by Jake Avila
* * *
Near Kamindimbit, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
‘Chuck the stuck-up bitch over the side,’ Boerman counselled. ‘She’ll be crocodile dung by morning.’
Sura watched Goki’s face turn a shade darker.
‘You forget Kaboro has promised he will take her as far as the border. And if Nash or the girl get off this boat, they become witnesses, not to mention the villagers and missionaries in Timbunke who will testify that we picked Carter up.’
‘So, she went missing anyway.’ Boerman grinned. ‘Happens all the time.’
Goki flicked his fingers in exasperation. ‘She’s an American citizen, all right? The American State Department could make life very difficult for the boss if they lean on PNG, and we don’t even know who Mia Carter is yet.’
‘So, let’s find out.’ Sura was still seething from the confrontation. She had been publicly shamed, and the pain would not be excised until those responsible were made to pay.
Goki stared at her. ‘What do you propose?’
Opening her attaché case, Sura pulled out a folder.
‘Just because Kaboro has burdened us with an uninvited guest, it doesn’t mean he can ignore protocol.’
After telling Jaap to stay put and keep out of trouble, she led Goki below decks and rapped three times on the cabin door.
‘Doctor Carter, I need a brief word.’
The American’s blue eyes were cold when she opened the door.
‘What can I do for you?’
Sura held out a document. ‘You need to sign this.’
Mia made no move to take it. ‘What is it?’
‘It’s a waiver, from any claim that you might make against Shangri-La Productions during your passage to the Indonesian border.’
‘Shangri-La? How ironic. No, I don’t want to sign it.’
Sura marvelled at the American’s incredible sense of entitlement. It was so ingrained that she had absolutely no concept of the danger she was in.
‘Lieutenant Kaboro has already signed.’ Sura pointed helpfully to the fake signature at bottom of the document. ‘Are you really going to be so ungrateful that you will not pay us this simple courtesy?’
Mia read the document with a studied air of disdain.
‘Indemnity from injury and accidental death?’ She gave Sura a small smile. ‘Very well. If it makes you feel better.’
Crouching down beside her bag, Mia unzipped a side pocket and took out her passport. Watching her copy out the number, paperwork resting on those long, brown athletic legs, Sura couldn’t help but envy the woman her freedom, even if it was taken for granted. The contrast with her own circumscribed life was acute. Another reminder of why her plan must succeed.
‘It’s very brave of you to go and work in such a remote place, Doctor Carter. Have you no husband or boyfriend to worry about you?’
Mia handed her the document with a tight smile.
‘Will that be all?’
Sura nodded. ‘I’m sorry we got off to a bad start. Perhaps I’ll see you at dinner? I would love to learn more about the good work you are doing in my country.’
‘Sure you would.’
Back in the main cabin, Goki sat on the floor and relayed Mia Carter’s name, passport number and description to TNI Headquarters over satellite phone.
‘Top priority. And get me the general. Shangri-La out.’
Sura sat on the bed, massaging her calves with coconut oil.
‘You don’t really think she’s an agent, do you?’
‘No, but what are the odds of her getting on this stinking boat?’ Goki paused to regard her legs. ‘Smart move with the waiver, by the way. Can I ask why a girl of your class hangs around with such a fucking moron, though?’
Sura wondered if Jaap could hear them outside. Or what her father would think of Goki’s increasing familiarity.
‘A man who can’t control himself is not a real man.’
Maybe so, thought Sura, staring into his bloodshot eyes. But Jaap is my weapon and when he takes your life, you will know it.
Goki’s phone rang, and by the way he sat upright she knew it was her father. Military men only ever respected their own kind. It was their weakness. Listening intently, the commando nodded.
‘Yes, sir.’ Extinguishing his clove cigarette in her water glass, he stood up. ‘Sir Julius will call Kaboro.’
‘And the American?’
‘Her ID checks out.’ Goki smiled grimly. ‘If Doctor Carter thought she was clever forcing her way onto this tub, she will soon regret it. Once we get to the border, I’m going to enjoy holding her pretty blonde head underwater.’
Kaboro found safe anchorage in a wide bend off the main channel, where a flock of white storks patrolled the shore. The sunset was intensely beautiful, smudges of mauve and burnt orange contrasting with the cumulonimbus clouds, which shrouded the peaks of the distant mountain ranges, all reflected in the lake like a gigantic mirror. It was the kind of beauty which made Nash think how wonderful the natural world was, a feeling tinged with sorrow for what was being lost.
After taking some photos, he went and found Douglas, who was sitting on the edge of the helicopter pad, working his way through a second six-pack of beer. They had not spoken since that afternoon, and Douglas seemed content for it to stay that way. Sitting down beside him, Nash sighed.
‘I know you’re pissed I told Mia we’re here, but no one is going to beat us to the scoop now, are they?’
Taking a long pull of beer, Douglas took his time answering.
‘The point is, it ain’t your show. So, could you just humble yourself a little? At the rate you’re burning bridges, they’ll pull the fucking plug on us.’
‘Frank, something stinks here, and it has done ever since they got on the boat. Forget about intimidating Saworno and undermining Kaboro, look at this incredible sunset . . . Why isn’t Boerman getting it in the can? I spent hours last night talking film with Sura and I swear she has no interest whatsoever. If you ask me, they’re behaving like a gang of thugs with something to hide.’
Douglas grunted. ‘They’re rough around the edges – so what? That’s kind of how it is out here.’
‘You think I’m too First World sensitive?’
‘I was going to say precious.’
‘Frank, there are principles here.’
‘Which are fine when you can afford them. When was the last time you earned 250K for a month’s work?’
‘You’re telling me I should have left Mia to that mob today?’
‘No.’ Douglas shook his head irritably. ‘I backed you up, didn’t I? Even if it was her bloody fault.’
Nash frowned. ‘So, I should just shut up and stop asking questions so you can make a buck? I’m sorry, Frank, you might be relaxed with dodgy business arrangements, but it’s not the way I operate.’
Douglas thumped a fist on the deck. ‘Goddamn it, Robbie, you control the diving. No one can fucking make you do anything you don’t want to do.’
Nash became aware Douglas was drunker than he’d thought, and held his tongue. Douglas flung his bottle angrily into the water.
‘I’m not a fucking mind-reader. But it’s like you’re doing everything possible to fuck this deal up.’
Nash stared into the black water. Legitimate reservations notwithstanding, was he manufacturing excuses? The Hoosenbeck had been looming larger in his imagination, and he’d had another nightmare about Natalie. Had Frank heard him crying out? Singkepe certainly had, for he had asked him about it.
Douglas chuckled humourlessly. ‘This gig was like winning the quinella with your last hundred bucks. A way of getting back to Aussie, chucking in a line, and putting my feet up for the last chapter. Ah well, I suppose it was too good to last.’
Nash thought of Jacquie, his parents, and the mortgage. About the disappointment of returning home empty-handed with doubt in his heart. Putting an arm around Douglas, he patted him on the shoulder.
‘Now
you’re laying it on with a trowel. Don’t worry, Uncle Frank, I’ll pull my head in. Believe me, I need this as much as you do. Maybe even more.’
Nash was making his way back along the starboard side of the Albany when he heard Boerman’s unpleasant booming laugh coming from the other side of the ship.
‘Hey, stop that, leave me alone!’
It was Mia, and she sounded scared. Nash ran around the port side to find Boerman had backed her up near the ladder to the quarterdeck. The Afrikaner was shining a flashlight in her face.
‘What are you sneaking around in the dark for, hey? Come on, answer me.’
‘What’s going on?’ Nash demanded.
The powerful beam of light swung in his direction.
‘Nash, this is none of your business.’
Nash shielded his eyes. ‘Get that out of my face. Mia, come here.’
As she squeezed past the big man, Nash could feel his skin crawling. He didn’t like her proximity to Boerman, or the dark water below.
‘Go below,’ he told her. ‘I’ll join you in a minute.’
‘No. I think you should come with me.’ Mia placed a warning hand on his arm.
‘Looks like she doesn’t need a hero after all,’ Boerman sneered. ‘Smart move, Doctor Carter. You might get to live a little longer.’
‘Come on, Rob,’ urged Mia. ‘He’s just an asshole.’
‘You’re right.’
As Nash turned to go, the big man seized his left forearm in a crushing pincer grip and pulled his face close.
‘You didn’t fool me today,’ he hissed. ‘You’re gutless. And when we dive that cave, everybody will find out, too.’
Nash had to concede that Boerman had an uncanny instinct for sniffing out fear, for such an insensitive turd.
‘Let go, Boerman. I won’t ask you again.’
‘Do it. Give me a reason to fucking erase you.’
The Afrikaner had a grip like an industrial vice. Nash took the man’s offending wrist with his free hand and began to apply pressure. Boerman was massively strong, but his bulky gym muscles lacked lateral movement, whereas years of ocean training had strengthened every sinew and tendon in Nash’s arms. He used that flexibility to break free and twist Boerman’s forearm around the ladder, where the added leverage let him even the score.
‘What’s going on down there?’ It was Sura on the quarterdeck. ‘Jaap?’
Nash released the big man with a grin.
‘Hadn’t you better be running along?’
‘Do you have to go?’ Mia stood at her cabin door, rubbing the skin of her upper right arm. ‘I could use some company.’
Her thick hair was tied back in a ponytail, exposing a slender neck which made her seem more vulnerable. Nash did not want to be alone with her, but seeing she was shaken up, he followed her into the cabin. Despite the heat, she closed the door.
‘Why isn’t there a lock?’ She shook the handle in frustration.
‘It’s a military thing. Do you want to tell me what happened?’
Leaning against the door, Mia nodded. ‘I was getting some fresh air when he got in my face with that bullshit about sneaking around.’ She frowned as she examined the bruise forming on her bicep. ‘Back in the States we call it assault.’
‘I’ll talk to Kaboro. You can press charges.’
‘No.’ She shook her head quickly. ‘I need to get upriver.’ Defensively crossing her arms, she shivered before looking at him closely. ‘Rob, what are you doing with these people?’
The question caught him by surprise.
‘Shooting a doco. Like I told you.’
‘But it doesn’t make sense. These Indonesians are paranoid as hell, and what about all these soldiers – doesn’t it strike you as overkill they’re armed to the teeth?’
Nash thought of his last expedition to PNG. They’d had a police liaison officer, and a couple of private security guys in case of trouble from the locals, but that was all.
‘I suppose so, but aren’t we heading into a war zone?’
‘Is that what they told you?’ Mia sounded doubtful. ‘OPM are not that much of a threat. And why would armed PNG troops be allowed into Papua? Shouldn’t the Indonesians be running security up there?’
He explained what he knew of the joint expedition – that the PNGDF were being provided as private security – but, given his own reservations, he quickly ran out of steam and found himself staring into those mesmerising eyes. She blinked slowly, and then perhaps because of the sudden intimacy, smiled shyly.
‘Why does Jaap keep going on about you being a hero?’
The question threw him. And he realised it was because he didn’t want her to know about Natalie. Of course, that was stupid, because she would likely find out soon enough, but at that moment he didn’t want to lose face in her eyes.
‘An inferiority complex?’ he ventured awkwardly. ‘I don’t know, isn’t that what usually motivates bullies?’
‘And he’s your dive buddy in this cave?’ She was looking worried again.
‘Unfortunately, yes. And there’s too much riding on this to turn back.’
He told her about Jacquie. Mia, being a doctor, was able to clarify things he didn’t quite understand, like her chemo regime. Then he told her about his parents and Margaret River. The longer they talked, the more fraudulent it felt leaving Natalie and the accident out, but Nash was in too deep now, and when he sensed Mia was about to ask him whether he had a partner, he turned the spotlight back on to her.
Mia Carter was a high achiever, sporty like Jac, but driven to public service, which had led her into what sounded like a completely immersive and exhausting career.
‘And you really plan to stay on in Papua?’ Nash was feeling slightly embarrassed by the contrast with his singularly self-serving life.
‘You sound like you think I’m entering a nunnery.’
He gave a sheepish grin and Mia laughed.
‘People think that because they don’t understand what a vocation is.’ Her face grew intense and he saw the great strength in her. ‘For me, the mission is nothing to do with religion. It’s about helping people who really need help. It makes me feel like there is a point to what I do.’
‘And you’ve never wanted a more conventional life?’
‘You mean a hubby and kids?’ Her laugh suggested this was never on the cards, and he shrugged. ‘Maybe, one day. My parents would love me to stick around and take over their clinic in Connecticut. I love them dearly, but the whole idea bores me senseless.’
‘I can imagine it’s pretty tame compared to out here.’
She smiled. ‘The mission’s in the last great wilderness of Papua – no loggers, no mines, no roads. The first time I went for a hike I thought I’d travelled back in time. The forest is full of these incredibly ancient towering giants which humble you, and the tree kangaroos and dwarf cassowaries just stand their ground when you pass.’
‘What about birds of paradise?’
Her eyes lit up. ‘My favourites are short-tailed paradigalla, they carry on like tiny bossy penguins, but the King of Saxony and splendid astrapia . . . wow, don’t they just take your breath away?’
Nash smiled in agreement. ‘They remind me of vivid oil paintings.’
‘Yes, like a Rousseau! Those vibrant flashes of colour magnified against the dark canvas of the canopy.’
Watching her come alive, Nash had the strange sense of looking into a mirror. This woman was obviously one hell of a doctor, but what he was seeing was an adventurous free spirit.
Perhaps aware she had revealed too much, she looked shyly at him.
‘It’s getting late. Will you stay with me tonight?’
At the surprised look on his face, she gasped and covered her mouth.
‘I meant on the top bunk!’ she added with a laugh. ‘It would make me feel safer.’
‘Surely after my exploits today I deserve the bottom bunk.’ Nash chuckled.
Mia’s white teeth gleamed wic
kedly. ‘You can take your pick. Just promise not to snore.’
Nash stretched out on the top bunk, his feet hanging over the edge. With the fan languidly moving the hot air, he was painfully aware of Mia’s proximity.
Stop it, he told himself. The fact you’re even thinking about her is wrong.
He turned his mind to the expedition. What had his father said? Use your instincts and make smart choices. Today, he’d dived into a crocodile-infested river and fought a mob to save Mia. He was on the payroll of a dysfunctional and dodgy syndicate, heading for a war zone with a psychotic dive partner and – in the unlikely event he ever got to the bloody Hoosenbeck – a potentially life-threatening showdown with claustrophobia. Despite the sheer insanity of it, Nash was heartened by the sense something lost was returning. As if his DNA was trickling back into his cells. It went beyond the kick of danger. He fell asleep remembering Natalie had always said he hated backing down.
Chapter 17
Opening his eyes, Nash blinked when he realised he was in his old cabin. He became aware of the low vibration of the engines, then the anchor chain clattered in the hawse pipe. Checking his dive watch, he frowned. Why were they getting underway this early?
Mia was still asleep with one hand tucked under her dimpled chin when he dropped to the deck. Nash pulled on his shirt and tried not to stare.
Outside, the dense white mist was cool and damp, redolent of vegetation and the acrid tang of a nearby fruit bat colony. Although visibility was terrible, the Albany was nosing upriver. Even as he stood there, she put on more power, and birdsong erupted on the invisible banks. Nash spotted the morning watch by the stern, obviously confused, too.