1.
Taksin and Pon where sat at Taksin’s large mystat teak desk and going over some final details on having the temple closed off to the public
2.
“Good afternoon, Ratray” said Taksin and he and Pon returned the wai
3.
Pon joined in and told Ratray what had happened, or not happened as it was in this case, and told her that they thought the box might have been switched
4.
A worried look came over the faces of Pon and Taksin
5.
Pon and Taksin waded through the files immediately
6.
Taksin felt a new tension in the air and noticed Pon had become sullen and he knew what was going through the warriors mind ‘the Tinju had failed, again’ and Taksin also knew whoever did this, would certainly pay the ultimate sacrifice at the hands of Pon
7.
Pon looked again and did not fully understand, but the name of the employer was familiar
8.
Pon and Taksin decided the next course of action; this would be easy to pick this man up at any border crossing when he tried to leave, so they both breathed a sigh of relief
9.
"Don’t worry Pon, we will get it back,” comforted Taksin although knowing the Tinju was not concerned with the recovery, he would be more annoyed that it was allowed to be taken in the first place
10.
” Said Pon as stood up to leave
11.
Tar was across the border and Pon could not cross into Cambodia, because of his position as Defender of the Monarch, therefore for him to be there, without the Crown Prince, would be too suspicious and could cause yet another rift in the fragile Thai, Cambodian relationship
12.
Pon thought that he could try to sneak over, the same as before, but Taksin told him that if he were to be caught, he would have entered illegally and end up in jail
13.
Pon tried to argue, that he had done it before, but Taksin pointed out that before, they hadn’t known who he was, and now the militia and police would be on the lookout for him as Tighe was a powerful man
14.
“No,” said Pon “I am the only one who will recover the relic, so to send someone else is out of the question
15.
Taksin told Pon of his plan and concluded by saying
16.
Pon also had an idea pop into his head, which would make Taksin’s scheme more credible and he laid out his part of the plan
17.
“That sounds great, but it is dependent on some important factors Pon
18.
Pon picked up the phone and asked Noi to check something with immigration
19.
She returned on the intercom a few moments later, affirming what Pon had just enquired about
20.
“I will see to it immediately Prime Master” said Taksin as Pon announced
21.
Pon recovered Nick’s moto and wheeled it to a nearby bar, where Spock and Stu took the shocked, stunned, Nick
22.
Nick groggily looked around at Spock and Stu then noticed Pon, who although his face was vaguely familiar he could fully recognise the man with the Elvis mullet
23.
“With the mad monk, with the mullet” continued Stu also nodding towards Pon
24.
Convinced that he was hallucinating, he drove off, leaving Stu, Spock and Pon, roaring with laughter at Nick, the walking calamity
25.
“What does he want?” Stu asked Pon
26.
“I have to go with him to meet my contact,” said Pon, who nodded to the driver, picked up his bag and went into the passenger side of the car
27.
Pon had arrived early the previous morning at Stu’s room, after he’d collected the documents that Taksin had rushed through
28.
Pon asked Stu to get Spock, as what he had to discuss was for them both
29.
Pon sat on the bed speaking to Dao about Kim, when Stu and Spock came in and sat by the side of him, Spock clipped Pon around his ear, for the same reasons that Stu had done
30.
Pon related the story about how the box had been switched and his problem with getting into Cambodia unaided
31.
Pon told them he intended to enter Cambodia as a tour guide and how it would be more credible to travel with a group of foreigners, and say that he was their Cambodian guide, and as he spoke Cambodian, nobody would suspect if he travelled with a group
32.
They would be expecting the prime master Pon Meesilli to try to recover the relic alone and he told them that he had fake Cambodian passport
33.
Pon went on to explain that he was only maybe a day at the most, behind the man they knew to be responsible
34.
“Correct,” said Pon “that’s all and the palace will pay all the expenses
35.
Stu, Spock, Dao and Moo thought long and hard, after all, if the relic was never found it would suit them, but Pon was a friend, plus Stu and Spock wanted to see the lady that had captured the heart of the mad monk
36.
The girls looked at each other and spoke in Thai to Pon
37.
Pon walked back over to the bed
38.
“We leave immediately” said Pon, happiness and relief etched on his face
39.
Pon sat down again and produced a passport and showed it to Stu and Spock
40.
“That’s great beamed Spock I have a little shit,” he pointed to Moo, “and a shithead,” he looked at Pon and chuckled at his own scathing wit
41.
Pon, not knowing what the big lad was prattling on about, reached in his bag for his next surprise
42.
Stu looked at the passport photo of Pon and noticed,
43.
Pon then produced a wig and slipped it on
44.
“I thought Elvis was dead,” cackled Spock tears of laughter streaming from his eyes as Pon adjusted his wig and smoothed it down
45.
After the laughter died down Pon got his bag, which containing his Pitou, Glave, wharm Lorn and other herbs and potions, his monk’s robes plus a few civilian clothes, and he left the room
46.
Pon said that he’d expected them to be away for about four days, if things went to plan, but Stu considered that four days without Dao was a sad prospect
47.
The lads got out of the elevator and walked towards Pon
48.
“He wanted to know who cut my hair, he liked the style,” replied a smug Pon
49.
“We have a problem,” said Pon and continued “There was only one ferry a day, which departed at 08
50.
They returned to the restaurant at 6 o’clock after unsuccessfully trying to wake Pon, and ordered mince, mash and a couple of beers
51.
The next morning Stu, Spock and Pon came down and ate breakfast, served by a happy serviced Giau, who had left Stu’s room in the early hours and returned to a still snoring Jock, none the wiser
52.
“I hope Pon takes his time, I think I will enjoy it here
53.
Lee went on to tell Pon that Tighe and Tar stayed in Siem Reap, Tar lived in the army barracks, and Tighe lived in a large house on the city’s outskirts
54.
Lee informed Pon that nothing had been heard with regards to a search for him, so they assumed that Tighe was still unaware that the Thais knew of the switch, so therefore Pon still had the element of surprise
55.
The woman looked at Pon who looked back, his heart pounding
56.
“Thank you,” said Pon and the brigadier left the room, to organise the meal, leaving the two love birds to chat
57.
Pon briefly explained why he was there and they kissed before Lee came back into the room
58.
Pon heard the two arguing in the next room, but could not hear about what, so he studied the maps Lee had given him
59.
Pon could now read maps, although he still had one major problem, but thought his two friends could help with this
60.
Pon could tell that Kim had been crying as she and Lee returned to the room and Lee announced it was time to eat
61.
Pon noticed the tension between Lee and Kim, but after they had eaten, Lee said to Kim
62.
Then he looked seriously at Pon and rubbed his brow, and knew that this could become a big problem
63.
“Tomorrow,” said Pon not knowing why, but knowing he still had the element of surprise, so there didn’t seem to be any rush, which meant that he could spend more time with Kim, even though he knew it could be for the last time
64.
Pon had not told Kim exactly why he was in Cambodia, just that he had to find someone and something
65.
Pon sat up
66.
Pon held her again and pecked her on the cheek
67.
Pon now faced his quandary, he couldn’t drive and realised Stu and Spock would have to take him to Siem Reap
68.
The next morning Pon woke them early and, after the morning ear clipping had been dished out, he told them about his meeting with Lee and that they must leave immediately and drive to Siem Reap
69.
They dropped Lee’s driver off at the brigadier’s house, and Spock, Stu and Pon caught a glimpse of Kim
70.
Tighe knew that Pon had a fearful reputation and believed the rumours that he had killed a foreigner and a Cambodian in Caw Kong last year,
71.
Tighe cursed the jeweller as Noi continued and told him that they had dispatched Prime Master Pon to recover the box several days earlier and knew that it was Tar who switched the box and escaped with the original
72.
Pon was a Royal representative and had crossed illegally into Cambodia,
73.
Pon could be shot as a spy and then Tighe could discredit Thailand to the rest of the world
74.
Tighe sat in his easy chair; he knew Pon would now be in Cambodia and therefore a fugitive
75.
Tighe hoped that Pon would soon be found and apprehended; meanwhile he would wait for Tar, and go to the citadel
76.
Pon covered the ringing phone and slid down a small embankment and behind the base of a tree and pressed the answer button
77.
‘They can’t question vapour’ thought Pon, as Tinju committed suicide by swallowing the “Wharm Lorn” mixture and a sword or Glave through the stomach, the acid in the stomach would react with mixture and with the introduction of steel from a sword or Glave it would cause it to ignite and evaporate the Tinju, instantly
78.
“All very depressing,” said Pon, after learning the word depressing from Spock and a few other choice words not for the faint hearted
79.
From the short time they’d spent with Dragon and Mom they had learned a few Khmer words and Pon had corrected them on the pronunciation,
80.
“I have to prepare for tomorrow” said Pon
81.
He looked at the smiling faces of Stu, Spock and Pon and groaned
82.
Pon remained in his room and studied maps, information and routes, he went outside briefly and hired a 250cc Raid dirt bike with lowered suspension and drove it back to the hotel, He owned a Honda steed in Thailand, so knew how to use the gears and handling
83.
Tighe came into his living room and used his landline several times, which gave Pon the confirmation that he needed
84.
Pon noticed several of Tighes household staff milling around and decided that once the coast was clear, he would sneak into Tighes house, confront him, get the holy box or, information on its whereabouts and then dispatch Tighe
85.
After several hours, Pon noticed the staff had dispersed out of sight, and saw that Tighe is again on the phone in his living room
86.
Pon, tried to muffle the sound as he scrambled back into his hiding position and answered
87.
After he finished speaking to Lee, Pon scanned the house for Tighe, and spots him in the drawing room using a fax machine
88.
Tighe went to look out of the window several times but Pon thought his camouflage was excellent, and knew that only a very experienced trained sniper would have had any chance to spot him
89.
Pon returned to his camouflaged spot and watched
90.
Pon decided to act and started his slow climb down
91.
Pon cut the bikes engine, free wheeled it into undergrowth near Tighes Hummer, covered it over and moved stealthily up to wall at the side of the temple
92.
He had seen Tighe go into the temple ruins, but as Pon looked through one of the ancient window holes he could see no sign of him
93.
Pon was confused, he stayed round the back of the temple and looked around at the burial slabs strewn around the grounds
94.
He had been trained to be a skilful sniper with the Government forces and it was he who trained Tar, they had both easily spotted Pon
95.
Tar watched Pon disappear under the slab, used to disguise the maintenance shaft and another lookout post, and alerted Tighe
96.
Tighe had left Normans office when Tar buzzed on the temple CCTV, went to the elevator and brought it down to the level of where Pon would be
97.
Pon knew that he could not move quick enough to avoid a bullet and he was ordered out of the compartment and down the rungs of the ladder, with two guns aimed at his head
98.
He had both fear and loathing of her fiancé, Colonel Tighe Nye, and knew the damage to the royal family that Nye would cause, should his involvement with Pon ever be found out
99.
Lee’s major concern was that peace between the two royal families and country’s had to be maintained and he had chosen to side with, and help, Pon, although he realised that this could be a risky decision, but he also knew Kim was in love with someone, and it certainly wasn’t Tighe
100.
Lee had figured out it had been Pon during his stay at his house, when he noticed the way they’d looked at each other His suspicions were confirmed on the drive back with Kim to Phnom Penh and he said
