East of Suez Read Online Free PDF Page A

happening? If you told me, I’ve forgotten.”
    “Miranam. On the Malay Peninsula. Next to Thailand and Malaysia. Between Bangkok and Singapore.”
    “A palm-treed oasis on the edge of the ocean, I’ll bet.”
    “That’s the place.”
    “With a suitcase full of secrets.”
    “We’ll get to that.” Her eyes weren’t meeting mine. This was never a good sign.
    “Okay, go on with the story.”
    “Jake knew somebody, a friend, who brought dope to Takot and needed a safe place to leave his shipments.”
    “Some friend! You know his name?”
    “Jake didn’t tell me. He said the less I knew about it, the better.”
    “Sorry I interrupted.”
    “The reef where Jake took his scuba-diving customers was the perfect place where the dope could be exchanged for cash.”
    “What kind of dope?” I asked. “ Never mind! I don’t know the difference. It’s all the same to me. Let me see if I’ve got this right: Jake’s partner brought the dope to Jake and picked up his payment? At the reef, where Jake took his people diving?”
    “Not exactly. It was like Jake rented his garage without asking what it was being used for. I guess he got paid for his service, but I don’t think he was in on any of the details.”
    “That’s half of it.” I was trying hard not to lose any of the pieces of information as they moved from my ears to my brain. “And another partner provided the money and got rid of the drugs? I suppose you don’t know his name either?”
    “Right.”
    “Wait a minute!” I exploded. “What did they need Jake for? Were they waiting for somebody to introduce them? Jake could have done that and taken a flat payoff. Weren’t these guys on speaking terms?”
    “Maybe they liked the set-up. You see, Benny, this way they didn’t have to know one another. They each had Jake, an honest man.”
    “Unless we get technical.”
    “Jake didn’t ever see the dope. He never brought any of it home. He simply offered them a safe haven where one side collected his dope and the other collected his money. He said it was a groovy set-up.”
    “He needs a refresher course in the argot of the street. Were the government authorities suspicious of what was going on? Is that why they moved in on you and forced Jake out of his scuba-diving business?”
    “I’m not sure. I think they just wanted to take over something that seemed to be making a profit. We were visitors and they were local. Live there for fifty years and you’ll still be a tourist. They didn’t like to see tourists in business. That’s not the way tourism’s supposed to work.”
    “So who do you think killed Jake? The supplier, the buyer, or the authorities?”
    “That’s what I want you to find out.”
    “And the suitcase? The suitcase comes first?”
    “ Jake comes first! I told you that!” It would be easier to turn her down now that she was cross with me. I still had no defense against tears. “Why do you keep harping on about the suitcase?”
    “What’s in it? No more games.”
    “Money. I think . He kept it locked.” She still wasn’t looking me in the eye. I got a mental glimpse of my trying to go through customs with it. Miranam customs. Canadian customs. Maybe even U.S. customs. I didn’t like it any better after I let go of the breath I was holding.
    “It’s no good my repeating that you’ve got the wrong guy? Did I tell you I’ve never been further from Canada than Miami? I don’t know anything about foreign food, foreign money, or foreign languages. I don’t speak Chinese. Even my
    French is practically nonexistent. And I can’t read any known language.”
    She ignored me and took her checkbook from her purse. She began writing. Beside the check she left a stack of fiftydollar bills. I have always been a sucker for hard cash. My defensive rearguard collapsed without another shot being fired.
    “If you get stuck down there, call our lawyer. Bernhardt Hubermann. He’s in the book. It’s Hubermann with an ‘h,’ but