by Drew Lindsay
‘I think he likes you,’ said Ben.
‘I love his eyes,’ said Ann. ‘They almost glow bright orange.’
A petite Tongan girl in her early 20’s began to clear the plates from the table. ‘He’s the only one who visits the restaurant,’ she said. ‘There are 7 others on the island I think but only this one comes here and the more we shoo him away, the more he comes back.’
‘He’s not hurting anyone,’ said Sophia.
‘The parrots have an enclosure on the bush track inland but it’s open for them to come and go as they please,’ said the girl.
‘Do you have an alarm clock in that enclosure that goes off at 5 am?’ said Ann. ‘That’s about the time they land on the roof of our fale.’
‘They live by the light of the sun,’ said the girl. ‘There are no alarm clocks on Fa Fa Island.’
‘Other than the clocks wearing feathers,’ said Ann.
The Tongan girl laughed. ‘We don’t have too much control over the time they want to sing.’
‘They don’t sing,’ said Ann, as she sipped the last of her coffee. ‘They screech.’
‘I love the bird.’ The voice was feminine, deep and husky. Ben had been looking out over the calm ocean, his thoughts a million miles away. He turned and looked up into the face of a beautiful woman with neatly styled short black hair and deep brown eyes. She was around her mid 30’s and wearing a low cut white sundress with matching sandals. He recalled seeing her arrive with a male companion the evening before.
‘It’s a Koki parrot,’ said Ann. ‘His beak is a little too threatening for me.’
‘He looks quite tame,’ said the woman. ‘He took the fruit right from your fingers.’
‘I was watching him like a hawk,’ said Ann.
‘I’m Nancy,’ said the woman. ‘I arrived with my boyfriend last night.’
‘We saw you at the bar,’ said Sophia.
‘I’m Ann,’ said Ann, and this is Sophia and our chaperone is Ben.’
The woman smiled and looked at Ben. ‘Chaperone. I had imagined something totally different. This is the South Pacific after all.’
Ben pushed back his chair. ‘Nice to meet you Nancy. We do have a boat to catch in half an hour.’
‘My boyfriend and I had intended visiting Nuku’Alofa today,’ said Nancy, smiling. ‘Perhaps we could hitch a ride with you guys?’
‘I’m afraid not,’ said Ben. ‘We’ve booked the smaller speed boat.’
‘Perhaps we can meet for drinks this evening?’ asked Nancy. ‘My boyfriend is in business. He needs to relax his up-tight head and realise that this island isn’t about to be overcome by a Tsunami within the next 24 hours.’
‘I had the same thought myself,’ said Ann, laughing. ‘I’m not all that good at climbing coconut trees.’
‘Perhaps later then,’ said Nancy. She turned and walked back into the main restaurant area where her boyfriend was reading a newspaper. Ben watched the way she moved her body as she walked. Her generous hips moved seductively from side to side. A particular kind of woman knew how to move like that when they were being watched.
Sophia stood and snapped her fingers in front of Ben’s face. ‘Wake up mate. We have a boat to catch.’
Ben put his mobile phone back in the top pocket of his shirt. ‘I’ve got to process a photo and transmit it before we catch the boat.’
‘You photographed her?’ asked Sophia.
‘I need to know who she is.’
‘Did you photograph the woman last night in the restaurant?’
‘Of course,’ said Ben. ‘I need to have both women identified.’
Ann smiled as she walked off the outside restaurant deck onto the sand. ‘He’s worth the money,’ she said. ‘Milba would never have steered me to a dud.’
Sophia caught up with her and the two women locked arms. ‘We’re both alive because he’s no dud,’ she said.
Ben waved to the Tongan waitress and stepped onto the sand to follow Ann and Sophia back along the beach to their fale. He wasn’t feeling as light hearted as the two women appeared to be.
Nancy Fiumara watched the three walk away. The man in front of her put down his newspaper. ‘The blond is Hunter,’ said Nancy. ‘The Abo is her assistant and is of no consequence. The bodyguard is Ben Hood and he is not to be underestimated.’
The man opposite Nancy was in his early 40’s with short cropped blond hair and a clean shaven, artificially suntanned face. He was muscular and outwardly relaxed. He wore dark sunglasses and had a solid silver ring in the right side of his nose. His hands were huge and his fingers calloused from years of fighting both professionally and unprofessionally. ‘They are off to the mainland?’ he asked. His voice was remarkably soft and rather high pitched for the size of his body frame.
‘We will book the island boat to Nuku’Alofa,’ said Nancy. ‘I need to know where they are going and who they meet with. I need you to get someone to talk and it has to be done fairly quickly.’
‘The island boat leaves for the mainland in about 10 minutes,’ said the blond haired man.
‘Then we’ll be on it,’ said Nancy.
Two army officers met them at the jetty and escorted them to a large green military vehicle. Ben, Sophia and Ann were driven to the rear of the royal palace. The huge gates were opened and a senior army officer peered inside the vehicle before allowing them to proceed. The palace was obviously quite old but well preserved by constant maintenance. It had a ground and first floor with verandas around both levels. The roof was painted bright red and the walls and verandas were white. A tower had been constructed in the centre of the building at the front, overlooking the sea. The gardens and lawns were immaculately maintained and surrounded by a high steel fence painted black.
As the vehicle came to a stop at the rear of the building, an army officer approached and opened the rear passenger side door. Sophia and Ann got out. The army officer allowed Sophia to walk past him but stood directly in front of Ann. ‘She goes alone,’ he said.
‘The hell she does,’ said Ann.
Ben got out of the front of the vehicle. ‘The invitation to the palace included all of us,’ he said.
‘The king has changed his mind,’ said the army officer.
A tall solidly built police officer in uniform approached. The army officer stepped back. ‘I’m Detective Inspector Lolohea,’ said the policeman. ‘I do apologise for the confusion. The king will briefly meet with you all but later he would like to speak with Mrs. Hunter alone.’
‘That is not appropriate,’ said Ann, bristling for a fight.
Ben approached the police officer and extended his hand. Paul Lolohea shook his hand firmly. ‘We will comply with the king’s wishes,’ said Ben.
‘You are obviously Ben Hood?’
‘Yes.’
‘Are you willing to later accompany me to the Central police station with Ms. Flynn?’
‘No we are not!’ said Ann.
‘Yes we are,’ said Ben.
‘Please follow me,’ said Detective Inspector Lolohea.
The group walked past two guards both armed with semi-automatic weapons. They were taken to a large room at the rear of the palace. The ceiling was very high and the walls were decorated with numerous paintings and photographs. There was a large dark timber table in the centre of the room with five chairs on each side and one huge timber chair at one end. Ben, Ann and Sophia sat on one side of the table. The Tongan army officer and Inspector Lolohea sat opposite.
‘This is Sergeant Amasio,’ said Inspector Lolohea. ‘He is in charge of the palace security detail.’
The Tongan army officer stared at Ben.
‘How long have you been involved in palace security?’ asked Ben, holding eye contact with Sergeant Amasio.
‘That is none of your business,’ said Amasio.
‘Were you here when the royal necklace was stolen?’ asked Ben.
‘It’s not your place to interrogate,’ said Inspector Lolohea.
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sp; Ben sat back and folded his arms. ‘This place is guarded like a high security prison,’ said Ben. ‘How could someone just wander inside and steal a royal necklace?’
Inspector Lolohea glanced at the military officer sitting next to him and then looked at Ben. ‘Our inquiries have been extensive.’
‘There was inside help,’ said Ben.
‘How dare you!’ said Amasio, his nostrils flaring. ‘You are out of line sir!’
Sophia and Ann remained silent but they were intently watching as the conversation progressed.
Two army officers entered the room. Inspector Paul Lolohea stood and Sergeant James Amasio pushed his chair back and stood. Ben followed their lead as did Sophia. Ann didn’t move.
‘Up you get,’ Ben whispered.
‘Why?’ asked Ann.
‘Because I’ll whip your arse if you don’t,’ Ben whispered.
Ann jumped to her feet. ‘Tonight?’
Ben was about to answer when King George VI strode into the room and stood at the head of the table. He wore a light weight grey business suit with a white shirt and bright blue tie. Ann stared at him. ‘Hello,’ she said.
‘Hello yourself,’ said the king. ‘You are not Mrs. Hunter.’
‘No.’ said Ann. She pointed at Sophia. ‘That’s her.’
The king walked to Sophia and extended his hand. Sophia shook it but said nothing. He looked at Ben. ‘Your reputation precedes you Mr. Hood.’
Ben stepped towards the king and the pair shook hands. ‘You wish to speak alone with Mrs. Hunter?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then Ann and I will leave at your direction,’ said Ben.
King Tupou VI walked to Ann and extended a large hand. She shook it and bowed to him. ‘You are the assistant,’ said the king.
‘She’d be lost without me,’ said Ann.
Sophia was about to say something until she saw the look on Ben’s face. She kept her mouth closed. The king sat in the huge timber chair at the head of the table. ‘Perhaps we could all sit down for a moment.’
‘Ann and I are happy to leave,’ said Ben.
‘Not yet,’ said the king. ‘I have some questions for you.’
Detective Inspector Paul Lolohea looked uncomfortable. Sergeant James Amasio looked even more uncomfortable. Beads of sweat had broken out on his forehead. Everyone resumed their seats.
The king looked at Ben. ‘We’re all here about the necklace.’
‘Yes sir,’ said Ben.
‘Do you or your clients have the necklace?’
Ben glanced at Sophia. ‘Her husband had the necklace. He tried to sell it back to you.’
The king nodded.
‘If I may with great respect interrupt Your Majesty,’ said Inspector Lolohea. ‘This is not the way we had agreed to conduct this investigation.’
‘I’ve changed my mind,’ said the king. ‘That is my prerogative.’
‘Yes sir,’ said Inspector Lolohea.
Two Tongan women in traditional dress with mulberry woven mats around their waists approached with tea and coffee. As they served, the king looked at Ben. ‘My father was very impressed with Akira Misaki and his fighting ability.’
Ben was initially taken aback by the remark but he remained calm. ‘I’m not sure what that means.’
‘Mr. Misaki phoned me recently,’ said the king.’
Ben was silent. He hadn’t expected this.
‘Akira Misaki thinks very highly of you and your ability,’ said the king. ‘Based on my father’s opinion of Mr. Misaki and your teacher’s opinion of you, I will view your presence in Tonga a great benefit in relation to a matter of great concern to me personally.’
Ben nodded respectfully. ‘I am here to help in any way I can,’ he said.
The king looked at Sophia. ‘Do you understand the significance of the necklace young lady?’
‘Yes,’ said Sophia.
‘Did your husband give it to you?’
‘No sir.’
The king put both arms on the table in front of him. ‘So we have no idea what he did with it?’
‘He could have given it to his Tongan mistress,’ said Sophia.
‘Loa Tei?’ asked the king.
‘Your Majesty,’ said Inspector Lolohea, ‘we have interrogated Ms. Tei and her employer at great length and made a thorough search of their business premises and homes. I am confident they do not have the necklace or even an accurate idea of what it looks like.’
‘It’s on the Internet,’ said Ann, rolling her eyes.
Lolohea glared at her.
A tiny smile crossed the king’s face. He looked back at Ben and became serious again. ‘Your clients have been attacked because someone thought they had knowledge of the necklace.’
‘Yes sir,’ said Ben.
‘You made short work of both of them.’
‘I’m trained to do that,’ said Ben.
‘Others may have followed you to Tonga.’
‘I’ve already identified one of them,’ said Ben.
‘On Fa Fa Island?’
‘Yes sir.’
The king glanced at Inspector Lolohea.
‘I’d rather her be left alone for the time being,’ said Ben. ‘Sometimes working both ends from the middle can have its advantages. She’s not a threat.’
Sophia and Ann both looked at him.
‘What do you mean?’ asked Inspector Lolohea.
‘I no longer consider her a threat,’ said Ben, feeling somewhat self-conscious.
The king nodded. ‘Perhaps you would be so good as to explain your views to Inspector Lolohea in due course?’
‘Yes Your Majesty,’ said Ben. ‘I’m also having another couple checked out as we speak.’
‘Are they also on Fa Fa Island?’
‘Yes sir. I’ll be watching out for them.’
‘We cannot allow any kind of unauthorised violence by international visitors,’ said Inspector Lolohea.
‘I only act in self defence,’ said Ben.
The king folded his huge arms. ‘What is your plan Mr. Hood?’
Ben glanced at Lolohea and Amasio. ‘I have a strong feeling that Joseph Hunter brought the necklace here on his last visit and hid it somewhere.’
‘Why hide it when he was negotiating to sell it back to me?’ asked the king.
‘You hadn’t agreed to negotiate with him,’ said Ben.
‘He obviously knew I was interested.’
‘He sensed a trap,’ said Ben, glancing at Inspector Lolohea.
‘He may have sensed correctly,’ said the king.
‘He knew people would be after it in Australia because he stole it from them.’
‘You can’t be certain of that,’ said Sergeant Amasio. ‘He may have been the original thief.’
‘Records indicate he was in Australia around the time the necklace was stolen from your father,’ said Ben, looking at the king. ‘He didn’t originally steal the necklace but more recently he was associating with a man who may have had some connection with the theft.’
‘Who is that?’ asked the king.
Ben was silent for a moment. ‘I only received this information this morning and it may be completely wrong. I’m having it verified. I’m having a few things verified but I promise when I have confirmation of information, it will be immediately communicated to Inspector Lolohea.’
The king nodded. Amasio looked extremely uncomfortable. Both Ben and Lolohea noticed, as did the king. ‘Well then,’ said the king. ‘Perhaps I will have a little chat with Mrs. Hunter alone. I’m curious about something.’
‘We’ll wait outside,’ said Ben. The king rose. Everyone else stood. ‘We know about the diamond,’ said Ben.
‘That doesn’t surprise me,’ said the king. ‘It’s more valuable than the royal necklace.’
‘Value is relative to many things,’ said Ben as he stepped back from the table.
The king looked at him for a moment and then smiled. ‘Did Akira Misaki teach you that?’
‘I think my parents taught me that sir,’ said Ben.
Detective Inspector Lolohea walked with Ann and Ben to his marked police vehicle. He opened the rear door.
‘I prefer the dark green car,’ said Ann. ‘I like army better than police.’
‘I was going to take you back to the jetty when the king is finished speaking with Mrs. Hunter,’ said Inspector Lolohea.
‘We’re going shopping,’ said Ann.
‘I’m actually hoping to have a word with Loa Tei,’ said Ben.
Lolohea was taller than Ben and built like a front row forward. He could have been quite intimidating to anyone other than Ben Hood. ‘You are not the police here Mr. Hood.’
‘I’m Ben and you are Paul. You can’t afford not to work with me on this one. There is a rotten apple in the barrel and you need to find it well before I do and we both need to find the necklace.’
Inspector Lolohea maintained eye contact with Ben. Then he visibly relaxed. ‘Alright Ben.’
‘Way to go!’ said Ann.
‘Are Aboriginal women from Australia all like this?’ asked Lolohea.
‘This one is somewhat unique,’ said Ben with a grin.
‘I’ll give you unique,’ said Ann with a wide smile. ‘I’m only part Aboriginal.’
‘Which part?’ asked Ben.
‘The part you don’t want to mess with.’
Lolohea looked down at Ann. ‘Would you mind waiting in my car while I have a brief chat with Ben?’
‘Everyone is having secret talks and I’m left out,’ said Ann.
‘She doesn’t mind,’ said Ben.
‘It’s going to cost you mate,’ said Ann, punching Ben in the arm. She slid onto the back seat of the police car.
Inspector Lolohea looked around. The army officers were at specific stations. Sergeant James Amasio was not present. He walked with Ben to the shade of a large banyan tree. ‘I need to be one step ahead of the action,’ said Lolohea. ‘You need to believe that I have done everything possible to track down the person who stole the royal necklace. Mouths are shut.’