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doing that, I’m going to take Hateley back to the helicopter and get him on his plane as quickly as I can.   Shit is going to hit the bloody fan when these four fail to check in.   If Hateley gets scooped up at a road-block, we’re bloody-well screwed.   He wouldn’t last five minutes under Thai interrogation.”
    “Are you going to fly out with him?”
    “No, I need to shut down the office and sort things out around here first.”   Wallis fingered his throat mike again.   “Gecko-One to Gecko-Two.”
    “Gecko-Two, go.”
    “Change of plans.   Bright Light.   Repeat, Bright Light.   Scrub the scene completely, and then relocate your team to rendezvous point Papa-John, double-time.   Repeat, rendezvous point Papa-John.   I’ll meet you there in about two hours with the office kit.”
    “Gecko-Two, copy Bright Light, copy Papa-John,” Quince Lanyard replied with no trace of emotion in his voice.
    Wallis nodded approvingly and fingered his throat-mike again; only this time activating a different frequency.
    “Gecko-One to Alpha-Tango.”
    “Alpha-Tango, go.”
    “Be advised we have a change of plans.   Relocate to pick-up point Echo-Five, full caution.   We’re heading your way now.”
    “Alpha-Tango, copy Echo-Five.   ETA fifteen.”
    Wallis turned back to Gavin.   “As soon as Hateley takes off, Quince and I will scrub our trail.   Then Quince will link up with you at Tauka Pa while I have a heart-to-heart with our Surat Thani friend.”
    “You mean Yak?”
    “Exactly,” Wallis muttered as he bent down and grabbed the legs of the dead lieutenant.
    “What about the cat?   Are we still going to try to get it out?” Gavin asked as he and Wallis quickly heaved the bodies of the four Rangers into the back of the jeep and covered them with a tarp.
    “Bloody damn right we are; we’ve got too much invested in this project to miss out on Hateley’s final payment,” Wallis said emphatically.   “And besides, he’s too good of a customer.   We don’t want to lose him now, just when things are starting to get interesting.”
     
    *     *     *
     
    Wallis got back in the jeep, shielding his eyes from the headlight glare until Gavin had the Ranger’s jeep turned around and heading north.
    “What was that all about, Marcus?” Hateley demanded.   “You were out there a hell of a long time.   I was starting to get worried.”
    “Some unexpected complications,” Wallis said.   “Nothing we can’t handle, but we need to get you on that plane to Singapore and then heading back home as quickly as possible.   The fewer people who see you in the area of the Khlong Preserve right about now, the easier it will be for all of us.”
    “You’re not going with me?
    “No, I need to finish sorting things out around here first.”
    “Sorting things out?”
    Wallis shrugged.   “Close up shop; set accounts in order; pay our respects; put out a false trail of bread crumbs, that sort of thing.”
    Hateley was silent for a few moments.
    “Is the situation really that precarious?”
    Wallis hesitated before he spoke.   “Straight up: it’s a bit dicey at the moment, Mr. Hateley; but nothing that you need to be concerned about.   You pay us handsomely to deal with any complications, and that’s what we’re going to do. But you should be aware that we may not be able to hunt in this area again for a while.”
    “By ’this area’ you mean —?”
    “Thailand.”
    “Ah, I see.”
    Hateley started out the jeep’s side window for a couple of seconds, then turned back to Wallis.
    “What about my trophy?”
    “The cat’s on his way to a first-class taxidermist as we speak.   I’ll deliver him to you, personally, in about ten days, two weeks at the outside; tree-mounted, as we agreed.”
    “And the money I’ve already invested in my next Thai hunt?”
    “Your hundred and fifty thousand dollar down-payment, minus our expenses to date, will either be refunded to you when I deliver