Chimera

CHAPTER 22

In the suite of a modest and very remote Phuket hotel

Yawning tiredly, Pete Younger finally looked up from his laptop computer screen, stretched, and then surveyed the darkened living room of their two bedroom suite. There wasn’t much to it. A pair of old desks and chairs — the second set requiring an extra bribe to the maintenance man — a cheap dresser bearing an old CRT television and a desk phone, two additional stuffed chairs, three doors leading to the two small bedrooms and the shared bathroom, and a service cart bearing plates of half-eaten food and four empty coffee pots standing by the locked and bolted door.

They’d been working well into the evening, each digging relentlessly at their available data-sets while intermittently reaching out to the internet.

“Well,” Younger muttered, “I think it’s safe to conclude that our Mr. Fogarty is not a very nice chap.”

Bulatt looked from his computer hopefully. “Find something we can use?”

“No, unfortunately, it’s not illegal to play cut-throat politics in the exporting small arms industries. Pretty much SOP for that group.”

“Any long-standing partnerships?”

“Not so far. Looks like he back-stabs everyone pretty early in his deals. Classic predatory lone wolf behavior. You finding anything?”

“Residence in Bend, Oregon. Current Oregon and Idaho hunting licenses, but no active tags. I’ve got messages in to both fish and game agencies.”

“Any violations on file?”

“Several in Washington State prior to five years ago resulting in a life-time hunting ban,” Bulatt replied. “Nothing after that.”

“Think he learned his lesson?”

“A predatory lone wolf with a taste for blood and money to burn? I doubt it.”

“Sure, why hunt among the riffraff when you can form a competitive killing pack with some like souls?”

“Precisely.”

“Find anything else?”

“I’ve got an interesting lead,” Bulatt said. “The likely manufacturer of those flashers is located in Redmond, Washington. I used to work that area as a field agent, so I’m going to check it out personally.”

“So, at least we’re making some progress.”

“Yeah, but not much. Let’s hope that Achara is having a little better luck at her end.”