by Drew Lindsay
‘Stop that!’
Ben laughed even louder.
‘You had better stop than now or I’ll report you.’
‘Report me for what?’
Detective Inspector Paul Lolohea drove Ben back to the jetty. The speedboat was waiting to take him back to Fa Fa Island. ‘There’s a lot of chatter here and there,’ said Lolohea. ‘It’s best left that way.’
‘I understand,’ said Ben.
‘Your car and diving equipment will be returned to their various owners in the morning. I trust you have your torches.’
‘I’ve got my underwater torch,’ said Ben. ‘I gave the key ring torch to Loa as a souvenir. That’s the second torch I’ve given away in less than a week.’
‘We have a counsellor with her and her parents now. We’ll take good care of her.’
Ben stepped into the speedboat. Peter stood on the forward deck in the darkness. He didn’t say anything.
‘Where’s Ann?’ asked Ben, looking up at Lolohea.
‘Waiting at a special place.’
‘I see.’
‘She is highly spirited.’
‘Yes,’ said Ben.
‘I don’t know what excites me more; her or what you did today,’ said Lolohea. ‘I have to brief the king in 15 minutes. A lot of people are very excited.’
‘Then it was worth the effort,’ said Ben.
‘As you will see in due course,’ said Lolohea.
‘Meaning?’
‘There will be formalities. There will be ceremonies and celebration. This means very much to King Tupou.’
Ben nodded.
‘I meant to ask you, does Ann drink alcohol?’
‘She’s a straight high powered wine and whisky girl,’ said Ben. ‘I’d keep your gun on.’
The speedboat roared away from the jetty. Lolohea shook his head as he walked back to the unmarked police car.
Sophia and Claudia were waiting on the beach as the speedboat nudged gently into the sloping sandy shore of Fa Fa Island. Lights from the restaurant twinkled in the water. Ben thanked Peter for the ride and holding his boots in one hand, leapt into the shallow water and waded ashore. Sophia was the first to approach him and put her arms around his neck. ‘Ann rang and told us everything. Bodyguard or treasure hunter? Make up your mind.’
‘At least you’re in the clear now,’ said Ben. ‘If the treasure is back with the rightful owners, the threats are gone.’
‘What possessed him to hide the thing in an underwater cave?’ asked Sophia.
‘No one goes into this cave with aqualung equipment,’ said Ben. ‘It’s a tourist cave and hardly any of them even swim in that black hole.’
She hugged him. ‘Is Ann alright?’
‘Is Detective Inspector Lolohea alright is what you should be asking?’ said Ben.
Claudia approached them. ‘Congratulations Ben.’
Sophia took a step back on the sand. ‘My ex client will be after my head because of my failure.’
‘If you had succeeded,’ said Ben, ‘you would have truly failed. You are part of my success here and your ex client will have to get past me to get to you.’
She looked into his eyes carefully for a moment and then stepped close to him and kissed him with an open mouth. Her arms slid around his neck. Ben moved his free arm around her waist.
‘I see,’ said Sophia. ‘The bed wasn’t big enough for you both eh?’
Claudia put her forehead against Ben’s chest. ‘What bed?’
‘That’s disgusting,’ said Sophia.
‘I’m hungry,’ said Ben. ‘Is the restaurant still open?’
‘Lesilei kept it open for us. She knew you were on the way back to the island.’
‘Does she know anything other than what Ann told you guys?’ asked Ben.
‘She knows something because someone rang her. She’s keeping sealed lips,’ said Sophia.
‘The cat will be out of the bag in due course,’ said Ben. ‘The return of this necklace to the king is of great importance for a number of reasons.’
They walked up the beach together towards the restaurant. ‘You were put in great danger,’ said Sophia. ‘Ann was raving about what you did.’
Ben pulled the socks out of his boots and sat down on the steps leading up to the restaurant and bar. He brushed off the sand and was about to put his socks on when Lesilei approached them. ‘Now don’t you worry about shoes in here Ben. Just come on in and I’ll have one of the girls get you a towel to dry your feet.’
Ben looked up at the Tongan woman with the short brown hair and beaming smile. ‘Thank you.’
‘You order anything you like tonight my friends and it’s on the house.’
‘That’s not necessary,’ said Ben, getting to his feet.
‘I insist,’ said Lesilei. ‘It is to thank you.’
‘For what?’ asked Ben.
Lesilei said something in Tongan, turned and walked away laughing softly. ‘I don’t understand women all that well,’ said Ben as he walked to a four seater table on the outer deck of the restaurant. They were joined by two young girls in traditional Tongan dress who lit candles and set the table.
‘You do alright,’ said Sophia, glancing at Ben and then Claudia.
‘South Pacific Affairs,’ said Claudia. ‘They never last once one gets back to the real world.’
‘I suppose with Ann gone for the night, we won’t be flipping for coconuts and chooks tonight,’ said Sophia.
Claudia looked at Ben. ‘I need him to debrief me.’
Sophia laughed. ‘That is so damn wicked.’
“****”
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
‘There will be a private meeting to start with,’ said Inspector Paul Lolohea, glancing at the troops marching in full uniform behind him. Lolohea was in the formal uniform of an Inspector of Police. ‘Your guests will then join you for a public presentation and display ceremony.’
‘I really shouldn’t be…’
Lolohea looked at Claudia, cutting her sentence short. ‘You could have worked against us but you chose to work with us. Your support will be officially recognised.’
She glanced at Ben. ‘I’m not sure this is such a good idea.’
‘Your former client back in Sydney is currently being interrogated by Detective Sergeant Fred Hannam from a special crime unit,’ said Lolohea. ‘I don’t think she will have too much time to be concerned about you. I would be willing to bet that she claims to have no knowledge of you at all.’
‘If there is a problem to be sorted out when we get back to Sydney, I’ll be there to help you,’ said Ben.
‘He means what he says,’ said Ann. ‘He’s a mean son of a bitch so I wouldn’t worry about anything if I were you.’
‘Mr. Isaac Ford seems to have done a runner,’ said Lolohea. ‘The police have a warrant out for his arrest. He has been clearly linked to Sergeant Amasio and the original theft of the necklace.’
‘He won’t run far,’ said Ben.
‘Come to the door of the palace when I give a signal,’ said Lolohea. He turned and walked towards a group of uniformed policemen who were standing beside a large group of military marines, a special Tongan group of highly trained fighters. Each of the military marines wore camouflage patterned uniforms with black beret and black boots. Each had an automatic rifle slung over his or her shoulder. There were two very fit women in the group.
‘He’s a big man,’ said Ann softly to Ben.
Sophia slapped her on the arm. ‘I heard that,’ she said. ‘You are one of the crudest women I’ve ever met.’
‘He’s really big,’ said Ann with a wide smile.
Claudia laughed softly and tucked her arm through Ben’s. Ben looked to his left at the invited guests sitting on plastic chairs in the shade of a huge white marquee. He gave a tiny wave at Rose and Rodney, seated in the front row. Rose smiled and waved back excitedly. Rodney very briefly gave him a self conscious wave. Ben also saw Akira and Bell sitting further back amongst th
e guests. Bell waved and Akira nodded to him.
Loa Tei and her parents were ushered into the group of guests by a military escort. Her parents were ushered to seats under the marquee. Loa approached Ben. He walked towards her. She kissed him on the cheeks and pressed her nose against his nose. ‘I have back so much respect. My family have received so much respect. The internet photographs did so much damage.’
Ben looked into her eyes. ‘Never be ashamed of the amazing body you have.’
‘No one seems to think about that any more. My parents received gifts at their home and then we were invited to meet with the king! Such an honour has never been bestowed upon my family.’
‘You could have made just one phone call from the cave.’
‘I walked backwards to the entrance,’ said Loa. ‘I saw the string unravelled as I walked. I knew you were on the other end of the string. I had to make two phone calls. I had to call Inspector Lolohea.’
‘You saved my life,’ said Ben. ‘The necklace was recovered because of you.’
She hugged him briefly and stood back.
Inspector Lolohea waved them towards the entrance to the palace.
The necklace was laid out on royal blue velvet. It had been meticulously cleaned and polished. It lay on the huge table directly in front of the king. King Tupou VI was dressed in a white business shirt and bright blue tie. He wore grey suit pants which were covered with a Tapa cloth reaching down past his knees. This very important cloth had been in his family for centuries and was made from the beaten, woven and coloured inner bark of the mulberry tree. It was fastened around his waist with thick strands of coconut fibre. The king sat in the huge chair that had belonged to his father. He put the fingers of his right hand on each of the precious stones that made up the necklace, finally resting his index finger on the rough cut diamond. He looked up at Ben. ‘You put yourself in extreme danger to have this returned to me.’
Ben kept eye contact with the king but he was feeling rather self conscious. ‘I’ve been in worse situations,’ he said.
‘Everyone in this room played a part in the miracle which lies before me,’ said the king. ‘Everyone in this room will be rewarded for their efforts in a way which I and my advisers deem fit.’ He looked left to where Inspector Lolohea was seated. ‘Detective Inspector Lolohea for instance, no longer has that rank.’
Lolohea sat back slightly, concern registering on his face.
‘He is now the Detective Chief Superintendent in charge of the investigative unit for the entire Tongan nation.’
‘Your Majesty…’
The king held up his right hand. Lolohea was silent. The king looked at Loa, Ann, Sophia, Claudia and Ben in turn. ‘Each of you will become special citizens of Tonga with privileges that are only afforded to a select few.’
Ann put both hands to her face. Claudia glanced at Ben. She had tears in her eyes. Loa kept her eyes on the king but didn’t move.
The king put his right index finger back onto the diamond in the necklace. ‘Queen Elizabeth has been advised of the return of this priceless jewel. Its return to her in due course will be accompanied by a ceremony and celebration. You will all be invited to attend.’
‘The queen of England is coming here?’ asked Ann.
‘No my dear…you are all going there. First class I believe.’
‘I can’t afford that!’ said Ann.
King Tupou sat back with a large smile on his face. ‘Royal guests don’t pay for international trips. Everything is paid for them.’
Ann also sat back in her chair. ‘Shit!’ She glanced at the king. ‘Sorry George…I mean…’
The king’s laughter filled the room.
Tears now ran down Loa’s face. Tears of excitement, joy and fulfilment.
The public presentations of gold medallions by the king followed in front of the invited guests. The media were allowed limited access and then quickly escorted from the palace grounds.
Sophia caught up with Ann for a moment. ‘I’m hiring another personal assistant. You are so embarrassing.’
‘Try and get one with a bloody gold medal and all.’
‘I can only imagine in my wildest nightmare what you might say to Queen Elizabeth.’
‘Can I call her Liz?’
‘They have people who would cut off your head if you did that,’ said Sophia.
‘I don’t even know what I did to deserve this,’ said Ann, running fingers over her gold medallion. ‘It’s not as if I swam a marathon or anything.’
‘You were part of a winning team,’ said Claudia, approaching from behind and placed a hand on Ann’s shoulder. ‘It’s an amazing feeling. I’ve never felt this way before.’
Ben, Rose and Rodney approached them. Ben held Rose’s hand. ‘I’d like to present you to my friends, Rose and Rodney.’ Ben let go of Rose’s hand and walked to Sophia. He turned. ‘This is our client Sophia Hunter.’ He reached out his hand to Ann and she grasped it immediately. ‘This is Sophia’s right hand girl.’ He moved next to Claudia. ‘This is one of your new employees Rod.’
They all looked at each other in silence for a moment. Rose, as usual was the first to move. She hugged each of the girls in turn, kissing them on the cheek. Ann turned to Rodney. ‘Have you got gout or something?’
‘No I haven’t got gout.’
‘You’re limping. Older men limp when they have gout.’
‘You’ve got to have a foot to get gout.’
‘Haven’t you got a foot?’
‘As a matter of fact I am missing one of my feet,’ said Rodney. ‘I have an artificial foot.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ said Ann. ‘That’s dreadful.’
Rodney looked at Claudia. ‘I don’t recall recruiting a new employee.’
‘I did it for you,’ said Ben.
‘We’ll have to talk about this,’ said Rodney. ‘I’m afraid this has been a bit overwhelming for me.’
‘You sent me here,’ said Ben. ‘The king obviously felt it fitting to invite my employer and his wife to the celebration.’ He searched the crowd for Akira and Bell. They were gone. Akira wasn’t one for crowds.
‘Yes, well, you do continue to surprise me Ben.’ Rodney glanced at Claudia. ‘I am well aware that you two have similar abilities.’
‘We work well together,’ said Claudia.
Rose stepped in and took Claudia’s arm. ‘There are a few things about these two you should know my dear. Let’s go and have some of those lovely seafood snack things and a glass of wine.’
Claudia smiled. ‘That would be nice.’ She glanced at Ben. ‘A walk around Fa Fa Island in the dark tonight might be pleasant as well.’
‘You’re on,’ said Ben.
The two women walked towards the lavishly spread lunch table in the royal palace gardens.
Rodney didn’t say anything for a while. Loa and her parents approached but stopped well away from them. Ben went to Loa’s side and took her hand. He led her towards Rodney. George and Anga followed. ‘This is the girl in the bikini,’ said Ben.
‘I recognise her,’ said Rodney, glancing briefly at her breasts.
‘Her mother and father are George and Anga,’ said Ben.
Rodney shook hands with Loa’s parents.
Ben looked at George and Anga. He nodded at Rodney. ‘This man bribed me into taking this job by showing me a photograph of Loa in a bikini.’
‘Oh that photograph,’ said George.
‘It’s a great photograph,’ said Rodney.
‘I think it’s a lovely photograph,’ said Loa. ‘I’m proud of it.’
‘Others didn’t think so,’ said her father.
Loa bent down so her father could examine her gold medallion. ‘Do they have one of these dad? Will the others get to meet the King of Tonga or the Queen of England?’
‘She’s got a point there,’ said Anga.
‘I had to go out and buy this new suit,’ said George.
‘It will look just as good at your burial,’ said Anga.<
br />
‘Thanks to our daughter and this young man here, it looks like I have a bit more living to do,’ said George. Rose joined them and was introduced to Anga and George.
Loa approached Ben and kissed him softly on the cheek. ‘There’s a woman over there watching you intently.’
‘I noticed,’ said Ben.
‘She’s not really interested in the food or the celebrations.’
‘I guess not,’ said Ben.
‘My parents and I will take care of Rodney, Rose and your friends.’
‘Thank you.’
Ben walked towards Claudia. She met him half way. ‘Can we go back to the island now?’ she asked, smiling.
‘Perhaps we should wait until we’re offered a lift back to the jetty. We don’t want to give the impression that we’re in a rush to get away.’
‘But I am in a rush to get away.’ She touched his hand.
‘I see,’ said Ben.
‘Not as much as you will see when we get back to the island,’ said Claudia.
‘Oh,’ said Ben, glancing over the sparkling ocean to Fa Fa Island in the distance. ‘I suppose I should arrange a lift then.’
“****”
About the Author
Drew Lindsay is a dynamic Australian Novelist and Writer. He has travelled extensively throughout Australia and the world. His background includes working as a Policeman and detective, then managing his own private investigation business as well as working in Fraud Investigation Management positions within the insurance industry.
Drew is a PADI Divemaster and holds a private pilot's licence. He has a great love of entertaining others with his vivid imagination. His novels allow the reader to escape into worlds of romance, excitement, humour and fast paced adventure. Drew lives in Sydney with his wife.
To learn more about Drew Lindsay, visit him online at
http://www.drew-lindsay.com/
Or at his Facebook page