Coral Sea Affair

by Drew Lindsay

‘She is a very lucky girl Mr. Hood. The compression over the wound with your palm probably saved her from bleeding to death. The paramedics told me about your actions.’ The Doctor pulled off his surgical mask and threw it in a bin. ‘Otherwise she didn’t sustain a fracture, which is a miracle considering the violence of the blow.’

  ‘She’s a tough lady,’ said Ben.

  Doctor Powell slipped off surgical gloves and threw them in the bin. ‘We’ve sewn her up. Head wounds often look worse than they are. Lots of bleeders up there.’

  ‘Tell me about it. I was drenched in her blood.’

  ‘So she’s got some plasma and saline and a whack of antibiotics. She’s what we call ‘stabilised’, but she’s not going anywhere for a while. Luckily we have a Neurologist visiting tomorrow from Cairns and we’ve booked her in as his first patient.’

  ‘That’s amazing,’ said Ben. ‘I can’t thank you enough.’

  ‘She was saying your name as she came out of surgery just now. Are you the boyfriend?’

  ‘Hell no. I’m her security guard.’ Ben regretted his words immediately.

  Doctor Powell pulled off his surgical gown. ‘Security guard eh?’

  ‘Don’t say it. I stuffed up very badly tonight.’

  ‘I’d say you probably saved her life with the action you took when you found her.’

  ‘Cold comfort Doctor.

  ‘You want to see her?’

  ‘Yes please.’

  ‘She’s very groggy but at least conscious.’

  ‘Do you know who she is Doctor?’

  ‘Yes, Brenda Grant.’

  ‘But do you know who she actually is?’

  ‘Of course I do. Funny thing though. The rich, poor, famous and obscure all look the same on the operating table.’

  ‘There is no way this girl could ever look obscure.’

  Doctor Powell nodded thoughtfully. ‘Your point is taken. She is extremely attractive.’ He walked down the brightly lit corridor. Ben followed. The Doctor stopped outside a set of double doors. Ben could see Brenda through large glass windows. She was propped up in an emergency ward bed surrounded by monitors. Her head was bound in white bandages. Her eyes were closed.

  ‘Before we go in Doctor, can I ask your permission to have some security personnel stationed here for a while?’

  ‘So she was attacked?’

  ‘Don’t you know?’

  ‘She comes in here with her head split open. No-one tells me anything. I’m just the Doctor here.’

  ‘Yes, she was assaulted and the people who did this are not model citizens.’

  ‘No doubt the police will investigate.’

  ‘Who knows? It’s not just that. Brenda is well known because of her movies. The press will be all over this. We can’t have people just bursting in asking questions.’

  ‘Understood. You can have one security person only. I can’t have this place cluttered up with male muscle.’

  ‘It’s a she and she won’t clutter up anything. Her name is Sue Beck.’

  ‘Deal.’ Doctor Powell pushed the double doors open. ‘You have to scrub first.’ He pointed to a small wash basin to the left.

  Ben washed his hands thoroughly with surgical soap and dried them with paper towels. He approached Brenda. A heart monitor beeped slowly. Her oxygen mask had been removed. He sank into a chair beside the bed and gently touched one of her hands.

  Brenda’s eyes flickered and partly opened. ‘Liz?’

  Ben moved closer to her. ‘No it’s me.’

  ‘Ben…?

  ‘Yes.’

  Her eyes opened wider. ‘Ben?’

  ‘Yes baby. I’m right here.

  Her fingers grabbed his hand firmly. ‘They took her.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘They thought she was you.’

  Brenda’s eyes flickered and then fixed firmly on Ben. ‘So they came after me?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘But took Liz instead?’

  ‘They made a mistake darling. They saw her on the diving boat with me this morning. They thought she was the movie star.’

  Brenda closed her eyes. She tried to mouth words but nothing came out.

  ‘Better go I think,’ said Doctor Powell.

  Ben looked back at him and nodded. ‘Just two more things?’

  ‘Make them quick.’

  ‘Brenda. Listen closely to me. Did you see who attacked you?’

  Brenda pulled a face. Her eyes remained closed. ‘They just looked like tourists. The guy who hit me was Chinese. Liz punched one of them in the face but they hit her too.’

  ‘What kind of weapons did they use?’

  Brenda remained silent.

  ‘Please baby.’

  ‘They were swinging sticks or something on a chain; very fast. I just walked over to talk to some kids. Liz came to make me go back and these men came out of the garden.’

  ‘Mr. Hood. Time to go,’ said the Doctor.

  Brenda opened her eyes and grabbed Ben’s hand. ‘Where is she?’

  ‘I think I know where she is.’

  ‘What’s going to happen to her?’

  ‘I’m going to get her back.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘You leave that to me.’

  Tears welled up in Brenda’s eyes. She squeezed Ben’s hand.

  Doctor Powell opened one of the double doors and beckoned for Ben to follow. He let go of Brenda’s hand and walked to the doors. He turned and gave her a gentle wave.

  ‘White Knight,’ she said, and closed her eyes.

  ‘What did she call you?’ asked the Doctor.

  ‘Not sure,’ said Ben, letting the door swing shut behind him.

  Outside in the hospital car park Ben hit another speed dial number on his mobile phone. It answered immediately.

  ‘Copper?’

  ‘Hi Yana.’

  ‘You were going to ring me yesterday.’

  ‘Sorry. Got tied up.’

  ‘I’ll bet you did.’

  ‘The trouble I told you about has seriously escalated. Brenda is in hospital with a fairly serious head injury and the Ninjutsu on Skull Island have kidnapped her bodyguard.’

  ‘What are you talking about? Why would they do that?’

  ‘It’s a damn long story but there is something heavy underway on Skull Island and it involves that Chin Chian Qian you told me about.’

  ‘Why would they attack Brenda and kidnap her bodyguard?’

  ‘Another way of stopping the film crew working on the reef near Skull Island. They took the bodyguard by mistake. They thought she was Brenda.’

  ‘What can I do to help?’

  ‘Perhaps have a chat with Akira. He knows all about these people and who is connected to whom. He might have some influence.’

  ‘Why don’t you call him?’

  ‘I’m about to head for Skull Island. I’m going to try and get the bodyguard back. I think they are also holding the husband of the old lady I stopped from being attacked a few nights ago.’

  ‘Why would they be holding him prisoner?’

  ‘He is a submarine communications cable expert and a highly classified cable has been laid somewhere off the coast of that island. I think it’s related to that.’

  ‘It’s messy. And of course you are going to trot right into the middle of it.’

  ‘Someone has to do something. The coppers are sitting on their hands and I think the OIC of the Police Station here is somehow involved.’

  ‘Oh great!’

  ‘I don’t think my mobile phone will work that far out to sea but I’m taking it with me anyway.’

  ‘OK, I’ll talk to Akira.’

  ‘I’ll ring you when I get back.’

  ‘You had better get back.’

  Ben hit the disconnect button and climbed onto the Harley.

  “****”

  Chapter Thirty Five

&nbs
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