Sunken Fish - Chapter 4
Concerned about the 11 missing American tourists
Reported by May L. Brown
San Francisco Chronicle Special Live Report:
On December 31st, in the luxurious bar of the Mandala Golden Tower Hotel, Western tourists accustomed to extravagance were enjoying expensive American-style cocktails. But no one was celebrating the upcoming New Year, because of a terrible rumor: eleven Americans on an art tour in the Kingdom of Lanna had mysteriously disappeared for nearly a week. Trembling tourists exchanged rumors, some saying they had gone to deal drugs, others saying they had been kidnapped for offending the gods.
These missing tourists from San Francisco, USA—four men, five women, and two children—were last seen at the floating island resort on Lake Bodhi. At dawn, the Americans and their Lanna guide boarded a boat to watch the sunrise. The trip usually lasted ninety minutes. But they never returned, along with their boat and boatman.
The lake, spanning 61 square miles, is nestled amidst pine-covered mountains, ancient villages, and tomato fields, its terrain extremely complex and prone to disorientation. To the east of the resort lies another region notorious for its heroin trade. This area was previously closed to tourists due to frequent conflicts between local tribes and the government. Travel agencies emphasize that this is no longer the case, as many resorts are now run by former tribes.
The disappearance of the eleven tourists was first reported by another member of the group, Beryl, a 42-year-old British-born dog trainer known for his appearances on the television series "The Fido Files." Beryl had missed the sunrise viewing due to food poisoning the previous night. When his friends hadn't returned by the end of the day, Beryl notified the resort manager, complaining that the manager hadn't reported the incident to the authorities promptly.
On December 26, Maung Wa Sao, a 26-year-old tour guide from Lanna, was found unconscious by two young monks at the In-u Monastery across the lake. Maung had a ruptured scalp, was severely dehydrated, and may have suffered a concussion. In his hospital bed, he told the police he couldn't remember what had happened.
It wasn't until December 29th that the police contacted the U.S. Embassy in the capital of the Kingdom of Lanna. "We are working closely with the government of the Kingdom of Lanna," said Ralph Eisenberg, an official at the U.S. Embassy. "Everyone is deeply concerned about the disappearance of eleven Americans while on vacation. Given the still unclear situation, we cannot disclose the identities of these missing persons at this time."
Police are now conducting a new search along Bodhi Lake in speedboats. Meanwhile, staff at the Mandala Golden Pagoda Hotel, wearing white gloves, are busy moving luggage.
“This is certainly making us nervous.” Jackie Clifford, a 41-year-old biotech investment advisor from Palo Alto, California, was hurrying away. “We were supposed to fly to Garan tomorrow to see those ancient temple ruins, but now we want to book tickets to our vacation in Thailand.”
Jackie Clifford had to wait in line because many other travelers had already gone to the airport to do the same.
God, please forgive my mistake—assuming it really is my mistake.
My biggest mistake is that I am already dead.
Why change the schedule? Why hesitate so much? If I had moved it a few weeks earlier, the disaster probably wouldn't have happened.
Unfortunately, misfortune did indeed come knocking on my door.
This was originally a journey "following in the footsteps of Buddha," beginning in Yunnan Province in southwestern China and ending in the Lanna Kingdom deep in Asia. The scenery there was so beautiful that I cannot describe it in words, and this beauty continued all the way to the famous Shangri-La.
On this tour, you can trace the fascinating influences of various cultures on Buddhist art—a wonderful journey across thousands of years and miles to the past. I will be both the tour leader and the guide, and I will do my best to make this expedition a true opportunity to connect with our souls.
However, in the early morning of December 2nd, fourteen days before we were about to begin our expedition, a terrible thing happened... I died.
It sounds unbelievable, but I can still see tragic headlines: "Socialite murdered by cult!"
The article occupied two columns on the left side of the front page, featuring a color photo of me wearing an old-fashioned garment that was completely destroyed and could no longer be sold.
The report was horrifying: "Chen Bibi, 63, a retail expert, socialite, and board member of the Asian Art Museum. Yesterday, her body was found in the window of her shop called 'Immortal' in Union Square, a shop known for selling Chinese art-style merchandise."
The article vaguely describes the murder weapon: a small, rake-like object. It slit my throat, and my neck was tightened with a rope. This suggests that someone attempted to strangle me after the assassination attempt failed. The door was forced open, and there were bloody male shoe prints from the platform where I was found to the street outside. Next to me were jewelry and a shattered small statue. A clue was left at the scene: a note written by a cult member claiming that the cult had returned.
Two days later, another report, "New Clues to the Death of an Arts Patron," appeared, even shorter and without photos. A police spokesperson said they never believed it was a cult massacre, and the "piece of paper" mentioned by the detective referred to a tabloid with the headline "Cult Vows to Kill Again." The spokesperson said more evidence had been found and the manhunt was ongoing…
A police dog tracked my bloodstains, a clue invisible to the human eye. Because "highly trained dogs can detect fragrance molecules about a week after an incident," police followed the trail to an alley and found the bloodstained shirt in a shopping cart full of trash. Nearby were a blue tarpaulin and a cardboard tent. They arrested the tent's owner—a homeless man whose shoes bore clear prints. The suspect had no criminal record but a history of mental illness.