Sihanoukville, Cambodia
T
he 2nd Secretary of the International Ship Registry of Cambodia was a cautious man. He was also a rich man and getting richer, a situation he did not wish to jeopardize. He always made his clandestine calls from a little tea shop down the block from his office using a Chinese phone. Just now he was sipping tea and listening to a report from his cohort in the port of Hainan. They spoke French, a common language for both men and a precaution against eavesdroppers on either end.
The Chinese broker in Hainan related two important items at the start of their conversation. An agreed-upon fee had been transferred to the 2nd Secretary’s account in Bangkok where it should be recorded in no more than two days. That closed the book on their most recent venture, so they tu
