Alfie didn’t think too much about it after he questioned his own sanity and concluded he was the only one in the village who was normal. He kept out the way, staying at home pottering in the garden and writing. Five days later he walked up the lane to the village centre, passing the scene of the crime at Joy’s shop and bar on the way. The blood must have drained from his face, because he came over dizzy when he saw the killer sitting alone at the counter, drinking whiskey lao khao, as brazen as you like. Bia’s blood was still on the road, now dried and black. Alfie kept walking, wobbling from the dizziness, and took a left turn, a short-cut back home. When he reached the house, Pong asked him why his face was red and why he was back so soon?

“It’s either anger or rising blood pressure. I’m not sure.”

Alfie left it at that and sat alone under the shade of a lamyai tree. Pong joined him after she thought he’d had enough time to himself. He told her what he’d seen.

“I don’t understand everything about Thailand, and I probably never will. But this has stopped making sense to me.”

“It doesn’t make sense to me either,” she said.

…

A week passed with no more news.

“When is the funeral?”

“I don’t know. The news has stopped.”

“Surely, they’ve turned the life support off by now,” Alfie said.

Nothing had happened. He didn’t ask Pong again because she would have told him if she had any news. Then another week passed and still nothing.

“I think you must ask some more questions, Pong. This is strange.”

Next evening Pong came home with news which floored Alfie but didn’t faze her in the least.

“Bia has come home from the hospital, but he won’t be back at work for another week.”

“The dead man is walking then?”

“I don’t know if he’s walking, but he’s home.”

“And Tum? I suppose he’s on a world cruise.”

“No. They have locked him up for drug dealing.”

“Drug dealing. Not murder? Sorry, I forgot, Bia’s not dead anymore. How about actual bodily harm or grievous bodily harm?”

“Just drug dealing. Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you.”

“Something important?”

“Yes. Tum’s family paid Bia’s family thirty thousand Baht for the funeral while Bia was on life support.”

“That was nice of them. Did they take him a bunch of bananas when they visited him in hospital?”

“They didn’t go to see him in hospital.”

“Really? That explains a lot.”