by John Muir
CHAPTER 21
LOOKING AT THE FORBIDDEN
Cagayan de Oro, Administration Office of Paradise Plantations Corporation - Day 4
Ruben Consuelo, the company Finance Director, had read, and re-read the ransom demand pushed under the office door on Day 1. Since then little seemed to have happened. The kidnappers had contacted the newspapers since the original note. Apart from the fact that Yamada was not contactable, he had no real evidence that the original note was genuine.
Other newspaper offices and even some TV news teams had contacted him, but they seemed to know more than he did.
Ueda, who was apparently at one of the fruit gathering sheds, had contacted him twice on a mobile phone. Even Ueda had been vague about the need for funds, insisting they only be sourced from within the Philippines accounts.
Consuelo knew it was impossible to raise the amount demanded by the kidnappers from the company's Philippines resources. That annoyed Consuelo. For some reason Yamada had given this unqualified bodyguard greater access to company funds than he as Finance Director was given.
With Yamada gone, there was no way that Consuelo was going to allow the Japanese hulk to tell him what to do. Ueda was not even a company director. Consuelo was and was also quite prepared to accept the role as Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in Yamada's absence.
If the board agreed to his appointment he would cancel all of Ueda's rights of access to company funds. To do that he had to have approval from all the board members present at the Special Meeting he had called. In the next seven days he would try and track down where Yamada's foreign investments were held and begin liquidating some investments to pay the ransom.
Ueda seemed to have little interest in saving his boss by paying the ransom. Consuelo would show Yamada who really worked to save him.
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Near Linamon - Day 4
Siti was alone with the Hapona. Having just dried the last of the cold water from his face she was gently making circles in the hairs on his chest. She pulled back quickly. The Hapona had moved his right arm, then, put his hand on his forehead.
She could not make out the words he was mumbling quietly. But then she did not really expect to because this man was Japanese. She only spoke Maranao, the language of Lanao Del Sur Province, Visayan and a little Tagalog. She understood but could not speak Chabacano, the language of West Mindanao. Her uncle had been trying to teach her some English, and she had been making reasonable progress.
She was undecided whether to wake her Father. If she did and the Hapona was not conscious she knew she would receive another slap. It was just that she was worried that the Hapona's arms were free. He might regain consciousness and grab her at any stage. Her Father had some more floor mounted brackets ready to secure the Hapona's arms. But her Father had felt that was not necessary while he was unconscious. The only restriction was the leg manacle and chain. It made it reasonably easy for the girls to roll him over to wash him.
The Hapona opened his eyes several times for a few seconds, but the gaze was that of a person still asleep. Then he would close them again. The swelling around the eyes had reduced, but the black rings around the eyes had darkened.
She jumped again, but not because the Hapona had moved. Her Father had come quietly into the room and stood behind her, then gave her a little tap with his foot to let her know he was there.
"When did he move his hand to his head?"
"A few seconds ago. I was going to get up and tell you. But he hasn't done anything else yet."
"I'd better secure his arms before I go out, just in case he moves some more."
Zahra came into the room to see what was happening. Both the girls watched their Father put manacles around the Hapona's wrists, then, thread the chain through a U-bolt on each manacle.
None too gently he tugged the chain and held it tightly while he fastened the chain through the floor bracket. Attaching a second ankle manacle to the previously unmanacled leg, he secured that to the floor.
"You'll be safe now. Zahra has to go and get some more rice and I am going to find a newspaper."
Zahra looked at Siti as if concerned that Siti would be alone with this monster. Seeing that it would be impossible for the Hapona to move, let alone grab Siti, she relaxed. Her Father pushed her through the curtains and they both left.
Siti looked at the Hapona. He did not look like any monster to her. But if he was recovering she would not have long to do what she had been wanting to do. She was alone now.
She went out through the curtains and looked down the steps to check that the front door was closed. It was. Nobody could quietly open that door. She would hear if anyone arrived.
Running back through the curtains she knelt beside the prostrate figure now bound almost like the figure of Christ on the cross. She had seen those prints of Jesus on the cross in the homes of some of her Christian friends.
Watching the Hapona's eyes, she slipped the front of his underwear down. There was no movement from the Hapona.
His 'thing', as she thought of it, seemed all squashed up. It must have been because of the tightness of the underwear. She went to touch it to 'unsquash' it, then pulled her hand back.
After pausing for a second or two she gently picked the flaccid skin up between her fingers and untangled the hair that was matted around it.
She sat back and admired it now that it was free of matted hair. Then she felt her eyes begin to widen as the 'thing' started to grow in size in front of her eyes. She held it gently in both hands and felt it grow strong and hard in her hands.
The gnawing ache began again in her stomach. She did not know if it was fear because of what she had done, or if it was something else. She knew about sex, that was taught in school and sex had been the subject of much talk among her friends. Most of her friends the same age had already 'done it', especially her Catholic girlfriends. The once she had tried it, it was a disaster. It was over before it had begun.
The problem with the boys was that they talked about what they had done. If her Father ever discovered she had done anything like that, he would probably kill her. He even disapproved of her talking to the Catholic girls at school. He thought they were a bad influence.
But right now, right here, she had something that could not talk and would not be aware of what was going to happen.
She quickly removed her shorts and panties and kept them in her hand in case she heard the door open.
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