Chapter 44
BANGKOK
By the time Harvath and Morrell returned to Khlong Toei, Koebler’s block was actively being locked down.
Thai police vehicles were blocking both ends of the street, their light bars washing the buildings in undulating pulses of red and blue.
Uniformed officers had cordoned off the area with tape and were pushing back a knot of residents, shopkeepers, and passersby who had gathered to watch.
Harvath’s pulse had already quickened. He saw the van before he saw anything else. It was riddled with bullet holes and its rear doors stood wide open. He felt something inside him drop. Morrell saw it a split second later and the color drained from his face.
They started for the cordon, but Ashby intercepted them before they got halfway there. Palmer was right behind her. One look at Ashby’s expression told Harvath what he didn’t want to know.
“We got here just before the first patrol units set their perimeter,” she said quietly. “Several locals had already called it in.”
Morrell’s eyes never left the van. “KitKat and Mo?”
Ashby gave a single, grim nod. “Both in back.”
For a moment, Morrell didn’t move.
Harvath kept his voice low. “What did you see?”
“The shooter stood behind the van and put multiple rounds through the rear doors,” Ashby replied. “Then he climbed inside, fired several more shots, and according to a witness who spoke English, spent a couple moments looking around at everything before fleeing the scene.”
“They give a description?”
“Male. About six feet. Baseball cap and surgical mask. Carrying a black backpack.”
Morrell stared past Ashby. His eyes still on the van. “It was him.”
Nobody argued.
“If he climbed in to take a look around,” said Palmer, “he wasn’t doing it just to make sure they were dead. He wanted to figure out who they were.”
That was all Harvath needed. Koebler had found the van, understood what it was, and had taken the time to figure out who had put it there. That meant they hadn’t only lost KitKat and Mo, they had also lost the element of surprise.
Morrell forced himself back into the moment. “Did the witnesses say which way he went?”
Ashby pointed down the block. “He was on foot and disappeared into one of the side lanes.”
“Any cameras?”
“This is a pretty low-rent area,” Palmer replied, “but we spotted a few. Mostly shops. There may be some traffic cams further out. The problem is time.”
“Then Davi needs to get on them now,” said Morrell. Pulling out his phone, he stepped away to call her.
Harvath looked at Ashby and Palmer. “He’s burned now. Very soon, if not already, every cop in Bangkok is going to have his photo. He’s going to be radioactive. Unless he has another bolt-hole, nobody is going to want to help him.”
“So what’s his next move?” Palmer asked.
Harvath glanced down the block toward where the shooter had disappeared. “Exfil.”