Death Trip

He caught Magda watching him as they walked alongside each other past the Gra

‘You’re taller than I thought you’d be,’ she said.

‘And you’re younger.’ He smiled. ‘The height’s from my mum’s side.’

Magda pulled up her fleece around her neck. ‘Did she tell you about me?’ she asked, not looking at him.

Ma

Magda nodded as if it was what she had expected.

The will had been read a few weeks after his father had died. Ma

‘What about Jake, is he tall?’

‘A bit taller than me. But I think he is still growing. He’s just eighteen.’ Magda’s voice softened as she talked about him—he was clearly the light of her life.

They stopped outside one of the prostitutes’ windows and Magda waved at the occupant who was dressed in a black rubber corset and stockings, and sitting on a stool in the window.

The woman gri

‘That’s Carla—she has been working this window for a few months. She does the evening shift from eight until two, or until she’s had enough.’

Carla mouthed something and pointed to Ma

‘She says special rate for you—suck and fuck, thirty euros.’

Ma

‘She a friend?’ he asked as they walked away.

‘Carla? Yes. Sort of. The girls come and go but the window stays the same. I wanted to show you this window because…‘ Ma

4

Burma

Saw Wah Say ran on ahead and then stopped at the edge of the ravine. He shielded his eyes from the afternoon sun as he studied the horizon and craned his head to listen to the sounds in the air. He looked strong and fresh after the seven-hour march. He carried no extra fat. His body was stripped down to its finest components. He was born to fight and to run.

He looked down towards the teak forest below; there was no sign of a disturbance. No monkeys screeching or birds squawking in alarm. It had been a good plan to take this route. The jungle was a friend to Saw and to his men—it had hidden them well for many years.

He looked at his line of hostages as they passed him. Their wrists were tied together in front of them. Ditaka, his second-in-command, held the girl A

Saw looked back along the path they had come and he saw the setting sun set fire to the Thaungyin river that separated Burma and Thailand. Tonight he would leave his hostages and head towards the town of Mae Sot. Tonight someone was waiting for him and tonight would decide the fate of the five. In the morning he would hand them over. If not, they would be dead by nightfall.

5

‘It’s not my business, Magda…’ Ma

‘Yes, it is.’ Magda stopped walking and refused to move until Ma

Ma

‘I will answer any questions that you have. I have nothing to hide; all I want is my son back.’

They crossed over the bridge. Lights from the bars reflected in the black water of the canal. The wind picked up again and Magda dug her hands into her jeans pockets. They pushed on at a pace and turned west away from the canal onto a small side road flanked by high-sided narrow canal houses.

‘How often did you see him?’

‘About once a month. He would stay for a few days, sometimes a week.’ She carried on walking and pulled the fleece further up around her ears.

‘Do you want my coat, Magda?’ Ma

She stopped, looked over at him and smiled.

‘Thank you, but no, I never mind the cold and the rain. I wouldn’t live here in Holland if I did.’

‘What business was my father doing here in Amsterdam?’ Ma

‘He never said what, exactly. There is a strong Chinese community here. Twenty years ago it was even bigger. There were many Chinese-owned businesses then.’

‘In De Wallen?’

‘Yes, some sex clubs, shops. But I am not sure what brought your father here in the begi

Ma