Crime Suppression Unit Part 20
Sonia's Story
Sonia blasted two shots directly into the driver's window. The glass shattered inward as the truck pitched forward, choked to a halt and then stopped.
Oh my God, Rick thought, she's gone nuts and killed him. He started to run towards the truck as door opened.
The driver stepped on the running board and then fell over onto his side into the dirt. He slowly sat up, holding his hands to his face, blood streaming through his fingers, down his wrists and onto his jacket.
Sonia ignoring him, rushing to the other side, pulling open the passenger's door.
Rick cupping his hands to his mouth, shouting, 'Stop, Sonia Stop.'
Sonia grabbing the woman's wrist trying to to pull her out.
Khun Jasmine holding firmly onto the dashboard, not budging.
Sonia brought her hand back and slammed the pistol down on Jasmine's head.
Jasmine held fast.
Sonia smacked her in the face with the pistol; blood poured from a gash across the top of her nose.
Jasmine screamed and kicked out at Sonia, her heel raking Sonia's cheek.
Sonia brought her gun up and fired. The slug tore through the roof of the cab, narrowly missing Jasmine's head.
The woman gave up and Sonia jerked her out of the cab and onto the ground.
Everyone ran towards the truck. Rick was almost there with Hans and Andrew close behind.
'Hold it. That's close enough.' Sonia turned and raised the gun in their direction.
'What's the matter?' Rick held his hands out to her.
'They are not going to take them.' Sonia shrieked hysterical.
Rick spoke softly. 'Okay, okay, no problem. Take it easy.'
Sonia bent over and grabbed Jasmine by the hair forcing her head up, her face a foot away.
'Look at me. Do you remember me? Sonia screamed so loud her words were almost unintelligible.
There was no answer.
'You don't know who I am, do you?'
'That's enough Sonia. What's going on?' Rick took a step closer.
'She's going to sell them. She's going to sell the children to a brothel.'
'How do you know?'
Sonia's voice was barely audible when she said, 'She sold me, that's how I know.'
Sonia turned to the lady and shoved the gun against her cheek, pushing the skin up, twisting her mouth to the side.
'Say a prayer to Buddha for your worthless life.'
'Don't shoot. I'll put them both in jail.' Andrew edged closer. 'Not a chance and that's far enough.'
'Listen, I'm a officer of the law with authority here in Thailand. If you kill her I will have to arrest you.'
'I swear to God, Andrew if you pull out your stupid badge again I'm going to shoot you first.'
'I promise you that she will go to jail for the rest of her life. She will be living in hell for a long time. Andrew took another step closer.
'She will be released eventually.'
'You can testify against her in court and we can find others to testify against her also.'
Sonia hesitated for a second and Andrew leaped forward, grabbing the gun from her hand.
'God damn it.' Sonia swung at him with her other hand.
He caught her wrist easily.
Rick pulled Sonia into his arms. 'It's better this way darling.'
He held on to her as she began to cry.
'My God, I had no idea.' Hans was standing there shocked at the events.
Nahlee was examining the driver. 'He's going to live. The bullet just grazed his head. I need to pick the glass out of his face.
Hans went to get his doctors valise. He passed Andrew coming back with a roll of tape. Andrew knelt besides the woman who was still shaken and sitting on the ground. Andrew taped the woman's hands behind her back and then tied her ankles
together.
By the time he was finished, Nahlee had bandaged the driver's head and was picking out a considerable bit of glass from his face.
Andrew bent down and pulled the man's hands behind his back and started to tape them together.
'Do you think that you can wait until I am finished treating this man?'
Nahlee sounded more than a little annoyed.
'All due respect, back home we cuff them first and then treat them. It's standard procedure. I don't want to cramp your style but this man might jump up and run away the first chance he gets.'
Andrew picked up the woman and dumped her over the tailgate and onto the truck bed.
'Please, please untie me mister. I'm innocent. Please let me go. That woman is crazy. Mister please have pity on me.
I am a legitimate businesswoman.'
Andrew ignored her and walked back to the driver. He easily hoisted him onto his shoulder and threw him over the back of the truck next to Jasmine who started to scream.
'Untie me you son of a b**ch. You have no right to hold me prisoner, you farang bastard. You worthless pig s**t.
'Lady, you don't shut up, I'm going to get Sonia come here and teach you some manners.'
They were all back in the tent. Everyone was shaken by the events. Hans had broken out a bottle of Chevas Regal and was passing it around.
'I was saving this until we left but now is a good time to have a drink. I'm really sorry about what happened.'
Andrew poured himself another drink. 'Not at all Doctor. This woman has been operating around here for years and no one has stopped her yet. It's not your fault. These people are pretty slick.
The police and welfare agencies have been campaigning against the villagers to stop selling their children and things are starting to tighten up. Jasmine just found a new source of human goods, is all.'
'You mean people actually sell their own children?' Rick said.
'Yes, it's actually quite common. They raise kids like cash cows, especially in the poorer villages up North. People like Jasmine come into the villages with the promise of good jobs in the city. The procurers are dressed in fine
clothes and look prosperous.
They offer of a nice place to live and a new life is hard to resist. But it turns to horror and enslavement.'
Sonia finished her second drink and was starting to relax. Her eyes sparkled with tears as she began her story.
Stickman's thoughts:
Frank does it again!
