by John Muir
CHAPTER 26
CHANGES TO PLANS
Maria Christina Hotel, Iligan - Day 5
Many people were already having their evening meal when the group returned to the hotel. Pater nodded at Nilo, then toward the restaurant. The Filipinos' did not need a second invitation and immediately went in. Henry and Rangi followed Pater to his room.
"Definitely T.A.'s jacket," said Pater. "The same colour and material as the trousers at VIP. From the spattering of blood I guess he's hurt. How badly I don't know. Why the clothes are urine soaked, who knows? But the proof for me is these." He pulled the business cards from his pocket and showed them. “If it had been just one, then it could’ve been Yamada, but any business-man carries several.”
"If he was dead the bladder would empty," suggested Henry.
"Pessimist."
"Sorry."
"Or deeply unconscious," offered Rangi.
"Unconscious is what I'm hoping for Rangi. Or maybe someone lse pissed on him to insult or belittle him."
Pater told Henry and Rangi about his contact with Yamada's company accountant and with Ueda.
"There is no love lost between Seville and Ueda. It seems Seville is aggro about the unofficial financial control Ueda has even though he isn't a director."
"Maybe we should visit this Ueda fella," said Rangi. Maybe he can be persuaded to sort of 'help us with our inquiries'," he went on with a grin.
"Yeah. We'll have to find out where the plantation is. Then Father O'Reilly will..," the phone interrupted. Pater quickly picked it up. All Henry and Rangi heard was a series of 'Yes'.
As soon as he hung up, Pater confirmed it was the reporter, and the kidnapper had phoned. He had done as Pater asked, and although the kidnapper was aggravated he had accepted the delays. Also, the reporter believed that the kidnapper had gone to retrieve the clothing himself.
"We've gotta find out tonight where this Paradise Plantation is. Probably too late to visit it now, but it'll be on for tomorrow. I'll get Nilo and his mates onto that. Then I'd better find some shirt with a collar I can reverse."
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near Linamon - Day 5
Omar Asani had continued to work on his 'special project', only occasionally looking over at the stranger.
One time, when he looked up, he saw the stranger was watching what he was doing.
"So, the sleepy man wakes up."
"What are you making?"
"It’ll be a surprise for my wife, if I can increase my income. Well, more for me really. I try and catch fish to sell in the local markets. I’m trying to increase the amounts I can catch. Anyway, how are you?"
"Not bad. Headaches gone. But I really need to have a pee. And I wouldn't mind the other either."
Omar pointed to a bucket.
"I saw that, but it's out of reach. I can't stand anyway with the chains."
"I'll loosen the wrist chain a bit."
Omar moved closer, keeping a wary eye on the stranger.
"Have you remembered who you are yet?"
"No, but I think I’ve been to Sydney. Something about New Zealand keeps coming into my mind too."
"New Zealand. Good butter. There, I've removed the chain from the wrist manacle. Now it's only your ankles holding you. I'll take the risk. But listen, the man who brought you here is more interested in killing you. So when he returns, we've got to act quickly and put the wrist chain back on quickly."
The stranger nodded his agreement, and reached across to grab the bucket. He was thankful to see it had a lid.
"Any toilet paper?"
Omar pointed his lips toward some old newspaper and nodded his head.
"I'll let you have five minutes to yourself to do what you want to do," then he left the room.
The stranger was thankful for his privacy, but his constipation was not helped by pains in his stomach muscles. He realised that he must have been kicked there too. By the time Omar had returned he had finished and placed the top back on the bucket.
"Feeling better?"
"Yes. Thanks for the privacy. I remembered I was in Cagayan de Oro a couple of days ago."
"More than that," Omar responded. "You've been here five days."
The stranger looked confused. "But I've only just got here from Manila."
Omar stared at the stranger. "Where did you learn your English?"
"At school I suppose. That's silly, from my Mum and Dad I guess. I remember trying to learn French in my first year of High School. I changed courses fairly quickly. I couldn't figure it out."
"Where did you get the money to buy your Nissan Patrol?"
"No, I've got a Honda Prelude. Why did I remember that? It's white."
Siti came through the curtain carrying another plate of fish and rice and the same bent spoon. The stranger looked at her as she gave him the plate.
"I think I saw you in a dream,"
Siti blushed and quickly went back out through the curtains before Omar could notice.
"Are the two girls your daughters?"
"No. All my precious ones are at home with their Mother. These girls are from the loins of the man who would wish you were dead, and might still kill you."
The thought made the stranger shudder despite the muggy heat.
"Why does he hate me?"
"He has many reasons, any of which would be a just cause for any right thinking man."
"What did I do to him?"
"He has taken on board the responsibility to get revenge for all the things your ancestors have done to our family since 1942."
The stranger put his hands to his head and rubbed his fingers into his scalp.
"I don't know what you mean. What the Hell is going on?"
"Your Grandfather murdered nearly all of the generation of his and my Grandfather. The only one to escape the slaughter was our Grandmother with her young children."
"But why would my Grandfather do that?"
"To make sure there were no witnesses to where he had buried the Spanish treasures and other gold he had stolen from many of the people around here before he murdered them."
"No. I mean how. Not even that. I don't think my Grandfather had even heard of the Philippines. It's a long way from New Zealand."
"That is something we have to find out. My cousin thinks you are a Japanese called Ken Yamada."
"Do I look Japanese?"
"I won't show you a mirror."
"I've heard that name before."
"Because it's your name?"
"No. I know it's not, but I've been trying to think, and I can't remember. It'll be in my money pouch."
"For now though, my cousin wants to kill you for what your factory security guards did to his wife when they raided his house to look for equipment stolen from the cannery."
The stranger shook his head in disbelief.
"Your security men tied up his daughters and made them watch while all five or six of them raped their Mother. Salim couldn't go near her or bear to touch her after that. She felt so much shame that she committed suicide a few months later. Salim was also the one to see her hanging from a tree. It was a group of young children that found her hanging. Salim had also been sacked from his job on the same day. You sacked him."
The stranger rubbed his fingers into his eyes and forehead. "I didn't. Oh my God. Those poor kids. I can't believe this is happening."
"You see, I have something worrying me at the moment too. I don't think you are Japanese. But you were in the Japanese Patrol. Why?"
"I don't know."
"Maybe we should talk about something else." With that Omar went back to working on his mystery project. He lit his gas lamp. The sun had begun to set
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Paradise Plantation - Day 5
Ueda had many things on his mind as he walked the kilometre from the site of the clearing work to the nipa hut where Yamada was hiding.
He entered and looked at Yamada. For some reason he could not understand, he did not bow as he had always done in the past.
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"Tired Ueda?"
"Yes Yamada san."
"Just one more job before you go to bed. I will help. We will put the body of this assassin in the spare Patrol and bury him deep in the earth of the cleared area. I will get the shovels, But, first your cup of tea which I have prepared. Sit a while. Then we will get rid of this body. I will cook dinner and you can sleep while I do my search to make us both rich."
Ueda said nothing, but noticed he was bowing deeply in respect. He was suddenly wishing he was not.
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Maria Christina Hotel - Day 5
Nilo had found a location for Paradise Plantations. The problem had been getting any type of map of the area. There was no side road indicated on any of the maps where the plantation was meant to be. But one of Nilo's cousins remembered that a friend had once worked there on road clearing. Pater took Nilo and his cousin to visit the friend, and he marked a line where he thought the side road was. He also told about the storage sheds, side garage and the nearby nipa hut.
Nilo had asked him to accompany Pater the next day. He could not as he would lose his job as a truck driver delivering coca cola to the sari-sari stores.
Pater though was pleased at the information. Plans had started to form in his mind.
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