The Merry Misogynist

Siri asked.
    “Exactly. Some of those Chinese engineers have special dispensation to hop around the country without the inconvenience of applying for a laissez-passer.”
    “Like you and me, Siri,” said Phosy.
    “Yes, but you two are Lao. It’s your country…at least for a while.”
    “That’s it.” Phosy tried to click his fingers, but they were slick with mayonnaise. “Travel. We know Phan travelled across prefectural borders. Even if he was attached to a government project he’d need a laissez-passer. Private citizens can’t just pop into the Interior Ministry and say, “I fancy a bit of a drive up to Luang Prabang; could you give me a travel pass?””
    “Even if he had a valid and urgent need, the bureaucracy would delay him for a month or so,” Civilai added.
    “So how did Boonhee get down here so fast to claim his daughter’s body?” Siri asked.
    “Sihot got him a pass,” Phosy said. “We claimed he was a witness. But for Phan to go to Vang Vieng and then return there two weeks later, he had to be attached to some official project.”
    “So you’re assuming he was in the region for another purpose but changed his identity and project description in order to fool the people in Ban Xon?”
    “What do you think?” Phosy asked.
    “It’s a stretch, but it’s as good as anything else you’ve got,” Siri agreed.
    “So, let’s make a list,” said Civilai. He reached into his pack, pulled out three slices of his prize-winning pie, and hunted around for a pen and paper.
    “I have a notepad,” said Phosy. “I’ll exchange it for a piece of pie.”
    “You’ll finish your baguettes, give yourself a few minutes for the first course to digest, then I’ll think about letting you have dessert.”
    “You’re a tough nut.” Phosy laughed. He found his pencil and held it poised to write.
    “Number one, ‘military’,” said Civilai.
    “I don’t know.” Phosy shook his head. “This fellow doesn’t read like army to me. I get the feeling he’s a few pegs above soldier. He seems too polished, too charming. Plus the witnesses said his hair was longish, just over his collar. I know we don’t insist on five millimetres like the Thais, but if our Phan’s an officer he’d lead by example.”
    “I see him as someone who has, or used to have, influence.” Siri thought out loud. “He knows how to talk. Has some breeding. Now if you’d told me he was a Royalist officer I’d believe that. There were a lot of smooth tin soldiers in that outfit. But not the National People’s Liberation Army. They’re too country. Too simple.”
    “How about the police?” Civilai asked.
    Phosy shook his head. “The only unit that does any travelling is the one I’m in charge of.”
    “All right, then let’s start the list with politburo members and their aides, members of the Central Committee.” Civilai smiled, happy to finger his old colleagues. “They get travel passes at the drop of a hat.”
    “I don’t know about that either,” said Siri, dusting the last of his breadcrumbs from his lap. “They’re too high profile. If anyone with a name was in the region all the local cadres would know.”
    “But it’s worth a shot,” Phosy said and began the list. “I’ll get Sihot to check whether there were any political meetings in the district at the time Phan was there.”
    “But don’t forget he had to be there twice,” Siri reminded him. “Once for the seduction and once for the wedding. There had to be some kind of flexibility in his schedule.”
    “Or he picked a location he knew he’d be going back to in a few weeks,” Phosy said.
    “All right,” said Siri. “Let’s include all the departments – I’m sorry, I mean ministries – that are likely to have projects up in the Vang Vieng⁄Ban Xon area. Let’s start with forestry. We know it’s not roads.”
    “Fishery, health, agriculture,” Civilai reeled off.
    “Rural development, culture,” Siri added, “and I’m thinking specifically of the people who go out to hill-tribe villages and convince them they’d be better off as Lao citizens.”
    “Slow down,” said Phosy.
    “Come on, you know which they are,” Civilai told him. “Virtually every department has a division that goes out into the countryside. You’d have to contact all of them and find out whether they had any projects up there on the dates we’ve got.”
    “And you might want to cross-reference with old projects conducted in Luang Nam