The time fast approaches for the release of my
latest novel, Caught in Traffick. While we wait, I thought you might like to
get a taste of what’s to come in this fast moving and gripping story of child
trafficking in Thailand. Here is a tiny glimpse into Chapter One.
****
The beach at Jomtien, was crowded with tourists
doing what tourists do. They sunbathed, swam, drank cocktails, and played with
their children on the fine white sands. Screams and shouts of laughter emanated
from the banana boats out on the Gulf of Thailand, filled with willing
passengers who had paid for the dubious pleasure of being flung off into the
warm blue ocean. A string of ponies, sweated in the hot February sun, carrying
their cargo of small, equally hot children. No one paid any attention to the old
man in the wheelchair, whose feeble demeanour was a signpost of his advanced
years. He was simply an old man of no account who had been pushed into a shady
spot by his nurse, to enjoy the warmth of the late morning sun. He wore a large
straw hat, which obscured his face. Underneath the hat however, the Old Man’s deep
set eyes were keen and searching, and the unsuspecting people on the beach
could not have guessed the sinister purpose of his presence. Their indifference
would be costly, for the Old Man had played this game many times before and was
as sharp as he was cunning.
The Old Man observed the tableau, which played out
before him; with his shrewd eye for detail, he already knew where all the main
players were situated. He knew the beach well, and had already committed many
details of today’s particular scenario to memory. It was with good reason that
the Old Man was known to the people who sought him out, as “The Watcher.”
He watched the fishing boats go by as they made
their way back to the fishing ports. He watched the waiters making cocktails
behind the gaily decorated bars, he watched two lovers kissing on the white
sands, mistaken in the notion that they were hidden from view by the garish
umbrellas. He watched the hippie types who still came to the area to smoke a
little dope, get high and remember the good old days. He watched the parents;
but most of all, as a hawk watches its prey, he watched the children. His seasoned eye was drawn to one family in
particular. Two parents with two young children, a blonde haired girl wearing an
eye catching pink and white polka dot swimsuit, and a younger boy. Their father
was swimming in the sea, leaving mother tending to both children. The Old Man
watched and waited, knowing that the opportunity would arise as it always did.
It had been over six months since the Old Man had been out hunting like this,
and he felt his pulse quicken in anticipation. He had travelled with special
purpose from his home in Bangkok, with one thing in mind and now he had it in
his sights.
A woman approached from his left hand side; she was
a pretty young thing, dressed as a nurse; she attracted as little attention as
the Old Man. She said nothing, but bent down to rearrange the blanket over his
skinny legs. As she did so, she glanced up at him; “Soon” he whispered in an
almost indiscernible voice, “It will be soon, stay close, and be ready.” The
woman melted back into the crowds, but her sad eyes stayed constantly on the Old
Man. She waited, as he waited; the sweat ran down her back in rivulets betraying
the anxiety she felt at her situation.
The minutes ticked by.
Somewhere
on the beach, a child cried out in pain. The woman did not turn her head to
look; her eyes were fastened on the Old Man, knowing that this could be the
moment. The Old Man had heard it of course, but unlike the woman, he fixed his
gaze on the unfolding drama on the beach like a hawk on a mouse. The boy had wandered
off and fallen; the mother turned, spoke briefly to the girl, and ran to her
son. People instinctively turned their heads in the direction of the crying
boy, some continued to watch as his mother comforted him, some smiled in
sympathy, and no one, but no one had eyes
on the girl; no one that is apart from Ruang Sak Yunram.
****
I hope that has whetted your
appetite J
The book is the sequel to my first book Known to Social Services and should be released very
soon, possibly before the end of August, but no promises. Caught in Traffick will be available from Amazon as a paperback and a download. It will also be available from certain book stores.
I will of course keep you posted,
but you can sign up to follow my blog direct at;
Or visit my website;
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Freya
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