one of its support pillars, and was surprised to see a wide, dark river off to their left.
Daeng started walking toward it. “This way.”
There was a gentle breeze coming off the water, making the warm, humid night almost pleasant. Daeng stopped on a sidewalk near the river’s edge. Beyond it was a wide cement area, with a pair of ramps that sloped down to an empty dock.
“The van owner said this is where he dropped them off,” Daeng said.
“Where, exactly, are we?”
“Sathorn Pier.”
“So from here where would they have gone?” Logan asked.
“Anywhere along the Chao Phraya.”
The Chao Phraya, that was a name Logan remembered from his previous trip. It was the royal river that split the city in two.
“So they could be anywhere.”
“Sure, but the choice is odd. Why even use the river? The van owner said they didn’t take one of the public ferries, or even hire a boat once they got here. He said there was a boat already waiting for them.” Daeng paused, then said, “The only thing I can think of is that they needed to use the river.”
That thought had crossed Logan’s mind, too. It was either that, or they had used the river to cover their tracks in case they were worried about being followed. But it seemed to Logan that moving from car to boat and boat to car again with such a large group that included one incapacitated girl would have created unwanted attention, doing the exact opposite of helping them to disappear.
“Okay, so what would they have needed it for?” he asked.
“Maybe a hotel?” Daeng suggested. “There are a few along the waterfront.”
Logan shook his head. A group like that, checking into a big hotel? Same unwanted attention problem.
“They could have been meeting someone at another pier,” Daeng offered.
“Possibly. But then, why not just drive there?”
Daeng looked down the waterfront. “There are also a lot of private residences along the river, apartment buildings, shacks. Nothing that’s particularly fancy, but some do have docks, and a few are actually built over the river, so, depending on the type of boat they were in, they could have gone right underneath.”
Logan thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “That makes more sense to me.”
“Don’t get too excited,” Daeng told him. “There’s miles of riverfront here, and thousands of places for people to live in. It might take us weeks to figure out which one they’re using, and chances are they’re going to be gone by morning.”
Logan grimaced. Daeng was right, of course. “What would you do in their situation?”
“I wouldn’t be in their situation,” Daeng said. “I don’t kidnap people.”
“Hypothetically. You’d be concerned about security, right?”
“Sure.”
“Would you be concerned enough to have guards posted around the clock?”
Daeng consider it for a second, then nodded. “I would.”
“Yeah,” Logan said. “So would I.”
“Okay, so they’re being careful. How does that help us?”
“If it was the middle of the day right now, or even the evening, I’d say it wouldn’t help us at all. But it’s three a.m. The river’s quiet. The streets are mostly empty. If we were ever going to notice someplace being guarded, wouldn’t this be the best time?”
“You want to go out on the river? Right now?”
“Tell me that I’m wrong.”
Daeng paused, then said, “No. You’re not wrong. It’s a good idea. The noise from a boat motor might stir them up, too. Make them easier to spot. Still there’s a very good chance we won’t find them.”
“I know, but we definitely won’t find them if we just stand here.”
Daeng nodded his head in agreement.
“I think our only problem is finding a boat at this hour,” Logan said, frowning.
“In that, my friend, you’re mistaken.”
Daeng led them down to the dock, then drew in a deep breath and let out an ear-piercing whistle.
At first, there didn’t seem to be any reaction, then some voices drifted over the water from off to their left—two people, it sounded like, talking to each other. Suddenly a motor started up, and a few seconds later, a Thai longboat emerged out of the darkness.
The boat looked just like its name implied—long and narrow. Over a dozen people could fit onboard, but no more than two side-by-side. Like the longboats Logan remembered from his first trip to Thailand, its motor was a big monster of a thing that hovered above the rear of the vessel. On the water side, a pole ran out from the motor to a propeller mounted at the end, while on the boat side, the