by Drew Lindsay
Driving away was an option which would probably save his life. On the other hand, he had never met Sophia Hunter and now that he had read the case notes thoroughly, he felt he should at least introduce himself. Someone had obviously got to her ahead of him. Sophia and her Aboriginal assistant knew he was coming. Why would they suddenly turn off all the lights when he pulled into their driveway? They wouldn’t be setting the mood because the purpose of his visit didn’t call for low light ambience.
He walked casually to the front door and pushed the video button. He waited in silence. He pushed the button again.
‘Yes,’ came a soft and obviously frightened female voice.
‘I’m here to do a survey on your use of electricity,’ said Ben.
There was a long pause. ‘I’m not interested.’
‘Fair enough,’ said Ben. ‘You did set up this appointment you know?’
‘I’m cancelling it. Go away.’
Ben tried the doorknob. It was locked. There were two locks on the front door. One was a deadlock which would have been impossible to pick. The other lock was part of the doorknob. It looked expensive but Ben knew otherwise. He selected a special key from his key ring and got past the doorknob lock. The deadlock hadn’t been activated. He moved quickly into the darkened foyer and closed the door.
‘I told you to go away,’ said the female voice on the outside intercom.
Ben moved quickly and silently up the stairs.
‘Tell him again!’ The voice was deep and threatening.
‘Please go away!’
Ben was in the upstairs room and knew approximately where his target was. He moved quickly and purposefully. The big man was an easy target as he stood directly behind the partial outline of a woman. Ben tackled them both to the floor and drove a quick knuckle punch to the side of the big man’s head. A loud gunshot exploded. Ben punched again. The man had a head the size of a melon. He couldn’t miss. He punched once more and the man lay still. The woman, who was part of the physical entanglement, crawled out backwards and leapt to her feet. The lights came on. Ann Flynn stood transfixed at the light switch. Sophia Hunter slowly backed away from the huge man on the floor. Ben crawled over the top of the big Lebanese man and picked up the 45 automatic. ‘Hello Mrs. Hunter. I’m Ben.’
Sophia took another step backwards and adjusted the top of her torn blouse. ‘Ben Hood?’
Ben sat back against a lounge chair. ‘Do you always welcome your guests this way?’
‘Only mid week,’ said Sophia. She glanced at Ann and began to laugh. ‘I owe Milba a drink.’
‘You owe me a damn drink,’ said Ann. ‘I think I’ve wet myself.’
Sophia looked down at Ben. ‘I have a feeling that I owe you my life Mr. Hood.’
‘Scotch on ice would be fine,’ said Ben, getting to his feet. ‘Your assistant may need a double.’
Sophia looked down at the unconscious mountain of a man lying on her floor. ‘What do we do with him?’
‘He may need an ambulance,’ said Ben.
‘Can’t you just torture him or something like he did to my husband?’
‘He wouldn’t feel a bloody thing,’ said Ben.
Sophia held out the torn part of her light blue blouse. ‘I paid a fortune for this. The bastard needs to be punished.’
Ben smiled. ‘You have to be kidding, right? I think he’s punished enough for one night.’
‘We could put him in the garage and when he wakes up, we could burn his dick like he did to my husband.’
Ben put the automatic on a sideboard table well away from the unconscious man. ‘I don’t think so. This bloke needs to go to hospital fairly quickly. He’s probably got some bleeding on the brain.’
‘He’s a damn rock ape,’ said Sophia. ‘He hasn’t got a brain.’
‘So why did you let him walk into your house?’
Sophia glanced at Ann. ‘I’m not sure.’
‘Ambulance and then the police,’ said Ben, ‘then we’ll have those drinks.’
On most occasions the police arrive at the scene of a serious altercation well after the arrival of the paramedics. The opposite happened on this occasion and even more surprisingly, it was detectives who reached the scene first. Detective Sergeant Fred Hannam and his partner Detective Constable Sunia Stafford examined the unconscious man on the floor and took possession of his hand gun.
‘At least he’s still alive,’ said Hannam. ‘Probably the same bloke who killed your husband,’ he said, glancing at Sophia. He turned to Ben. ‘What the hell did you hit him with?’
‘Knuckle punch,’ said Ben. ‘If you know the right spot, it drops them instantly. This bloke took a couple of hits.’
‘And he fired one shot?’
Ben pointed to a hole in the ceiling. ‘It was fairly dark and I hit him before he had the chance to aim at anything.’
‘What did he want?’ asked Hannam, looking back at Sophia.
‘He wanted to know what my husband had done with the Tongan necklace.’
‘And?’
‘I told him I didn’t know what he was talking about. Then he grabbed me and tore my dress. He said he was going to shoot me unless I told him where the necklace had been hidden.’
‘Where is the necklace?’ asked Hannam.
‘I have no idea. I don’t even know what he or you are talking about.’
‘Then Ben arrived,’ said Ann Flynn. ‘He is Sophia’s official bodyguard as from tonight. The goon tried to get Sophia to send him away via the door intercom which is connected up here in the lounge room. Next we knew, Ben was flying across the room and crash tackled the shit bag and knocked him out. It was amazing!’
‘Crash tackled me as well darling,’ said Sophia. ‘Thank God, although he could have shot me in the bloody head.’
‘He was trying to shoot at Ben,’ said Ann.
An ambulance siren approached. Detective Hannam went through the unconscious man’s pockets and removed a wallet and a set of car keys together with a black flick knife. He felt the man’s throat again. ‘He’s still alive.’ Hannam glanced at Ben. ‘Did you hit him to drop him or kill him?’
‘Depends on how quickly they get him to hospital.’
‘Do you fight like this all the time?’
‘Only when I need to save my life or the life of another,’ said Ben.
‘I’ll need you all at Rose Bay police station in the morning around 10 am.’
Ben nodded.
‘I have a hairdressing appointment,’ said Sophia.
‘Cancel it,’ said Hannam. He turned to Ben. ‘So you are officially her bodyguard?’
‘I guess so,’ said Ben.
‘Then make sure she’s there along with her assistant.’
‘My name is Ann Flynn,’ said Ann rather defiantly.
‘Yes. Ann. You will need to provide a statement as well.’
‘We’ll be there,’ said Ann.
Two male paramedics rushed up the stairs. They knew Hannam and his partner and exchanged greetings. They ignored Ben, Sophia and Ann and went to work on the unconscious man on the floor. Fifteen minutes later he was loaded onto a stretcher and carried with some effort down the stairs and into the waiting ambulance. A small crowd of neighbours had gathered in the street by this time. Hannam and his partner left. Ben closed and locked the door and returned to the upstairs lounge room. Ann had poured drinks and they sat down, Ben on a single lounge chair with his back to the huge curtained window which usually gave stunning views over Elizabeth Bay. Ann and Sophia sat together on a four seater lounge facing Ben. Sophia had changed into a white silken dress which fitted her amazing body like a glove until it reached her hips and then flowed fully until it almost reached the floor. It was meant to be worn with high heeled shoes but as Sophia wore no shoes, the dress covered her bare feet totally.
Ben sipped his scotch and sat back. ‘We have to agree on a way to do this.’
‘Do what?’ asked Sophia.
‘Protect you from big L
ebanese men or whoever else might want to get at you.’
‘Milba Berry recommends you very highly,’ said Ann.
‘I’m one of her biggest fans,’ said Ben.
‘She is one of your biggest fans,’ said Ann, ‘and Milba isn’t one to be impressed by any male.’
‘Well you saved my arse tonight,’ said Sophia. ‘I’m damn impressed let me say.’
‘All very flattering,’ said Ben, ‘but we need to lay some ground rules.’
‘Here we go,’ said Sophia, brushing strands of brunette hair away from her face.
‘Your husband was into something a bit nasty,’ said Ben. ‘It got him killed. Are we agreed on that?’
Sophia nodded and sipped her drink.
‘A necklace seems to be at the centre of things. This necklace was given by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth to a former king of Tonga about 20 years ago.’
‘So I’m now told,’ said Sophia.
‘You just told Detective Hannam that you had no knowledge of any necklace,’ said Ben.
‘A little white lie.’
‘They can get you into a world of trouble,’ said Ben. ‘No more lies, especially to the police.’
‘I’d just overheard something that I wasn’t supposed to hear,’ said Sophia.
‘Who did you overhear talking?’
‘The police,’ said Sophia. ‘I heard them mention something about a royal necklace during my visit to the morgue.’
‘So your husband never mentioned this necklace to you?’
‘No.’
‘He apparently had photographs of it on his computer,’ said Ben.
Sophia shrugged her perfectly shaped shoulders. Ben noted the tiny sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of her nose and her amazing hazel/grey eyes. He almost forgot where he was going with the conversation. ‘Do you have any knowledge of your husband trying to work a deal with the king of Tonga over this necklace?’
‘No,’ said Sophia, and Ben felt she was telling the truth although he had met people before who could look you straight in the eyes and lie through their teeth.
‘You and your husband were dealing with a man who owned two chemist shops in Nuku’Alofa.’
‘Feye Langi. I had a small line of clothing on consignment with him and Joseph sold him giftware and some perfume.’
‘I understand you met with Mr. Langi’s assistant, Loa Tei on Fa Fa Island a short time before your husband was murdered,’ said Ben.
‘Joseph met with her at the ocean front restaurant. I wasn’t at the meeting,’ said Sophia.
‘But you have met her?’
‘Briefly,’ said Sophia.
‘Stunning woman,’ said Ben.
‘Her hips and arse are too big.’
‘That’s a matter of opinion,’ said Ben, sipping his drink again.’
‘Are you an arse man?’ asked Ann.
Ben glanced at her. She smiled briefly and looked away. Ben looked back at Sophia. ‘Do you know what Ms. Tei and your husband discussed at Fa Fa Island Resort?’
‘No,’ said Sophia.
‘You didn’t ask him?’
‘No. I was busy with a good book.’
‘Did you meet with Feye Langi on that particular trip to Tonga?’
Sophia leaned forward. The result was visually dramatic but Ben held his ground and kept his eyes focused on her eyes. ‘Are you my bodyguard or part of the interrogation squad?’
‘Guarding you has already almost got us both killed,’ said Ben firmly. ‘I need to know what I’m walking into here.’
‘I met him briefly on a trip over to Nuku’Alofa.’
‘With your husband?’
‘On my own.’
‘Where was your husband during that time?’ asked Ben.
‘Back in Sydney. I conduct my own business with Feye Langi.’
‘How many times have you met with Feye Langi?’
‘I’m not sure. Five or six times.’
‘Over what period?’
‘Jesus!’
‘Alright,’ said Ben, crossing his legs. ‘There’s something missing here.’
‘Like what?’ asked Sophia.
‘Something…perhaps lots of things.’
‘I’m doing my best,’ said Sophia.
Ben drained the last of his scotch and set the glass down on a low table beside his lounge chair. ‘Where’s your bedroom?’
‘Straight to it eh?’
‘Where’s your damn bedroom Sophia?’
‘Through that door.’ She pointed to a doorway on her left.
Ben looked at Ann. ‘Are you staying the night?’
‘I’ve had a couple of drinks. I’ll be in the guest room out there.’ She pointed to a doorway on the opposite side of the room.
‘I’ll be sleeping downstairs if there’s a bed down there,’ said Ben.
‘You’ve knocked out the bad guy,’ said Sophia. ‘Why are you moving in?’
‘I’m being paid to guard you and I have a gut feeling,’ said Ben getting to his feet.
‘What gut feeling?’
‘The missing bits worry me,’ said Ben.
‘Do you think someone else will come after me?’
‘As sure as God made apples,’ said Ben.
‘Did he?’ asked Sophia.
‘Do you know anyone else who knows how to make apples?’
“****”
CHAPTER TEN
‘Sir, with absolute respect, I would advise against such a course of action,’ said Detective Inspector Paul Lolohea.’
King Tupou VI of Tonga sat back in his huge timber chair and glanced through a ceiling high window to the ocean beyond the royal palace. ‘We can dispense with the jargon Paul. Perhaps you would like to tell me where the necklace is?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘I think it is likely that Joseph Hunter’s widow knows and while she may be somewhat reluctant to carry on with her husband’s unethical and illegal activities, she may be prepared to cooperate during a personal visit to meet with me.’
‘I’m not comfortable with this,’ said Paul Lolohea.
‘I need to get that necklace back from wherever it is hidden,’ said the king. ‘The diamond needs to be returned to its rightful owner in London and the necklace needs to be restored to our royal family. I’m not all that particular as to how this is achieved, provided we act within the boundaries of the law.’
Lolohea nodded. He ran his large hands across the top of his almost bald head. Paul Lolohea was a very tall, large man in his mid 30’s. He was originally from New Zealand but had worked for many years in law enforcement throughout the South Pacific. His mother was Australian. His father came from a very long Maori line. Both parents were extremely proud of their son’s achievements and he travelled to Auckland many times during each year to spend time with them. He was an only child and remained single, notwithstanding numerous attempts by his mother to match him up with a long line of available women. ‘What do you want me to do sir?’
‘We must work closely with the Australian police. There is a detective from Sydney…’
‘Hannam.’
‘Yes, Detective Sergeant Hannam. I understand he works for a special crime unit?’
‘Internationally related crime.’
‘Make the necessary inquiries to ensure he is to be trusted.’
‘Yes sir.’
‘Then personally contact him and tell him everything we know.’
‘I’ll do that today.’ Paul Lolohea shifted uncomfortably in his chair. ‘It may be a delicate subject sir but should we advise the Prime Minister of this matter?’
The king didn’t answer for some moments. He clasped his fingers together. ‘This is not strictly political. This concerns an item of royal jewellery which was given to Taufa’ahau Tupou IV. The diamond is also involved with royalty but is of much more importance.’
Paul Lolohea nodded.
‘I will advise the Prime Minister in due course but for the moment this issue is be
st kept with as few people as possible.’
‘I agree,’ said Lolohea.
‘I’ll have my staff send a letter of invitation to Mrs. Hunter. Advise Detective Hannam of our intentions to meet with her face to face if she will agree.’
‘It’s likely she will refuse,’ said Lolohea.
‘One does not take a step forward unless one puts a foot forward,’ said the king.
‘I take your point,’ said inspector Lolohea, getting to his feet from the chair where he had been sitting opposite the king. ‘I’ll report back by phone this evening.’
‘There are times where royal protocol must be laid aside in certain circumstances,’ said the king. ‘This is one of those times.’
‘Joseph Hunter was murdered because of the necklace,’ said Lolohea. ‘This necklace may bring us into contact with people who will go to great lengths to obtain it.’
‘And I have no doubt that you and the police commissioner will keep my personal security people fully aware of any potential dangers?’
‘Of course sir.’
Detective Sergeant Hannam opened the manila folder on the desk in front of him. He looked up at Ben. ‘Thank you for your time and your cooperation. Mrs. Hunter and her assistant have been driven back to Mrs. Hunter’s home.’
‘Thank you.’
‘I just wanted one further private word…off the record.’
‘Is there such a thing in a police station?’ asked Ben.
‘Sometimes,’ said Hannam. ‘You know the game. Can we talk?’
‘No problem,’ said Ben. ‘I did put a guy in hospital.’
‘Yes you did and you can probably be thankful that he’s still alive.’
‘Wouldn’t bother me one way or another,’ said Ben.
‘So it would appear from your file,’ said Hannam.
Ben nodded. ‘I’m not known for being gentle with violent criminals.’
‘This isn’t the wild wild west,’ said Hannam.
‘It is in some of the places I’m sent,’ Ben replied.
‘Yes, so I see.’ Hannam removed some sheets of paper and a large photograph from his file. ‘Obviously you know that the man you put in hospital was attempting to extract information from Mrs. Hunter?’