by Jack Ambraw
Hack hid his face in his hands and waited for the song to finish. A loud cheer erupted when Decker walked from the stage, sailors high-fiving him as he moved through the crowd towards his friend’s table. He grabbed Hack by the shoulders, still excited from the experience. “Why didn’t you tell me you were here? You could’ve joined me.”
“No way I’d ever do that. And I didn’t know you were here until I heard you singing.”
“I didn’t want to sing, either,” Decker said. “But my fans insisted.
“I’m sure they had to twist your arm,” said Hack.
“Only slightly,” Decker smiled. “I do it as my tribute to Roberto del Rosario.”
“Who’s he?”
“A Filipino who has a claim to inventing karaoke. The man responsible for bringing bad singing voices out of the showers and into public places.”
“How do you know these things?”
“By reading books. You should try one sometime.”
Hack rolled his eyes. “How long have you been here? I didn’t see you in the berthing before I left the ship. I thought you were going to stand me up.”
“Would I ever do that?”
“Yes.”
“Not tonight,” said Decker, looking at his watch. “I’ve been here for a half hour. And I’m ready for you to buy the first round.”
“I’m not buying!” Hack said. “I’ve already had the first round while I was waiting on you.”
“It’s my first round,” Decker argued. “And it goes by seniority. Rule of the seas.”
“Whatever,” Hack said, ordering two more San Miguels from a waitress. “So what’s so urgent? All day, I could tell you were dying to talk.” He looked around the bar. “And why this place?”
“The Bumper Bar is legendary,” Decker said. “This is where I first met Vega. She came in with some cops to arrest a drunk who’d been beating up a girl down the street. Her colleagues didn’t let her handle any of the arrest, so I got to chat with her for a couple minutes. Long story short, the bad guy got a one-way ticket to the brig, and I got a date out of it.”
“It doesn’t look legendary to me,” said Hack, scrutinizing the surroundings.
“Looks can be deceiving,” Decker replied. “And you are correct, I do have something to talk about, but didn’t want to get into at work. Not sure who’s listening or watching.”
Hack perked up. “What is it? I’ve got something I’m anxious to tell you, too.”
“I had a very interesting conversation with Rusty Friday night,” Decker said, ignoring Hack’s comment.
“How’s he doing?”
“Almost back to normal. The bullet just grazed his thigh. I guess that’s why there was a lot of blood. All it took was a few stitches.”
“Ah, that’s where you were,” Hack said. “I woke up Saturday and you weren’t in your rack. I figured you were either hooked up with Vega or making a big mistake with some girl in town.”
“Thank you for the confidence in my judgment,” said Decker. “But, sad to say, I was doing neither. I had dinner and a few beers with Rusty and ended up on his couch for the night.”
“So you wanted to tell me you slept at Rusty’s?”
“Yes, I mean, no. He also told me a few things over beers. The shooting, as you can imagine, freaked me out, and I needed to know if Rusty had any thoughts about it.”
“And did he?”
“Indirectly. I told him about what’s been going on with the missing inventory. He’d heard about Kippen falling overboard, but hadn’t heard anything other than it was an accident. I told him our thoughts.”
“You sure you can trust him?” asked Hack.
“Absolutely. He’s trustworthy.”
“I’m sure he is. I’m just leery of the bamboo telegraph that I’m beginning to learn about. Word travels fast around here.”
“I agree with being cautious,” said Decker. “But Rusty’s safe to confide in.”
“So what did he say?”
“He thinks the shooting was directed at me rather than someone from his past.”
Hack’s eyes widened in surprise. “Rusty has a past that could make someone want to shoot him?”
“Apparently mild-mannered Rusty used to be in the black market game. He was a low-level guy, just a truck driver hired by someone named Mr. Fortuno, who, I gather from Rusty, was sort of the godfather of the Olongapo black market.”
“When was this?”
“Several years ago. He needed the money and Fortuno paid him well. He kept Rusty around because he was loyal and hard working.”
“Sounds like Rusty from what little I know of him.”
“It does, and he apparently had a good deal going as a driver. But all that changed after he met Weny. She made him quit and Rusty didn’t say it, but he sounded like he was glad to get out before he got in too deep.”
“Did they let him go that easily?” asked Hack.
“Yeah, seems so. Must have thought he didn’t know enough to be a threat.”
“Okay, so Rusty worked for this guy. You could’ve told me that on the ship, so I know there’s more to all this. I’m afraid to ask, but I will anyway. What are you planning?”
Decker leaned into the table. “I want to go see Mr. Fortuno and find out what he knows.”
“Damn,” Hack mumbled. “I knew you were going to say that. You sure it’s a good idea? It sounds to me like this Fortuno character’s in the same category as Mrs. Doerr: stay away because no good can come of it.”
“Perhaps, but Rusty told me that Mr. Fortuno’s no longer in the business. He got out recently after a falling out with one of Marcos’ cronies.”
“I still don’t think it’s a good idea. Besides, what reason would he have to talk to you? He has no idea who you are or what your agenda is. Talking to American sailors about his black market business—whether he’s still in it or not—is probably not high on his priority list.”
“That’s what Rusty said,” Decker said.
“Good. I’d listen to Rusty. Sounds like he’s got a good head on his shoulders. Besides, how could you get in to see him?”
“Rusty said he’ll take me there.”
“Damn,” Hack mumbled again. “Does he still stay in contact with him?”
“Off and on. He said he ran into Mr. Fortuno a few years ago and the old man remembered him and asked to come back to work for him. Rusty said he runs into him now and then.”
“Is Rusty going along?” asked Hack.
“No. He’s going to take me there, but I promised him I’d keep him far away from it. If his wife found out he was doing this, it’d be bad news for everyone involved.”
Hack chuckled. “So you’re just going to show up on this guy’s doorstep?”
“Yes, but it won’t be unannounced. Rusty’s going to set up the meeting. We’ll just be looking for background information on the black market business so I can try to piece together what’s going on.”
“I still don’t think you’ll get anywhere,” Hack said. He raised his bottle to take a drink, then stopped. “Wait, I thought you said Rusty wasn’t going along?”
“He’s not,” Decker replied.
“Is Vega going with you?”
“Nope. I still haven’t spoken to her since the shooting. I need someone who doesn’t appear confrontational.”
Hack sat back in his chair and waved his arms in front of him. “Oh no you don’t.”
“It’d only be a quick visit to see what we can learn. It’ll look better if two of us go and we can—”
“It was a bad idea we got involved in this in the first place,” Hack interjected. “And now it’s a terrible idea. It’s one thing to poke around Supply Support. That’s where we work. We know that stuff. But going to see someone like Fortuno is out of our league. We don’t speak th
e language, we don’t know the culture. Besides, we’ve got nothin’ to go on. Just some supply department documents from the Harvey that may or may not mean anything. You’re the one involved in this, but I’m not part of it.”
“Hey, you’re in this whether you like or not.”
“Because of you!” Hack replied.
“Point taken, but think of Kippen. And, besides, Rusty assured me Mr. Fortuno is no longer in the business. He’ll have no reason to fear us.”
Hack laughed. “I doubt if he would fear us even if he was still in the business.”
“Maybe not, but I’ve got to find some answers. A shipmate might have died because of this, and then I was chased and shot at. I don’t know what’s going on, but I can’t go on like this. I’m scared every time I walk around at night on the ship. I’m scared every time I leave base and walk around town. I have to do something, but I don’t know what else to do. At least if I go see Mr. Fortuno, I’ll be doing something.”
Hack glanced at Decker who looked more than mildly distraught. Against his better judgment, he gave in. “Alright, I’ll go if Rusty sets it up and thinks it’s safe. But you do the talking. I’ll just sit there. And don’t give him our names.” He took a swig of beer and slowly set the bottle on the table. “Just tell me when.”
“Agreed,” said Decker, raising his beer bottle in salute. “Now, you had something to tell me. What happened in your world that’s got you so agitated?”
“I’m not agitated.”
“You’ve been fidgeting the entire time I’ve been sitting here. And quite contentious. It’s not like you. Let’s have it.”
Hack leaned in so the people at the next table couldn’t hear. “Alright, Sunday night when you had duty I went out for a beer.”
“And that scared you?”
“No, jackass. It’s who I met while having a beer. I went to the Sea Gull. You know the place?”
Decker thought for a moment. “Rings a bell, but I can’t place it. Is it on Gordon?”
“I don’t know what street it’s on. It’s a block east of Magsaysay. But that’s not important. It’s just a dive with engine room types hanging around.”
“Mo’s kind of place.”
“That’s exactly what I thought.”
“Anyway, I was there by myself drinking a beer.”
“Any girls with you?”
“Yeah, one sat with me.”
“What was her name?”
“I can’t remember. Linda. No, it was Lucy.”
“You sure it was Lucy?”
“Yeah, why? You know her?”
“No. Just wanted to set the scene in my mind. What’d she look like?”
“I don’t know. Long dark hair. Brown complexion. Brown eyes.”
“Very funny,” Decker said. “I mean general superficial features the average sailor would notice.”
“I didn’t pay attention,” Hack lied.
“Okay, continue,” Decker urged. “You were sitting at a table with Lucy who may or may not have had a nice body.”
“I was sitting there minding my own business and in walked two guys.”
“A priest and a rabbi?” Decker smiled.
“What?”
“Never mind,” said Decker. “Please continue.”
“Okay, two guys walked into the bar. It took me a minute, but I recognized them from somewhere.”
“Am I supposed to guess where?”
“No, you haven’t seen them before. They were the two guys who followed me the other night after work.”
“Who you thought were following you,” Decker said. “As I remember, you weren’t positive they were after you and I didn’t see them behind you when I saw you walking down Magsaysay. My trained eye surely would’ve spotted them if they’d been there.”
“Your trained eye?”
“Yeah. I’m very observant.”
“Whatever. Anyway, they probably got lost in the crowd of people leaving base that day. But Sunday they must’ve followed me to the Sea Gull.”
Decker sat back and crossed his legs. “Then I doubt if they were following you.”
“Why do you say that?”
“It’s simple. Why would they take the trouble to avoid detection and then show their faces?”
“That’s what I can’t figure out.”
“Did you talk to them?”
“No.”
Decker looked at Hack, skeptically. “Then what makes you think they were following you?”
Hack sat back in his chair. “Well, I saw them the other day. And then I saw them at the Sea Gull. And they were looking at me. It’s too much of a coincidence to see Biff and Dave twice like that.”
“You know their names?”
“No, it’s what I call them,” Hack said. “The younger guy with bleach blond hair reminds me of a surfer. I call him Biff.”
“And how did you come up with ‘Dave’? He remind you of your best friend from grade school or something?”
“David Letterman.”
“Letterman? Hack, my boy, you need to expand your culture beyond Beach Blanket Bingo and late-night television.”
“Their names aren’t important,” Hack said, his brows knitted in a pensive vee.
“Okay, what happened next? Did you approach them?”
“No way. They creeped me out. I finished my beer and got the hell out of there.”
“Let me guess. You think they followed you?”
“I don’t think they did. I know they did. I stopped at a sari sari store and waited and saw them leave the bar right after I did.”
“You should’ve confronted them.”
“Are you nuts? I was too scared. I ran to Magsaysay, hopped on a jeepney, and didn’t get off until I was a couple miles from base. And guess who was on the jeepney with me?”
“Johnny Carson? Annette Funicello?”
Hack rolled his eyes. “No, Ensign Limpert.”
Decker choked on his beer. “Limpert? Where was he going?”
“I have no idea. He got off when I did, but I stopped to eat and he walked the other direction.”
“I’ve never seen him in town,” Decker said. “I can’t imagine his wife letting him run around at night like that.”
“He wasn’t exactly running around,” Hack said. “I don’t think he’d been drinking and he didn’t seem lost. He knew where he was going.”
“He’s a strange little man” Decker mused. “How’d you get back to base?”
“I didn’t,” Hack replied. “At least not right away. I took a trike back to within a few blocks of Magsaysay and got a hotel room.”
“Alone?”
“Yes, alone.”
“I spent the night there and snuck back to the ship early this morning.”
Decker reflected on Hack’s story. “It sounds to me like your imagination is running wild.”
“I know it was Limpert,” said Hack. “I talked to him.”
“I believe that,” Decker said. “I mean about Biff and Dave.”
“I know what I saw,” replied Hack.
“What you thought you saw, shipmate. Are you sure they were the same guys who were following you the other day?”
“Yes.” Hack paused. “Well, not exactly sure, but pretty sure. They fit the discription.”
“Any number of guys walking around base fit those descriptions. Look around this bar. Clean these guys up and half of them would look like your boys.”
Hack’s eyes drifted around the room. “Maybe you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right. And why would they visit the same bar as you if they wanted to be discreet?”
“I don’t know,” Hack shrugged.
“And I don’t know either. Just doesn’t make sense. Let’s forget about those two j
okers and concentrate on the task at hand. We need to put together some talking points before we meet Mr. Fortuno. Someone’s out to kill me and I need answers.” Decker took out his Book of Dates and pencil and tore a page from the back of the notebook. “Now, what do we want to know from this guy?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
1310, Saturday, February 8
The two sailors sat across from Rusty—Hack staring at the scenery, Decker writing in his Book of Dates—as the jeepney jostled its way towards the northeast end of town.
“Catching up on your life story?” asked Hack.
“It was a big day yesterday, my friend,” Decker said, not looking up. “Election day. It could be the end of the Marcos era, but I doubt if he’ll go quietly.”
Rusty nodded in agreement as the vehicle slowly ascended a steep incline. Decker and Hatch watched the city of Olongapo spread out from the bay towards the mountains. To the south lay the Bataan Peninsula, famous for the site of the American and Filipino armed forces’ last stand against the Japanese invasion force in early 1942. Famous, too, for the infamous Bataan Death March following the U.S. surrender of the Philippines to the Japanese in May 1942.
“His wife died several years ago,” Rusty said, breaking the silence. “He spent little time with her anyway. He had two small kids when I worked for him. They must be grown by now. He used to spend all of his time in his office, but he built this place in the hills several years ago. It’s where the wealthy people live. It even has an underground bunker. No windows and a secret passage through the rear wall that leads to a building next door.”
“Why does he need something like that?” Hack asked.
“An escape route,” Rusty explained. “In case the police show up. No one is supposed to know about it, but I found out by accident when a maid let it slip.”
A few blocks from Fortuno’s house, Rusty tapped the roof. “Para, para.” The jeepney came to a stop and the three men exited out the back.
Rusty wiped the sweat from his forehead. “We wait here. My friend Baby will take you the rest of the way. He will wait for you while you visit Fortuno. He has a blue trike. Can’t miss him. Please tip him enough, pare,” Rusty admonished, winking at Decker.