After Pugh hung up with the police, I said, “You know, maybe the kidnappers were smart enough to suspect we might have every fourteenth floor in Bangkok searched, so they’re holding Timmy and Kawee on the thirteenth floor somewhere.
If so, this is all a waste of time and our only hope is to find 120 Richard Stevenson
Griswold and make the trade. Or at least find him and find out who these people are that he’s gotten so pissed off, and then go after them as fast as we can.”
“There are no thirteenth floors in Bangkok,” Pugh said.
“All right, then, fifteenth. At least they didn’t say ninth floor.
I suppose all tall buildings in Thailand have no thirteenth floors and instead have five ninth floors, increasing the amount of good luck available to the population.”
Pugh laughed. “Mr. Don, you seem bemused by our being a superstitious people.”
“I guess I am. But nothing more than bemused. It’s not condescension, I don’t think.”
“I’d say it is exactly that, but never mind. As I recall, buildings in New York City don’t have thirteenth floors either.”
“I am bemused by that also.”
“And additionally, I suppose, by knocking on wood and avoiding black cats and keeping one’s fingers crossed and not stepping on a crack so as to avoid breaking one’s dear mother’s back.”
“All hokum. Tell me, Rufus. What happens to all those thirteenth floors that are left out of the tall buildings in Bangkok? Are the construction materials divided up among the government building inspectors for resale and monthly bonuses?”
He laughed. “No, we ship all the unlucky thirteenth floors to our impoverished neighbors the Cambodians. This might help explain their unfortunate history.”
“Another flaw in this whole operation,” I said, “is the likelihood that the kidnappers have their own police sources who have alerted them that a search of fourteenth floors is under way and they have simply moved Timmy and Kawee to any other high floor. Even if they didn’t anticipate a dragnet, isn’t it likely that friends in high places would have alerted them?”
“This is possible, though General Yodying is an honorable man who would do his best to protect your investment. I know he planned on deploying his forces and only informing them at the very last moment what their mission was to be.”
Miss Aroon poked her head in and said that Khun Thunska, Pugh’s computer specialist, was on his way over and would arrive shortly.
“Why isn’t he phoning?” I asked. “Can we assume he didn’t find anything useful on the laptop?”
“Perhaps he wants to show us something and explain it.”
Now my cell phone rang. Was it Timmy? Or was it the kidnappers, with instructions for the swap we were in no position to carry out? Pugh watched me open the phone.
“Hello?”
“Don, it’s Ellen Griswold. Can you hear me?”
“Perfectly. Thanks for getting back to me so fast, Ellen.”
“God, I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am that this has all turned into such an incredible fiasco. Your boyfriend has actually been kidnapped?”
I briefly described the events of the past twenty-four hours.
“They’re holding this young Thai man, Kawee, too. A friend of Gary’s. So we need to talk to Gary fast. How can we do that?”
“Oh, bollocks, I wish I knew. Gary called me on Saturday night, and said he’d heard from somebody that you had been to his apartment and were looking for him, and to please call off the dogs — that would be you — because he was perfectly fine, he said. He’s just meditating for a year to recover from a series of unlucky love affairs, and you were interfering with his concentration. I have to say, I was not entirely convinced that he wasn’t concocting a whole line of BS about meditating for such a long time. I’ve heard of people going off to a cave, literally or figuratively, and doing it for a month. But a whole year? Anyway, I felt I had to take him at his word that you would be making trouble for him somehow. I mean, he didn’t sound at all frightened or upset. So that’s when I e-mailed you.
But now it looks like he really is in trouble, and God, now your 122 Richard Stevenson
Timothy is too. How perfectly awful! I am so, so sorry, Don.
So, what are you going to do?”
I didn’t think she was making this up as she went. It was silly enough, but in its inane way it was too pat. I guessed she was referring to notes she had made. I said, “So, Gary phoned you?
Where was he calling from?”
“He didn’t say. And I didn’t think to get a number. I was so startled to hear his voice, and so relieved.”
“Did he say he would call again?”
“No, but it sounded as if he would eventually. He was emphatic in telling me not to worry.”
“Who told him I was looking for him? Think about this. It’s important.”
“Just a minute.” Now her voice was distant: “Amanda, no, you may not ride into Albany with Josh. You are not to get into Josh’s car at all. Ever. Now, I said I would take you later. No, no. And don’t use that language with me!” To me: “Don, can I call you back? This is all getting to be way too much!”
“No, Ellen, you cannot call me back. We have to talk now.
What we have here is a life-or-death situation. Do you hear what I’m saying?”
“Yes, I hear you, Don.” Distant again. “No, no, I said no, and no means no!” I heard a shriek in the background, as if intruders had broken in and shot someone. “Oh, goddamn it.”
I said, “I have to ask you this again. I need very badly to know this. Who told Gary I was looking for him? Did he tell you this?”
“No, he didn’t. And I didn’t think to ask, not realizing at the time it might become important. Oh God, she is impossible. Are you and Timothy raising children, Don?”
“No.”
“Listen, I do apologize. It’s not that I don’t understand that what you’re going through is so much worse than anything I have to deal with here on boring old Elm Court Drive. It’s just that I think I’ve told you everything I know. And if Gary calls again anytime soon, I’ll make it clear to him that he must contact you immediately and impress on him just how urgent the situation is.”
“You didn’t give him my cell phone number when he called?”
“No, I didn’t have it yet, I don’t think.”
“That’s true. What I want to ask you to help me out with, Ellen, is this. I wish to continue in your employ until I get Timmy back at least. There are some expenses I’m running up in connection with his being released.”
“What? Ransom? You’re paying ransom?”
“No, they don’t want money. They want Gary. Whoever the kidnappers are, they have offered to release Timmy and Kawee in exchange for our handing over Gary.”
“Oh, good God. Well, you wouldn’t do that, would you?”
“What I’m doing is, I’m working hard to get everybody’s ass out of the fire intact. That is my intention. But I’m running up my accounts. For instance, we had to arrange for a search of a number of buildings in Bangkok, and it cost money.”
“Well, just make sure you get receipts.”
“Sure.”
“And keep your costs down as low as you can. My cash flow situation is rather wobbly at the moment.”
“Yeah, well, so is mine.”
“Aren’t the police involved? If someone is kidnapped, why not rely on the police instead of hiring private security at an extortionate rate?”
“In Thailand, it’s complicated in that regard. Anyway, once I get hold of Gary” — I didn’t add and wring his neck — “perhaps he can be persuaded to pitch in and help cover expenses. After all, it’s his disappearance, so-called, that got me into this sulfurous quagmire in the first place.”