CHAPTER 36
At 4am Sannan called Mark Dobson.
“I’m in Pattaya,” he said. “Just as I was leaving the bar tonight, I saw the white Toyota so I followed it on the bike. It went to the villa in Nong Prue near the Country Club. The big gates were opened by the Thai woman and Olga, Medinski and Yuri Abisov went in. The gates closed. The Toyota driver was the Thai I’ve seen before. He drove away so I followed him to the other villa, the one with the swimming pool on Pratamnak hill. He left the car on the road outside but didn’t go in. He knew I was following him and when I approached him, he started to run, but I soon caught up with him.”
“What time was this?” Dobson asked.
“An hour ago. I showed my police card – the one Colin printed – and told him to come with me or I’d arrest him.
“Cut long story short, boss, his name is Chu and he likes driving the Toyota and BMW but doesn’t like working for Russians. Just like the guy at the warehouse I warned him they were being watched and paid him enough money for a train ticket to Chiang Mai and live on for a few months. Then he gave me a bunch of keys – for the Toyota, the BMW and the villa with the swimming pool. I also got the code for the security alarm. I asked him if there was anyone there right now. He said no, so I put him in a taxi to Bangkok and copied his ID card for security. He’s scared but I think right now is a good time for a look around the villa before the tenants find out. What do you think?”
If Mark Dobson had said no, Sannan, himself, might also have walked off the job even before his expenses were reimbursed so he agreed. Then he went back to sleep.