she
hoped not, Ava assumed instead, it was to make her rest and recoup before she
would have to leave.
So
Ava fell back asleep on the woman’s bed once again, and hoped her dreams were
happy ones. Dreams about her seeing Olivia again and being home.
***
Hayden
looked at the small Thai house watching for any signs of Ava.
The
tracker had led them to this house; they’d even found a rifle in the grass
behind the house. Hayden had done a quick walk-by the other houses, but both
the tracker and Hayden agreed that it didn’t look like she’d gone to any other
place but the house in front of them right now. It also appeared as if she
hadn’t left the house either.
“Let’s
go see if our captive is inside,” Hayden said to the tracker.
They
both walked up to the house. Hayden knocked on the front door and waited for a
response. After a few short seconds, an older Thai woman opened the door.
“Hello.
My name is Hayden. Do you speak English?” Hayden asked the woman.
The
woman shook her head. Hayden looked at the tracker who nodded at him, and then
translated what Hayden had just said to the woman in Thai.
The
woman replied in Thai to them.
“She
said she knows no English.”
Hayden
nodded at the tracker’s translation. “Ask her if she lives here by herself.”
Hayden
listened to the Thai conversation.
“She
lives alone.”
“Ask
her if she has seen a young white Australian girl around this area.”
The
lady looked cross at this question.
The
tracker translated her response, “She says she hasn’t seen an Australian around
here in years, but asks why you are asking about one.”
“We
are trying to find her. It’s very important that we do.”
The
woman stared at Hayden after the tracker translated his last sentence. She
looked him up and down, almost considering her options. She opened her mouth to
speak, but then she spotted Hayden’s gun in his holster on his body and quickly
closed her mouth, shaking her head and speaking quickly in Thai.
Hayden
covered the gun with his jacket and listened to the tracker’s words, “She tells
me she doesn’t know of any white girl around here and to leave her alone now.
She is tired and is in need of sleep.”
Hayden
heard the tracker’s words, but his eyes were looking past the woman and at the
two bowls and mugs on the kitchen table.
The
woman followed Hayden’s attention and saw what had sparked his attention. She
closed the door; blocking the view of the table and leaving it only open enough
for her head to see out.
“Tell
her we will pay her a great deal of money if she knows where the girl is.”
The
tracker translated Hayden’s proposition. The woman yelled at Hayden and shut
the door in his face.
“She
told me to tell you to stop asking about the girl because she doesn’t know
where she is. She also told me to tell you never come back here again if you
valued your life.”
Hayden
turned and walked away from the house with the tracker.
“She’s
in there. I had my suspicions before that we could be wrong, but now after
talking to that woman, I guarantee she knows where Ava is. She’s probably in
there right now with her,” Hayden said as they walked down the dirt road.
“So…We
go back there and get her.”
“No.”
“No?”
“No,”
Hayden replied. “You go back to the house and tell them we have found her. I’ll
wait until she leaves to get back to the city and then I’ll grab her.”
“But
what if she never leaves?”
“She
will. She knows we are still out there looking for her and she won’t feel safe
until she is back in Phuket, finding a way home.”
“Why
not go and get her now?”
“I
would, but the woman is old and don’t want to cause her any more grief. I’m
doing this to find Ava and bring her back to the house, not to give old women
heart attacks.”
“How
nice of you,” the tracker said laughing.
“Shut-up.”
Hayden
knew it didn’t make sense to the tracker. But Hayden wasn’t a bad
hoped not, Ava assumed instead, it was to make her rest and recoup before she
would have to leave.
So
Ava fell back asleep on the woman’s bed once again, and hoped her dreams were
happy ones. Dreams about her seeing Olivia again and being home.
***
Hayden
looked at the small Thai house watching for any signs of Ava.
The
tracker had led them to this house; they’d even found a rifle in the grass
behind the house. Hayden had done a quick walk-by the other houses, but both
the tracker and Hayden agreed that it didn’t look like she’d gone to any other
place but the house in front of them right now. It also appeared as if she
hadn’t left the house either.
“Let’s
go see if our captive is inside,” Hayden said to the tracker.
They
both walked up to the house. Hayden knocked on the front door and waited for a
response. After a few short seconds, an older Thai woman opened the door.
“Hello.
My name is Hayden. Do you speak English?” Hayden asked the woman.
The
woman shook her head. Hayden looked at the tracker who nodded at him, and then
translated what Hayden had just said to the woman in Thai.
The
woman replied in Thai to them.
“She
said she knows no English.”
Hayden
nodded at the tracker’s translation. “Ask her if she lives here by herself.”
Hayden
listened to the Thai conversation.
“She
lives alone.”
“Ask
her if she has seen a young white Australian girl around this area.”
The
lady looked cross at this question.
The
tracker translated her response, “She says she hasn’t seen an Australian around
here in years, but asks why you are asking about one.”
“We
are trying to find her. It’s very important that we do.”
The
woman stared at Hayden after the tracker translated his last sentence. She
looked him up and down, almost considering her options. She opened her mouth to
speak, but then she spotted Hayden’s gun in his holster on his body and quickly
closed her mouth, shaking her head and speaking quickly in Thai.
Hayden
covered the gun with his jacket and listened to the tracker’s words, “She tells
me she doesn’t know of any white girl around here and to leave her alone now.
She is tired and is in need of sleep.”
Hayden
heard the tracker’s words, but his eyes were looking past the woman and at the
two bowls and mugs on the kitchen table.
The
woman followed Hayden’s attention and saw what had sparked his attention. She
closed the door; blocking the view of the table and leaving it only open enough
for her head to see out.
“Tell
her we will pay her a great deal of money if she knows where the girl is.”
The
tracker translated Hayden’s proposition. The woman yelled at Hayden and shut
the door in his face.
“She
told me to tell you to stop asking about the girl because she doesn’t know
where she is. She also told me to tell you never come back here again if you
valued your life.”
Hayden
turned and walked away from the house with the tracker.
“She’s
in there. I had my suspicions before that we could be wrong, but now after
talking to that woman, I guarantee she knows where Ava is. She’s probably in
there right now with her,” Hayden said as they walked down the dirt road.
“So…We
go back there and get her.”
“No.”
“No?”
“No,”
Hayden replied. “You go back to the house and tell them we have found her. I’ll
wait until she leaves to get back to the city and then I’ll grab her.”
“But
what if she never leaves?”
“She
will. She knows we are still out there looking for her and she won’t feel safe
until she is back in Phuket, finding a way home.”
“Why
not go and get her now?”
“I
would, but the woman is old and don’t want to cause her any more grief. I’m
doing this to find Ava and bring her back to the house, not to give old women
heart attacks.”
“How
nice of you,” the tracker said laughing.
“Shut-up.”
Hayden
knew it didn’t make sense to the tracker. But Hayden wasn’t a bad
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