drank what passed for coffee. Ten hours of solid rest had more or less revived them after their jungle ordeal. Allie was studying the photographs of the temple cave on the little digital camera as Drake and Spencer chatted about the CIA thug who’d kicked in the door.
“What do you think happened to Christine?” Spencer asked.
“She probably bolted once we’d gone to sleep,” Drake said. “If she’s even halfway correct about the Chinese and the DOD, can’t say as I blame her. I mean, they blew up her frigging plane, for starters. Would you stick around to see what their next trick is?”
“With no money or passport, it’s going to be tough to hide for long,” Spencer observed.
“Thailand’s a big place, and she might have access to resources we don’t know about.”
Allie smiled knowingly at Drake and returned to her perusal of the images. Spencer caught the look.
“Did you give her money?” he asked quietly.
“Do I have to explain what I do with my cash?” Allie fired back, continuing to eye the camera.
“I’d have thought you didn’t have any, after being taken captive.”
“How do you think we’re paying for the hotel? I called my attorney when we were with Joe to transfer the fee to him, and had him send a few extra bucks here,” Allie said. “Western Union to the rescue. They were open while you boys were out on the town.”
“So you did give her money?”
Allie smiled sweetly at Spencer. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I guess a lady always has her secrets,” Drake agreed.
“It does make you wonder what the incriminating evidence was, though,” Spencer said.
“Not my problem,” Drake said, pointing to his cup for more tea. The server nodded and hurried to refill it.
“Speaking of problems, with nothing in the temple, I’m still kind of hosed,” Spencer grumbled.
“Funny you should mention that. Drake, look at this picture. Specifically, check out the angle of the back wall.” Allie handed Drake the camera. He studied the photo and shrugged.
“It’s a cave. Carvings. What am I missing?”
“We rushed out of there, or I’m sure I would have spotted it in person.”
“Spotted what?” Spencer asked.
“Look at the geometry of the back wall. Specifically where it meets the ceiling,” Allie said.
Drake offered the camera to Spencer and they both peered at it. Spencer saw it first. “It’s a right angle. Ninety degrees.”
“And how often does that happen in nature? Specifically, in the tops of caves?”
Drake nodded slowly. “Would the correct answer be ‘never’?”
Allie smiled. “Right. That’s a man-made wall that was crafted to look like a natural surface.”
“A false wall,” Spencer said.
“That would be my hunch.”
“Then there might be a treasure after all…” Spencer murmured.
“Only one way to know for sure,” Drake said.
Spencer’s hand moved to his shoulder. “Can’t we just take a helicopter or something?”
“That didn’t go so well last time, did it?” Allie said.
“When do you want to go?” Drake asked.
“It’s really up to Spencer. He’s the one with the boo-boo.”
“It’s a mere scratch,” Spencer said. “Let’s get some supplies and head out — at least we won’t have to worry about the Red Moon crew anymore.”
“Why don’t we hit Joe’s village first and see if his second-in-command wants to be our guide? It might help to have someone on friendly terms with the Shans. Before, we had Joe. But now… Let’s just say I wouldn’t want to wind up being taken hostage again,” Allie suggested.
“Kind of out of the way,” Spencer said.
“Not if we wind up running afoul of a Shan patrol,” Allie said. “We made a deal with their colonel, and he might interpret it as reneging if we’re nosing around the area without his blessing. You really want to risk it?”
“Put like that, you make a compelling argument,” Drake agreed.
“Then let’s assemble whatever we need and do this right.”
“The lady has spoken,” Spencer said, tossing a few baht onto the table and rising. “Time to go shopping. How much did you have your attorney send you, anyway?”
Allie smiled again. “Enough.”
The day went by quickly as they bought rugged backpacks and filled them with camping gear, a first aid kit, pry bars, a pick, camp shovels, and insect repellent. At the largest electronics store in town they bought a portable GPS and a satellite phone, and after topping up with prepackaged meals, they made their way back to the hotel.
Drake’s burner cell rang as they neared the office. When he answered it, Collins’ voice sounded furious.