The Mystery of Yamashita's Map

by James McKenzie

  They all clambered into the back of the car and moved off into the airfield and then into the streets of Hong Kong. Kono drove at a steady pace, the first time he had done so in twenty years, and looked at the sights and the sounds of the city. He thought to himself how busy it seemed but also, somehow, how peaceful. The people here were just getting on with their own business, not harming anyone and – for the first time in many years – he had no desire to either. He glanced around, at the shops and the people, revelling in the sights and sounds of ordinary life. His thoughts were interrupted by a huge crash that made him instinctively look into his rear-view mirror. In it he saw a black Mercedes car with three men inside toting guns and grinning like devils. Every now and then they would ram them making them swerve and weave in the road.

  Joe looked round and sighed. ‘Oh, they’re with me. You’d better lose them,’ he said and he felt the full force of acceleration take him, once again, into the streets of Hong Kong.

  Chapter Twenty

  ‘Joe, Joe, wake up.’ Joe jumped from his seat so hard he nearly hit his head on the car roof.

  ‘What?’

  ‘We’ve been sitting here for four hours, I think we’ve lost them’ the professor’s voice more strained than usual, ‘I need to attend to, well you know, the call of nature.’

  Kono had managed to lose the black Mercedes in a chase that was like something out of a Hollywood movie. More by luck than judgement, but he would accept all the plaudits for doing such a good job. He had found an old disused factory building which seemed to offer a safe haven for the moment. Nothing had passed by for hours and it was getting dark.

  Without saying a word Joe got out of the car quickly followed by the professor.

  ‘What now?’ the professor asked, his face contorting with relief.

  ‘I think we should head for the monastery and return the Buddha.’

  ‘What about those guys who are after you?’

  Joe knew he would have to deal with this issue soon. It was only a matter of time before they caught up to him. He had trouble with them before and they were not the type to give up easily.

  ‘As soon as we complete our mission I’ll make arrangements.’

  ‘I’m sure nobody will mind if you use one of the jewels to pay them off.’

  ‘That’s exactly what I was planning.’ Joe grinned as he made his way back to the car. ‘First we return the Buddha then I’ll take care of business, we’ll leave at first light.’

  ‘Where to boss?’

  The professor instructed Kono to take them to the Tsz Shan Monastery near Tai Po on Lantau Island. ‘You can’t miss it. I think you will be able to see it from here.’ The professor didn’t know why, but he somehow knew that this was the right place. He had felt all along that something was guiding him. A power that he didn’t understand was leading him towards Tai Po. He felt like a moth drawn to a flame, there was nothing on this earth that would stop him now

  Kono’s eyes lit up as if he had had a sudden revelation. ‘Ah, Tian Tan, the Big Buddha statue. You know boss that the face is made of gold.’

  The professor smiled silently at Kono’s enthusiastic attempt at being somewhat knowledgeable about such a famous Chinese icon.

  As they drove up to the monastery Lisa could not help feeling how insignificant they were compared to the huge Buddha which sat above them. His right hand outstretched as if to say ‘hello.’ to everyone. She recognised that this was the same Buddha that was in the back of the car and for the first time she felt some mystical connection between the Buddha they had recovered and this majestic statue.

  ‘Turn left here’ the professor pointed to the old part of the monastery which was located opposite the Tian Tan statue.

  Kono drove the car into the courtyard area which was surrounded by beautifully kept gardens, the sweet scents permeated the air around them creating a feeling of peace and tranquillity. Each garden seemed to have its own attendant, a monk dressed in the traditional saffron robes lovingly tending to the plants.

  Kono pulled up in front of what he thought was the main building, the battered car looking incredibly out of place in the stunning surroundings. The sound of the engine backfiring attracted the attention of several of the gardening monks, who stopped their tasks and walked slowly and cautiously over to the car.

  Lisa, thinking it best that she did the talking, stepped out of the vehicle and greeted the monks, smiling. ‘Hello. I’m Lisa, and this is my uncle. That’s Joe Hutchins and he’s Kono. We’ve been on a bit of an expedition recently and we’ve brought you something… something you thought was lost long ago.’

  The monks didn’t say anything, just stared at Joe as he walked round to the back of the car and opened the boot. ‘We think this might be yours?’ He was smiling at them, an excited twinkle in his eyes.

  One of the monks, who was apparently in charge, walked towards the open boot, his eyes widening as he took in the magnificent sight of the golden Buddha, made all the more dazzling by the piles of gold bars that surrounded it.

  ‘Where did you get this?’ He turned to Joe, his tone not one of accusation or anger, but of pure astonished wonder.

  Joe smiled and was about to answer when the professor stepped forward. ‘Let’s just say that the mystery of Yamashita’s gold has now been solved. I had hoped to do some tests on it, of course, but…’ he trailed off, looking at Joe.

  ‘But we thought we’d just bring it straight back to you, isn’t that right?’ Joe smiled at the professor, as if daring him to carry on with his original line of thought.

  ‘Yes, yes! Back to its rightful place, where it belongs.’ The professor turned to Kono. ‘Do you think you’d be able to help with getting the Buddha inside?’

  Kono nodded, glad to be of help – and not just in a driving capacity. He wanted to be accepted into this group, wanted to make up for his past mistakes. He knew he had a long way to go, but he would make sure that he helped out whenever he could.

  The abbot faced the other monks, giving them some instructions before turning back to the group. ‘We’ll bring a trolley out; I think that will be the easiest way to move it.’ He glanced at the golden Buddha again, and Lisa thought she could see tears starting to form in his eyes. ‘We want to thank you for bringing this back to us. So many would have taken it for themselves, or let it get into the wrong hands.’

  Joe held his hand out, forcing the monk to shake it. ‘That was never an option.’

  The monk smiled again, looking at each of them in turn. ‘We’ll share this beautiful treasure. There are so many temples and shrines throughout Asia that will benefit greatly from these.’ He gestured to the gold bars, which were glinting in the sun.

  The other monks arrived with the trolley then, and between them, Joe and Kono slowly and carefully lifted the golden Buddha onto the steel surface; the last thing they needed after bringing it all this way was to drop it right outside the Tsz Shan Monastery.

  After staring at the beautiful statue for a few moments, the monks left to go back to their gardens, leaving the abbot alone with the treasure retrieving crew.

  Lisa and the professor helped Joe and Kono load the gold bars onto the trolley, again surrounding the golden Buddha with wealth, before heading towards the monastery entrance.

  They’d only gone a few steps when the abbot stopped them. ‘No, follow me, please.’

  Without any further explanation, he turned away from the huge doors and walked along the side of the building, the others trailing behind with the trolley. After some time, he led them down some stone steps, which were hidden from the entrance by a low wall covered in foliage.

  The group followed the abbot deep down into the hidden tunnel, and Joe wasn’t the only one who was trying to push thoughts of the Philippine tunnel out of his mind. At least this one wasn’t quite so cramped, or filled with decay and long-lost souls.

  They seemed to have been walking for an age, and they were now quite clearly deep underneath the main monastery
building. It was getting darker the further into the tunnel they went, although every so often there would be a small, pale light flickering on the wall.

  The sound of the trolley wheeling along the slightly uneven ground was the only noise for several minutes, the group not wanting to talk to each other on their journey. For some reason it didn’t feel right, so they remained in silence, the squeak of the trolley’s wheels their soundtrack as they moved deeper underground.

  The abbot finally stopped, turning to face the others in the flickering light. ‘Please, I ask you not to tell anyone about this place. None of the others have even been down here, and I ask you to respect my wishes in this matter.’

  They all nodded. The abbot turned to the door in front of him, barely visible in the dinginess of the tunnel, and pulling a large, ancient-looking key out of his robes, he pushed it into the keyhole, the sound of which echoed around the small tunnel. The door opened with a loud creak.

  The space beyond was larger than they’d expected – more of an underground chamber than a room – and it was mind-boggling to think that all this lay beneath the monastery, unknown to all of the visitors and even the monks who lived here. The stale air that hit them as they entered told them it was rarely used or even visited, and it was made even more mysterious by the fact that this room was also lit by the same small, pale lights that had been dotted along the tunnel.

  The abbot gestured for Kono to wheel the trolley over to a certain spot in the middle of the room, and as he and Joe got nearer, they saw an empty plinth standing there, just waiting for the day when it again would have something worthy to carry.

  Today was that day.

  Kono and Joe lifted the golden Buddha off the trolley and onto the plinth before stepping back, admiring their handiwork. It had taken a lot for them to bring the Buddha home, and this moment made everything seem worth it.

  The golden Buddha looked like it had been there forever.

  Where it should have been all along.

  It was finally home.

  Joe didn’t know if it was the significance of what he’d just done, or the way the strange chamber suddenly seemed to be pressing in on him from all sides, but he started to feel extremely faint. Not like he was going to throw up, nothing like that, but like… like he was moving, somehow…

  He stared at the golden Buddha, the room slowly fading to black around him. The colours of the chamber drained away, the voices of his friends vanishing into thin air.

  Where was he again? Some kind of monastery? No… no, of course not. He looked around him, at the aircraft hangar he was in, at the old-fashioned plane right in front of him.

  He jumped, his whole body suddenly alert.

  How long had he been here? How had he even come to be here?

  The chamber, the abbot, the golden Buddha… it was all starting to feel like some sort of faraway dream.

  He looked around him, taking in the smells of oil and machinery, glancing up at the curved roof and soaking in the excited atmosphere, the feeling of anticipation that seemed to hum in every single part of the hangar. He jumped as an American airman ran past in full uniform, quickly followed by several others. They were all rushing about, as if they were preparing for an imminent take-off.

  Suddenly, he felt pressure on his palm, and looking down, he saw a small hand on top of his own. His gaze travelling from the tiny hand to the face of the person attached to it, Joe saw that it was the young spirit boy from the Buddha. Strangely, he didn’t feel at all surprised by this bizarre development.

  ‘My name is Ram.’ He smiled at Joe, a sort of shy, half smile. ‘Come, I want to show you something.’

  Joe nodded, but before he could speak the boy disappeared, the feel of his hand in Joe’s gone in an instant. What did he want to show him? How was he supposed to follow him if he didn’t know where he’d gone? Joe was starting to panic, but looking up, he saw a strangely familiar figure coming towards him. He stood out from the other men rushing around the hangar, and it took him a few minutes to realise who it was. His face was exactly the same as on the photograph Joe had been given by his mother, years and years ago. He’d never forget that face – it was the face of his father.

  ‘Son.’

  That one word took the wind right out of Joe. He couldn’t say anything, didn’t even feel like he could breathe, and so he just waited for his father to speak to him again. Something which he had never done in real life.

  ‘It’s good to see you, Joey.’ He smiled at his son, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. His expression was one of both joy and pain.

  Joe still couldn’t respond.

  ‘I never meant to leave you, Son. I had no idea your mother was pregnant when I left to fight in the Great War. You have to know that.’ He paused, looking at Joe, taking him in. He seemed to relax a bit. ‘I’m glad I got to see how you turned out. Your mother is here with me now. Everything is fine. You don’t have to worry. Believe me.’

  Overcome with emotion, Joe took a step towards his father, then faltered. He didn’t want to get too close, although he wasn’t sure why. Fear what would happen? Concern that he would suddenly fade away? Leave Joe alone all over again? So instead, he stood his ground, taking a deep breath and clearing his throat before answering in a raspy voice, ‘I believe you. About everything.’

  His father smiled at him. ‘Thank you. That means a lot to me.’

  ‘And Mom’s there?’

  He nodded.

  Joe smiled back at him, or he tried to. It came out more like a scared grimace. ‘You look after her, you hear me?’

  His father laughed, nodding. ‘You can count on it, Joey.’

  Joe laughed as well. What else could he do? Then, suddenly, the laughing stopped. ‘I wish I could have known you.’

  ‘Me too, Son. Me too.’ His father stared at him for a couple more seconds before glancing around him, gesturing at the chaos of the aircraft hangar. ‘I’m afraid I have to go now. Remember that we’re always thinking of you, and we’re so proud for what you’ve done.’

  Joe smiled, tears running down his face. The hangar was starting to fade around him, and he only just managed a quick, ‘Goodbye, Dad!’ before the picture in front of him dissolved, taking away the wonderful image of his father and bringing him crashing back down to reality.

  He was standing in the underground chamber beneath the monastery, staring at the golden Buddha, the trail of tears still lingering on his face.

  He breathed deeply, worried he might faint or that his knees might buckle beneath him.

  Lisa suddenly appeared in his field of vision, standing in front of him and placing one of her hands on his cheek. ‘Joe? What is it? What’s wrong?’

  Her frowning face snapped Joe out of it, and the incredibly emotional journey he’d just been on flowed out of him as he held Lisa tightly, hugging her like he’d wanted to hug his father just moments before.

  ‘Joe…’ Lisa’s voice was muffled, her mouth pressed to his shoulder.

  He could hear the abbot come and stand next to him. ‘I believe that was Ram, saying thank you. Am I right?’

  Joe nodded, or as much as he could do with his arms still around Lisa.

  After a couple more seconds, she pulled back from the hug, staring at Joe intently. ‘Are you alright? What’s he talking about? Who’s Ram?’

  Wiping the tears from his face with his sleeve, and feeling a bit of an idiot for crying in front of Lisa, he nodded. ‘I’m fine. Better than I’ve been in a long time, in fact. I’ll tell you about it later.’ And he would. Actually, he couldn’t wait to tell her all about it, a feeling he wasn’t quite familiar with; he didn’t usually have deep and meaningful conversations with the women in his life.

  Suddenly extremely grateful to have Lisa there with him, he leaned forward to kiss her briefly on the lips. He wanted to do much more than that, of course, but he was extremely aware that he was in the same room as a Japanese gangster, a monk, and her uncle. He’d wait until later.

>   Instead, he took her hand in his, squeezing it tightly. ‘We should go.’ He gave one last glance at the golden Buddha and turned to face the way out. As he walked towards the door he felt a strange compulsion to remain in the chamber. Something was holding him back, some unfinished business needed to be attended to. Joe had survived on his instincts all his life and if his instincts were telling him something, he listened.

  The only problem was that he didn’t know if he was dreaming again. His reality had become distorted, he felt like there were two people inside his head, one of them was filling his imagination with visions, leading him on this quest to recover the golden Buddha, the other, he knew was himself, a rather lacklustre individual who definitely did not believe in the supernatural, yet here he was, being influenced by some unknown power that was trying to push him in another direction.