Chapter 8: The Red Monkey Lounge

 

Alone, Sutton walked into the bar and headed straight for the bartender. “Hey, good to see you again.  How have you been?”

Sutton smiled and reached out to shake his hand.

“I’m good, how ‘bout you?  Where’s your friends? I thought you were going to Angkor Wat.”

“That’s where we’ve been. Blake and Maria are still there.  I’m only here for as long as it takes.  Hopefully I’ll fly back to Siem Reap tomorrow. Look, I need to talk to you about something. Is this a good time?”

“Sure, what’s on your mind.”

“First, let me have a cold beer and one of those Cuban cigars. Thank you.”

 

 

 

“So what’s up? Why did you leave your friends in Angkor Wat?”

Shifting his weight on the stool, Sutton started to speak. “Please—I’ll tell you all about it but right now I need to know how to get a chopper to take me to Elephant Mountain. You’ve got to know people who can help me out on this. And if you need money I can pay. But wait, you’re right—I need to tell you why I have to go there.”

“Why in the world would you want to go there? You know, those mountains are rumored to be infested with a bunch of loyal fanatics.  Are you out of your mind? You might want to re-think this—seriously!”

“Loyal to who?”

“Well, I don’t think anybody knows for sure but you couldn’t get me to go there for all the tea in China.”