“Wait, are we—” She was interrupted again as they went outside. It was still raining, but an awning protected them. Marty waved down a taxi. Jennifer remembered her last plan to get out of any medical examinations.
“Marty, I don’t want to go to a hospital.”
He looked down to her as a taxi pulled up. “Nonsense, with the state you are in.” He lifted her a little higher as if to emphasize her inability to walk.
So much for that genius plan.
“Don’t worry about anything, Jennifer, we’ll cover you.”
“Cool” was all she could say as he loaded her into the taxi and told the driver to head to Ta’aone Hospital.
CHAPTER 13
Hotel Tiare
After the first treatment was completed, Marty awakened Jennifer and helped her into a wheelchair. Her doctor approached.
“You must come back in three weeks to continue your treatment,” Dr. de LaPorte said.
He handed her a card with the appointment time and details written in French.
One of the nurses pushed her out of the double doors and into the pickup area. After, Marty helped Jennifer into the waiting taxi.
“Se il vous plaît aller à l'hôtel Tiare,” Jennifer told the driver.
At the Hotel Tare, they went to the front desk to check in. There they found a message from Lacy for Jennifer and another for Marty.
“Good News! José will be fine,” Marty said. Then he read, “Meeting tomorrow at eleven a.m. with Immigration set up for Jennifer.”
Jennifer walked to her room. She felt so tired. The day had been less frightening than she’d originally thought it would be. The specter of her blood test results loomed before her but she was too exhausted to worry anymore.
* * *
She awoke when Alice gently shook her the next morning. “Breakfast time, Jennifer.”
Jennifer dressed and followed Alice downstairs to join the others for breakfast at the hotel restaurant.
“Where is Lacy?” Jennifer asked, after noticing her friend wasn’t there.
“She never gets up before nine,” Alice said. “Lacy can sleep through a plane crash.”
Jennifer and Alice sat down to eat near Marty and Mike, who were in the middle of a conversation about the horrible weather the night before.
Jennifer looked up into the clear blue sky. The sun shined as though the night before had never happened.
“The weather’s great today,” Mike said.
“Big turnaround from last night,” Marty said.
“May I interrupt?” Jennifer asked.
“Sure,” Marty said.
Jennifer took a breath. “I feel like you and your crew members are my only friends in the world right now. When you leave, I’ll be alone here with no one I remember and no one who remembers me.”
“You’ll be fine in Tahiti,” Marty reassured her. “You told Alice you want to be a graduate student so you may use this time to study. What do you think?”
“Great idea!” Jennifer exclaimed with a large smile; that could only help her cover disguise. “When will you return?”
“We’ll be back in six weeks. I sent a message to the U.S. Embassy in Paris early this morning. I asked for temporary papers so we can bring you to Honolulu for medical treatment,” Marty said. “Alice and Lacy will set you up with Immigration this morning.”
“Don’t worry about a place to stay or food to eat,” Alice said. “We’ve got you taken care of until we come back for you. Marty put some money in your hotel account here, so if you have any other expenses you may charge to your room. You must buy the items in the hotel shops.”
“Mike will loan me the extra iPad with lots of tests and books on it?”
“Yes,” Marty answered, “I requested a study guide and practice entrance exams from University of Hawaii so you could study for the entrance exams, graduate records, and other tests.”
“Thank you,” Jennifer replied. She wanted to ask Marty to take her with him. She felt lost already. No one asked her what she wanted to do, they simply planned around her.
“You need to study for your exams while we’re away, Jennifer,” Alice agreed. “Now I’m going to wake Lacy to check on her and find out if she wants to come with us today. We’ll be here in the lobby at ten o’clock sharp.”
Marty said, “She texted me around one thirty a.m. while she was talking with an official near José’s hospital room. I’m not sure how much longer she was up.”
After they finished breakfast, Jennifer went up to her room to get ready. She looked at her mostly empty closet. She had nothing else to wear. She had no personal care items. No toothbrush or hairbrush. She had only the small travel soaps, tooth care kit, comb, and hair dryer that the hotel supplied all its guests. Jennifer was reminded once again that she was a guest not only in this place but in this time.
At ten, Jennifer packed her tools and left with everything she owned slung over her shoulder, all the evidence of the alleged shipwreck. She couldn’t hold back her tears at the thought of being on her own. She stopped at the ladies’ room near the lobby to wash her face and dry her eyes. She headed for the lobby to meet Alice and Lacy.
Both women were waiting for her and they were dressed to kill. Jennifer compared her second-hand bag and sandals to their chic dresses, bags, and footwear. She felt like the poor stepchild.
Lacy opened her arms as soon as their eyes met. Jennifer hugged the other girl tightly.
How does she always seem to know how I feel?
“Are you ready?” Alice asked.
Jennifer and the other two women got into the taxi they’d ordered and drove off. Jennifer looked out the window. She saw no buildings or people. Everything and everyone blurred together.
Her heart raced.
Why is this meeting scaring me? I’ve faced worse before.
Jennifer looked the part of who she was pretending to be. These officials wouldn’t have access to the advanced interrogation techniques from her time. She could bluff her way through the questioning. She’d been doing well so far.
“Let’s go to Immigration first,” Alice said, “That way we’ll have time to do everything else we need to do in the afternoon.”
“Roger that,” Jennifer said.
“We’ll explain on the way,” Alice said.
“Let me help you with some tips,” Lacy began. “I’ve had experience with Immigration before.”
“I have no proof of who I am,” Jennifer reminded them. “I have nothing to show them.”
“That’s okay,” Alice said. “Lacy and I will be there to help explain. We found you on French territory and you appear to have survived a disaster so the French should cooperate on humanitarian grounds. The French have a long history of helping disaster victims. No worries.”
“I am worried!” Jennifer said.
“Lacy and I will be there with you,” Alice assured her. “She knows J.B. Bernard, a very nice Frenchman who serves as the head of Immigration. He’s been friends with the Wu family for many years.”
“I called him at home last night to set up this meeting today,” Lacy added. “He will talk with you this morning at eleven. Mr. Bernard wants to meet you personally at his office downtown. He will help you get temporary papers so you can stay at the hotel.”
The taxi dropped them off at Bougainville Park, which was a ten-minute walk from the Immigration office. The girls wanted to stretch their legs a little along the beautiful waterfront before braving the dull civil service building.
They walked through the park where two ancient cannons nestled near a statue in the center. It was odd for Jennifer to think that such weapons were as primitive to her companions as today’s guns were to the time she’d come from.
The women headed toward an office building next, passing through the heart of the city. Jennifer looked down at her borrowed shoes again, feeling as out of place as she’d felt in the hotel lobby earlier. Men and women passed by them in work attire looking like they belonge
d.
Lacy opened the front door of a large office building, letting Jennifer and Alice enter first. J.B.’s assistant met them and led them to his boss’s private office.
A serious looking man sat in a large leather chair behind a large teak desk. He rose when they entered.
“Bonjour, J.B.!” Lacy said.
The two of them hugged and spoke in French for a few minutes as they caught up on each other’s lives. J.B. gestured for the three of them to sit in the chairs available while he perched on the corner of his desk.
Lacy seemed more confident with her old friend. Jennifer liked that and envied the ease with which they spoke of past times.
J.B. seemed to realize he was monopolizing Lacy when he looked up, catching Jennifer’s eyes. He smiled sheepishly. “Pardonne-moi, ladies.”
“No problem, I know how it is with old friends,” Alice said.
J.B. nodded. “And this must be the famous Jennifer Hero.” He used the French softening of the H, so it came out “arrow.” Jennifer smiled; her French-Canadian family had pronounced her made-up surname the same way. He continued, “I am very sorry for what you have suffered and am willing to do anything in my power to help you.”
Jennifer relaxed. This was easier than she’d thought it would be.
“Do you speak French?” he asked.
Jennifer nodded and they had a long conversation about her memory problem after she’d found herself on Moruroa.
J.B. spoke in English again. “I have someone who wants to meet you. His name is Jules Durand. He is a retired banker who handled a trust for some French Canadians who had a young daughter about your age. They lived in the Marquesas for many years and owned a large sailing yacht. They were planning a world trip but then disappeared shortly after they launched. Would you be willing to meet with Mr. Durand, Jennifer?”
“That is fine with me,” she said. Years of practice as a spy kept Jennifer neutral until she could assess this new variable in her situation.
J.B. left the room and came back with an older man in a gray suit. He was an average sized, good-looking older man with blue eyes and salt and pepper hair. He sported a blue and red tie with a white shirt. As soon as he caught sight of Jennifer, his face paled then lit with a smile.
“Mr. Jules Durand, this is Jennifer Hero,” J.B. said.
The older man bowed shallowly, reminding Jennifer of ancient historical documents she’d seen depicting men in white wigs. He took a seat in a nearby chair.
“I am the executor of the estate of André and Colette Heros.” Jules used the French pronunciation as well, arrow. “André was from Montreal originally but he lived in French Polynesia for more than twenty years. You look very much like their daughter, Jennifer, lost so long ago. Here, this is a picture he gave me of a trip we took when his daughter was very young. See the girl between us? I think that might be you.”
“Are you sure that is me?” Jennifer peered at the girl in the photo. Blonde, skinny arms and legs, bright smile, and a chin like hers; the girl did look remarkably like she had as a child. She didn’t want to get this couple’s hopes up but couldn’t turn down such a perfect cover story.
“I am nearly positive,” Jules said. “I have good news for you and some bad. You and your parents were reported missing seven years ago. They loved to sail and were traveling for several years. There was a rumor they were seen around two years ago in Sydney, when they brought their boat in for repairs, but it is so far unsubstantiated. I’m sponsoring a search to look for them starting with the area where you were found.”
“Thank you, Mr. Durand,” Jennifer said. None of this made much sense. Long-lost relatives who were also missing? Still, if she could help find these people, she wanted to. No one should be left on an uninhabited atoll, as she had been.
“I do have some good news,” Jules added. “Because of your amnesia and mental state, I’ve been granted temporary guardianship of you. I’ve also been given power of attorney over your inheritance so that I can help with the cost of your education and medical bills. The trust will revert to you when you turn twenty-five.”
Jennifer felt numb. She couldn’t respond to what was happening.
“I thought you would be overjoyed,” Lacy said. “Why are you looking so sad?”
“I don’t remember anything,” Jennifer said, sobbing. She could not tell them how unexpected this boon was in her new life, and how grateful and lucky she felt.
Jules gently put his arm across her back.
“Don’t cry. We’re going to get you help. I’m going to take you to your parents’ home in Marquesas. I’ve read that familiar places and things can sometimes help restore memories in patients with amnesia. You need to relax. Your memory may never return or it may return in small segments. I’m going to help you start again. Your parents would have wanted it that way.”
After Zexton’s assassination, Jennifer had officially changed her name from Jennifer Juniper “Joon” LeVe to Jennifer Hero. The name was chosen by Senator Grotto to protect Jennifer after the assassination attempt on her and Zexton in Hobart Bay. She first used name while on assignment with Zexton years ago when they posed as a honeymooning couple to throw off the assassins. The similarity to this missing girl’s name here, in this place, and that she had a family, and friends, and wealth, and all of that was Jennifer’s now without question—she was hardly worthy. She sniffled and dried her eyes.
Lacy said, “I feel much better now that we know someone will look after you while we are working in the field.”
“Me too,” Alice said, taking one of Jennifer’s hands in hers. “I want you to relax and enjoy your stay in Papeete. We will all miss you but you’ll be able to learn about your past here and more! Jules can teach you about the history of these islands. He’s also an accomplished author. He’s written a book on the archeology of French Polynesia titled the Unwritten History of the Polynesians.”
“I read his book in school,” Lacy noted. “He’s a local hero to the Tahitians.”
“Jennifer, you’re a lucky lady to travel the islands with such a knowledgeable tour guide,” Alice said.
Jules Durand was obviously an important man. Jennifer felt like she might be imposing on him too much and she said so.
“No! No! You are not imposing,” Jules insisted. “Your parents were great people and great friends. Besides, I am retired now and working on a new book. I want to write an improved guide book for the island and need a companion to tour all the sights.”
“I do not know how much of a help I can be,” Jennifer demurred.
“You can give me fresh eyes, my dear. You will also be helping my wife, Eeva. She will enjoy the company!”
“Okay, then I will accept your offer.” Jennifer said. “I want to study the migration and archeology of the Polynesians in the Pacific so this may be a real opportunity for me to learn from you. Even though I remember nothing of my past, I remember what I like in food, recreation, and academics.”
“Good! Eeva and I will meet you at your hotel after breakfast tomorrow.”
Although the situation seemed strange, Jennifer started to feel safer when Jules mentioned his wife. Because of her experience as an undercover agent, she was always cautious when meeting new people. She had so far been very careful with men, without a weapon nearby to offset the disadvantage of her smaller stature. Reading about different behaviors and mores from this century was a lot different than experiencing them. She had been lucky so far in her choice of companions; she had seen nothing of the “rape culture” history texts spoke about. Jennifer only hoped she would continue to be so lucky.
Jules offered to take the women to lunch with J.B. Alice and Lacy refused, saying they had to get back to the hotel.
“You should get to know Mr. Durand without us, Jennifer,” Alice said.
“We’ll see you tonight for dinner,” Lacy added, with a firm hug. “Aloha!”
Alice and Jennifer hugged before both women left Jennifer with Jules and J.B.
“After lunch, Eeva will meet with you and Jules at the department store nearby,” J.B. informed Jennifer. “They want you to shop for clothes and personal products.”
“Eeva will help you pick out some clothes,” Jules told her.
“I do not know about you, Jules, but I am hungry,” J.B. said.
“We already have reservations,” Jules noted.
“We can walk, if you do not mind, Jennifer,” J.B. said. “It is about a ten-minute walk and the restaurant is across the street from some of the best shopping in Papeete.”
“I would like that.” Jennifer’s stomach growled. Already it seemed like an eternity since she’d last eaten.
They walked until they reached a restaurant called Le Grillardin, which Jules told Jennifer was one of the best French restaurants in Papeete.
Jules’ wife joined them as they were finishing lunch.
“Aloha, Jennifer! I am Eeva,” she said.
Eeva was a very attractive woman with the light brown, glowing skin tone of Polynesia, a beautiful figure and face with the most expressive brown eyes, and long straight black hair. She had a few smile lines at the corners of her eyes. She smelled like the tropical flower gardens Jennifer visited in Hawaii with Zexton.
“Aloha!” Jennifer returned.
“Can I help you buy a few things at these local shops?” Eeva asked. “My hobby is shopping and I love it.”
Jennifer looked down at her white shorts with a smile. “I’d love that.”
They left the men to finish their meal. Eeva’s excitement fueled Jennifer’s.
“What do you need first?” Eeva asked as they stood outside the restaurant in the business center of Papeete.
“Honestly, I need…everything!”
Eeva laughed. “We can do that. You can find personal items at the drug store a few blocks away. There are many clothing stores near where we can get you a few items to start off with. Later, you can shop in bigger markets in Honolulu where you should be able to furnish a whole new wardrobe.”
As they started walking to one of the stores, Jennifer asked, “Can you tell me about my family?”
30th Century: Escape (30th Century Trilogy Book 1) Page 11