THE

WARRAMUNGA’S
AFTERMATH
OF WAR
by

GREG KATER
 THE WARRAMUNGA’S AFTERMATH OF WAR
Copyright © GREG KATER 2018

First published by Zeus Publications 2018

http://www.zeus-publications.com
P.O. Box 2554
Burleigh M.D.C.
QLD 4220
Australia.

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photocopying or by any

electronic or mechanical means, including information storage or retrieval
systems, without permission in writing from both the copyright owner and the
publisher of this book.

This book is a work of fiction.

The author asserts his moral rights.

ISBN: 978-0-6482780-1-6

Photograph on front cover: From Life Magazine 1945; J. Sewell collection.

© Cover Design—Zeus Publications 2018
 Dedication
This book is dedicated to
Elizabeth, Henry, Katrina and Emily with love.
 Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Marilyn Higgins, Clive Dalkins and all the
people at Zeus Publications for their friendly, helpful and
competent work resulting in the publication of this book. I would
also like to thank Gail Tagarro for her excellent structural editing
and Julie Winzar for her fine editing and formatting.

I am also grateful to my family for their support.

 CHAPTER 1

In 1945, the wet in the Top End started in November and increased in
intensity, producing its heaviest rain and strongest winds by
Christmas.
Jamie Munro hung onto a stanchion on the port side as the harbour
pilot’s cutter crashed through the choppy white caps just off Wagait
Beach on the north coast of the Cox Peninsula, five miles west of
Darwin. Although it was early afternoon, the low swirling dark
clouds created an impression of nightfall occasionally pierced by
distant lightning. With his eyes slitted against the heavy rain, the sea
spray whipped up by the wind, and the vessel lurching and pitching in
the wild seas, Jamie had difficulty seeing ahead. Every now and again
he caught a brief flash from the beam of the Point Charles Lighthouse
about eight miles ahead.
He glanced across at his friend and colleague, Jack ‘Jacko’
O’Brien, who was clinging to a metal bar on the starboard side and
peering forward with screwed-up eyes. Like him, Jacko was wearing
a life jacket and had given up any effort to keep dry. The skipper of
the cutter, Jason ‘Jazz’ Nicholls, was keeping the vessel well out from
the shore to avoid the shoals that stretched out from the shoreline
between them and Point Charles where they were headed.
Jamie and Jacko headed the Darwin office of the Commonwealth
Investigation Service (CIS). This organisation was responsible for
intelligence and counter-espionage as well as for more traditional
investigations of criminal activities throughout northern Australia and
the surrounding regions. They had met on the battlefield during the
World War II Syrian campaign, having both been involved in
counter-espionage activities with MI6 during the desert war in North
Africa and later with intelligence units during the Pacific war. At the
end of the war they had established the Darwin office of the CIS with
direct contacts to MI6, OSS and Interpol, and they had already been
responsible for the apprehension of a gang of murderous criminals
operating in the Northern Territory and the Kimberley region of
Western Australia. The success of the operation had been largely due
to the tracking skills of Jacko and his half-sister, Sarah, who was a

1
Warramunga Aborigine from Tennant Creek in the central Northern
Territory.
As the sea spray lashed his face, Jamie reflected that his first
Christmas in Darwin had become much more eventful than he had
bargained for. He and Jacko had joined a crowd of local and naval
people for a Christmas lunch at the fine old Hotel Darwin, a colonial-
style building which had been damaged at one end by Japanese
bombing during the war. The wet season had set in with a vengeance
and Jamie had been looking forward to a relatively uneventful day
with a hot lunch in the Green Room at the hotel, where he and Jacko
also lived and had their headquarters.
Halfway through a succulent roast turkey course, the Christmas
lunch had been interrupted. One of the radio operators of VID
Darwin, part of the communications network covering the movements
of small shipping off the north coast, rushed into the Green Room and
informed the Darwin Harbour Master, Commander Eric Downy, that
a vessel was in distress in heavy seas just to the north of Point
Charles. Also dining at Commander Downy’s table was Jazz
Nicholls, the Darwin Harbour pilot, and the men immediately decided
that the pilot’s cutter would be the most suitable vessel to investigate.
When Jazz called for volunteers, Jamie and Jacko amongst others had
put up their hands. Now, as the little cutter crashed along the northern
coastline of the Cox Peninsula, Jamie was not so sure that his
stomach would be equal to the task, but he was clear that he wouldn’t
volunteer so quickly in the future.
After another hour that seemed like an eternity, the cutter was
directly abeam of the Point Charles Lighthouse to the south and all on
board searched through squinted eyes, pelted by the spray and rain,
for any sign of another vessel. Suddenly the seas around them were
briefly lit by a nearby bolt of lightning followed by a loud clap of
thunder which almost drowned the cry of ‘Ahoy!’ from the foredeck
where one of the crew was pointing towards the northwest. As the
cutter turned away from the distant shore, Jamie could make out the
shape of a boat pitching and rocking in the rough seas. They drew
closer and it was apparent that the other boat was not moving under
its own power. With the skill of a sailor familiar with these seas, Jazz
edged the cutter slowly alongside the unstable boat, which looked like

2
a fishing vessel about 65 feet long. Carefully judging the rock and
pitch of both vessels, the for’ard hand leapt aboard the stricken vessel
holding a rope and quickly secured it to the bow of the boat. Another
crew member secured the other end of the rope to a cleat on the stern
of the cutter, which then turned to the south and started towing the
other boat towards the pier at the north end of Charles Point.
Jamie was thinking about the daring of the for’ard hand when he
thought he saw something floating on the water just ahead of their
port side. He pointed at it, yelling above the sea noise to Jazz, who
slowed the cutter. As they came alongside the object, it appeared to
be a small human body. They hauled the body into the cutter using a
gaff and saw that it was indeed the body of a small boy with Asian
features, probably about nine or ten years old. One of the men tried to
give the child artificial respiration but he had been dead for some
time. Revving up the engine of the cutter, Jazz continued to steer it
towards the jetty which came into view through the rain with the red
and white lighthouse on the hill behind it.
About 500 yards off the Charles Point jetty, Jazz shouted above
the noise of the sea and rain to Jamie, Jacko and the rest of the crew
that the seas were too rough. There was more than 20 feet between
high and low tide at that time of year, and to attempt to land there
would be too dangerous. The cutter turned away to the east and set off
towards Darwin Harbour towing the other boat, bobbing around like a
large cork.
In the late afternoon, with the sky becoming increasingly darker,
the cutter finally tied up at the main wharf inside Darwin Harbour
where the protected waters were relatively smooth. As soon as they
landed, Jamie and the others stepped ashore and inspected the fishing
boat. They were greeted by the cutter’s for’ard hand who had leapt
aboard earlier.
‘There are two adult Asian crew members and a whole pile of junk
aboard,’ he told them. ‘I don’t know where they came from. They
look like Malays but they don’t seem to speak any English.’
‘Do they know anything about the young child we found floating
in the sea?’ asked Jamie.
‘A young child? Dunno, mate,’ said the crew member. ‘You’d
better ask them yourself if you can work out their language. I haven’t

3
understood anything they’ve said. You might have better luck with
them. I’m bloody wet and I’m goin’ home.’
He stepped ashore and helped pull the two Asian men out of the
boat. Dressed in old shirts and shorts with no shoes, they looked a
soggy forlorn couple standing on the wharf staring at the Australians.
The problem over what to do with them was solved when Harbour
Master Eric Downy appeared and said he would take them to his
office, give them some dry clothes and hot cocoa, and call the police
to help investigate where the vessel had come from and where it was
bound.
After he had led the two men off, Jamie jumped aboard the
rescued boat to check for clues to the boat’s intended course. The
boat shuddered slightly as Jacko jumped in beside him and looked
around.
‘Looks like a bit of a mess, Cap,’ he said. Jacko had always
referred to all officers as ‘Cap’ during the war and he continued to
bestow this title on his colleague, Jamie, reflecting his previous army
rank.
‘Yeah, bloody mess all right,’ said Jamie. ‘Clothes, bedding, cans
of food and drink spread higgledy-piggledy all over the place. It’s a
mystery to me that such a large fishing boat is swanning around in the
Timor Sea with only two crew members and not much fishing gear.
What were they doing?’
‘Yeah, well, it’s worth a closer look,’ said Jacko.
He started sorting through some of the clothing lying around and
caught Jamie’s attention as he held up some very small shirts and two
small pairs of pants.
‘These must belong to that poor drowned kid we found,’ he said.
‘Although I find that very strange, Cap.’
‘How so?’
‘Well, Cap, the dead child seems to have had a hell of a lot more
clothes than the crewmen,’ said Jacko. ‘Something weird here, I
reckon.’
‘You’re right. I think we’d better search a bit more,’ said Jamie.
‘What’s that noise?’
From the bow of the boat, they could just make out a faint cry like
a cat mewing. Moving some lifebelts and boat fenders, they saw a

4
large pair of brown eyes staring out at them. The eyes belonged to a
small boy who was shaking with fear and staring at the strange men
with nervous confusion.
‘Don’t be afraid. You’re safe with us,’ said Jamie soothingly.
‘What’s your name, young fellow?’
They pulled the little boy out from the bow and helped him to his
feet. Looking apprehensively at them he cried out in a high-pitched
voice, ‘Kuya! Kuya ko?’
‘I have no idea what language that is,’ said Jacko. ‘Sounded like a
question.’
Jamie addressed the child. ‘Do you speak English?’
‘Engliss?’ the child cried. ‘Nasaan ang aking kapatid?’
‘No idea what that is. We’d better get him out of this wet boat,
take him to the hotel and dry him off,’ said Jamie. ‘Grab some of
those children’s clothes and we’ll try to dry them for later. He’s
obviously frightened of something but he might feel better with a bit
of food in him.’
‘Yeah, Cap, I reckon,’ said Jacko. ‘We’d better get the police to go
over this boat carefully. There’s something really weird here.’
‘Yeah, fair dinkum.’
The child seemed to be willing to go with them and, after a short
ride in the jeep to the Hotel Darwin, the child was bathed and
wrapped in dry towels. Jamie ordered some chicken and chips, which
the boy consumed as though he hadn’t eaten in days, all the time
between mouthfuls asking, ‘Kuya?’
After he had finished eating, Jacko sat down opposite him and
counted on his fingers, ‘One, two three, four, five.’ The child stared at
him.
Jacko then counted again, but in French: ‘Un, deux, trois, quatre,
cinq.’
The child showed some understanding and then, counting on his
fingers, said, ‘Hindi! No, no. Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco.’
‘Aha, you speak some Spanish. Español?’ asked Jacko.
‘Pequeña cantidad,’ was the answer.
‘He speaks Spanish but only a little,’ Jacko told Jamie. ‘That
might be a clue as to where he’s from.’

5
 ‘Can’t be Malaya or the Dutch East Indies then,’ said Jamie. ‘It
could be the Philippines.’
The child suddenly smiled, sat up and nodded, saying, ‘O-o, ako
ay mula sa Filipinas.’
‘Tu nombre?’ asked Jacko in Spanish.
‘Manuel Fernandez,’ said the little boy proudly but then with a
look of despair asked, ‘Kuya? Dónde está mi hermano?’
‘Hermano is brother,’ said Jacko, ‘I think he’s asking where his
brother is.’
‘Yeah, this doesn’t sound good,’ said Jamie. ‘I’ll call Police
Superintendent Fitzgibbon this evening and ask him if there are any
Filipinos in Darwin who can translate for us and we’ll get this young
fellow off to bed for the night.’
‘Yeah, good idea, Cap.’
‘By the way, where did you learn to speak Spanish, Jacko?’ asked
Jamie.
‘We were taught some Spanish at that boarding school in Charters
Towers, but I’ve forgotten most of it,’ said Jacko. ‘I could never
actually speak it. Just some words.’
Jamie then turned to the child and said, ‘Buenas noches, Manuel!’
With a nervous smile the boy replied, ‘Buenas noches.’
‘Where did you learn Spanish, Cap?’ asked Jacko.
‘My only words, Jacko!’ replied Jamie. ‘You can put the young
fellow to bed in the spare room and I’ll go and make that telephone
call.’
‘Okay, Cap. Vamos, Manuel.’
At the temporary desk set up next to the bomb-damaged part of the
Hotel Darwin, Jamie asked to use the telephone and dialled the police
station. Luckily, Superintendent Russell ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgibbon was still
at the police station and was keen to talk to Jamie.
‘Commander Downey dropped those two fellas from the boat here
and they’ll be bedding down in the lockup here tonight,’ said Fitzy.
‘A couple of my constables are collecting all the gear off the boat and
we’ve also sent to the coroner for examination the body of the child
who was scooped out of the sea.’
‘That’s good, Fitzy. Hang on to those two men from the boat
because I think there’s more to this than meets the eye,’ said Jamie.

6
‘We also found another young child hiding in the bow of that boat
and we think he might be Filipino. Do you know if there are any
Filipinos in Darwin who could translate for us?’
‘Wow! This gets interesting. I think Jazz, the harbour pilot, is
married to a Filipina lady,’ said Fitzy. ‘I’ll try to get on to him and
arrange something for tomorrow if she is indeed from the
Philippines.’
‘That’d be great, Fitzy. The young lad’s tucked up in bed for the
night and perhaps we can find out what’s going on tomorrow.’
‘Yes, good plan, Jamie. See ya tomorrow, mate.’
‘Yeah. Buenas noches.’
‘What?’
‘Never mind.’

7
 CHAPTER 2

As dawn broke on the morning of Boxing Day, the stormy wind had
moderated to a strong breeze, the grey cloud cover had lifted a little
and the rain had changed to short periods of drizzle. In the tropical
warmth inside the hotel, some of the children’s clothes were already
dry. After selecting a top and pants that fitted Manuel, Jamie and
Jacko took him downstairs to the dining room where he
enthusiastically consumed an omelette with bacon, and a banana.
Conversation was limited to a few stilted Spanish words such as
‘Buenos dias’, ‘Cómo estás?’ and ‘Muy bien gracias’. After that,
silence prevailed. Manuel no longer asked for his brother or about
anything else and the men decided to wait for word from Fitzy before
pursuing further inquiries.
Fitzy finally appeared in their office mid-morning with the news
that Jazz’s wife, Lucille, was indeed a Filipina. However, her birth
language was a Visayan dialect from the central islands and she was
not sure she would be able to fully understand the boy if he was from
the main island of Luzon. She did, however, know another Filipina
from Manila, a secretary with one of the pearling operators based in
Darwin, who could speak most dialects as well as good English. Her
name was Encarnacion Hidalgo, usually known as Carna. As the
pearling fleets were relatively inactive during the wet season, she had
quite a bit of free time. Fitzy had arranged for Carna to come over to
the Hotel Darwin at lunch time. She would be available for the
remainder of the afternoon.
‘That’s great, Fitzy,’ said Jamie. ‘We’d better shout you some
lunch later in the day if you can spare the time. How did your
constables get on inspecting that fishing boat?’
‘I’ve got a list here of all the things which were on board and I
must say, it’s a bit weird. There were many tins of meat, vegetables,
fruit and fish bait, which you might expect. There were also ship
instruments such as a compass, a barometer and so forth as well as a
small ship-to-shore radio, which they used for their SOS signal.
Safety jackets, lifebelts, fenders, etcetera, etcetera. The weirdness
starts with the amount of fishing tackle, which is far too little for a

8
commercial fishing vessel. Then the clothes! There were six pairs of
pants and five shirts for adults and eight pairs of pants and eleven
shirts for children, a bit too much for the two crewmen and the two
children we know about. Apart from all that there was a small
waterproof bag with nearly $1,000 US, several drums of diesel fuel,
kerosene for their hurricane lamps and other odds and ends. No
weapons, although we did find a spent cartridge from an 8mm pistol
in the bilge.’
‘An 8mm pistol? What sort of pistol is that?’ asked Jacko.
‘Probably a Japanese Nambu pistol,’ replied Fitzy. ‘There were
quite a lot of those left around after the war, particularly in the
Philippines.’
‘So, only the cartridge. Not the gun?’ said Jamie.
‘That’s right. No weapons at all,’ said Fitzy. ‘That’s also curious
in itself because fishing boats are sometimes attacked by pirates,
particularly north of Timor.’
‘Why was the boat in distress?’ asked Jacko.
‘It seems some sea or rain water had got into the engine fuel and it
would have seized because of that,’ replied Fitzy. ‘At this stage, we
can’t be sure where they were heading.’
‘Well, perhaps we’ll know more when Miss Hidalgo gets here and
can talk to the boy,’ said Jamie. ‘Thanks for all that, Fitzy. If you
want to stay around we’ll brew up a cup of tea and wait for the multi-
lingual Carna.’
‘I’m going to stay around if that’s okay,’ said Fitzy. ‘I’m bursting
with curiosity over this one. Where’s the young lad now?’
‘He’s in his room,’ said Jacko. ‘I gave him some magazines and he
was fascinated with the pictures. Last time I looked in he’d fallen
asleep again.’
‘After what he’s been through it’s not surprising he needs the
sleep, I reckon,’ said Fitzy.

****

Just after noon, Jamie, Jacko, Fitzy and Manuel were shown to a table
in the hotel dining room and handed menus. Not long after, an
attractive young woman with long straight black hair, dark eyes and a

9
gentle smile approached them and, as the three men stood, announced
herself as Carna Hidalgo. They introduced themselves and seated her
next to the child.
‘This is Manuel,’ said Jamie. ‘We found him on a fishing boat in
distress in heavy seas not far from Darwin. We haven’t been able to
communicate with him. We think he must be from the Philippines.’
Carna looked at Manuel and said, ‘Magandang tanghali, Manuel.’
He replied in a low voice, ‘Magandang Tanghali po.’
‘Saan ka nanggaling?’ she asked.
‘Parañaque po,’ he replied, ‘nag aalala ako ng aking kapatid.’
Addressing the men, she said, ‘He comes from a district just south
of Manila and he says he is worried about his brother.’
‘Yes, he mentioned his brother earlier,’ said Jacko, ‘in Spanish.’
With an elegant wave of her hand, Carna told them, ‘Manuel is
very nervous. I think it would be best if we have lunch first,
gentlemen, and then after, perhaps I can have a quiet talk to him
where we won’t be disturbed. We need to gain his trust.’
‘That would be wonderful, Carna, if you can spare the time,’ said
Jamie. ‘We just need to know what happened on that boat and what
they were doing there.’
‘I’ll see what I can do. He seems to be a bright but very nervous
young boy,’ she said, then turning to Manuel with a smile she said,
‘Kami ay nagsikain at.’
At this, the young child smiled back and looked expectantly at
Jamie.
‘I told him that we shall eat now,’ said Carna.
They ordered a meal comprised mainly of roast chicken and sweet
desserts. As previously, Manuel showed no sign of loss of appetite,
all the while staring at Carna with his large dark eyes. After lunch
they all went upstairs to the CIS rooms and Jamie showed Carna and
Manuel into their office space, leaving them alone seated at a table
with a jug of water and glasses.
The others went back downstairs and settled themselves on the
iconic verandah of the hotel overlooking the Esplanade and the waters
of Darwin Harbour, which were dull grey with scattered whitecaps
under the grey leaden clouds. It was not possible to see the Cox

10
Peninsula to the west through the mist and squalls except for an
occasional flash from the distant lighthouse on Point Charles.
‘Well, I can hardly wait for the report from our beautiful
translator,’ said Jamie. ‘To pass the time I suggest we have a drink.’
The others agreed it was an excellent idea and Jacko ordered some
beers to be served on the verandah. The conversation turned to the
first time they had met Fitzy a couple of months previously.
‘What’s happening with those murderous kidnappers we brought
in a couple of months ago?’ asked Jamie.
‘Ah, they’re still enjoying the hospitality of Fanny Bay gaol. The
two leaders, your friend Matt MacAulay and the German spy, Karl,
are in solitary,’ said Fitzy. ‘We’ll be ready to bring them before the
court in a few weeks. The Yanks are sending someone out from the
US shortly to interrogate Karl.’
‘Matt MacAulay’s definitely not my friend, Fitzy,’ protested
Jacko.
‘What? You don’t like the lad, eh?’ said Fitzy with a wide grin.
‘Not bloody likely,’ said Jacko. ‘I hope I don’t have to go to hell
when I die. I might run into the murderous bastard.’
For the next hour they reminisced about how they had managed to
round up the gang led by Matt MacAulay in the King Leopold
Ranges and bring them back to Darwin. Around mid-afternoon Jacko
noticed Carna approaching from the bottom of the staircase
accompanied by Manuel. Everyone stood and brought some extra
chairs to their table.
‘I have promised him some ice cream,’ said Carna. ‘Is it possible
to get some here?’
‘I’ll rustle up some from the kitchen,’ said Jacko, jumping up and
walking quickly towards the other side of the Green Room. He was
back in a short time and told her it was on the way.
‘Well, young Manny here has told me quite a story,’ she said.
‘He’s a brave little lad. He’s had a terrible time over the past few days
and he didn’t even know it was Christmas yesterday.’
‘We’re all eager to know what happened,’ said Jamie. ‘Would you
like a drink of some type? Tea or coffee?’
‘No thanks. It seems that there were at least a dozen young
children on that boat, including Manny’s elder brother, all around

11
eight to eleven years old,’ she said. ‘They were picked up mainly in
and around Manila and told they were going to be taken to a
wonderful place. There are a lot of young homeless children around
Manila who were displaced or orphaned during the Japanese
occupation.’
She stopped briefly when a dish of ice cream was placed in front
of the young child, who tucked into it enthusiastically.
‘There were also at least four adults crewing the boat,’ she
continued. ‘As far as I can interpret from what Manny has told me, it
seems that when the engine of the boat conked out the men spent a
day or so trying to fix it, but they weren’t able to. Manny heard them
talking on the radio very excitedly and then they started to argue and
even fight. Manny himself decided to crawl up to the bow of the boat
to get some sleep but then he was woken again by loud arguing and
he saw the men pick up some of the young children and throw them
over the side of the boat.’
‘Oh, my God,’ said Fitzy. ‘They chucked them overboard?’
‘Yes, that’s what my young friend here saw,’ she said. ‘Manny
quickly pulled some lifebelts and fenders over himself to hide and he
didn’t see any more. He said he did hear some gunshots.’
‘Gunshots! Was he sure about that?’ asked Jamie.
‘Yes. If you’d lived in Manila during the war, you’d know what
gunshots sound like,’ she replied. ‘I believe him. This poor little bata
– that means “child” – stayed hidden in terror for a long time. The
first people he saw after that were a couple of white men looking at
him.’
‘Two white men,’ repeated Jacko grinning.
‘His description, not mine,’ she countered, also grinning. ‘I told
him that you were nice people and he could trust you.’
‘The boat must be part of an organisation kidnapping young kids,’
said Jamie.
‘That would be my guess,’ she said.
‘To what purpose?’ Fitzy speculated.
‘Some sort of slavery, I would think,’ said Jamie. ‘Where would
they be going? Why come into Australian waters?’

12
 ‘The callous bastards!’ said Jacko. ‘The crewmen must have
thrown the children off the boat so they wouldn’t be found when they
were rescued.’
‘Bloody hell!’ said Fitzy. ‘What about the gunshots?’
‘Some of the crewmen must have objected to throwing the kids
overboard and the others shot them,’ said Jacko. ‘That could explain
why there are only two left.’
‘If the weather’s better tomorrow, we’ll get the police boat out and
maybe Jazz’s cutter as well. We’ll see if we can find any more bodies
and anything else that’s likely to be washed ashore along the
coastline,’ said Fitzy. ‘This could be one of the worst cases of
homicide I’ve ever come across.’
‘Yeah, you’d better keep those two fellas under lock and key,’ said
Jacko.
‘No worries about that, mate,’ said Fitzy.
‘Carna, I really want to thank you,’ said Jamie. ‘We could never
have understood what was going on without you.’
‘You’re welcome, sir,’ she said.
‘Er, please call me … er … Jamie. Is there anything we can do for
you? Do you need a lift?’
‘No, I only live a short distance from here, thank you … er …
Jamie,’ she said with a mischievous grin.
After she left, Jacko looked at Jamie and said with a wide smile,
‘Thank you … er … Jamie! That’s your new name?’
‘That’ll be enough of that, White Man,’ said Jamie, laughing.
‘I think that lovely young Filipina lady had her eye on you, Cap,’
Jacko continued teasing. ‘Perhaps you should ask her out.’
‘Yes, and find out she’s got a husband who’s a champion boxer or
something like that,’ said Jamie.
‘Well, I think I’ll leave you blokes to it. I’d better be getting back
to the station,’ said Fitzy. ‘I’ll certainly keep those two sailors locked
up until we know more. Bye, fellas.’
‘Adiós, Fitzy.’
The well-educated Jacko, whose father was white and whose
mother was a Warramunga Aborigine from the centre of the Northern
Territory, was amused to be classified as white. With his brown skin,
he had sometimes been mistaken for Indian or Asian and had often

13
been able to pass himself off as an Egyptian during their intelligence
work in Cairo throughout the desert war. During that period, he had
met and fallen in love with a beautiful young girl, Monique Rousseau.
Her wealthy father was French and her mother Syriac. Although they
hadn’t seen each other for two and a half years during the Pacific war,
they had corresponded with hundreds of letters and, Jamie observed,
the love between them still ran hot. Monique’s parents had recently
decided to immigrate to Australia and Jacko was walking on air in
anticipation. Jamie was usually shy in the presence of young ladies
and he thought that by the ripe old age of nearly twenty-eight,
romance had passed him by.
‘I think I’d better call Dan Morrow, the local representative of the
US Office of Strategic Services, and tell him what’s going on,’ Jamie
said to Jacko. ‘After all, the Philippines is still an American outpost
and if there’s some child-smuggling racket based there, he might
know about it.’
‘Yeah, if OSS doesn’t we can certainly bring them up to speed,’
said Jacko. ‘Are you going to bring MI6 in on this too, Cap?’
‘Definitely. But I’ll see what Dan has to say first,’ Jamie replied.
Later that afternoon, Jamie caught Dan Morrow in his house at
Parap and explained the situation. Dan told him that he would check
with the OSS operative based in Manila and let him know.
Taking into account the time difference between Darwin and
London, Jamie radioed the MI6 office at 5.30pm. He was
immediately passed through to his former colleague in Cairo, Major
Johnny Cook.
‘MI6 is aware of a ring of child smugglers operating out of Manila
and Kuala Lumpur since the end of the Pacific war,’ he told Jamie,
‘taking advantage of the chaos after the defeat of the Japanese. We
also believe the smuggling is not for adoption but more likely for the
corrupt benefit of wealthy paederasts in the USA, Australia and New
Zealand, who we believe are financing the project. Yours may be the
first direct contact with some of the maritime operations of the
group,’ Johnny said. ‘What was the name of the boat?’
‘I wrote it down,’ said Jamie. ‘Here it is, Leon Dagat.’
‘That may be a good starting point. It’s got to be registered
somewhere in the Philippines,’ said Johnny. ‘OSS may have more

14
information in Manila. I think you and your friend Jacko had better
make plans to go to Manila. How is Jacko? Still in love with that
beautiful girl?’
‘Yep, still smitten, as a thousand letters will testify,’ said Jamie.
‘When should we take off to Manila?’
‘I’ll talk to the OSS people and coordinate it with them,’ said
Johnny. ‘I’ll get back to you in the next day or so. Ciao!’
‘Yeah, talk to you later,’ said Jamie. ‘Over and out.’

15
 CHAPTER 3

On 28 December 1945, Fitzy contacted Jamie to give him the

gruesome news that the police launch and the pilot’s cutter working
together had recovered the bodies of eleven children and two adults
washed ashore along various parts of the hazardous north coast of the
Cox Peninsula. All the bodies were of South-East Asian appearance
but other than that, there was no way of identifying them.
Fitzy also told him that, using Carna Hidalgo as interpreter, he had
charged the two crewmen with multiple murder, at which they had
protested in English that they were following orders. Jamie replied he
would need to interrogate those two in due course, probably with
Carna present in case they had forgotten again how to speak English.
The following day, the Darwin CIS group’s radio operator, Garry
‘Sparky’ Speck, found Jamie Munro and Jacko O’Brien in the early
evening seated in their favourite location on the verandah of the Hotel
Darwin. They were sipping cold beers and looking out at Darwin
Harbour, which was still experiencing occasional squalls under
leaden skies. Birds chorused loudly in the trees along the Esplanade,
as they usually did in this part of Darwin close to nightfall. Manuel,
who had by now picked up a few words of English, was happily
tucking into a plate of ice cream while he worked on a colouring book
using pastels that Jamie had bought him.
‘Sir, Major Cook has called from London and would like you to
contact him as soon as possible,’ said Sparky. ‘He says it’s urgent.’
‘Thanks, Sparky. Would you babysit this young fellow for us?’
asked Jamie. ‘Johnny’ll probably want Jacko there as well.’
‘Okay, boss, no probs.’
‘No probs,’ repeated Manuel.
Taking up the radio contact with Johnny Cook at MI6, Jamie
informed him about the discovery of the children’s bodies and the
two crewmen who were in custody.
‘Very interesting,’ said Johnny. ‘Capturing the two crew members
of that boat might be a breakthrough in getting to the bottom of this
paederast syndicate, if you can get anything out of them. We believe

16
the ringleaders could be Westerners living as expats in Manila and
possibly Cebu in the south. You’ve been to the Philippines, haven’t
you?’
‘Yes, but that was only for a short time after the battle of Manila,’
said Jamie. ‘Jacko and I were there only in May and June this year
assisting with Allied intelligence. General Yamashita and his troops
were still up in the mountain provinces at the time. We didn’t see
much of Manila. We spent most of our time oscillating between the
partly-destroyed Manila Hotel where we were staying, the American
High Commission on Dewey Boulevard and the Army Navy Club. I
do remember meeting some of the American prisoners just released
from Santo Tomas. All skin and bone. We didn’t get to meet many
Filipinos, mainly Americans, so I can’t say I’m very familiar with the
Philippines.’
‘Well, I think you will become more familiar soon,’ said Johnny.
‘I’ve talked to the chief of OSS in Manila, as well as Interpol. We
would like you to go to Manila sometime in the New Year to see
what you can find out.’
‘Okay, we’ll be in that,’ said Jamie. ‘How soon do you want us to
go?’
‘As soon as you’ve pumped as much information as you can get
out of those poor sorry murdering swine you’ve got in Darwin,’ said
Johnny. ‘They must know something or someone. Someone had to
give them the orders. From that, you might be able to work your way
upwards to those in charge.’
‘Okay, we’ll get on it and see what we can find out from the
crewmen,’ said Jamie. ‘What’s the best way to get to Manila?’
‘The OSS have instructed their man in Darwin, Dan Morrow, to
make space available for you on a Douglas DC3 leaving Darwin for
Manila in the first week of the New Year,’ said Johnny. ‘It’ll be a
fairly hoppy flight, refuelling in Dili and Jesselton on the way, but
with an early start you can make it to Manila by late afternoon the
same day. Just let Morrow know when you’ve squeezed enough
information out of your captives, and he’ll organise the take-off time.’
‘Roger that. Who should we contact when we get there?’ asked
Jamie.

17
 ‘The OSS intelligence chief, Harry Williams Junior, will meet you
at the airport,’ replied Johnny. ‘You’ll probably stay at the Manila
Hotel again, but I’m not sure. Your cover is that you are former
veterans revisiting the Philippines after the war and looking at war
damage on behalf of your government. The ringleaders of the people-
smuggling operation could well be luminaries of the establishment
with connections to those in power, so you’ll have to play it carefully.
I think if anyone can catch the baddies behind this, you fellows can.’
‘Thanks for your confidence, Johnny. It’s evening here in Darwin
so we’ll put those crewmen through their paces tomorrow morning.
I’m sure Jacko has a few of his interrogating tricks up his sleeve,’
Jamie said, winking at Jacko.
‘Okay, chaps. Call me if you need anything from here,’ said
Johnny. ‘Take care. Over and out.’
‘Till next time, over and out.’
‘Well, looks like we’re off to the Philippines again, Cap,’ said
Jacko. ‘I’ll write to Monique tonight to tell her where we’re going. I
suppose it’s all right to tell her we’ll stay at the Manila Hotel, no?’
‘No problem, Jacko,’ said Jamie. ‘Nothing secret about that. It’ll
be part of our cover as old touring veterans. Give her my best
regards.’
‘For sure, Cap.’
‘I’ll try to get hold of Carna tonight and see if she can come with
us tomorrow morning to have a chat with the cutthroat sailors,’ said
Jamie. ‘I hope she doesn’t mind working for us on a Sunday.’
‘You can make it up to her by asking her to the New Year’s Eve
do on Monday night at the hotel, Cap,’ suggested Jacko with a grin.
‘Not gonna happen, Jacko,’ said Jamie. ‘Don’t think she’d want to
go there with me, anyway.’
As it turned out, Carna Hidalgo was quite happy to interpret for
them on Sunday morning. She was intrigued by the situation,
especially as it involved the murder of at least a dozen young Filipino
children. She joined them for breakfast at the hotel and from there
they strolled the short distance to the new police headquarters around
the corner in Knuckey Street where the two men were still
incarcerated. Fitzy greeted them and took them to an interview room.
He had one of the captives brought in. The man stared at them in

18
sullen silence and wouldn’t even answer when asked his name in both
Tagalog and English.
After half an hour, Jacko took over and told the crewman that if he
didn’t answer their questions this morning, he would be taken out to
sea twenty miles north of Darwin and thrown overboard, and that he
should think about that. The captive was then shown back to his cell
and the other man was brought in.
By pre-arrangement, Jacko opened the interrogation with the
second captive.
‘Well, it seems that you’re the one guilty of murder,’ he said in
English. ‘Your crewmate told us that you alone threw twelve children
overboard and killed the rest of the crew.’
The man’s eyes opened wide with shock and he shook his head
vigorously. At a sign from Jacko, Carna repeated in Filipino what
Jacko had said. The man kept shaking his head.
‘It’s no good shaking your head,’ said Jacko. ‘Your shipmate is a
witness to your murders and he is willing to testify to that.’
‘No, no, hindi, hindi,’ he said with pleading eyes to Carna. ‘Not
only me. Him more than me. Him more than me, ma’am.’
‘You mean he forced you to do it?’ asked Carna in English.
‘O-o, o-o. He force me or I shot, ma’am,’ he implored tearfully.
‘What is your name?’ she said.
‘Rodrigo,’ he answered in a low voice.
‘Where are you from?’ she asked.
‘Batangas.’
‘Are you a fisherman?’
‘O-o, I am fisherman.
‘Where do you fish?’
‘Verde Isla pasahe.’
‘Where were you taking those children?’ she asked.
‘Bathurst Pulo.’
‘Who told you to go there?’
‘I don’t know, ma’am. Ignacio is the only one who knows. We
paid maraming pesos to sail with boat.’
‘Ignacio is the name of the one who is accusing you of murder?’
she asked.

19
 ‘O-o, o-o. Ignacio makes me help him killing or he shoot me,’ he
cried.
‘So, you say you are not the only one committing murder?’ she
said.
‘Not me, ma’am. Ignacio shoot other men who won’t throw mga
bata over side of boat,’ he pleaded. ‘He shoot other men. He shoot me
too if not help.’
‘How long did your boat have no engine?’
‘Two days, ma’am, dalawang araw na,’ he said. ‘Then we see
going towards rocky shore in storm and call for help. Then killing
start.’
‘Do you know what part of Bathurst Island you were going to?’
‘Hindi, ma’am, no.’
‘Thank you, Rodrigo, salamat. We don’t think you were the boss
of this terrible crime,’ she said soothingly. ‘It might not be so bad for
you if you always tell the truth, no?’
‘O-o, ma’am.’
‘Do you have some more questions?’ she asked Jamie.
‘No, I think we’ll let Rodrigo have some rest. We might want to
talk to him again later on,’ said Jamie.
After he had been led back to his cell, Jamie looked at Carna with
admiration.
‘You were amazing, Carna,’ he said. ‘He really trusts you.’
‘And I was able to question him just in English, no?’
‘Yes, I don’t know how we could do without you,’ said Jamie.
‘Except for Jacko’s opening line we didn’t have to say a thing. We
should bring the other one back now and have a second go. Jacko can
start along the same line. If we can get him to talk, we might find out
where he gets his orders from. What do you think, Carna?’
‘Yes, now that we know his name we might be able to convince
him we already know much more than that,’ she agreed.
‘Tell me, what is this “o-o”?’ asked Jacko.
‘That just means “yes”, and “pulo” means “island”, so they were
trying to get to Bathurst Island north of here,’ she explained.
‘Yes, that would just be a stage in their voyage,’ said Jamie. ‘Well,
we’ll get the other fellow brought here now.’

20
 ‘I don’t think he’ll open up yet,’ said Jacko. ‘I suggest we make
him sweat a bit more when we bring him in.’
‘Okay, we’ll leave it up to you, Jacko,’ agreed Jamie.
When the first crewman was seated again in the interview room,
he again sat staring at them in sullen silence. Jacko spoke to him first.
‘Well, Ignacio, we know all about your little scheme to take the
kidnapped children to Bathurst Island and how you shot the other
crewmen and drowned at least twelve children,’ he said in a
threatening voice. ‘So, we’ve decided to see how well you can swim
this morning when we drop you out in the ocean.’
Ignacio looked at him with a wooden expression and said, ‘Can’t
swim.’
‘That’s okay,’ said Jacko. ‘You’ll soon learn when you realise that
you have to swim twenty miles back to shore. We’ll go now and get
the boat ready, then we’ll be back to pick you up in an hour. See you
then. Adiós.’
Ignacio looked surprised when they all stood up to leave and he
was escorted back to his cell.
After a cup of tea in a nearby café in Mitchell Street, Carna, Jamie
and Jacko returned to the police station and asked Fitzy if they could
interrogate the first crewman, Ignacio, again in the interview room.
As soon as the captive was brought in they all stood up and Jacko
informed him that the boat was ready to take him to sea.
‘But I die in the sea,’ he said.
‘That’s quite likely,’ agreed Jacko. ‘So, let’s go.’
‘Kata na!’ said Carna.
‘No, no. What do you want?’ he pleaded.
‘These men would like you to tell the truth,’ said Carna,
‘katotohanan.’
‘If I tell truth you not throw me into the sea?’ he asked, looking at
Jacko.
‘Perhaps, but only if you tell the truth,’ said Jacko as they all sat
down. ‘This lady will ask you some questions.’
‘What is your name?’ Carna asked.
‘Ignacio Ledesma.’
‘Where are you from?’
‘Bulacan, ma’am.’

21
 ‘Are you a fisherman?’
‘Hindi! No, I am a motor mechanic, but sometimes I fish too,’ he
replied. ‘I know about boats.’
‘Where were you taking those children?’ she asked.
‘What children? We have no children,’ he protested.
‘Okay, that’s enough. We’ll go sailing now,’ said Jacko, standing
up.
‘No, no! Maybe we had some children,’ Ignacio said.
‘You certainly did! We’ve recovered twelve dead children and one
live one, all of whom were on your boat,’ said Jacko. ‘If you tell any
more lies we’ll go straight to sea.’
‘One live one?’ said Ignacio, looking astonished. ‘Where?’
‘You forgot to count them when you were throwing them over the
side,’ said Jacko. ‘I have no pity for you and I’m itching to throw you
over the side too.’
‘It is better you just tell the truth,’ Carna told him in her soothing
voice.
‘Yes, ma’am. We have children we are paid to take to Australia,’
he said.
‘Who were you meeting on Bathurst Island?’ she asked.
‘I don’t know, that’s truth,’ he said. ‘We were told to meet another
boat at mouth of a river just north of most western point of the island.
But terrible storm blew us off course and boat’s engine died.’
‘Who told you to meet this boat?’ she asked.
‘I don’t know his name.’
‘Ignacio, you must tell us the truth or it will be very bad for you,
lubhang mapanganib,’ Carna said. ‘Where and when did you meet the
man who gave you money and told you where to go?’
‘We meet in Ermita,’ said Ignacio. ‘My friend introduce him as Mr
Smith. He is American, I think. He is very rich.’
‘Who is your friend? What’s his name?’
‘He will kill me.’
‘We will kill you first,’ said Jacko.
‘He is Antonio, Antonio dela Cruz. He is security guard at Manila
Hotel. That is all I know. Mr Smith gave me money and I drive truck
with children to Batangas where boat ready. We pick up bigger boat
in Cebu. I pay crew we go. That’s all.’

22
 ‘Who did you radio to in Australia?’ asked Jamie.
‘I don’t know. I just give position of boat each morning to a call
sign on a fix radio channel,’ said Ignacio.
‘What was the call sign?’ asked Jamie.
‘Cobra. We just call “Cobra”, someone answers “Lion”, we give
position. That’s all.’
‘That’s very good, Ignacio,’ said Jacko. ‘We won’t throw you into
the sea for now unless we find you haven’t been telling us the truth.
We might be back for more information later. Adiós.’
‘Sige na, Ignacio,’ Carna said as they all stood.
Before they left the police station, they stopped to tell Fitzy how
they had got on. Jamie told him they might have a couple of leads but
they needed his help.
‘Fitzy, how would we find out if any local vessels had left Darwin
Harbour for a few days between the 20th of December and
Christmas?’ he asked. ‘It may be that someone from here intended to
meet the stricken boat off Bathurst Island before it got into
difficulties.’
‘Yeah, good one. Jazz should be able to get the records of all small
ship movements during that period,’ said Fitzy. ‘If you’ve finished
with the scum in my lockup, I’ll transfer them to Fanny Bay gaol.
Okay with you?’
‘No problem, Fitzy, thanks.’
As they left the police station, Jacko asked Carna, ‘Are you going
to the New Year’s Eve party at the Hotel Darwin tomorrow?’
‘No, I haven’t been invited. I was just planning to watch the
fireworks here on the Esplanade,’ she said.
‘Jamie hasn’t invited anyone to go with him yet,’ he said with a
wicked grin. ‘Perhaps he might invite you, although he’s a bit shy.’
‘Whoa! I … er … haven’t … er … haven’t … er … um,’ Jamie
stuttered. ‘I mean, er, would you and your … er … husband like to
join us?’
‘I’m not married,’ she said with a smile. ‘If you would like to
invite just me, I’d love to go.’
‘Oh … er … wonderful, yes, I’d very much like you to come with
me,’ said Jamie, still blushing. ‘Yes, wonderful, yes.’

23
 ‘I just live along the Esplanade. Would you like me to meet you at
the hotel?’ she asked. ‘What time?’
‘I … I think it starts at nine o’clock,’ Jamie said. ‘There’s dancing,
drinks, food and all that. I could pick you up at … er … nine o’clock
if you like.’
‘That would be nice. I live with my mother in the little white
house just this side of the corner of Daly Street,’ she said. ‘I love to
dance.’
‘Er … yes, that’s great, I’ll see you then,’ he said, as she left to
walk northwards along the Esplanade. He then glared at Jacko, who
was trying to suppress a laugh.

24
 CHAPTER 4

A lot of effort had been put into decorating the ground floor Green
Room of the Hotel Darwin for the New Year’s Eve party. A large
banner with the inscription ‘Welcome to 1946’ had been hung on one
side of the room, and hundreds of multi-coloured balloons were
suspended in a large net across most of the ceiling. This gave a
subdued but colourful light over the dance floor that was filled with
couples moving around to the rhythm of a swing band set up on a
stage in one of the corners of the room.
‘So, you are from the Philippines?’ said Jamie as he steered Carna
around the dance floor, trying not to be too clumsy.
‘Yes, I think you knew that,’ she answered, looking at him with a
smile.
‘Yes ... er ... I mean, how did you come to be living in Darwin?’
he asked, making an effort not to stammer or blush too much.
‘Ah, well, my father, Don Enrico Hidalgo, came from an old
Spanish family who have lived in the Philippines for centuries. I am
what they call mestiza, part Spanish, part Filipina,’ she explained.
‘With the threat of Japanese invasion, my father decided to send my
mother and me somewhere safe but not too far away. So, allí es, here
I am in Darwin.’
‘Ah! I think someone said you are working as a secretary here?’
said Jamie.
‘Yes, I’m working for a Greek-Australian family who are re-
establishing the pearl industry that died during the war. The original
boats were destroyed and the main divers were Japanese, who were
all put in gaol during the war. So, it is very difficult, but my boss is
determined to build it up again. He is nice to work for.’
‘Do you intend to go back to the Philippines soon?’ he asked.
‘No, not soon. My grandfather, father and brother were all killed
in the old city of Intramuros during the battle for Manila in February
this year and our home was destroyed,’ she said. ‘My mother has
been in shock and is not very well. She is in no condition to travel

25
back there just now anyway. It’s sad, we lost so many of our good
friends as well as the men in our family.’
‘My God! I am so sorry. I don’t know what to say,’ Jamie
exclaimed, distressed by her story. ‘It must have been terrible for
you.’
‘Worse things happened to other families,’ she responded
cryptically.
Just then, the dance band stopped for a break and they returned to
the table they were sharing with Jazz, Lucille, Fitzy and his wife
Mary, and Jacko who had just been dancing with Hilda Abbott, the
wife of the Administrator of the Northern Territory.
‘Mrs Abbott was telling me about the trials and tribulations of
Darwin during the war,’ he said. ‘She and her husband were nearly hit
by a bomb themselves. She runs the Red Cross here.’
‘I thought that a handsome man like you would have a pretty
young girlfriend on his arm tonight,’ said Carna with a mischievous
grin.
‘It’s a bit hard. My girlfriend is thousands of miles away in Egypt
tonight,’ said Jacko. ‘So I can only dance with married ladies. Mrs
Abbott was telling me her husband also fought in the Middle East and
took part in the famous Charge of the Australian Light Horse at
Beersheba in 1917. Quite a hero.’
‘Will your girlfriend be coming here soon?’ asked Carna.
‘I hope so. Her family are planning to immigrate to Australia, but I
don’t know where or when,’ he replied. ‘Her father is in the fine
furniture business.’
‘Ah, then you’ll have to take him to the Philippines. We have
some of the best timbers in the world for fine furniture,’ she said.
‘Yes, I’ll certainly suggest that to him. Good idea!’ he said.
‘Jamie, I’m going to have to take this exquisite creature off your
hands for just one dance. She seems to know everything. Have no
fear, I promise to claim only one dance.’
Jamie was saved from answering as a tall, elderly but handsome
man approached the table and introduced himself as Aubrey Abbott,
the Administrator for the Northern Territory. They all stood and
offered him a seat.

26
 ‘I won’t take up much of your time,’ he said. ‘In fact, it’ll be 1946
in about half an hour so we’ll all have to be in good voice for Auld
Lang Syne. I just wanted to say that the case of those drowned
children is horrifying and I’m glad you fellows are on the job. Some
of the criminals must live here. You must follow it through to the end,
if you can, and bring those responsible to justice.’
‘We definitely plan to do that, sir,’ Jamie said. ‘We don’t intend to
rest until we’ve got to the bottom of it.’
‘I’m happy to hear that. If you need any assistance from me, I’ll be
only too glad to give it,’ he said. ‘Ah! I see the band has started the
last dance section for this year, so I’ll leave all you young people to
it.’
‘Thank you, sir,’ said Jamie as they all stood. ‘We’ll keep you
informed of any developments.’
‘Good, good. I’ll look forward to that. Happy New Year in
advance,’ he said with a wave as he walked away.
With a mischievous smile, Jacko offered his hand to Carna and
accompanied her to the dance floor.
‘Exquisite creature? Do you always speak con galantería, con
adulación?’ she said as they whirled around the floor.
‘Con what?’ he asked, laughing.
‘Such flattery,’ she replied. ‘You know, Mr Jacko, that boatman,
Ignacio, thought you might be a Filipino but with a funny accent. You
confused him.’
‘I’m glad I confused him,’ he said. ‘The reason I have such nice
brown skin is that I’m half Aborigine. I have no explanation for my
funny accent.’
‘No, your accent is definitely Australian,’ she said. ‘It took me
months to get used to the accent here after I first arrived.’
‘You speak perfect English,’ he said.
‘Yes, but in the Philippines we are more used to American
English,’ she said. ‘When you and Jamie go there you might have to
speak with an American accent to be understood.’
‘That’s good advice,’ he said.
‘Your friend Jamie sometimes seems a bit nervous when I speak to
him,’ she said. ‘Is he worried about something?’

27
 ‘No, no, that’s one of the things I wanted to tell you,’ Jacko said,
laughing. ‘In the face of danger or difficulty, Jamie is always
decisive. But whenever he meets a beautiful young girl his courage
escapes him and he gets tongue-tied.’
‘Well, I’m not going to bite him,’ she said.
‘No, I know that, and he knows that. He was going to get married
before the war, but his fiancée died in an accident and he’s been a bit
shy with ladies since,’ he said. ‘So, if he appears awkward don’t think
badly of him.’
‘You’re a good friend, Mr Jacko,’ she said.
‘Well, he’s been a good friend to me,’ he said. ‘Now I must let
him have the last dance in 1945 with you as it’s only ten minutes to
the New Year.’
Jacko accompanied her back to their table and told Jamie that he
had to have the last dance of 1945 with Carna. She smiled at Jamie as
he danced with her, trying desperately not to tread on her feet.
‘You dance very well,’ she said after a while.
‘Oh, I don’t think, I ... erm ...’
He was interrupted by the discordant squeal of a bagpipe tuning up
and the next moment, the piper joined with the band in a rousing
rendition of Auld Lang Syne. Cheers erupted as someone cut the
netting overhead and balloons cascaded down amongst the revellers.
Everyone moved outside to a firework display in the park opposite
the hotel, and there was an air of merriment as 1946 was toasted as
the year of peace.
As he and Carna watched the fireworks in front of the hotel, Jamie
felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to find Jazz Nicholls standing
beside him.
‘Up until six months ago, the bang bang bang of this fireworks
display would have sent everyone in Darwin diving for cover,’ he
said. ‘Now it’s just good fun. I have a list of small ship movements
for you for the five days before Christmas.’
‘That’s excellent. Thanks, Jazz,’ said Jamie, as Jazz handed him a
piece of note paper. ‘Anything suspicious?’
‘Most are routine, but there are a few we should discuss,’ said
Jazz. ‘I suggest tomorrow. I’ll join you for lunch at the hotel if you
like. In the meantime, we’ll just enjoy the festivities.’

28
 ‘Absolutely. Happy New Year, Jazz,’ said Jamie.
‘You too, mate.’
‘In the Philippines, we say masaya bagong taon, Happy New
Year,’ Carna said to Jamie as the fireworks display ended.
‘Ah yes, Happy New Year, Carna,’ he said.
‘You now have to kiss me on both cheeks and then you owe me
another dance for all the hard work I did for you in the old year,’ she
said with a mischievous smile.
‘I, er ... yes, yes of course,’ he said, and with a short peck on both
cheeks he led her back inside the hotel as the band started up again.
As they danced around the floor amongst the balloons, Jamie felt
very attracted to this young Spanish Filipina who seemed to float like
air in his arms. He hadn’t felt like this about anyone since before the
war and decided it was probably just the essence of the night, her
sweet smile and her seductive scent. It’ll all be different in the
morning he thought, but for now ...
‘Tell me about yourself, Mr Jamie Munro,’ she said, breaking in
on his thoughts. ‘You know something of me, but I know very little
about you.’
‘There’s not much to tell, really,’ he said. ‘I was wounded in the
war, Jacko saved my life and then we both worked in intelligence
during the Middle East and Pacific campaigns. After the war we were
asked to join the CIS, and we’ll be going after the people behind these
child murders.’
‘That doesn’t tell me much about you, but it’ll do for now,’ she
said. ‘This is lovely music for dancing.’
‘Do you dance very often?’ he asked.
‘Hardly at all,’ she replied. ‘In fact, if I were still living in old
Manila, my mamá would be scandalised if she knew I was dancing
with a man without a carabena or chaperón to watch over me.’
The New Year celebration at the hotel wound down at 1.30am
when the band packed up and left. After saying their goodbyes to the
others, Jamie and Carna strolled towards her house at the northern
end of the Esplanade in comparative silence, listening to the crickets
singing in the trees. The rain had held off for the night although the
clouds above carried the threat of more rain in the next day or so.

29
Jamie turned to Carna to speak just she started to say something to
him.
‘Oh, sorry. You first,’ she said with a low chuckle.
‘Well, I … er ... I just wanted to say, Carna, it’s been a lovely
evening and I was wondering if I could see you again,’ said Jamie.
‘Of course you can,’ she said with a laugh. ‘If you remember, you
want me to help you interrogate the boatman, Ignacio, again
tomorrow. Today that is.’
‘Oh yes, yes. I’m sorry. What I meant is ...’
‘I know what you meant,’ she said. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be happy to
meet you any time before you leave. I’m not going to run away.’
‘Oh well, that’s wonderful. I would like to talk to you some more,’
he said. ‘Apart from interrogating evil men, that is.’
‘I’d like that,’ she said with a smile. ‘Well, here’s my house. So,
Jamie, I’ll wish you good night and God bless.’
Jamie felt light-headed as he strolled back to the hotel, realising it
was not due to the wine of which he’d drunk very little. He admitted
to himself that he felt strangely happy.

****

The American glared at the other two men seated across the table
from him in a dark corner of the small smoke-filled bar in Mabini
Street, downtown Manila.
‘The whole damn caboose, you say? The boat, the cargo, the
money, the crew, all gone?’ he said.
‘Yeah, the engine of the boat conked out in a raging storm. As far
as we know, only Ignacio and one other crewman survived,’ replied
the Australian. ‘They’re in gaol in Darwin.’
‘Goddamn it, the so-called Love Circle paid us a lot of money for
that cargo,’ hissed the American. ‘We’re gonna have to give them
their money’s worth. Can we get a replacement shipment underway
as quickly as possible, Al?’
Alejandro García, Assistant Commissioner for Immigration, stared
back at the angry red-faced American and said, ‘We have eight street
boys locked up in a shed south of Manila already and Miguel

30
Ocampo says he should have another six and that he’ll be ready to
take them all to Batangas in a few more days.’
‘Will Francisco Tan have another large fishing boat ready in Cebu
in time?’ asked the American.
‘Yes, boss. Frank is ready. It’ll cost a few thousand pesos more.’
Turning to the Australian, the American asked, ‘So, your man in
Darwin says the two are in gaol? Can Ignacio keep his mouth shut?’
‘Yeah, for sure. They’ll have trouble getting anything out of him,’
replied the Australian. ‘He doesn’t know much anyway.’
The American looked up at the dark smoky ceiling, took a sip of
his beer, sighed and then fixed his eyes icily on the Australian.
‘You see, buddy, the whole thing has suddenly become
dangerous,’ he said in a low menacing voice. ‘If Australian
investigators know the boat came from the Philippines, they might be
able to trace the boat to Frank in Cebu and then work back to here. If
they work out what the cargo was for, they might get very eager to
investigate. Also, if we can’t get another shipment safely down to
Australia, our clients are going to be very unhappy and come after us
for their money. Is it possible for your people in Darwin to take care
of Ignacio and the other fellow before they talk too much?’
‘Yeah, it’s possible,’ said the Australian. ‘I’ll tell them and see
what they can do.’
‘You’ve got a reliable man to go with the crew, Al?’ asked the
American.
‘O-o, no problem. You want to meet him?’ asked Alejandro.
‘No, I’ll stay out of it this time,’ he said. ‘You can handle that, Al.’
‘Walang problema, no problem, Mr Smith,’ said Alejandro with a
sardonic grin.
‘We’ve done well out of our shipments to Canada and the US, but
they’re much more complicated and costly than the Australian run,’
said the American. ‘So, let’s not screw it up this time, eh?’
Downing the last of his beer, he wished them Happy New Year,
waved to the woman behind the bar and stepped out into the street.
The goddamned New Year hadn’t started too happily, he thought
to himself as he walked west through the deserted streets towards
Manila Bay in the early morning gloom. At least, he figured, it was
unlikely the rustic hick coppers in a small backwater like Darwin

31
would cotton on to what the whole thing was about, and even if they
had some of the story, what could they do about it?
These thoughts made him relax a little and as he drew closer to his
apartment building on Dewey Boulevard, he began looking forward
to the rest of the night with the beautiful young brown-skinned Maria
Teresa, always smiling and willing and probably, by now, asleep in
his bed. He pushed his fingers through his thick pepper-and-salt hair.
Something about these Bicolana beauties, he thought, always a bit
jealous and sometimes fiery, but if you treat ’em right ...

32
 CHAPTER 5

‘It is necessary to know more about Mr Smith,’ Carna said to Ignacio

Ledesma as she, Jamie and Jacko sat at a steel table across from him
in an interview room inside Fanny Bay gaol. Ignacio was unsettled by
the unwavering glare from Jacko’s dark eyes.
‘Mr Smith?’ he repeated nervously.
‘The American that you said gave you money and instructions
about taking the young boys,’ she said. ‘What did he look like?’
‘It dark, hard to see,’ he said. ‘He is tall and much hair.’
‘What colour hair?’
‘I think brown, maybe some grey – not sure, ma’am.’
‘What about his eyes?’ she asked.
‘Ah, blue eyes. Blue eyes and long nose,’ he said. ‘It’s dark. Hard
to see.’
‘What was the name of the bar in Ermita where you met?’
‘Don’t remember,’ he said, but catching the look on Jacko’s face
he went on, ‘I remember now. I think it’s Lina’s Bar in Mabini street,
ma’am.’
‘What sort of bar, Ignacio?’
‘Small bar, ma’am. Not girlie bar. Maraming expats drink, play
dart game.’
‘Did any of the other expats know Mr Smith?’
‘Don’t know, ma’am, maybe,’ he said. ‘I think he knew owner,
Lina. Not sure.’
‘Did Lina speak to him?’
‘No, ma’am, he just wave to her.’
‘To Lina?’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘Any other questions?’ she asked the others.
‘Not right now. That’s good. We’ll leave it at that,’ said Jamie.
‘That gives us a bit to go on. We might have a few more questions
before we leave.’
‘Is there any more you can tell us, Ignacio?’ she asked, smiling at
the prisoner.

33
 ‘No, ma’am.’
As they left the gaol and climbed into the jeep, Jacko said, ‘So
we’re looking for a tall American with hair, of whom there are
probably thousands in Manila. The blue eyes may narrow it down to
hundreds. What about the long nose?’
‘All Filipinos think that every dayo, foreigner, is tall and has a
long nose,’ said Carna. ‘They always notice blue eyes, however.’
‘Well, I think the information about Lina’s Bar might be useful,’
said Jamie as he drove off. ‘That and the name of the security guard,
dela Cruz.’
‘So, a blue-eyed American with brownish hair who likes to go to
Lina’s Bar in Mabini Street in Ermita and a security guard who works
at the Manila Hotel. Not too bad a start,’ said Jacko.
‘Don’t forget the name of the child smuggler’s boat, Leon Dagat,’
said Jamie. ‘A boat that size must be registered somewhere in the
Philippines.’ He looked at his watch. ‘It’s nearly lunchtime and Jazz
will be meeting us at the hotel to tell us about small ship movements
before Christmas. Would you like to join us, Carna?’
‘I wouldn’t miss it for the world,’ she said.
As they pulled up in the jeep beside the hotel, Jazz waved at them
from the verandah. They joined him in the dining room and after
ordering a light lunch, they looked at Jazz expectantly.
‘I’ve got a list here of all the movements in and out of the harbour
between the 20th and 25th of December, as you requested,’ he said.
‘A couple of barges left the harbour on the 21st and 22nd, but they
were scheduled to deliver supplies to villages along the north coast
and they won’t return for another week. There was also the harbour
master’s launch that went out and back on the 23rd, but that’s routine.
The large cutter for the use of the administrator also left the harbour
on the morning of the 23rd, returning that evening, as did one of the
police boats and a private boat owned by a tourist operator. Other
than that, the only other boat to leave and return to the harbour was
my cutter on Christmas Day with you aboard. The rough weather
prevented any of the normal fishing boats leaving the harbour during
that time.’
‘Could a boat have come from anywhere else to go to Bathurst
Island?’ asked Jamie.

34
 ‘Possibly from Wyndham or Admiralty Gulf in the north
Kimberleys, but that’s a helluva long way. Unlikely in that weather,’
said Jazz. ‘Darwin Harbour’s the best bet if a boat was meeting the
smugglers at Bathurst Island.’
‘So, it’s got to be the harbour master, the administrator, the police
or that private boat?’ said Jacko.
‘Seems like it, but hard to believe,’ said Jazz. ‘The harbour
master’s boat just went up to Nightcliff and back. Commodore
Downey wanted to inspect the shore lights around Nightcliff and East
Point and he wasn’t away for more than a few hours. The other three
were out the whole day, but I can’t see how they could have been
involved.’
‘Was Mr Abbott on the administrator’s boat?’ asked Jamie.
‘No. The normal skipper of the boat took it out. Some government
officials from South Australia were here and they wanted excitement,
deep-sea fishing,’ said Jazz. ‘They got more excitement than fish, I
believe, and some were more than a little seasick. They all returned to
Adelaide on Christmas Eve. The police boat and the private boat were
out for a similar reason. Excitement and deep-sea fishing.’
‘Why that day, the 23rd?’ asked Jamie.
‘The storm lifted on that day and the weather conditions were a
little better than before or since or when you came out with me, for
example,’ said Jazz. ‘We did a check on the passengers. The police
boat had Senior Sergeant Sean Murphy in charge and he was obliging
a few visiting policemen from down south who wanted to go deep-sea
fishing, also with no luck. Same story with Jerry Parsons who took
out some tourists and locals. They only caught sea sickness as well as
a few tiddlers back in the harbour. Most of those tourists are still
around.’
‘Who were the locals, Jazz?’ asked Jamie.
‘Mainly naval staff, mostly staying in this hotel since the war,’
said Jazz, handing Jamie a notebook. ‘I’ve got their names as well as
the names of the tourists.’
‘Thanks, Jazz. Do you think it’s possible some boat slipped out
without anyone noticing?’ asked Jamie.

35
 ‘Anything’s possible, mate,’ said Jazz. ‘Unlikely but possible. A
few tinnies and sailing skiffs are kept in sheds around Fanny Bay, but
they’re too small to ever make it to Bathurst Island during the wet.’
As they sat thinking about what they had just been told, trying to
make sense of the boat movements, one of the receptionists from the
hotel approached their table and handed a telegram to Jacko, who
stood up and made a whoop of joy.
‘They’re coming. They’re coming for sure!’ he said. ‘Monique and
her family are leaving Cairo for good and they’ll be in Australia
sometime in February. Can you believe it?’
‘That’s wonderful news, Jacko,’ said Jamie.
‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hey Cap, we’ll have to catch these child
smugglers and put them away before February,’ said Jacko.
‘Absolutely, Jacko. We’d better hurry up our investigation, eh?’
Later that afternoon, with the help of Police Superintendent
Russell Fitzgibbon and two constables, Jamie and Jacko interviewed
Jerry Parsons and the tourists who had spent the day out at sea on the
23rd of September. However, it became obvious that the tourists were
from different backgrounds and places and had not known each other
before their visit to Darwin. By the end of the following morning, all
the naval staff who were on the fishing trip had been questioned and
the interviewers concluded that it was most unlikely they were
involved in a child-smuggling conspiracy.
‘Well, it’s a total mystery, Fitzy,’ said Jamie as they ate
sandwiches for lunch at the hotel. ‘What did your man, Sergeant
Murphy, have to say about the visitors on the police boat?’
‘Sean said they were all visiting police officers from Melbourne
taking some time off,’ said Fitzy. ‘I can’t see police visitors being
involved, as all those aboard would have to have been in it, including
Sean. There were also two other Darwin policemen aboard.’
‘Have you known Sean long, Fitzy?’ asked Jamie.
‘He arrived from the south just at the end of the war against
Japan,’ he answered. ‘He’s an experienced police officer with good
references and he’s been a great help to me. He was recommended by
his cousin, Theo Murphy, the Assistant Legal Counsel for the NT
Administration.’

36
 ‘It’s now a complete mystery to me,’ said Jamie. ‘The vessel that
was going to meet the boat with the children at Bathurst Island must
have come from somewhere.’
‘Yeah, it’s a bloody mystery all right,’ said Jacko.
‘When do you leave for Manila?’ asked Fitzy.
‘We may as well go tomorrow,’ said Jamie. ‘Is that okay with you,
Jacko?’
‘Fine with me, Cap,’ replied Jacko. ‘Early start?’
‘Yes, I’ll get my things ready this afternoon,’ said Jamie. ‘I’ll
notify Dan Morrow and I think we’ll have to be at the airport before
five in the morning. I promised Carna I would take her to dinner in
Chinatown this evening. Would you like to come along?’
‘Not on your life, Cap,’ said Jacko with a laugh. ‘I’ll leave the
delectable Carna for you to entertain alone.’
‘No, I mean, it’s just dinner,’ said Jamie, blushing.
‘Yeah, Cap, and it’s snowing in Darwin tomorrow,’ said Jacko,
grinning. ‘In any case, I’ll be writing to Monique this evening and I
need to concentrate on such an important activity.’
‘You can count me out too,’ said Fitzy. ‘I’ll telegraph you at the
Manila Hotel if there are any more developments here. I’ll leave you
coves to it for now. Good hunting!’

****

A candle glowed in the centre of the table, casting a soft glow on

Carna’s face. Jamie turned to study the menu, trying to decide which
dishes to order from the many available. He knew little about Chinese
food and was out of his depth.
Carna watched his face as he puzzled over the menu and with a
gentle smile, asked, ‘Would you like me to order for both of us? I
know a little bit about Chinese food.’
‘I’d be happy if you would,’ he replied gratefully, handing over
the menu to her.
She waved to one of the waiters and ordered several small dishes
as well as a cold beer for Jamie and green tea for herself.
‘I’ve ordered a variety of meat and vegetable dishes and we’ll help
ourselves. I think you’ll like them. Can you use chopsticks?’

37
 ‘Chopsticks, no. I’m sorry, I haven’t tried them,’ he said.
‘You can use a knife and fork, of course. I can teach you to use
chopsticks during the dinner if you like,’ she said.
‘That would be nice. I’d like that,’ he said, wondering why he felt
like a schoolboy trying to make an impression on the teacher. The
elegant girl sitting opposite him was being sweet to him and yet he
was very nervous.
‘I have the names and a recent address of my uncle and aunt in
Manila, and a letter of introduction for you,’ she said, handing him an
envelope. ‘They may have moved because of the war damage but
someone should know where they are. They could prove useful to you
if you have any problems.’
‘Thank you, Carna,’ he said. ‘That’s wonderful. I’m sure they
would be useful and in any case, I’d be happy to pass on any
messages to them from you. Would you tell me something about your
life in Manila before the war?’
As the dishes started arriving at the table, Carna chatted about her
childhood growing up in a traditional Spanish Filipino family, and
their trips to the beach at Nasugbu in the south and to the mountains
around Baguio in the north. Jamie found her narrative interesting and
the food excellent. He realised that he was starting to relax in the
company of this beautiful and intelligent young woman.
‘I would like to go back and have a look around Manila again one
day. Perhaps when my mother is in better health,’ she said. ‘What has
happened to Manny, the young boy?’
‘He’s going to be looked after by Jazz and Lucille while we’re
away,’ said Jamie. ‘After we get back, I don’t know what we should
do with him.’
‘I’ll contact Lucille to see if she needs any help,’ said Carna.
‘Is your mother all right being alone while you’re here with me?’
asked Jamie.
‘I must confess that when we came to Darwin we brought two of
our maids along,’ said Carna. ‘The oldest one, Solly, was my yaya,
my nanny, when I was a small girl. So, my mother is well looked
after. You haven’t told me anything about your childhood.’
‘I was born in the bush at Warren in central New South Wales,’ he
said. ‘That’s sheep and cattle country in the Macquarie valley.’

38
 ‘Do your parents still live there?’ she asked.
‘My parents are both dead,’ said Jamie. ‘My father died recently,
and an aunt of mine is selling the sheep property for me.’
‘I’m sorry about that,’ she said. ‘We’re both young people who
have lost family, it seems. How old are you, Jamie?’
‘Uh, oh, twenty-seven I think. Yes, twenty-seven. Twenty-eight in
a few months,’ he said.
‘You are my senior by four years. In the Philippines we were
always taught to respect our elders,’ she said with a mischievous grin,
bringing a laugh from Jamie.
‘Respect for an old and decrepit character like me,’ he said.
‘That’s nice.’
Despite his shyness, he began to feel more at ease with her. As
they continued to chat, he was increasingly aware that this bright and
lovely girl was delightful company and that he was becoming more
and more attracted to her. He was disappointed when they finished all
the dishes and he had to take her home.
‘Just drive back to your hotel and then walk me home,’ she said.
‘It’s such a beautiful evening after all the storms we’ve had. A walk
would be lovely following such a nice dinner.’
As they walked along the Esplanade, they chatted in subdued
voices until they reached the gate of her house. She reached up and
gave Jamie a gentle kiss on the cheek and murmured, ‘Take care of
yourself, Jamie Munro.’
She slipped through the gate and was gone.

****

A glow to the east pushed through the scattered dark clouds when
Jamie and Jacko, driven by Sparky, arrived at the airport hangar
where the camouflage-coloured Douglas DC-3 was parked on the
tarmac. Dan Morrow, the OSS operative, greeted them and said he
wished he could go with them, and hoped they were successful in
their mission. Entering the door near the tail of the aircraft, they
walked up the sloping aisle past crates of freight to the front section
where there were twelve seats facing forward behind the pilots’
cockpit.

39
 They introduced themselves to seven other passengers who were
already seated and who turned out to be American maintenance
ground staff being transferred from Australia to the 42-year-old
USAF Clark Air Base, 40 miles north of Manila. Clark Base had been
used as a strategic airport for Japanese bombers and fighters during
the war.
As dawn broke, one of the DC-3’s two engines sparked into life,
followed soon after by the other, and the aircraft taxied out to the
eastern end of the main airstrip. With a loud surge, it sped away from
the sunrise. The tail lifted and the aircraft left the ground, starting a
slow turn to the north as it gained altitude. Gazing out the window at
the clouds below and listening to Jacko in conversation with some of
the Americans, Jamie’s thoughts turned to the pretty young woman he
had shared a meal with the previous evening. He felt more confident
with her than he had since his fiancée had died in a car accident just
before the war. He was not sure whether she felt anything for him or
was just being nice, but he was certainly attracted to her and happy in
her company.
Jacko sat back in his seat and closed his eyes, thinking it was
wonderful luck that Monique and her family would soon be leaving
Egypt to migrate to Australia. She says she loves me. Smiling happily
at this compelling thought, he turned to ask Jamie something but
noticed his friend had a faraway look, and left him alone with his
thoughts.
After a flight of a little over two hours, the DC-3 landed in Dili,
East Timor, for refuelling and after another six hours, was on the
ground in Jesselton. The passengers had all descended from the
aircraft to stretch their legs when the co-pilot approached Jamie and
Jacko and told them he had received a radio message during the
flight.
‘It’s from Fitzgibbon to Munro. He says that the two boatmen
have been found dead in Fanny Bay gaol, and he’s investigating,’ he
told them.
Shocked, they looked at him and Jacko shook his head as the co-
pilot went back to assist with the refuelling.
‘Looks like the baddies are ruthless bastards, Cap,’ he said. ‘We’d
better be careful whom we trust.’

40
 ‘Yeah, I reckon,’ said Jamie.
As they reboarded the DC-3, the captain informed the passengers
that in another three and half hours they would land in Manila just
before last light.

41
 CHAPTER 6

Red sunset, a cloudless sky and humidity greeted Jamie and Jacko as
they descended from the DC-3 at the Nielson Field airport in the
Makati district southeast of Manila. Rubble and small craters here and
there were testimony to wartime bombing, with runway
reconstruction nearing completion. Four jeeps and a four-door
Studebaker sedan were already parked beside the aircraft. A tall man
in his thirties, with an upright soldierly bearing and wearing a white
shirt and tan slacks, stepped forward from the sedan to greet them.
‘You must be the Australians, Mr Munro and Mr O’Brien,’ he said
in a southern American drawl. ‘You sure don’t look as though you’re
with the USAF like these other guys. I’m Harry Williams Junior,
OSS. Just call me Harry.’
‘You are absolutely correct, first time,’ said Jamie as they all
shook hands. ‘We’re the Australians. I’m Jamie and this is Jacko.’
‘Love your accent,’ said Harry.
‘We thought you were the one with the accent,’ said Jacko with a
grin. ‘What part of the States are you from.’
‘Me? Why, Ah’m from the wide-open spaces of the greatest state
in the Union,’ said Harry. ‘Tay-xas! Enough of that, put your bags in
the trunk and hop in the back of this here Studebaker and I’ll take you
to the Manila Hotel where we can talk.’
Harry got into the front passenger seat and after instructing his
Filipino driver, Gus, where to go he asked, ‘Have you guys been here
before?’
‘Yeah, for a short time after the battle for Manila,’ said Jamie. ‘We
were with Intelligence and mainly involved with wartime sabotage, so
we didn’t get to see much of the city or the country. Were you here
then?’
‘Naw, I arrived about three months ago to set up the OSS
Intelligence office in Manila,’ he replied. ‘There’s only me so far and
I’m camped in a small office in the US Chancery building on
Dewey.’

42
 As they drove through the streets of Baclaran and Malate and then
along Dewey Boulevard, Jamie and Jacko noticed the traffic was
comprised mainly of army jeeps and horse-drawn carriages, while
many of the pedestrians along the boulevard were American soldiers
and sailors, often with pretty young Filipinas on their arms.
‘Did you see Intramuros, the old walled city, when you were
here?’ asked Harry.
‘No, we didn’t have much time for sightseeing,’ said Jamie, noting
they were just passing the Chancery building of the US High
Commission on the left.
‘Well, it’s a goddamn sight to see,’ said Harry. ‘Them Japs blew
up quite a few buildings and put up a hell of a fight near the end of
the war. After all that fighting it’s fair to say that Manila is the second
most destroyed city in the world next to Warsaw. You gotta have a
good look around while you’re here, guys. Here’s the hotel now.’
The Manila Hotel looked much the same from the outside as it had
in April 1945. They heard hammering coming from the bamboo
scaffolding at the front and bay side of the building, which had been
partially destroyed by fire during fighting in February that year. In
spite of the damage and reconstruction, the hotel was operating as
normal. Harry said he would wait for them in the lobby while they
checked in and put their bags in their rooms. Then they would walk to
the Army Navy Club for dinner.
About 200 yards from the Manila Hotel, the Army Navy Club was
housed in a large white building overlooking the bay, almost hidden
from the boulevard by a multitude of palm and acacia trees in a well-
laid-out garden. Entering the front door, they noticed the distinctive
architecture was characterised by large arches over the doors and
windows. Harry led them through to the dining room which looked
out onto Manila Bay, now in darkness. They sat at a table with a
starched white tablecloth and were handed menus by a smartly
dressed Filipino waiter.
After ordering their dinner, Jamie said, ‘We dined here about eight
or nine months ago. This is very nice. Such a great location next to
the water.’
‘Yeah, I come here a lot. They’re still patching up a lot of bullet
holes in the outside walls,’ said Harry. ‘There’s a great swimming

43
pool between here and the bay, and the members’ bar is one of the
longest in Manila. I’ll organise honorary memberships for you while
you’re here.’
‘Thanks, Harry. That’d be great,’ said Jamie.
‘I’ve heard a bit about this child-smuggling case you’re working
on from our people in Washington, but I’m not really up on it
altogether,’ said Harry. ‘How can I help?’
‘Well, the people running this are obviously ruthless. They’ve
already murdered several people off the Australian coast, including
about a dozen children and several adults, to try to cover their tracks,’
said Jamie. ‘We have our job cut out for us to work out who these
criminals are, but that’s what we’re determined to do.’
‘I’m told by my people that it’s probably financed by paedophile
syndicates, eh?’ said Harry.
‘Almost certainly. There’s probably a lot of money behind it,’ said
Jamie.
‘So where do we start? There’ve been quite a lot of shady-looking
characters around Manila since the war,’ said Harry. ‘It could be any
of them.’
‘That’s the difficulty, Harry,’ said Jamie. ‘With large amounts of
money involved, the people in charge of this criminal operation could
include those high up in the local and expat communities who
themselves have powerful contacts. They won’t necessarily look
shady.’
‘Yeah, I can see the problem,’ said Harry. ‘You can’t trust anyone.
Including me I suppose.’
‘No offence meant, but in a way, that’s right,’ said Jamie. ‘I doubt
you’d be involved though.’
‘No offence taken. I’ll introduce you to the US High
Commissioner tomorrow, Paul McNutt,’ said Harry. ‘He’s the only
one who knows about your real purpose here apart from me and he’s
asked that he should meet you. He’ll be available tomorrow. I’m sure
you can trust him,’ he added with a laugh.
‘Yeah, you’d hope so,’ said Jacko, also laughing.
‘Anyway, Mr McNutt is having a small reception tomorrow night
and he asked me to invite you guys along,’ said Harry. ‘So, you can
have a look at some of the “high ups” at first hand.’

44
 ‘What should we wear?’ asked Jacko.
‘Either a suit and tie, which you guys probably don’t have,’ said
Harry. ‘You can also wear a formal local shirt known as a barong
which is made from piña fabric, pineapple cloth. It’s worn without a
tie and outside long pants. I can have some made for you in the
morning. Doesn’t take long.’
‘You’re right, we’re travelling light so we didn’t bring suits,’ said
Jamie. ‘I’d appreciate your help with these formal shirts, barongs. Is
the reception at the High Commission?’
‘Naw, not enough room. It’ll be at your hotel. The Chancery
building has the High Commission offices on the ground floor while
upstairs, Japanese prisoners are kept to stand trial for war crimes.
Much of the building is undergoing repairs,’ Harry said. ‘You’ll see
tomorrow there are tents all over the Chancery grounds where the
trials are being held. One of them is General Yamashita who was still
on the loose with his army in the mountain provinces when you were
here in April last year.’
‘There seem to be a lot of American servicemen still around
Manila,’ said Jacko.
‘Yeah. A lot of them are involved in rebuilding all the bridges
across the Pasig River, which the Japs destroyed, and in fixing
infrastructure,’ said Harry. ‘Some are also involved in mopping up
the rest of the Japanese troops in the hills. Many of them don’t
believe the war is over. The rest including the navy are just
maintaining security until the Philippines is given its independence.’
‘When will that be?’ asked Jacko.
‘Under the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934, the official date will
be the 4th of July this year,’ said Harry. ‘How’s the food?’
‘Delicious,’ said Jamie.
‘Yeah, probably better than the hotel,’ said Harry. ‘A lot of the
food here is imported. There are some fairly good local restaurants
around the Ermita area just east of here which you guys will probably
find for yourselves. Quite a few girlie bars too.’
‘Do you know a place called Lina’s Bar?’ Jamie asked.
‘Naw, I haven’t heard of that one. There’s lots of bars,’ he said.
‘It’s in Mabini Street,’ said Jamie.

45
 ‘Lots of bars in Mabini Street. Lots of bars all over the place,’ said
Harry. ‘Most of them are like holes in the wall or in roughly built
shanties, but they’re good value for a drink or two. I guess you guys
would like an early night after a long day of flying? We might head
off back to your hotel.’
‘Yeah, that’d be good,’ said Jamie. ‘I guess we’ll see you
tomorrow morning for the shirts.’
‘Yeah, I’ll be at your hotel at eight and have breakfast with you
folks,’ said Harry. ‘After that, we’ll measure you up for the shirts and
at 10.30 we’ll go to the Chancery building to see Mr McNutt.’
‘Excellent. You’ve been very kind and thanks for the great
dinner,’ said Jamie.
‘No problem. I’ve been instructed by Washington to help you guys
and that’s what I’m going to do,’ he said. ‘I’m also going to organise
a car and driver for you tomorrow. It’s important to have wheels.’
‘Thanks a lot, Harry. You’re a good man,’ said Jacko.

****

The US High Commissioner, Paul V McNutt, was an imposing man

in his mid-fifties with a handsome face crowned by thick white hair.
An American secretary ushered the three men into his High
Commission office overlooking the bay. After introductions and some
small talk, they were served cups of coffee. Then Mr McNutt told his
secretary he wasn’t to be disturbed for about fifteen minutes.
‘I hope you guys had a good flight from Australia and that Harry
here is looking after you,’ he said with a smile. ‘He’s briefed me on
this dreadful case of children smuggling. I’ll be happy to put any
resources you might need at your disposal, as much as I can. Can you
give me any more details?’
‘It’s not only child smuggling, sir, but multiple murders have been
committed at the orders of the same group,’ said Jamie. ‘We’re fairly
certain that Americans are involved here in Manila as well as
Australians, both here and back home. It’s going to be necessary to
keep the purpose of our visit secret, sir, until we can uncover the
people behind it.’

46
 ‘That’s for sure,’ agreed Mr McNutt. ‘You’ll be coming along to
the small party I’m giving this evening. I’ll greet you as though I
haven’t met you yet. What’s your cover?’
‘We’re just a couple of war veterans contracted by the Australian
Government to have a look at the war damage in the Philippines for
the purpose of providing foreign aid,’ Jamie replied.
Looking at Jacko, the High Commissioner asked, ‘Are you part
Filipino, Mr O’Brien?’
‘No, sir, I’m part Australian Aborigine,’ he replied.
‘Interesting! Please don’t take offence, but you could probably
blend in as a local here if necessary,’ said Mr McNutt. ‘I’ll see you
guys this evening at my party. Harry has probably told you it’s at
your hotel. There’ll be various important expats and local people
there. President Osmeña was going to come but had to pull out
because of some emergency.’

****

That evening as Jacko and Jamie, wearing their newly acquired

formal barongs, reached the front of the reception queue leading into
a small ballroom in the Manila Hotel, Harry Williams introduced
them formally to Mr McNutt and his wife, Kathleen.
‘So, you’re the guys from Australia,’ said the High Commissioner
with a smile. ‘Very nice to meet you. Just go right in. It’s what we
call Bar Chow. No seating. Just select any finger food you want from
the buffet and there are plenty of drink waiters hovering around. I’ll
catch up with you in a little while.’
There seemed to be an equal number of Americans and Filipinos
standing around in groups engaging in small talk. Harry led them
over to a small group of Americans and introduced them to Consul
Samuel Parker, Vice Consul Jeffrey Hunt, both resplendent in formal
barongs, and the head of US Public Diplomacy, Fiona Goodman, an
attractive lady with blonde hair wearing a formal red gown. He
described Jamie and Jacko as Australian visitors.
‘Here to have a look around the ruins of beautiful Manila?’ asked
Mr Parker. ‘Are you planning to go elsewhere in this fair country?’

47
 ‘Yes, we’ll probably go down to Cebu and perhaps some of the
other islands,’ said Jamie. ‘They say they’re very beautiful.’
‘That they are, my boy. That they are,’ agreed Mr Parker.
‘Are you friends of Harry?’ asked Fiona Goodman.
‘Paul just asked me to look after them in Manila, so they don’t get
into any trouble,’ said Harry.
‘You must be well connected to have our esteemed High
Commissioner looking out for you,’ she said. ‘What do you do?’
‘We’re here on behalf of the Australian Government,’ said Jamie.
‘For any special reason?’ asked Mr Hunt.
‘Yes. We’ll be mainly looking at war damage,’ said Jamie. ‘Our
government is very interested in the post-war situation here in the
Philippines.’
‘Yes, well keep them out of trouble if you can, Harry,’ said the
consul with a chuckle, then waving to a waiter. ‘You’d better get
yourselves a drink.’
As they drifted away, Harry whispered to Jamie, ‘That was well
said. Now I want to introduce you to some of our most dignified
Filipino guests.’
He introduced them to General Carlos Romulo, a short man with a
deep commanding voice who was accompanied by the Secretary of
National Defence who introduced himself as Fred Montelibano.
Talking to them were the Secretary to the President, José Reyes, and
two prominent businessmen, Don Enrique Zobel and Andrés Soriano.
‘I visited your beautiful country just after the Japanese
occupation,’ said General Romulo. ‘By necessity of course, and I
intend to visit it again one day when there is no necessity.’
Harry told them that General Romulo was aide-de-camp to
General MacArthur during the war and was the signatory for the
Philippines to the United Nations.
‘That’s only because everyone else had terrible signatures,’ said
Carlos Romulo with a deep laugh. A few other people joined them to
talk to the general. Harry, Jamie and Jacko retreated to the buffet
where they helped themselves to a variety of finger foods including
caviar, salmon, prawns, crab, meats, cheeses and some delicious local
fried rolls known as lumpia. After mingling with other guests

48
including local and American bankers, business leaders and military
officers, they were joined again by Mr McNutt.
‘You’ve seen a small cross-section of the people with influence in
the Philippines tonight. It’s unlikely any of them would be involved
in your case; however, it’s best to be careful,’ he said. ‘Just
remember, if there’s anything I can help you with, ask Harry here and
I’ll see what I can do.’
After arranging to meet Harry again for breakfast in the morning,
Jamie and Jacko decided to leave and began walking towards the
hotel lobby. Strolling along the wide corridor, they heard someone
calling out behind them. Turning around, they saw the blonde woman
in the red dress, Fiona Goodman, hurrying to catch them up.
‘I saw you leaving and I thought I’d like to buy you guys a drink at
the old Tap Room Bar in this hotel,’ she said, slightly breathless.
‘Oh! Yes sure, okay,’ said Jamie. ‘We’ll buy you one though.’
‘Aha! Very gallant, but as head of public diplomacy, I insist,’ she
said, laughing.
After she had ordered two San Miguel beers for them and a vodka
martini for herself, she asked them, ‘So, what are you guys really
doing here?’
‘Our government has asked us to assess the war damage in the
Philippines to work out how to assist,’ said Jamie. ‘That’s all.’
‘You’re not bullshitting me, are you? Excuse my French,’ she said.
‘No, why would you think that?’
‘It just seems unlikely, that’s all,’ she said. ‘Well, here’s to a
happy visit to this fair country. Drink up, guys.’
‘Yeah, thanks,’ said Jacko. ‘Was your husband at the reception
tonight?’
‘Ha ha, I’ve already discarded two of those, so I’m single now and
fancy free,’ she said, downing her martini. ‘How about one for the
road?’
‘No thanks,’ said Jamie. ‘I’ve still got half a glass of beer, but go
ahead, please.’
She ordered another martini, and after looking at them as though
she would like to say something, she downed her drink again, wished
them goodnight and left.
‘Curiosity killed the cat,’ said Jacko with a chuckle.

49
 CHAPTER 7

At 7.00am on 4 January 1946, the sky was cloudless and from the
Manila Hotel dining room where breakfast was being served, there
was a clear view across the bay to Sangley Point. Harry informed
them that he had organised a 1944 Chevrolet four-door sedan with a
driver named José, and he was waiting in the car park for them. He
said that, after breakfast, he would go with them to look at the ruins
of the nearby old walled city of Intramuros.
Jacko had earlier made enquiries about a security guard named
Antonio dela Cruz and was told that he worked at the hotel on the
morning shift from midnight to eight o’clock and would be leaving
the hotel to go home at 8.30am, so they decided to use the car to
follow him before going to Intramuros. Before eight o’clock, one of
girls at the reception desk pointed Antonio out to Jacko. He waited in
the lobby with Harry and they both read copies of the English
language Manila Times in padded leather chairs.
Around 8.30, they saw the security guard leave the hotel and
followed him. Harry waved to the driver of the dark-blue Chevrolet
with its distinctive large front grille. It drew up at the front of the
hotel and they got in. They could see Antonio waving down one of
the brightly coloured two-wheeled horse carriages with brass lamps
on each side. Harry told José to follow them.
‘Those one-horse carts are known as kalesas,’ Harry explained.
‘You can go anywhere around Manila for ten centavos or a US nickel.
This is José Cordero who’ll be your driver for the next few weeks.
José, this is Mr Jamie and Mr Jacko.’
‘Hello José,’ said Jamie.
‘Hello, sir.’
The kalesa with Antonio headed south down Dewey Boulevard,
eventually pulling up outside a house built mainly of corrugated iron,
bamboo and nipa palm in a side street in the Baclaran area. Antonio
alighted and went into the house while Jacko wrote down the address
in his notebook.
‘We know where he lives. So, what do we do now?’ asked Jacko.

50
 ‘I’ll tell you what we can do,’ said Harry. ‘I’ve already hired a
couple of well-educated young Filipinos who can be trusted to keep
an eye on Mr dela Cruz over the next weeks to see where he goes and
who he meets. They were engineering students at the University of
the Philippines when war broke out, and they’re grateful for a job
with me while they wait for their studies to resume in the coming
school year. That’s if you guys can trust me.’
‘That’s a very good solution,’ said Jamie. ‘Perhaps he might get to
meet with the mysterious Mr Smith again. As for yourself, I’d have to
say it’s hard to imagine that an OSS operative who has only been here
for a few months could be the mastermind of these criminals. We’re
going to have to trust each other.’
‘Well, that’s settled then,’ said Harry. ‘I can get Vic and Raffy on
the job from tomorrow. Now we’ll head back up the boulevard and
I’ll show you what happened to the architectural treasures of Manila.’
As they approached the old walled city of Intramuros, the signs of
battle were evident but they were unprepared for the almost complete
devastation within the walls. It looked worse than the most bombed-
out sections of London after the blitz, with hardly a building left
standing. Countless churches, convents, universities, schools,
government buildings and old Spanish-style houses and mansions had
been demolished or badly damaged. The old Manila Post Office with
its Greek columns was left standing but with major damage to its
imposing columned façade. The walls of the old Fort Santiago near
the Pasig River were pockmarked by machine-gun and shell fire,
some of which, Harry explained, could have dated back to the old
Spanish-American war.
‘The sad part of this is that General Yamashita had withdrawn all
his troops out of Manila to Baguio in the north and the mountains in
north-east Luzon to leave the local population unharmed. He ordered
the destruction of all the bridges across the Pasig River,’ explained
Harry. ‘As far as I know, this order was disobeyed by Admiral
Iwabuchi, who decided to fight in the city with his marines. That
situation created terrible slaughter and bloodshed and the devastation
you now see. General Yamashita, who was not really responsible for
the Intramuros devastation, is now being tried for that slaughter and
will probably hang.’

51
 ‘What happened to Iwabuchi?’ asked Jamie.
‘He and his officers all committed sepuku, Japanese suicide, in the
final days of war,’ said Harry. ‘It’s going to take a fair bit of
monetary aid to start to fix this, as you can imagine. All the bridges
were blown, but we can cross the river over the temporarily
reconstructed Jones Bridge just northeast of here. I’ll show you
Escolta on the north side of the Pasig River, so you can see how
quickly the Filipinos adapt.’
Crossing the bridge, they could see the Escolta area, previously
devastated, was home to thousands of locals in many houses and
shanties built from materials scattered around during the fighting. The
people smiled and waved as they drove through the streets of Escolta
and Binondo, working their way through the Divisoria district,
including the Tondo area, also crowded with hastily built huts and
dwellings, to the wharves of the old northern port.
‘We’ll return now. I just thought you should get a feel for the
chaos that was created here by the war and why there are so many
orphans roaming the streets living from hand to mouth and easily
exploited,’ said Harry.
‘Yeah, it’s a terrible situation,’ said Jamie. ‘Thanks Harry, that’s
been a good recent history lesson and makes us even more
determined to catch up with the murderous crooks running the child-
smuggling racket.’
‘Good for you!’ said Harry.
‘Tonight, Jacko and I are going to become bar-hoppers along
Mabini Street to see if we can locate Lina’s Bar,’ said Jamie. ‘You
want to come along, Harry?’
‘Yeah, for sure. I know a nice little restaurant in Mabini where
they serve real lechón as well as Spanish food,’ said Harry.
‘Lechón?’
‘Roast pork cooked slowly on a spit over an open fire until all the
fat has dripped out through the skin, which becomes thin and crackly.
Delicious,’ he said. ‘You can drop me back at the High Commission.
I’ll come to your hotel at 6.30 and we’ll go bar-hopping together.’
‘Sounds great. See you there.’

****

52
In the dimly lit Casa de la Cocina in Mabini Street, the three men
contemplated the menu as they sat at a square table with a red-and-
yellow-check tablecloth. Shaking his head, Jamie suggested Harry
should do the ordering, resulting in the arrival of a bottle of Rioja
Tempranillo red wine and dishes of tapas, gambas al ajillo, paella and
lechón.
As they started eating, a group of three local guitarists walked
around the tables playing and singing well-known Spanish-Mexican
songs such as Cielito Lindo, Adelita, Bésame Mucho and
Guadalajara.
‘That’s wonderful music to go with excellent food and wine,’ said
Jamie.
‘Yes, it’s said that it’s difficult to find a Filipino who can sing out
of tune,’ said Harry, laughing.
‘Jamie plays the guitar,’ said Jacko.
‘Really? You know, there are a few good guitar factories in the
Philippines and the instruments cost very little. You should buy one
while you’re here,’ said Harry. ‘Perhaps these singers will let you
play with them.’
‘No, no, no!’ Jamie protested. ‘I play very badly and only chords.
Not like these fellows, who are experts. I’d much rather just listen to
them.’
After dinner, they wandered along the pavement on Mabini Street,
noting the names of the cafes and bars. The main traffic in the dimly
lit street comprised kalesas with the occasional jeep and horse rider,
while many of the pedestrians were American servicemen. Some of
the nightclubs had neon signs boasting the beauty of their young
serving girls and hostesses, but many of the bars had no signs at all.
They went into several of these bars, but no one knew of Lina’s.
Eventually, after walking about half a mile, Harry stopped outside a
nightclub which had bright signs and the graphic name of ‘Bar of
Girls’.
‘Bar of Girls, better known as the BOG,’ said Harry. ‘It’s a girlie
bar but I know the owner well. He’s English but he knows just about
everything that goes on in Ermita. He might know where this Lina’s
Bar is.’

53
 They went into the nightclub where nubile young girls were
performing rather stilted dances on a raised stage. Several Americans
were scattered around talking to other girls. As they walked up to the
bar, they were immediately surrounded by young Filipina girls who
were asking what they would like to drink, where they came from and
would they like a girlfriend. Harry told them they would each have a
San Miguel beer and that he needed to speak to the owner, David. He
then bought ‘ladies’ drinks’ at fifty centavos each for eight of the girls
and told them they weren’t interested in anything else tonight. As the
three men were handed their beers, a man with curly blond hair came
out of one of the doors behind the bar. ‘Harry old cock, good to see
you. What can I do for you?’ he said in a broad cockney accent.
‘David, I wonder if you could help us,’ Harry said. ‘These are two
of my friends, Jamie Munro and Jacko O’Brien, and we’re looking
for a bar in this street known as Lina’s Bar. Do you know it?’
‘Lina, Lina, Lina. No, I don’t think I know it,’ said David. ‘Wait a
second – wait a second, I think there is a small bar owned by a friend
of mine and he’s got a steady girlfriend named Lina. I’m pretty sure
she runs the place. Which way are you headed?’
‘We’ve been strolling south from the Casa de la Cocina where we
had dinner,’ said Harry.
‘Aha! If it’s the bar I’m thinking of you’ll have to retrace your
steps ’cause it’s right up the northern end of Mabini towards Rizal
Park,’ said David. ‘What do you want to go there for? It’s just a hole
in the wall, I think, and I’ve got prettier girls right here.’
‘We’re looking for an old friend of these guys and we’ve been told
he hangs out there,’ said Harry.
‘Yeah, well, when you find him bring him back here and I’m sure
we can show you all a good time,’ said David, ‘We have a spectacular
show here starting at eleven.’
‘Yeah, we might just do that,’ said Harry. ‘Thanks, David. That’s
a big help. I told these guys you know everything and everyone
around here. We’d better get going. I’ll see you later.’
‘Yeah, take care, old son.’
They walked back up Mabini Street through the milling crowds of
servicemen who were all looking for a good time. As they passed the
restaurant where they’d had dinner, they heard guitar music spilling

54
into the street. About fifty yards further up the street, they stopped
outside a door next to a sign that simply said ‘BAR’.
‘This could be Lina’s Bar, guys,’ said Harry. ‘We’ll go and have
another beer in here anyway. If it’s not the right bar someone may
know where it is.’
‘You certainly seem to know your way around,’ said Jacko.
‘You get to know your way around pretty quickly in this town,’
said Harry.
There were tables and booths along two walls in the dark interior,
and a long bar dominated the rest of the space. Several noisy
foreigners were playing darts with a target set up at the far end of the
bar, while several couples, mainly servicemen with local girls,
occupied some of the booths.
Harry and the two Australians sat down on stools at the bar and
ordered beers from a young girl behind the bar. They noticed an
attractive lady in her thirties, with an unusually large bust for a
Filipina, up at the other end of the bar writing notes in an account
book next to an old money till with a large handle.
‘What do ya reckon?’ said Jacko.
‘We’ll just play it by ear at the moment,’ said Harry in a low
voice. ‘In a short while that little lady up there is gonna get curious
and we can probably find out who she is then.’
About ten minutes later, after closing her account book, the
woman looked down the bar at the three men drinking and walked to
where they were sitting. She leaned on the bar facing them,
displaying a fair amount of cleavage. Aware of the impression she
was making, she smiled and asked, ‘Where are you men from?’
‘Australia, miss,’ said Jacko.
‘Australia? We have a few regulars from Australia who come in
here once in a while,’ she said. ‘Most of our customers are American.
How long are you here in Manila for?’
‘At least a few weeks, miss,’ said Jamie.
‘What are your names?’
‘I’m Jamie. This is Harry and this is Jacko.’
‘Nice to meet you guys. Just call me Lina. We also serve snacks as
well as drinks. We make a really good chilli con carne.’
‘I’ll remember that,’ said Jamie. ‘Are you a local Manila girl?’

55
 ‘No. I’m from Legaspi City in the south, but I’ve been here since
the end of the war. As you’re new here, you can have three more
beers on the house,’ she said. ‘I hope we see more of you while
you’re here. There’ll be a few very young, very pretty girls coming in
here around eleven if you guys would like to stay around.’
‘That sounds great,’ said Jacko. ‘But we have to meet someone
soon up the road.’
She smiled and gave them a wink, then returned to her account
books at the till. When they went back out into Mabini Street, the
crowds on the pavements were getting thicker and most of the
servicemen were wandering along wide-eyed at the sight of so many
nightclubs.
‘That’s the place. No doubt about it,’ said Harry. ‘I was careful not
to open my mouth. I don’t think I sound anything like an Australian.
The question is, what do we do now? We can’t sit around Lina’s Bar
every night for weeks.’
‘Yeah, that’s for sure, but it’s a start,’ said Jamie. ‘Maybe
Antonio, the security guard, will meet up with the mysterious Mr
Smith when your fellows are following him.’
‘Yep, that’s a definite possibility,’ said Harry.
‘In the meantime, I’d like to track down this boat, Leon Dagat, and
find out who owns it and where it’s registered,’ said Jamie.
‘Yeah, I can help you with that,’ said Harry. ‘From what you’ve
told me it’s probably from Cebu or one of the other Visayan islands.
Most of the records were lost during the war but many owners of
large boats have had to reregister their boats in the last few months.
My car’s back at your hotel so we’ll wander back there now, and I’ll
join you for another delicious Manila Hotel breakfast in the morning.’
‘Good plan, Harry.’
‘Unless you guys would like to stay to have a wild night on the
town?’ said Harry. ‘If you want to, Ermita’s the place to do it.’
‘Later on, Harry. Later.’

56
 CHAPTER 8

The three men sat quietly eating breakfast and contemplating the calm
waters of Manila Bay under a cloudless blue sky. Harry informed
Jamie and Jacko that he had an appointment at the Bureau of
Fisheries that morning and hoped to find out details of the registration
of the Leon Dagat.
‘Hopefully they’ll have a list of registrations from Cebu and the
central islands as well as Luzon,’ said Harry. ‘They’re usually pretty
good at keeping tabs on local fishing boats, but some of the southern
ones might have been missed.’
‘That’ll be very helpful, Harry,’ said Jamie.
Jacko, who was looking fidgety as though he was about to jump up
any moment, said, ‘I feel we should be doing something, but I don’t
really know what. It’s frustrating.’
‘Well, as soon as Harry gets back maybe we could make plans to
fly down to Cebu,’ said Jamie.
‘Yeah, but I feel like I should be belting up that security guard,
dela Cruz, and getting him to talk,’ said Jacko.
‘Me too, but we might miss out on catching the big fish who are
really in charge of the kidnap operation,’ said Jamie.
‘Yeah, sit tight, guys. I may have something for you by this
afternoon,’ said Harry. ‘I must say, they serve a good breakfast at this
hotel.’
‘Are there many Australians living in and around Manila at the
moment?’ asked Jamie.
‘Yes, there are a few, mainly involved in mining, trade and other
businesses,’ said Harry. ‘Many of them usually hang out around the
Selecta Restaurant in Dewey Boulevard a few blocks south of the
High Commission building. There’s a great big sign out the front.
You can’t miss it.’
‘I’ve been developing a plan, so Jacko and I might wander down
there this morning,’ said Jamie. ‘The Selecta Restaurant, right?’
‘That’s it. They usually start gathering there around eleven
o’clock,’ said Harry. ‘There’s a snooker table which attracts the

57
crowd. It’s not a bad place for a feed too. If I get back from Fisheries
early enough, I’ll meet you guys there around lunch time. But don’t
wait for me.’
‘Okay, Harry,’ said Jamie. ‘I hope you have some luck and thanks
for everything.’
‘We aim to please.’

****

The Selecta Restaurant on Dewey Boulevard was part of the same

building as the Club Filipino, featuring outdoor dining under awnings
and umbrellas as well as high-quality interior dining and bar areas. In
the late morning, Jamie and Jacko sat down in cane chairs across
from a large snooker table in the main bar area and ordered two cold
San Miguel beers. Several Filipinos and US servicemen were
standing at the bar but the snooker table was unused at that hour.
‘I know you’ve got something up your sleeve that you’re planning
to do, Cap,’ said Jacko. ‘What about spelling it out for me.’
‘In a nutshell, I was figuring that if we could find a couple of
knockabout Aussie expats with a bit of time on their hands we might
be able to persuade them to pose as policemen from Australia and
publicise that a bit,’ said Jamie. ‘It might flush out some of the
baddies. It’s a bit of a long shot though and we don’t want to put
anyone in danger. We’ll just play it by ear.’
‘I’m sure there’d be plenty of blokes around here looking for a bit
of adventure, Cap,’ said Jacko. ‘It might just work.’
Towards noon, four men arrived in different cars and after
ordering beers at the bar, started playing snooker in teams of two.
They were soon joined by five more, who placed various bets on the
table, backing either team. As the conversation and laughter around
the snooker table became more raucous, the Australian accents were
unmistakable. After the first game, three Filipino men, who were
obviously friends of the group, joined them and it looked like they
were all settled in for the next few hours. Jamie and Jacko wandered
over to the table and joined several spectators watching the action.
At the end of the second game, Jamie stepped over to a large
smiling man with salt-and-pepper hair and a protruding belly, who

58
was establishing the players in the next game. ‘G’day mate, can
anyone join in the fun?’
‘Yeah, no problem, cobber,’ he said. ‘Haven’t seen you blokes
around here before.’
‘No, we’ve only just arrived in Manila,’ said Jamie. ‘I’m Jamie
Munro and this is Jack O’Brien, better known as Jacko.’
‘My name’s Norm, Norm Peters,’ he said. ‘What do you fellows
do?’
‘We’re in the export/import business, Norm,’ said Jamie. ‘Just
looking around the Philippines to see what’s available.’
‘Good for you. I’m in the marine salvage business myself,’ said
Norm. ‘You’d better join us in a game of snooker. Let me introduce
you to the other blokes.’
Jamie wasn’t sure he would be able to remember all their names
but as they ordered a new round of beers, he figured he would get to
know some of them around the snooker table.
‘Either of you blokes ever play snooker before?’ asked Norm.
‘No, but I’ve been watching you coves and I think I could do it,’
said Jacko. ‘You might have to explain some rules as we go along.’
‘Okay, Gregorio and I’ll play you two next game and see how it
goes,’ said Norm, winking to the others and handing a cue to a tall
plumpish Filipino with a happy smile. ‘Lay your bets, fellas. Jimbo
here will set the odds.’
Jimbo was a tall thin Australian who collected the betting money
and wrote notes in a small book. As they began playing, he
announced that the team of Norm and Gregorio was four to one on
and the team of Jamie and Jacko was eight to one against.
Jamie, having only played one game of billiards in his life, found
it very difficult to line up the red balls correctly. However, after the
score had reached 27 to 8 in favour of Norm’s team, Jacko began
getting the directions and angles right and after all the red balls had
been potted, he sank the last seven coloured balls for a winning score
of 33 to 32, to loud cheers from the few men who had bet on the
newcomers.
‘Bloody hell, you’ve been sand-baggin’, mate,’ Norm said to
Jacko. ‘Anyone who can play like that has played a lot.’

59
 ‘Never played it before, old mate,’ said Jacko. ‘There’re no
snooker tables where I come from.’
‘Where’s that, Jacko?’ asked Norm.
‘Tennant Creek, in the middle of the Northern Territory,’ said
Jacko.
‘Jacko’s got a good sense of direction,’ said Jamie.
‘My bloody oath he has,’ said Norm. ‘C’mon, I’ll buy the next
round of drinks.’
As they watched others competing at the snooker table, Norm
explained that he was part of a marine salvage crew who were raising
a sunken ship near the wharf at Poro Point, San Fernando in La Union
Province, about 170 miles north of Manila. They were working on
behalf of an American mining engineer, Vic Lednicky, who had
secured the title to the old Lepanto copper mine in the mountains east
of the Poro Point port. Norm said that the Japanese had been keen to
mine copper from Lepanto as part of their war effort, but while they
were marching up the road to the mine in early 1942, an American
engineer, George Scholey, blew up both the mine and the treatment
plant and escaped into the mountains. He apparently did such a good
job of it that the Japanese were only able to get the mine and
treatment plant up and working again in late 1944. The first shipment
of copper concentrates destined for Japan was sunk by the US Air
Force just after leaving the dock at Poro Point.
‘Mr Lednicky reckons there’s more than 6,000 tons of copper in
concentrate aboard that ship and when we raise it, he’ll have enough
capital to start the mining operation again,’ said Norm. ‘I’m just
having a week’s break in Manila while we’re waiting for some more
equipment. That tall fellow over there with the notebook is Jim
Jackson, a metallurgist, who’s helping Mr Lednicky with planning the
refurbishment of the flotation mill.’
‘I’d like to talk to you coves about something else while you’re
here,’ said Jamie. ‘Where are you fellas staying?’
‘In a small hotel a short distance from here, Hotel Filipinas,’ said
Norm. ‘Fairly scrubby but not bad. It’s got plumbing that goes bang
in the night, though.’
They were watching two of the other snooker players when Jamie
heard a deep American voice from behind him calling his name.

60
 ‘Mr Munro, is that you?’ said the American as Jamie turned
around. ‘I met you the other night at the High Commissioner’s
reception.’
Jamie remembered the face of the tall American but couldn’t quite
place him.
‘I’m Jeffrey Hunt, the US Vice Consul,’ said Mr Hunt with an
amused expression. ‘You probably only remember me dressed in a
formal barong.’
‘Oh yes, sorry. We’ve met so many people ...’ said Jamie.
‘Don’t worry about that. I often have a late lunch here. Why don’t
you and your friend join me,’ said Jeffrey Hunt. ‘It’s just me and a
friend of mine and we can have a table for four. The lobster and crab
here are to die for.’
‘Well, I ... er ... yes, okay, that would be nice,’ said Jamie with a
glance at Jacko as they followed Jeffrey Hunt into the dining area of
the Selecta Restaurant. Hunt introduced them to Shane Harris, a
taciturn dumpy man with thinning hair who eyed them warily and
didn’t seem at all happy to meet them.
‘Don’t worry about Shane,’ said Jeffrey Hunt with a hearty laugh.
‘He always looks like he’s about to eat you, but I’m sure you’ll all get
on. Shane runs a garment factory, a sweat shop, at Muntinlupa, south
of Manila, making shirts and trousers for export. He thinks that all
visitors to Manila are suspicious and about to go into competition
with him.’
‘Stuff you, Jeffrey,’ said Shane Harris with a poker face. ‘He’s
always full of piss and wind. Nice to meet you guys. What are you
doing here?’
‘We work with the Australian Government and we’re just here to
have a look around the Philippines to see where our country might be
able to help fix some of the war damage,’ said Jamie.
‘War damage, eh?’ said Shane gruffly. ‘What then?’
‘We’ll be reporting back to our government with some
recommendations as to what can be done,’ said Jamie, a bit put off by
the garment man’s attitude.
‘What recommendations are you talking about?’ said Shane
Harris.

61
 ‘Goddamn, come on Shane, lighten up,’ said Jeffrey. ‘These guys
have only been here a couple of days. Let’s order some drinks and a
fish platter.’
The food and beers arrived quite quickly, while Shane Harris
continued to stare morosely at the two Australians and Jeffrey Hunt
made light conversation.
‘Hey, have you guys ever seen the Jai Alai?’ Jeffrey asked.
‘Jai Alai?’ said Jacko.
‘Yeah, Jai Alai. It’s a Basque Spanish game played by young
pelotaris. They hurl a ball against a wall using a special basket and it
bounces back like a golf ball at over 100 miles an hour,’ explained
Jeffrey. ‘It’s one of the fastest games in the world, sort of like a
supersonic game of squash.’
‘No, I don’t think either of us has seen that,’ said Jamie.
‘Listen, I’ll take you there this evening. You can’t come to Manila
without going to the Jai Alai,’ said Jeffrey. ‘It’s in a big art deco
building just east of Rizal Park. Tell your driver the corner of Taft
and Kalaw. He’ll probably know it anyway. I won’t take no for an
answer.’
‘Okay, I wouldn’t mind seeing that,’ said Jamie. ‘What about you,
Jacko?’
‘Absolutely! Sounds great. What time should we get there?’ asked
Jacko.
‘I’ll meet you there at seven,’ said Jeffrey. ‘When you go in the
main entrance ask for Jeffrey Hunt from the US Consulate and they’ll
tell you where to go. We can have dinner there while we watch the Jai
Alai matches and you can place bets on them. The food is good. They
serve American beef there.’
‘Okay, we’ll be there at seven and ask for you,’ said Jamie.
‘That’s it. We’ll have a chance of talking about what you hope to
achieve here and how I can help,’ said Jeffrey. ‘We’ll also have a
chance to win some money if we’re lucky tonight. What about you,
Shane? You want to come?’
Shane Harris grunted and shook his head.
‘I’ll take that as a no, then,’ said Jeffrey, laughing.
After finishing their lunch, Jamie and Jacko walked outside with
the other two who took off in a Cadillac with an American flag on the

62
front. When the car was out of sight amongst the traffic on Dewey
Boulevard, they went back inside and rejoined the snooker players,
most of whom were preparing to leave.
A snooker game had just finished with some cheering and
exchanges of money. Norm turned to Jamie and said, ‘Would you like
another game, mate? The rest of these blokes have to get back to
work after their drink of lunch, but Jimbo and I are in no hurry to go
anywhere.’
‘We might forget the snooker, but we’d like to talk to you and Jim
about a project which you could help us with over the next couple of
days,’ said Jamie. ‘We’ll sit down at one of the tables over there and
discuss it if it’s okay with you.’
‘We’ll be in anything as long as it doesn’t involve work,’ said
Norm. ‘We’re on holidays, mate.’
After they were seated at a square table, Jamie ordered some more
beers and said, ‘I’m going to tell you something which you mustn’t
talk about, but I think I can trust you fellows,’ said Jamie. ‘I’m gonna
have to anyway.’
‘Sounds bloody intriguing,’ said Jim Jackson.
‘Jacko and I are with the CIS, which is an intelligence organisation
based in Australia with links to MI6, Interpol and US intelligence,’
said Jamie. ‘Except for the local US intelligence operative and his
High Commissioner, you’re the only two people in Manila who know
this.’
‘Bloody hell!’ said Norm. ‘What do you want from us?’
‘We want you to pretend to be a couple of Australian policemen
visiting Manila, and hold a press conference just before you go back
to San Fernando. You’ll need to get out of town straight after that
publicity,’ said Jamie. ‘You’ll have false names and a false address,
and we’ll make sure you don’t get involved. We want to flush out
some people running a racket, smuggling very young children from
Manila to a paedophile syndicate in Australia. I believe they probably
send children to other countries as well.’
‘Bloody oath, I’ll be in that,’ said Norm.
‘Me too,’ agreed Jim. ‘Must be a mob of bad bastards.’
‘So, when are you leaving to go back north?’ asked Jamie.

63
 ‘Two days after tomorrow, mate,’ said Norm. ‘All my extra
salvage gear should be arriving at Poro Point by then.’
‘Okay, I’ll try to set it up for the day after tomorrow,’ said Jamie.
‘We’ll have to write a script for you and we’ll get our friend from US
Intelligence to organise a phony address and a press conference
somewhere. Think up a couple of names for yourselves. Not John
Smith or anything like that.’
‘I always wanted to be George. George Barnes, how about that?’
said Norm. ‘Who do you want to be, Jimbo?’
‘I reckon Don Fletcher will do me,’ said Jim.
‘Yer getting into the spirit already,’ said Jacko with a chuckle.
‘We’ll catch up with you blokes tomorrow here before noon,’ said
Jamie. ‘I hope to have it set up by then and I’ll have some lines for
you to learn.’
‘We’ll be here, for sure.’

64
 CHAPTER 9

Arriving back at the Manila Hotel mid-afternoon, Jamie and Jacko

found Harry waiting for them in the lobby.
‘Hi guys, I got some news for you,’ he said. ‘It took a lot longer
than I expected and I was shuffled from bureau to bureau, but I’ve got
what you wanted. The Leon Dagat is a registered fishing boat fully
owned by a company headed by a guy named Francisco Tan in Cebu
City. Francisco Tan is also part owner in another five fishing boats,
all as large as the Leon Dagat.’
‘Okay, thanks a lot, Harry,’ said Jacko. ‘Your blood’s worth
bottling, mate. All we have to do is find Francisco Tan to get a line on
the boats.’
‘That shouldn’t be too hard,’ said Harry. ‘Cebu’s not the biggest
city in the world, maybe 200,000 population, and any number of
people involved with the fishing fleet should know Mr Tan.’
‘How do we get there, Harry?’ asked Jamie.
‘Easy! There are several flights a day to Mactan Island where the
former military airport is and some of the old US Navy’s landing craft
are used to ferry people, cars and horses a short distance across the
bay to Cebu,’ said Harry. ‘Plenty of places to stay and you can hire a
jeep and driver. I’ll come with you if you like. This has obviously
become my case as much as yours. I’ll try to organise a USAF aircraft
for us.’
‘You’re most welcome to come with us,’ said Jamie. ‘I’m not sure
where we’d be without you anyway. We’ve got some news for you
too.’
‘Good! Let me have it.’
‘We’ve made a plan to get two Australians based in Northern
Luzon to pretend to be Australian police officers,’ said Jamie.
‘They’ll hold a press conference to ask the public for information
regarding a child-kidnapping gang taking homeless children to
Australia for slavery. It could flush out some of the baddies.’
‘Yeah, it sure could,’ said Harry. ‘So, you’ve got two Australians
lined up to do this, have you?’

65
 ‘Yep! They’ll be going back to their work up north in a couple of
days’ time, so we’ll try to get the press conference underway by the
day after tomorrow. After that they’ll leave Manila immediately,’ said
Jamie. ‘They’ll assume the names George Barnes and Don Fletcher.
We have to find a likely address where they won’t actually be
staying. We also have to organise the newspapers. Apart from
flushing out some of the conspirators, it should also divert people’s
attention from us.’
‘Yeah, okay. Sounds like it could work. I think I can help you,’
said Harry. ‘I’d suggest the address could be one of the small hotels
around the port area. I can easily organise that. I can also help you
with the Manila Courier and Manila Times and possibly one or two
of the Tagalog language rags. Won’t it put the two Australians in
danger?’
‘Soon after the press conference they’ll vanish completely from
Manila and revert to their real names up north,’ said Jamie. ‘We’ll be
working out some lines for them to memorise and we might have to
change their appearance slightly.’
‘It’s pretty hard to identify anyone from the low-quality photos in
Manila’s newspapers, but hats, dark glasses and perhaps even
moustaches would be a good idea,’ said Harry. ‘Don’t let anyone
know their real names, even me. As you’ve already told me, these
kidnappers are ruthless.’
‘We plan to keep them well out of danger’s way,’ said Jamie.
‘We’ll give them their lines tomorrow and plan everything for the
next day. By the way, we ran into your Vice Consul, Jeffrey Hunt,
today and he’s invited us to join him at the Jai Alai tonight.’
‘Ol’ Jovial Jeffrey, eh?’ said Harry. ‘He can talk under water, our
Jeffrey, but he’s not a bad guy. Don’t tell him any secrets though. He
might blabber them all over the place. Can’t keep a secret, our
Jeffrey.’
‘Don’t worry, Harry,’ said Jamie. ‘The only coves who know
about us are you and the two Aussies, and we’ll keep it that way.’
‘Good for you. The Jai Alai is goddamn spectacular. You’ll love
it.’

****

66
In near darkness, following the usual bright-red sunset over Manila
Bay, their car pulled up outside the magnificent Art Deco building
east of Rizal Park.
‘José,’ Jamie told their driver, ‘you can leave the car at the hotel
and go home. We’ll walk back after the Jai Alai.’
After entering the front door and asking for Vice Consul Hunt,
they were directed to the Sky Room on the top floor of the four-storey
building. Stepping out of the elevator, they saw Jeffrey Hunt waving
at them from one of the tables near a glass partition looking down on
the Jai Alai court. As they approached the table, an attractive blonde
lady turned around and they recognised Fiona Goodman, the chief of
Public Diplomacy at the US High Commission.
‘Hi guys,’ said Jeffrey in a loud voice. ‘You remember Fiona from
the other night? She was at a loose end and decided to join us.’
‘Hello, you two,’ she said smiling. ‘I’ve always loved the Jai Alai
and when I heard Jeffrey was going, well ...’
‘Yes, sit down, guys,’ said Jeffrey. ‘Glad you could come. These
are the last weeks for Jai Alai to be played here. War damage to the
building has been fixed but I’m told it’s going to be taken over by the
Red Cross eventually. The Jai Alai will be moved somewhere else in
a month or so.’
Jamie and Jacko could see four players practising on a large three-
walled court below them. They had long woven baskets attached to
their right hands which they used to catch a ball and propel it to an
end wall at tremendous speed.
‘The court, known as the fronton, is 180 feet long and 55 feet
wide. The players are known as pelotaris. The ones you see here are
mainly Basques from northern Spain,’ explained Jeffrey. ‘They are
young and fast. They have to have very fast reflexes.’
‘When do they start the game?’ asked Jacko.
‘Around eight o’clock. We’ll order dinner now,’ said Jeffrey. ‘The
Sky Room speciality is a large rib steak all the way from the old US
of A. I can totally recommend that. We’ll also have a fine bottle of
Chateauneuf du Pape which is perfect with steak.’
Jeffrey Hunt ordered and asked the waiter for some betting cards.
He explained to Jamie and Jacko that it was customary to bet on the
success or otherwise of individual pelotaris, and that it was just a

67
matter of ticking boxes on the card, one peso for each tick, and
recording the table number. They filled in their betting cards and the
waiter took them away. Jeffrey explained he would return the cards at
the end of each section with the winnings, if any. The steaks arrived
and were, as Jeffrey had described, large, and served with peas, beans
and red potatoes on the side. The waiter filled four large glasses with
wine and Jeffrey ordered another bottle.
As they tucked into the steaks, Jeffrey cleared his throat and with a
big smile said, ‘Well guys, I’ve got to ask you what you’re doing here
and how I can help you. That means I can then charge this evening to
the long-suffering US taxpayer.’
‘We’re in the early stages of our war damage report,’ said Jamie.
‘Perhaps your office would have a current list of the state of damage
to all the churches in Intramuros? That would help us.’
‘Churches in Intramuros?’ said Fiona Goodman. ‘Why on earth
would your government be interested in churches?’
‘We believe that most of those churches are very historic as well
as being iconic to the Filipino people,’ said Jamie.
‘I’ll have to check if the High Commission has that sort of data,’
said Jeffrey. ‘I can understand your wanting that.’
‘Is there any other reason why you’re here, apart from looking at
war damage and churches?’ asked Fiona. ‘Are you engineers or
something like that?’
‘No, we’re just government plodders,’ said Jamie. ‘Once we’ve
submitted our report, that’s when the engineers will arrive.’
There was a loud cheer from the stalls below the Sky Room and
Jeffrey said, ‘Whoa, the fun is about to start. You can leave off
interrogating these young plodders, Fiona, and let’s watch the action.’
The action was extremely fast and furious, with two pelotaris on
the court at any one time using the long baskets to catch the ball and
then sling it at tremendous speed against the right-hand wall from
where it often ricocheted off the other walls. The game involved great
skill and fast reflexes. Jacko thought to himself that he would like to
try it sometime. At the end of the first session, the waiter returned to
their table and handed 48 pesos to Jacko and 10 to Jeffrey, telling
them that these were their winnings.

68
 ‘Obviously, the best way to win money at the Jai Alai is to know
nothing at all about the game,’ said Jacko.
‘That’s right, Jacko,’ said Jeffrey. ‘The results of the games are
mostly rigged, so winning is just dumb luck unless you’re in the
know.’
‘Rigged?’ exclaimed Jacko.
‘Yes, I believe so,’ said Jeffrey. ‘I’m told there’s a group of
wealthy Spanish Filipinos who win most of the time; however, it’s
fun to have a bit of money riding on the games.’
After the second session, Jacko was again a winner with another
20 pesos. By that stage they all decided to leave but agreed, if they
came to the Jai Alai again, they would all copy Jacko’s betting card.
The doorman at the entrance to the building called Jeffrey’s and
Fiona’s cars using a megaphone, and Jamie and Jacko told them they
would walk.
‘I’ll see if I can get you some damage assessment on the
Intramuros churches,’ said Jeffrey. ‘Goodnight guys, hope you
enjoyed it.’
‘I’ll give you a lift in my car if you like, you plodders,’ said Fiona.
‘Thanks, Fiona, but after that large steak, the walk will do us
good,’ said Jamie.
They thanked Jeffrey for the hospitality and set off across Rizal
Park towards the Manila Hotel, which was lit up about half a mile
ahead of them. Several people were strolling through the park, dimly
illuminated by electric lamps at intervals along the central path. There
was also a bright moon overhead.
‘That Jai Alai is a pretty exciting sport, Cap,’ said Jacko. ‘Jeffrey
seems a good sort of fellow. I’m not sure about Fiona, though.’
‘Yeah, she’s always suspicious of us,’ said Jamie. ‘A cynical
lady!’
‘Do you think she could be involved with the child smugglers,
Cap?’
‘She could be, but it’s hard to believe. Whether she is or not, we
certainly don’t need everyone in the US High Commission chatting
about what we’re really doing here. Mum’s the word.’

****

69
Except for a group of noisy foreigners playing darts in the far corner
of the bar, there were few customers in Lina’s Bar. The American,
sitting in the darkest corner of the bar, ordered drinks for himself and
the two Filipinos opposite him.
‘Are you all set to go to Batangas, Micky?’ he said, looking at the
tall, thin Miguel Ocampo, a picture of sartorial elegance in an
embroidered barong tagalog.
‘Go tomorrow, boss,’ said Miguel. ‘Fourteen bata this time. The
boat’s ready to go to Cebu. I’ll go with it this time, then go to
Australia in Frank’s boat.’
‘Good for you, Micky,’ said the American. ‘We can’t have
anything go wrong this time. What about you, Al? Were you able to
find out anything about those two Australians, Munro and O’Brien?’
‘Nothing. Their visas were handled by the Americans and we can’t
get any details out of them,’ said Alejandro García.
‘Surely, as the Assistant Commissioner for Immigration you could
request the information from the US High Commission?’ said the
American.
‘Already have, Mr Smith, but no response,’ said Alejandro.
‘How about Antonio dela Cruz?’ said the American. ‘Anything to
report there?’
‘Hindi, no, he says the Australians just go sightseeing,’ said
Alejandro, ‘He’ll keep an eye on them.’
Just then, one of the darts players came over to their table and sat
down.
‘G’day, fellas, ’owyer goin’?’ he said in a broad Australian accent.
‘Everything’s ready to go, Spud,’ said the American. ‘Micky is
taking the cargo down to Batangas first thing tomorrow and then by
boat to Cebu. He’ll also go on Frank’s boat to Australia to make sure
there are no screw-ups this time. You can give him the list of call
signs and radio frequencies to use during the voyage. How did the
other thing go?’
‘It seems that Ignacio and his crew member, Rodrigo, met an
untimely end in Fanny Bay gaol,’ said the Australian. ‘Very sad.
Flower of youth and all that. I’ve got all the frequencies and call signs
here for Micky. Our blokes will be waiting at Bathurst Island to pick
up the cargo.’

70
 ‘I’ll let you know when we’re ready to leave Cebu,’ said Miguel.
‘Goodo, mate. I’ll have everything ready at the Darwin end,’ said
the Australian.
‘Okay, I’ll leave you to it,’ said the American, getting up to go.
‘Let’s not piss it up against the wall this time, guys.’

****

Late next morning, Jacko and Jamie had joined the crowd around the
snooker table at the Selecta. Jacko was called upon to play four
games of singles as several of the guests were keen to try their luck
against him after his performance the day before. He won two and
lost two, much to the entertainment of the crowd who said he would
always be welcome as a regular. When most of the group had left in
the early afternoon, Jamie and Jacko sat at a table near the bar with
Norm Peters and Jim Jackson. Jamie handed them a few pages with
lines to memorise for the press interview the following day.
‘Yeah, looks pretty simple to me,’ said Norm. ‘Whaddaya reckon,
Jimbo?’
‘Won’t be too hard,’ said Jim. ‘Will we have to wear police
uniforms?’
‘No, no, just ordinary tropical gear. Shirt and shorts’ll do,’ said
Jamie. ‘You are plain-clothes detectives. Have you got broad-
brimmed hats and dark glasses?’
‘Yeah, of course,’ said Norm.
‘Well, keep them on during the interview because I’m told Manila
newspaper photos are low quality and it’d be difficult to be
recognised from them,’ said Jamie. ‘Ah, here comes our OSS
intelligence colleague now.’
Harry Williams saw them as he entered the bar and joined them at
the table, where he was introduced to the salvage expert and the
metallurgist.
‘From now on, these two fellows are Detectives George Barnes
and Don Fletcher, here in Manila to find some child smugglers,’
Jamie told Harry.
‘Very good. I’ve booked the press interview for two o’clock at the
ground floor lounge of the Lily Hotel in the port area,’ said Harry,

71
writing in his notebook. ‘It’s a one-and-a-half-star hotel and I’ll be
booking the detectives in this afternoon, paying a week in advance,
which isn’t much, by the way. Only a few pesos.’
‘Sounds like my style of hotel,’ said Norm. ‘When do we go
there?’
‘Come around to the Hotel Manila at around noon tomorrow and
we’ll go from there,’ said Harry. ‘What sort of disguise has Jamie
worked out for you?’
‘They’re gonna be in broad-brimmed hats and dark glasses,’ said
Jamie.
‘That’ll do it. You won’t need any more than that,’ said Harry.
‘When we get to the Lily Hotel tomorrow, you should already be
wearing your hats and glasses. You can chat up the girls at reception
for a while so they’ll remember you. I’ll organise to leave some old
clothes, toothbrushes and other things in your rooms. You won’t
necessarily need to see the rooms but you can if you want to. The
important thing is to vanish as soon as the press interview is over.’
‘Okay fellas, learn your lines and we’ll see you at the Hotel
Manila tomorrow,’ said Jamie. ‘You’ll have to do without snooker for
a while.’
‘No problem, mate,’ said Norm.

72
 CHAPTER 10

The Lily Hotel in the port area of Manila was hardly luxurious. The
outside walls were pockmarked with bullet holes, and brown stain
lines above them extended down the sides, caused by rusting of the
low-quality steel in the concrete. Inside the lobby, pieces of plaster
were coming loose from the ceiling and walls. The fictitious
Australian detectives, George Barnes and Don Fletcher, had inspected
their booked hotel rooms which contained items of clothing,
toothbrushes and other personal belongings. They’d rumpled up the
beds and were now chatting flirtatiously with the pretty young girls
behind the reception desk. They both wore khaki shirts and shorts as
well as their disguise, the broad-brimmed hats and sunglasses. At
Harry’s suggestion, Jamie and Jacko had not accompanied them to
the Lily Hotel for fear of being recognised. It was important there was
no hint of their involvement.
At 1.45pm, Harry ushered the faux policemen into the hotel
lounge, which was in moderately better condition than the rest of the
hotel. Shortly after, journalists from several newspapers arrived and
while the photographers set up their equipment, the journalists took
their seats opposite the Australians. Harry melted into the
background.
The press interview went well. Norm and Jim remembered their
lines and answered all the questions about why they were in Manila.
The main theme was that they wanted to catch criminals involved in
child smuggling to Australia and were hoping that members of the
local public would be able to help them by coming forward if they
knew or had heard anything. While lights from the cameras flashed in
their eyes, they asked the journalists to note that they could be
contacted at the Lily Hotel if anyone in Manila had any information.
After a session of about half an hour, the journalists left. Making sure
they had all gone, Harry, Norm and Jim drove off in Harry’s car back
to the Manila Hotel. Removing their hats and sunglasses, they were
greeted in the hotel coffee shop by Jamie and Jacko.

73
 ‘Goddamn, that went well,’ said Harry. ‘These two guys could get
a job as actors in Hollywood any old time.’
‘That was bloody fun,’ said Norm. ‘I’d make a hell of an
undercover detective. Something to tell my grandkids one day. We
hope it’ll help you blokes catch your baddies.’
‘Don’t know how to thank you fellas. Anytime you’re in Darwin,
the drinks are on me,’ said Jamie.
‘I’ll remember that. There might be a bit of salvage work there
some time,’ said Norm. ‘Anyway, Jimbo and I’ll get underway now.
We’ve got all our gear in the car and we’ve got 170 miles to drive.
It’s not the best of roads. Might see you blokes over a hot snooker
table next time we’re down if you’re still around.’
Harry saw them drive off from the hotel car park and then said to
Jamie and Jacko, ‘Nothing much we can do now except wait for the
morning newspapers to come out and then there might be some
action. We should celebrate. What would you guys like to do this
evening?’
‘I’d like to go back to that Spanish restaurant, Casa de la Cocina I
think it’s called, where the guitar combo walks around the tables,’
said Jamie.
‘Yeah, that’s bloody good food,’ said Jacko. ‘Are you gonna play
guitar for us this evening, Cap?’
‘No way!’
‘Good plan, guys,’ said Harry, ‘I’ll see you back here about 6 and
we’ll go together.’

****

As they sat eating breakfast the following morning, Jamie and Jacko
read the Manila Times and the Manila Courier and agreed the result
of the previous day’s press interview had exceeded their expectations.
On the front page of the Manila Times, the headlines screamed
AUSTRALIANS ON THE TRAIL OF EVIL KIDNAPPERS while
the Courier carried the front-page banner of FOREIGN POLICE TO
HUNT DOWN CRIMINALS IN MANILA. Both articles explained
there was evidence that the gang of kidnappers could include both
Filipinos and foreigners residing in Manila.

74
 ‘As I was crossing the lobby just now, I saw that security guard,
dela Cruz, with his head into a local newspaper,’ said Jacko. ‘He
didn’t look at me at all, as he usually does.’
‘He might figure he has no reason to watch you now,’ said Jamie.
‘Yeah. It’ll be interesting to see what he does now,’ said Jacko. ‘I
guess Harry’s boys, Vic and Raffy, are still following him around?’
‘Yep, for sure, and speak of the devil,’ said Jamie, looking up and
seeing Harry approaching them. ‘G’day, Harry!’
‘G’day yourself,’ said Harry with a big smile. ‘Have you guys
seen the headlines?’
‘Bloody oath and bloody good,’ said Jacko.
‘The story’s even more embellished in the Tagalog language rags,’
said Harry. ‘Your boys did a great job.’
‘Yeah, we were just discussing your boys as well, Vic and Raffy,’
said Jamie. ‘It’ll be interesting to see what dela Cruz does now.’
‘Sure will, but not only that. I’ve recruited another couple of lads
who were science students at Santo Tomas Uni when the Japs took it
over,’ said Harry. ‘Their names are Jaime Bautista and Lorenzo
Mercado, better known as Jimmy and Lory. They’ll help you keep an
eye on the Lily Hotel over the next few days.’
‘Harry, you’re a man of many skills,’ said Jamie admiringly. ‘How
do you gather these fellows?’
‘Same as Vic and Raffy. I’m going to sponsor them to finish their
university courses, interrupted by the war, once things settle down.
The college year starts at the end of July,’ said Harry.
‘I’d like to help you with that as much as I can,’ said Jamie.
‘You’re a good man.’
‘Entirely selfish, Jamie,’ said Harry. ‘I’ve explained it all to my
boss in Washington and he’s happy to approve finance for the whole
thing. It means we get top-class guys working for us for a while. You
gentlemen don’t have to put your hands in your pockets.’
‘As I’ve said before, your blood’s worth bottling, Harry,’ said
Jacko.
‘It’ll take a lot of bottles,’ said Harry, laughing. ‘Bourbon whiskey
bottles preferably. I’ll bring Jimmy and Lory over here to meet you
after lunch and you can plan how to keep the Lily Hotel under

75
surveillance. I have some other work to do this afternoon so I’ll have
to leave you to it once you’ve met the lads.’
After Harry left, Jacko said to Jamie, ‘Listen, Cap. The best thing
is for me to take the two Filipino lads around to the Lily Hotel this
afternoon. I can almost pass for a Filipino but as a white man, you
stand out like a sore thumb.’
‘Yeah, I think you’re right. It would be best to rent another room
and use it as a base of operations for a few days and nights. If there’s
any reaction from the kidnappers, it’s most likely to happen tonight or
tomorrow.’
‘Or the next day, Cap. We can wait it out to see what happens, if
anything. Doesn’t matter how long it takes. I’m pretty good at wait-a-
while.’
‘I know that, Jacko. Just be careful. Since you’ve effectively put
me on the sideline, I’ll see if I can find Carna’s relatives,’ said Jamie.
‘You can take José and the car and I’ll use a kalesa to find the
address. Shouldn’t be too hard. The US High Commissioner knows
them. He said they live somewhere near the old Malate church in
Remedios Street. Her relatives may be able to give us some assistance
if we need it someday.’
‘Sounds good, Cap.’

****

By mid-afternoon, Jacko was sitting in the lobby of the Lily Hotel

drinking coffee with Jimmy and Lory. Lory had already booked a
twin room in the name of Lorenzo Mercado. The two had completed
a reconnaissance of the ground-floor facilities comprising a small bar
facing west over the port area, a lounge and a basic dining room/café
on the eastern side of the lobby. Jacko studied his companions who
both seemed eager and alert. Jimmy was relatively tall for a Filipino
with pale-brown skin and, Jacko speculated, probably had some
Chinese in his ancestry. Lory was short and thin but wiry with dark
skin and a ready laugh. He was the humorist of the two while Jimmy
was inclined to be serious.
‘The only other people on the ground floor apart from the
receptionists, a security guard, a waitress and a barman are three

76
foreigners drinking in the bar,’ said Lory, ‘and they’re probably off a
large Dutch freighter anchored in the bay. How long do you think it’ll
be before anything happens, sir?’ he asked.
‘It could be hours or days, I don’t know, but most likely in the
next 24 hours,’ said Jacko. ‘Lory, for Christ’s sake don’t call me sir.
My name’s Jacko.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘The most likely thing to happen is someone enquiring at the desk
about Mr Barnes and Mr Fletcher but whatever happens, don’t get
involved, okay?’ said Jacko. ‘We’ll just observe and, if we can, we’ll
follow them in the car. And Lory, if you call me sir again I’ll bang
you over the head, right?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Bloody hell! Hey, this coffee’s very good,’ said Jacko. ‘It’s got an
unusual flavour. Do you know what it is?’
‘Yes, it’s mountain coffee grown in the Mountain Provinces in
northern Luzon,’ said Jimmy. ‘The native highland people, the
Igorots, grow it and roast it. It’s good.’
‘I think we need another cup or two,’ said Jacko. ‘I’ll see if I can
find that waitress.’
‘I shall be the one, sir,’ said Lory, jumping up and heading for the
café.

****

The kalesa turned to the left off Dewey Boulevard into Remedios
Street and as they passed the ruins of the old Augustin Malate church,
Jamie guessed it was another victim of the Japanese occupation. Two
blocks further up the street just past the ruins of an old convent, there
was a closed gate with a security guard outside. Jamie climbed down
from the kalesa and asked the guard if this was the home of Don
Andrés Hidalgo Revilla.
The guard looked at him and said, ‘You can come inside and I’ll
find out if Don Andrés is available. The kalesa can’t come in the gate.
No!’
Paying off the kalesa, Jamie followed the guard into a square
flanked by various houses, mostly in some state of disrepair although

77
bamboo scaffolding indicated remedial work was going on. The guard
knocked on the door of one of the larger houses and talked to a maid,
who opened the door and then left.
‘Just wait here, sir,’ said the guard, who headed back to the gate.
A grey-haired man soon appeared in the doorway and asked Jamie
who he was.
‘My name’s James Munro, sir. I’ve recently arrived from Australia
and your niece, Encarnacion Hidalgo, asked me to pay my respects to
you. She gave me a letter for you.’
‘Ah, young Carna. Please come in, come in,’ said Don Andrés,
smiling as Jamie followed him into the house. ‘We haven’t seen or
heard from little Carna since before the war. How is she?’
‘She’s very well and living in Darwin. She’s working for a
pearling company there and seems very happy.’
They walked into a sitting room where they were met by a middle-
aged woman with a pleasant face who looked curiously at Jamie.
‘Ah, Gemma my love, this is Mr Munro, a friend of Carna,’ said
Don Andrés. ‘He has a letter from her.’
‘Carna, how is she? We haven’t heard from her. A letter you say,’
she said with some excitement. ‘Oh dear, I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten my
manners. Please sit down. Will you join us for some tea and cakes,
Mr Munro?’
‘That would be very nice.’
‘When did you arrive? You see, Carna’s father is my husband’s
cousin and we always thought of her as our favourite niece,’ she said.
‘Carna’s father and brother were killed by the Japanese. They were ....
oh .... it was horrible.’
‘Perhaps Mr Munro would like something stronger than tea, my
dear,’ Don Andrés interrupted.
‘Oh, no, that’s all right, sir.’
‘No, I insist. We have some old Spanish wine here which I’m sure
you’ll like,’ said Don Andrés. ‘We successfully hid it from the Japs,
luckily.’
‘Do you know Carna well, Mr Munro?’ asked Gemma Revilla.
‘No, I’ve only known her since Christmas but she has helped me
and my group a lot. She is very clever and a good linguist.’

78
 ‘You must tell us what you are doing here and how our niece is
involved with your group,’ said Don Andrés, handing Jamie a glass of
clear red wine.
Jamie explained about finding the boat from the Philippines and
how Carna had helped by translating for the little boy, Miguel, and
also the interrogation of the prisoners. He explained that he and his
colleague were trying to run down the child kidnappers in Manila.
‘Once you find these criminals, what will you do?’ asked Don
Andrés.
‘That’s a good question. Once we find out who they are, we hope
the authorities here can put them away,’ said Jamie. ‘We also hope to
find out who their contacts are in Australia so that we can stop this
racket.’
‘I have considerable influence in the military,’ said Don Andrés. ‘I
think the Philippine military police might be more effective in putting
the criminals away than the Manila police. Some of them, it is sad to
say, can be easily bribed. The High Commissioner can take care of
any Americans involved, of course. Keep me informed of your
progress and let me know when you believe it is time to involve the
military police.’
‘Yes sir, thank you. I’m happy that I have met you and I’ll
certainly keep you up to date.’
‘We are also happy to meet you, Mr Munro,’ said Mrs Revilla,
opening her niece’s letter. ‘Please stay for a while and tell us more
about Carna and what she is doing.’

****

In the late afternoon, after multiple cups of coffee, Jacko and his two
new Filipino friends had ordered some cold San Miguel beers and
were discussing their plans to ensure that at least one of them would
be watching the hotel lobby while two others slept during the night.
The driver, José, had told them he would be happy to sleep in the car,
which was more comfortable than his bed at home, he said.
By this time, the three foreigners who had been drinking in the bar
had departed and two more foreigners, probably also crew from the

79
same ship, had arrived and were sitting up at the bar noisily arguing
in some Teutonic language. Most probably Dutch, Jacko thought.
As the sunset turned to a bright red-orange across the other side of
Manila Bay, they decided to have a quick snack in the café. Just as
they were finishing off their beers, two burly Filipinos walked up to
the reception desk and started talking quietly but aggressively in the
Tagalog language with the two receptionists. Jacko made a sign to his
companions and they all sat still, watching the new arrivals. After a
short while the two men ran up the stairs and Jacko asked his friends
what they’d been saying.
‘They were asking about foreigners staying in the hotel,’ said
Jimmy. ‘The girls were intimidated and gave them the numbers of the
rooms booked for the pretend police.’
‘Well, as soon as they leave, we’ll jump in the car and follow
them,’ said Jacko.
When the muscular Filipinos came down the stairs again, they
studied Jacko’s group but as soon as they saw the foreigners sitting at
the bar, they both suddenly drew large revolvers from under their
shirts and started shooting.
Jacko, Jimmy and Lory hit the floor behind some chairs as the ear-
splitting boom of gunfire erupted, echoing throughout the ground
floor, with a background of screams from the reception desk.
After emptying their revolvers, the two thugs raced out the door
and jumped into a car, which sped off towards the northern end of the
city. Jacko looked up and saw that both the foreigners in the bar were
sprawled on the floor with blood and body parts spattered all over the
place and the barman was nowhere in sight.
‘Hi naku naman!’ said Lory.
‘My God, I didn’t expect that,’ said Jacko. ‘We won’t catch them
now and I’m not sure I want to face them unarmed anyway.’
Two frightened faces appeared over the top of the reception desk
and Jacko went to look behind the bar where he found the body of the
barman covered in blood and shattered glass.
‘Those murdering bastards must have thought the sailors were the
Australian police detectives,’ said Jacko. ‘Bloody hell! I think we’d
better leave right now. I don’t particularly want to be around when
the police arrive.’

80
 ‘Yes, sir. I think José also will be wondering what happened,’ said
Jimmy.
‘Yeah, I reckon. Let’s get out of here, fellas.’

81
 CHAPTER 11

‘They just went into the bar with guns blazing and ripped those two
seamen to shreds!’ Jacko told Jamie and Harry. ‘I’m pretty sure they
were Dutch, but the gunmen obviously thought they were the
Australian policemen they’d read about in the papers. The barman got
it too.’
‘Goddamn ruthless bastards!’ said Harry. ‘I’m glad none of you
were hurt.’
‘No, the boys and I hit the floor pretty quickly and stayed out of
sight,’ said Jacko. ‘They probably thought we were all Filipinos,
including me. Lucky you weren’t there, Jamie.’
‘Yeah, that’s true. No place for a white man. We certainly got a
reaction,’ he said, ‘much more than we’d planned for. It’s
unbelievable. I didn’t think our plan would be so lethal. Boy, they’re
a truly ruthless mob, all right. I feel guilty about those Dutch sailors. I
really do.’
It was around eight o’clock and seven of them were having dinner
in the dining room of the Manila Hotel: Harry, Jamie, Jacko and the
four Filipinos, Vic, Raffy, Lory and Jimmy. Vic and Raffy had
followed the security guard, Antonio dela Cruz, all day and reported
that he was now on duty in the hotel.
‘After he left the hotel this morning he went to his home, stayed
there for an hour,’ said Vic. ‘Then he went to del Pilar Street in
Ermita and met another Filipino and a tall foreigner on the sidewalk. I
couldn’t get close enough to hear what they were saying but the
foreigner was waving a copy of the Manila Courier around.’
‘Can you describe the foreigner?’ asked Jamie.
‘Tall white man, plenty hair, long nose, blue eyes, wearing a short-
sleeve barong. I think American,’ said Vic. ‘He looked worried. The
Filipino wears long-sleeve barong, official looking. Quite short with
thinning hair.’
‘Did they go anywhere together?’ asked Harry.

82
 ‘No, just talk, then dela Cruz leaves and goes home. I follow,’ said
Vic. ‘Then him comes here not long ago. Raffy meets me near his
home and we both come here.’
‘Yeah, that’s a pity, although it was my order just to follow the
security guard,’ said Harry. ‘I wish we knew where the other two
went. The American and the official-looking Filipino.’
‘Perhaps they went to Lina’s Bar in Mabini,’ said Jamie. ‘What do
you say we go clubbing tonight?’
‘Yeah, good idea,’ said Harry.
‘After this afternoon it looks like we might need to be armed,’ said
Jamie. ‘Is there anywhere we can buy a gun, Harry?’
‘You can buy guns off the shelf here like candies in a candy shop,’
said Harry. ‘The Philippines has adopted all the good things in the US
constitution along with all the bad things.’
‘We’ll go shopping tomorrow with your help, Harry,’ said Jamie.
‘We’ll see whether we can get a couple of suitable side arms.’
‘No problem, guys,’ said Harry. ‘When we’ve finished dinner, the
boys can go home and we’ll go out on the town. What time does dela
Cruz’s shift finish tomorrow, Raffy?’
‘Eight in the morning, sir.’
‘Come back then and follow him, no?’ said Harry.
‘Yessir!’
‘If he meets a tall American again, follow the American, okay?’
‘Yessir!’
‘We’ll send José home too,’ said Jamie. ‘We can walk to Mabini
from here.’

****

At 9.30, Lina’s Bar was almost empty except for the usual group of
foreigners playing darts near the far end of the bar. Lina saw them
enter and asked what they would like to drink. They ordered three
cold San Miguels and Lina studied them with an appraising eye.
‘You’re the three Australians who were here before,’ she said.
‘How are you enjoying Manila?’
‘Very much,’ said Jamie. ‘We were just looking for an American
who we were told often comes here.’

83
 ‘What’s his name,’ she asked.
‘Not sure. He’s tall with blue eyes,’ said Jamie.
Lina burst into laughter and said, ‘That’s like asking me if I have
seen a Filipina girl with long black hair. There are so many
Americans here and most of them look like that.’
‘I’m sorry, you are right. That was stupid of me, Lina,’ said Jamie,
blushing. ‘We’ll just pay for our beers and sit over there at one of the
booths.’
‘Perhaps your man is playing darts. Let me know when you need
another drink.’
During the next hour and a half, a few people came into Lina’s Bar
and none even roughly fitted the description of the mysterious Mr
Smith. Harry suggested they should wander down Mabini Street to
look at other clubs and bars and return to Lina’s later in the night. As
they were leaving, Lina waved and told them there would be some
pretty girls before midnight and Jacko called out to her that they
would probably return.
‘That gal is nobody’s fool,’ said Harry as they walked down
Mabini. ‘If she knew Mr Smith, she probably wouldn’t say. It’s
unlikely she knows him by that name anyway.’
‘I’m sure you’re right,’ said Jamie, then looking at Jacko, ‘Are you
okay, Jacko? You’ve just witnessed a brutal murder and you might
want an early night.’
‘Don’t worry about me, Cap. I’m fine.’
They looked in at several night spots. Some were girlie bars, some
had dancing with live bands, some were known as sports bars with
pool tables and some were just bars for drinking. All were starting to
fill up with American servicemen and other foreigners. Harry finally
led them to a well-lit nightclub named Jake’s Jungle Bar. As they
walked in, it was obvious that Harry was well known here. Several
young girls greeted him by name and he then introduced the others to
the owner, a tall thin crew-cut Canadian named Jake.
‘This looks like it might be your favourite watering hole, Harry,’
said Jacko.
‘Well, like most thirty-something men in the US intelligence
service, I’m divorced, single and fancy-free,’ said Harry. ‘This place
keeps me young and sane.’

84
 ‘Harry likes it here and you’ve come to the right place,’ said Jake.
‘Our eleven o’clock show is about to start. So, guys, grab a drink and
prepare to be well entertained.’
The lights dimmed and a curtain opened, revealing a stage with
drapes hanging at the back. To the accompaniment of guitars and
bongo drums, male and female dancers executed complex and
colourful flamenco dances with much stamping of heels and clicking
of castanets. As the show proceeded, more people arrived until there
was hardly room to move. The high-action flamenco dancing finished
to enthusiastic applause and was followed by bayanihan dancers
dressed in traditional Spanish/Filipino clothes stepping lightly to the
more melodious music like elegant ballet dancers. In contrast, the
final segment of the show featured an athletic version of the can-can
by five girls and ended in a leap and into the splits, much to the
delight of the audience.
‘Wow! That was spellbinding,’ said Jamie to Jake. ‘I can
understand why Harry comes here. Why don’t you charge an entrance
fee?’
‘Well, it pulls the crowd in and I charge double for drinks around
the show,’ said Jake. ‘If the girls can talk the men into buying them
drinks, they cost triple. We make more than enough to pay the
performers.’
‘Some of that belly dancing we saw in Cairo during the war
wouldn’t have been out of place during that show,’ said Jacko.
‘Hey guys, I’d like you to meet my best girl, Estela,’ said Harry, as
a pretty young Filipina girl joined the group and put an arm around
Harry’s waist.
They all introduced themselves to Estela who smiled.
‘Estela’s my psychologist,’ said Harry with a wink. ‘When things
get grim I can always talk it out with my honey here. She’s a good
listener even if she doesn’t have a clue what I’m talking about.’
‘You always full of toro ebak. You bullashit me, Harry,’ she said,
laughing.
‘You see, I feel better already,’ Harry chuckled.
‘Plenty of young chicks here for you to choose from if you want to
make a night of it,’ said Jake as several young girls surrounded the
group. ‘They all speak English.’

85
 ‘Yeah, some other time thanks, Jake. We have a few things to do
tonight,’ said Jamie. ‘Do you have this show at 11 every night?’
‘Yeah, sure. Also, at 1 o’clock,’ said Jake. ‘You guys come back
here any time. You know where we are. I have to go and take care of
some things at the bar now, so I’ll see you guys later.’
‘Yeah, thanks, Jake,’ said Harry. ‘What do you guys reckon? We
could have another drink and head back to the other place.’
‘Yeah, that’s fine,’ said Jamie. ‘We’ll get back there after
midnight.’
‘You not leave me here already, Harry?’ asked Estela. ‘Where you
go?’
Harry took her aside and handed her something, then whispered in
her ear. A smile broke out on her face and she jumped up and down
with excitement and then vanished behind the bar.
‘You must have told her she won the lottery, Harry,’ said Jacko.
‘Well, yeah. I just told her to go to my home later. My maid knows
her,’ he said with a mischievous grin and a wink. ‘I just feel in need
of some psychoanalysis tonight.’

****

In the dark corner booth of Lina’s Bar, the American glared at the
other two and then spoke to the Filipino.
‘Goddamn it, Al. Why the hell were your guys packing guns when
they went to the Lily, for God’s sake? I only wanted them to find out
whether the Australians were actually staying there.’
‘They don’t like to go anywhere without their .45s,’ said
Alejandro García.
‘Shooting the barman as well as the Australian police is going to
stir up a hornet’s nest,’ said the American. ‘You’d better get your
stupid gunslingers out of Manila until this mess blows over.’
‘You won’t have to worry about the Australian investigators
anymore,’ said Alejandro.
‘Don’t be an idiot, Al. The Australians will probably follow them
up with dozens more,’ he said. ‘Goddamn it! Are those hit men of
yours locals from Manila?’
‘No, they’re from Camarines Norte.’

86
 ‘Well, tell them to go there tonight and stay there until they hear
from us,’ said the American.
‘I’d better get down to Cebu by tomorrow,’ said the Australian.
‘The next shipment should be there in a few days.’
‘Yeah, Spud. Make sure Frankie Tan and Micky have the boat set
up for a long trip,’ said the American.
‘Gotcha, boss.’
‘Okay, let’s vamoose,’ said the American. ‘Al, make sure your
men are out of Manila right away, no?’

****

As Jamie, Jacko and Harry strolled back towards Lina’s Bar, they saw
the familiar figure of the US Vice Consul walking towards them.
‘Hi guys. Out on the town tonight?’ asked Jeffrey Hunt.
‘Yep. Showing the boys around all the fleshpots of this fair city,’
said Harry. ‘Where are you going, Jeffrey?’
‘I was just going to have a look in at the Nipa Hut where they have
Tinikling bamboo pole dancing at midnight,’ said Jeffrey. ‘You guys
should try it.’
‘What’s Tinikling?’ asked Jacko.
‘It’s a dance from Leyte Island in the Visayas. The Nipa Hut is
close by. I’ll show you,’ said Jeffrey.
The Tinikling dancing was in progress accompanied by guitars and
bamboo instruments. The dancers, men and women, wore straw hats
and brightly coloured clothes. In bare feet, they were stepping inside
and over two horizontal poles being tapped on the ground and then
against each other in quick succession by two other people. The
dancers had to be nimble and sure of step to avoid their ankles being
caught by the poles when they were clashed together. As the men
watched, the music and the tapping of the poles increased in tempo
until the dancers were moving their feet at a blur of speed.
The walls and ceiling of the bar were covered in strips of nipa
palm leaf, except one wall which was painted with an agricultural
scene of a rural village. A large audience, mostly foreigners, gave the
dancers plenty of appreciative applause at the finish of the dance after
which the dancers invited anybody in the audience to participate.

87
 The first volunteer was an American serviceman who was asked to
take off his shoes and then face one of the female dancers, holding
hands with her and having one foot inside the poles and one outside.
She advised him not to look down and that the dance would start
slowly. He moved his feet well so that he was not caught by the
bamboo poles coming together for a while but he lost the rhythm as
the tempo quickened and limped away dejectedly. Several other
volunteers tried with varying degrees of success and some with
bruised ankles. When Jacko had his turn, he proved to be a maestro at
Tinikling dancing, moving faster and faster while holding his gaze
straight ahead at the girl dancing with him. As the tempo increased,
the banging of the bamboo poles was faster and louder adding to the
excitement of the action. When the music suddenly stopped, the
audience broke into warm applause for Jacko who was panting
heavily. They all left soon after, as more and more volunteers put up
their hands to try their luck.
When they were outside, Jamie said to Jacko, ‘You’re a natural at
Tinikling, Jacko. They might offer you a job.’
‘I think I’ll get them to add that to the Warramunga corroboree at
Tennant Creek when we get back, Cap,’ said Jacko with a chuckle.
‘Did you guys hear about the shooting today?’ asked Jeffrey.
‘Shooting? No, what happened?’ said Harry.
‘There was a shooting near the port area earlier this evening,’ said
Jeffrey. ‘It’s rumoured that the two visiting Australian detectives who
were in the newspapers this morning were killed.’
‘You don’t say!’ said Harry. ‘Weren’t they trying to catch up with
some kidnappers here in Manila? Or something like that?’
‘Yeah, something like that,’ said Jeffrey. ‘Have you guys heard
anything about it?’
‘No, I read an article in the Chronicle about the Australian
detectives but I don’t remember the details,’ said Jamie. ‘They were
killed, you say?’
‘Yes, shot. That’s what I’ve heard so far,’ said Jeffrey. ‘I’ll be
going home now so I’ll leave you guys to get on with your night out.’
‘Yeah, we’ll see you later, Jeffrey,’ said Jamie. ‘Thanks for
introducing us to Tinikling.’
‘Glad you liked it. Goodnight, guys.’

88
 Jeffrey took off down one of the side streets towards the bay while
the other three strolled back to Lina’s Bar, which was busy at that
time of night. Most of the patrons were drinkers at the bar, darts
players or servicemen sitting with young Filipina girls in the booths.
Two of the booths were occupied by seven unattached young girls
who looked hopefully at the newcomers.
Sitting on high stools next to the bar, Jamie ordered three beers
and they casually looked around at the booths to see if there was
anyone filling the description of Mr Smith.
‘Welcome back, gentlemen.’ Lina came down to their end of the
bar and indicated the unattached young girls. ‘Do you see anything
you like?’
‘Not tonight thanks, Lina,’ said Jamie. ‘Maybe some other time.’
‘Some other time,’ she parroted, ‘yes, I’m sure. How was your
evening?’
‘Just great,’ said Jacko. ‘We’ve been to a good show at the Jungle
Bar and I’ve tried my hand, at least my feet, at dancing Tinikling in
the Nipa Hut.’
‘So, you’re getting right into the Filipino culture,’ she said with a
smile. ‘You should learn the language as well.’
‘How do we do that?’ asked Jamie.
‘Walang problema! You just need a long-haired female
dictionary!’ she laughed.
Finishing their drinks, they said goodnight to Lina and started
walking towards the Manila Hotel at the bay.
‘I wonder who told Jeffrey about the shooting at the Lily Hotel,’
said Harry.

89
 CHAPTER 12

The next morning, José drove them to a small bodega off Boston
Street opposite the Customs Bureau in the port area of Manila. Harry
talked to a man who took them into a locked room with a display of
firearms ranging from pocket pistols to semiautomatic rifles. Jamie
commented that there were enough firearms there to start a small war.
After a fair bit of haggling and bartering, they settled on purchasing
two Smith & Wesson .38 revolvers for Jamie and Jacko and a Colt
.45 semiautomatic handgun for Harry, who explained that any self-
respecting Texan shouldn’t have anything less than a Colt .45. When
Jacko asked him about acquiring licences, Harry told them the
administration hadn’t got around to issuing licences for guns in the
Philippines yet.
‘Manila’s the original Wild West town in the East,’ he said.
After purchasing shoulder holsters and boxes of ammunition, José
drove them back to the Manila Hotel. Jamie was surprised to see Don
Andrés Revilla standing at the reception desk. Don Andrés walked
over to him.
‘Good morning, Mr Munro,’ he said. ‘I’m very relieved to see you.
When we read that two foreigners had been shot dead in the same
hotel where two Australian policemen had been interviewed the
previous day, we were worried and didn’t know what to think. I’m
glad to see that you are okay.’
‘Yes, thank you, sir. We weren’t involved in the shooting,’ said
Jamie. ‘Please, let me introduce you to my two colleagues, Harry
Williams and Jack O’Brien. Mr Williams is with the US Office of
Strategic Services and Mr O’Brien works with me. This is Don
Andrés Revilla, the uncle of Carna Hidalgo who lives in Darwin and
has been a great help to us during our investigation.’
‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, gentlemen,’ said Don Andrés. ‘The
newspapers said that the dead foreigners were sailors from a Dutch
ship. Is that right?’

90
 ‘Yes, sir. It is possible that the sailors were in the wrong place at
the wrong time,’ said Jamie. ‘It could be that they may have been
mistaken for the Australian policemen who were interviewed.’
‘That’s terrible. We’ve just seen the end of a terrible war and now
people are still being killed,’ said Don Andrés. ‘I hope you’ll be
careful, Mr Munro.’
‘Yes sir, thank you, sir,’ said Jamie. ‘I’ll be careful.’
‘And don’t forget to tell me when you need someone apprehended
by the military police,’ said Don Andrés.
‘No, sir. I won’t forget. Thank you, sir,’ said Jamie.
‘I’ll go back home now and tell Gemma that you are in good
health. She was worried,’ said Don Andrés. ‘Nice to meet you all,
gentlemen. Adiós.’
Jamie explained to the others that he had enjoyed the hospitality of
Don Andrés and his wife the previous day. He told them that Don
Andrés had close friends who were leaders in the Philippine army and
had said the military police would be more effective than the local
police in arresting and holding the criminals, once they discovered
who they were. Harry agreed that this situation was probably true.
‘Now that we’re suitably armed and ready, I’ve requisitioned an
aircraft to fly us to Cebu this afternoon,’ he said. ‘We’ll see if we can
get a handle on the baddies in that part of their operation.’
‘That’s great, Harry,’ said Jamie. ‘When do we leave?’
‘Straight after lunch,’ said Harry. ‘I’ve put it around the High
Commission that I’m taking a fishing holiday in the Visayan Islands
for a few days. I’ll meet you here at 1.30 and we’ll go to the airport
together. We’ll take Lory Mercado with us. He can help us and he can
also speak the local Cebuano dialect. I’ve asked our other troops, Vic,
Raffy and Jimmy, to keep tabs on dela Cruz and, if he meets an
American, to find out who it is and where he goes.’
‘That’s perfect! Can we organise a vehicle when we get to Cebu?’
asked Jamie.
‘I’m way ahead of you,’ said Harry. ‘I’ve got a good contact in
Cebu. He’ll have a car and driver ready to pick us up at Mactan
Airport.’

91
 ‘As I keep repeating, your blood’s worth bottling, Harry,’ said
Jacko. ‘The baddies here in Manila must be a bit confused after
reading this morning’s newspapers.’
‘Yeah, they’ll be wondering what happened to the Australian
policemen,’ said Harry. ‘The Manila police will be a bit confused
too.’
‘Yeah, I reckon!’

****

A DC-3 with USAF markings and camouflage paint sat waiting on

the tarmac at the Nielson airfield and their car drove up to the rear
door of the aircraft.
The seats near the front of the aircraft were arranged so that Harry
and Lory sat with their backs to the cockpit, facing Jamie and Jacko,
with a table in between them. After take-off, Harry produced a leather
cup-like container with five dice and told them he would teach them
how to play a new game named Balut. The game was simple and had
been developed by an American serviceman, Eddie Woolbright, who
at that time owned a hotel in Tacloban City on the island of Leyte.
The game was addictive, he said, and was sweeping through the
Philippines.
By the time they arrived at Mactan Airport less than two hours
later, betting five centavos a point, Lory was the big winner,
pocketing 2.40 pesos. Exiting the aircraft into the warm humid air,
they had to shade their eyes from the glare of the sun shining onto the
near-white concrete apron of the runway. Adding to the glare was a
white 1938 Studebaker convertible sedan parked next to the door of
the DC-3. The young driver introduced himself to Harry as Edmundo
‘Ed’ Salazar, at their disposal for the next two or three days.
They loaded their luggage into the boot of the car and with the
car’s top down headed off from the airport, shortly arriving at the
western foreshore of Mactan Island where they waited in a queue of
cars, bicycles and kalesas. Ed drove them onto a large troop carrier
landing craft, which transported them across the Mactan Channel to
the mainland of Cebu. Once on shore, they drove to the central part of

92
the city where they checked into the old Magellan Hotel, which had
survived the war in relatively good condition.
Harry suggested they should go to a restaurant called the Sailor’s
Log Cabin in the port area, a favourite haunt of the many US veterans
who had decided to stay on in Cebu. The owners would be likely to
know where most of the large fishing vessels were based, and might
even know Francisco Tan.
Driving along Colon Street through the heart of the city with its
many sidewalk vendors, Harry pointed out some of the historical
buildings that had somehow survived the war including the beautiful
old Vision Theatre, the University of the Visayas and several
churches. On the way to the port area they passed Magellan’s Cross
in Magallanes Street, housed in a small round building in the centre
of the street.
‘The original cross is protected there as people were taking chips
as souvenirs and it was slowly disappearing,’ said Harry.
‘Was Magellan killed there?’ asked Jacko.
‘No, he was clubbed on the head on Mactan Island by Lapu Lapu,
the chief there, in 1521. He was then speared, I am told,’ said Harry.
‘I’m a pretty good tourist guide, eh?’
‘Not too bad, mate,’ agreed Jacko.
The Sailor’s Log Cabin was in front of the old Spanish Fort San
Pedro near the waterfront and, as they entered, appeared to be well
patronised by locals and Americans. The restaurant had more than
twenty tables, half of which were occupied, and a bar along the back
wall. Ordering beers, they sat up at the bar where they were
approached by a tall American with salt-and-pepper hair and
moustache.
‘Good afternoon, gentlemen,’ he said. ‘I haven’t seen you here
before. Are you newcomers to Cebu?’
‘Yes, we’ve just arrived,’ said Jamie.
‘Aha, I think I detect an Australian accent. Welcome to my place,
guys.’
‘Not everyone’s Australian,’ said Harry in his Texan drawl.
‘Name’s Harry Williams and these guys are Jamie, Jacko and Lory.
Nice establishment you’ve got here.’

93
 ‘Yeah, thanks. My name’s Wal Bowman and I’m the owner of this
business. How long are you guys staying in Cebu?’
‘We’ll be here for a few days and you might be able to help us,’
said Harry.
‘Well, I’ll help you if I can,’ said Wal. ‘What’s up?’
‘We were wondering if you knew where most of the large fishing
boats are kept in Cebu,’ said Harry.
‘All over the place, but I suppose the largest fleet is north of the
city between Liloan and Compostela,’ said Wal. ‘That’s about twelve
or thirteen miles from here.’
‘You don’t happen to know Francisco Tan, do you?’ asked Harry.
‘Francisco Tan, eh? No, I don’t believe so. Oscar might know,’ he
said, yelling towards a tubby Chinese-Filipino further up the bar,
‘Hey Oscar, come here a moment, would you please?’
Oscar walked up to the group with a large smile on his pale round
face and Wal introduced him as Oscar Choy, a prominent
businessman in Cebu.
‘Do you know a Francisco Tan, Oscar?’ Wal asked.
‘Ah yes, Frankie Tan. I don’t know him well but I see him around
once in a while,’ he said. ‘He’s in the fishing business. He doesn’t
fish himself but he distributes fish as well as buying and selling boats.
I think he has an office around here somewhere. I can find out.’
‘We’d appreciate that, Oscar,’ said Jamie.
‘I’m sure one of my friends over there will know,’ said Oscar.
‘Have another beer and I’ll be back shortly.’
After he left them, Wal started to talk about the war.
‘I was in the Marines and after the Leyte landings, I decided to
stay on here after being demobbed. A few others did the same,’ he
said.
‘Are there many US veterans living here now?’ asked Jacko.
‘Oh, yes, plenty. A veteran’s pension won’t go far in the US,
whereas a man can live like a prince here, with hot and cold running
maids and all the mod cons,’ said Wal, chuckling. ‘It’s our little
corner of paradise.’
‘I know where that office is now,’ said Oscar, appearing once
again beside them. ‘It’s not far from here. When you’ve finished your
beers, I’ll take you there.’

94
 ‘Come back here for dinner, guys,’ said Wal. ‘The speciality of the
house is the US striploin steak weighing one pound each.’
Led by Oscar Choy, they walked north along the waterfront
service road for about 200 yards, past various sheds and chandlers’
yards, arriving at a doorway to one of the buildings displaying a sign,
‘Tan & Castillo Shipping and Fishing Agents’.
‘I have been assured that the owners of that business are Francisco
Tan and Roberto Castillo,’ said Oscar. ‘Do you want to go inside?’
‘I’m not sure we do right now,’ said Jamie.
‘Come on. We’ll see if anyone’s around,’ said Oscar, charging up
to the front door and going inside. The others followed.
They entered a hall and in a room leading off to the right sat a
young girl with a morose look on her face typing slowly on an old
black typewriter. Oscar asked her if Mr Tan was in and she told him
that he was at Compostela and wouldn’t be back until the next day.
Oscar told her that he was thinking of hiring a fishing boat and would
call again later.
As they walked back to the Sailor’s Log Cabin, Jamie asked Oscar
what business he was in.
‘I own a factory that produces rubber goods,’ he said. ‘We make
basketballs, footballs, inner tubes, life rings and even rubber sandals.
It’s good business.’
‘Sounds very good,’ said Jamie. ‘Thanks for taking the time to
help us.’
‘No problem. My business doesn’t require much of my time,’ he
said with a chuckle. ‘My wife handles the books and manages the
staff. I’m usually in the way when I go to the factory. Anyway, I’m
interested to know what you want with Frank Tan. My friends say
he’s not only in the fish business but also in the fishy business, no?’
‘Yeah, you’re right, Oscar,’ said Jamie. ‘I’ll have to admit to you
in confidence that we’d like to find out how fishy his business is.’
‘Aha! I’d be happy to help you there,’ said Oscar as they arrived
back at the Sailor’s Log Cabin. ‘I’ll ask some of my friends. They
know almost everything that happens in Cebu. It’s dinnertime. Are
you guys hungry?’

****

95
The laughter and noise from the darts players in Lina’s Bar in Ermita
seemed louder than usual. The American sat in the dark booth with
Alejandro García and Antonio dela Cruz, shaking his head.
‘You mean you couldn’t find even a trace of those detectives,
Barnes and Fletcher, Tony?’ he said to dela Cruz. ‘What about the
receptionists at the desk?’
‘I asked them. They didn’t know where the Australians were, sir,’
said dela Cruz. ‘They haven’t seen them since the day of the
shooting.’
‘What do you think, Al?’ he asked the Assistant Commissioner for
Immigration.
‘They might be lying low after the shooting,’ Al García replied.
‘Perhaps they’re staying somewhere else.’
‘Maybe they already went to Cebu,’ said dela Cruz.
‘Has Spud Murphy gone to Cebu already?’ asked Al.
‘Yeah, he left to go there first thing this morning on the ferry
boat,’ said the American. ‘I’ll get a message to him through Frankie
Tan. If Barnes and Fletcher are there they shouldn’t be too hard to
find. What about the other two Australians, Tony?’
‘I haven’t seen them around the hotel today, sir,’ he replied.
‘Goddammit, guys! This is getting messy,’ said the American.
‘I’ve got a bad feeling about those missing detectives, and the
military police seem to have become involved with the murders of the
two Dutchmen. It’s a bloody shambles!’
‘The military police won’t find anything. My men are lying low in
Camarines Norte and the guns should have been thrown into the sea,’
said Al.
‘Yeah, but we could do without the sensation caused by the two
murders,’ said the American. ‘Tony, just be sure you keep an eye on
those two at the Manila Hotel, although I now suspect they may be
what they say they are. Still, we’ve got to be careful.’
‘Yessir. No problem,’ said dela Cruz. ‘If I see them again, I’ll let
you know.’
‘Goddammit!’ said the American, thumping the table with his fist
so hard that there was a brief silence in the bar as everyone looked his
way. Finally, they all got up to leave and the dart players resumed
their raucous merriment in the far corner. As they walked out into

96
Mabini Street, none of them noticed two young Filipinos watching
them and eventually splitting up, one following Alejandro García and
the other tailing the American.

97
 CHAPTER 13

‘My friends tell me that they don’t know Francisco Tan personally,
but there are rumours that he’s heavily involved in smuggling and
black-market goods as well as the fishing industry,’ said Oscar, as he
strolled along the Cebu waterfront with Jamie, Jacko and Harry.
‘Yeah, he obviously uses those fishing boats for more ventures
than just catching fish,’ said Jacko. ‘Have you heard anything about
him being involved in the kidnapping of young children?’
‘No, but I wouldn’t be surprised,’ said Oscar.
‘If he was involved in that, where do you think he’d lock them up
before putting them on a boat?’ asked Jamie.
‘I don’t know really,’ said Oscar. ‘Perhaps up the coast
somewhere. Close to Liloan or Compostela probably. I believe that’s
where most of his boats are.’
‘I think Oscar is right, sir,’ said Lory. ‘There are many fishing
boats in that region and it’s not so populated.’
As they neared the office building of the Tan & Castillo Shipping
and Fishing Agents, Oscar put up his hand to stop them and then
pointed to a man wearing a white shirt and brown slacks who had just
emerged from the building and was walking away from them.
‘That’s Bobby Castillo,’ he said, ‘Tan’s business partner.’
‘He’s not walking very quickly. Let’s wander along and see where
he goes,’ said Jacko.
‘I think he’s headed towards the ferry terminal,’ said Oscar. ‘The
overnight ferry from Manila comes in about this time of the
morning.’
As Roberto Castillo approached the dock, the passengers were just
alighting. The four men stayed in the background watching as
Castillo started waving at a tall ginger-haired foreigner on the
gangplank. The arrival was dressed in khaki shirt and shorts and
joining Castillo on the wharf, he shook hands and talked animatedly
to the Filipino. Castillo then said something to him which seemed to
surprise him, then they both set off back to the office building of the
Tan & Castillo agency.

98
 ‘Looks like the baddies are building up to some sort of activity,’
said Jamie. ‘That redhead fellow must be part of the gang.’
‘I’d be prepared to bet that another boatload of children is being
prepared to leave,’ said Jacko.
‘Yeah, any day now for sure,’ agreed Harry.
‘I think I should ask how to hire a fishing boat,’ said Oscar,
heading off towards the Tan & Castillo agency building.
‘Wait, wait, Oscar!’ said Jamie, running after him. ‘We don’t want
you to get into any trouble.’
‘I think this is exciting,’ said Oscar with a big smile and without
stopping. ‘I can handle any trouble. Anyway, I think I want to hire a
fishing boat. You guys stay here.’
Oscar disappeared into the Tan & Castillo building and was gone
for about twenty minutes. When he returned, he told them with a
wink that he was now Bobby Castillo’s great friend but he wouldn’t
be able to hire a fishing boat for about four days. Oscar said he hadn’t
seen the red-haired man who might have been in a back room
somewhere.
‘Thanks, Oscar. That gives us a clue. If they’re going to ship off a
new batch of children, maybe it’s all going to happen in the next four
days,’ said Jamie.
‘We’re going to have to work out a plan of attack based on that,’
said Harry. ‘We might need some help from the local authorities.’
‘I have friends in the local military constabulary,’ said Oscar.
‘Mostly Cebu locals but some Americans too.’
‘Is there anyone you don’t know in Cebu, Oscar?’ asked Jacko.
‘One or two,’ replied Oscar, laughing.
‘How can we get to meet your constabulary friends?’ asked Harry.
‘No problem,’ said Oscar. ‘I’ll ask some of them to meet us in the
Sailor’s Log Cabin this afternoon. If they can’t come, I’ll arrange a
meeting somewhere else.’
‘That’d be terrific, Oscar,’ said Jamie. ‘Would you like to borrow
our car and driver?’
‘Not necessary,’ said Oscar. ‘I have my own car close by. A
beautiful shiny 1941 Mercury 8. Best car in Cebu. I’ll see you guys
after lunch at the Log Cabin.’

99
 ‘Okay, thanks Oscar. We’ll be there,’ said Jamie as Oscar left
them.
‘I think we should spend the rest of the morning looking at war
damage in case we have to justify why we’re here,’ said Jamie.
‘Good idea,’ said Harry. ‘There’s plenty to see just around the
waterfront here including Fort San Pedro; however, we’ll get Ed to
drive us around and you guys can take notes, just to look authentic.’
As they drove around the streets of Cebu, it was obvious that the
city had suffered a great deal of damage not only from the
bombardment of the US Navy and land fighting but also from
deliberate destruction by the Japanese forces before they’d fled into
the north-western mountains prior to their surrender. Ed the driver
informed them that there were still some Japanese soldiers in the
mountains, unaware that the war had ended, and so it was still
dangerous to go too far away from the coast. The damage and
destruction were not only confined to churches and government
buildings. Many small and medium-sized houses had been flattened
as well. In spite of this, all the local people they encountered greeted
them with happy smiles and signs of welcome. Most of their food and
daily goods were now supplied by small one-counter stalls, known as
sari-sari stores, which had sprung up all over the place.
Jacko noted that the average Cebuano was generally taller than the
people around Manila. Ed explained that the Cebuano staple diet was
higher in protein, largely meat and corn, compared to the Tagalog
people in Manila who mostly ate dried fish and rice. Harry suggested
it might also have something to do with having more Spanish
ancestry, as Cebu was the first Spanish colony. Ed chuckled at that
and agreed it was probably true also.
Arriving back at the Cebu port area, they made a brief inspection
of Fort San Pedro as Jamie took notes. Then they asked Ed to drop
them at the nearby Sailor’s Log Cabin and to pick them up after
lunch. The restaurant was well patronised, particularly by Americans,
in the middle of the day.
They stood at the bar and ordered some cold San Miguel beers and
began discussing what they could do to throw a spanner in the works
of the kidnappers. Harry suddenly froze and touched Jamie on the
arm.

100
 ‘I think you’re about to meet someone,’ he whispered. ‘I think
Lory and I will make ourselves scarce.’
They walked away as Jamie looked around. Approaching him was
the tall ginger-haired man who had arrived by ferry earlier in the day.
His face looked as though it had been boiled by the sun rather than
tanned.
‘G’day, mate,’ he said. ‘Wal Bowman said that you fellas were
Australians so I thought I’d introduce meself. I’m Billy Murphy,
better known as Spud.’
‘G’day! I’m Jamie Munro and this is Jack O’Brien, better known
as Jacko. Do you live here in Cebu?’
‘Naw, I live in Manila. Just visiting,’ said Spud. ‘What do you
fellas do?’
‘We’re war veterans. We’ve been sent by the Oz government to
assess the war damage in the Philippines,’ said Jamie. ‘What about
you?’
‘I just do a bit of exporting and importing,’ he said. ‘Say, you
fellas haven’t seen a couple of friends of mine from Down Under,
have you? George Barnes and Don Fletcher. I’m supposed to meet
them here but I can’t find them.’
‘Hmm. Barnes and Fletcher,’ said Jamie, looking thoughtful. ‘No,
I don’t know them at all. What about you, Jacko?’
‘No, don’t know them,’ said Jacko. ‘Sorry.’
‘No worries, mate,’ said Spud. ‘Where do you fellows come from?
‘I’m from central New South Wales. Jacko’s from Queensland,’
said Jamie. ‘What about you?’
‘I originally came from Adelaide. City of churches,’ said Spud.
‘Anyway, nice to meet you but I must be off now. Things to do. See
you later, fellas.’
‘Yeah, take care,’ said Jacko as the tall Australian left the
restaurant.
‘I think we’ve seen the face of the enemy,’ said Jamie.
‘Bloody oath, Cap! We’re going to have to be careful if we start
poking around Compostela,’ said Jacko. ‘If we run into our friend
Spud he’ll smell a rat for sure.’
‘We’re definitely going to need some local help,’ said Jamie.
‘How’d it go, guys?’ said Harry when he and Lory rejoined them.

101
 ‘He’s definitely one of them, Harry,’ said Jamie. ‘He said he was
looking for two friends of his – the mythical Barnes and Fletcher!’
‘Did he now? Well, well.’

****

Jamie, Jacko and Harry had just finished a sandwich lunch at the
Sailor’s Log Cabin when Oscar walked in, accompanied by an
American and a Filipino both dressed in the uniform of the Eighth
Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary. Oscar introduced
them as Major Joe Stevenson and Lieutenant Ricardo Gamboa.
‘Oscar tells me that you guys are from Australia and you’re
investigating some child-kidnapping racket between here and your
country,’ said Joe. ‘Is that about the gist of it?’
‘Yes, that’s true,’ said Jamie. ‘One shipping boat from here was
intercepted off the coast of Darwin after its engines failed, but not
before the crew had murdered almost all the young children and
thrown them overboard.’
‘Holy Jeez! You said “almost”?’ said Joe.
‘They missed one who was hiding under some gear in the bow, so
we were able to get a lot of information from him as well as from the
two crew,’ said Jamie. ‘We recovered most of the bodies as well.’
‘Oscar says you think they could be about to ship out some more
children and it’s possible that Frankie Tan might be involved,’ said
Joe.
‘We’re almost certain of it,’ said Jamie. ‘We’re fairly sure the kids
are being held somewhere on Cebu until the boat is ready to leave.
Perhaps around Liloan or Compostela north of here. There are two
others involved as well. Roberto Castillo, Tan’s partner, and an
Australian, Billy Murphy, whom we’ve just met.’
‘I know Castillo but not the other guy. You may be right about
where the children are being held, but we can’t do anything to help
you until we’re sure exactly where they are,’ said Joe. ‘Do you think
you can find that out?’
‘That’s what we’re trying to do over the next day or so,’ said
Jamie. ‘We’re gonna have to work out the best way to do that.’

102
 ‘It seems to me that if a group of foreigners are roaming around
the Liloan area, the kidnappers will be quickly alerted, no?’ said
Lieutenant Gamboa.
‘That’s true, Cap,’ Jacko said to Jamie. ‘I think you and Harry
should stay here and Lory and I’ll go. I can pass for a Cebuano
easily.’
‘I have a friend who owns a shack next to the beach at Liloan,’
said Oscar. ‘I’ll come with you and we’ll stay there.’
‘Oscar, it might get dangerous,’ said Jamie. ‘You’ve helped us
enough already.’
‘I don’t mind,’ said Oscar. ‘I know the area. I think you need me.
Also, I have the key to the shack.’
‘Sounds like you’ve got it sorted, guys,’ said Joe. ‘Why are they
kidnapping young children?’
‘We suspect they’re financed by slavers or paedophiles,’ said
Jamie. ‘We’ve been told that there are numerous orphans living in
Manila’s streets since the war.’
‘Yeah, that’s true. The war’s created quite a mess. Let us know
when you’ve located the children and we’ll bring in the cavalry,’ said
Joe. ‘Good luck guys.’
‘Looks like it’s up to you, Jacko. With Oscar’s and Lory’s help of
course,’ said Jamie.
‘Yeah, Cap, we Filipinos have got to stick together, by crikey.’

****

The sun was sinking below the mountain range, casting myriad
colours on scattered clouds. These were reflected in the mirror-like
waters of the Camotes Sea to the east of Cebu. Jacko and Lory were
walking along the coastal road north of Liloan looking for any tracks
leading off the road to the western foothills. They were dressed in
simple shirts, shorts and nipa hats, looking like a pair of typical local
farmers. Lory was about six inches shorter than Jacko but proved to
be an athletic, amiable and uncomplaining companion. The various
tracks they had followed inland so far had led to mango orchards,
banana plantations, small farms and in one case, a small group of
people mining coal from narrow seams with spades, picks and

103
wheelbarrows. They were unable to find any place where a dozen or
more captive children could be held. As darkness fell, they arrived at
the Cotcot River about two miles north of Liloan and decided to
continue the search towards Compostela the following day. As they
headed back to Liloan, Oscar’s driver arrived to pick them up as
arranged.
Oscar greeted them enthusiastically at the shack beside the white
sand beach at Liloan. Two servants he had brought with him were
getting ready to barbecue pork chops and fish. It was apparent that
Oscar liked to take the comforts of home with him when he travelled.
He opened a large ice chest and produced three bottles of cold San
Miguel beer and they sat on the sand staring at the small blinking
lights of fishing boats to the east. Oscar asked them about their
search.
‘Nothing to report, Oscar,’ Jacko said. ‘No sign of anything
suspicious this side of the Cotcot River. Lory and I’ll cover the
coastal area north of the river towards Compostela tomorrow. See if
we can pick up something.’
‘I’ll drop you off on the other side of the river tomorrow morning,’
said Oscar. ‘Let’s drink to good luck and success, my friend.’
‘Yeah, let’s do that, Oscar. Thanks for everything.’
Later in the evening after an enjoyable dinner, Jacko sat on the
white sand beach by himself looking at the stars and wondering
whether Monique could see the same stars from her home near Cairo.
He was elated and melancholy at the same time. Elated that her
family would soon be immigrating to Australia, and melancholy
because he had not seen her for a couple of years and he was unsure
what the future held for them. The sea was flat, and it lapped against
the shore in ripples stirred up by the activities of the many fishing
boats whose lights twinkled amongst the stars reflected on the calm
surface of the water. I can’t understand why it’s me she loves, he
worried to himself. I’m glad she does, but … Her letters showed no
decrease in enthusiasm at seeing him again and professed her love,
but he still wondered what her reaction would be to the reality of
sharing the life he led. He sighed. Big day tomorrow, he thought as he
stood and walked up the beach. He found Oscar and Lory chatting
quietly on the front porch of the beach shack.

104
 ‘Think I’ll turn in, fellas,’ he said. ‘Tomorrow we’ve got a big
day. If the baddies are operating up on this coast it’s got to be around
Compostela.’
‘I’ll go to bed now too,’ said Lory. ‘I’m sure you’ll want an early
morning start, Jacko. Goodnight Oscar.’

****

By mid-morning the following day, Jacko and Lory were about a mile
north of the Cotcot River, walking up a track leading west of the
coastal road. Since crossing the river in the early morning, this was
the fourth inland track they had followed without finding any clues to
the kidnapped children. All they had seen so far were several small
farms and mango tree orchards. The latest track showed evidence of
more traffic, including car tyres and cart wheels as well as numerous
footprints. A mile away from the road, they noticed a jeep parked
outside a shed nestled in a low valley, constructed of timber, bamboo
and corrugated iron with a nipa roof.
Jacko led Lory away from the track, walking quickly in a large
circle until they were looking down on the shed from a small wooded
hill. They sat down amongst the trees and waited. Jacko felt the sweat
trickling down his back in the warm humid air but was determined to
wait until the owner of the jeep emerged. They only had to wait an
hour before the door opened and a tall figure in a hat stepped out of
the door talking to someone behind him. He took off his hat to wipe
his brow, revealing the ginger red hair of Spud Murphy. Instead of
getting into the jeep, Murphy headed down the track towards the
coast on foot.
Lory looked at Jacko and whispered, ‘Should we follow him, sir?’
Jacko shook his head, ‘No, he’ll be easy to track later on. We’ll
settle down here and wait to see if anything else happens at that shed.
By the way, Lory, my name’s Jacko, not sir.’
‘Yessir!’

105
 CHAPTER 14

In the mid-afternoon, Harry and Jamie were drinking coffee in the

ground-floor café of the Magellan Hotel. They heard Major Joe
Stevenson calling them and looked up to see him waving to them as
he walked in.
‘I thought I might find you guys here,’ he said as he sat down at
their table. ‘I’ll join you in a cup of coffee, if I may. I’ve got some
interesting news for you about Frankie Tan. Several of my contacts
have got their ears to the ground and they tell me that Tan left today
for Surigao, a town on the most north-east point of the island of
Mindanao.’
‘How far is Surigao from here?’ asked Jamie.
‘It’s about 150 miles east by boat. It was an important port during
the Spanish times and it’s close to the Pacific Ocean. It was also a
critical port for the Japanese navy during the war. The town was
badly damaged before and after the naval battle of the Surigao Straits
late in the war, but it’s still used as a port. Diesel fuel is available
there so it’d be a good place for a large boat to set sail to Australia or
anywhere in the Pacific.’
Harry scratched the side of his head thoughtfully. ‘So if the
children are not in Cebu, they might have been moved to Surigao
already.’
Joe nodded. ‘Very possible.’
‘Would your contacts know anything about the movements of
Roberto Castillo and the Australian, Billy Murphy?’ asked Jamie.
‘No. Castillo hasn’t been seen for a couple of days and nobody
seems to know anything about the Australian, Murphy,’ said Joe,
‘Did Jacko and the other guy go to Compostela?’
Jamie nodded. ‘Yeah. They should be back tomorrow morning, so
we’ll know whether that area is part of the puzzle by then.’
Joe finished his coffee and stood up. ‘Well, I’ll leave you guys to
it. I’ve got some things to do. If I hear anything else I’ll let you
know.’

106
 Harry shook him by the hand. ‘Yeah, thanks Joe. That’s really
helpful. We’ll keep you informed too. Ciao!’

****

In the late afternoon, from their position overlooking the shed with
the jeep beside it, Jacko and Lory noticed the shed door opening. A
tall Filipino with a red cap and a large bundle under his arm emerged,
jumped into the jeep and drove off towards the coast. Jacko quickly
leapt to his feet and ran towards the building with Lory following.
As they approached the shed, Jacko noticed smoke pouring out
through the nipa roof. He opened the unlocked door and saw flames
along the far wall. Grabbing a bucket just inside the door, he ran
outside to a small stream next to the shed, filled it and threw the water
on the fire. At the same time, Lory picked up an empty hessian bag
from the floor of the shed, immersed it in the stream and started
beating the flames with it at the back of the barn. The bamboo walls
of the barn were not easily flammable and in minutes they were able
to extinguish the fire before the flames had reached the more
combustible nipa. Paper and dried leaves had been piled up against
the back wall and ignited with the expectation that no one would
intervene before the empty shed was consumed.
With the open door and a hole burnt in the back wall providing
light, Jacko and Lory conducted a search of the inside of the shed.
Apart from the smoke, there was a strong smell of urine and body
odour. Some garments, fish bones, rice, rice bags, mango skins and
seeds as well as metal dishes were strewn around the dirt floor. Lory
picked up a small torn T-shirt from the floor and said to Jacko it
would only fit a child.
‘Yeah, you’re right, Lory. It’s pretty obvious the children have
been kept in here for a few days. Children’s footprints all over the
place. From their tracks I reckon they were all moved out yesterday
or this morning. We’d better get down to the coast and see what’s
happening.’
As they walked easterly along the track, Jacko observed there were
at least three separate adult footprints amongst the recent children’s
prints, which showed they were mainly barefoot. Arriving at the

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coast, they saw that the trail of footprints led a short distance north
along the gravel coast road until it rounded a curve, then continued
towards a pier built on the point of a sandy beach. About five miles
out from the pier, they saw a large double-outrigged bangka heading
directly away from them.
Jacko said, ‘That boat had a mob of people aboard but at this
distance, I can’t make out whether any of them were children. It’s
possible they’re somewhere about here still.’
He took his hat off to wipe his brow and look around, when a
bullet grazed the side of his face and the delayed sound of a shot rang
out from some trees behind the beach. Grabbing Lory by the collar,
he leapt behind some rocks. Using them as cover, the two moved
easterly until they were hidden in thick foliage. Jacko scanned the
area from where the shot had come.
Holding a handkerchief to the side of his face, Jacko studied the
trees behind the beach and finally looked at Lory. ‘I can just see the
back of a jeep amongst the trees, so I reckon the shot came from
there. I’m sure it was from a revolver, so it was a bloody good shot to
almost hit me from that distance. I’m glad I brought the Smith &
Wesson with me. You stay here, mate, and I’ll see if I can sneak up
around him. Luckily I’m not bleeding too much.’
‘You can’t go over there. He’ll shoot you, Jacko. There might be
more than one.’
‘Don’t worry, they’ll never see me. Just keep your head down.’
Jacko left, moving silently through the rocky terrain. After about
fifteen minutes, Lory nervously looked through the foliage to see if
there was any movement in the trees. Nothing. He sat down with his
back to the rocks and tried not to think too much about what might be
happening. Suddenly, he heard three shots in quick succession and
looking again towards the beach, he saw Jacko walk out from the
trees and beckon to him.
By the time he joined Jacko, several curious locals, five men and a
woman with a baby, had appeared and were staring at something in
the trees. As he moved closer he saw that the tall body of a man with
red hair was lying on the ground close to the jeep.
‘Silly bugger,’ said Jacko. ‘I told Billy Murphy to drop his gun but
he decided to have another pot shot at me instead. I think I’ve killed

108
him. Lory, would you tell these people that we’re police and we’ve
just caught a dangerous criminal? That should satisfy them.’
Lory walked over to the locals and engaged them in the local
Cebuano dialect. The conversation continued for some time, with
several of the men waving their arms about and pointing in different
directions. Eventually after shaking hands with Lory they all nodded,
smiled and went back to whatever they had been doing.
Jacko had been waiting patiently watching this performance with
curiosity. ‘What was all that about, Lory?’
‘I told them what you said. Then they told me that a large bangka
left here over an hour ago with a few adults and more than a dozen
children.’
‘Good for you, Lory,’ said Jacko. ‘Did they know where they were
going?’
‘No, Jacko sir, but the bangka headed east possibly going to Bohol
or Leyte or one of the other eastern Visayan islands. That was the
double outrigger we saw when we first arrived.’
‘Bloody hell! We shoulda followed Murphy down to the coast
earlier, Lory. My mistake! We might prop his dead body up on the
front seat and drive the jeep to Liloan. Luckily my bullets didn’t exit
so there’s not much blood,’ said Jacko. ‘We’ll ask Oscar’s advice on
how to make him disappear.’
With Billy Murphy’s body propped up in the front seat with his
hat on, they drove back south. Just south of the Cotcot River, they
met up with Oscar who was on his way to pick them up.
‘Who’s that?’ asked a wide-eyed Oscar as his car drew level with
the jeep.
‘It’s one of the baddies, Oscar,’ replied Jacko. ‘He tried to shoot
me but I shot him instead. He’s dead and we need to make him
disappear.’
‘No problem. Let’s get him back to Liloan.’
Back at the shack as the sun was setting, they wrapped Billy
Murphy’s body in a tarpaulin and secured it with rope and heavy
rocks. Lory paddled it out on a small outrigger to deep water and
dropped it off. Jacko briefed Oscar about the large bangka that had
headed east across the Camotes Sea and they agreed they should head
back to Cebu City that evening to plan their next moves with Jamie

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and Harry. After packing up all their things and hiding the jeep in a
nearby shed, they drove back to the Magellan Hotel in the city.

****

Jamie and Harry were in their rooms. They all agreed to meet
immediately in the hotel dining room to bring everyone up to date.
Jacko quickly opened the briefing. ‘We just missed them. The
children were dispatched on a bangka heading east just before we got
to the pier at Compostela.’
Jamie smiled. ‘I know where they’ve gone.’
‘What! Where?’
‘We believe they’ve been taken to Surigao. It’s the most north-
easterly point of Mindanao and a perfect place to set off on a long
journey,’ he said. ‘The Surigao Straits between Surigao and the
islands of Leyte and Nonoc lead directly to the North Pacific Ocean.’
Jacko laughed and shook his head. ‘Wow! How’d you find that
out?’
‘Major Stevenson discovered that Frankie Tan had left earlier
today to go to Surigao,’ said Jamie, ‘so putting two and two together
…’
‘So, guys, tell us about your activities on the northern beaches,’
said Harry.
Jacko explained how it had taken them into the second day before
they’d found the shed where the children had been held. He told them
about the fire set to obliterate any evidence and speculated that the
arsonist had probably left with the boat just before Billy Murphy
opened fire on them. ‘I regret having to shoot Murphy in self-
defence,’ he said, and told them about the disposal of the body. He
concluded, ‘We wouldn’t have got as far as we did without Oscar’s
valuable help.’
Oscar cleared his throat. ‘I can help you get to Surigao. I’ve got a
good friend who owns a large double outrigged bangka. It can do
fifteen to twenty knots and he can get you there in six to eight hours.
I’ll see him tonight and organise the trip for tomorrow if you want.’
Jamie looked at Oscar appreciatively. ‘That would be perfect. How
can we ever repay you for your valuable assistance, Oscar?’

110
 Oscar chuckled. ‘No problems. This is fun. More fun than I’ve had
in a long time.’
‘We have a saying in Australia, Oscar,’ said Jacko. ‘Your blood’s
worth bottling!’
Oscar stood up and laughed. ‘Before you bottle my blood, I need it
so I can go and talk to my friend who owns the bangka. Unless I send
you a message to change the arrangement, we’ll meet down at the
port area in front of the Sailor’s Log Cabin at eight in the morning,
no?’
‘That would be perfect, Oscar.’

****

At eight o’clock the following morning, the sun was already high in
the sky, casting dazzling reflections off the serene Camotes Sea.
Oscar led them to one of the piers where a large bangka was already
moored. He introduced them to his friend Emmanuel ‘Manny’
Alvarez, a large dark-skinned Filipino with a ready smile, who
greeted them enthusiastically and invited them aboard his boat, Pula
Draco.
‘Oscar told me all about you chasing these bastardos who kidnap
children,’ he said. ‘We’re all ready to go. Oscar is my good friend and
therefore you are my good friends.’
‘That’s great,’ said Jamie. ‘But we must pay you for the use of
your boat.’
‘You can pay for the fuel,’ said Manny with a laugh. ‘That’s about
100 pesos. I have plenty of cold beer aboard in case we get thirsty.
Mangadto! Let’s go! Are you coming, Oscar?’
‘No. You go ahead, Manny. I’ll see you when you get back.’
‘Okay, akong higala!’
Jamie, Jacko, Harry and Lory climbed aboard and Manny gave
orders to his crew of four and they were quickly underway. They
headed northeast up the Mactan Channel. After passing the northern
tip of Mactan Island, the boat increased speed and headed east.
Leaving one of his crew at the wheel, Manny sat down with his new
passengers and asked about Australia. He told them he had been to
Spain and America before the war but had never travelled south of

111
Mindanao. He owned quite a lot of land in Cebu, which he was
planning to develop, but he had managed to pass himself off as a
humble fisherman during the Japanese occupation. He and Oscar had
been to school together and had known each other since they were
very young. As they passed north of Bohol Island, they stopped near
a group of small bangkas fishing around a submerged coral reef. One
of the fishermen held up a large bucket full of mixed fish and Manny
yelled out, ‘Unsa nga bili?’
The fisherman answered, ‘Sa usa ka peso.’
Manny explained that he had asked the price, which was one peso
for the whole bucket. Manny held up two fingers, one of his crew
handed the fishermen another bucket and when it was filled, he pulled
both buckets aboard and gave him one peso.
Jacko couldn’t contain his surprise. ‘One peso for all that fish?’
‘Yes, that’s about right,’ said Manny. ‘We can cook some now.
Anyone for a beer?’
They all said it was too early but that they would have plenty on
the way back. Then as the enticing smell of cooking fish wafted
through the boat, Manny explained that he would drop them on the
northern point of the Surigao township just west of Bilang Bilang
Bay, about a mile north of the main port, to avoid alerting the
kidnappers. He would then anchor somewhere in the Surigao Straits
overnight and keep a watch out for them the following day.
For the next few hours they feasted on prawns, squid and various
types of fish including a small succulent one known as lapu-lapu.
With such tasty fare they all decided that one cold beer wouldn’t hurt,
and while they ate and drank, Manny regaled them with his
experiences of evading the Japanese during the war and fishing in the
Visayan Islands. They toasted one another and Manny wished them
luck.
Passing the southern tip of Leyte in the mid-afternoon, they saw
the northern tip of Surigao ahead in the distance and everyone
became quiet as they approached the land, each with his own
thoughts.

112
 CHAPTER 15

Low clouds covered the sky as they headed south from the point
where Manny’s bangka had dropped them and it started to rain.
Walking along, Jamie asked Lory whether it rained much in Surigao.
‘Yes, sir,’ replied Lory. ‘It rains most days, especially in January.
Most of these eastern provinces including Samar Island have two
seasons. Wet and wetter.’
They drew closer to the port area, where most of the buildings had
been reduced to rubble and were covered in weeds, while those still
standing were empty and badly damaged. The ground was heavily
potholed and most trees seemed to have been cut to shreds.
Harry said he had been told that because Surigao had been such an
important naval base for the Japanese during the war, it had attracted
heavy bombing and strafing by American war planes. At least 50
Japanese war and supply ships had been sunk in the bay by US
bombers. He said that most of the local people who had fled to the
south were only now returning to rebuild the old town.
After half a mile, they reached the top of a low hill from which
they had a good view of the port area to the east. The rain had eased
off to a drizzle and Jamie produced a pair of binoculars to study the
boats in the harbour. Several small fishing bangkas were moored in
the bay or pulled up on the sandy shore, but one caught their
attention. A large ocean-going fishing boat with the name Bag-ong
Bulan painted in large letters on the bow side was moored at one of
the newly constructed jetties.
Jamie looked at Lory and asked, ‘What does Bag-ong Bulan
mean?’
‘It means “New Moon” in the Cebuano dialect,’ replied Lory.
Jamie handed the binoculars to Jacko. ‘Have a look. I think we’ve
found Mr Tan’s boat for transporting the children to Darwin. What
d’ya reckon?’
Jacko looked carefully through the binoculars. ‘Yeah, I reckon,
Cap. There’s a couple of sheds down there not far from the jetty. The
kids could be in one of those. We’d better go and take a look.’

113
 Harry had his turn with the binoculars. ‘There’s a few guys
hanging around down there. It may not be that easy.’
‘Well, Lory and I could wander down and pretend to be a couple
of locals,’ said Jacko. ‘Spud Murphy recognised me, unfortunately,
but I’ve never met Frank Tan or any of the others. We’ll go ahead and
you fellas can follow. Okay?’
Jamie nodded. ‘Sounds good, Jacko. Harry and I’ll watch your
backs.’ Turning to Lory, he asked, ‘Do they speak a different dialect
here?’
‘Little bit different but they understand Cebuano,’ replied Lory.
Jacko and Lory moved closer to the port area and encountered an old
man, who Lory engaged in conversation. He then told Jacko that the
man had seen people going into the larger of the two sheds and some
of them could have been children. He wasn’t sure because his
eyesight wasn’t perfect, but he knew they had all arrived in a large
bangka which had since departed. Lory thanked him, and they
continued on their way. The sun was setting now and with the low
cloud and drizzling rain, it was becoming gloomy. They had just
enough light to pick their way through the piles of rubble and water-
filled potholes.
Approaching within 50 yards of the larger shed, they stopped to
listen. The chattering of treble voices could be heard through the thin
walls, interspersed by lulls when an adult male voice yelled out
something. Jacko studied the sparse buildings still standing in the area
and noticed a light, possibly from candles, gleaming from a nearby
house. He told Lory to stay where he was and crept up to a window
on the side of the house. Slowly standing, he moved his head until he
could see inside the house. Five men were sitting around a table
drinking beer. They were intent on a game of chess which two of
them were playing. They all had holsters with guns attached to their
waists and several rifles were stacked against one wall.
Jacko was about to return to the shed where Lory was waiting
when there was a shout from someone near the shed and he realised
he’d been spotted. Running as fast as he could towards the side of the
shed, he shouted for Lory to follow him and they both sprinted back
to where Jamie and Harry were waiting. A shot rang out but it was
poorly aimed, and they managed to find cover behind a large pile of

114
rubble. Jacko checked his revolver, pulled back the safety catch and
carefully peered over the rubble. By this time, the occupants of the
house had all emerged and were shouting to one another as the first
man pointed to where Jacko and Lory had run.
Jacko tapped Lory on the shoulder and concealed by rocks, rubble
and bushes, the two headed off at a crouch to a position about 50
yards further north. Two of the men with rifles started shooting at
their original position while the others with handguns also moved
towards it. Jacko had the leader of the group lined up in the sights of
his handgun when he heard two shots from his left and both the
riflemen fell. A further two shots brought down one of the others and
the rest dropped to the ground and began shooting towards the
position where the shots had originated. Jacko could see the head of
one of the shooters from his position and he shot him. The remaining
two men, realising they were in a crossfire, began running back to the
shed but there was a loud boom from Harry’s .45. This felled one of
them and the other dropped his handgun and put his hands in the air.
Harry and Jamie emerged from their hiding place and were soon
joined by Jacko and Lory.
‘You fellows are pretty handy with those popguns,’ said Jacko in
admiration. ‘Lory and I were not sure what to do until you opened
fire.’
‘Glad to oblige,’ said Harry. ‘Let’s get this guy tied up and we’ll
find out from him how many other of these criminal buggers are
around.’
Lory began talking to their captive but he refused to say anything.
Harry walked over to him and fired a bullet into the ground a tenth of
an inch from his foot. The captive yelped and started to sweat when
he saw Harry pointing his .45 directly at his foot. He then spoke very
quickly in a mixture of Cebuano and English to Lory, who told them
that Frankie Tan, one other man and fourteen children were in the
shed, and there was a boat boy on the fishing boat. Jacko went to
check on the men who had been shot. Two were dead and three
wounded. He picked up their firearms and returned to the group,
dropping them in a heap but retaining one of the rifles under his arm.
As they approached the shed, a man shouted something from
inside and Lory told them the man wanted to know what was

115
happening, probably Frankie Tan. At Jacko’s suggestion, Lory yelled
back in Cebuano that everything was okay.
There was a prolonged silence as they waited, then the same voice
shouted in English, ‘Who are you? What do you want?’
After a short period, Jamie shouted back, ‘Are you Francisco
Tan?’
‘Who wants to know?’ came the reply.
Harry cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, ‘This is the
constabulary. You are surrounded. Come outside with … oof!’
Harry spun around and fell to the wet ground as the sound of a
rifle shot came from the direction of the Bag-ong Bulan. This was
answered quickly by Jacko with three shots from the captured rifle.
There was a scream from the boat indicating that at least one of
Jacko’s shots had found its mark.
Harry sat up groaning and holding his arm, ‘Goddammit! The
bastard got me in the shoulder. Hurts like hell.’
A voice from the shed yelled something and Lory told them that
he had again asked what was happening.
Jamie putting on a southern American accent and yelled back, ‘Mr
Tan, all your men have been shot or captured. Come out here with
your hands up.’
Jacko, having stripped off the shirt from one of the dead men, tore
it into strips and tied it tightly around Harry’s shoulder to stem the
bleeding, which looked worse than it was because of the rain.
There was a prolonged silence from the shed, although they could
hear some of the children whimpering. Jacko crept around the other
side of the shed to see if there was a window, while Jamie moved
around the front where he could watch the door.
Finally, a voice shouted from inside, ‘This is Tan speaking. I am
holding hostages, young children. I’ll start to shoot them one by one
in twenty minutes if you don’t go away immediately. I am here with
my friend, Mickey, who will look out the door in twenty minutes and
if any of you are still around I’ll start shooting the children.’
Jamie continued with his southern drawl, ‘Okay, okay! We’ll pull
back and leave the area for an hour. We’ll let you go in your boat but
leave the children behind and unharmed.’
‘How do I know I can trust you to let me go?’

116
 ‘We are only interested in the children,’ Jamie continued, ‘not in
you, Mr Tan. We’ll withdraw half a mile from here and be back in an
hour. If the children are all still there and unharmed, we won’t even
bother to come after you. You’ll be free to go about your business. If
you harm the children in any way, we’ll come after you.’
After a long pause, Tan replied, ‘Okay, agreed.’
Tying a gag around their captive’s mouth, Jamie yelled, ‘Okay,
men, put up your guns and come here! We’re pulling out and heading
north for half a mile to wait there. When Mr Tan and his friend have
gone off in the boat, we’ll come back. Come on guys, I mean
everyone!’
Helping Harry to his feet, he and Lory supported him between
them while prodding their captive along in front. After 50 yards, they
sat down behind a pile of rubble to wait. They were already soaked
from the drizzling rain but the air was warm so it was not
uncomfortable. Hearing a noise, Jamie put a finger to his lips and
carefully looked over the rubble towards the shed. A tall man,
probably Mickey, was standing outside in the light from the open
door and talking to someone inside. Then an equally tall man,
obviously Frankie Tan, stepped out and after looking around, began
walking towards the jetty. Jamie could see that he was holding a
young child by his shirt, pulling him along. Halfway to the jetty he
turned around and spoke to the other man, who disappeared back into
the shed.
Frankie Tan stood watching the shed, holding onto the small boy
who was softly crying, when a shadow appeared behind him. Tan
immediately crumpled to the ground, leaving the child standing alone.
Through the rain, Jamie then saw the dark figure of Jacko moving
quickly to the side of the shed door. The rest of the young children
suddenly emerged from the door followed by the other adult Filipino,
who looked bewildered but froze when he felt the barrel of a rifle
against his neck. Jacko whispered something in his ear.
Jamie jumped up and gave Harry his revolver. ‘Just watch our first
captive, Harry. Lory and I’ll go and help Jacko and we’ll come back
for you. It’s all over here.’
Harry took the handgun but could only manage a grunt as Jamie
and Lory ran off.

117
 ‘Bloody good work, Jacko,’ said Jamie, looking at the prostrate
figure of the tall man. ‘So this is the infamous Frankie Tan no doubt.
What’s the name of this other fellow?’
Lory spoke to the short Filipino who replied in Tagalog that his
name was Miguel Ocampo. Lory told Jamie that Ocampo said he was
just a fisherman but he wasn’t from this part of the Philippines.
‘Yeah, just a bloody fisherman and I’m a monkey’s uncle,’ said
Jacko.
‘We’d better get these kids out of the rain,’ said Jamie. ‘If we can
find some rope, we’ll tie these fellows up.’
As Lory ushered the children back into the shed, Jacko went to the
fishing boat moored at the jetty. With a glance at the dead crewman
he had shot, he found several lengths of rope and battery-powered
flashlights, which he took back to the shed. After securing the two
new prisoners, Jacko volunteered to go back to the point where
Manny Alvarez’s bangka had dropped them, to try to attract the
crew’s attention. Jacko disappeared into the darkness and Jamie,
Harry and Lory entered the shed and sat down across from the young
boys, who all stared wide-eyed at the two white-skinned foreigners.
Loping along at an easy pace, Jacko easily wended his way
through the rubble and potholes using one of the flashlights from the
boat, so after only fifteen minutes he found himself on the northern
waterfront where the bangka had originally dropped them. By the
time he arrived there, it was raining heavily and visibility was poor.
Flashing his torch northerly towards the Surigao Strait, he moved
it around, turning it off and on for about half an hour with no
response from the bangka. He sat down under a tree and began
thinking about Monique, who was almost certainly still on the other
side of the world. Would it be raining there also? Perhaps she was
looking at the stars in a clear sky wondering if he could see them too.
He didn’t know when her family would be migrating to Australia.
He sighed. Noticing the rain had eased a little, he turned on the
flashlight and started moving it around again, pointing it towards the
strait. Suddenly he noticed a dim flash of light slightly to the west of
north and he pointed his light in that direction, turning it off and on.
The light out at sea flickered various times in reply and he remained
there, keeping his light on and pointing in that direction.

118
 Another half-hour passed and then he heard the throb of a large
engine in the distance. The engine sound drew nearer and when he
pointed his torch towards it he was temporarily blinded by a very
bright light from the bow of the bangka as it closed on the shore. The
bangka was soon sideways to the shoreline and the crew put out a
long plank over its nearest outrigger for him to climb aboard.
‘Hi, hi, Jacko!’ greeted Manny. ‘Where are the rest?’
‘They’re down at Surigao Port in the bay,’ replied Jacko. ‘We’ve
captured the baddies including Frank Tan and we’ve got all the
children. Harry was wounded and I was hoping you wouldn’t mind
sailing down to the port to pick up the rest.’
‘Son of a gun! You don’t need to ask, Jacko. No problems,’ said
Manny. ‘We’ll go there now. We’ll have to go carefully in the dark
but that shouldn’t be a problem. We can stay overnight and leave in
the morning. Is there a jetty we can tie up to?’
‘Yeah, for sure,’ replied Jacko. ‘There’s also a shed where we can
stay out of the rain.’
‘Okay, that’s good but I can stay dry aboard my boat,’ said
Manny, signalling to his crew. ‘Let’s get around the point and into the
bay. Do you want a cold beer, Jacko?’
‘You’re a mind-reader, Manny.’

119
 CHAPTER 16

It was 3.00am when Jamie was woken by the distant throbbing sound
of a diesel engine. A bright light then flooded into the Surigao Port
shed where everyone had been sheltering from the rain and sleeping.
It was drizzling and Jamie stood in the doorway where he saw that the
powerful light was at the bow of Manny’s bangka Pula Draco. He ran
out onto the jetty and directed the boat to the opposite side from
where Tan’s fishing boat was moored.
As it came alongside the fishing boat, several boys jumped from
the outrigger onto the jetty and quickly secured the vessel. The
dazzling bow lamp switched off and as his eyes became accustomed
to the relative darkness, in the more subdued cabin and running lights
of the boat, he could see Manny and Jacko smiling down at him from
the deck.
Manny laughed. ‘Permission to come ashore, Governor!’
‘Yes, but have your visas handy,’ replied Jamie.
Manny laughed again and he and Jacko stepped ashore. ‘I’ve been
told you’ve captured the baddies and found all the children.’
‘Yeah, fourteen little boys, orphans from Manila,’ said Jamie.
‘We’ve got Frankie Tan, Miguel Ocampo and one other baddy all tied
up. Three others are wounded and two dead just north of the shed.
Another is dead in the other boat. I’m not sure what to do with them
all. Also, Harry copped a bullet in the shoulder. He’s in a bit of pain
but he’ll live.’
Manny nodded. ‘Son of a gun! What’s that, nine of them and only
four of you? You’ve certainly had a bit of excitement. We’re going to
stay here overnight. We’ll get some sleep, then leave at first light. I’ll
stay on the boat and I’ll see you again in a few hours.’
‘Yeah, that’s great,’ said Jacko. ‘Thanks for everything, Manny.’
‘No problems, guys.’

****

120
The sky had partially cleared in the morning and the rising sun shone
intermittently through the clouds. Manny’s crew had cooked up some
more of the fish, providing ample breakfast for them all including the
children and the prisoners. By that time, the children were recovering
from their fears and had started to chat happily together. Harry’s
wound was aching but not as painful as before. Francisco Tan, on the
other hand, besides suffering from a splitting headache, was angry
and kept threatening his captors with extreme retribution when they
returned to Cebu, claiming that he had many very influential friends.
Manny looked at him and chuckled. ‘I wonder what your
influential friends will think of you, Frankie, when they find out
you’re sending young children to a life of slavery with a mob of
paedophiles.’
Tan glared back at him. ‘Manny, we fought against the Japs
together. We are Cebuanos together. How can you join these
foreigners and let them treat me like this?’
Manny laughed. ‘It’s easy, my friend. We may both be Cebuanos
but we’re not both criminals. In any case, I don’t remember you as
part of my guerrilla unit. Piraso sa poo!’
Jacko, who had been checking out the wounded members of the
gang, joined the group near the bangka and said, ‘One of the wounded
men has died, but the wounds of the other two aren’t too serious. So
there’s four dead now. Perhaps we should bury the dead ones before
we leave, eh Cap?’
‘Yeah, I reckon,’ said Jamie.
‘I’ve got a much better idea,’ said Manny. ‘We should put all the
dead men in their fishing boat and give them a Viking funeral. We’ll
leave the wounded guys here. The locals will look after them one way
or another.’
Manny called out to his crew in Cebuano and three of them
scurried off to the shed and shortly after returned, each carrying a
dead body over his shoulders. After dumping the bodies in the fishing
boat and removing the radio gear, they opened the barrels of diesel
fuel stored in the boat and tipped them over so that the bilge filled
with diesel. One of the crew soaked a shirt from one of the dead men
in diesel and hung it over the side of the boat, then tied a rope from
the bow to the stern of Manny’s bangka.

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 ‘Okay, all aboard for Cebu,’ said Manny. ‘There’s plenty of room
for us and the children and we’ll secure the baddies to the foremast
away from everyone else.’
Jamie helped the wounded Harry stagger up the plank and they
then herded the children aboard, sitting them on the deck in the centre
of the boat. They secured the prisoners to the base of the foremast,
amidst a torrent of expletives from Frankie Tan in various languages.
Unmoored, the bangka slowly reversed from the jetty and with its
bow towards the northeast, began to tow the fishing boat Bag-ong
Bulan out into the centre of the Surigao Strait. Well out into the deep
water, Manny slowed his bangka to a stop and the fishing boat was
pulled up alongside. One of the boat boys untied the tow rope and lit
the diesel-soaked shirt. As the bangka picked up speed to the west,
leaving the fishing boat in its wake, they saw large flames rising from
the Bag-ong Bulan, heard several small explosions and then the
fishing boat shuddered and began to sink.
‘You bastard, Alvarez!’ Tan shouted at Manny. ‘That boat cost a
fortune.’
Manny laughed. ‘You were trying to make a fortune from it, you
mean?’
‘Lory told us that Bag-ong Bulan means New Moon, Manny,’ said
Jacko.
‘That’s right, New Moon. But I think we can change its name to
Daang Bulan now. Old Moon,’ replied Manny with a wink.
As the Bag-ong Bulan sank, the Pula Draco headed west and
picked up pace into the Bohol Sea, passing south of the southern tip
of Leyte Island. Manny broke out a case of cold San Miguel beer and
insisted they drink to the success of the mission. The children, having
overcome all their fears, were all chatting excitedly and pointing out
sights on the Leyte shoreline as well as to the small vessels moving
around. They sailed past the tiny island of Limasawa, then steered
northwesterly towards the Canigao Channel between Leyte and
Bohol. They left the rain clouds astern and the sun came shining
down from an almost clear blue sky.
A few hours more and they were through the Canigao Channel and
heading more westerly, passing north of the coast of Bohol where
they came across another group of fishermen who were happy to sell

122
them fish. As soon as the fresh fish was hauled aboard, the boat boys
lit the fire and the smell of cooked fish permeated the bangka making
everyone instantly hungry.
Manny conducted a conversation on his ship-to-shore radio and
informed Jamie that they would be met on arrival at the Cebu port by
Major Joe Stevenson in about four hours. His men would take care of
the prisoners in a way that no one would know where they were being
held. He had also organised an ambulance to take Harry to a hospital.
Manny smiled at Harry who was obviously in discomfort. ‘Don’t
you worry, Harry. A few of the doctors at the hospital are beautiful
doctoras who will take care of you very well. They’ll make you
happy. You mightn’t want to leave. Son of a gun!’
Harry snorted, ‘Yeah maybe, but I won’t be feeling too ecstatic
until they take this damn slug out of my shoulder, dammit!’
‘Hang in there my friend and have another beer,’ said Manny. ‘It’s
the best painkiller of all.’
One of the crewmen had taken over the wheel of the bangka and
Manny settled down near the stern to play chess with one of his other
boat boys, while Jacko lay down on the deck and promptly went to
sleep. Jamie saw that Lory had followed suit. Noting that the young
children were still chattering happily after their lunch, he decided to
stretch out himself and shut his eyes.
He was woken by Manny who told him they were just entering the
Mactan Channel and would be at the Cebu port area in about half an
hour. Through the narrow part of the channel between the islands of
Cebu and Mactan, they had to stop to give right of way to a landing
craft carrying cars, horses and people to the Cebu side. Underway
again, they passed several ships, ferries and small boats motoring
through the channel until they were able to see the port area on the
starboard bow.
Manny took over the wheel and said, ‘Okay, everyone just stay
where you are and my crew will do everything necessary to bring her
in and tie her up.’
Jacko laughed. ‘In other words, don’t get in the way!’
Manny grinned. ‘No need for translation, no?’
He steered the bangka alongside a pier about 200 yards north of
Fort San Pedro and as his boat boys secured the vessel, Jamie saw Joe

123
Stevenson striding towards them, followed by various uniformed
members of the Philippines Constabulary. Joe signalled for an
ambulance to drive out onto the pier and stop next to the bangka.
Jamie and Jacko helped the grunting Harry down the plank and into
the ambulance, which set off at once. Joe’s men then boarded the
vessel and took charge of the prisoners, who were marched along the
pier into a waiting covered truck.
‘Congratulations, guys. Looks like you did pretty well,’ said Joe.
‘I’ll hold onto these prisoners for now but I’ll need some written
reports from you blokes in the next few days.’
‘No worries, you’ll have your reports from Jacko and me as soon
as we can get pen to paper,’ said Jamie. ‘We need information from
those prisoners at some stage.’
‘Yeah? What do you need?’ asked Joe.
‘Well, first of all we’ll need the radio signal schedule and codes
they were going to use to alert their contacts around Darwin,’ said
Jamie. ‘I’m pretty sure that Miguel Ocampo was going to skipper the
fishing boat, so he should know everything.’
‘That shouldn’t be too hard,’ said Joe. ‘Anything else?’
‘We don’t know who the leaders of the gang are in Manila,’ said
Jamie. ‘There’s a mysterious Mr Smith who seems to be the head
honcho. Francisco Tan will probably know who he is, but he is gonna
be a hard nut to crack.’
‘Well, we’ll just have to crack it, won’t we?’ said Joe. ‘We’ll
concentrate on the radio signals first. Miguel doesn’t look too hard to
crack.’
‘That would be just great, Joe,’ said Jamie. ‘Thanks for
everything.’
Joe turned to walk off the pier. ‘You’re welcome. Adiós for now,
guys.’
Jacko looked up at the children who were staring at the group on
the pier with large curious eyes. ‘What about the kids? What do we
do with them?’
‘Oscar and I can take care of them,’ said Manny. ‘If they’re all
orphans we’ll parcel them out to families here who’ll adopt them and
bring them up as God-loving Cebuanos. Better than wandering the
slums of Manila, no? We’ll leave them on board for now and my

124
crew can entertain them. I’ll organise for someone to pick them up
after I’ve spoken to Oscar. In the meantime, I think we’ve earned a
drink at the Sailor’s Log Cabin, no?’
‘Yeah, I’d reckon, mate,’ said Jacko.
Manny laughed. ‘Son of a gun!’

****

The following day, Jamie and Jacko filed into Ward C at the old
Doctors’ Hospital in Osmeña Boulevard and found Harry sitting up in
bed looking decidedly groggy and bemused.
‘How are you feeling, Harry old pal?’ asked Jacko.
‘Not a hundred. I think they’ve taken the slug out of me, at least,’
replied Harry. ‘Feeling a bit woozy after the anaesthetic. How are our
prisoners?’
‘We’re going to the Philippine Constabulary headquarters this
afternoon,’ said Jamie. ‘Joe says he should have Miguel ready to talk
by then. He was going to skipper the fishing boat and he’ll be the one
who knows the radio schedules that were to be used to contact the
gang members in Darwin.’
Harry grunted, ‘Wish I could go with you guys. I’d like to give
that wretched Tan a punch on the nose. I feel so bloody useless,
Goddammit!’
Jacko laughed. ‘Yeah, well, Tan’s nose will have to wait for a
while. Harry, we’ll have to leave you now so you can take care of all
those beautiful doctoras that Manny told you about.’
‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,’ Harry groaned.

****

‘Hi guys! Come in, come in,’ said Joe as Jamie, Jacko and Lory were
shown into his office at the constabulary headquarters. ‘I’ve got our
three prisoners separated in different cells and I think Miguel, or
Mickey as he calls himself, might be willing to cooperate to save his
neck. I’ll take you down there in a moment. Would you like a coffee?
I’m just about to have one.’

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 ‘Yes, thanks,’ said Jamie. ‘What about Tan? Any cooperation
from him?’
‘No. He’s definitely going to be a harder nut to crack but we’ll
work on him,’ said Joe after ordering coffees from his secretary. ‘He
might come good eventually when he realises we’re probably going
to hang him. The third fellow doesn’t seem to know anything. He was
just an odds-body crewman. How’s Harry?’
‘Feeling sorry for himself,’ said Jamie. ‘He’ll be right in a couple
of days.’
‘Do you have a clue as to who any of the Manila or Australia-
based gang leaders are yet?’ asked Joe, sipping his coffee.
‘We’ve got a few reliable young fellows following some of the
known gang members around Manila, so they might have something
when we return,’ said Jamie. ‘Tan’s probably the only one who would
know the Manila boss, although Bobby Castillo might know.’
‘Yeah, well, it’s probably best not to pick up Castillo yet. It would
alert his office here,’ said Joe. ‘He’ll think that Tan and Ocampo are
still in Surigao.’
‘We should be able to track down the Australian connections if we
follow the gang’s radio schedule. Then we can make it appear as
though the Bag-ong Bulan is on schedule for sailing to Darwin,’ said
Jamie.
‘Yeah, that should work all right. The ghost of Bag-ong Bulan
sails again,’ said Joe with a chuckle. ‘Okay, let’s go and see if we can
get that radio information out of Mickey Ocampo. I’ll lead the way.’

****

Miguel Ocampo viewed the group with downcast eyes as they entered
his cell and stayed sitting on his small prison cot.
‘Good day, Mickey my friend,’ said Joe. ‘You’ve already met
these gentlemen who are considering bringing charges against you for
kidnapping, slave smuggling and perhaps murder, all of which are
hanging offences.’
‘I’m just a fisherman,’ Miguel whined. ‘I didn’t kidnap. Not
murder.’

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 ‘We are in a position to do a deal with you, Mickey,’ said Jamie.
‘If you cooperate with us we can have the charges against you
reduced. You might eventually get back to being a fisherman, if that’s
what you really are.’
Miguel looked blankly at Jamie and then at Lory, who spoke to
him in Filipino. After some discussion Lory said, ‘He speaks English
but not very well. He is from Luzon and his native language is
Tagalog. I’ll translate for you so that he fully understands.’
‘I want him to give us the exact schedule of his voyage to
Australia and the radio calls to his contacts in Australia,’ said Jamie.
Lory translated this into Tagalog for Miguel and then said to
Jamie, ‘The course of his journey is not so exact but they planned to
go south through Molucca Sea, Banda Sea then east of Timor to
Bathurst Island.’
‘Yeah, okay. What we want to know exactly is the radio schedule,’
said Jamie.
Lory kept repeating the question to Miguel in Tagalog. Finally, he
raised his voice and gestured with his fingers against his throat.
Miguel replied weakly, ‘Juanito!’
‘He says that he had two copies of written instructions for a full
radio schedule,’ said Lory. ‘One copy was hidden in the fishing boat
and would have been burnt in the fire, but a second copy was sewn
into the jacket of one of the children. The child’s name is Juanito.’
‘Excellent. You can tell Mickey we’ll try to save him from
hanging if he’s told us the truth,’ said Jamie. ‘Does he know the big
bosses in Manila?’
After further discussion with Miguel, Lory said, ‘He has only met
Mr Alejandro García and Mr Smith. He doesn’t know any more.’
‘Okay. That’s okay. We’ll go to find Juanito,’ said Jamie.
‘Goodbye, Mickey. Thanks.’

127
 CHAPTER 17

‘Son of a gun! What an adventure! Here’s to our success,’ said

Manny, clinking his bottle of San Miguel beer against the bottles of
the others. ‘I think we’re going to finish these bandidos for good.’
The mood around the dinner table at the Sailor’s Log Cabin was
cheerful, even more so when Oscar arrived with documents encased
in plastic. They turned out to be detailed documents of times,
channels and codes for radio signals for the entire journey to
Australia. The first transmissions to Darwin would occur when the
fishing boat reached the Molucca Spice Islands.
‘The little boy, Juanito, had no idea that these papers were sewn
into his jacket,’ said Oscar with a laugh. ‘He told me his jacket was a
bit stiff at the back.’
‘This is very valuable. Very valuable,’ said Jamie. ‘We’ll get
Sparky into gear and he’ll be able to follow the radio transmission
schedule perfectly from our office in Darwin. The gang members in
Australia will never suspect until we arrange to meet them off
Bathurst Island.’
Manny looked curiously at Jamie. ‘Sparky?’
‘Yeah, Sparky,’ said Jacko. ‘His name’s Garry Speck. He’s a
whizz-kid radio operator so we call him Sparky.’
Manny laughed. ‘Son of a gun!’
‘I’d like to propose a toast to Oscar and Manny,’ said Jamie with
more clinking of bottles. ‘Without you fellows we would be nowhere
near where we are now in running down these crooks. We don’t know
how to thank you.’
‘Since the war we’ve been suffering from boredom,’ said Oscar.
‘You’ve created excitement for me. This is fun and I’m glad we saved
those young boys. I know Manny is also glad about it.’
‘Listen, you guys. If you ever want to use my boat, you’re always
welcome,’ said Manny. ‘When do you go back to Manila?’
‘As soon as we can get Harry back on his feet. Hopefully
tomorrow,’ said Jamie. ‘I’ll never forget Cebu. That’s for sure.’
Manny laughed. ‘Come back here any time. We’ll be here.’

128
 ‘I’ll write to you from Australia and let you know how we got on
with the gangsters down under,’ said Jamie. ‘I’ve got your addresses.’
‘If you need any more crooks caught here, just let me know,’ said
Oscar.
Jamie chuckled. ‘Yeah, we’ll do that.’
Manny called over a waiter. ‘Another round of San Miguel. These
Australians are dying of thirst. Son of a gun!’
‘Think I’ll sleep well tonight,’ said Jacko.

****

‘How are you feeling this morning, Harry old fellow?’ asked Jacko
breezily.
‘Old fellow? Yeah well, I feel a bit old for my years this morning,’
said Harry. ‘I’m a bit better but I’d like to get out of this hospital.’
Jacko laughed. ‘I thought the doctoras were so beautiful you’d
want to stay.’
‘Yeah yeah yeah. They’re beautiful all right, but their only interest
in me is clinical. I’m frustrated just lying here.’
‘Do you think you’ll be ready to travel to Manila today?’ asked
Jamie.
‘Yeah, surely. In fact, I’m ready to leave this minute if you can
check me out of here,’ said Harry. ‘How did you get on with the
interrogation of our prisoners?’
‘It was nearly perfect, Harry,’ said Jamie. ‘We have the exact
radio schedule the fishing boat was going to use when it sailed to
Australia. We’ll mimic the fishing boat for the benefit of the
gangsters in Darwin.’
‘As Joe said, the ghost of the Bag-ong Bulan sails again!’ said
Jacko.
‘Yeah, but unfortunately we still don’t know who Mr Smith is,’
said Jamie. ‘We’ll have a go at Tan later this morning but I don’t
think he’ll cooperate.’
‘No. To use Manny’s favourite expression, he’s a son of a bitch
that guy,’ said Harry. ‘Is your driver, Ed Salazar, here with you?’
‘Yes, sure. He’s waiting outside,’ said Jamie.

129
 ‘Good. If you guys could help me dress and discharge me, I’ll
drop you at the Constabulary Centre for your talk to Tan and I’ll go
and see a man about an aeroplane. Hopefully we can leave this
afternoon.’
‘Are you sure you’re all right?’ said Jacko.
Harry chuckled. ‘I’ve got a whole new lease on life, Jacko old
fellow.’

****

Major Joe Stevenson opened the steel door to the cell of Francisco
Tan and led Jamie, Jacko and Lory into the small 12-foot by 15-foot
room. Tan stood, staring at them malevolently and spat.
‘You bastards will be sorry for this,’ he said.
‘Shaking in my boots, Frankie,’ returned Joe. ‘I’ve got some
friends here who would like to ask you some questions before we fit
you with a rope collar.’
‘I want to see my partner, Bobby Castillo,’ said Tan defiantly.
‘You’ll have plenty of time to see Bobby when we bring him in as
an accessory to kidnapping,’ said Joe. ‘You guys will probably have a
lot to talk about.’
Tan swore at them in Spanish.
‘Mr Smith! Your boss in Manila. We want to know about Mr
Smith,’ said Jamie.
‘Mr Smith will have all you guys shot,’ said Tan.
‘Who is Mr Smith, Frank?’ asked Jamie steadily.
Tan suddenly smiled at him. ‘Mr Smith is too influential for you
bastards to handle.’
‘I don’t think Mr Smith will help you when the rope collar is
stretching your neck,’ said Jacko.
‘It’ll never get to that,’ said Tan, eyeing Jacko carefully. ‘Who the
hell are you? You look Filipino but talk like foreigner.’
‘I’m the ghost who tapped you on the head in Surigao,’ said Jacko.
‘You’ll be a ghost soon enough when Mr Smith catches up with
you,’ said Tan.
‘We might be able to save your neck if you tell us what we want to
know,’ said Jamie. ‘We only need to know who Mr Smith is.’

130
 Tan’s lips broke into a smile which looked more like a grimace.
‘Mr Smith is your worst nightmare, Langyaw!’
‘Don’t think we’re going to do much good here, guys,’ said Joe.
‘Frankie boy here wants to die, for sure. Let’s go.’
As they filed out of the cell, Tan spat at them again.
They walked back to Joe’s office and he asked, ‘Is your car here?’
‘No, Harry has it right now. We thought we might wander down to
the Sailor’s Log Cabin for lunch,’ said Jamie. ‘We hope to return to
Manila this afternoon.’
‘So, Harry’s out and about. I’ll come with you for lunch,’ said Joe.
‘Wait here. I’ll just get something from my office and we’ll all
squeeze into my car.’

****

Harry arrived at the Sailor’s Log Cabin a few minutes after the others
and greeted them with a smile.
‘All fixed, guys. We’ve got a DC-3 laid on for 4.30 this afternoon.
Leaving from Mactan,’ he said. ‘Hi Joe! How’d you all go with Tan
this morning?’
‘Not good, Harry. Tan’s a son of a bitch,’ said Joe. ‘How’s the
wounded soldier?’
‘Aches like bloody hell,’ said Harry. ‘But I guess I’ll live.’
‘Better ease the pain with a San Miguel, Harry,’ said Jacko.
‘Yeah, good idea. Otherwise I’ll be more of a pain in the arse than
usual.’
They settled down on stools at the bar and Wal Bowman
approached and greeted them like old friends, ‘Hi guys, you’re
becoming regular customers of mine. Are you going to stay in Cebu
for a while longer?’
‘No Wal, we’ll be leaving your fair city this afternoon,’ said
Jamie. ‘You’ve got a great place here in a nice town. I hope we can
return and visit you again sometime.’
‘Yeah! As I always say, it’s our little corner of paradise,’ agreed
Wal. ‘Have you Aussies been able to achieve whatever it is you came
here for?’

131
 ‘Yes thanks, Wal. We’ve been helped a lot by the generosity of
some of the people here, Manny Alvarez and Oscar Choy in
particular,’ said Jamie.
‘Glad to hear it. Speak of the devil, here’s Oscar now, looking
thirsty as usual. Good morning, Oscar.’
Oscar approached with a large smile on his round face. ‘Good
morning all. Or is it afternoon yet?’
Wal looked at his watch. ‘Afternoon in a couple of minutes. What
will you have to drink, Oscar?’
‘Whatever my friends are having. You wouldn’t believe it, Wal,’
said Oscar. ‘Manny and I’ve been working with these Australians,
rounding up bandidos.’
‘All put away except for one,’ said Joe. ‘For the moment anyway.’
‘I’ll get Oscar a beer and leave you guys to talk this cops-and-
robbers stuff amongst yourselves,’ said Wal. ‘Have a good trip back
to Manila, guys. I’ll see you later sometime.’
They sat at a table for lunch and Joe told the others he would leave
Roberto Castillo alone for five more days before picking him up.
‘Because after four or five days he’ll probably start to panic,’ he said.
‘Then he’ll alert his contacts in Manila that he hasn’t seen Tan or
Murphy and something must have gone wrong. So you guys have to
track down the mastermind in Manila before that happens.’
‘Yeah, that’s about the size of it, Joe,’ said Harry.
‘Now that we’ve got this end sewn up, we’ve got a fair chance of
getting the gang leaders out into the open,’ said Jamie. ‘Harry’s men
have been following the known members of the gang in Manila
around and they should have found out a few things by now.’
‘Okay, that’s good,’ said Joe. ‘I’ll keep Tan and his merry men
under wraps here. Let me know when you find the ringleaders and I’ll
pick up Castillo.’
‘No problem, Joe.’

****

At 4.00pm, Ed Salazar’s Studebaker with Harry and Lory and Oscar’s

car with Jamie and Jacko boarded the landing craft for the crossing
from Cebu to Mactan Island. Halfway across the Mactan Channel,

132
they heard a loud ship’s horn and looking over the starboard side saw
Manny waving to them from his bangka. After five more blasts of the
horn, the bangka turned and headed back south towards the Cebu port
area.
At the Mactan Airport, they drove up to the door of a USAF DC-3
painted in camouflage colours and were greeted by the pilots.
Thanking Oscar for all his valuable help and promising to stay in
touch, the three men boarded the aircraft. Waving to Oscar from the
front windows they taxied to the south-western end of the airstrip.
The DC-3 turned and after revving its engines was quickly airborne
into the clear blue skies.
Harry again brought out his leather cup and five dice to play Balut,
which kept the four of them occupied for the next hour and a half. A
short time later, they were circling Nielson Field southeast of Manila
and after landing, found José waiting for them beside his blue
Chevrolet.
Jacko said to Harry, ‘You’re a good organiser, Harry. I was
wondering how we were going to get to Manila from here.’
Harry, who was still in some pain, grunted, ‘No problem, young
fellow. That’s my job. You’re also booked back into the Manila
Hotel. I’ll drop you there first. Then Lory and I’ll go find Vic and the
other lads.’
‘That sounds good, but don’t you think you should have your
doctor look at your wound?’ said Jamie. ‘He might give you
painkillers.’
Harry grunted again as they all got into the car. ‘Nah, it’s okay for
now. Let’s get going, José. Manila Hotel.’
‘Yessir.’
By the time they reached the Manila Hotel, the sun was setting
behind the Bataan Peninsula, a bright-red ball refracting a motley of
colours onto the scattered clouds. Jamie and Jacko checked into the
hotel, freshened up and met again in the lobby to wait for Harry.
Looking out at the bay, Jacko mused, ‘Where would we be without
Manny and Oscar, Cap? I’m gonna stay in touch with them by letter.
Great friends, those two!’
‘You’re right. Without them we’d be nowhere,’ agreed Jamie. ‘I
think I saw our car just arrive. Harry must be back.’

133
 Harry came rushing into the lobby holding his wounded shoulder
but with a big smile on his craggy face, ‘Hey guys, good news. I’ve
rounded up all the lads and left them at Galing Galing, a Filipino
restaurant. They’ve got a few very interesting stories to tell us. It’s
not far from here in Padre Faura Street. Good local food. Let’s go.’
As they piled into the waiting car, Jamie thought that he had never
seen Harry so animated and asked him what it was all about.
‘I’ll leave it to them to tell you what they’ve found out!’ he said.
Galing Galing was large, with an extensive pork and seafood
buffet costing six pesos per head. Harry said with a laugh that the
buffet was very popular, as it was hard to fill a Filipino’s stomach.
Vic, Raffy, Jimmy and Lory were sitting at two tables pushed
together and they all stood up when the others approached.
Harry cleared his throat. ‘Let’s eat, guys. Y’all know Jamie and
Jacko. Make sure your plates are full and we’ll be all ears to hear
what you have to say.’
Everyone carried plates of food from the buffet back to their table
then Jamie and Jacko looked expectantly at Harry’s young assistants.
They decided that Vic would be their spokesman.
‘It was late in the evening on the same day you left for Cebu,’ he
said. ‘Raffy and I followed dela Cruz to Lina’s Bar and waited
outside. Eventually, dela Cruz came out accompanied by an
American and an older Filipino. I followed the American, and Raffy
followed the Filipino. Over the next days until now, the three of us
have been following them around. The American is tall with blue
eyes and greying hair. He lives in a house in Ermita and goes every
day to the US High Commission.’
‘The US High Commission?’ repeated Jamie.
‘O-o, yes, sir,’ Vic replied, ‘I asked the guard at the High
Commission who he was, but he said he didn’t know his name but he
worked there.’
Jamie, Jacko and Harry exchanged glances as Vic continued,
‘Raffy followed the Filipino man to his house in Quiapo and next
morning to the Department of Immigration. His name is Alejandro
García. We found out he is the Assistant Commissioner for
Immigration.’

134
 ‘Great work, guys!’ said Harry. ‘So, we still don’t know the name
of the American. The description could fit five or six men at the High
Commission. Anything else, Vic?’
‘Yes, sir. Raffy, Jimmy and I took turns to follow the American
around night and day. He had another meeting with Mr Garcia at
Lina’s Bar while you were away. They were joined by another
American with a grizzly beard we hadn’t seen before and a lady with
blonde hair. We don’t know her name but we found out that she also
works at the US High Commission.’
‘A blonde lady? What age would you reckon, Vic?’ asked Jacko.
‘About thirty-five to forty-five I think, sir.’
‘Must be Fiona Goodman,’ said Jacko. ‘What do you think,
Harry?’
‘I think you’re right. Our esteemed Chief of US Diplomacy,’
agreed Harry. ‘Goddammit, I don’t know who else it could be. Jeez,
Fiona! Goddamn!’
‘So maybe Mr Smith is Jeffrey Hunt, your esteemed Vice Consul,’
said Jacko.
Harry’s eyes narrowed. ‘Jovial Jeffrey! It’s hard to imagine, but
you might be right. He certainly fits the description.’
‘Fiona Goodman. It makes sense that she could be involved,’ said
Jamie. ‘She didn’t believe us when we told her we were just looking
at war damage. Harry, when you go to the High Commission
tomorrow, you’d better study the five or six tall men with blue eyes
and greying hair.’
‘Will do, for sure. I’ll study them all. Well done lads. You’ve done
a great job. Eat as much of that buffet as you like. We’ll wait for you,
no hurry.’
The four young Filipinos went back to the buffet and Harry
chuckled. ‘Those lads may be as thin as rakes but I can never believe
the amount of food they put away.’

135
 CHAPTER 18

Lost in thought in the early afternoon, Jacko gazed out of his hotel
window where he could see the lighthouse at Sangley Point across
Manila Bay. He was frustrated at not having been able to
communicate with his lovely Monique during his time in the
Philippines, and so did not know when she and her family would be
moving to Australia. At the same time, he was exhilarated at the
success of their mission and knew it was likely they could soon return
to Darwin, where letters from Monique must be waiting for him. He
sighed. If only the soon could be very soon. He wondered whether
Harry had found anything out at the US High Commission. Even after
finishing here, there would still be much work to do in Darwin to
round up the Australian part of the gang, but he believed he and Jamie
could achieve this now that they knew so much more about how the
criminals operated. He sighed again. Monique, Monique, I can’t stop
thinking about you. Where are you? How are you? That’s stupid,
Jacko, she’s fine. They must be on a ship already.
His reverie was interrupted by a knock on the door. Jamie called
him. He quickly opened the door.
‘Hi Cap, what’s happening?’
Jamie was holding a note and had a puzzled expression. ‘It’s
weird, Jacko. The hotel concierge just delivered this note to me. It’s
from Harry. He wants us to meet him this afternoon at a factory in a
place called Muntinlupa to the south of Manila.’
‘Muntinlupa? Isn’t it where that friend of Jeffrey Hunt has a
sweatshop?’ asked Jacko. ‘We met him at the Selecta Restaurant.
Harris, I think his name was. Grumpy old bugger.’
‘Yeah, Shane Harris. He certainly was a grumpy old bloke,’
agreed Jamie. ‘I don’t know whether it’s Harris’s place where Harry
wants to meet us, but he says it’s twelve miles south of Manila near a
large lake, Laguna de Báy. He says the factory is near a signpost that
says “12 miles to Manila”. He reckons that our driver José will be
able to find it.’

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 ‘That really is weird, Cap. Why wouldn’t Harry talk to us before
he went down there? I’ve got a bad feeling about this. It all sounds
fishy to me.’
‘You’re probably right, Jacko. Perhaps he was following someone
and couldn’t stop.’
‘Then he would’ve sent Lory, Vic, Raffy or Jimmy to tell us, Cap.’
‘Yes, you’re right there, Jacko. I think we’d better find those
fellows and see if they know what’s going on.’
‘Yep, and José should have a fair idea where one or two of them
are,’ said Jacko. ‘If we go down to that factory we’d better be armed,
Cap. Just in case it’s a trap, I mean.’
‘Yes, for sure. We’ll get ready and then go and talk to José,’ said
Jamie. ‘He’ll be outside somewhere in the carpark.’
Arriving on the ground floor, they were surprised to find Lory
sitting on a chair in the lobby. He explained that he and Vic were
planning to follow the tall American again when he left the US High
Commission later in the day and in the meantime, he was checking up
on the security guard, dela Cruz, who was still on his shift in the
hotel. He said that Vic was in the car park talking to José.
‘You didn’t see Harry Williams this afternoon, did you?’ asked
Jamie.
‘No, sir. I haven’t seen him since this morning before he went to
work.’
‘Did you see anyone you know giving a note to the concierge or
the reception here in the past half-hour?’
‘No, sir. There have been quite a few people going up to the
reception desk but no one I know,’ said Lory.
‘Okay, thanks Lory. We’d like you and Vic to come with us now
to Muntinlupa.’
‘Muntinlupa, sir?’
‘Yes, we’ve had a strange note from Harry asking us to meet him
there at a factory, twelve miles south of Manila,’ explained Jamie.
‘There are lots of factories there, sir,’ said Lory. ‘Did the note say
which one?’
‘Yes. It’s near a signpost saying “12 miles to Manila” and close to
the lake.’
‘Laguna de Báy?’

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 ‘Yes, that’s the one. We shouldn’t have any trouble finding it,’
said Jamie. ‘Let’s go.’
At the car, José and Vic got out. Jamie explained about the note
from Harry and the possibility that they might walk into a trap.
‘We’ll all drive down there but just before we get to this “12-mile”
sign, we’ll drop Lory and Vic off where you can stay out of sight,’
said Jamie. ‘Are either of you familiar with handguns?’
Vic put up his hand. ‘I am, sir. I’m a member of a pistol club.’
‘Okay Vic, I’ll give you mine,’ said Jamie. ‘Harry or whoever is
there will be expecting Jacko and me so after you see us walk into the
factory, wait for a while then get as close to the building as you can
and see if you can get in without being seen. If it’s a trap it could be
extremely dangerous. If you’re at all nervous about this, it’s better
you don’t come with us.’
Lory protested, ‘No, sir. We want to come with you, don’t we,
Vic?’
Vic nodded. ‘Yes, we’re with you, sir.’
‘Okay. That’s settled. José, as soon as you drop us at the factory,
back the car up about 400 yards and wait, okay?’ said Jamie.
‘Yes, sir!’
‘We’ll talk about anything else in the car,’ said Jamie. ‘Let’s get
underway.’
José drove through Pasay then onto the narrow road heading south
out of Manila. The road was partly gravel with a narrow strip of
bitumen wide enough for one car. There was very little traffic, mainly
kalesas, other horse-drawn carts, bicycles and horse riders. They had
to move right off the road for a truck heading towards Manila but
otherwise the trip was uneventful. Most of the roadside dwellings
were nipa huts and they regularly experienced the distinctive smell of
burning copra wafting through the open windows of the car. After
passing the small village of Las Piñas, José slowed the car and told
them they would reach Muntinlupa in only a few minutes.
Watching carefully ahead of them, they saw the lake on their left,
like a large inland sea. José stopped the car when they saw a signpost
near a large shed on the right side of the road about 100 yards ahead.
Jacko got out of the car and said to José, ‘Just wait here and I’ll go
and see if the other side of that signpost says 12 miles to Manila.’

138
 They watched as he trotted down the road. Arriving at the signpost
he studied it, nodded and walked back to the car.
‘This is it, Cap. The factory must be that big shed off to the right
of the road.’
‘Okay, thanks Jacko,’ said Jamie. ‘We’ll go on foot from here. The
rest of you know what to do. For goodness sake though, don’t take
any unnecessary risks.’
‘I’ve got a baseball bat in the trunk, sir,’ said José.
Jacko smiled at him. ‘Really! Do you play baseball, José?’
‘Softball, sir. Same type of bat.’
‘That would be very handy. I think we should leave both our
handguns with the boys, Cap. I’ll just take my knife, and would you
mind if we borrowed your bat for Jamie, José?’
‘No problem, sir. I’ll get it for you,’ said José.
Jamie and Jacko walked slowly down the road towards the shed,
watching carefully for any movement. As they neared the building,
the only sounds they heard were birds and the rustling of leaves in the
trees. There was no sign of life around the shed and no parked
vehicles that might have indicated the presence of Harry or anyone
else.
Jacko whispered to Jamie, ‘If this is a factory, you’d expect lots of
people to be working here, Cap. This place looks deserted.’
‘Yeah. We’d better have a look in any case. There only seems to
be one door into the place. The one near the road. We’ll try that,’
Jamie replied in a low voice.
Walking up to the front door of the shed, the gravel crunched
under their boots despite their efforts to be as silent as possible. At
the door, Jacko put his finger to his lips and then carefully pressed his
ear against the door. He put a hand on his chest, made exaggerated
breathing movements and held up two fingers, gesturing to Jamie that
two people were just inside the door on each side of it. Slowly pulling
down the handle with his left hand, he held his knife in his right.
Pushing the door forward about an inch, he then forcefully kicked it
in. There were grunts of surprise from both sides as Jacko leapt
though the opening, swinging his knife around to the left and
encountering soft flesh. Jamie followed and as the door started to
close he slammed the baseball bat around behind it, achieving a cry of

139
pain. In the light from the open door, Jamie could see the figure he
had hit reaching for the handgun he had dropped but before he could
reach it, he whacked him hard on the top of his head. He slumped to
the floor like a sack of potatoes. Looking around, Jamie saw Jacko
holding his hand over the other man’s mouth, and blood squirting
from the side of his neck.
Wiping his knife on the dead man’s shirt, Jacko picked up one of
the handguns and whispered, ‘Colt .45. What’s the betting these are
the guns that killed those Dutch sailors at the Lily Hotel?’
Jamie left the baseball bat on the floor near the unconscious man
and inspected the gun. ‘Good odds, I’d say. Are these the same men?’
‘Not sure, Cap. They’re big burly fellas so quite likely.’
The front room where they were standing was relatively small. A
reception desk was against the back wall beside a door, which Jamie
assumed led into the central part of the shed.
‘We’ve got to go through there,’ said Jamie, holding one of the
Colts. ‘How would you suggest we handle that, Jacko?’
‘I wonder what’ll happen if I do this?’ said Jacko, pointing the
other gun out the front door and firing two shots. In the small room, it
sounded like loud cannon shots followed by echoes from the lake.
‘Bloody hell, you nearly destroyed my ears, Jacko.’
Jacko closed the outside door, darkening the room, and said,
‘Sorry, Cap. Just be ready with that gun.’
Waiting in the dark, they eventually heard footsteps followed by
the inside door opening to reveal the silhouette of a short plump man.
‘Did yer get ’em?’ he asked.
‘Sure did, Mr Harris,’ said Jacko, stepping forward and pushing
the barrel of the Colt into Shane Harris’ paunchy stomach, forcing
him to walk backwards into a large room with long benches and
hundreds of treadle sewing machines.
Jamie quickly followed them and looked around. At first, it
seemed the factory area was deserted but as the door began to close,
they froze when they heard a commanding voice with a familiar
American accent behind them.
‘Just drop the hardware onto the floor, guys, hands high and don’t
move a muscle or you’re dead.’
Jacko and Jamie dropped the Colts and started to turn around.

140
 ‘Don’t turn around. Just kick those guns away. Don’t stand there
like an idiot, Shane, pick up the guns and point one at these
Australian mongrels.’
‘Hello, Jeffrey. Or should I say Mr Smith. We suspected it might
be you,’ said Jamie without looking around.
‘Yes, well, now you know,’ said Jeffrey Hunt. ‘Start walking
towards the back of the factory and you can meet up with your old
pal, Harry Williams Junior.’
They started walking forward with their hands up and Jamie asked,
‘Is Harry in this with you?’
Jeffrey laughed sarcastically. ‘Not entirely, no. You’ll see.’
The far door was opened by a swarthy American with grizzled hair
and beard, also carrying a revolver.
‘Meet Justin, one of my trusted staff from the High Commission,’
said Jeffrey. ‘Keep your hands up and go on through. There’s
someone I want you to meet.’
They filed through into a room with a large desk and five filing
cabinets. Harry was tied to a chair beside the desk with a gag over his
mouth. Fiona Goodman, wearing a beige twinset, was leaning up
against one of the filing cabinets watching them with a smile, her
long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. Jamie and Jacko were told to
face the far wall with their hands behind their backs so that Justin
could tie their wrists.
Jeffrey cleared his throat. ‘Harry’s been very cooperative. I’m
going to leave his gag on because he’ll only swear at me and there’s a
lady present. I only had to press his wounded shoulder a couple of
times to get him to write that note to you. A few more presses on the
shoulder and he admitted that you were in Cebu but hadn’t managed
to catch up with Frankie Tan. By the time Frankie’s men shot Harry,
he had already sailed to where you’d never find him. Bad luck, eh?’
With his hands firmly tied behind his back, Jamie turned around to
face Jeffrey Hunt and said, ‘What made you bring Harry here?’
‘Ah! He was asking too many pointed questions all around the
High Commission this morning,’ explained Jeffrey. ‘It raised some
eyebrows, so before it went too far Fiona and I told him we suspected
that one of the Veteran Affairs staff was part of a gang and we could
prove it at Lina’s Bar, which I believe you know. As soon as we all

141
piled into my car, Justin stuck a gun in Harry’s ribs and here we are!
Poor old Shane here had to give his workers half a day’s holiday.’
Shane Harris grunted, ‘I’m losing damned money too.’
Jacko glared at the smirking vice consul. ‘So what now, Mr
Smith?’
‘Well, first of all I might torture Harry a bit more until you tell me
about two Australian policemen who seem to have vanished,’ said
Jeffrey.
‘Torture him all you want but we have no idea what you’re talking
about,’ said Jamie.
Jeffrey walked towards the chair where Harry was tied and said,
‘We’ll have to see about …’
Jacko interrupted, ‘You’re not going to let us live no matter what
we do, are you?’
Jeffrey looked thoughtful. ‘Hmm, I suppose that’s right. We can
hardly let you alert the authorities in Australia, can we? Or the
powers that be here in the Philippines either. Hmm yes, you’re right. I
guess you guys are dead men walking. Listen Justin, go and see what
happened to those two goons who were supposed to be guarding the
front door and make sure no one else is prowling around.’

****

After hearing the two loud shots, Lory and Vic had crept along the
side of the road until they arrived at the door of the shed. The
unlatched door swung open when Lory nervously pushed it. He and
Vic jumped to the sides of the door pointing their guns into the
interior. There was a strong smell of blood and they found the dead
body of a burly Filipino lying to the left of the doorway. Stepping
inside, they found the unconscious body behind the door with José’s
baseball bat beside him. Vic picked up the bat and they crept towards
the other door. Vic stood to one side of it as Lory reached for the door
handle. Before he could grasp it, the door opened away from him and
he found himself face to face with a swarthy bearded foreigner who
was pointing a large gun straight at him. Startled, Lory dropped his
own handgun and stared back at the man who snarled at him.
‘Who the hell are you, you little pipsqueak?’ he said threateningly.

142
 Justin only briefly became aware of a short swishing sound before
a baseball bat descended on his head, dropping him to the floor.
Lory shook his head and looked at Vic. ‘Ay naku!’
Vic nodded. ‘Ay naku naman!’
Lory looked through the door. ‘There are hundreds of sewing
machines in there but I don’t see anyone.’
‘What’ll we do?’
Lory looked carefully around the factory and said, ‘Let’s bring all
the guns and the bat in here and close the door. We’ll hide under one
of the benches and wait to see what happens next.’
‘Okay lang!’

143
 CHAPTER 19

Jeffrey Hunt pressed down hard on Harry’s wounded shoulder,

making him emit a loud groan muffled by the gag in his mouth.
‘Do you know anything about two Australian policemen, George
Barnes and Don Fletcher, Harry my old friend?’ he asked.
Harry shook his head vigorously and glared with naked hatred at
Jeffrey, who turned to Jamie and said, ‘I can stop doing this to Harry
if you just give me some information on those police.’
‘It’s useless sadistic torture, you bastard,’ said Jamie. ‘We don’t
know anything about the police you’re talking about.’
‘I think perhaps you might be right,’ said Jeffrey, giving Harry’s
shoulder another squeeze. ‘Just tell me then what you were doing in
Cebu.’
‘I’ll tell you the truth,’ said Jamie. ‘We had a tipoff that your
friend Francisco Tan was involved in kidnapping, but by the time we
located his boat, he’d already sailed away and one of his men shot
Harry at Compostela.’
‘I always thought you guys weren’t just plods looking at war
ruins,’ said Fiona. ‘You didn’t fool me at all. You must have thought
we were all a mob of bozos.’
‘You guys are the bozos now, aren’t you?’ said Jeffrey.
‘So, what are you going to do with us?’ asked Jamie.
‘Well, you might have noticed that there’s a beautiful big lake out
there,’ said Jeffrey with a smirk. ‘You guys are going for a swim with
heavy weights for company. It’s not a very deep lake but it’s very big
and I don’t think you’ll be found for a long, long time, if ever. If your
buddies from Australia come looking for you, they won’t find any
trace of you.’
‘So you have no qualms about cold-blooded murder?’ said Jamie.
‘Harry always called you Jovial Jeffrey.’
‘I have no qualms at all about you lot, and I’ll take particular
pleasure in offing my old friend Harry,’ said Jeffrey with a
malevolent grin. ‘I’ll feel very jovial about doing you in, Harry. What
the hell’s happened to Justin?’

144
 ‘He’ll be back in a short while,’ said Shane Harris in his nasal
voice. ‘Whatever you want to do to these bozos, get it over with so
that I can get my factory back into operation. I’ll have another shift
coming on in about an hour.’
‘Okay, Shane old buddy,’ said Jeffrey, waving his Colt .45 around.
‘We’re not going to learn much from these stupid dipsticks anyway.
Now, let’s see. Who’s first? Ah yes, my old buddy Harry. You have
the honour.’
Despite the tight bonds around his wrists, Jacko had managed to
slip his hunting knife out of its pouch under the back of his shirt. He
had turned it upside down and was carefully sawing through the rope.
It was a slow process and he recognised with horror that there was no
chance of freeing himself in less than five minutes. If he tried to get
up from where he was sitting to charge Jeffrey Hunt with his wrists
still tied, he knew he would never make it.
Jeffrey strutted over to the chair where Harry was tied and pointed
the handgun straight at him. ‘Don’t worry, Harry. You won’t feel
anything. This thing will blow such a large hole in you, you’ll never
know what hit you.’
‘Wait, Jeffrey dear!’ Fiona called, stopping Jeffrey who looked
around at her in surprise. ‘Harry has always rubbed me up the wrong
way. Why don’t you give me the pleasure of shooting him? You can
take care of the other stupid bozos, as you call them.’
‘Sure, Fiona, why not?’ said Jeffrey, stepping back with a smirk. ‘I
didn’t realise she loved you so much, Harry.’
Fiona sashayed over to Jeffrey who handed her the Colt and said,
‘Just put the end of the barrel against the left side of his chest and pull
the trigger.’
‘Don’t make too much of a mess, goddammit!’ moaned Shane.
‘As little as possible, Shane. I don’t want you to have to repaint
your office,’ said Fiona, pointing the gun at Harry’s chest. ‘Have you
also got a gun, Shane?’
‘Wha? Yes, it’s only small calibre though,’ said Shane, puzzled.
‘Good. Show it to me carefully and drop it on the floor,’ Fiona
said coldly, now pointing the handgun at him. ‘Stay where you are,
Jeffrey, and don’t move.’
‘What the hell are you doing, Fiona?’ he blurted with shock.

145
 ‘I’m covering you and Shane with this gun, as you can see.’
Shane pulled a small pistol from inside his jacket and dropped it
on the floor as Jeffery stared at Fiona in horror.
‘Good boy, Shane. Now be even more cooperative and go and
release the brown Australian first,’ she said. ‘I’ve been watching him
and I think he might have a knife there which you can use to cut his
ropes and then the ropes of Mr Munro. If you try to do anything else
with the knife, I’ll blow your brains out, which will sure make a
terrible mess of your office.’
Nervously, Shane moved quickly and cut through the bonds,
releasing Jacko who grabbed his knife back and cut Jamie’s bonds.
He then cut off Harry’s gag and started cutting through the ropes
tying him to the chair while Harry swore at Jeffrey.
‘Come on, Harry,’ said Jacko with a laugh. ‘There’s a lady
present.’
Jeffrey, red-faced and speechless with shock, finally found his
voice. ‘Fiona! What’s happened? Why have you turned on me? You
stand to make lots of money. You’re my partner, for God’s sake! Is
this a joke?’
‘No joke, Jeffrey love,’ she replied. ‘Now, just sit in the chair that
Harry has vacated and Jacko will tie you up all nice and cosy.’
When Jeffrey hesitated, she pointed the gun at him. ‘Now, Jeffrey
sweetheart. You don’t want us to make a mess of Shane’s office, do
you?’
As Jacko tied Jeffrey to the chair, the morose Shane Harris
protested that he was only small fry. ‘Jeffrey and the others made me
lock up the children in a room at the factory before they went to
Batangas,’ he whined. ‘I’m just a poor businessman.’ Jacko ignored
him, roping him to the chair behind his desk.
‘Boy! I’m glad you’re on our team, Fiona. I thought we were done
for. There’s still a loose end,’ said Jamie. ‘That fellow Justin should
be back any moment.’
‘Leave him to me,’ said Jacko, brandishing his hunting knife.
‘Don’t kill him unless you have to,’ said Fiona. ‘We want them all
testifying against one another.’

146
 Jacko nodded and slowly opened the door into the factory with its
hundreds of silent sewing machines. Slipping through the door, he
crept towards the far door.
Although the factory seemed deserted he had an uneasy feeling
that he was being watched. Nearing the far door, he froze when a
Filipino voice called out in English, ‘Don’t move and hands up!’
He spun around, ready to throw his knife, when he spotted a
familiar face behind a large gun pointed at him.
Lory lowered the gun and whooped, ‘Mr Jacko sir. It’s me, Lory.
Vic is here too. Sorry sir. I didn’t mean to surprise you.’
Jacko laughed. ‘Surprise me? It’s a helluva nice surprise to see
you fellas. You didn’t happen to run into an ugly bastard with a beard
and crinkly hair, did you?’
‘He’s the guy that Vic whacked over the head with José’s baseball
bat. We found two other bodies in the front room. One’s dead I think,
sir.’
Jacko looked at the two young Filipinos with admiration. ‘Well
done, lads. I have to tell you that a few minutes ago I thought Jamie,
Harry and me were all about to kick the bucket. We were lucky that
Fiona Goodman, the US diplomat we thought was one of the gang,
turned out to be on our side! I guess she was working undercover.
She hasn’t had time to explain yet. Would one of you run up the road
and fetch José?’
‘I shall be the one, sir,’ said Vic, scurrying out of the factory door.
‘And, Lory, please stop calling me sir.’
‘Yes sir. I’ve got your guns, the gun of the ugly one and the
baseball bat.’
‘Good man. Bring them with you and we’ll go and see the others.’
They walked back to the factory office where Jeffrey and Shane were
hogtied to chairs and Jamie was chatting with Fiona.
‘Our smart offsiders, Lory and Vic, took care of the ugly Justin,’
said Jacko. ‘He’s lying down with the other two Jamie and I took care
of in the front room of the factory. What’s the story with you, Fiona?’
‘I was assigned by OSS to look into a group based in the
Philippines rumoured to be kidnapping children to send to the US.
My cover, as you know, was Chief of Public Diplomacy for the High
Commission. Nice title, eh? The only person there who knew was the

147
High Commissioner, Paul McNutt. No one else. I couldn’t even tell
Harry. It wasn’t too hard to get into bed, figuratively speaking, with
Jeffrey here. I just had to explain I desperately needed money and
show him I was more ruthless than he was. Who’s a bozo now,
Jeffrey?’
Jeffrey growled, ‘Bitch!’
‘The way you were always questioning us, you certainly fooled
me,’ said Jamie.
‘I picked you guys right from the start. I figured the kidnapping
must also involve Australia when you showed up,’ she said. ‘I was
deliberately rough on you to keep Jeffrey’s trust. What about those
other two Australian policemen? Who and where are they?’
‘I’ll explain that to you later,’ said Jamie. ‘Our driver will be here
shortly. What do you suggest we do with this lot?’
‘First of all, I think you should tie up the three men in the front
room,’ she replied.
‘Yeah, good idea. Only two need tying up,’ said Jacko. ‘The other
one’s dead. Couldn’t be avoided. Lory and I’ll take care of the two
live ones.’
‘I came down in Jeffrey’s car,’ Fiona explained to Jamie after
Jacko and Lory left. ‘His driver is coming back for us this evening. In
the meantime, I would like you to take Harry in your car to see Mr
McNutt at the High Commission. Explain to him what has happened
and ask him to send the cavalry in the form of the military police to
take care of the prisoners and the dead gangster. Before you return
here, Jamie, you’d better take Harry to the hospital to check on his
wound which our good friend Jeffrey was so keen on squeezing. I’ll
wait here until the troops arrive and when the next shift of sweatshop
workers show up I’ll explain the situation to them. They might as
well run the factory for themselves if they want to.’
Shane Harris groaned and grumbled something unintelligible.
When Jacko and Lory returned they told Jamie that the car was out
the front. Jamie told them that he and Harry would be going into
Manila to send military police from the US High Commission that
afternoon for the prisoners. He asked Jacko, Lory and Vic to stay with
Fiona until he returned.
‘Not a problem, Cap,’ said Jacko. ‘See you shortly.’

148
 As Harry stood up with a grunt, holding his shoulder, Jamie said,
‘C’mon Harry, old fellow. Time to go and get you fixed up.’
Jeffrey shook his head. ‘Bloody bitch!’
‘Would you like me to put a gag in your mouth, Jeffrey my jovial
friend?’ said Jacko. ‘Your language is terrible.’
‘Let him spout off. It doesn’t bother me,’ said Fiona.
‘Bloody traitorous bitch!’

****

At nine o’clock the following morning, Jamie, Jacko and Fiona were
at the US High Commission facing Paul McNutt across his desk with
his spectacular view of Manila Bay. Fiona briefed him on the events
in Muntinlupa while Jamie explained what had happened during the
visit to Cebu.
‘There is one major loose end, sir,’ said Jamie. ‘One of the leaders
of the gang is still at large. Alejandro García, the Assistant
Commissioner with the Immigration Department. There is also a
security guard, Antonio dela Cruz. I shall be speaking to Don Andrés
Revilla who has friends in the Philippine military police. It would
probably be best for them to arrest García and dela Cruz.’
Paul McNutt nodded. ‘Yes, I think that is wise. Once they arrest
García and dela Cruz, we should hand over to them as well the
surviving Filipino thug you caught at Muntinlupa. Our people will
take care of Jeffery Hunt, Justin and the other American, Harris.’
‘I would bet anything that those Colt .45s the thugs were carrying
were used for murdering the Dutch sailors,’ said Jacko.
‘Yes, well, ballistics should prove that one way or another,’ said
Mr McNutt. ‘I’m surprised you were successful so quickly in saving
those children and bringing the kidnappers to justice in Cebu.’
‘We were lucky we had a great deal of unexpected help from
several locals,’ said Jamie. ‘Harry also helped a lot until he got shot.’
‘Yes, poor Harry. But I’m sure he’ll be fine,’ said Mr McNutt.
‘Jamie, when you see Don Andrés please give him my best regards.’
‘I certainly will, sir.’

149
 ‘I’m very pleased by the way it has all turned out and that Fiona
was able to save you from those murderous scum,’ said Mr McNutt.
‘I guess we’ll lose Fiona now that her assignment is finished.’
‘Yes, sir. You’ll have to find a new Chief of Public Diplomacy, if
such a position really exists,’ she said, laughing. ‘The OSS will most
likely send me to some other far-flung part of the world.’
Mr McNutt looked at Jamie and Jacko. ‘When will you return to
Australia?’
‘As soon as possible, sir. Probably tomorrow,’ said Jamie. ‘We
still have to apprehend the Australian members of the gang. It will be
vital to keep the arrests in the Philippines out of the newspapers for a
few weeks or the Australian criminals would be alerted. We plan to
trick them into thinking their boat is on the way by using their radio
codes.’
‘That’s no problem at all. We’ll keep the whole thing under wraps
for as long as you want. I wish you good luck,’ said Mr McNutt with
a smile. ‘Fiona, when Jamie gets back from seeing Don Andrés
Revilla, why don’t you host them all to a lunch at the Army Navy
Club and tell the manager to send me the chit?’
‘It’ll be a pleasure. Thank you, sir.’

****

‘Come in. Come in, Jamie. May I call you that?’ said Don Andrés
Revilla as he greeted Jamie at the front door of his large house.
‘Yes, sir. Please call me Jamie,’ he said, shaking hands. ‘It’s nice
to see you again, Don Andrés.’
He led Jamie through the house and called out, ‘Gemma, Gemma,
our young friend from Australia has come to visit us again. Jamie
Munro.’
Mrs Gemma Revilla was sitting in the lounge room working on
some embroidery which she put aside as she stood to greet Jamie. She
clapped her hands and when a maid appeared, ordered tea and cakes.
‘It’s nice to see you again, Mr Munro. Have you heard from our
lovely niece, Carna, recently?’ she asked.
‘No, ma’am. I haven’t had any news from Australia but we’ll be
returning to Darwin tomorrow.’

150
 ‘Ah. I must quickly write a letter for you to give to her,’ she said.
‘Excuse me, I’ll just go to my desk while you talk to my husband.’
‘So, how is progress in your investigation of the criminals?’ asked
Don Andrés.
Jamie explained they had apprehended all the kidnappers in
Manila and Cebu and gave Don Andrés a detailed account of the
events leading to the arrests. Don Andrés didn’t seem surprised when
he heard that the US Vice Consul, Jeffrey Hunt, was involved. He
told Jamie he believed that there had to be someone with influence in
the US High Commission to lead or assist such an organisation. Jamie
then told him about the Assistant Commissioner for Immigration,
Alejandro García, and the Manila Hotel security guard, Antonio dela
Cruz. Don Andrés said that he would speak to his friend, the
Philippines military police commander, in the afternoon to have those
criminals arrested.
The maid arrived with tea and cakes and Don Andrés said, ‘Well,
that’s the business side of things settled. When Gemma’s finished
writing her letter we’ll have a nice morning tea and talk about nothing
in particular.’
‘I’ve finished,’ his wife said at that moment, ‘and I’d be grateful if
you could give this to Carna when you see her, Mr Munro. I’ll also
give you a scarf for her.’ She handed an envelope to Jamie. ‘When
she reads the letter, she will know our address and can write to us.’
‘You see, when we last saw her, Jamie, we lived in our villa in
Intramuros,’ said Don Andrés. ‘That was destroyed, as you can
probably guess. She knew we had moved to a different part of Manila
but didn’t know exactly where.’
‘Would you like to stay for lunch, Mr Munro?’ asked Mrs Revilla.
‘That’s very kind of you to ask, but I’ve been invited to lunch at
the Army Navy Club by the US High Commission.’
Later, as he was driven back with the scarf and letter for Carna in
his pocket, Jamie realised he was really looking forward to seeing her
again.

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 CHAPTER 20

Just before dawn the following day, three cars drove in convoy to the
Nielson airfield. Harry Williams with his arm in a sling, Fiona
Goodman and the four young Filipinos, Lory, Vic, Raffy and Jimmy
all insisted on seeing Jamie and Jacko off.
They shook hands with everyone including their driver José, and
Fiona planted a kiss on both of their cheeks. Harry told them life was
going to be deadly dull in Manila from now on. As the aircraft taxied
out to the end of the runway, Jamie and Jacko could see them all
waving. Then as the DC-3 picked up speed and became airborne they
mentally prepared themselves for the day-long journey.
Jamie settled back in his seat with a sigh. ‘Can’t wait to get back,
Jacko, but it’s going to be a long trip.’
‘Not to worry, Cap. Before we left, Harry slipped me his Balut set.
We can make the flight more interesting by me taking all your money
off you.’

****

The sun was already sinking as the DC-3 lined up on the long strip of
Darwin Airport and touched down gently on the smooth tarmac. The
pilot had radioed ahead an estimated time of arrival to the police
chief, Russell Fitzgibbon, and as the aircraft taxied towards the
hangar, Jamie and Jacko could see Fitzy and others standing around
two waiting jeeps.
Descending from the door near the tail of the aircraft, Jamie was
surprised to see Carna standing beside Garry Speck and waving at
him. She was wearing a striking pale-pink dress and she greeted both
Jamie and Jacko with kisses on their cheeks. She squealed with
excitement when Jamie produced the letter and scarf from her aunt,
Gemma Revilla, and could hardly wait for Jamie to give her all the
news about her uncle and aunt.

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 ‘I’m so glad you found them, Señor Jamie,’ she said. ‘Apart from
my mamá, they are my closest living relatives. I have always loved
them since I was a child. They were always sweet to me.’
‘They were very hospitable to me and I enjoyed their company,’
said Jamie. ‘They also helped us a lot, but I’ll tell you about that later
on.’
Police Superintendent Fitzy Fitzgibbon approached them, clearing
his throat. ‘Welcome back, travellers. I don’t know if you’ve met my
Senior Sergeant, Sean Murphy?’
Sean was a tall athletic-looking man wearing the traditional
Darwin gear of khaki shirt and shorts. ‘Nice to meet you both. Hope
you had a good flight. How did you get on in the Philippines?’
‘Not as well as we would have liked,’ said Jamie. ‘There’s a lot of
devastation from the war. The people seem very resilient though.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find out much about how the
kidnappers operated while we were there.’
‘I think you heard that Ignacio and the other crewman were
mysteriously killed in Fanny Bay gaol just after you left,’ said Fitzy.
‘We haven’t been able to track down the killer.’
‘Yeah, that really is a mystery,’ agreed Jamie. ‘This group of
kidnappers seems to be very well organised. We’ll talk to you about
that later on, Fitzy.’
Jamie, Carna and Jacko climbed aboard the jeep driven by Sparky
Speck, who followed the police vehicle into Darwin in the twilight.
‘At least it’s not raining,’ said Jamie.
‘So, Cap, we didn’t find out much about the kidnappers while we
were in the Philippines?’ said Jacko with a chuckle.
‘Yeah, that’s going to have to be our line for a while,’ said Jamie.
‘Nobody outside the four people in this vehicle must know anything
about what really happened in the Philippines.’
‘Ah! It sounds as though I am now part of a conspiracy,’ said
Carna. ‘I have no idea what you are talking about.’
‘We’ll explain it all to you and Sparky after we get back to the
Hotel Darwin,’ said Jamie. ‘Everything we tell you must be held in
the strictest confidence.’
‘What about Fitzy, Cap?’ asked Jacko.
‘Not even Fitzy.’

153
 Back at the Hotel Darwin, Fitzy and Sean expressed
disappointment that their visit to Manila hadn’t been more successful
and wished them a good night’s sleep after their long journey. Fitzy
suggested they should meet the following day to plan their next
move. After the police left, Jamie asked Carna and Sparky to
accompany him and Jacko for a steak at the Knickerbocker
Restaurant where they would discuss everything. He asked Carna if
he could drive her home to freshen up before dinner, but she said that
wasn’t necessary and she’d wait for them while they settled back into
their rooms.
A short time later, because it was such a pleasantly warm evening
with a slight south-westerly breeze, they decided to walk to the
restaurant. Strolling up the Esplanade, Jamie felt at peace walking
beside the lovely Carna. Jacko was chatting excitedly about his latest
letter from Monique telling him that she and her parents were on their
way to Australia by now and would be arriving in Brisbane in the first
half of February. When they arrived at the Knickerbocker in Mitchell
Street, they were seated at a square table with a large candle in the
centre and ordered three cold beers and a glass of water for Carna.
Over the next hour while they ate, Jamie explained to Carna and
Sparky how he and Jacko had managed to save the fourteen young
Filipino boys orphaned by the war and bring about the arrest of the
gang members in both Manila and Cebu.
Jamie concluded, ‘Luck was with us and we had considerable help
from the local people in Manila and Cebu as well as from OSS
operatives associated with the US High Commission. Not to forget
assistance from your uncle, Carna, who had some important contacts
in the military.’
‘This whole thing is astounding!’ said Sparky. ‘It’s like a giant
evil octopus with tentacles all over the place.’
‘And you’ll be playing a major part in cutting off the Australian
tentacles of the beast,’ said Jamie.
Sparky looked startled. ‘Wow! How could I do that?’
‘Don’t worry, Sparky,’ said Jamie, ‘we’re not going to ask you to
shoot anyone. We’ve got a very detailed radio schedule with channels
the boat crew would have been using if they were on their way to
Australia with the children. Your job will be to follow the schedule

154
and communicate with the Australian criminals to convince them that
the boat is on its way to its rendezvous off Bathurst Island. That’s the
reason for all this secrecy. The American and local authorities are
keeping all the prisoners under wraps in the Philippines. So, except
for not being able to contact them, the criminals here should have no
reason to doubt that the boat with the kidnapped children is on its
way.’
‘My role sounds like a breeze,’ said Sparky.
‘Yes. I’ll give you the schedule back at the hotel and we’ll go over
it a few times before you start,’ said Jamie.
‘Right! When do I start?’
‘The schedule sets out that the first radio message is transmitted
when the boat is just west of Halmahera in the Moluccas,’ Jamie
explained. ‘We know the boat will travel at eight to twelve knots
depending on the sea, so it should be in position to send the first
transmission sometime tomorrow.’
‘Wow! Good timing! So, I’m ship’s captain from tomorrow,’ said
Sparky.
‘Yeah, I’m sure the Australian criminals will be relieved to hear
from you,’ Jacko laughed. ‘They’ve probably been waiting with bated
breath.’
Sparky chuckled. ‘Well, bate no more!’
‘Is there a role for me?’ asked Carna.
‘Absolutely,’ said Jamie. ‘Apart from getting Sparky to practise a
Filipino accent, you should also teach him some Filipino expressions
used in ordinary speech to make it sound authentic. Nothing
complicated.’
‘I’ll have time to do that when I’m not working,’ said Carna. ‘It all
sounds very exciting.’
‘How long will it take from the first transmission?’ asked Sparky.
‘Another three days or so, transmitting every day,’ said Jamie.
‘When the boat should be east of East Timor, there are only 24 hours
to go so that’s when we give an estimated time of arrival at Bathurst
Island. It’s all in the schedule.’
‘So that’s when and where we nab them, eh Cap?’ asked Jacko.
‘Right on, Jacko. Only the four of us must know this for now.’

155
 ‘Won’t we need Fitzy with us when we go to get them off Bathurst
Island?’ asked Jacko.
‘Yeah, probably Jazz Nicholls too,’ said Jamie. ‘We’ll observe
them closely over the next few days before the supposed arrival of the
non-existent boat to see if either of them acts suspiciously. It would
be a helluva shame if Fitzy or Jazz are involved but I doubt they are.
We’ll need Jazz’s cutter anyway.’
As they walked back to the Esplanade, Carna whispered to Jacko
that Jamie seemed fired up and decisive. He told her that Jamie was in
his element when he was responsible for this type of operation. On
reaching the Esplanade, Carna wished everyone goodnight and set off
to her house at the north-west end while the others walked in the
opposite direction back to the hotel.
‘I’m pretty sure I could sleep on a bed of nails tonight,’ said Jacko,
yawning.

****

At six o’clock the following morning, Jamie, Sparky, Jacko and

Carna all met in the radio transmission room at the Hotel Darwin.
After going over the details of the schedule with Jamie, Carna then
started coaching Sparky on terms that Filipinos often use when
speaking English.
At 7.00am, Sparky made his first transmission, with Carna, Jamie
and Jacko beside him. He gave a latitude and longitude location in the
Molucca Sea between Halmahera and the Celebes. An Australian
voice answered, ‘Roger. Roger. Over and Out.’
Carna nodded at Sparky approvingly. ‘If I didn’t know it was you,
I would have thought a Filipino sea captain was speaking.’
‘Thanks, Carna.’
Jamie pointed at a map and said, ‘Your next transmission is this
evening at seven o’clock and your location will be in the Molucca Sea
just west of Bacan Island. Then tomorrow morning at seven o’clock
you’ll be in the Seram Sea just northeast of Buru Island. We’ll all be
here at those times in case you have any problems.’
‘It’s pretty straightforward, Jamie,’ said Sparky.

156
 ‘Yeah, I suppose I shouldn’t teach my grandmother to suck eggs,’
said Jamie. ‘We’ll be here anyway.’
Carna looked puzzled. ‘Your grandmother? She sucks eggs,
Jamie?’
Jamie laughed. ‘Sorry, Carna. It’s just an old expression.’
Jacko looked at Carna with a grin. ‘If he tried to explain it, he’d
just get tongue-tied, so best not ask him.’
‘Well … I, er … yeah!’ Jamie muttered. ‘Anyway, after breakfast
Jacko and I’ll go and spend some time with Fitzy, Jazz and whoever
else we can think of and see if anyone is getting nervous with
anticipation. Will you join us for breakfast here at the hotel, Carna?’
‘Yes, I’d like that. After breakfast it’s a short walk to my office,’
she said. ‘I think I am the one who is nervous with anticipation.’
‘Aha, we’ve uncovered the mastermind of the gang,’ chuckled
Jacko.
Carna laughed at Jacko. ‘Yes, a mastermind who sucks eggs!’

****

Two days later at seven o’clock in the morning, the three of them
were gathered around the radio at the Hotel Darwin watching Sparky
transmitting the position of the mythical boat as just east of East
Timor.
The answer came through, ‘Roger. Roger. Need ETA position Hot
Tap. Over.’
Sparky replied, ‘Hot Tap ETA 1030 hours tomorrow. Over.’
‘Roger. Over and out.’
‘Well done, Sparky,’ said Jamie. ‘There should be a bit of activity
now.’
‘I think it’s hilarious that the code for the rendezvous is Hot Tap,
seeing as how it’s just northeast of Point Fawcett on the west coast of
Bathurst Island,’ said Sparky.
‘Yeah! Anyway, I’ve been observing Fitzy and Jazz closely,’ said
Jamie. ‘Both of them have been acting normally. In fact, they’re still
highly disappointed that we apparently failed in the Philippines.
They’re certainly not involved so I think it’s time to include them in
our scheme. What do you reckon, Jacko?’

157
 ‘For sure, Cap,’ said Jacko, ‘they’re in the clear. However, I’ve
got a feeling that others in the police force could well be involved.
Remember last Christmas when several police from the southern
states came here for a fishing trip?’
‘Yes, they went out in the police boat in rough weather and only
caught bad tummies.’
‘Well, Cap, a new mob of police from the south have just arrived
in Darwin,’ said Jacko. ‘Coincidence?’
‘Hmm … interesting!’ said Jamie. ‘Something else to discuss with
Fitzy.’

****

Superintendent Fitzgibbon sat up looking startled. ‘No, no! It couldn’t

be any of the police here. Most of them were here during the war and
helped a lot of people badly affected by the Japanese bombing raids.
Nah! They’re good men.’
‘You may be right, Fitzy, but I don’t want you to tell them or
anyone else what we’ve just told you,’ said Jamie. ‘It’s critical that as
few people as possible know about this for the next few days.’
‘God, yes! I understand that,’ said Fitzy. ‘I’m amazed at what
you’ve just told me about the kidnappers’ ringleaders in the
Philippines and I congratulate you. Bloody good job!’
‘What about those visiting policemen from down south?’ asked
Jacko. ‘Do you know them?’
‘No, but we often have to look after police visitors from the
south,’ said Fitzy. ‘Sean or one of the others generally looks after that
so …’
‘I’ve asked Jazz to join us this morning and he should be here
soon,’ said Jamie. ‘I’m sure he has no involvement with the
kidnappers.’
‘Never,’ said Fitzy. ‘If Jazz is involved I might as well shoot
meself!’
They were drinking tea served with sweet biscuits on the ground
floor verandah of the Hotel Darwin overlooking the calm waters of
Darwin Harbour. It was warm and humid and had just started to rain
when they saw Jazz Nicholls hurrying up the Esplanade and then

158
turning into the front door of the hotel. Joining them on the verandah
he sat down, poured himself a cup of tea and shook some rainwater
off his arms.
‘I guess you’ve gotta expect a bit of rain during the wet season,’
he sighed. ‘Sorry to hear that you guys came up empty from your
investigation in the Philippines.’
Fitzy chuckled. ‘Listen, Jazz me boy! These fellas are about to tell
you something very secret that’ll knock yer ears off.’
While Jazz sat sipping his tea and occasionally shaking his head,
Jamie quietly went through the whole narrative about the activities in
Manila and Cebu leading up to the rescue of the children and the
capture of the leading figures in the kidnapping ring in the
Philippines. He was particularly amazed when Jamie detailed the
radio schedules to convince the Australian members of the gang that
the boat carrying the children was on its way.
‘Holy cow! So, you reckon somebody’s gonna be taking out a boat
tomorrow morning to meet your mythical boat at 10.30?’ said Jazz.
‘We’d better be there ourselves, wouldn’t yer reckon?’
‘Yeah, that’s the general idea,’ agreed Jamie. ‘On the next sched
we’ll be changing the ETA to just after eleven o’clock. We’ll need
your pilot’s boat.’
‘Bloody oath, no problem,’ said Jazz. ‘I’ll be happy to help catch
these bloody criminals. By the way, Lucille and I have applied to
adopt Manuel whose brother was killed by them. Does Aubrey
Abbott know what your plans are?’
‘No, Jazz. Only the people around this table, Carna and Sparky,’
said Jamie. ‘Other than that, no one knows. I’m really happy to hear
about Manuel.’
‘D’ya think someone in the administrator’s office could be
involved?’ asked Jazz.
‘I hope not but we can’t be too careful,’ replied Jamie. ‘Your crew
can be told only after we’ve put to sea. We’ll bring along a few
rifles.’
‘It’ll probably rain a bit but the seas should be quite calm
tomorrow,’ said Jazz. ‘Not like the last time, eh? We should meet at
the dock at about seven in the morning. All right with you?’

159
 ‘That’s great! Thanks Jazz,’ said Jamie. ‘Sparky will be giving the
baddies that new ETA of 11.15 tomorrow morning. The change in the
ETA will make it sound more authentic.’
Jazz smiled broadly. ‘Might be a bit of excitement tomorrow, eh?’

160
 CHAPTER 21

The dawn broke to a humid day with patchy clouds and a gentle
tropical breeze. At 7.00am, Sparky transmitted a position of 42
nautical miles northeast of Point Fawcett, the most western point on
Bathurst Island, and confirmed the new ETA for Hot Tap as 1115
hours.
The reply came back, ‘Roger that. Out.’
At the same time, Jamie and Jacko boarded the harbour pilot’s
cutter, carrying two Hornet rifles. Jazz greeted them enthusiastically
with a wave from the bridge.
‘Welcome aboard,’ he said. ‘You both look quite chipper this
morning. Those rifles are ugly-looking beasts and should do the job.
No other vessels have left the harbour this morning yet; however, I
expect there will be several, mainly tourist fishing boats, because of
the good weather. Fitzy called me this morning to say that the police
boat is going out and taking the visitors from the south fishing. One
of his senior constables is in charge.’
‘Yes, thanks Jazz,’ said Jamie. ‘I expect one of those boats will be
heading to the rendezvous point at Bathurst Island, and we should be
there first.’
‘Not a problem,’ said Jazz. ‘We’ll leave now before anyone else
does and motor out into the Timor Sea. We should make good time
with the sea so calm and I’d expect to get to the rendezvous point by
about 10.30am, three quarters of an hour ahead of your schedule. We
can go into the little bay on the north-eastern side of Point Fawcett so
any boats coming in won’t be able to see us until they’re almost on
top of us.’
‘Perfect, Jazz,’ said Jamie. ‘Our aim will be to force the crew of
whichever vessel arrives to surrender under threat from our rifles.
Jacko and I will board that vessel and get the crew to return to
Darwin, with you following along. Fitzy has told us that he’ll be at
the port to make any arrests.’
‘Sounds simple,’ said Jazz. ‘We can all hope it’ll be that simple.
Okay, let’s get underway.’

161
 With a throaty roar from its two diesel engines, the cutter pulled
away from the pier and headed up the harbour at about 10 knots
towards the Beagle Gulf. After passing Fanny Bay and clearing East
Point to starboard, the cutter increased its speed, cruising at 14 knots
to the northwest. There was a slight swell subjecting the cutter to a
steady but minor pitch and roll. Jazz handed the wheel over to one of
his crew and joined Jamie and Jacko in the stern.
‘We’ll be there in three hours or so,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t quite take
it all in when you briefed me about your brush with the criminals in
the Philippines. I’m keen to hear more of the details if you don’t
mind. It sounds like high adventure.’
For the next hour Jamie and Jacko related their activities in
Manila, Surigao, Cebu and Muntinlupa in detail to Jazz who sat
silently wide-eyed, occasionally shaking his head with amazement.
He was particularly impressed by the part played by the two
Australians, Norm Peters and Jim Jackson, who were working in
northern Luzon but had pretended to be policemen from Australia
looking for the child kidnappers. Jacko admitted that although the
ruse had worked well, it resulted in the unforeseen murder of the two
Dutch sailors. Jazz was also impressed by the part played by Manny
Alvarez’s bangka during the capture of Fred Tan and his gang in
Surigao.
After listening to the final account of the action in Muntinlupa,
Jazz said, ‘So, if the lady had not been an undercover OSS operative,
you blokes would be cactus. Dead and buried!’
‘Yeah, that’s about it,’ said Jamie. ‘We had a lot of luck on our
side and if we hadn’t had significant help from Cebu locals like
Manny and Oscar, as well as the young fellows from Manila, we
wouldn’t have achieved as much as we did. Not to mention the
substantial help from the two OSS operatives and the Cebu
constabulary.’
Jazz laughed. ‘And Harry didn’t even know Fiona was from the
same intelligence organisation as himself?’
Jacko nodded. ‘No. Though I gotta admit, in the early stages we
were all wandering around in the dark like a mob of chooks with their
heads cut off.’

162
 ‘Well, I think the whole thing deserves a celebratory toast with a
cold beer,’ said Jazz, standing and opening an ice chest on one side of
the boat. Nobody disagreed.
He handed the beer around, sat down and looked at Jacko. ‘Tell us
about your lady-love that I keep hearing about, Jacko. I hear she
writes lots of letters.’
‘I didn’t know it was common knowledge, Jazz.’
‘Jacko me boy, you can’t keep anything secret for long in a town
like Darwin.’
‘Okay, her name’s Monique and I met her in Cairo during the war.
Her family are moving to Australia and they should be in Brisbane in
early February. Other than that, there’s nothing to tell.’
‘Well, Jacko, when’s the wedding?’ Jazz insisted. ‘Are you going
to be wed in Darwin, mate?’
Jacko looked startled. ‘Wedding? I haven’t proposed and I’m not
even sure she’d say yes. Haven’t really thought about any of that.’
Jazz looked at Jamie. ‘What yer reckon, Jamie?’
‘I reckon she’ll say yes.’
‘Aw, leave it off, you bloody drongos,’ said Jacko. ‘We’ve got to
focus on much more important things today.’
Jazz chuckled. ‘Nothing’s more important than affairs of the
heart.’
Jacko looked at Jamie and a smile crossed his face. ‘Maybe I’ll
propose to Monique when Jamie proposes to Carna.’
Jamie blushed and looked flustered. ‘Carna! I ... er … what do you
mean?’
Jazz laughed loudly. ‘Jamie old son, even blind Freddie can see
there’s some chemistry going on between you and Carna.’
‘No … er … well … er … I don’t know. I don’t think so.’
‘You must be the only person in Darwin who doesn’t know,’ said
Jazz. ‘Except perhaps for Carna, maybe. We’d better introduce you to
each other before it’s too late.’
‘Aw, get stuffed, Jazz,’ said Jamie, trying not to blush.
‘Okay, Jamie,’ said Jazz. ‘Didn’t mean to embarrass you. Not too
much anyway. Let’s concentrate on the business in hand. We’ll be off
Point Fawcett in an hour or so. When we get around the point, we’ll
anchor in the bay and you can get set up your firearms. With this

163
breeze, once we anchor, the cutter will be pointing northwest so you
can set up your weapons on the bow. It doesn’t look as though it’s
going to rain today.’
‘What happens if they see us too early and make a run for it?’
asked Jamie.
‘Well, they’d have to be fast to outrun us,’ said Jazz. ‘However,
the most likely thing is that when they see us they’ll think it’s the
Philippine fishing boat and come closer. They won’t expect to see
anything else. If you coves stay out of sight lying down at the bow
they won’t recognise us easily as we’ll be pointing straight at them.’
‘Yeah, good thinking,’ said Jacko. ‘If they start turning around
we’ll easily be able to recognise their boat.’
Jazz stood and said, ‘Exactly, Jacko. I might take over the helm
again now to be sure our approach to Point Fawcett is right. Talk to
you again when we anchor. Ciao!’
Jamie and Jacko settled back in silence, each with his own
thoughts about the likely action to come, listening almost mesmerised
to the regular throb of the cutter’s engines.
Jacko came alert as they rounded Point Fawcett and headed east.
Sandy beaches were prominent on the starboard side. Rounding
another point about a quarter of a mile east of Point Fawcett, the
cutter slowed and steered close to the heavily wooded shoreline in a
south-easterly direction. On the bridge he joined Jazz, who explained
that he was following a deep channel between the shore and some
shallow sandbanks on the port side of the vessel. About half a mile
later, Jazz gave orders to drop anchor and after cutting the engine, the
vessel came to rest about 200 yards offshore in a large curving bay.
Jazz took directions of some land features through a prismatic
compass and informed Jacko that they were precisely in the position
scheduled by the kidnappers.
‘Presumably the children would have been transferred to the other
boat here,’ said Jazz. ‘What was the boat from the Philippines
scheduled to do after that?’
‘The plan was to return to the Philippines after refuelling at East
Timor,’ said Jacko. ‘They can carry a lot of fuel.’
Jazz chuckled. ‘They won’t need it now.’
Jamie walked onto the bridge. ‘What are you two chatting about?’

164
 ‘Just telling Jacko we’re in exactly the right place as scheduled,’
replied Jazz.
‘I must have napped for a while,’ said Jamie, rubbing his eyes. ‘I
guess we’d better get ready.’
‘Yeah, you and Jacko lie down at the bow now with your
firearms,’ said Jazz. ‘Any boat coming around the point will be able
to see us in the distance. I’ll whistle to alert you blokes when that
happens. If you stay down they won’t be able to see you. In the
meantime, you can continue your nap if you like.’
Jamie shook his head. ‘No, I’ll stay alert from now on. You don’t
think they’ll be suspicious?’
‘No. They’re more likely to think they can see what they expected
to see,’ said Jazz. ‘At least until they’re close. Anyway, one of my
crewmen, Adam, is a Malay, looks like a Filipino. When he waves to
them they’ll believe we’re authentic. The rest of us will stay out of
sight.’
‘Okey doke! C’mon, Cap. We’ll get our rifles and revolvers up to
the bow and contemplate the clouds while we wait,’ said Jacko.
‘We’ll be ready for your signal, Jazz.’
‘Yeah, well. it’s quarter to eleven so if those crims are on time we
should see them within the next half-hour,’ said Jazz.
The bow of the cutter had high sides rising to three feet above the
deck where Jamie and Jacko lay down. They fitted full magazines
into their rifles and worked the bolts to breechload them, then settled
back to wait.
Soon, they heard a low whistle from the bridge and became aware
of the low throbbing of a diesel engine in the distance. As it became
constantly louder, Jacko was able to see the approaching vessel
through the hawse hole above the anchor chain.
Watching the boat carefully he said to Jamie, ‘Hey Cap! It’s
definitely the police boat. Adam must be waving, as several of them
are waving back.’
‘Okay Jacko. This could get tricky. We’ll wait until they slow
down and come close.’
‘Okay, Cap.’
About ten minutes later, they heard the other vessel slowing down
and Jacko told Jamie that it was about 100 yards away, motoring

165
more slowly towards them. There was a shout from the police boat,
‘Hey, wake up. Show yourselves. We’re coming alongside.’
Adam came up to the bow, stepping around Jacko, and yelled out
to the police boat to throw him a rope.
The voice shouted back, ‘Where are the rest of your crew?’ Then
there was a pause followed by, ‘Hey Nat, that looks like the pilot’s
boat.’
Jamie told Adam to hit the deck. He and Jacko jumped to their
feet, pointing their rifles at the men standing on the bow of the police
boat.
‘Bring that boat alongside now before we start shooting!’ he
yelled.
‘Wha? What the bloody hell is this?’ barked one of the men at the
bow. ‘We’re with the police.’
‘Who are you, mate?’ Jamie called out.
‘I’m Senior Constable Ryan Turner of the Darwin Police,’ he
called back. ‘Who the bloody hell are you?’
‘I’m the fella who’s telling you to put your hands on your head
and instruct your crew to come alongside!’ Jamie yelled above the
noise of the engine.
The boats were only about ten yards apart by now. There was a
sudden movement inside the cabin of the police boat and Jacko fired a
shot from his rifle, which shattered a glass porthole and produced a
loud yelp from the cabin. The approaching boat slowed to a crawl and
the occupants remained frozen with shock.
‘If anyone else wants to try anything silly I’ll be a bit more
accurate next time,’ said Jacko slowly.
Ryan Turner, a tall dark-haired man in his late twenties, protested,
‘You can’t do this. I’m with the police.’
‘I don’t doubt it, mate,’ said Jamie. ‘Just stand still while your
crew bring your boat alongside. We’re coming aboard.’
‘We’re supposed to be meeting another boat,’ Ryan moaned.
‘We know that, Turner,’ said Jamie. ‘You’ll just have to be happy
with us instead of a mob of children.’
A tall man standing behind Ryan scowled and bellowed, ‘Aw,
shit!’
Ryan turned to him. ‘Don’t say anything, Nat.’

166
 Jamie and Jacko clambered aboard the police launch, which then
began drifting away from the pilot’s cutter, and Jamie sat down in the
stern. He and Jacko covered the occupants with their rifles and Jamie
told everyone to come aft and sit down where he could see them all.
There were seven of them including Ryan Turner.
‘Okay, who’s the skipper?’ asked Jamie.
One of the men, a young man with blonde hair, raised a hand
which was bleeding. ‘I am, sir.’
‘What’s your name?’
‘Constable Graeme Thomas, sir.’
‘Good. You’re lucky Jacko decided not to put a bullet through
your eye when you got silly before and pulled that gun. You can go
with Jacko and get this tub headed towards Darwin, now. Jacko will
help you bandage up your hand. The pilot’s vessel will be following
us all the way back.’
After only a few minutes, the police boat was headed back along
the shoreline of Bathurst Island the way it had come. As they rounded
Point Fawcett with the land on their port side, Jacko threw a large coil
of rope onto the deck and Jamie told the men to lie down on the stern
deck except for Ryan Turner, whom he told to tie up the others firmly
with their hands behind their backs. After completing this, Jacko left
the skipper for a short time to tie up Ryan Turner and check on the
others’ bonds.
The one known as Nat wailed, ‘I want to go to the head, mate. I
need to piss.’
‘Sorry old mate. Can’t hear you,’ said Jacko, returning to the
wheelhouse.
With the six men tied up and out of action near his feet, Jamie
stood up and was happy to see Jazz’s cutter appearing from behind
the point and following in their wake. He settled down, calculating
they should be back in Darwin before four o’clock. He started to feel
hungry and yelled to Jacko to see if he could find some food. Jacko
brought him out some fried chicken, which he chewed while
watching the men lying on the deck.
Ryan Turner eyed him with a look of pure hatred. ‘You’ll be sorry
for this!’

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 Jamie smiled down at him. ‘I suspect you’ll be sorrier. Where do
these other men come from?’
‘Bloody hell, you idiot!’ Ryan yelled at him. ‘They’re police from
Adelaide and Melbourne just visiting Darwin. You’re gonna be in
real trouble.’
‘So, what were you doing out in this boat?’ asked Jamie.
‘We were just going fishing, for Christ’s sake!’
‘Ah, and what sort of fish do you expect to land behind Point
Fawcett?’ asked Jamie. ‘Baby ones, I suppose.’
Ryan Turner fell silent and glared up at him. The police boat sailed
along at about twelve knots and the pilot’s boat, moving faster, pulled
up level and then matched the speed. Jazz waved at Jamie, grinning
broadly.
As they sailed southeast towards Darwin, the wind coming from
behind them began to strengthen and clouds came in to cover most of
the sky. The sea, however, remained relatively calm with a slight
swell. A comfortable sail, Jamie concluded, except of course for the
six men lying on the deck below him. They looked far from
comfortable. One of the men started to snore. At least, Jamie thought,
one of them is relaxed.
Finally, the vessels turned more southerly into Darwin Harbour
and they passed the main part of the city with a good view of the
Hotel Darwin off their port bow. Jamie could also pick out further
astern the neat little house where Carna lived with her mother.
Rounding the last point, the boats headed northerly towards the port
area. As they drew closer to the pier, Jamie could see Fitzy waiting
for them with Senior Sergeant Sean Murphy and three other
policemen, as well as Commander Downey the harbour master and
Dan Morrow the local OSS agent.
They tied up to the pier and Fitzy jumped aboard and looked down
at Ryan Turner.
‘Well, well, well, aren’t you a pretty sight, Ryan me lad,’ he said.
‘You’ve been stung. I think there’ll be some nice cells at Fanny Bay
to hold you all while we check on who’s who, and who the hell these
visitors really are.’

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 CHAPTER 22

After Fitzy and Sean Murphy had put the seven prisoners into a large
Bedford paddy wagon and driven away, Dan Morrow gave Jamie and
Jacko a lift up the hill to the Hotel Darwin. He congratulated them on
the success of their mission to Manila and their ruse in catching the
Australia-based kidnappers. He said that Fitzy had briefed him on the
whole operation. They thanked him for his help and told him that his
colleague, Harry Williams, had been invaluable to them in the
Philippines. Waving goodbye to Morrow, they were walking through
the door of the hotel when a pebble hit Jacko on the back of the head.
Turning quickly, he saw a slight black woman standing in the middle
of the Esplanade. She was wearing a dark-blue dress and was carrying
a small bag in one hand and her shoes in the other.
‘Sarah! Hi! What the hell are you doing here?’ he said, running
back to her and hugging his half-sister who lived near Tennant Creek
in the central part of the Northern Territory.
‘Brata! Jacko brata. Mama die. She pinish,’ she cried, bursting into
tears. ‘Wollunqua, him take mama to sky. She no more. She pinish.
Right now you come Tennant, ya?’
‘Yeah, I’ll come, Sarah. But we’ll stay here tonight and get ready
to leave in the morning. Okay?’
As he led her towards the hotel with his arm around her, Jamie
was waiting in the doorway and said, ‘Hello Sarah. Sorry about your
mama.’
‘Hello, Jammy, goot pren longa Jacko.’ She looked at him, wiping
her eyes. ‘Mama die. Come long Darwin today. Tell Jacko brata.’
‘I’ll just check her in at the desk,’ said Jacko. ‘It’s five o’clock.
We’ll meet on the main verandah, okay Cap?’
‘Yep. See you shortly.’
A quarter of an hour later, Jamie, Jacko and Sarah were sitting at a
small round table on the ground floor verandah overlooking the
Esplanade, drinking tea. Jacko explained to Jamie that Sarah had told
him his mother had died of some sort of fever six days before and
although she was already buried, he needed to go with her to pay his

169
respects to their family. He said the tribe believed her spirit was taken
to the skies by Wollunqua, the giant mythical water snake who is the
master of all men, and that her spirit would be looking down on them.
‘I’ll have to go down to the Tennant with Sarah tomorrow, Cap,’
he said. ‘As long as you don’t mind me taking one of the jeeps.’
‘Of course not, Jacko. Take as long as you like.’
‘Thanks, Cap,’ Jacko said, looking down the Esplanade. ‘Aha! I
think a good friend of yours is walking home from her office.’
Jamie looked around and saw Carna in a pretty pale-yellow dress
walking along the pavement, smiling and waving to them. ‘Hello,
fellow conspirators,’ she said as she came close. ‘I heard a rumour
that you caught all the bandidos.’
‘Yes, we did. Can’t keep a secret in Darwin,’ said Jacko. ‘Come
and join us for tea. I want you to meet my sister.’
‘I’d love to,’ she said, skipping back to the front door of the hotel.
Carna approached them, the men stood and Jamie pulled out a
chair for her. Pouring her a cup of tea, Jacko introduced her to Sarah
and told her that his sister had just travelled more than 600 miles from
Tennant Creek to tell him their mother had died. He and Sarah would
leave to go down there the following day.
‘I’m sorry to hear about your mother, Sarah. And Jacko, of
course,’ said Carna. ‘I lost my father and brother recently and I know
how sad you feel.’
‘Tenkyu, Ka Na,’ said Sarah with a little smile. ‘Tink you goot
fren longa Jacko and Jemmy.’
‘Yes, we’re very good friends,’ said Carna. ‘I can’t wait to hear
the details of how my good friends caught the bandits today.’
For the next half-hour, Jamie and Jacko explained all the events of
the day including the ambush of the police boat with two Darwin
constables, Ryan Turner and Graeme Thomas, involved. Jamie said
that Fitzy would be trying to establish the true identities of the other
five members of the gang who were pretending to be visiting police
from Adelaide and Melbourne. He mentioned to Sarah that Carna had
helped them convince the criminals that a boat from Manila would be
waiting for them at Bathurst Island. Sarah looked at Jamie, then at
Carna, and then back at Jamie and smiled to herself.

170
 ‘It must have been exciting. Everything went off without a hitch,’
said Carna. ‘Not even a shot had to be fired.’
‘Well, just one. Jacko shot one of the constables in the hand when
he picked up a pistol,’ said Jamie. ‘Quite a shot! Through a glass
porthole.’
‘Jacko goot shot, orright,’ said Sarah.
‘How about we all go out to dinner this evening?’ suggested
Jacko. ‘Sarah and I could probably do with a good steak before we
drive south tomorrow.’
Carna nodded. ‘That would be lovely.’
‘We’ll go to the Knickerbocker then,’ said Jamie. ‘Would you like
to go home first, Carna?’
‘No, as far as I am concerned we can go when we’ve finished our
tea,’ she said. Then looking at Sarah she said, ‘Those steaks are very
big, Sarah.’
‘She’s been there before,’ said Jacko. ‘She might look thin, but
you’ll be amazed how much steak she can put away.’
Sarah laughed. ‘You longa bullshit brata!’
‘Well, that’s all settled then,’ said Jamie. ‘Big steaks for all.’

****

By the time they left the restaurant, it was dark and there was heavy
cloud cover and a light sprinkle of rain. When they reached the
Esplanade, Jamie asked Carna if she would like him to walk home
with her.
‘No, I think you all should go straight back to the hotel as it might
rain heavily soon,’ she said. ‘My house is just a short distance from
here and I’m used to walking home. Thank you for the dinner and I
wish you all goodnight.’
They headed back to the hotel through the light drizzle. Carna
walked quickly to avoid the rain. Her hair was getting wet and she
thought it would be a good excuse to wash it tonight. Through the
mist, she could see the distant flash of the lighthouse on the Cox
Peninsula and lights from small fishing boats in the bay. Arriving at
her house, she walked up to the front door and was fiddling with her
keys when she became aware of movement behind her. Before she

171
could react, she felt an arm around her waist and a hand over her
mouth. The strong smell of chloroform was the last thing she
remembered before she lost consciousness.

****

The two prison wardens, Liam Quinn and Aiden Smythe, crept along
the corridor between cells in the old brick men’s section of the Fanny
Bay gaol. Smythe used a set of keys to quietly open four of the cell
doors, whispering to the inmates to be quiet. Those cells held seven
prisoners including the two Darwin policemen, Ryan Turner and
Graeme Thomas. The others were all part of a much wider paedophile
ring based in Melbourne. At a signal from Quinn, the inmates
followed him silently out of the building and stayed out of sight in the
darkness behind some bushes while Quinn took up his position as
guard at the front gate. Smythe quietly relocked the cells and after
locking the door into the building, waved at the group who followed
him out the gate of the complex. Through the rain which was now
falling steadily, they saw two figures awaiting them beside two jeeps
with canvas tops. Smythe handed the keys to Quinn at the guardhouse
and waved at the two waiting figures, one of whom, Sean Murphy,
stepped forward with his index finger touching his lips. The second
man stayed out of sight in the shadows.
‘We’ve got the girl,’ Sean whispered. ‘She’s in a deep sleep in the
back of a jeep parked in our shed in Parap. We’ll all have to cram into
these two vehicles while we go and pick it up. Then you blokes can
get going down the road. Turner will stay behind to present our
demands. You’ll be going down the road with the others, Aiden. Let’s
go.’
‘Okay, Sean. You’re the boss!’
The two jeeps drove through the rain to the shed in Parap where
two other canvas-topped jeeps were parked. In one of them, Carna
slept motionless in the back. Sean Murphy alighted from his jeep and
gathered the group around him.
‘Welcome to freedom, you numbskulls,’ he said. ‘We’ve been the
victims of a sting by that bloody Munro and his Abo offsider, but
we’re gonna sting back. Word has it that the girl lying there is the

172
sweetheart of Munro and he’ll probably do anything to get her back.
You’re all leaving tonight for Daly River country to hide out north of
the river for a while. Graeme and I have been fishing and hunting
there and we know it well. Nobody’ll be able to find you. Ryan and I
are going to stay behind. I’ll pretend to be helping the police here and
Ryan’s gonna present Munro and Fitzgibbon with an ultimatum.
They’re going to have to organise a pardon for all of us through the
Territory administration as well as pay us £150,000 for the return of
Miss Hidalgo unharmed. If they don’t comply, we kill her, okay?
Until then nobody hurts her in any way. Clear?’
‘Cor, £150,000! Does the administration have that kind of
money?’ asked Graeme Thomas.
‘Naw, but the word is that Munro is selling his late father’s sheep
and cattle property in central NSW, so he should be getting that sort
of money soon,’ replied Sean. ‘We’ll be able to pay back some of the
money to the investors.’
‘I think most of them would prefer the kids rather than the money,’
said one of the visitors, Owen Riley.
‘I reckon you’re right, Owen, but we don’t know what’s happened
to the setup in Manila at this stage or whether there really was a boat
on the way,’ said Sean. ‘Anyway, you blokes were all caught so
you’ll certainly need pardons besides the money.’
‘You mentioned before that we’ll have to hide out north of the
Daly, eh?’ said Graeme.
‘Yep. You can’t go to the Blue Lagoons area south of the river
because the nosey mob at the Daly River Crossing will report where
you went,’ said Sean. ‘There’s plenty of fishing, ducks, wild pigs and
other bush tucker north of the river. You won’t starve. Take care of
the girl, Graeme. She’s valuable. If anyone harms her, kill him.’
‘Okay, boss. We’ll get these jeeps loaded up.’
From a large box in the shed the group loaded six rifles, four
shotguns and a large amount of ammunition into the jeeps as well as
several cartons of tinned food and cigarettes.
‘What about grog?’ asked Owen.
‘It’s gonna be a dry camp, mate,’ said Sean. ‘You’ve all gotta be
alert, all the time.’
Owen groaned and shook his head. ‘Jesus, Sean! We’ll go mad.’

173
 ‘Just do what Graeme says and you’ll be all right,’ said Sean.
‘You’ll be eating like kings down there. Barramundi, duck, wild
turkey, pork, brolga, you name it. You’ll be able to pick your own
menu. Just watch out for the crocs. A few salties wander around
upriver at this time of year. Graeme knows what to do.’
‘Well, we’re ready, Sean,’ said Graeme.
‘Good! Graeme will drive the first jeep with Nat Brady and the
girl,’ said Sean. ‘The rest of you travel in the other two jeeps. Just
follow Graeme and you won’t get lost.’
It was nearly midnight and still raining steadily when the three
jeeps left the shed and headed down the bitumen. Once the headlights
disappeared, Sean patted Ryan playfully on top of his head.
‘Nobody’ll disturb you tonight if you stay in your own little
bachelor pad,’ he said. ‘It won’t be until tomorrow morning when the
shit hits the fan. Are you okay with being the one to give Munro the
good news tomorrow?’
‘Bloody oath,’ said Ryan. ‘I can’t wait to see his face when I look
him in the eye and tell him his beautiful sweetheart’s gonna die if he
doesn’t cooperate.’
‘That’s the spirit, me boy!’ Sean chuckled. ‘I’ll volunteer to put
you through the third degree. I’ll drop you off now and get some
sleep myself. When I get home, I’ll have to complain to my missus
about how demanding this police work is. Keeping me up till all
hours of night. Let’s go.’

****

At five o’clock the next morning, Jamie was woken by a tentative

knocking on the door of his hotel room. Grabbing a towel and
securing it around his waist, he unlatched and opened the door.
Standing in the corridor and nervously staring at him with tears filling
her large eyes was a short, chubby, middle-aged Filipina lady in a
white uniform.
‘Mr Jamie, sir?’ she asked in a small voice.
Wiping the sleep from his eyes, Jamie replied, ‘Yes, I’m Jamie
Munro. Who are you?’

174
 ‘Oh, sir. I’m Solly. Name Solly. I’m maid of Doña Hidalgo,’ she
answered. ‘She is mother of Encarnación.’
‘Carna? What’s happened?’
‘Carna, she not come home last night. Doña Hidalgo, she very
worried, sir.’
‘Just wait here for a moment, Solly, and I’ll get dressed. Won’t be
long.’
She nodded. He closed the door and quickly donned his clothes
and splashed his face in the basin. Rejoining the Filipina maid in the
corridor, he knocked on Jacko’s door to wake him, explained what
had happened and said that he and Solly would wait for him
downstairs near the hotel entrance.
As soon as they reached the reception area, Jamie looked at the
diminutive woman with the melancholy face. ‘When did you discover
that Carna was not at home, Solly?’
‘Sir! A while ago my ma’am, Doña Hidalgo, she call out. Have
some pain. I give some of her medicine then go to tell Carna, but
Carna not in room. Nowhere! We worry much. Doña, very worry! I
come here because Carna talk about you.’
‘That’s good, Solly. As soon as my partner Jacko gets here we’ll
go around to the police station, which is not far from here, and see if
they’ve found her or heard from her, okay?’
‘Yes, sir.’
When Jacko arrived, they set off up the Esplanade but instead of
turning down Knuckey Street to the police station, Jacko suggested
they have a look at the Hidalgo house first in case there were any
clues to Carna’s disappearance. The sky was cloudy but the rain had
stopped during the night. At the house, Jacko carefully studied the
ground between the gate and the front door.
‘Someone’s grabbed her, Cap,’ he said. ‘In spite of the rain last
night it’s easy to see that there are only four sets of recent footprints
between the gate and the house. Carna’s prints going towards the
house, Solly’s prints going away from the house and two sets of
prints from large boots going both ways. Can’t tell the type of boots
because of the rain, but definitely large boots.’
‘My God, Jacko! Do you think she’s been kidnapped?’

175
 ‘I’d reckon, Cap. Looks like they hid in the garden until she came
home and carried her off.’
‘Bloody hell! I can’t believe it, Jacko. How many bloody
kidnappers are there in this bloody place? I thought we had them all.’
Solly started to cry and Jamie gave her a handkerchief and told her
to go inside and tell Doña Hidalgo that they and the police would be
looking for her daughter and were sure to find her. He and Jacko then
walked back down the Esplanade and at the police station, asked the
desk constable for Superintendent Fitzgibbon. He told them the
superintendent wasn’t in yet, but he could raise him on the telephone
if it was urgent. Jamie said it was. Vigorously turning the handle on
the telephone, he was soon talking to Fitzy who asked him to put
Jamie on the line.
‘What the hell’s happening, Jamie?’ asked Fitzy.
‘Carna’s been kidnapped, Fitzy,’ said Jamie. ‘It was after dinner,
probably around 8.30 last night. Carna wanted to walk home as she
does every day and it looks like two men with large boots kidnapped
her in her front garden. Jacko spotted their footprints.’
‘Damn! This can’t be happening. Listen, you and Jacko stay where
you are and I’ll be there shortly.’
In less than twenty minutes, Fitzy was at the police station looking
dishevelled and bleary-eyed. He told the constable at the desk to get
hold of Sergeant Murphy and as many of the police as he could to
start a major search of Darwin. As he watched Jamie and Fitzy pacing
the floor, Jacko tried to work out who might be involved with the
gang apart from the ones in captivity. Just then they heard footsteps
as someone entered the police station.
They all stared in amazement as Senior Constable Ryan Turner
smiled at them and said, ‘G’day fellas. How’re ya goin’?’

176
 CHAPTER 23

Fitzy drew his sidearm and pointed it at Ryan Turner. ‘How the
bloody hell did you get out of gaol? Constable, arrest that man
immediately.’
‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you, boss,’ said Turner with a smirk.
‘If you even touch me, a certain señorita might get her pretty little
neck cut.’
‘Bloody hell! What have you done with her?’ yelled Jamie. ‘If
you’ve hurt her at all I’ll rip you apart with my bare hands.’
In a cool, low voice Jacko cut in, ‘I think we’d better hear what he
has to say, Cap.’
‘Yeah, that’s a good idea,’ said Turner, continuing to smirk at
them. ‘We’ve got your precious little señorita in a safe place and she
won’t be harmed at all if you cooperate with me. Not at all.’
As Turner finished speaking, Sean Murphy arrived and
breathlessly asked what was going on. When he saw Ryan Turner, his
eyes widened.
‘How the hell did you get out of gaol?’ Sean barked. ‘What yer
doin’ here?’
‘All in good time,’ said Turner. ‘I think I’d like to talk privately to
Munro and his sidekick Jacko in your office, Superintendent. You
and Murphy can join us, just to listen, but no one else. Savvy?’
‘Okay then, I’ll lead the way,’ said Fitzy resignedly.
Inside Fitzy’s office, Turner sat in Fitzy’s chair behind the large
desk and gestured for Jamie to sit down on the chair in front of the
desk while the others remained standing.
Turner smiled and addressed Jamie, ‘Rumour has it that this young
señorita is your girlfriend, Munro. We wouldn’t want anything to
happen to her, would we?’
Jamie felt hot in the face. ‘You bastard, if you’ve …’
‘Shut up, Munro, and listen,’ said Turner menacingly. ‘Rumour
also has it that you’re about to come into some money soon when
your late father’s farm is sold in New South Wales.’
‘How the hell did you know …’

177
 ‘Just shut up and listen! My partners and I have lost a lot of
money, thanks to you. I don’t know how you did it, but you were
involved in stopping or delaying a boat we were expecting to arrive
yesterday from the Philippines. You’re going to reimburse all of us
for the money that you’ve cost us. We shall require a payment of
£150,000 before your little señorita is returned to you unharmed.’
‘A hundred and fifty thousand quid! Christ Almighty!’ gasped
Fitzy.
‘And that’s not all,’ said Turner. ‘We shall require a full pardon
for everyone in our group from any criminal charge of any type which
may be brought against us. I know that you good people will be able
to prevail on the Administrator for the Northern Territory, Mr Aubrey
Abbott, in this matter. You know the names of eight of us but there
are more. You can have those extra names when everything has been
officially agreed.’
‘I have no idea when the sale of my father’s property will be
finalised,’ said Jamie.
‘That’s okay, mate,’ Turner smirked again. ‘We can wait and we’ll
just hang on to your lovely señorita until it’s finalised.’
‘It might not even be that much,’ said Jamie. ‘That’s a hell of a lot
of money.’
‘Well, you’ll have to borrow the rest, or perhaps Mr Abbott might
put up some government funds.’
Jacko glared fixedly at Turner. ‘How do we even know that the
girl is still alive?’
Turner laughed mirthlessly. ‘Don’t worry about that. We’re not
going to kill the golden goose unless we’re forced to. You’ll just have
to trust us.’
‘So how the hell did you get out of gaol?’ asked Fitzy.
Turner chuckled. ‘One of Fanny Bay gaol’s warders is Aiden
Smythe,’ he said. ‘He’s one of our group. He swapped shifts with
another warder last night and let us all out. I’m the only one left in
Darwin to negotiate with you … tell you what we require. You’ll
never be able to find where the others have gone with Mr Munro’s
lovely sweetheart.’
‘You mob of bastards!’ growled Fitzy.

178
 ‘Maybe, but you’ll have to take me seriously. Any attempt to
incarcerate me or detain me in any way will mean the golden goose
will be cooked and we’ll all lose.’
‘Is that all?’ asked Jacko.
‘Yep! That’s all for now. I’ll drop by your hotel every day, Munro,
to find out how you’re going with the money and the pardons.’ Ryan
Turner stood up and walked to the door. ‘Good morning, gentlemen.’
After he was gone there was silence. Jamie was slumped in the
chair next to the desk in a state of despair. Jacko patted him on the
shoulder and told him that they had better return to the hotel. Jamie
nodded and followed him out the door in a daze.
Fitzy looked at Sergeant Murphy and said, ‘Sean, you’d better take
charge here for now. The rest of our force should be here soon and
you can direct the search for the girl in Darwin. I’ll go with Jamie and
Jacko and see if we can work out some way of handling this.’
‘Okay, boss. Not a problem,’ said Sean. ‘Are you going to see Mr
Abbott?’
‘Yeah, he’ll have to be informed about this situation,’ said Fitzy,
shaking his head. ‘What a bloody mess.’

****

Sitting in the dining room at the hotel, Jamie was unable to eat his
breakfast. Even under fire during the war he had never experienced
this level of despair before.
‘It’s hopeless,’ he mumbled while Jacko, Sarah and Fitzy all
looked up from their eggs and bacon and stared at him.
‘Nothing’s ever hopeless, Cap,’ said Jacko. ‘You taught me that.’
‘I don’t even know where to start, Jacko.’
‘Well, the best way is to start thinking again, Cap,’ said Jacko. ‘It
occurs to me that there must be more members of the gang besides
Ryan Turner still in Darwin, otherwise who would carry the message
to kill Carna if we locked Turner up?’
‘Yes, you’re right,’ said Fitzy. ‘There’s got to be one or two others
who’ll be watching us.’
Jacko nodded at Fitzy. ‘Yeah, this means we don’t tell anyone
anything except one another.’

179
 ‘I agree with you, Jacko, but there’s nothing to tell right now,’ said
Fitzy.
‘There must be some way to find out where they’ve gone with
Carna,’ said Jacko. ‘Does Graeme Thomas go bush somewhere on
holidays? Or that prison guard, Smythe.’
‘I’ll ask around,’ said Fitzy.
‘Just be careful though, Fitzy,’ said Jacko. ‘I would expect that
apart from Ryan Turner, amongst any gang members still in Darwin,
there would have to be someone of influence. So, don’t take your
Senior Sergeant Murphy into your confidence. He’s probably
innocent but we can’t risk it. It must be common knowledge around
the traps if Thomas or Smythe go bush once in a while.
‘Yeah, shouldn’t be too hard to find out,’ said Fitzy. ‘Leave it with
me, Jacko.’
Jacko looked intently at Jamie who was slumped teary-eyed in his
chair. ‘Listen, Cap. You’ll have to shake yourself up and start
thinking again. Carna will rely upon it.’
‘Yeah, Jacko. I know you’re right. But where to even start?’
‘I’ll tell you what Sarah and I are going to do. Just about everyone
in town knows Sarah and I were planning to go to Tennant Creek
tomorrow. We’re going to load up a jeep with arms, food, fuel and
supplies and spread it around town to confirm that we’re definitely
going to Tennant Creek for a funeral. As soon as Fitzy discovers
where the crooks are likely to have gone, we’ll be out bush ourselves
and we’ll extract her from those crooks if we can. You’ve got to trust
me, Cap.’
‘Of course I trust you, Jacko,’ said Jamie, sitting up straighter. ‘Do
you reckon it’s possible?’
‘I reckon, Cap.’
‘We bin get Ka Na, you see, Jemmy,’ said Sarah. ‘More bikpela
important dan die pinish mama. No gat worry, Jemmy.’
Jamie was deeply affected by her confidence. ‘Thanks, Sarah.’
‘I’ll get going. I’ve got a good idea where to find out about
Thomas and the other fella,’ said Fitzy, standing up and wiping his
mouth. ‘I’ll be back in a few hours, see ya.’
‘Sarah and I’ll start loading up the jeep. If anyone wants to know,
we’re off to the Tennant.’

180
 Jamie stood up and straightened his shoulders. ‘You’re so right,
Jacko. Nothing can be gained by sitting around and fearing the worst.
I don’t know how to thank you, old friend. With you around, I have a
lot of confidence that we’ll save her somehow.’
‘You’d better believe it, Cap. C’mon Sarah, we’ve got work to
do.’

****

Two hours later, Fitzy returned to the Hotel Darwin accompanied by

a short stocky man with muscular arms wearing a dark-blue singlet
and shorts. He introduced his friend, Neville Wise, to Jacko and
Sarah, who were standing next to their jeep at the hotel, and asked
Jacko to get Jamie to discuss the situation, which he said was very
interesting. After fetching Jamie from upstairs, Jacko ordered a large
pot of tea and they all sat down at a table on the verandah overlooking
the Esplanade.
‘I want you to know that Neville here is one of the leading
crocodile shooters in the Territory,’ said Fitzy. ‘He’s better known as
“Nifty Nev” or “Nifty Number 1” because his partner in croc hunting
is Neville Watson, better known as “Nifty Number 2”. Anyway, not
much goes on around here that the two Nifties don’t know about. I’ll
leave it to you, Nev, to tell them what you think.’
‘Yeah, well, Fitzy here trusts me, so he’s told me about your
problem,’ said Neville. ‘That policeman you were talking about,
Thomas, he often goes down to the Blue Lagoons on the south side of
the Daly River on long weekends. I know that area like the back of
my hand. Lots of barramundi, ducks, turkeys, bustards, you name it.
There’s almost no traffic on that road at this time of year because of
the wet, so it makes sense that he’s gone that way. He’d only go
somewhere he knows.’
‘So, you think that he might have gone to the Blue Lagoons?’
asked Jacko.
‘Yeah, possibly. ’Cept if he doesn’t want anyone to know where
he is then he wouldn’t cross the river ’cause there’s a pub and store
just up the road from the Daly River Crossing. He couldn’t pass
through to Blue Lagoons without all the characters at the pub

181
knowing about it. Those fellas are all mates of mine. My guess would
be that he’d turn off to the northwest about four mile this side of the
crossing and go into the country north of the Daly River. Thomas
would probably know a fair bit about that area too. There ain’t been
too much rain over the past coupla weeks, so drivin’ in there wouldn’t
be too bad. If he’s gone in there you should be able to see his tracks.’
‘So, yer pretty sure he might be in there somewhere north of the
Daly River?’ said Jacko. ‘What’s the best way to get there?’
‘Dead easy, mate,’ said Neville. ‘Nev Watson and I are going
down to Blue Lagoons tomorrow morning. You can follow us down
and we’ll show you where everything is.’
‘Aha! Is there somewhere I can meet you on the way?’ asked
Jacko. ‘I’ve made it known that Sarah and I are leaving for Tennant
Creek this morning.’
‘Dead easy again, mate,’ said Neville. ‘Go down to Adelaide River
and camp there. It’s only 70 mile down the bitumen. Nev and I’ll
meet you there at 5.30 tomorrow morning. It’s only another 75 mile
from there to the crossing. It’s a bit of a wet goat track at this time of
year, but not too bad. At least you’ll have two Nifties to show you the
way. Can’t do better than that.’
‘That’s great. Thanks Nev. Sarah and I’ll just finish our tea and get
going.’
‘Is it a good time for crocodile shooting, Nev?’ asked Jamie.
‘Yeah, there’s always quite a few big old salties wandering around
upriver in the late wet season,’ said Neville. ‘We only cull the real
big’uns. The stomach skin is real valuable for ladies’ handbags and
shoes. It’s good business for us!’
‘Are there lots of big ones in the Daly River?’ asked Jamie.
‘Zillions, mate. Nev and I often bag forty or fifty a trip.’
Jamie shook his head. ‘Wow!’
‘Anyway, Sarah and I will get underway,’ said Jacko, as the two of
them stood up from the table. ‘Good to meet you. Look forward to
seeing you tomorrow, Nev. Can I call you Nifty?’
‘You can call me any bloody thing you like, mate.’
Jacko then said to Jamie, ‘Trust me, Cap. We’ll bring her back.
From what Nifty says, I’m sure he’s right about where they’ve taken
her. When we’ve rescued her, I’ll send you a telegram from the Daly

182
River Crossing and when you get it, Fitzy can arrest Ryan Turner.
Give it a few hours in between the telegram and the arrest. I might
need a little time to get things ready. It’ll be interesting to see who
shows up at the Daly after that.’
‘For sure. Thanks and God bless you two,’ said Jamie.
‘Thanks, Cap. In the meantime, you’ll have to handle bloody
Turner. Just tell him the money’s expected in a week or so. Fitzy’s
gonna spin him a yarn about the pardons. He’ll tell him the
administrator has to wait for approval from down south! See you all
later.’
Jacko and Sarah drove off and Fitzy said to Neville, ‘Thanks a lot,
Nev. I hope it’s not a wild-goose chase.’
‘Nah! If they’re tryin’ to hide out bush, I don’t know where else
they’d go,’ said Neville. ‘Graeme Thomas knows that country. That’s
where he’d go for sure.’
‘Does your old mate Neville Watson know about this?’ asked
Fitzy.
‘Nah! Haven’t told him,’ said Neville. ‘He’s got a habit of getting
a bit of grog in him at the Old Vic Pub before we go out after the
crocs and he’s likely to tell everyone. I’ll tell him about it when we
get to Adelaide Springs tomorrow.’
‘I don’t know how to thank you, Nev,’ said Jamie. ‘Without you
we could’ve been up the creek without a paddle.’
‘No worries. Anyway, I don’t like bastards who abuse women,’
said Neville. ‘If they hurt your girlfriend I might kill ’em meself.’
Jamie started to protest. ‘She’s not my … Oh! I … er … suppose
she could be.’
‘Of course she is,’ said Fitzy. ‘You must be the only stupid bloke
in Darwin who doesn’t know that.’
‘Anyway, I’ve got to leave now,’ said Neville. ‘I need the other
Nifty to help me prepare for tomorrow before he gets into the grog.
See ya later, fellas!’
Fitzy suggested Jamie stay at the hotel in case Turner showed up,
to tell him that Jacko had gone to Tennant Creek. Fitzy then left,
saying he would see Mr Abbott to brief him on the kidnapping and
the criminals’ demands, in case he was collared by Turner.

183
 Left by himself, Jamie stared out into the waters of Darwin
Harbour thinking about Carna. He had finally admitted to himself that
he was madly in love with her. The confidence expressed by Jacko,
Sarah, Fitzy and Neville filled him with hope. Jacko’s going to rescue
her for sure, he thought. I must remember that.
At midday, Jamie was having a light lunch on the verandah with
the young Garry Speck who was concerned about the kidnapping but
had not been told about Jacko’s expedition to the Daly River country.
Walking along the Esplanade, Senior Sergeant Sean Murphy spied
them and waved, saying he would like to have a word. Entering the
hotel, he sat down with a look of concern on his face.
‘Just a terrible business,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘I had no idea
that Turner and Thomas would turn out to be such crooks. We’ll be
doing everything in our power to find out what’s going on and rescue
that pretty girl.’
‘That’s kind of you to tell me, Sean,’ said Jamie. ‘Where do you
think they’ve taken her?’
‘Out bush somewhere. Your guess is as good as mine right now,’
said Sean. ‘There’s a lot of bush out there. We’re sure to pick up a
few clues in the next few days. Where’s your offsider, Jacko?’
‘Unfortunately, his mother just died and he’s gone down to
Tennant Creek to pay his respects,’ said Jamie. ‘There’s not much he
could do here. There’s probably no alternative but to pay the ransom.’
‘No, probably not, unless we find out where she’s being held,’ said
Sean. ‘Well, I’d better leave you and get at it. I’ll let you know if we
find anything out, Jamie.’
‘Thanks Sean. I appreciate it.’

184
 CHAPTER 24

As Carna slowly regained consciousness she was aware of a

throbbing headache and a painfully stiff neck. With difficulty, being
tossed about in the back of a moving vehicle, she managed to work
her way into a sitting position. She wiped her eyes with the back of
her hand and was able to focus on the backs of two heads in front of
her. She was totally confused. One moment she was about to enter her
house, and the next she was in hell. Con el Diablo!
The driver of the jeep sighted her in the rear-view mirror and
chuckled. ‘Looks like our pretty passenger has finally joined us.’
‘Who are you?’ she croaked through a sore dry mouth. ‘Why am I
being thrown around in this … this hormigonera, this concrete
mixer?’
‘We’re taking you on a little trip, missy,’ said the driver. ‘Just
think of it as a scenic tour. You’ll love it.’
‘Who are you?’
‘My name is Graeme and this is Nat,’ said the driver. ‘Don’t
worry, we’re all gonna be good amigos for the next week or so.’
‘Estúpido! I don’t want to go with you,’ she cried. ‘Take me back
to Darwin inmediatamente! You must. The police will arrest you.’
‘I am the police, missy,’ said Graeme. ‘Don’t worry, we’re not
going to hurt you. We just need you to stay with us for a short while.’
Carna couldn’t make any sense of it. It was a nightmare, una
pesadilla. Her body was bruised from the jolting of the rough road,
and her mouth was so, so dry. She started to weep but quickly dried
her eyes and thought to herself, I can’t show weakness while I’m with
these idiotas.
She touched the front seat passenger on the shoulder. ‘I need
water.’
‘Yeah, give her some water, Nat,’ said Graeme.
She was handed a tin water bottle and after gulping down a few
mouthfuls, started to feel a little better although her head was still
throbbing.

185
 The canvas cover of the jeep restricted her view, but she could see
through the windscreen that they were following a rough track with
occasional puddles of water. Turning her head back and forth to
relieve the stiffness, she noticed several rifles with their butts on the
floor against the side of the vehicle. She reached over and put her
hand around the barrel of one of the rifles and started to pull it
towards her.
Graeme had been watching her in the mirror. ‘Don’t even think
about it, missy. Anyway, they’re not loaded.’
‘Hombres estúpidos,’ she muttered. ‘Unos cerdos. Bastardos!’
Graeme laughed and shook his head. ‘Tsk, tsk. Such language
from a lovely lady.’
After a while she saw the jeep turn off the track to the right and
they were driving over a flat plain weaving through some large trees.
The vehicle was not jolting around so much now, but the engine
laboured occasionally as they passed over patches of damp ground.
She was thinking that if they tried to lay a hand on her, she would
fight like a tigress and even if they overpowered her, they would
carry some nasty scars for the rest of their lives. She would die before
giving in. She lifted her chin with determination. Her headache was
not quite so bad now.

****

Jamie watched the sun beginning to set over the Cox Peninsula as he
strolled along the Esplanade. At any other time, Jamie would have
appreciated the heavenly spectacle of sunset on display in the late wet
season, but his mind was far away. His musings were interrupted
when a jeep pulled up next to him and he saw Ryan Turner leering at
him. He clenched his fists but attempted to keep a straight face.
Turner spoke first: ‘G’day, mate. Out for an evening’s stroll?’
Jamie showed no reaction and Turner continued, ‘I believe your
offsider, the half-caste bastard, has gone south and left you on your
lonesome. Have you heard any more about the timing of your NSW
farm sale?’
‘No. I don’t expect settlement on the sale for a week or two yet.
Maybe even longer.’

186
 ‘Well, the sooner the better. What about the pardons?’
‘I believe that the superintendent has spoken to the administrator
about that.’
‘Yeah, that’s right. I’ve given the not-so-super Fitzy some of the
names of the blokes to be pardoned. As soon as it’s all done, the
pardons and the money, you’ll be reunited with your lovely señorita.
Safe and sound. I’ll check with you tomorrow. See ya, mate.’
As he drove away, Jamie walked into the park beside the
Esplanade and in a fit of frustration roared at the setting sun. The
sound of his voice wafted away on the north-easterly breeze.
He began walking back towards the hotel, muttering to himself, ‘If
they harm a hair of her head I’ll … I’ll … kill ’em all!’

****

The following morning, as the sun was rising, Jacko and Sarah waited
on the side of the bitumen in the centre of the Adelaide River town
when they saw a large four-wheel drive carrying a big metal dingy
upside down on its roof coming towards them. The truck pulled up
and Neville Wise leant out the window with a wide smile.
‘G’day! ’Ow yer goin’, orright?’ he said. ‘This ’ere’s me partner in
crime, Neville Watson, Nifty Number 2. Nev, this is Jacko and
Sarah.’
‘Morning, Nev and Nev,’ said Jacko. ‘We’re all set to go. We’ll
follow you.’
‘Okay. It’s about 75 mile from ’ere. The first fifteen miles are
okay on the bitumen but the next 60 could be slow goin’ ’cause the
track’s a bit rough and a bit wet. Should be at the Crossing in a
couple of hours or so. The old pub and store’s not far from there.
We’ll go ahead.’
The jeep was jolted about on the rough, wet track as they crept
along. About three and a half miles short of the Crossing, Neville
stopped the truck, got out and pointed off to the right.
‘Looks like a few vehicles turned off here recently,’ he said.
‘Could be the blokes you’re after.’
‘Yeah, I’d reckon,’ said Jacko. He followed Sarah, who had trotted
off along the wheel tracks. When they returned, they confirmed that

187
the tracks had been made only in the last day or so by three jeeps
similar to their own.
‘We’ll follow you to Daly Crossing and then get you to show us
the way into Blue Lagoons, if that’s the way you’re going,’ said
Jacko.
‘Sure is, mate,’ said Neville. ‘Nev and I always go that way before
heading up towards the big river. Follow me. We’ll stop at the pub.’
A quarter of an hour later, they crossed the concrete crossing that
was just above the level of the swift-flowing Daly River beneath.
Soon after, they pulled up at a rough building made largely of
weatherboard and corrugated iron. Four or five army demountables
stood to one side of the pub. Neville Wise joined them as Jacko and
Sarah got out of the jeep.
‘Welcome to the Daly River Crossing Pub, run by me old mate,
Ernie Simpson,’ he said. ‘C’mon, I’ll introduce you. Nev will stay in
the truck. He’s not one for talking much.’
There weren’t many people in the pub at that time of the morning,
but as Neville Wise entered, a voice boomed out from the bar along a
wall to their left.
‘G’day Nifty, you ol’ bastard. Who ya got with ya?’
A balding man with a prominent stomach hanging over his belt
and straining his white shirt approached and slapped Neville on the
shoulder. Neville introduced Ernie Simpson, the owner of the pub,
and asked him if three jeeps had passed through in the last few days.
Ernie scratched the side of his head. ‘Not that I know of. Nobody
we don’t know has dropped in here for the past week. Things are slow
during the wet as you know, Nev. I’ll ask Big Steve. He might have
seen something.’
Ernie went to the back door and called out Steve’s name. Shortly,
a large man about six and a half feet tall with a droopy moustache and
a battered old hat entered and smiled at the newcomers, revealing a
missing front tooth. Ernie asked him if he’d seen three jeeps in the
past few days.
Steve shook his head. ‘Naw, nobody’s been through here.
Whatcha doin’, Nev me lad? After them crocs again?’

188
 ‘Yeah. Nev and me’ll be workin’ south of the Daly for the next
couple of weeks and I’m gonna show Jacko and Sarah here how to
get to the Blue Lagoons.’
‘Wonderful barra fishin’ at Blue Lagoons,’ said Steve. ‘Might be a
couple of crocs about, but.’
‘Yeah well, Jacko and Sarah don’t intend to do a great deal of
fishing,’ said Neville. ‘You can tell Ernie and Steve what the situation
is, Jacko. You can trust ’em and they may be able to help you.’
‘Yeah, okay, I’ll do that,’ said Jacko. ‘I’m here because I’m
involved with the Commonwealth Investigation Service. We’ve been
on the trail of a gang of international criminals who’ve been
kidnapping children from the Philippines. They’re financed by a ring
of paedophiles in Australia and the US. We did manage to arrest all
the members of the gang operating in the Philippines and we recently
caught some of the ones based in Australia. Unfortunately, they
escaped from Fanny Bay gaol and we believe they’re holding a young
girl hostage for ransom somewhere along the north side of the Daly
River.’
‘Stone the crows!’ said Steve in his deep booming voice. ‘Bloody
pedos, eh? On the run, eh? How can we help?’
‘What we plan to do is extract the girl during the night without
alerting the crooks,’ said Jacko. ‘If we can do that, when they find
she’s gone, I suspect the first thing they’ll do is come here and ask if
anyone has seen her.’
‘Don’t worry, mate,’ said Ernie, ‘We won’t tell ’em a thing.’
‘I don’t want them racing back to Darwin, or things might get
nasty, ‘Jacko continued. ‘What I plan to do is lead them deeper and
deeper into the bush and spike their vehicles so that when the police
pick them up, there’ll be no more fight left in them. We’re going with
the Nifties now to the Blue Lagoons area to have a look, and then
we’ll be back here late this afternoon. Then Sarah and I’ll be able to
find the gang on the north side of the Daly and we’ll use a few
Aborigine tricks to try to rescue the girl. After that, we’ll come back
here before returning to the Blue Lagoons. I’d like you to hide the girl
carefully and tell the baddies when they come exactly where we’ve
gone. I want them to follow us.’

189
 Steve knitted his eyebrows with curiosity. ‘You want them to
follow you?’
‘Yeah, I want them to follow us. Just tell them we’re two rough-
looking men and we’ve got the girl with us. Tell them where to look
for our tyre tracks, which won’t be too hard to find. Do you
understand all that?’
Steve nodded enthusiastically. ‘No worries, Jacko. The girl will be
safe with us and we’ll be very cooperative telling them where to go.’
‘We certainly won’t tell ’em the real truth. I’d sooner shoot ’em
meself,’ said Ernie. ‘Bloody paedophiles! Mob o’ queers!’
‘Just be careful though,’ said Jacko. ‘Those blokes will tell you
they’re police. At least one of them is from the Darwin Police but
he’s part of the gang. Just tell them where we’ve gone but don’t, for
Christ’s sake, tell them where the girl really is. Make sure to tell them
that we’ve got the girl with us.’
‘You can trust these fellas, Jacko,’ said Neville. ‘They’re dinkum.
Known ’em all me life.’
Steve nodded. ‘Yeah, don’t worry, mate. You can trust us. We’ll
keep the lass safely out of their clutches. How’re you gonna rescue
her?’
Jacko smiled, looking towards Sarah. ‘We’re Warramungas. At
least, I’m a half and half. My sister Sarah here can track an ant up a
stringybark tree and move like a ghost in the dark.’
‘Warramungas, eh?’ said Steve. ‘Yeah, I think you’ll do it for
sure.’
‘Anything we can get you blokes while you’re here?’ asked Ernie.
‘I’ll just buy the one cold beer,’ replied Neville. ‘Nev’ll have one
as well.’
Ernie laughed and said to Jacko, ‘Nifty always has a last beer
before he goes into the river country. By the way, where’s the other
Nifty?’
‘Aw, he’s sitting in the truck,’ said Neville. ‘You know he doesn’t
like crowds.’
They all laughed and when Neville went outside to give Nifty the
beer, Ernie asked the others what they would like to drink. Jacko said
that orange juice would be strong enough for them. Sarah, who had
been watching the discussion impassively, gave Ernie a wide smile

190
when he handed her a cold orange juice. He studied her and
concluded that the small young black girl didn’t have much to say but
that her eyes followed everything. She was probably a lot smarter
than anyone would think at first sight. Certainly, her half-brother was
a live wire. Must run in the family.
Neville Wise came back in and announced, ‘We’ll all be off then.
You’ll see Jacko and Sarah later this afternoon. Take care, you ol’
buggers. See ya!’

****

Carna had a restless night with plenty of mosquitoes for company. At

least they had erected a small tent for her and laid out some towels on
the ground for her to sleep on. Her headache was much better but she
still felt some of the effects of the chloroform. At least no one had
attempted to molest her. They had even set aside for her a nearby
clump of trees where she could go exclusively when nature called.
She now sat outside on a fallen log watching some of the men loading
shotguns and setting off from the large billabong they were camped
beside. Probably to hunt for ducks or other wildlife, she thought. The
camp was surrounded by myall, mulga and gum trees, with pandanus
growing along the sides of the billabong. Various types of birds were
flying overhead but there was little else to see. She swatted flies from
her face and wondered how Jamie, Jacko or anyone else could
possibly find her in this swampy place. They wouldn’t have a clue
where she was. She could easily run away when the men were asleep
or even now while they were preoccupied; but where could she run
to? She had no idea where she was.
A voice broke into her thoughts. ‘Hello, love, I brought you some
breakfast.’
She looked up into the smirking face of Graeme Thomas, the man
who had driven her to this place yesterday. Her instinct was to refuse;
however, she was feeling hungry for the first time since her
abduction, so she put out her hand and silently took the tin plate he
was offering. Large rashers of bacon sat on a type of toasted bread.
She thought it looked awful but the smell of the bacon made her
mouth water and she started to eat it using her fingers.

191
 Thomas watched her for a moment, still smirking, and then said,
‘Sorry about the lack of knives and forks. I’ll go and get you a cup of
tea.’
He returned to the fire where water was boiling in several large
billies. Throwing some tea in one of them, he lifted it from the fire
and swung it around before pouring some of the brew into a tin
pannikin, which he carried back to Carna. She nodded to him and put
it beside her on the ground as he walked back.
One of the other men, Alf Conner, looked at Thomas and said, ‘So
you’re now the servant of that bloody aristocratic bitch, eh?’
Thomas looked at him coldly, poured a pannikin of tea and said,
‘We’ve got to look after her, Alf. Since we couldn’t deliver your little
playmates to you, she’s the golden goose that’s going to deliver the
golden egg. It’s better than nothing. That’s all we’ve got at the
moment, nothing!’
Conner grunted and belched. ‘Yeah, but as you said, in the
absence of those young boys I wouldn’t mind giving her a good one
just to wipe that superior expression off her face.’
Thomas glared at him and then looked at the other man, Jed
Fisher, who had been watching this exchange and said menacingly,
‘Listen, if anyone tries anything on with her, I’ll kill him. I mean it.’
‘So, what if we don’t get the money and the pardons?’ asked
Fisher. ‘What then?’
‘Well then, I’ll kill her myself,’ said Thomas quietly. ‘In the
meantime, she’s valuable to us. Munro and the others will do
anything to get her back unharmed.’
‘It wouldn’t harm her much if we …’ Conner caught Thomas’s
angry look and shut his mouth.
‘Why don’t you two get your fishing gear together and go and
catch some barramundi,’ said Thomas. ‘This billabong’s about half a
mile long and brimming with fish. We’ll have a feast tonight with
barra and whatever ducks or turkeys Nat, Owen, Aiden and Andy
have been able to shoot. The fishin’ might get your mind off our
hostage for a while.’
As the two prepared the fishing gear out of earshot of Thomas,
Conner mumbled, ‘Wants her all to himself, the bastard.’

192
 CHAPTER 25

After driving a bit less than four miles west of the Daly River
Crossing Pub, Neville’s truck pulled off the road to the right and
travelled overland, weaving around trees and scrub roughly in a
north-westerly direction with Jacko’s jeep following close behind.
There was very little dust at this time of year, and Jacko could clearly
study the lay of the land. The trees were mainly large gums
interspersed with mulga, mallee and scrub. They passed several small
waterholes, easily identifiable by prominent pandanus palms, reeds
and occasional tall cane. No one had been this way since the start of
the wet season, Jacko noticed, as earlier tracks had all been washed
away. However, he noted with satisfaction that the two vehicles were
creating new unmistakable tracks along the river flats. This would
make it easy for the crooks to follow the two of them later.
After another ten miles of weaving track, Neville’s truck stopped
near a large waterhole. He walked to the side of it and gestured for
Jacko to come to where he was standing.
‘This is the main billabong of Blue Lagoons,’ he said. ‘It’s about a
mile long, quite deep in the middle, and there’s another billabong
after this one almost as long. It’s good fresh water and they’re both
full of barra. About half a mile or so to the north, there’s a shallow
lagoon with lots of reeds and all kinds of wild ducks flying around.
You’ll also see quite a few brush turkeys and brolgas. The birds seem
to love that area. In case you get sick of eating fish, duck and turkey,
there are a few wild pigs around here as well. They’ll stay out of your
way if you want them to, but!’
‘So, the land of plenty, eh?’ observed Jacko.
‘As long as you got good fishin’ tackle and a shotgun, you can eat
like a king out here,’ he said. ‘It’s a great place to camp.’
‘Where will you be for the next week or so?’ asked Jacko.
‘Me and Nifty, we’ll be about another thirty or forty mile further
on near the river for the next two or three weeks,’ said Neville. ‘You
won’t see us again unless you stay around for that long.’

193
 ‘That’s great, Nev,’ said Jacko. ‘We plan to lure them in but we
should have them out of here before then. I wouldn’t want you to get
tangled up with those gangsters.’
Neville laughed. ‘They wouldn’t want to get tangled up with us,
mate. Nev and I are both good shots and we’ve got guns powerful
enough to kill a twenty-foot crocodile, no worries.’
Jacko noticed that Sarah was sniffing the air and asked, ‘What are
you doing, Sarah?’
‘Nogut stink. Come from longpela distance over tere,’ said Sarah,
pointing towards the northwest.
‘She can smell a saltie. Probably a big one,’ said Neville. ‘It would
be a mile away up the other end of the billabong. The crocs like that
place because there are some ledges they can hide their meat under.
Crocs like their meat rotten when they eat. My wife, Elise, can smell
’em from a mile away too. Elise looks like she could be a sister to
Sarah except she’s heavily pregnant at the moment. That’s why she’s
not here now.’
‘So we shouldn’t go for a swim up that end of the waterhole?’ said
Jacko.
‘Not a good idea. There’ll be some small freshies down this end,
but they won’t worry you,’ said Neville. ‘Just trust in Sarah’s sense of
smell. We’ll get going.’
‘I’ll always trust in Sarah. Thanks a lot, Nev,’ said Jacko.
He then called out his thanks to Neville Watson sitting in the front
of the truck and got a brief wave in return. The two Nifties drove
away and Jacko chuckled to himself and thought they would be better
described as Nifty the Chatty and Nifty the Mute.
‘Why you larp, Jacko brata?’ said Sarah.
‘I was just thinking what a good fellow Neville is, Sar.’
‘Yu aye, gutpela orright, Nipty,’ she said with a laugh.
‘Yeah. Anyway, let’s get going and have a look around Blue
Lagoons. We’ll drive a bit while we’re looking and make some tracks
the baddies are sure to follow.’
Jacko drove the jeep up to the north-west end of the billabong,
where the smell of the hidden saltwater crocodile was strong, and
beyond to the next long billabong. He drove for several miles further,
taking note of all aspects of the area, and then headed north towards

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the shallow lagoon. It was partially surrounded by reeds and
occasional tall clumps of cane. Birds of many species wheeled
overhead as they drove, including wild ducks, elegant brolgas,
screeching cockatoos, colourful parrots and different types of water
birds. A large bustard broke out of cover from a small bush and
started running fast along some open ground until it was able to
spread its wings and take off like an unwieldy aeroplane. Sarah
laughed with joy at seeing so many birds, none of which flew away
but continued to circle. Jacko put his finger to his lips so that he and
Sarah sat very still in the stationary jeep until most of the birds settled
back down into the lagoon. As soon as they drove off, myriads of
birds took to the air again creating a cacophony of sounds behind
them.
Arriving back near the south-east end of the main billabong where
the two Nevilles had departed, Jacko lit a fire while Sarah filled a
billy with water. They sat down under a gum tree to eat the food they
had brought with them and drink hot tea. Jacko told Sarah that he was
sorry they hadn’t been able to go to Tennant Creek as she had hoped.
Sarah told him that their mother’s spirit would look down on them
and approve of what they were doing. She would think it was much
more important. She also told him that she was so happy to be with
her brother doing this important thing and when they were finished
she would try to learn ‘Inglis proper’. Jacko kissed her on the
forehead and said once they had put all the bad men in gaol, he would
be happy to teach her. This was greeted by a high-pitched squeal and
a large smile.
Finishing their lunch, they threw the rest of the tea in the billy on
the fire and climbed aboard the jeep. Jacko was very careful to follow
the same tracks on which they had driven into the Blue Lagoons area
so that they would be easy to follow. Reaching the gravel road, they
then drove the last few miles back to the pub.

****

By arrangement, Jamie and Fitzy met during the afternoon under a

large Albizia tree in the park between the Esplanade and Darwin
Harbour. Fitzy looked around to see if anyone was observing them.

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 ‘I’ve been doing some investigation into the escape from Fanny
Bay,’ Fitzy said. ‘I’ve had a couple of my junior constables on the
job. These young fellows I can definitely trust.’
‘Have you found out how they did it yet?’ asked Jamie.
‘We know of course that one of the guards, Aiden Smythe, was
involved,’ Fitzy replied. ‘His name is on the list for a pardon, so he’s
probably with the others who’ve kidnapped Carna. We’ve come to
the conclusion that Smythe could not have managed the escape on his
own.’
‘So he had to have at least one accomplice?’
‘That’s right, Jamie. As it turns out, one of the other guards did a
swap that night also. The guard who should have been at the front
gate was convinced to exchange a shift with one of the other guards,
Liam Quinn.’
‘So you’re pretty sure it was him, Fitzy?’
‘Yeah, there’s little doubt. We’ve found out that Liam Quinn and
Aiden Smythe have often been seen drinking together in the bar at the
Parap Hotel. They’re good mates.’
‘Well then, Fitzy, we can arrest him along with Turner when we
hear from Jacko that Carna’s safe.’
Fitzy put his hand up. ‘Speak of the devil, Jamie. Stand completely
still. There’s Turner driving slowly past your hotel looking to see if
you’re on the verandah. Maybe he wants to talk to you again.’
In a low voice Jamie said, ‘More likely he wants to gloat again. I
don’t think he would have anything useful to say to me at this time.’
‘Aubrey and Hilda Abbott have invited me, my wife Mary and you
to dinner with them tonight,’ said Fitzy when Turner’s vehicle had
turned a corner and was out of sight. ‘I’ll meet you here at seven
o’clock and we can walk up to the administration centre together.’
‘Thanks, Fitzy. That would be good.’
‘So, you haven’t heard anything from Jacko yet?’
‘No, it’s much too early yet. He’ll send me a telegram if and when
they find Carna. We can move on Turner and Quinn then.’
‘Then we should be able to find out who else is involved, eh
Jamie?’
‘I’m just trying hard to believe Turner when he says that they
won’t hurt Carna. It’s giving me nightmares, Fitzy.’

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 ‘Yeah, well hang in there, Jamie. I think your mate Jacko is pretty
astute and he seemed very confident that he could rescue her.’
‘Yeah, he’s clever and a good friend. I wish I knew what was
going on though. See you this evening, Fitzy.’
‘Yep. Take care, Jamie.’

****

Carna had spent the early afternoon wandering along the side of the
billabong, which was about 30 yards wide and seemed very long,
maybe a few miles. She watched many colourful parrots and finches
flying around as well as a flock of graceful white herons flying the
length of the billabong. Dragonflies hovered over the water and all
sorts of frogs and insects made noises from within the thick clusters
of pandanus trees on the side of the water. She noticed an eagle
gliding far above her on a meandering course and wondered what it
was looking for. It was warm and humid but a sea breeze from the
northwest cooled her as she walked. She thought that this could be a
pleasant place if it wasn’t for the presence of these frightening people
who held her captive.
As she walked back towards the camp, her thoughts turned to
Jamie and Jacko. She wondered what they were doing. They would
certainly know by now that she had been kidnapped and would be
anxious to find out where she was and if she was safe. Would they
ever be able to find where she was? If they did, would they be able to
rescue her? What did these horrible people intend to do with her? She
supposed that they were holding her as some type of hostage. Perhaps
a ransom for money or something else? They hadn’t harmed her yet
but what would happen if their demands were not met? Would they
kill her? She assumed these people were involved with the
kidnapping and murder of the Philippines children. They would have
no hesitation to kill her if they decided to. Those innocent small
children had already been ruthlessly murdered, so it wasn’t something
these people would think twice about. She thought that there was no
point in worrying about it now. It wouldn’t do any good.

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 She approached the camp and decided that she would cling to the
hope that Jamie and his friends would find her. She would treat these
people with the disdain they deserved. There was always hope.
Reaching her tent, she sat down on the nearby fallen log, brushing
a few flies away from her face. She thought about Jamie. She knew
she had fallen heavily for this handsome, resourceful but shy man.
She had decided some time ago that his very shyness was one of his
attractions. But what were his thoughts of her? She knew he would
move heaven and earth to rescue her if he could, but did he hold any
romantic thoughts for her? It was hard to know. Perhaps, she smiled
to herself, if I ever get out of this it might be fun to try to find out.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the return of two jeeps carrying
the men who had been out hunting. She had heard shots in the
distance during the day but wasn’t sure if they had hit anything. As
the jeeps pulled up at the camp, it was clear that the hunting had been
successful. The men were laughing and joking and holding up ducks
to show to Graeme Thomas, who jumped up from under a tree where
he had been napping.
‘That’s great,’ he said. ‘How many you got?’
‘A dozen, boss,’ said Nat Brady. ‘Should have a really good feed
tonight.’
‘Well, now starts the best part. You blokes had better start
plucking them,’ said Thomas.
‘Bugger me! I forgot about that,’ said Owen Riley, a short stubby
man with a grizzled beard. ‘Might as well get started.’
After a few groans and mumbled protests, the four hunters sat
down and started plucking the feathers off the ducks until the ground
around them looked like some feathery carpet. Alf Connor and Jed
Fisher arrived from the billabong where they’d been fishing and
announced that they hadn’t been able to catch anything.
‘Bloody barra don’t seem to be biting,’ said Fisher. ‘Bloody waste
of time.’
‘Maybe you’ve got the wrong technique,’ said Thomas, ‘Anyway,
you two can do something useful and help the other blokes pluck
these ducks.’
‘What about the bitch over there?’ said Conner, pointing to where
Carna was sitting. ‘She’s doin’ nothin’. Let her do the plucking.’

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 ‘Shut up, Alf, sit down and start plucking, and stop belly-aching,’
said Thomas.
‘No! Bugger you, Graeme,’ said Conner belligerently, walking
towards Carna. ‘Someone’s got to take that haughty bitch down a peg
or two and it might as well be me.’
‘Stop right there, Alf. I swear I’ll shoot you if you take another
step towards that girl,’ said Thomas coldly.
The others stopped plucking feathers and watched the escalating
altercation between Conner and Thomas, wondering how this would
end. Conner turned around, faced Thomas and stuck two fingers in
the air. Then he turned back and continued walking towards Carna,
who was becoming alarmed. Thomas drew a revolver from his belt
and calmly shot Conner in the back of the head. Conner’s head
seemed to explode in a shower of blood and his body slumped to the
ground. The report of the shot echoed and was followed by silence as
the men looked at Conner and then at one another. Carna, with her
hands over her mouth, sat stunned by the horror she had just
witnessed. Thomas put the safety catch on his revolver with a loud
click and turned around to face the men who were all staring at him.
‘What are you blokes looking at? I gave him fair warning,’ he
said. ‘Nat, you and Owen get one of the jeeps and take Alf’s body to
one of those small waterholes four miles north of here. A few salties
are sure to find him there. Put a rag around his head so you don’t get
blood all over the jeep.’
‘Okay, boss,’ said Nat Brady, getting to his feet. ‘C’mon, Owen,
let’s go.’
‘The rest of you can continue plucking those wild ducks,’ said
Thomas. ‘In fact, I’ll join you.’
Carna remained seated on her log, unable to fully comprehend the
ruthless murder of the gang member. She was appalled by the
viciousness of the shooting but at the same time relieved that the dead
criminal had been prevented from assaulting her. This confirmed
what she’d thought, that her captors would feel no guilt about killing
her as well and if she remained their prisoner for too long, her life
would not be worth two centavos. Her only hope was if Jamie, or
most likely, his great friend Jacko and his sister Sarah with their
Aboriginal skills, could track down where she was. She hoped that

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her abduction would have been discovered before Jacko and Sarah
had left on their intended trip to Tennant Creek. She quietly prayed to
God.
The colourful sunset that evening gave her no joy. She had taken
to wandering in circles near her tent. The mournful cry of a crow
reflected her mood. The sense of helplessness was growing but she
told herself to be strong or it would slowly defeat her. Graeme
Thomas approached her and wordlessly handed her a plate of cooked
duck and tinned vegetables, which she accepted nervously. The duck
tasted good, although a little chewy. With some food inside her she
felt a little more confident.
The men ate their food close to the fire about 30 yards away from
her. Their conversation was eerily subdued, in sharp comparison to
the way they had laughed and talked loudly with one another before
the shooting of the man called Alf.
After she had eaten, steeling herself, she walked with as much
dignity as she could muster towards the others and put her plate with
the other dirty plates, then walked back to her tent and lay down. It
was too early and too warm for her to sleep just yet, but she couldn’t
stand the sight of those ruthless men anymore. She believed most of
them would partly blame her for the death of their colleague. At least
the tent gave her a limited feeling of privacy. In spite of her
determination to be strong, her eyes filled with tears and she wept
quietly.

200
 CHAPTER 26

Hilda Abbott was an attractive slender woman in her mid-fifties.

After an entree of local prawns, she looked at Jamie and said, ‘It
seems we have a couple things in common, Major Munro. I was born
and bred on a property in the New South Wales country. At
Adaminaby in the south. Like you, I also spent time in Cairo. I was
with the Red Cross, but in the First World War.’
‘That’s interesting. Cairo has probably changed a lot since you
were there,’ replied Jamie.
‘Probably not too much. Those places don’t change quickly,’ she
said.
They were seated around a large cedar table with candelabra in the
centre. The NT Administrator Aubrey Abbott sat at the head of the
table.
As the main course, roast beef, was being served by servants he
said, ‘Hilda and I met in London in 1916 when we were both on sick
leave. We got married that year just before I went back to the desert
war with the 12th Light Horse. But enough of us. Have you heard any
more from O’Brien?’
‘No, sir. I wouldn’t expect to until tomorrow or the next day,’ said
Jamie. ‘He and his half-sister Sarah are experts at bushcraft and
they’ll be doing everything possible to rescue Miss Hidalgo as soon
as they can.’
‘What an appalling situation,’ Hilda said. ‘That poor girl. She must
be terrified.’
‘We’re all very worried about her,’ said Fitzy. ‘We have a lot of
faith in Mr O’Brien.’
‘Well, we must all keep our fingers crossed and our spirits up,’
said Mr Abbott. ‘Please keep me informed, won’t you? Discreetly, of
course. I haven’t told any of my staff about the involvement of Mr
O’Brien. You can rest assured I won’t until we know she’s safe. Just
in case. Now we should eat before we destroy our appetites with
conjecture.’

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 ****

Jacko and Sarah were eating barramundi for dinner at the Daly River
Crossing Pub, chatting with Ernie, Big Steve and a local fisherman
with a large belly who went by the name of Slim Fardey. Other locals
including cattlemen had arrived and were enjoying a few beers at the
bar, while others were throwing darts at a board hanging on the wall.
Steve was in an expansive mood. ‘Let me buy yer a beer before
you go, Jacko.’
‘No thanks, Steve, we’ll be off now and see if we can get the girl
outta there tonight,’ said Jacko. ‘I hope to see you blokes early
tomorrow.’
‘Okay, mate. Is there anything else we can help you with before
you go?’
‘Yeah, but you’re unlikely to have it,’ said Jacko. ‘You wouldn’t
happen to have a lady’s black dress, would you?’
‘Steve won’t have that, but I might have,’ said Slim. ‘When me
wife ran off she left a few dresses behind in me demountable out the
back. I’ll have a look, Jacko. Just wait here. Won’t be a sec.’
After a few minutes, Slim returned with a dark dress and said,
‘This one’s dark blue. Will that do?’
‘That’s perfect, Slim,’ said Jacko. ‘We need it for about a week.’
‘You can have it, Jacko. Go and get that girl.’
‘Yeah, we’ll take off now while there’s still some light,’ said
Jacko. ‘Let’s go, Sarah. See you all later on.’
Jacko and Sarah travelled in silence in the jeep until they reached
the point where the kidnappers had driven off the road on the other
side of the river crossing. They drove carefully, slowly following the
vehicle tracks for another ten miles until Sarah pointed to various
birds flying around in the early dusk indicating they were coming
close to a waterhole.
‘Okay Sarah, we’ll walk from here,’ said Jacko. ‘When we get
close to their camp we’ll try to work out where Carna is.’
‘Yu aye, bikpela brata. Savvy you.’
‘I’ll make a noise like a dingo from the other side of the camp.
That’s when you can creep up to Carna and try to take her away.’
‘No worry, bikpela brata.’

202
 ‘She may be asleep. You’ll have to wake her slowly. You have to
tell her these words – ‘Carna, Sarah. Carna, Sarah.’ Low voice.’
‘Savvy you brata. Ka Na Sarah.’
‘Perfect, Sar. I’ll just hide the jeep.’
Jacko drove the jeep behind some bushes to the side of the track.
He took out the dark-blue dress that Slim had given him and gave it
to Sarah, and then put some leafy branches over the vehicle. Sarah
took off her shoes and put them in the jeep, then they set off at a trot
following the kidnappers’ tyre tracks as the sun was setting ahead of
them.
After a quarter of a mile, Sarah touched Jacko on the shoulder and
pointed ahead, then put her finger to her lips. Jacko nodded and they
veered to the right off the tracks and crept through the light scrub
between large white gum trees until they could hear subdued voices
ahead. Creeping up very slowly, in the fading light they noticed a tent
about fifty yards ahead of them and beyond that a group of six men
sitting on the ground near a low fire, drinking tea and talking quietly.
Beyond them clusters of pandanus trees indicated the waterhole they
were camped beside. Three jeeps were parked just the other side of
the group.
Jacko whispered in Sarah’s ear. She nodded, smiled and lay back,
closing her eyes. Jacko studied the scene for a while, then turned on
his back and also closed his eyes. After about four hours, Jacko woke
up from his short nap and studied the campsite again. His eyes were
now accustomed to the dark and it was apparent that most of the men
had gone to sleep, leaving one as a guard in the front seat of one of
the jeeps. Jacko touched Sarah on the shoulder and realised she was
already awake, alert and studying the campsite.
Jacko whispered the word ‘dingo’ in Sarah’s ear. She smiled,
nodded and whispered back, ‘Ka Na, Sarah.’ Jacko patted her on the
arm, stood up and trotted off into the night.

****

Carna had been sleeping fitfully and at one stage, she woke following
a nightmare involving a man’s head exploding with blood splashing
all over her. The horror of the shooting made her shiver in spite of the

203
warm night. She noted that it was dark outside but she had no idea
what time of night it was. She slapped a mosquito on her cheek and
turned on her side to try to sleep some more, although she doubted
that any sleep would be restful at all.
A weird sound suddenly brought her awake. It sounded like a loud
but distant howl breaking the silence of the night. She heard someone
call out, ‘Bloody dingo,’ and someone fired a gun. That sound was
followed by a yelp, probably from some sort of dog. Suddenly, she
was shocked to feel a hand over her mouth, but then she heard a soft
whisper in her ear saying, ‘Ka Na, Sarah, Ka Na, Sarah.’ Exhilarated,
she realised that Sarah was with her, even though she couldn’t see
her, and knew that Jacko couldn’t be far away. The hand left her
mouth and grasped her hand, guiding her towards the back of the tent.
She tried to be as quiet as possible. The shot had woken the other
men, who were talking noisily amongst themselves. Sarah had
obviously removed some pegs, so they were able to duck under the
tent flap on the side away from the camp. Outside the tent, Sarah still
held her hand and they walked quickly away from the campsite. She
had no idea of the direction she was being taken but was now
confident that she was going to get away from those awful men. After
about 200 yards, Sarah handed her a dark dress and said to her, ‘Ka
Na, pusim klos.’
Realising that Sarah wanted her to put the dark clothing over her
light-coloured dress, she quickly complied. In the dark she could see
Sarah’s smile and she felt a surge of affection for this little black girl.
Sarah took her hand again and they walked through the darkness
together for some time. There was no moon, but the stars above were
very bright and while she was being led along, for the first time in
days she felt exhilaration. I’m rescued, she thought to herself. These
bush people know what they’re doing, thank God!
All of a sudden, she was startled by another presence beside them
but relaxed when she heard Jacko say in a low voice, ‘Welcome to
freedom, Miss Hidalgo.’
‘That awful howling sound was you, was it?’ she asked quietly.
Jacko chuckled. ‘Yes, the howl of the lovesick dingo.’

204
 A short while later they arrived at the jeep and after removing the
branches, Carna was seated in the front seat and Sarah in the back as
Jacko carefully followed the wheel tracks back to the road.
‘I knew that you and Sarah would find me, Jacko,’ Carna said as
they drove.
Jacko smiled. ‘Never in doubt, Princess. Jamie was very worried
about you. We all were.’
‘Those men were evil and vicious,’ she said. ‘I’m sure I would not
have survived if you hadn’t found me.’
‘Well, I’m glad we did. When Sarah and I first arrived, it was just
after nightfall and we could only count six men. Weren’t there
seven?’
‘Yes, Jacko. One of the men threatened to rape me and their
leader, Graeme, shot him dead right in front of me. It was horrid.’
‘Well, you’re safe now, Carna. You can relax completely. Those
men will never see you again. I’ll be sending a telegram to Jamie this
morning to tell him you’re safely with us.’
Carna almost felt like singing when they finally got to the main
rough gravel road, if it could be called a road, and turned right
towards the Daly River Crossing. Jamie was worried about me, she
thought to herself. I’m going to give that wonderful man a hug and a
kiss. I’m going to give Jacko, Sarah, everyone a kiss. She saw and
heard the white water of the river flowing strongly beneath the
vehicle as they carefully negotiated the crossing in the dark and soon
after, she saw a light in the distance which turned out to be a lone
kerosene lamp hanging outside a large corrugated-iron-roofed shed.
They pulled up outside the Daly River Crossing Pub and Jacko
went up to the front door and entered. A short time later, he emerged
with a stout balding man dressed in a dressing gown and introduced
him to Carna.
‘This is Ernie Simpson, the proprietor of this fine establishment,’
he said. ‘He has arranged for you to spend the rest of the night in a
bed in one of the units behind the pub. Ernie, this is Carna.’
‘So, this is the young lass who was kidnapped by those evil queer
coves,’ said Ernie. ‘It’s just after two in the morning. I’ll take you to
your sleeping quarters. It’s got plumbing so you can take a shower

205
when you want one. Cold water, but! I’ll wake you at 6.30 and we’ll
get some breakfast into you.’
‘Thank you, that sounds lovely,’ Carna replied. Then looking at
Jacko, she said, ‘What about you and Sarah?’
‘Don’t worry about us, Carna. We’ve both got our swags with us.’
‘Are you both sleeping outside?’
Sarah smiled at her. ‘We likem, Ka Na. Goot night.’
‘Goodnight to you both and God bless you,’ said Carna, before
following Ernie to one of the demountable units.

****

The following morning, Carna, Jacko and Sarah sat at a small square
table under the shade of a leafy tropical tree beside the pub eating
scrambled eggs, bacon and toasted damper.
‘Were you comfortable last night, Carna?’ asked Jacko.
‘Oh yes. I slept well for the second half of the night, not the first,’
she said with a shy smile. ‘The living quarters here are very
comfortable.’
‘Yeah, they’re military demountable units left behind at Adelaide
River when the war ended,’ said Jacko. ‘There were about 30,000
military people there during the war. They needed a lot of stuff.’
Just then, Big Steve walked past and seeing the trio at the table
walked over.
Displaying his best gap-toothed smile, he said, ‘So this is the
pretty young girl that all the trouble is about. Pleased to meet you. My
name’s Steve.’
‘Please call me Carna,’ she said. ‘I’m pleased to meet you too.’
‘Steve’s going to hide you away around here while Sarah and I
lead the baddies out into the far river country until they’re totally
bushed,’ said Jacko. ‘You can trust him and Ernie. You’ll be safe
with them.’
Carna looked at him in horror. ‘No, no, no! I want to stay with
you. I won’t feel safe unless I’m with you and Sarah. You have to
take me with you.’
‘We’re going to be roughing it over the next week,’ said Jacko. ‘It
won’t be very comfortable.’

206
 ‘I don’t want to be comfortable,’ Carna persisted. ‘I want to stay
with you until we’re back in Darwin.’
Steve looked at Jacko and nodded. ‘Well, that seems to be settled
then. Would you like me to check your jeep before you go? I’m a
mechanic amongst other things.’
‘Yeah, that’d be great, Steve. I’d appreciate it. The keys are in the
ignition,’ said Jacko. ‘Speaking of Darwin, I’ll go and find Ernie and
ask him to send a telegram.’
‘He’ll be able to do that for you,’ said Steve. ‘He’s pretty good at
Morse.’
Jacko stood up from the table and Carna asked, ‘Telegram? Can
you send one from here?’
‘I’m about to find out. I’ve got to let Jamie know that we’ve got
you with us,’ said Jacko. ‘I won’t tell him you’re coming bush with
us though.’
Carna jumped up with a broad smile. ‘Oh, yes! Please tell Jamie
I’m safe. Yes, please. He must be worried.’
Jacko winked at her. ‘He’s been sick with worry about you. I’ll put
him out of his misery.’
Jacko found Ernie cleaning the bar and asked if he would send a
telegram to a radio call sign in Darwin. Ernie said it was not a
problem and gave him a telegram form to write his message. Jacko
wrote, ‘CARNA SAFE WITH US STOP WILL TAKE BAD MEN
ON GOOSE CHASE STOP SEE YOU IN A FEW DAYS STOP
JACKO.’
He gave Ernie the call sign of the CIS Darwin radio, and Ernie
went to a small room at the back of the bar and started working a
pedal and tapping out the message in Morse code on a telegraph key.
He gave the form back to Jacko and said, ‘It’s sent. Nineteen
words. I’m required to charge you six shillings and fourpence for
that.’
‘No problem. I want to buy a couple of other things from you
before we go out to the Blue Lagoons,’ said Jacko. ‘A mosquito net,
if you have one, and a spare swag. Also, being from the dry centre of
the Territory, I have very little knowledge of barramundi fishing so
maybe you could help me there.’

207
 ‘Yeah, we can arrange all that for you,’ said Ernie. ‘You need
really good lures for catching barramundi. Steve’s got plenty of those.
He’s got good fishing rods he can sell you or lend you as well. You
reel in the lures with the rod or if there’s a clear space, you can run
alongside the billabong holding the rod out over the water with the
lure on the end of the line.’
‘That’s perfect, Ernie. Sounds simple,’ said Jacko. ‘I’ll buy a
couple of rods and lures or borrow them, whatever’s best.’
‘Either way, I’m sure Steve will be happy to accommodate you
with whatever you want,’ said Ernie. ‘Steve supplies all the fishermen
who come through here. You won’t have any trouble catching
barramundi out there. Anything else you need just let me know.’
‘Okay. Thanks a lot, Ernie.’
‘What time are you leaving today?’
‘I think we’ll rest a bit and then leave after lunch,’ said Jacko. ‘I
think the baddies will be running around like a mob of chooks with
their heads cut off for a while. I don’t expect they’ll be here until
tomorrow.’
Ernie laughed. ‘I can’t wait to see this mob of scoundrels when
they turn up.’
‘Just tell ’em where we’ve gone and that we’ve got the girl with
us,’ said Jacko. ‘But don’t tell ’em who we are. Just two roughies.’
‘No problem, Jacko. For a mate of Nifty’s we’ll do anything,’ said
Ernie. ‘We’ll keep the girl safe for sure.’
‘She wants to come with us,’ said Jacko. ‘She’s a bit scared to be
left behind.’
‘I can understand that. She trusts you and she doesn’t know us
fellas from a bar of soap. I’ll finish up in here and catch up with you
later in the morning.’
‘Yeah, that’s good. Thanks, Ernie.’
Returning to the breakfast table where Sarah and Carna were still
seated, he told them he had sent the telegram to Jamie telling him of
the rescue. Carna stood up, let out a squeal of delight and gave Jacko
a hug. Sarah clapped her hands.
‘You really like that friend of mine, don’t you?’ said Jacko
laughing.
‘Yes, yes. I do. He’s a good man,’ she replied.

208
 ‘I think he really loves you, Carna,’ said Jacko. ‘He’ll pluck up
enough courage to tell you one day. We’ll be leaving in about five
hours and I’ve got some things to organise, so why don’t you have a
bit more rest and I’ll wake you for lunch.’
‘Don’t you dare leave me here, Jack O’Brien.’
Jacko chuckled. ‘No, I wouldn’t dare, Princess.’

209
 CHAPTER 27

Jamie had left the hotel early and gone for a walk through the park.
He was returning to the hotel, but the thought of breakfast made him
nauseated. A short distance from the hotel he saw Sparky walking
briskly towards him.
‘Jamie, Jamie! A telegram just came for you from Daly River
through VID Darwin,’ he said, handing it over and looking around to
make sure no one was watching. ‘It’s good news.’
Jamie read the telegram and, despite himself, tears came to his
eyes. ‘Thank God. Thank God. Jacko, you’re bloody amazing. What’s
the time, Sparky?’
‘Bit after 7.30.’
‘God, Sparky, I suddenly feel alive again,’ said Jamie. ‘Fitzy
won’t be at the police station for another hour. Come on, I’ll buy you
breakfast. I didn’t feel at all hungry a moment ago but I could eat a
horse now.’

****

The six men were sitting around chatting as they ate their breakfast of
bacon, duck, damper and tea. Wiping his fingers on his shirt, Nat
Brady stood up and pointed with his chin towards the tent. ‘Aren’t
you gonna wake Her Royal Highness for breakfast, Graeme?’
‘Naw. I’ll let her sleep in a bit longer. She’s probably still shocked
after seeing Alf lose his head in front of her yesterday. I’ll give her
something later.’
‘Yeah, give her something for me,’ said Owen Riley, smirking.
‘Steady, Owen. Unless you want a lead sandwich, too?’ said
Thomas. ‘Why don’t you take Aiden and Andy with you out shooting
this morning. See if you can get some brush turkeys. There should be
plenty around.’
‘Why not this afternoon, boss?’ asked Aiden.
‘Because, mate, turkeys take a lot longer to cook than ducks,’ said
Thomas, and then mumbled, ‘Bloody mob of city slickers!’

210
 Aiden stood up and said to Owen and Andy, ‘Okay, fellas, let’s
put the shotguns in the jeep and get going.’
When they had driven off in two of the jeeps Thomas said to Nat
Brady, ‘Bloody Jed and Alf were hopeless with the fishing yesterday.
Dunno why his name’s Jed Fisher. Maybe you could take Jed with
you today and show him how to fish properly.’
‘Yeah, okay, Graeme.’
‘You can help me clean up these dishes and pans first and then be
off up the billabong,’ said Thomas.
‘Not a problem, Graeme.’
About an hour later, Nat Brady and Jed Fisher were 500 yards up
the billabong from the camp where the bank was clear of reeds and
pandanus. They were throwing lines into the water when they were
disturbed by a loud shout from the camp. After another shout, Nat
pulled all the fishing lines out of the water and told Jed to follow him
to find out what was going on.
When they arrived back at the campsite, Graeme Thomas was red
in the face, flapping around like a demented cockatoo and staring into
the distance in all directions.
‘She’s gone bloody walkabout!’ he yelled. ‘She’s probably run off
and got lost. We’ve got to find her. Nat, you take the jeep and drive
back down our tracks for a few miles towards the road and see if you
can see her. She can’t have got far, stupid bitch! Jed and I’ll search as
far as we can around here. She might be hiding somewhere close by.’
‘Okay, Graeme. She couldn’t have gone more than five miles in
the dark,’ said Nat. ‘When I’ve covered that distance, I’ll weave
around on the way back. What if we can’t find her?’
‘Just bloody well find her!’
‘Okay, okay,’ Nat said, and drove off heading southeast towards
the road.
Directing Jed to search the other side of the billabong, Graeme set
off into the bushland which stretched out for miles on the other side
of the tent.
‘Shit! Oh shit! Oh shit,’ he muttered to himself as he walked
along.

****

211
At 8.30 the same morning, Jamie sat in the office of Superintendent
Fitzgibbon drinking a cup of hot tea, with a look of excitement on his
face. The office was relatively cool with a large ceiling fan creating a
soft breeze.
Fitzy put the telegram on the desk in front of him and said, ‘That
Jacko! How did he do it? It’s wonderful news, Jamie. Do you reckon
Carna’s okay?’
‘Jacko would have told me if she was hurt in any way, so I’m sure
she’s fine.’
‘That’s good. Fair dinkum! Yeah, that’s good,’ Fitzy said,
nodding. ‘It’s a bit of a temptation to rush out and throw Quinn and
that bastard Turner into gaol but as you said, Jacko would want us to
delay it by a few hours to give him more time.’
‘Have you thought about who else could be involved here apart
from Quinn and Turner?’ asked Jamie.
‘As far as the gaol staff is concerned, I’ve had a long chat with
Jerry Lyndon, the Chief Warden, and he reckons only Quinn and
Smythe could be involved,’ said Fitzy. ‘They’re new chums, whereas
the other prison officers were with Lyndon before the war and he
knows them all well. Do you think it’s possible another policeman
could be involved?’
‘There’s got to be someone else, because if we pick up Turner and
Quinn, how would the gang members out in the bush find out?’ said
Jamie.
‘Yeah, I know Jamie,’ said Fitzy, scratching his ear. ‘Anyway,
we’ll watch carefully to see who takes off when we pick up Turner
and Quinn.’
‘When do you think we should pick them up?’ asked Jamie.
‘I’ll assemble my troops this afternoon,’ said Fitzy. ‘I’ll send Sean
Murphy with two constables to arrest Quinn and I’ll take care of
Turner myself. We’ll see what happens then. You can come with me
to Turner’s house if you like.’
‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world. Thanks Fitzy. The most important
thing is … we mustn’t tell any of them that Carna has been rescued.’
‘I reckon we’ll owe Nifty Nev a few beers when he gets back,’
said Fitzy.
Jamie chuckled. ‘I’ll buy him several cases of beer.’

212
 Jamie left the police station to walk back to the hotel. He had a
spring in his step as he turned the corner into the Esplanade. Within
30 yards of the hotel, a jeep stopped beside him and he saw it was
Ryan Turner in the driver’s seat.
‘G’day, Munro mate,’ he said with his usual smirk. ‘When are you
gonna get the money? It won’t be long before the patience of my
comrades runs out. Your girlfriend’s all right for now, but …’
‘I’ll have some good news for you this afternoon,’ said Jamie with
a straight face. ‘I believe everything’s as good as fixed.’
‘Good for you, old pal. Where shall we meet?’
‘I’ll come to your house this afternoon when I get the final word.’
‘Okay, good! Come alone. I’ll wait for you.’

****

When Carna appeared at the table for lunch, she was wearing the
dark-blue dress Sarah had given her in the early morning, with a few
minor adjustments. The men looked at her with approval.
‘That dress suits you, Carna,’ said Jacko. ‘It’ll make you harder to
see in the bush. However, I would like you to bring that light-yellow
dress you’ve been wearing as well, so that we can use it to lure the
baddies.’
‘Certainly I’ll bring it, Jacko. I’ve also borrowed a brown shirt,
shorts and a wide-brimmed hat which fit me perfectly,’ she said.
‘They must have belonged to a young boy.’
‘Yeah, that’d be my son,’ said Ernie. ‘He’s much bigger now, of
course, and works on a cattle station on the Barkly. You can keep
’em. You’ll need the hat for sure out there.’
‘Thank you, Ernie. You’ve been too kind. I’ve also got a
toothbrush, soap and what you call a swag, so I can be a true bushie
now,’ she said with a smile.
‘We’ve got the jeep loaded up with plenty of tinned vegetables,’
said Jacko. ‘The rest of the food we’ll hunt and fish.’
‘No gat worry,’ said Sarah.
‘Anyway, sit down everyone, and we’ll have your lunch brought
to you,’ said Ernie. ‘Steve and I’ll join you coves and discuss
anything else we have to do when the baddies get here.’

213
 Two young lubras brought out plates of fillet steak and vegetables
and they all sat down around two tables pushed together.
‘Are you sure you don’t want me to kill those pedo fellas when
they come through?’ said Steve with his distinctive smile.
‘No thanks, Steve. We’ll take care of them,’ said Jacko. ‘Just tell
’em to follow our tracks. They’ll probably tell you they’re with the
police chasing fugitives from justice or something like that.’
‘Yeah, we’ll be real nice to them,’ said Steve. ‘I’ll draw them a
mud map.’
‘That’s the spirit, Steve,’ said Jacko. ‘After those six have passed
through here, following us in their three jeeps, a day or so later
another bloke will turn up wondering where the others are. Just tell
him that the only people who have passed through over the past week
were two crocodile shooters who are old friends. You’ve seen no one
else. Let him know you’re expecting quite a few barramundi
fishermen by the end of the wet season. Tell him if he waits around
for a while the people he’s looking for will probably turn up.’
‘Yeah, we’ll do that,’ said Ernie. ‘What’s the name of the last
fellow?’
‘Dunno, can’t tell you,’ said Jacko. ‘I suspect it could be Senior
Sergeant Sean Murphy, but I’m not sure. It’s better if he hangs around
here until I get back.’
‘Okey dokey. This sounds like fun,’ said Steve. ‘Cloak and dagger
in real life.’
‘Exactly! You’ve got it in one,’ said Jacko, laughing.

****

It was early afternoon when Nat returned to the campsite to find

Graeme and Jed boiling a billy. Leaving the jeep, he said, ‘She’s not
down there towards the road. I went all over the place on the way
back. Nothing! She might have managed to hide from me, but I don’t
think so.’
‘She can’t have just vanished into thin air,’ said Graeme angrily.
‘The others should be back soon with the other jeeps. When they get
here we’ll all have some lunch and then use the jeeps to scour the

214
area. She’s gonna get hungry after a while. She can’t hide for long.
Bloody bitch! I need this aggravation like a hole in the head.’
A quarter of an hour later, as they sipped their tea, they heard the
jeeps coming back. When the vehicles came into sight, they saw
Aiden in the passenger seat of one of the jeeps triumphantly waving
two large brush turkeys above his head. The smiles on the faces of the
hunters faded when they saw the scowls of the other three.
‘What’s wrong?’ asked Owen Riley. ‘You look like death warmed
up.’
‘The bloody bitch has run off,’ said Nat. ‘We haven’t been able to
find her.’
Owen shook his head in disbelief. ‘Bloody hell!’
‘Have a bite to eat and some tea and then we’ll plan a proper
search using all three vehicles this afternoon,’ said Graeme. ‘She’s
probably lost. She’s likely to be getting a bit hungry by now.’
‘Yeah, but if she’s lost she might run in any direction,’ said Owen.
‘That’s why we need all three vehicles in the search,’ said Graeme.

****

As they turned off the road about four miles west of the Daly River
pub, Jacko was humming to himself. For the first time since coming
into the Daly River country, Carna was beginning to appreciate the
beauty of the large trees and the colourful parrots and finches that
darted in and out of the leaves. She looked back at Sarah, who gave
her a shy smile, and then back at the fresh tracks they were following
which weaved around occasional thick clumps of mulga, mallee and
scrub. They passed two large grey brolgas elegantly trotting along
seemingly undisturbed by their presence. She felt totally safe with
these two wonderful people of Aboriginal descent and found herself
surprisingly intrigued and looking forward to all the drama that was
likely to occur over the next few days.
After another ten miles, they arrived at a billabong which, Carna
decided, was far more beautiful than the one where the kidnappers’
campsite was. Jacko told her they would be camping there that night,
but he wanted to drive on further to make some wheel tracks to
confuse the enemy when they arrived. They continued for another

215
four hours almost in a straight line, except for avoiding bushes, logs
and trees, passing numerous waterholes which all seemed to be
aligned in the same direction. Arriving at an outcrop of rock, Jacko
drove the jeep onto the rocky surface, stopped and got out.
‘We’ll light a big campfire here,’ he said. ‘They’ll think we
camped here, or at least had a meal here, and after this they won’t be
able to find our tracks.’
Carna was not sure why this was necessary but she saw Sarah nod
in agreement and knew this was all part of their plan. Carna helped
the other two gather dry sticks and small logs and when there was a
good-sized heap Jacko set fire to it. Then he carefully turned the jeep
around on the rocky ground where it made no easily visible tracks and
lined it up with the wheel tracks they had just made getting to this
place.
‘There are no bushmen amongst that mob,’ Jacko explained to
Carna with a grin. ‘They wouldn’t have a clue whether a vehicle is
coming or going. For the first ten miles back, I’ll exactly follow the
wheel tracks we made getting here.’
During that ten-mile stretch, they passed two small billabongs
beside which they lit two more fires. At the end of the ten-mile
stretch, Jacko veered off the track and went for about two miles
northeast at right angles to the track. Two hundred yards short of the
Daly River he turned the jeep around and followed the new tracks
back to his original wheel tracks, where he turned left to follow them
back towards their proposed campsite, being careful to stay within the
tracks. Carna was confused by all this driving around but realised it
was designed to confuse.
On the way they lit fires at four-mile intervals before they reached
the north-west end of the billabong where they proposed to camp. The
smell of the saltwater crocodile was very strong here so Jacko told
Carna to stay in the jeep while he had a look around.
He and Sarah lit three fires around that area to give the impression
of a base camp and then drove the mile back down to the other end of
the billabong where they parked the jeep under a tree and started to
build a fire.
‘Won’t that crocodile come down here during the night?’ asked
Carna.

216
 ‘No, he’ll stay where he is. He likes it there,’ said Jacko smiling at
her. ‘Anyway, if he decides to come down here we’ll be able to smell
him long before he gets here.’
‘Him strong stink,’ said Sarah.
‘We’ll catch a couple of fish for a nice dinner,’ said Jacko. ‘After
that we’ll set up our swags and get an early night. How does that
sound?’
‘Fantástico! Wonderful!’
‘Longa nice, bikpela brata.’
Jacko laughed, ‘Okay, let’s go fishing.’

****

At three o’clock, in the Darwin Police Station, Superintendent

Fitzgibbon faced his men with Jamie standing beside him. Senior
Sergeant Sean Murphy and five constables were present, all curious
as to why they had been asked to assemble.
Fitzy addressed the group. ‘Major Munro of the CIS has decided
that we can’t wait for the kidnappers of Miss Hidalgo to harm or
murder her. We’ve decided to take action. I shall take two of you with
me to arrest Ryan Turner, and two of you will go with Sergeant
Murphy to arrest the prison guard Liam Quinn at the Fanny Bay gaol.
They will both be handcuffed and brought back here and put into our
cells at the station so that we can interrogate them. Constable Jake
Hendry will stay here to hold the fort. Any questions?’
‘Won’t that precipitate the kidnappers into killing Miss Hidalgo,
sir?’ asked one of the constables.
‘No, I don’t think so. If we act decisively we’ll be able to find out
where she’s being held by interrogating the prisoners and make
immediate plans to rescue her,’ replied Fitzy.
‘It’s a very big risk, Superintendent,’ said Sergeant Murphy.
‘Sometimes it’s necessary to take risks, Sergeant,’ said Fitzy. ‘If
we all stand around doing nothing, I think it’s a bigger risk.
Hopefully, we shall catch the criminals by surprise. Any other
questions?’
The group of policemen looked at one another but none of them
raised any further questions. Fitzy selected two of the younger

217
constables to go with him and Jamie, while two others were chosen to
go with Sergeant Murphy. He suggested that they should all leave
together and meet back at the station with their prisoners.
Fitzy glared sternly at the group as they were preparing to go and
said, ‘I want no shooting. These arrests should be conducted in the
proper manner that you’ve all been trained for. Everybody
understand?’
There was a chorus of agreement and Fitzy led them all out the
door of the police station where two jeeps were waiting for them.
Jamie suppressed a smile as he drove Fitzy and two of his officers to
Parap where Ryan Turner lived.

218
 CHAPTER 28

Ryan Turner opened a bottle of cold beer and felt exhilarated as he

took a swallow. He reckoned that Munro was so romantically
attracted to that Filipina girl, he would do anything to rescue her.
There was nothing the others, including the superintendent and the
administrator, could do about it either. They didn’t want the girl’s
blood on their hands. We should have asked for more money, he
thought. He was sure they would get it even if Munro had to borrow
it. The Territory Administration would probably feel obliged to kick
the tin too, he thought, chuckling to himself. He and Sean certainly
had them by the short and curlies. Serves them bloody well right, he
thought. They screwed up our operation. Now they can pay for it.
He heard a vehicle pull up outside his house, which was built up
on stilts like many of the Darwin houses. Going to the front window
he looked down and saw Jamie and Fitzy getting out of their jeep and
mounting the stairs to his front door. He was puzzled by the two
constables waiting next to the jeep but confident that Fitzy must be
there to tell him about the progress on the pardons, while Munro had
already informed him there would be good news in relation to the
money. Turner swaggered to the front door and invited Fitzy and
Jamie in.
‘Welcome to my humble home, boss,’ he said to Fitzy. ‘You too,
Munro. I believe you’ve both got some good news for me. Would you
like a beer?’
‘No thanks, Turner, I won’t have a beer, but I certainly have some
news for you,’ said Fitzy. ‘But I’m not sure all of it’s good.’
‘Really?’ said Turner, no longer smiling. ‘For the health of a
certain young girl I hope it’s mainly good news.’
Fitzy stood face to face with Turner and in a monotone voice said,
‘Ryan Turner, I am arresting you for kidnapping and as an accessory
to murder.’
‘You can’t bloody well do that!’ Turner blurted in shock.
‘I have to caution you that any statements you make may be used
in evidence in a court of law,’ Fitzy continued. ‘Hold out your hands.’

219
 ‘What the hell are you doing!’ Turner yelled, looking around
frantically. ‘You’ll have the blood of that girl on your hands.’
Fitzy looked quickly at Jamie and said, ‘Did you hear what he just
said? Write it down, please.’
Jamie pulled out a notebook and pencil. ‘No problem,
Superintendent.’
Fitzy grabbed Turner by the arm, spun him around and expertly
snapped the handcuffs on his wrists behind his back.
‘You’ll be sorry for this, you bastard!’ yelled Turner as Fitzy
propelled him towards the door. The door opened, and the two young
constables ran up the stairs to assist in bringing Turner down. His
face was flushed with rage and he swore at them until one of the
constables stuffed a large cloth in his mouth.
‘Got quite a vocabulary, our Ryan,’ said Fitzy with a grim smile.
‘We’ll take him straight down to the harbour pilot’s shed and tie him
up there for the night, as we agreed. If we put him in the police
lockup he probably wouldn’t survive the night.’

****

When Liam Quinn saw Sergeant Murphy and the two constables
walking towards him in a corridor of Fanny Bay gaol, his puzzled
expression changed to grave apprehension. Sean Murphy told him to
accompany them and he obeyed meekly, walking in front of the
policemen until they were all outside the prison walls.
Sean then told Quinn in a loud voice that he was under arrest on a
charge of aiding and abetting kidnappers and that he was to be taken
to the police station for questioning. Sean held his arm and marched
him quickly towards the jeep until they were about 15 yards ahead of
the two constables. Quinn was totally confused. He shook his head
and spluttered, ‘What’s going on?’
‘What’s going on? I’ll tell you what’s going on,’ said Sean loudly,
then leaning close to Quinn he whispered, ‘Run, you fool, run.’
Quinn looked around nervously and as soon as Sean released his
arm, he took off at a run towards some trees near the shoreline.
‘He’s getting away!’ Sean shouted.
One of the constables yelled, ‘Don’t worry, sir. I can catch him.’

220
 The constable threw off his coat, but before he could make chase,
Sean aimed his revolver at Quinn and shot him through the back of
his head. The constables stood frozen with bewilderment, staring at
the prone body of Quinn. Then they looked back at Sean who said,
‘You saw what happened. He tried to run away.’
The constable who had volunteered to give chase muttered, ‘But ...
but ... I’m sure I could have caught him, Sergeant.’
‘Maybe, but he might have got away. I couldn’t take that chance,’
said Sean. ‘You two put his body in the back of the jeep and we’ll
take him around to the coroner, and for God’s sake don’t get too
much blood on the vehicle. Wrap something around his head.’

****

In the Blue Lagoons area, the fishing expedition was successful. By

attaching the lures, he had acquired from Big Steve, Jacko and Sarah
took it in turns to run along the bank of the billabong holding the line
out in the water at the end of a long rod. Within fifteen minutes, they
had two barramundi both weighing about six pounds.
‘I reckon that’ll do for a real slap-up dinner,’ said Jacko. ‘This
billabong seems to be packed with barra. You’d never starve out
here.’
‘Those fish look really fat,’ said Carna. ‘I’ll help with the cooking
if you like.’
‘I’ll gut them and fillet them first,’ said Jacko. ‘We brought a large
pan along and with a bit of lemon and water they’ll be easy to cook
over a fire. The vegetables will cook in their tins.’
‘I’d like to be useful,’ said Carna. ‘Just tell me what to do.’
‘If you could help Sarah gather some wood and get a fire going,
that would be great,’ said Jacko. ‘We’ll have a real feast before
sunset.’
‘Kookim long pire. Taste goot,’ said Sarah, laughing, as she led
Carna towards some trees where there were dead branches lying
around.
They soon had a fire burning and Jacko put the fish in the large
pan and then on top of the fire. Sarah put a billy beside the fire for tea
as well two tins of peas and beans.

221
 The trio later sat watching a fiery sunset as they tucked into their
barramundi dinner. Carna told them that it was the best fish she had
ever eaten and that her dinner companions were much nicer on the
southern side of the Daly River than those on the other side. A gentle
evening breeze added to the tranquillity.
‘It’s so peaceful here in this lovely bush setting,’ said Carna.
‘It’s gonna get a bit more exciting over the next few days,’ said
Jacko. ‘Just stick close to us and you’ll be quite safe.’
‘Thank you, Jacko. I feel very safe with you and Sarah,’ said
Carna.
Jacko chuckled. ‘If anything happened to you, Princess, Jamie
would kill me. We can’t let that happen, can we?’
Carna looked away so that Jacko couldn’t see her blushing in the
fading light.

****

On the other side of the Daly River, Graeme Thomas was pacing up
and down. He couldn’t remember when he had been so angry. He and
the other five men with their three jeeps had searched everywhere for
the girl without success.
‘I can’t believe that bloody bitch, running off like that,’ said
Thomas. ‘She must have found a good hiding place or she’s just gone
up in smoke.’
‘Maybe she’ll get hungry and come back,’ said Owen Riley.
‘I don’t know what to bloody think,’ said Thomas, looking at the
sunset. ‘It’s a bit late now, but I’ll go into Daly River Crossing
tomorrow and ask people there if they’ve seen a young foreign-
looking girl.’
‘If she’s there she must be fit,’ said Nat Brady. ‘It’s a long walk.
She would have to follow the tracks to the road.’
‘Naw, it doesn’t seem likely. She’d get lost,’ said Thomas. ‘But
I’d better go in tomorrow morning on the possibility she’s there or on
the way there. You might as well come with me, Nat.’
‘What about us?’ asked Jed.
‘You blokes stay here in case she appears again,’ said Thomas.
‘What have we got for dinner tonight?’

222
 ‘We’ve got these brush turkeys, Graeme,’ said Andy. ‘But as you
said, they take hours to cook unless you want dinner after midnight.’
‘Looks like dinner tonight is tinned bully beef and vegies,’ said
Thomas. ‘Bloody woman!’

****

‘He did what?’ yelled Fitzy, addressing the two constables who had
accompanied Sergeant Murphy to arrest Liam Quinn. ‘He just shot
him? In the back of the head?’
‘Yes, sir,’ said one of the constables nervously. ‘Quinn started to
run and I offered to chase him, but Sergeant Murphy shot him dead.
He’d only run about thirty yards, I reckon.’
‘So where’s the sergeant now?’ asked Fitzy, still angry.
‘After we dropped the body off at the morgue, he told us to report
back here,’ said the constable. ‘He said he had other things to take
care of.’
‘Other things?’ said Fitzy. ‘Did he say what they were?’
‘No, sir.’
‘Okay, you blokes can go home now,’ said Fitzy. ‘I’ll try to find
him myself and see what the senior sergeant has to say for himself.
Good evening.’
‘Good evening, sir.’
Fitzy thought about what had happened at the gaol. It was now
obvious to him that Sergeant Murphy must be up to his neck in the
child-kidnapping scheme and was getting rid of witnesses. Gathering
several seat cushions from around the police station, he went to the
lockup and laid the cushions and two pillows along the flat bed in the
cell. Tucking in a blanket over the top he was satisfied it looked like
someone sleeping. Carefully locking the barred door, he then hid the
keys in his safe instead of putting them in a drawer in the main office
of the station where they were usually kept.
We’ll see what happens next, he thought to himself and after
locking the front door of the police station, drove off to his home
where he knew Mary would have dinner waiting for him.

****

223
After dinner at the Hotel Darwin, Sparky informed Jamie that his MI6
colleague, Johnny Cook, was calling on the radio from London.
‘You chaps have achieved amazing success in running those child
kidnappers to ground,’ Johnny’s cultured voice came over the radio.
‘You’ve wiped out the main source of supply in the Philippines,
effectively ending the trade. Over.’
‘We’ve still got a number of criminals and paedophiles on the
loose in the bush south of Darwin,’ said Jamie. ‘However, I’m pretty
sure Jacko has them under control out there. Over.’
‘Yes, your Jacko is in his element in the bush, as we know,’
returned Johnny. ‘Interpol, the OSS and MI6 are all delighted with
the results and I’m confident you’ll have the whole thing under
control soon. Over.’
‘Johnny, there’ll still be groups of paedophiles around the world
willing to finance the kidnapping of children displaced by the war,
particularly from Asia. Over.’
‘Yes, I know that, Jamie. But your operation has taught us much
about the way they work and that’s a big step in controlling these
vermin, over.’
‘Yes, okay. Apart from the escaped criminals who have gone bush
there are probably one or two others we haven’t identified yet on the
loose in Darwin,’ said Jamie. ‘I’ll let you know when we’ve got them
all behind bars. Over.’
‘Roger that. Nice to talk to you again, Jamie. Over and out.’
‘Yeah. Out.’

****

Early the following morning, Fitzy let himself into the police station
before any of the other officers arrived. Taking the set of keys from
the safe in his office, he went through to the lockup and unlocked the
barred door of the cell. Taking a close look at the blanket-covered
pillow and cushions on the bed, he then locked the cell door again,
replaced the keys in the drawer where they were usually kept and left
the police station just as the first constable was arriving. He walked
up the street to the Esplanade and then along to the Hotel Darwin. He
found Jamie awake and dressed in his room and told him he had

224
something interesting to show him. With Jamie following him, Fitzy
walked back to the police station and on arrival asked the officer on
the front desk to get him the keys to the lockup.
He unlocked the door to the cell and said, ‘As we planned, I left a
bundle on the bed covered by a blanket. I want you to have a close
look at it.’
‘What am I looking at?’ said Jamie, peering at the blanket. ‘Wait!
There’s a hole in the blanket. Is that it?’
‘Yes. In fact, there are three holes, Jamie. Now I’ll remove the
blanket.’
‘Ah, yes,’ said Jamie. ‘I can see where two bullets have entered
one pillow and there’s another hole in one of the cushions. That seat
cushion is fairly dense. I think we’ll find the bullet inside it.’
‘Yep! That’s right, Jamie, and I’ll bet you a hundred to nothing the
bullet is from a police revolver. You wouldn’t have heard that when
Sean Murphy went to arrest Liam Quinn at the gaol, he shot him dead
when Quinn made a run for it.’
‘He did, did he? So Murphy’s been part of the gang all the time.
Eliminating witnesses maybe?’
‘Exactly,’ said Fitzy. ‘He would now think he’s eliminated Ryan
Turner. We’ll go and get Turner later on and show this to him. I think
he might be prepared to sing like a canary when he knows his boss
tried to kill him.’
‘What if Murphy returns and finds Turner here?’
‘I don’t think we’ll see Murphy for a fair while. I reckon he’ll
soon be on his way down to the Daly River to find the rest of the
gang,’ said Fitzy. ‘I don’t know what he plans to do when he meets
up with the other seven criminals but he’ll certainly intend to kill
Carna. After that he probably plans to come back here with some
cock-and-bull story about how he tried to save her.’
‘Thank God for Jacko. Murphy may never find the others because
Jacko’s going to lead them far out into the scrub and immobilise them
somehow.’
‘Yeah, from what I’ve seen and heard about him, if Jacko intends
to do that, that’s what he’ll do,’ said Fitzy. ‘I’ll speak to the boys out
the front and then we’ll go and get Turner. We’ll take the police
wagon.’

225
 After locking the door of the cell again, Fitzy gave the keys to the
officer at the front desk. Four police were in the station by this time.
Fitzy told them that no one was to go into the lockup until he
returned. He also told them that if Sergeant Murphy turned up they
were to arrest him immediately, handcuff him and keep him under
guard in the interrogation room. The constables all exchanged looks
and nodded as Fitzy and Jamie left the building.
They found Jazz Nicholls, the Darwin Harbour Pilot, in his office
near the port. He offered them a cup of tea and told them the prisoner
was quiet and he hadn’t yet got around to giving him breakfast. Fitzy
told him not to worry about that and informed him about Sean
Murphy’s shooting of the prison guard and why they were sure it was
Murphy who had crept into the police station during the night and
shot at the bed through the bars of the cell thinking it was Ryan
Turner sleeping there.
‘That’s a good one, Fitzy,’ said Jazz, chuckling. ‘He couldn’t find
the keys to the lockup, so he had to shoot him through the bars. Ha ha
ha.’
‘Yeah, that’s it in a nutshell, Jazz,’ said Fitzy. ‘Thanks for the use
of your shed.’
‘No worries, Fitzy old mate,’ said Jazz, still chuckling. ‘It’s lucky
I’m not part of that gang or I might have fled with Turner.’
‘Mate, if you’d been part of that gang, I’da cut me own throat,’
said Fitzy. ‘We’ll go and collect your prisoner now.’
When they opened the shed, Ryan Turner glared at them and
yelled, ‘You buggers will be sorry for this! Particularly you, Munro.
You can say goodbye to your girlfriend.’
Fitzy eyed him calmly and in a cool voice said, ‘Ryan, we’re
going to take you back to the station to show you something.’
Turner looked at him suspiciously. ‘Show me what?’
‘It’s a surprise, Ryan old mate,’ said Fitzy. ‘You might change
your tune when you’ve seen it.’
With his wrists handcuffed behind him, Turner was driven to the
police station in the back of the wagon. Fitzy collected the cell keys
and marched the prisoner past some curious officers into the lockup
where he was shown the bundle of pillows and cushions on the bed.
After being shown the bullet holes, Turner looked confused.

226
 ‘Are you telling me that Sean Murphy thought that bundle was
me?’ he asked.
‘Yep, that’s what I’m telling you. He shot Liam Quinn and he
thinks he’s shot you too,’ said Fitzy. ‘No witnesses, you see?’
‘That bastard! That bloody bastard,’ said Turner, looking shocked.
‘Well, I’m happy to tell you all about him. Also his bloody cousin,
Theo Murphy.’
‘Theo Murphy, the Assistant Legal Counsel for the NT
Administration?’
‘Yeah, he’s in it up to his neck,’ said Turner. ‘He’s been the major
liaison between us and the paedophile syndicate. I’ll tell you
everything.’
‘Good man,’ said Fitzy. ‘That will certainly help your case. This
will be your new home for a while. I’ll get one of the men to organise
you some breakfast.’

227
 CHAPTER 29

It was still dark in the early morning when Graeme Thomas and Nat
Brady drove out of the campsite and followed their tyre tracks in the
jeep’s headlights. The sun was rising by the time they reached the
Daly River crossing, which they drove over slowly. Less than half a
mile further on, they saw the old building and several newer
demountable units scattered around beneath the large gum trees.
Graeme and Nat knocked on the front door of the old building, which
was unlocked.
On entering, they found it was an empty bar-room with a faint
smell of beer. A large dartboard was hanging from one of the walls.
Graeme called out, ‘Is there anyone here?’
He heard movement and a door opened behind the bar. A balding
man with a prominent belly wearing a dressing gown came out and
asked them what they wanted.
Graeme walked over to the bar and said, ‘I’m Sergeant Thomas
from the Darwin Police and this is Constable Brady. We’re on the
trail of some fugitives and we were wondering if they might have
come through here.’
‘Good morning, Sergeant Thomas. I’m Ernie Simpson the
proprietor of this fine establishment. Fugitives, you say?’
‘Yes, that’s right, Mr Simpson. They could have passed through
this way. They could have had a girl with them.’
‘A girl, you say? Just stay here a moment and I’ll go and get Big
Steve. He’s our local mechanic and he usually knows everything that
goes on around here.’
‘Okay, Mr Simpson. We’ll wait here.’
Ernie came out from behind the bar and left through the back door.
They could hear him yelling and shortly, he returned with a giant of a
man with a large drooping moustache also wearing a dressing gown
that was much too short for him.
Introducing himself to the newcomers, Steve enquired, ‘What was
it you were after?’

228
 ‘I was just telling Mr Simpson here that we’re from the Darwin
Police and we’re on the trail of some fugitives. They might have
passed through here.’
Big Steve rubbed his chin and then looked as though he had
thought of something as he gave them a smile showing gaps in his
teeth, ‘Wait a minute. Yeah. There were a couple of rough-lookin’
blokes went through here yesterday. I fixed their jeep for them.
Remember them, Ernie? Rough-lookin’ buggers they were.’
Ernie nodded. ‘Yeah, I remember them, Steve. Swilled down more
than a few bottles of beer before they moved on.’
‘The fugitives we’re after might have had a girl with them,’ said
Graeme.
Steve smiled more broadly. ‘Ah yes. They had a girl with ’em all
right. Pretty little thing.’
‘What was she wearing?’ asked Graeme. ‘Was it a yellow dress?’
‘Yeah. I think she had a yellow dress,’ said Steve in his deep slow
voice, ‘a real pale yellow. What do you think, Ernie? You remember
the dress?’
Ernie nodded thoughtfully. ‘Yeah. That’s right. Real pale yellow.
Right pretty little thing. Sort of foreign looking, I think. Only drank
orange juice.’
Graeme and Nat looked at each other and Graeme asked hopefully,
‘Do you know where they went after they left here?’
The smile with the gap appeared again as Steve said, ‘Oh yeah.
They said they were going to the Blue Lagoons. Good barra there.’
Graeme blurted, ‘The Blue Lagoons?’
‘Yeah, Officer. The turnoff’s about three or four miles along the
road west from here. You can’t miss it,’ said Ernie. ‘Some crocodile
hunters also went that way the day before, so you should easily be
able to see the tracks where they turned off the road. Should be good
tracks there as the ground’s damp after the wet.’
‘Did the girl seem happy to be with these rough-looking men you
mentioned?’ asked Nat.
Steve rubbed his chin thoughtfully again. ‘Naw. I wouldn’t say she
looked too happy. What do you reckon, Ernie?’
Ernie answered thoughtfully, ‘No. She wasn’t smiling or laughing
or anything. Didn’t seem to mind being with them, but!’

229
 ‘But she definitely went with them?’ said Graeme, stressing the
point.
‘Oh yeah. She went with them all right.’
‘Okay. That’s really helpful. It’s most important that we catch
these fugitives,’ said Graeme. ‘I know where the Blue Lagoons are.
I’ve got four other officers up the road. We’ll drive back and get the
others. When we get back here we’ll buy some extra petrol for our
three jeeps from you and a few more supplies.’
‘That won’t be a problem, Sergeant,’ said Ernie, ‘no worries.’
After the jeep was out of sight, loud guffaws filled the Daly River
Crossing Pub.

****

Sean Murphy woke with a very stiff neck from sleeping overnight in
one of the police jeeps. He had parked about fifteen miles out of
Darwin after taking care of the sleeping Ryan Turner in the lockup at
the police station and decided to set off to the Daly River in the
morning. He was quite familiar with the route. By the time he had
partly restored the circulation in his neck and washed his face in a
nearby pond, the sun had already risen above the trees. He got into
the driver’s seat and pressed the starter.
As he drove down the bitumen to Adelaide River, he reflected
angrily how the whole operation had gone belly-up.
‘I’ll teach that bloody Munro a lesson,’ he muttered to himself.
‘I’ll even make that bitch he loves so much suffer before I kill her.
She’ll be screaming for as long as I decide to let her stay alive.’
He nodded with satisfaction at the thought. He figured that he
would also have to eliminate Graeme Thomas and Aiden Smythe. As
for the other five, who were wealthy child lovers, they could all take
off in their jeeps and catch an aeroplane at Daly Waters or Tennant
Creek and fly back to the big smoke where they were certain to keep
their mouths shut. Bloody fairies! Everybody would have made a lot
of money if it hadn’t been for Munro and that bastard blackfellow,
O’Brien, poking their noses in where they didn’t belong. At least he
wouldn’t have to deal with O’Brien, who was well out of it in
Tennant Creek with his stupid little black sister.

230
 It was hard to believe that such well-laid plans could go so wrong.
He couldn’t work out how Munro had so effectively destroyed their
operation but he was certainly going to cause Munro a great deal of
torment and despair today. He would tell Munro how he had found
her tortured to death before he was able to catch up with Thomas and
Smythe. He would watch the anguish in his face. He smiled grimly in
anticipation as he cruised down the bitumen.

****

Carna woke up to the alluring smell of bacon and eggs being cooked
over an open fire. For a brief horrible moment, she thought she was
still being held hostage by the kidnappers but at the sight of Sarah and
Jacko crouching over the fire, she relaxed and smiled to herself as she
got up out of her swag.
‘Good morning,’ she said.
Jacko stood up and smiled at her. ‘Good morning, Carna. Sarah
wants to say something to you.’
Sarah produced one her wide smiles. ‘Good morning, Ka Na.’
‘Good morning, Sarah.’
‘Sarah’s been practising her proper English,’ said Jacko.
‘Your English accent is perfect, Sarah,’ said Carna.
‘Thank you, Ka Na.’
‘How did you sleep last night, Princess?’ asked Jacko.
‘I slept very well. The best sleep I’ve had for some time. I wasn’t
worried at all by mosquitoes.’
‘No, there aren’t many around this billabong,’ said Jacko. ‘There
are a few large gum trees growing next to it. When the gum trees drop
their leaves on the water, the eucalyptus oil spreads out and kills the
mosquito larva on the surface.’
‘There were lots of mosquitoes at the kidnappers’ campsite,’ she
said. ‘So, no gum trees I suppose.’
‘Yeah, I’d reckon, Carna. Anyway, the tea’s made and the eggs
and bacon will be ready in a couple of jiffs.’
‘That’s wonderful. I’m hungry,’ she said.

231
 ‘That’s good. I hope you’re feeling a bit more relaxed than you
were a couple of days ago,’ said Jacko, handing her a plate with
bacon, eggs and damper.
She shuddered. ‘Please don’t even remind me of it. Those men
were awful. But I never lost hope that you would rescue me.’
‘You’re a brave girl, Carna.’
‘I don’t think I’m very brave. I was terrified.’
‘After we’ve eaten, we’ll break camp and move up first to the
other end of this long billabong where the saltie croc is,’ said Jacko.
‘We’ll leave a surprise for our evil friends there.’

****

The four men stood up expectantly when they saw Graeme and Nat in
the distance driving towards them. Arriving at the campsite, Graeme
leapt out of the jeep and walked quickly up to the waiting men.
‘Saddle up, boys,’ he said. ‘That girl somehow found her way to
the road in the dark. It seems she was picked up by a couple of rough-
lookin’ blokes who’ve taken her to Blue Lagoons on the other side of
the Daly. Get your gear together and follow me to the pub on the
other side of the crossing. We’ll refuel there and then catch up with
her and her friends, hopefully, by this evening or tomorrow.’
‘How the hell did she make it that far in the dark?’ asked Owen
Riley, shaking his head.
‘Dunno, mate. Beats me. But she did,’ said Graeme. ‘Let’s get out
of here.’
‘What about the turkeys we shot yesterday?’ said Aiden Smythe.
‘Just leave ’em. Hurry up.’
By the time the three jeeps arrived at the pub, it was getting
towards ten o’clock in the morning and the sun was high in the sky.
When they walked inside, they found Ernie Simpson behind the bar
and Big Steve sitting down in conversation with another man, stout
with a head of dark uncombed hair.
‘G’day, again,’ Steve greeted Graeme with his deep booming
voice. ‘Ya got all your troops with you now?’

232
 ‘Yeah. We’ve got three jeeps to fill with petrol and I’d like to buy
some proper bait for catching barramundi if you’ve got some,’ said
Graeme.
‘Not a problem, mate,’ said Steve. ‘The best bait for barramundi is
radishes. The fish just love ’em. Ernie can sell you a few tins of
radishes. You’ll be reeling them in.’
‘Radishes?’
‘Yep! Radishes,’ said Steve. ‘Do you want me to check your
vehicles for you while I’m refuelling them?’
‘Yeah, that’d be good,’ said Graeme. ‘I always thought lures or
live bait were the best way to catch barra.’
‘Yeah, but radishes are better. Bring your vehicles around to the
pump at the back of the pub,’ said Steve. ‘I’ll meet you out there.’
‘Do you want anything to drink while you’re here?’ asked Ernie.
‘Yeah, we might have a beer before we go,’ said Graeme. ‘I’ll
organise the vehicles first though.’
After the three jeeps had been refuelled, the six men sat up at the
bar drinking cold beers out of the bottle. Ernie introduced Graeme to
the stout man who had been talking to Steve when they’d arrived.
‘This here is Slim Fardey, Sergeant,’ said Ernie. ‘Slim’s one of the
best barra fishermen around these parts.’
‘Good to meet you, Slim,’ said Graeme. ‘Is it true about radishes
being the best bait?’
‘Bloody oath, Sergeant,’ said Slim. ‘Lures are all right if you’ve
got a boat, but radishes are better.’
‘Okay, thanks Slim,’ said Graeme. ‘Ernie, I’d better buy some tins
of radishes from you.’
‘Okay, you won’t be disappointed,’ said Ernie. ‘Would you like
another beer?’
‘No thanks, Ernie. We might get underway now,’ said Graeme.
‘So, you reckon those two men with the girl looked pretty rough.’
Steve’s voice boomed as he came through the door from the back,
‘Rough as guts. Hairy buggers. We were wondering what such a
lovely young girl could see in them. Thought they must be relations.’
‘No, those are the fugitives we are after,’ said Graeme. ‘As soon as
I’ve fixed you up for the fuel, beer and radishes, we’ll be off.’

233
 ‘You’ll have no trouble seeing the fresh tracks leading off the
road,’ said Steve. ‘If you have any trouble finding them, come back
and I’ll show you the way.’
‘Thanks Steve, and Ernie. Slim. I know the way. We’ll see you
later then,’ said Graeme.
‘Yeah, good luck, Sergeant,’ said Ernie.
After they had driven away, Slim mocked Steve saying, ‘Radishes!
How many barramundi are they going to catch with radishes, for
Christ’s sake?’
Steve winked at him. ‘Somewhere between buckley’s and bugger
all, I reckon.’

****

Sean Murphy knew that his men would have turned off the road three
or four miles before the crossing but being bounced around on the
rough road, he missed the tracks the first time. He looked at the
crossing with the Daly River rapids rushing through underneath it and
turned the jeep around. Driving back, he slowed to a crawl after three
miles and finally found the tracks leading off to his left. The wet
season usually obliterated wheel tracks, so fresh tracks after the rains
were easy to follow. He noticed that the tracks he was following
seemed to consist of more traffic than just three vehicles.
After twelve miles or so from the road, he arrived at the end of a
large billabong which had obviously been a campsite. Except for
some ducks and parrots flying overhead, there was no sign of life.
Scratching his head, he wondered where they could have got to. Their
instructions had been to stay right there until he arrived. He looked at
the tyre tracks leading away from the campsite and became more
confused. What were they doing? They seemed to have been driving
all over the place. As he proceeded further up the billabong, the tracks
became even more random. It looked as though they had been driving
in all directions for no apparent reason. Dismounting from the jeep,
he pulled a rifle from the back of the vehicle, loaded it and shot twice
into the air. The sounds of the shots reverberated around him but
when the echoes died there was silence. Even the birds had stopped
chirping.

234
 Where have they gone? He decided they must be quite far away if
they couldn’t hear his rifle shots. But which wheel tracks to follow?
He brought his fist down on the bonnet of the jeep in anger and, to
make matters worse, hurt his wrist.
He went back to the campsite and looked around. He could see
where a tent had been set up, most likely for the girl. This was
confirmed when he found a comb of the type women often wear in
their hair, inside the tent perimeter. Something’s happened to make
them leave this campsite, he thought. But what? Why the hectic
driving all over the countryside?
He decided to see how far he could drive downriver to the
northwest in case they had found it necessary to go further away from
the road. If he lost their tracks before another ten miles, he would
backtrack and work his way back to the road. Perhaps someone on the
other side of the Daly River crossing would know something. In the
meantime …
After another seven miles, the wheel tracks veered to the left,
closer to the Daly River, and then stopped near a shallow lake
surrounded by reeds and teeming with birdlife. This must be where
they shot their dinner, he surmised. He realised there was no point in
going further, so he turned the vehicle around and headed back to the
campsite. He had another careful search to see if they had left any
clue as to where they might have gone. He found a broken fishing
rod, a tin dinner plate and two dead brush turkeys that had started to
smell, but no trace of their intentions. Goddammit! He just stopped
himself from bashing his hand onto the bonnet of the jeep again and
climbed into it to drive back towards the road.
By the time he crossed the Daly River, it was already after one
o’clock in the afternoon and he was beginning to feel hungry. A few
minutes later he saw the old pub ahead and hoped they would serve
something there. They might know something.
Stopping next to the pub, he got out of the jeep and entered the
front door. He looked around and saw a balding man behind the bar to
the left and straight ahead one of the biggest men he had ever seen.
To his right was a tubby man with dark curly hair. He was throwing
darts at a target hanging on the wall. The giant ahead of him smiled,
displaying gaps between his teeth under a large droopy moustache.

235
 ‘G’day, mate. How yer goin’,’ he said in a loud deep voice.
‘I’m fine. I’m Senior Sergeant Sean Murphy from the Darwin
Police. I was hoping you could help me.’
‘Anything for our police,’ said the man behind the bar. ‘I’m Ernie
Simpson the owner of this place. That’s my friend Steve and the
fellow playing darts, you can call him Slim. How can we help you?’
‘Have a group of seven men and a girl passed through here
recently?’
‘No, I wouldn’t reckon,’ said Steve. ‘Did you see anyone, Ernie?’
‘Well, Nifty Nev the crocodile shooter and his mate passed
through a couple of days ago,’ said Ernie. ‘Other than them, I haven’t
seen anyone else. What about you, Slim?’
‘Nah. Nifty’s the only one who’s come through here since the
wet,’ said Slim, pausing in his game of darts. ‘Now the wet season’s
almost over, there’ll be quite a few coming this way in the next few
weeks.’
‘You look a bit confused, mate,’ said Steve.
‘Yeah, I am a bit. I’m also hungry. Is it possible to get something
to eat here?’
‘Is the Pope a Catholic? ’Course we can give you something to
eat,’ said Ernie. ‘Maybe a beer might cheer you up too.’
‘Yeah, yeah. I might have a beer too.’
‘If you wait a while around here, maybe your friends will show
up,’ suggested Ernie, handing him a cold bottle. ‘I’ll get one of the
lubras to rustle some tucker up for you, Sergeant.’

236
 CHAPTER 30

With the stench of the saltie crocodile assaulting his nostrils, Jacko
hung Carna’s pale-yellow dress amongst some tall bushes at the other
end of the billabong from where they had camped the previous night.
‘They should be able to see that through the scrub from a distance
of a quarter of a mile,’ he said to Carna. ‘The breeze will make it look
like someone’s moving around. Sorry about leaving your dress
behind.’
‘Don’t worry about that,’ she said, holding a handkerchief over her
nose. ‘I’m intrigued by what you’re doing. I don’t need the dress
anymore. I’m very happy with my shirt and shorts.’
‘I intend to lead them on a merry chase. We’re going to have to
rough it for the next few days.’
Sarah suddenly squealed and pointed down the track. ‘Brata! Car,
car coming.’
‘Yeah, good work, Sarah,’ said Jacko. ‘Our friends are on their
way, probably seven or eight miles away but following our tracks.
We’ll drive further on from here and later do some walking.’
They all got into the jeep and Jacko drove carefully along their
previous tracks for about another ten miles, passing several
waterholes until they crossed a flat rocky piece of ground. Jacko left
the track to the right and drove along the rocks, then over floodplain
country for several hundred yards and stopped. He told Carna to wait
in the jeep while he and Sarah walked back to the tracks, picking up
some leafy branches along the way. Walking backwards towards the
jeep, they obliterated what could be seen of the latest tyre tracks as
well as their own footprints by sweeping the branches back and forth
over the earth behind them. They repeated this process every 200
yards until they reached a small billabong more than a mile from the
original tracks.
Jacko winked at Carna and said, ‘Now we have vanished from the
face of the earth.’
‘What do we do now?’ she asked.

237
 ‘We build another camp fire and have a cup of tea,’ said Jacko.
‘Then we’ll make our camp here. I’ve got a large amount of steak that
Ernie gave me, and I’ll cook it this afternoon with a lot of salt to
preserve it and that, with cold tinned peas, will be our diet for the next
few days.’
‘What can I do?’
‘After our tea, you could help Sarah try to catch some fish in this
little billabong. Then we’ll have fish for dinner, eh?’
‘Lovely! With Sarah teaching me, perhaps I’ll become a good
fisherman too.’
During the remainder of the afternoon, Jacko cooked up about
sixteen pounds of beef with salt and wrapped several two-pound
portions tightly in greaseproof paper, all of which he stored in a metal
box with a tight lid in the jeep. While he cooked, he heard occasional
screams of joy from the billabong and assumed that a fish dinner was
on the cards. When the sun was setting, Sarah and Carna marched
into the campsite triumphantly, carrying two barramundi and a sharp-
nosed grey fish, all about a foot long.
Sarah called out, ‘Ka Na top pishman.’
‘Sarah’s a top teacher,’ said Carna. ‘We don’t know what the grey
fish is, but it looks good to eat.’
‘Well done, ladies. I’m no expert on the names of fish myself,’
said Jacko. ‘The best thing to do is eat them all and see what’s best.
I’ll prepare the fish and then we’ll feast.’

****

‘Looks like this was their campsite last night,’ said Graeme Thomas.
‘There’s a pile of fish scales, so it must be good fishing here.’
‘Their tracks continue to head northwest along this side of the
billabong,’ said Nat Brady. ‘It won’t be too hard to follow them.’
‘Yeah. No sense in going any further though this evening,’ said
Graeme. ‘It’ll be dark in a while so we might as well set up camp here
tonight. Andy and Jed can go catch us some barramundi while we get
a fire going.’
‘Do we use the radishes as bait, boss?’ asked Jed.

238
 ‘Listen, Jed, I couldn’t tell you whether that big man was having a
lend of us or not, so use the radishes and any other bait you can think
of, just catch some bloody fish. Okay?’ said Graeme peevishly.
‘Okay, boss. We’ll try.’
‘Let’s get a fire started here, fellas, and we’ll get a couple of billies
going,’ said Graeme. ‘Nat, you and Andy select a few cans of
vegetables to put on the fire and you might bring out a few cans of
bully beef in case our fishermen lose out.’
‘I’d guess the two roughies won’t be too far ahead of us, Graeme,’
said Nat. ‘Those tracks look pretty fresh.’
‘Yeah, we’ll get an early night and catch up with them in the
morning,’ said Graeme. ‘They won’t know we’re trailing them. I
reckon they’ll either hand the girl over to us, or we’ll shoot ’em.
Either way, I don’t care.’
As the sun set, casting red and orange on the calm water of the
billabong, Andy Cooper and Jed Fisher came walking back into camp
shaking their heads.
‘The fish are not biting at all, Graeme,’ said Andy. ‘Never even
got a nibble.’
‘Yeah, well, it looks like we’ll be nibbling fried bully beef again
tonight,’ said Graeme. ‘Bloody useless mob of fishermen you blokes
turned out to be. We’d all starve if we had to rely on you lot.’
There was not much chat or laughter in camp that evening as the
six men sat around the fire eating bully beef. Graeme thought that if
Murphy had not made him promise to keep her unharmed, he would
like to give the bitch a good belting tomorrow when they caught up
with her. Maybe he would anyway.

****

Jamie met Dan Morrow of the OSS at the Knickerbocker Restaurant

in Mitchell Street. The American intelligence operative looked a little
peeved as they sat down at one of the square tables covered by a
chequered tablecloth.
‘I can understand you’re a bit upset with us for not keeping you in
the loop after Carna was kidnapped,’ said Jamie.

239
 ‘Yeah. You guys made me feel a bit of a fool,’ said Dan. ‘You did
a hell of a job on those head honchos in the Philippines, but I thought
you could have let me know something about Jacko on the trail of
those fugitives.’
‘We couldn’t afford to let anyone know that Jacko had not gone to
Tennant Creek, because we weren’t sure who else was part of the
gang,’ explained Jamie. ‘Apart from Jacko and his sister, the only
people who knew were Fitzy and me. It was too dangerous to tell too
many people until Carna was rescued. As it turned out, Fitzy’s senior
sergeant turned out to be one of the ringleaders.’
‘Yeah, okay. I forgive you,’ said Dan. ‘Without you and Harry
Williams, of course, those criminals might still be smuggling children
to the States, here and elsewhere. It’s up to the FBI now to track
down where the money came from in the US. Where are Jacko, Sarah
and Carna now?’
‘I’m not a hundred per cent sure, to tell you the truth,’ said Jamie.
‘Jacko is leading the seven gangsters way out into the bush to
neutralise them. He’s either put Carna into a secure hiding place or
she’s still with him and Sarah. I don’t know.’
‘I guess we should order a couple of steaks and some drinks to
celebrate your girlfriend being rescued, and that it won’t be long
before the outlaws are brought to heel.’
‘I’m fond of her, but she’s not my girlfriend,’ said Jamie, blushing.
‘Jamie, my lad, you must be the only guy in Darwin who doesn’t
know she’s your girl.’
‘Yeah. Everyone keeps saying that.’

****

After an excellent fish dinner with the last vestiges of light sinking
below the horizon, Jacko brought out the swags from the jeep.
‘We’ll set you up under that tree, Carna,’ he said. ‘I’m not too sure
about this waterhole so I’ll hang a mosquito net above your swag.’
‘Thank you, Jacko. I’m beginning to enjoy myself out here, miles
away from anywhere,’ she said.
‘Good. I’m glad. We’ll get a nice early night tonight and tomorrow
I want you to stay here while Sarah and I go walkabout.’

240
 ‘Not without me, you’re not,’ she protested. ‘If you’re not here I’ll
be terrified. I might get eaten by one of those crocodiles if the
criminals don’t find me again.’
‘Okay, okay, Princess. But there’s going to be a lot of walking and
creeping around as we stalk those evil outlaws.’
‘I don’t mind. I’m fit and strong and I’ll do everything you tell me
to,’ she said.
Jacko looked at Sarah, who nodded. ‘Okay young lady, you’re
now officially one of the stalkers.’
‘Hooray!’ she laughed.

****

Sean Murphy was pacing up and down in the dark outside the Daly
River Crossing Pub, undecided about what he should do next. He was
sure that his men would have left the owner of the pub a note for him
if they’d passed through here. Seven men and a girl would have been
too many even for this brainless mob to miss. Perhaps he should
camp here tonight and tomorrow, take another look at the area around
the first campsite. They might have gone well away from their camp
for some reason and would eventually return. However ....
His thoughts were disturbed by Ernie, the proprietor, who looked
out the front door and asked if he would like some dinner.
‘The cook’s got barramundi and steak,’ said Ernie. ‘You can even
have a bit of both. There are some tables out the back of the pub.’
Sean’s initial instinct was to tell him to go to hell, but the thought
of a hot dinner made his mouth water so he nodded and said, ‘Yes.
Dinner would be good. A bit of each, thanks. I’ll follow you.’
Ernie led him through the pub and out the back door where a few
people were sitting at tables. Big Steve saw him and waved him over
to join him and Slim. Sean was reluctant to have dinner with anyone
but figured he had little choice as the only spare seat was at Steve’s
table.
Steve gave him one of his characteristic smiles as he sat down.
‘Heard any word from your missing men, Sergeant?’

241
 ‘No. No. They must have taken a different road,’ Sean mumbled.
‘I might camp here somewhere tonight and look for them in the
morning.’
‘You mentioned a girl earlier, Sergeant,’ said Steve. ‘What’s the
story with her?’
‘Ah, the girl. Yes, she’s just … er … yeah, she’s … er … she’s the
wife of one of the men,’ said Sean, irritated by this giant of a man.
‘You might run into some blackfellows who could have seen
them,’ said Slim. ‘Although most of the local blackfellows are
working on the cattle stations these days. No cattle downriver from
here on the Daly. Plenty of wild pig, but!’
‘Yeah, right,’ Sean mumbled.

****

The sun was already high when the six men finished breakfast and
were preparing to follow the fresh vehicle tracks they were certain
would lead them to the group who had somehow escaped them. With
two in each jeep, Graeme and Nat led the way. The tracks were very
easy to follow and they continued along the eastern side of the
billabong almost in a straight line. After about half a mile, Nat tapped
Graeme on the shoulder and pointed up ahead. Graeme put his hand
up to signal those behind to stop. Looking straight ahead, he thought
he saw something move and got out of the jeep for a better look. He
signalled the others to be quiet and pulled his rifle out from the rear of
his vehicle and loaded it, as did Nat and two of the others.
Moving along the side of the billabong, trying to stay out of sight
behind clumps of pandanus trees, Graeme crept closer, knowing the
others were following. As he got within 200 yards of the phenomenon
which had caught his eye, it appeared to be someone wearing a pale-
yellow dress partly hidden behind a thicket of bushes. My God, he
thought, it’s her, that bloody nose-in-the-air Spanish girl. He looked
around to see where the others were and put his finger to his lips.
Creeping closer, he could see her moving around behind the bushes.
He held his rifle at the ready. Where were the two men? He couldn’t
see any other movement and figured they might be sitting down
somewhere. The people at the Daly River Crossing Pub had told him

242
they were rough characters, so they had to be careful. He needed to
find out where they were.
Turning around, he signalled his men to go back. He followed
them until they arrived back where the jeeps were parked beside the
billabong.
‘It’s her. I’m sure it’s her,’ Graeme said. ‘She doesn’t suspect
we’re here, but the major problem is the men she’s with. We’ll have
to formulate a plan to move in on them from different directions. The
first thing would be for Nat and Owen to come at them from the other
side of the billabong. Take one of the jeeps, go back to the campsite
then around to the other side, and park the jeep opposite to where we
are now. Any closer, they’d hear the vehicle. From there you can
walk in a circle and approach them from that side.’
‘Okay, Graeme, but when do we move in on them?’ asked Nat.
‘I’ll fire my revolver in the air. Rush them and shoot any men, but
not the girl.’
‘Come on, Owen, we’ll get underway.’ said Nat. ‘We’ll stop on
the other side when we see these other jeeps here.’
‘The second group will be Aiden and Andy,’ Graeme continued as
the jeep drove off. ‘You can start walking in a large circle away from
the water until you’re slightly beyond where she is. Then get as close
as you can without anyone seeing you and wait for my signal.’
‘Okay, Graeme, that’s clear,’ said Andy. ‘Where will you be?’
‘Jed and I will creep up to where we were before,’ said Graeme.
‘When I shoot my handgun, we’ll rush them from this direction. If
you see any men, shoot them but take care you don’t shoot the girl.
Okay?’
‘Gotcha, boss. Let’s go, Aiden.’
Graeme waited until he saw Nat and Owen drive up level with him
on the other side of the billabong. Then he walked carefully towards
the end of the billabong where he had sighted the girl in the yellow
dress. Creeping closer than he had the first time, he saw the figure in
the dress move slightly and was sure that his men had not been
spotted yet.
He made a sign to Jed to remain silent and decided to wait for
another ten minutes to be certain that the other four men were in

243
position. He noticed an unpleasant smell nearby and assumed it must
be a dead animal.
Drawing his revolver, he pointed it to the sky and fired. He and
Jed ran towards the bushes through which they could clearly see the
girl, and they looked around for any other movements. All six men
arrived at the clump of bushes at the same time and were surprised
that they had sighted no one at all. Graeme rushed right into the
bushes and was confronted by a pale-yellow dress hanging from a
branch fluttering gently in the breeze. Suddenly every swear word
that Graeme Thomas had ever learnt erupted long and loudly from the
bushes.
‘Just a bloody woman’s dress!’ he said after running out of
expletives. He tore the dress down and elbowed his way out of the
bushes holding it up.
‘Is this the Spanish bitch’s dress?’ he demanded.
‘Dunno, mate. It certainly looks like it,’ said Nat.
‘What the hell’s going on?’ Graeme yelled. ‘First we go and lose
the girl and next moment her dress shows up here. Am I going mad?’
‘We don’t know that it’s her dress,’ said Nat calmly. ‘It does look
a bit like it though.’
‘Just before we reached the bushes, I noticed that someone had set
a campfire on the side of the waterhole,’ said Jed.
‘What the hell’s that got to do with the price of eggs?’ yelled
Graeme, having trouble controlling his temper.
‘Well, they must have camped here or had a meal here at some
stage,’ said Jed nervously. ‘Maybe she washed and just left her dress
behind.’
‘Okay then, Jed. That could have happened,’ said Graeme. ‘Go
back there and see if you can find anything else around that old
campfire. See if the ashes are still warm.’
As Jed trotted off, Nat said, ‘It’s bloody smelly around here. It
wouldn’t be a great place for a campsite.’
‘Yeah, there’s got to be a dead animal around here somewhere,’
said Graeme. ‘We might as well go back to the jeeps. Then we’ll
continue to follow the tyre tracks.’
Just then, there was an anguished scream from the billabong. They
looked at one another and ran towards it, horrified to see a massive

244
crocodile rolling around close to the surface of the water with Jed
clamped firmly between its teeth.
‘Bloody hell,’ said Owen. ‘That monster must be twenty-five feet
long!’
Drawing his revolver, Graeme discharged five shots which had
little effect on the thick skin of the reptile as it churned the surface
with its rolling. The five men stood watching in stunned silence until
the surface of the billabong was still.

245
 CHAPTER 31

Jacko and the two girls were walking parallel to but a mile from the
track when they heard a gunshot in the distance. In the early morning,
they had driven the jeep for about a mile in the same south-east
direction and after hiding it with gum tree branches, had walked for
about another two hours before they heard the shot.
‘That came from where we hung up your dress, Carna,’ said Jacko.
‘Looks like our friends are up and about. Maybe they tried to shoot
you.’
‘It wouldn’t surprise me,’ she said.
After walking a little while longer, they heard the unmistakable
sound of several revolver shots fired in quick succession.
‘Maybe they’re shooting one another,’ said Jacko, grinning.
‘Meebee stinky solly croc croc,’ said Sarah.
‘Ah yes. They might have found old saltie at that end of the
billabong,’ said Jacko, chuckling. ‘We’ll see if we can catch up with
them by this evening.’
They continued walking, Jacko and Sarah carrying packs on their
backs with a billy dangling from Jacko’s pack. They had left the rifles
behind and the only weapon was Jacko’s hunting knife in a pouch on
his belt. Carna was completely lost and could only wonder at Jacko’s
sense of direction. Sarah seemed blessed with a good sense of
direction too. There was no way she was going to let them out of her
sight. Arriving at a billabong at mid-morning, they stopped for a rest
and the inevitable billy of tea.

****

At the same time, Sean Murphy arrived back at the original campsite
where the seven men, led by Graeme Thomas, had held Carna
hostage. He now realised it was becoming an unsuccessful attempt to
salvage at least some of the losses caused by the disastrous
destruction of their child-smuggling operation. As he searched around
the campsite, he was determined to find some clue as to the

246
disappearance of his men and the girl. He scanned the whole area
around the edge of the billabong carefully but only gained a mosquito
bite for his efforts.
‘This is ridiculous!’ he yelled angrily. ‘People don’t just vanish
into thin air.’ There was enough evidence to show they had camped
there for a while. Duck bones were strewn around, two stinking dead
turkeys now alive with maggots, empty vegetable cans, ashes,
toothpaste tubes, some string and one odd sock. Messy mob! They’d
been there for at least a couple of nights but where had they gone?
He decided once more to see if he could make sense of all the tyre
tracks further on. He had to find them, in particular the girl, or his
plan to pretend he had nothing to do with the kidnappers and had tried
to rescue the girl would come to nought.
‘Bloody hell!’ he yelled at the empty floodplain before him.
After another three hours of following various tyre tracks, he was
more confused than ever. It looked as though the men had been using
the vehicles to search for something. The girl? No, couldn’t be. She’d
be totally lost in a place like this. Anyway, they were nowhere to be
found in this area. He was sure of that.
They hadn’t passed by the Daly River Crossing, so they must have
headed off north somewhere, back towards Adelaide River. That
would be too dangerous. They might run into one of Fitzy’s men
there. None of it made sense. He thought he would turn to the left
when he got back to the road and see if he could see any fresh tracks
leading off it. They must have had a good reason to change their
camp area, or something had spooked them. He shook his head,
climbed into the jeep and headed back to the road.

****

By midday, a morose group of five stopped their jeeps halfway along

another large billabong. After nervously inspecting it, they decided to
boil a billy and eat some tucker about fifty yards away from the
water’s edge. They lit a fire and there was some agitated discussion
about who should go to get the water for the billy. Graeme, angrily
muttering under his breath, picked it up and filled it from the lagoon.

247
 While they waited for the water to boil, Graeme said, ‘Listen! It
was unfortunate what happened to Jed but we’ve got to bloody well
focus on getting that girl back, otherwise the whole hostage thing is a
disaster.’
‘Not only the hostage thing,’ Andy whined. ‘The whole box and
dice seems to have become a total fiasco.’
‘Andy, if you want to pull out of all this, you can,’ said Graeme
menacingly. ‘You can walk back to Darwin now and throw yourself
on the mercy of the authorities. Otherwise you can stick around and
help us. Savvy?’
‘Yeah, no. I’ll stick around,’ said Andy.
‘Those roughies and the girl must be up there further on,’ he said,
pointing to the northwest. ‘That’s their tracks for sure. We’ll just keep
going until we catch them. There are five of us and we’re all armed so
there’s nothing to fear if we stick together.’
‘What about crocodiles?’ Aiden challenged. ‘Them bastards are
dangerous.’
‘We just have to be careful around waterholes,’ said Graeme.
‘That’s all.’
‘I’m going to sleep a long way from a waterhole tonight,’ said
Aiden.
‘Sleep as far away as you like,’ said Graeme. ‘Anyway, as soon as
we get the girl back we can get out of here. Okay?’
‘I think I’ll sleep in the jeep tonight,’ said Andy.
‘Sleep where you like,’ Graeme sighed with frustration. ‘The
water’s boiling, so let’s have some lunch. We’ll see if we can’t finish
the job this afternoon.’

****

By late afternoon, Jacko and the girls had worked their way close to
the tracks they had created earlier and were hidden out of sight
amongst thick leafy bushes when they heard the three jeeps
approaching from the southeast. The vehicles came into sight,
travelling slowly to allow the occupants to search for any other tracks
that might lead in another direction. They also noticed that there were
only five men now. Jacko looked at Sarah, who raised her eyebrows

248
and nodded. As they drew level with the hiding place of the three
watchers, they stopped to look at a billabong which Jacko had
selected as the most likely place where they would camp for the
night. The one Carna knew as Graeme said something to the others
and then they all drove off. Jacko lay on his back and closed his eyes
after the three jeeps had disappeared. Carna looked at him and then at
Sarah with a puzzled expression.
Sarah waved in the direction where the jeeps had gone and said,
‘No water longa way, Ka Na.’
Carna shrugged her shoulders and decided that if the others
wanted to have a nap, she would too.
She was awakened by a soft nudge from Sarah, who placed a small
package of cold beef in her hand together with a cucumber. Munching
on the salty beef, Carna peered through the leaves of their shelter and
saw that the five men had returned and had parked their jeeps fifty
yards from the water and only about twenty yards from where she lay.
She saw that Jacko and Sarah were also eating but intently watching
the activities of the men.
Two of the men lit a fire near a large gum tree halfway between
their shelter and the billabong and their leader, Graeme, handed a
fishing rod to one of the men who refused to take it. Others also
refused to take the fishing rod and Graeme threw it on the ground,
picked up two billies and filled them from the billabong.
Carna looked at Jacko, who was silently chuckling. Sarah had a
large smile and seeing Carna looking her way, handed her a metal
water bottle. Carna was a little apprehensive that one of the men
might walk into their hiding place, but Jacko seemed to be
unconcerned, turning on his back again and closing his eyes.
Carna was wide awake now and continued watching her former
captors in the fading light of the sunset. They started opening cans of
food which they cooked on the open fire and ate in a morose silence.
Luckily none of the men came closer than fifteen yards from their
hiding place. She watched as they eventually laid out their swags and
once they were all lying down, she heard one of them say he would
not be able to sleep that night. She decided to lie on her back again as
it was too dark to see anything anyway.

249
 She must have dozed off and was awakened by a hand on her
mouth and Sarah whispering, ‘Sssh,’ in her ear. She sensed rather
than saw Jacko and Sarah move silently and suddenly, they were
gone. She held her breath for a moment and then slowly relaxed as
she knew they wouldn’t leave her behind. Some of the men were
snoring softly, breaking the silence of the night and in the starlight,
she was certain she perceived some movement near the parked jeeps
but then she doubted herself. After about ten minutes, which to her
seemed like hours, Jacko and Sarah were back beside her. Sarah took
her hand and with a gentle pull, indicated that she should quietly get
up.
With Sarah still holding her hand, the three of them crept silently
away from the campsite and then continued to walk for about another
half hour. Jacko then told her they would stay where they were for the
rest of the night as there was an area of ground softened by a thick
layer of fallen leaves. Lying next to Sarah, Carna could make out
some stars through the trees and felt strangely contented. In the early
dawn she awoke again to find Jacko boiling his billy on an open fire
and as she arose, Sarah handed her another cucumber and a paper-
wrapped package containing cold beef.
‘This is our diet again for today. Sorry about that,’ said Jacko,
‘They won’t see our fire from here so at least we can have some tea.’
‘I’m very happy with the diet. I’m finding this adventure quite
exciting,’ said Carna. ‘What were you and Sarah doing in the enemy
camp just before we left?’
Jacko pulled two small plastic and metal objects out of his pocket
and showed them to her. ‘These little things are rotor arms. They spin
around creating spark for the spark plugs under the distributor cap.
Without these little gadgets two of those jeeps won’t start. A
mechanic named Thommo from Daly Waters showed me this trick
when Jamie, Sarah and I went to the Kimberleys last year. I don’t
think any of this group of criminals is a mechanic. They’ll all have to
go on in one jeep.’
Carna laughed. ‘I’d like to see the face of that Graeme when he
finds two of his jeeps won’t go. No ... no I wouldn’t. I’d rather be
here.’

250
 ‘Well, the tea’s ready. We’ll just wait a while until they’ve driven
off in their single working vehicle and then we’ll steal one of their
jeeps,’ said Jacko with a grin.

****

Dawn saw the men building a fire. It was again left to Graeme to
collect the water in the billies from the billabong.
‘Bloody brave lot you are,’ he said. ‘Too scared to go near the
water. Bloody mob of sooks. We’ve still got a fair bit of bacon. We’ll
have that for breakfast. Then we’re going to follow those tracks as far
as they go today. Right to the very end, unless any of you blokes want
to waste time feeding the crocodiles again.’
‘Bugger you, Graeme! Jed Fisher was a good bloke,’ yelled Andy.
‘You shouldn’t speak like that about it. He was just unlucky. It coulda
been any one of us.’
‘Orright, orright! He was unlucky,’ said Graeme. ‘But make no
mistake. We’re gonna be dead unlucky too unless we find that girl.’
The group sat around on the ground, sullenly eating their breakfast
and eyeing one another. After eating, no one was interested in
washing the dishes in the billabong.
Graeme jumped up and said, ‘The sooner we get going the better.
Don’t worry about the dishes. Throw everything in the jeeps and
we’ll get underway. I suggest that from now on the passenger in each
vehicle should carry a loaded rifle in case we unexpectedly come
across the group.’
They took their places in the jeeps but found that two of them
wouldn’t start. They opened the bonnet of one of the jeeps and peered
at the engine.
‘Maybe it’s flooded,’ said Nat to Graeme. ‘Sit in the driver’s seat
and press the accelerator to the floor when you hit the ignition.’
The air filled with the sporadic sound of the ignition trying to start
the engine of the jeep, to no avail.
‘What the hell’s wrong with them?’ demanded Graeme. ‘The other
one’s the same.’

251
 ‘I just don’t know. Everything looks okay in both engines,’ said
Nat. ‘There’s nothing wrong with the batteries. The engines just
won’t fire.’
‘That’s all we need!’ shouted Graeme, losing his temper. ‘If it’s
not one thing it’s another. This whole operation has been a bloody
can of worms from start to finish. We have to hurry so we’ve got no
choice. We’ll squeeze all five in my jeep and go after the first
priority, which is that damn girl. We can worry about the other jeeps
later. Get in and let’s go.’
With three men in the back of the jeep, Graeme drove fast,
keeping his tyres in the wheel tracks he could see in front of him. The
jeep bounced around, causing many complaints from the back seats.
Graeme finally relented and slowed down to a reasonable pace.

****

Jacko stood up and said, ‘I think I hear a vehicle labouring away in

the distance. It’s time we wandered back to their campsite to see if
they’ve left anyone behind.’
It took less than a quarter of an hour in the early morning daylight
to find their way back to the bushes where they had hidden the night
before. Jacko signalled for Carna to stay back as he and Sarah
carefully scanned the area. He then waved to her, telling her that they
had driven off with all five in one jeep.
‘This will save us a long walk,’ he said, as he lifted the bonnet of
one of the jeeps. Unclipping the distributor cap he replaced one of the
rotor arms and closed the cap. Before closing the bonnet, he pressed
the starter and the engine burst into life.
‘Purrs like a kitten,’ he said, closing the bonnet with a flourish.
‘I’m glad they didn’t run down the battery. We might have had to
walk back. All aboard.’
Jacko drove off through the trees whistling to himself. Carna again
had no idea where they were going but by now had complete faith in
Jacko’s sense of direction. Her faith was justified when they finally
stopped right next to their own jeep still hidden under the leafy
branches.

252
 ‘Here’s where we exchange jeeps,’ said Jacko. ‘There are a couple
of rifles in their jeep which we’ll take but other than that, the only
transfer will be our own stuff. Those crooks must be wondering if
there’s a jinx following them in the Daly River country. Now I think
of it, there is! Us!’
‘Yu aye! Spirit. Gost longa die man. Yu aye,’ said Sarah,
laughing.
‘It’s me they’re trying to find. I’m the jinx,’ said Carna, joining in
the laughter. ‘I feel very jinxy.’
‘Well, tonight we’re gonna jinx them some more,’ said Jacko.

****

Jamie walked up the path to the neat house off the Esplanade in
Darwin with some trepidation. In the short time he had known Carna,
he had not met her mother. Carna had told him that her mother had
not been well and he knew she had been most distressed when her
daughter had disappeared. Although the police had informed her a
few days before that Carna was safe, Jamie felt it was his duty to give
her further assurance that her daughter was protected and would
return to Darwin soon.
He knocked on the front door. When it opened he was greeted by
the maid, Solly. She told him that Doña Hidalgo was expecting him
and said to follow her. The sitting room was quite dark and had thick
lace curtains and plush furniture. Seated in a chair with a high
peacock back, Carna’s mother was a handsome woman who smiled
when Jamie entered.
‘How do you do, Doña Hidalgo,’ he said. ‘I am James Munro, a
friend of your daughter.’
‘I have heard much about you from my daughter, young man,’ she
said. ‘Please just call me Constanza. Solly, please bring us some tea
and cakes?’
As Solly hustled out the door of the sitting room, Constanza
Hidalgo said, ‘Please take a seat, Mr Munro. Carna has spoken of you
so much, I feel I know you.’
‘Ah, yes ... er ... I just wanted you to know that Carna is still out in
the bush after her rescue, but she is very safe with my colleague, Mr

253
O’Brien, and his sister, Sarah. They will make sure she is safe and
that no harm comes to her.’
‘That is very good to know, Mr Munro, and I appreciate your
assurances. She is my only direct family since my husband and son
were killed in the war, as you probably know. I am happy that she has
such good friends to look after her in this country.’
‘We are all very fond of her ... er ... Doña Constanza. Please call
me Jamie. Everyone else does.’
‘I shall be happy to call you Jamie. I am also interested to meet the
man who has made such an impression on my daughter. So, Jamie,
please tell me all about yourself …’

254
 CHAPTER 32

Driving carefully along the tracks in the heavily loaded jeep, the five
men reached the first rocky surface by the late morning. Graeme
Thomas and the other four walked ahead of the vehicle until they
found well-defined wheel tracks continuing in a northwest direction
in the still slightly damp soil of the Daly River floodplain.
‘They’ve certainly gone some distance,’ said Graeme. ‘They
wouldn’t be here just for barramundi fishing. Maybe they’re crocodile
hunters like that Nifty fella they mentioned at the Daly River
Crossing Pub.’
‘Yeah, and they’ve now got their own floozy with them,’ said
Owen.
‘We’ve got to get that floozy back or we’ve got very little chance
of getting the ransom completed,’ said Nat.
‘Instead of chattering here, we’ll continue and stop for a bite at the
next billabong if we haven’t caught them up by then,’ said Graeme.
‘That’s if any of you heroes have the guts to fill up our billy from the
waterhole. We’ll still keep a sharp lookout for any other tracks
leading off the track we’re following.’
Five miles further on, they stopped at a small billabong surrounded
by pandanus trees, tall cane and reeds. Large gum trees shaded much
of the water. Close to the water there was a strong smell which caused
the men to look at one another.
‘This place has the same bloody stink as that place where Jed was
taken by that giant croc,’ said Andy nervously. ‘I’ve just lost me
bloody appetite.’
‘Yeah, we can do without lunch,’ agreed Nat. ‘Let’s move on.’
‘Bunch of heroes!’ muttered Graeme as they all climbed back into
the jeep.
After driving a further three miles, they noticed another track
leading off to the right. They all got out of the jeep and looked
around. After much discussion they agreed it would be best to
continue in the same direction for as long as the tracks continued and
if they couldn’t find anything, they would come back. Nat tied a piece

255
of rag to a small sapling next to the other track and then they all
climbed aboard and continued.
Several miles further on, they came to a rocky surface again where
the wheel tracks disappeared. Leaving the jeep again, they searched
ahead to try to pick up the tracks. A few hundred yards past the rocky
surface, the soil of the floodplain again stretched out before them but
they were unable to find the continuation of the wheel tracks they had
been following. For the next two hours, the five men searched
fruitlessly all around the extensive rocky outcrop trying to find any
hint of tracks in any direction.
‘They can’t have just bloody vanished into thin air,’ Graeme said
angrily. ‘It’s a bugger only having one jeep. Our best bet is to follow
those other tracks a few miles back.’
With frustrated mumbles of agreement, they all boarded the jeep
again and Graeme turned it around and drove back down the tracks.
Arriving at the turnoff, he reminded them to stay alert and keep their
guns handy.
Graeme noted that the new track was obviously heading closer to
the main Daly River, which bore out the theory that the men they
were after were most probably crocodile hunters. He wondered
whether his men would lose their spines when confronted by two
crocodile hunters who were probably very good shots. He figured he
could rely on Nat to keep his head but he wasn’t sure now whether
any of the others might cut and run. He’d have to be careful but he
wasn’t going to stop now that they were so close to getting the girl
back.
After half an hour or so, Graeme could see the swift-flowing Daly
River in the distance through the trees. He decided to stop the jeep
and go on foot towards the river, as his men would be better placed to
use their firearms spread out rather than all crammed together in the
vehicle. He could hear the river flowing from where he stood and
reckoned that if they were careful, the crocodile hunters should be too
engrossed in whatever they were doing to hear their approach.
Leaving the jeep, the men fanned out with their rifles at the ready
and crept towards the riverbank. A wild pig crashed out of bushes
nearby and fled away from the river and there was a loud screech as a
flock of cockatoos took to the air, but there was no detectable

256
movement through the trees and bushes other than the flow of the
river itself. As they spread out further, Graeme was the first to reach
the river, which was about 200 yards wide and flowing strongly at
this point. Looking up and down the riverbank, he saw no sign of
human life. Cursing softly to himself, he tried to think how this could
possibly be. The wheel tracks they had followed were quite fresh and
easily visible up to 100 yards from the river itself. Closer to the
riverbank, it was likely that local flooding would have obliterated any
tracks. He detected a movement close to his right. As he swung
around to face it, he realised it was only a tree python snaking its way
through the branches of a nearby pandanus. I’m getting spooked, he
thought. Where the hell have these roughies and the girl got to?
He was startled by shooting downriver to his left and ran towards
the sound. He found Andy and Aiden shooting at a gigantic saltwater
crocodile which had been basking on the bank of the river. Irritated
by the bullets ricocheting off its thick hide, the saltie slid into the
river with a loud splash and disappeared below the surface.
‘Bloody hell! What are you doing?’ shouted Graeme, as he arrived
at the scene. ‘We were trying to be quiet, for God’s sake. Now every
bugger and his mother will know we’re here, you stupid bastards.’
‘You should have seen the size of that monster,’ protested Andy.
‘It was more than twenty feet long and would’a weighed well over a
ton, I reckon.’
‘Yeah, well, you’re not gonna kill it with that peashooter, you
stupid bastard,’ said Graeme. ‘If those men we’re after were
anywhere near here, they’ll be off by now, won’t they?’
‘I thought the croc was going to attack us,’ said Aiden.
‘I feel like attacking you myself,’ said Graeme. ‘What bloody
hope do you think we’ve got of catching those blokes now? We might
as well give up.’
‘Sorry, Graeme. That giant lizard looked straight at me and I lost
me head,’ said Andy. ‘We could still take a drive up and down the
river. Their vehicle’s got to be around here somewhere.’
Nat and Owen arrived just then from further upriver to investigate
the shooting.

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 Graeme looked at them, shaking his head, and said, ‘These heroes
were frightened by a crocodile. We won’t be creeping up on anyone
now.’
‘I’d reckon,’ said Nat. ‘Maybe we could just drive downriver for a
bit and see if we can see their vehicle.’
‘Yeah, okay. That seems to be everyone’s preference. We’ll go as
far downriver as we can without getting bogged,’ said Graeme. ‘If we
can’t find them there we might chuck it in for the day and work our
way upriver tomorrow.’
‘Yep, that sounds good,’ said Nat. ‘They’ve got to be somewhere
along the river, for sure.’
Arriving back at the jeep, they all piled in but when Graeme
pressed the starter button, the motor turned without firing. He tried
the motor several more times. He and Nat then jumped out and raised
the bonnet. They stared blankly at the engine but couldn’t see
anything wrong.
‘Bloody hell!’ Graeme roared. ‘This just about makes for a perfect
bloody day.’
He stalked off, muttering to himself and after a few yards, stopped
and fired two shots at a wedge-tailed eagle gliding almost motionless
a few thousand feet overhead. The large bird continued its glide
giving no indication that the bullets had come anywhere close to it,
adding to Graeme’s fury. He felt like shooting them all but realised he
had better calm down and think this situation through reasonably or
he’d go mad. First of all, they must go through all the parts of the
jeep’s engine methodically. Unfortunately, there was nobody in the
group who was mechanically adept. He thought it could be something
simple like a line to a spark plug or a blown fuse or something like
that. In fact, if he tried again, it might just start.
He went back to the jeep, got into the driver’s seat and pressed the
starter button again. No spark! Nothing!
Composing himself, he said, ‘I’m sure there’s a simple reason why
the engine won’t start. Nat and I’ll go through every part of it
carefully and I’m sure we’ll find something. However, we’re
probably stuck here for a while so the rest of you can light a fire, get
the billy going and break open the tuckerbox so that we can have
something to eat when we’ve finished fixing the engine. You’ve

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probably scared off every crocodile for miles so if you’re too scared
to get water from the river, I’ll shoot you myself.’
Graeme and Nat then went to work on the engine. They looked at
the fuses which were all intact, twisted the leads to the sparkplugs to
make them tighter, checked the fuel pump, and made sure no fuel was
leaking. Unclipping the distributor cap, they couldn’t see anything
broken inside and clipped it back on. None of the leads from the
generator were loose. Nat crawled under the engine block but
couldn’t see anything wrong, although he didn’t really know what he
was looking for. He stood up again and was peering into the engine
with Graeme when there was a shout from the back of the jeep.
‘Hey, Graeme. The tuckerbox’s gone!’ yelled Aiden. ‘It was here
when we left the vehicle to go down to the river. It looks like
somebody swiped it.’
Graeme stood up quickly, bashing the back of his head on the
raised bonnet and growled, ‘It’s got to be there. Have another look,
you stupid idiot.’
‘It’s not here. It’s gone,’ Aiden protested. ‘Have a look yourself.’
‘Someone’s been here. Quick, look for footprints,’ Graeme
barked. ‘He might be the reason our jeep won’t go too.’
‘There are too many footprints, mate,’ said Nat. ‘They’re all ours.
I can’t see any others leading away from our vehicle.’
Graeme tried looking through the trees up and down the river but
saw no movement. He couldn’t believe it. Someone must have
sneaked up to the jeep and taken their tucker, probably when
everyone’s attention was diverted by the shooting at the crocodile.
They’d probably done something to the jeep as well. How could that
be? The people they were following didn’t know they were there.
Maybe one of those bloody pricks from the Daly River Crossing Pub
had been stalking them.
He looked at Nat and said, ‘You and Owen better get the shotguns
and see if you can shoot a few ducks.’
‘Okay, I’ve seen a few ducks around here,’ said Nat. ‘They start
flying around late in the day.’
Graeme then said to Aiden, ‘You and Andy get a fire going and
boil a billy.’

259
 ‘Both the billies have gone too,’ said Aiden. ‘We’ve got nothing to
boil water in. Not even an old tin can. We’ve got the old frying pan,
but!’
For once in his life, Graeme Thomas was speechless. He pinched
himself, hoping he would wake up from a horrible nightmare. He
stared at the jeep knowing that whoever had sneaked up on them had
immobilised them many miles from anywhere. It also dawned on him
that whoever it was must be the same blokes who had rescued the girl
from under their noses. They had probably been watching them all the
time. Had probably done the same mechanical thing to the two jeeps
they had left behind. It was obvious those bastards in the Daly River
Crossing Pub must have known all about it too. There never were two
rough men with the girl. That was nothing but fiction. All this time,
they’d been chasing the tail of a shadow.
He looked around the tree lines again nervously. Are they still
watching? There must be more than one of them. They’re like ghosts.
We’ve been completely and utterly dudded, he thought. He walked
back to the front of the jeep and gave the mudguard a good thump
with his fist. It hurt a lot but he didn’t care.

****

Three miles to the south of them, Sarah and Carna had been waiting
for Jacko next to their jeep for two hours. Sarah suddenly jumped up
and excitedly pointed to the tree line north of them but Carna was
unable to see any movement except for various birds flying around.
She was relieved when Jacko finally trotted into sight, emerging from
the tree line carrying a large metal box with a handle and two billy
cans.
‘See, bigpela brata orright, orright!’ Sarah told her.
Jacko put the box down next to the jeep and said, ‘All done. The
baddies aren’t going anywhere. This is their tuckerbox so they’ll have
to hunt for all their food now. I’ll put these in the jeep and we’ll get
out of here.’
As he loaded the tuckerbox into the back of the jeep, Carna said to
him, ‘We heard some shooting in the distance. I thought they might
have been shooting at you. Sarah wasn’t worried but I was.’

260
 ‘They were shooting at some poor old grandfather crocodile along
the river,’ he said with a grin. ‘Gave me lots of time to take out the
rotor arm from their jeep. In fact, there was so much time I decided to
lift their tuckerbox as well. Probably lousy food in there anyway. I
lifted their billies too. We’ll work our way back to our first campsite
and eat some lovely barramundi this evening. There’s plenty of barra
in that billabong, I was planning to pick up one of their jeeps on the
way back. Do you drive, Carna?’
‘Yes, I can drive,’ said Carna. ‘I haven’t driven one of those jeeps
but if you show me how it starts and go slowly I’m sure I can
manage.’
As they headed off through the trees Carna in the front passenger
seat was again mystified by Jacko’s certainty about where he was and
his sense of direction. He drove around a large clump of bushes and
she saw the jeep they hadn’t used in front of them. Jacko stopped his
vehicle beside it, jumped out and lifted the bonnet. Replacing the
rotor arm in the distributor, he closed the bonnet, started the engine
and stood aside for Carna to take over the driver’s seat.
‘Just give her some throttle and let the clutch out slowly when you
start off,’ Jacko advised her. ‘You’ll be right.’
Deciding to join Carna in the front seat of her jeep, Sarah chuckled
happily, and they followed Jacko along the well-worn track. In a few
short hours they arrived back at the campsite where they had spent
their first night.
‘We’ll stay here tonight,’ said Jacko. ‘Carna, if you would gather
some wood for a fire, Sarah and I will do some fishing. Shouldn’t
take long. We’re getting good at this now.’
Carna felt she was becoming proficient at this bush life and by the
time Jacko and Sarah arrived back with two fat young barramundi,
she had a well-lit fire in the way she had seen them do it before. She
even had a billy full of water on one side of the fire.
‘I see you’re becoming a real bushie now, Carna,’ said Jacko.
‘Would you look through that tuckerbox to see if there are any
lemons and tinned peas while I prepare these fish?’
After a pleasant fish dinner, the three ‘bushies’, as Jacko termed it,
laid out their swags and prepared for an early night.

261
 ‘If Jamie were here he could entertain us with his guitar,’ said
Jacko, winking at Sarah. ‘It would be the perfect finish to a perfect
day. We’ll go back to the Daly River Crossing Pub tomorrow
morning.’
‘Does Jamie play the guitar?’ asked Carna, intrigued.
‘Ah yes. Jamie’s a man of many skills!’

****

Sean Murphy was totally confused. After satisfying himself that his
men and the girl were no longer in the area where they were supposed
to be, he had spent the whole afternoon driving very carefully along
the road from the river to the bitumen and back again. He was now
convinced that no one had driven off the road between the bitumen
and the river crossing since the wet, except where the tracks of his
men led to their campsite.
This can’t be happening, he thought. People don’t just vanish.
Everyone has to be somewhere. Perhaps those characters at the Daly
River Crossing Pub had been pulling his leg and were hiding
something from him.
He thought he would camp somewhere along the road and go back
to the pub the next morning and have it out with them. He would
make them tell him the truth. After all, he was a senior sergeant with
the Northern Territory Police. The seven men and the girl must have
gone through there. There was only one river crossing. From the
crossing there was only one road and that passed the pub. They had to
be lying. He would force the truth out of them. He’d had an uneasy
feeling about the situation throughout the day, but the thought of
confronting those bloody hicks made him feel better and he started
looking for a good place to swag down for the night.

262
 CHAPTER 33

Aiden Smythe was so tired and thirsty he could hardly think. The sun
was rising on what he knew would be another warm humid day and
their only means of travel was their own legs. His swag was on the
ground next to the jeep, on the side furthest from the river, which he
thought would be the safest place. His efforts to sleep had been
overcome by his constant fear that at any moment a gigantic crocodile
would creep up on him. Graeme and Nat had slept under a nearby tree
while the other two, Owen and Andy, had decided to sleep in the jeep.
He watched as those two climbed stiffly and painfully out of the
jeep looking even worse than he felt. Nat had risen earlier and taken
one of the shotguns in search of wild birds to shoot for food. Graeme
was still lying on his swag staring up at the sky and wasn’t moving.
He was like a bomb ready to blow up if anyone stepped on his short
fuse. Better to leave him alone.
Aiden now wished that he hadn’t been lured by the prospect of all
the easy money. Sean Murphy had told him and his friend, Liam
Quinn, it would be like taking candy from a baby and no one would
be the wiser. No one would ever care about the fate of a few orphans
from the Philippines. He’d enjoyed his job at the Fanny Bay gaol
partly because it was close to his home beside the bay and partly
because the routine suited him. He had thrown all that away now and
was stuck out in the middle of nowhere with an angry cop and a mob
of bloody paedophiles, for heaven’s sake! He didn’t know what was
more frightening. The crocodiles, the unknown phantom who had
somehow deliberately stranded them here, or the angry bent cop who
was likely to do anything at any moment.
He watched as Owen walked tensely up and down trying to loosen
a stiff neck, and then noticed that Andy was leaning over the bonnet
of the jeep quietly sobbing. Bloody wimp! Aiden needed a drink of
water, but the waterbag hanging from the bullbar on the front of the
jeep was now empty and no one had been willing to go to the river to
refill it. He looked at the waterbag and decided that it was stupid to be
so thirsty next to such a large flow of fresh water. He figured if he

263
was careful he could avoid those large salties. They smelled like hell
anyway so his nose would be able to tell him if any were close by.
Unstrapping the waterbag and carrying a loaded rifle under his arm,
he walked nervously to the riverbank sniffing the air. He didn’t think
there were any crocs nearby and pushed the waterbag under the water
to fill it. On the way back to the jeep he drank deeply from the bag
and started to feel a lot better. Before he could strap the waterbag
back onto the bull bar, Owen grabbed it from him and started to pour
water down his throat while fending off Andy, who was trying to get
to it and making whimpering sounds. Aiden watched the two men
with loathing and asked himself how they would get on over the next
few days walking back to the road with this lot.
Graeme continued staring at the puffy white clouds in the blue sky
above him, not wanting to move and trying to think. He was vaguely
aware of some of the others squabbling over the waterbag. He
glanced at them with disgust. He now knew for certain that his
dreams of riches and a good life were over. His whole world had
crashed down around him. There was nothing for him now except
probably a long gaol sentence. Maybe they’d hang him. He heard
sounds of a shotgun in the distance. Nat trying to shoot some wild
ducks.
He appreciated that they would have to find their way back to the
road. It must be thirty miles or more. He just couldn’t bring himself to
think about having to lead this motley crew out of this godforsaken
place over the next few days. He was faced with the almost
impossible task of getting a mob of misfits safely back to the Daly
River Crossing Pub, and for what reward? Probably life in gaol or a
hangman’s noose. Great incentive! He had no desire to even stand up
to start organising things. He’d have to sooner or later. Maybe that
bloody Fitzy, the superintendent, would appear at any moment to
arrest them and throw them in his wagon. No, Fitzy was much more
likely to wait for them at the Daly River Crossing Pub, laughing at
them with whoever had rescued the girl from under their noses.
Graeme suddenly sat up, thinking. That half-breed Jack O’Brien, it
had to be him. We were all told he was going to Tennant Creek with
his little black sister. Graeme realised they had all been fooled. He
looked around at the three men near the jeep. They were all staring at

264
him. He felt like vomiting. Fooled all right! Completely, totally,
utterly fooled and outwitted. Here I am now, he thought, stuck who
knows where with these contemptible idiots and up the creek without
a paddle. He slowly stood up, stretched and started rolling up his
swag. He decided reluctantly that as soon as Nat returned, they would
eat whatever he had shot and start the long trek back to some sort of
civilisation. If any of these clowns couldn’t keep up, too bad.

****

Twenty-odd miles away, Jacko smiled as he and the girls finished a

breakfast of baked beans and bacon he had found in the criminals’
tuckerbox, washed down with a cup of tea. He scratched his chin
which was now covered in stubble and thought about how good a
shower and shave would be later in the day.
‘Before we go, we’ll do a bit of fishing,’ he said. ‘I’d like to bring
a stack of barramundi with us to give to Ernie, Steve and the boys for
their help. Shouldn’t take us long. We can store them in the
tuckerbox. Then we can enjoy the delights of the Daly River Crossing
Pub.’
‘That will be nice,’ said Carna. ‘Do you think Jamie will be there
by now?’
‘No, Princess. You’ll have to wait until we get back to Darwin to
see him again. However, we’ll probably find one or two of the
kidnappers’ leaders there, so we’ll have to be careful. But don’t
worry.’
‘The kidnappers’ leaders will be there?’ she asked in alarm.
‘Yeah, maybe only one. The chief boss man,’ he said. ‘That’s why
we’ll take both jeeps. I’ll go to the pub first, and you and Sarah can
wait about a mile further back. When it’s all clear I’ll come and get
you.’
‘I hope you’ll be all right,’ she said.
‘I’m always all right, Carna.’
Sarah laughed. ‘Him bikpela brata hero. Him all time orright,
orright.’

****

265
Sean Murphy parked his jeep right next to the front door of the pub
and with a new determination, pushed the door open and strode
through into the bar. It was as though nothing had changed since he’d
been there last. The fat man known as Slim was throwing darts, Big
Steve sat in a chair on the other side of the room with a cup of tea in
his hand and Ernie was polishing glasses behind the bar. Steve looked
up at him and gave him a beaming gap-toothed smile.
‘Hello again, Sergeant,’ he said. ‘Had any luck running down your
seven men with the lady?’
‘No, not at all. No sign of them,’ said Sean, glaring at them.
‘There’s nowhere they could have gone except through here. I think
you blokes have been lying to me.’
‘Lying to you? No, never,’ said Steve, shaking his large hairy
head. ‘We wouldn’t do that. Not to the police. No, we wouldn’t.’
‘Bullshit!’ Sean yelled. ‘They were camped the other side of the
river and they haven’t gone back to Adelaide Springs. There’s only
one way for them to go, and that’s through here.’
Big Steve continued shaking his head. ‘Yeah, what you say is true.
If they crossed the river they’d have to have come through here.
Wouldn’t ya reckon, Ernie?’
‘Yeah, I’d reckon,’ said Ernie. ‘It stands to reason they must still
be somewhere on the other side of the Daly.’
‘No, they’re bloody not!’ Sean yelled again. ‘I found all their
tracks and there’s nowhere for them to go without crossing the river.’
‘Ah, so you saw their tracks crossing the river then?’ Slim asked.
Sean sighed with frustration. ‘No, I didn’t see their tracks crossing
the river. It’s impossible to tell one track from another near the
crossing, but there’s only one way they could have gone and that’s
through here.’
Steve had a very puzzled look on his face. ‘It sure is a mystery.’
‘The only mystery is why you’re lying to me. You may be in deep
trouble for obstructing the police,’ said Sean. ‘Whatever! I might buy
some breakfast from you and then I’ll try to find if their tracks leave
the road further on from here.’
‘Yeah, breakfast’s no problem, Sergeant,’ said Ernie. ‘Will steak
and eggs be okay with you?’

266
 ‘Yeah, yeah, that’d be good. I’m famished. After breakfast, I’d
like to have a look around in all your buildings here before I go.’
‘Certainly, Sergeant,’ said Ernie. ‘Look around all you want. I’ll
just go and organise your breakfast. Would you like a cold beer?’
‘No, I won’t have a beer,’ said Sean irritably. ‘I’ll just have water
or a juice with my breakfast.’
As he ate his breakfast out the back of the pub, Sean tried to work
out whether these damned blokes were lying to him or not. It was
hard to fathom. They talked to him as though they were trying to
help, but he knew … he just knew they must be lying. If they were
hiding something, it occurred to him that someone must have got to
them. But Munro, Fitzgibbon and the rest were still all in Darwin, or
if they weren’t, none of them could have reached the pub before him.
Munro’s right-hand man was in Tennant Creek. He’d seen him leave.
Who then? It didn’t seem possible that anyone could have got to them
and told them what to say. Unless there was a bloody traitor amongst
his men. He started to think that was a possibility. But who? He
trusted Graeme Thomas who was a good man with too much to lose.
Aiden Smythe was not smart enough to tie his own shoelaces. Nat
Brady seemed to have a cool head but he was part of the paedophile
ring, as were the other five. So, who?
Did they still have the girl? How could they lose her? A young
foreign girl in the bush in a strange country. She’d have nowhere to
go. No, they must still have her or maybe they’d killed her and gone
into hiding, hiding from him. That must be it! They didn’t know that
Ryan Turner had been arrested or that Liam Quinn had been shot.
Bloody hell, that must be it! They’re hiding from me, he thought,
because they no longer have the golden goose. Stupid bloody idiots.
Perhaps they did pass through this way and Graeme convinced the
hicks at the Daly River Crossing Pub to lie to him when he showed
up.
He finished his breakfast and was wiping his mouth on the sleeve
of his shirt when he felt something brush him and was startled by a
voice behind him.
‘G’day, Murphy.’
He stood up and wheeled around, recognising Jack O’Brien staring
at him. At the same time, he reached for his revolver in the holster at

267
his waist. It quickly dawned on him that the revolver was no longer
there because it was pointed at him in the steady right hand of Jacko.
‘But ... but ... you’re in Tennant Creek.’
‘Can’t be in two places at once, mate,’ said Jacko, chuckling. ‘I
wondered who would come, and you were top of my list of
expectations.’
‘What do you mean, O’Brien,’ Sean blustered. ‘I’m here trying to
track down the kidnappers, for Christ’s sake.’
‘Yeah, and cows might fly,’ said Jacko with a grim smile. ‘I think
the other members of your gang will be ready to testify against you
when they finally manage to find their way out of the bush.’
‘Out of the bush? What the hell do you mean?’ Sean barked.
Jacko just stood there, saying nothing. Sean was bewildered. The
events of the last couple of days made very little sense to him. The
present situation made even less sense. He had a sinking feeling that
he had been outwitted, not only by a half-caste Aborigine from
Tennant Creek, but also by the superintendent and Munro.
‘Where’s the girl?’ he finally blurted.
‘I was wondering when you were going to ask that,’ said Jacko.
‘You there, Steve? Do me a favour and relieve Sergeant Murphy of
his handcuffs and cuff him behind his back, will you?’
He then asked Steve to tie Sean to a stout tree and watch him, as
he had a couple of young girls to collect. Steve told him it would give
him great pleasure.
‘When I bring the girls in, they’ll give you a tuckerbox full of
fresh barramundi which will probably give you even more pleasure,’
said Jacko.
‘That’ll never go to waste around here,’ said Steve. ‘Don’t worry
about this scum. I’ll take care of him myself, Jacko my lad. We’ll all
look forward to seeing those girls again.’
Ten minutes later, Jacko returned followed by Carna driving the
other jeep and Sarah in the passenger seat. Sean was standing near a
large white gum tree secured by a rope passing inside his handcuffs
and looped around the tree. The two girls stood staring at him for a
while, then followed Jacko into the pub with Sarah giggling. Sean
was furious and humiliated but had no idea what to do about it. How
the hell had that Spanish Filipina girl got away from his men? What

268
did O’Brien mean about his men managing to find their way out of
the bush? Where the hell were they? They were obviously alive, as
O’Brien had said they would probably testify against him. He shook
his head in utter frustration. What a debacle!
Inside the pub, Ernie said, ‘Looks like you got your ringleader,
Jacko. Where are the other six gangsters?’
‘Only five now, Ernie. They won’t be any trouble to you,’ said
Jacko. ‘They’re a few days’ walk from here. I’d like to send another
telegram to the same radio call sign in Darwin if I may. And the girls
would like a shower if that’s ok.’
‘Yes, to both requests,’ said Ernie. ‘The girls know where the
showers are and you can come with me to my office and fill out a
telegram form.’
In the room behind the bar, Jacko wrote, ‘BACK IN DARWIN
THIS EVENING WITH CAPTIVE MURPHY STOP CARNA AND
SARAH BOTH WELL STOP FITZY CAN PICK UP FIVE
OTHERS AT HIS LEISURE STOP THEY HAVE THIRTY MILES
WALK IF CAN FIND WAY STOP JACKO’
Ernie tapped out the message in Morse code on his pedal radio and
apologised to Jacko that he was required to charge him twelve
shillings for the thirty-six words.
‘No worries, Ernie. Don’t keep apologising,’ said Jacko, laughing.
‘I’m just so grateful for all your help. I couldn’t have done it without
you, Steve and Slim.’
‘I’m not entirely sure what you’ve done with those other criminals,
but Steve said he’s never enjoyed himself so much,’ said Ernie. ‘He’s
still laughing at the thought of those outlaws trying to catch
barramundi with radishes. It’s gonna be deadly dull around here when
you coves are gone but we’ll have a few good yarns to tell.’
‘Glad we could provide some amusement for you,’ said Jacko.
‘Now I’d better have a shower myself and scrape this stubble off my
chin.’
‘Will you stay for lunch?’ asked Ernie.
‘Yeah, we’ll have a quick bite and then we’ll be off to the big
smoke. We’ll leave with you two jeeps that belong to the Darwin
Police.’

269
 ****

Cloud cover made the late afternoon seem darker than usual as Jacko
turned onto the Esplanade and saw Jamie, Fitzy and several police
officers ahead, waiting on the side of the road at the corner into
Knuckey Street.
When he sighted the jeep, Jamie ran forward a few yards then
stopped. He was hoping to see Carna in the front seat; however,
instead, beside Jacko was a young boy with a large hat. It was too
dark in the back of the jeep for him to make out any occupants at a
distance. As the jeep pulled up beside him, he suddenly realised the
front seat passenger was indeed Carna in khaki shirt and shorts. She
jumped out and they stared awkwardly at each other for a few
seconds while Jamie was lost for words. Next moment she was in his
arms. They hugged, oblivious to the presence of the waiting police
officers.
‘I’ve got a present for you,’ said Jacko, pulling Sean Munro from
the back of the vehicle with Sarah pushing.
Sean had his legs tied up with rope, his wrists handcuffed behind
his back and an oily rag in his mouth.
‘On the way back, he started to let fly with every swear word
that’s ever been invented until Sarah shoved a rag in his mouth,’ said
Jacko.
Fitzy laughed and said, ‘Well done, Jacko. We’ll take care of him
from here. What about the other fugitives?’
‘There are only five of them now. I left them stranded well out
beyond the Blue Lagoon area. They’ve got a thirty-mile walk ahead
of them back to the Daly River Crossing. Unless they get lost they’ll
probably arrive in a couple of days.’
‘We’ll be there to welcome them,’ said Fitzy.
‘There are two jeeps that belong to the police at the pub too,’ said
Jacko. ‘There’s a couple more jeeps out in the scrub. I can tell you
where they are and how to start them.’
‘You’re an amazing fellow, Jacko,’ said Fitzy. ‘When we’ve all
got time, you’ll have to tell me how you did it.’
Jacko laughed. ‘It was easy, Fitzy. None of the kidnappers has a
clue about living in the bush.’

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 CHAPTER 34

It was a misty morning with the sun peeping through the clouds
intermittently as Jamie and Carna, ignoring the damp grass, walked
through the park overlooking Darwin Harbour.
‘So you’ve met my mother?’ she said.
‘Yes. Superintendent Fitzgibbon had already told her you had been
rescued, but I wanted to reassure her that my friend Jacko would
make sure you were safe.’
‘My mother thinks you are a very nice man. You didn’t know that
I was with Jacko and Sarah all the time they were stalking the
kidnappers?’
‘No. I thought that Jacko would have hidden you somewhere
around Daly River Crossing. After your ordeal, I can understand why
you wanted to stay with them.’
‘Yes. I had to stay with them no matter what. I was too scared to
let them out of my sight. I’m a real bushie now, you know.’
Jamie laughed. ‘Yes, Jacko told me. A real bushie.’
‘Your friend Jacko is incredible. I was terrified, particularly when
that man was shot right in front of me. Then Jacko and Sarah plucked
me out from under their noses in the middle of the night.’
‘Yes, I have seen him do some remarkable things.’
‘After the rescue, I really started to enjoy myself in your bush.
However, I must admit that if I was by myself, I would get hopelessly
lost.’
‘Those criminals who kidnapped you could be hopelessly lost by
now too. Fitzy will go down there tomorrow. He’s organised military
police as well as his own men to pick them up. They’re armed but
Fitzy doesn’t expect any trouble.’
She grinned. ‘I think they’ll be glad when Fitzy catches up with
them. They’ll have done a lot of walking. Jacko left them with one
waterbag, no food and nothing to boil water in. He says they’re
hopeless at fishing and only have their guns to shoot ducks or other
birds for food.’

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 ‘They deserve it. I was terrified they might have harmed you
before Jacko and Sarah got you out. His telegram was a great relief.’
She stopped and smiled up at him. ‘So you were worried about
me, Jamie Munro?’
‘Yes, of course. Yes, very worried. I had nightmares.’
‘Nightmares? You had nightmares about me?’
‘Er ... yes ... er ... of course. I knew that Jacko would find you
eventually but I was still terrified for you.’
‘Terrified? You must like me just a little bit, Jamie.’
‘Yes ... er ... yes. You’re sweet. You’re kind. You’re beautiful ...
er ... sorry.’
She smiled broadly and chuckled. ‘Yes, you should be sorry,
Jamie, for telling a girl she’s beautiful.’
‘I ... er ... I’m sorry. No, I’m not sorry. I’m not sure what to say.’
‘I’m the one who should be sorry, Jamie. I’ve been teasing you.
Why not tell me you love me if you do? If you don’t I’ll understand.’
‘But I do love you.’ Jamie couldn’t believe he’d actually said it.
‘Carna, I love you. I do. I have for a long while without really
admitting it. I’m a bit shy. I can’t help it.’
‘Well, don’t try to resist it so much. I love you too, Jamie, even
though you keep secrets from me.’
‘No, no! I haven’t kept any secrets from you.’
Throwing her head back and laughing she said, ‘You kept it a
secret from me that you could play the guitar.’
‘The guitar! No, no. I just strum it. I play chords. I’m not much
good.’
‘Even if you’re not much good, I still love you, Jamie Munro.’
‘I ... I don’t have a ring or anything, But I’d like you to ... er ...
would you?’
‘If you are trying to ask me to marry you, you don’t even have to
get down on one knee. Yes, I would like to marry you, Jamie Munro.
Ring or no ring.’
‘You mean you would like to marry me?’
‘Yes, I just said I would like to marry you, Jamie. I think my
mother likes you too.’
‘Well then. We’re engaged to be married. What should we do
now?’

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 ‘Perhaps you should kiss me, Jamie. That’s a good start.’
As they moved into each other’s embrace, it started to rain.
‘It’s going to rain harder soon,’ said Jamie. ‘We’d better find
shelter.’
‘My mother’s house is the closest. We’ll run there. Come on.’
They ran quickly to her house and knocked on the door which was
opened by Solly.
‘Ah, Solly. Mr Munro and I are going to be married. Where’s
Mamá?’
Solly gave them a wide smile. ‘Doña Hidalgo is in the sitting
room, miss. That is wonderful. Married? I’ll get you some tea and
biscuits.’
Constanza Hidalgo was seated in her favourite peacock chair
reading a book when she looked up to see her daughter rushing in
holding Jamie Munro’s hand.
‘You look a bit wet, my dear,’ she said. ‘Hello, Jamie. What’s
happening?’
‘Love is happening, Mamá,’ said Carna breathlessly. ‘Jamie has
asked me to marry him and I’ve accepted.’
‘Oh, Dios mío! I hope you are both sure about this,’ said her
mother. ‘When were you planning for this marriage to take place?’
‘We only decided a few minutes ago, Mamá. We haven’t made
any plans yet. En realidad, Mamá, because of the rain we haven’t
even kissed yet.’
‘Dios mío! What a headstrong girl! Testaruda! I’m glad you have
come to tell me this, though. Am I the first to know?’
‘The very first, Mamá! The very first.’
‘And what about you, young man? Will you be able to look after
my impulsive daughter?’
‘I would like to make that my lifetime commitment, Doña
Hidalgo,’ said Jamie.
‘Prettily said, Jamie. As you can see, once my daughter has made
up her mind there is little one can do. I hope you involve me in your
wedding plans.’
‘I don’t think either of us want an extravaganza, Mamá. Just a
quiet ceremony. But we’ll always involve you.’
‘Are you Catholic, Jamie?’ asked Doña Hidalgo.

273
 ‘No, Constanza. I’m Church of England,’ said Jamie.
‘Don’t ask these questions, Mamá,’ protested Carna. ‘I haven’t
been to church myself for a long while, so I’m not a very good
Catholic. Anyway, most of the churches were bombed. I think the
only restored church in Darwin is Jamie’s religion. The RAAF padre
holds services there for every religion, I believe. I’d be happy to be
married there.’
‘Por Dios! My daughter! Una niña obstinada! What chance does a
mother have with such a daughter? Do you think you can live with
this girl, Jamie?’
‘Yes. I’m sure, Constanza. I love her.’
‘Well, here comes our tea,’ she said. ‘But I think I need something
stronger!’

****

The rain had stopped when Jamie and Carna walked the short
distance to the Hotel Darwin for lunch. Jacko, Sarah and Fitzy were
already sitting at a table on the verandah and the men stood as the two
joined them.
‘You two look very happy,’ said Jacko with a smile. ‘You bring
sunshine into this dismal, cloudy day.’
‘My, how poetic you are today, Jacko,’ said Carna as they all sat
down. ‘Jamie and I have something to tell you.’
‘Aha!’ exclaimed Jacko.
‘Aha indeed! Carna and I have decided to get married,’ said Jamie.
Sarah clapped her hands and squealed with delight while the
others offered their congratulations and best wishes for the future.
Fitzy then announced that he also had something to tell them. They
were all invited to dinner by Mr and Mrs Aubrey Abbott to celebrate
the rescue of Carna and the imminent arrest of the kidnappers. At this
news, Sarah looked at Jacko and then lowered her eyes to the floor.
‘Well, I’ve also got news for you gentlemen,’ said Carna. ‘Sarah
and I are going shopping straight after lunch to buy some beautiful
dresses for us both. Not only for tonight. We’ll also be ordering
dresses for a wedding. I want my new but very close friend Sarah to
be my bridesmaid.’

274
 Wide-eyed, Sarah gasped, putting her hand to her mouth. It
sounded puzzling but exciting.
‘My sister would be delighted and honoured to be your
bridesmaid,’ said Jacko. ‘I know she’ll make a beautiful bridesmaid.’
‘I hope you’ll be just as delighted to be my best man, Jacko,’ said
Jamie.
‘Yeah, I’d reckon, Cap. Thanks.’
Sarah looked around at them all and beamed.

****

Dinner with the Abbotts was an informal affair; however, Carna and
Sarah were contrasting figures of beauty in stylish formal dresses and
with carefully crafted hairdos. Mary Fitzgibbon complimented them
both on their dresses and told Carna to let her know when she was
going shopping again.
The Abbotts toasted Jacko and Sarah on their remarkable
achievement in rescuing Carna before she came to any harm. Mr
Abbott expressed his deep dismay that one of his own legal staff,
Theo Murphy, was involved and was even one of the leaders of the
gang. However, he said this should not cast a pall over their evening.
There were further toasts and celebration when Jamie announced that
he and Carna were engaged to be married.

****

There was little to celebrate and even less to eat as five footsore men
settled down for the night after chewing on a few day-old duck’s
bones in the Blue Lagoons area. They were still fifteen miles from the
road and Graeme Thomas began to wonder whether he should
abandon his motley crew. He figured he could travel faster on his
own. But to what end? The likelihood was that the only thing waiting
for him at the road was a long gaol sentence, or worse.
He thought briefly that he could live out here for a while, hiding
from the law; however, he quickly abandoned that idea, realising he
would need a lot more ammunition and gear. That bloody half-caste
O’Brien would easily track him down anyway. The bloke moves

275
around like a ghost, he thought. He looked around nervously and
thought that maybe O’Brien was out there still watching them. He
studied his fellow travellers. Andy and Owen were limping and
complaining a lot and it was obvious all four blamed him for their
predicament. This is what my life has come to, he thought. Stranded
out in the bloody bush with a mob of idiots who all hated him and no
hope of redemption.
Tomorrow morning, they would pass the place where Jed Fisher
had been taken by the saltie. I might as well throw myself into the
jaws of the same crocodile when we get there, he thought. No! I’d
rather shoot these four weirdos and then shoot myself. Or maybe I’ll
just go to sleep if I can and see what tomorrow brings. The others
looked at him as he grunted loudly and then lay back on his swag.

****

Sparky, a crooked smile on his face, walked quickly up to the table

where Jamie, Jacko and Sarah were seated for breakfast.
‘Telegram for Jacko,’ he announced. ‘You’ll be very interested, I
think.’
‘Whoa!’ Jacko called loudly, rising to his feet. ‘She’s here! Well,
not here, but in Brisbane. She’s in Brisbane. Earlier than I thought.
Wow!’
‘The delectable Monique, I presume,’ said Jamie.
‘Yes Cap. Monique! She’s arrived,’ Jacko said excitedly. ‘With
her parents, the Rousseaus.’
‘Would you like to send a return telegram?’ asked Sparky.
‘Yes, yes, yes. A return telegram. What’ll I say?’
‘Settle down, Jacko. Why don’t you and Sparky sit down and have
some breakfast first,’ said Jamie. ‘A good feed will help you think
about what to say in your telegram.’
‘Yes, yes, you’re right. Breakfast, yes. She’s in Australia, Cap.
She can come to your wedding.’
Sarah laughed at him. ‘Bikpela brata longlong crazy man.’
Jacko didn’t quite know whether to sit or stand. He saw the others
staring at him and finally decided to sit down. He realised it would be
better if he stopped jumping about and thought about it calmly. He

276
was excited at the prospect of seeing Monique again soon, but what
would she think about flying to Darwin? Perhaps he should go to
Brisbane. Would she still love him? He looked pleadingly at Jamie.
‘I don’t know what to say to her,’ he said.
‘Why don’t you just tell her you love her and want to marry her,’
said Jamie.
‘No, no, no. I couldn’t do that, Cap. I don’t know if she still likes
me. I just don’t know.’
‘Well, tell her you love her and ask her to fly to Darwin,’ said
Jamie. ‘Then you’ll find out if she loves you.’
‘Would you write out the telegram for me, Cap?’ asked Jacko. ‘I
might say the wrong thing.’
At that moment, Fitzy dropped by the hotel to tell them he was
leaving soon for Daly Waters Crossing. He wanted to discuss the best
strategy for capturing the criminals without too much of a struggle.
He also wanted the rotor arms for the other two jeeps in case his men
found them. Jacko handed him the rotor arms and drew a rough map
showing where the jeeps were.
‘What’s wrong with you, Jacko?’ asked Fitzy. ‘You look all hyped
up.’
‘The love of his life, Monique, has just arrived in Brisbane from
Egypt where he originally met her,’ Jamie explained.
‘Good for you, Jacko,’ said Fitzy. ‘Is she coming here?’
‘He says he doesn’t know what to do,’ said Jamie, chuckling. ‘He
doesn’t mind fighting a gang of criminals but with a pretty woman he
turns to water.’
‘Aw, speak for yourself, Cap,’ Jacko smiled. ‘You’re worse than I
am.’
‘When you blokes have stopped mooning over the loves of your
life, I’d like a bit of advice,’ said Fitzy. ‘Do you think I should wait
for those fugitives on the road or at the pub?’
‘Best thing would be to stop at the pub but have someone on
lookout near the junction of the road with the tracks,’ said Jacko.
‘You can take it in turns, but whoever is watching must stay out of
sight.’
‘Out of sight, eh?’ said Fitzy.

277
 ‘Yeah, the vehicle must be out of sight too,’ explained Jacko. ‘If
they emerge and see a man waiting in a jeep on the road, they’ll just
shoot him and drive off in it.’
Fitzy nodded. ‘Yeah, I’ve gotcha on that one.’
‘Your man on lookout should be in a position where he can drive
to the pub and warn you when they’re near the road,’ said Jacko.
‘Then you can go and take them in, by force if necessary. They’ll
probably surrender quietly. When you take them back to the pub,
Ernie, Steve and Slim will give you any help you need. Tell them
Jacko sent you and you’re a friend of Nifty. That’s it in a nutshell.’
‘Okay, thanks Jacko,’ said Fitzy. ‘Good advice. I’ll leave you all
to sigh over love and I’ll get on with it.’
‘Get lost, Fitzy.’
‘Okay! I’m lost, I’m lost,’ said Fitzy. ‘When I get back here,
there’ll be no way this lot will escape again. I guarantee that. See ya
later, fellas.’
As he strode out of the hotel, Jamie said, ‘We’d better get stuck
into the bacon and eggs. We have an important telegram to send.’
‘What have you written, Cap?’ asked Jacko.
Jamie chuckled. ‘Never you mind. When she reads this, she’ll love
you more than ever.’
‘No! Show me!’ said Jacko, leaping up and snatching the telegram
form. Jamie had written, ‘I LOVE YOU STOP PLEASE FLY TO
DARWIN STOP LOVE STOP JACKO.’
Jacko shook his head. ‘I can’t send that. What if she can’t come?’
‘Of course she’ll come,’ said Jamie. ‘She’s probably wondering if
you still love her.’
Jacko was lost for words. ‘Yes ... but. Yes ... but ... I ...’
‘You can’t send a telegram asking her if she still loves you, can
you?’ said Jamie.
‘No, no. I can’t. No,’ said Jacko. ‘But …’
‘If she loves you, she’ll come,’ said Jamie, ‘What do you think,
Sarah?’
Sarah nodded vigorously. ‘Yu aye. She come. She come.’
‘You see?’ exclaimed Jamie.

278
 ‘Yeah, yeah, okay, but I don’t know,’ said Jacko, shaking his head
and handing the form to Sparky. ‘You might as well send this when
you’ve finished breakfast, Sparky.’
‘No worries, Jacko.’
There was a loud clap of thunder and squalls swept across Darwin
Harbour, obscuring visibility to the Cox Peninsula across the bay.

****

At the same time, five hungry men, two of them limping badly and
the others footsore, had already walked for half a mile that morning
when dark clouds rolled in overhead and it began raining heavily,
drenching the Daly River floodplains of the Blue Lagoons. Graeme
cursed. The rain would not only make walking more difficult on the
slippery mud but might also obliterate the wheel tracks which had
been easy to follow to this point. There was also little chance of
potential food from wild ducks flying overhead.
His immediate thought was to carefully line up trees as they
walked to keep to a straight line, in case they could not distinguish
the tracks anymore. He decided to navigate their progress carefully by
this method, partly because he didn’t want to get lost and partly
because he believed that by keeping his mind occupied he was less
likely to be overwhelmed by despair. Despair is the soapy water that
washes away all hope, he thought. He realised as they trudged along
that Andy and Aiden, who had abandoned their rifles a few miles
back, were already in an advanced state of depression. They displayed
all the energy of a mob of drowned rats and looked like it. Owen still
had his rifle while Graeme and Nat Brady were carrying shotguns.
Graeme concluded that, apart from himself, only Nat seemed to have
his wits about him, although he too must be feeling the pangs of
hunger and be finding it difficult to focus.
He decided that after they had reached a point much closer to the
road and depending on the situation and how they felt, he and Nat
might be able to devise a plan to ambush all the people at the Daly
River Crossing Pub even if that included the police who were likely
to be there. A tiny glimmer of hope. Just a glimmer. No, hopeless …

279
 CHAPTER 35

After more than five hours of driving through the rain, the convoy of
four vehicles crossed over the surging Daly River and pulled up
outside the Daly River Crossing Pub. Two jeeps with four policemen,
including Fitzy, and two army trucks with four military police made
up the convoy.
Inside the pub, the eight men were greeted by Ernie Simpson, who
told them they were expected. He had arranged for them to use two of
the demountables out the back of the pub as temporary
accommodation during their stay.
‘Looks like you’ve got enough troops to capture a platoon,’ said
Ernie. ‘Jacko reckoned that the five survivors would be on their last
legs by the time they got anywhere near here.’
‘Yeah, that’s true,’ said Fitzy. ‘However, we know they’re armed
and desperate. We figured a show of force might prevent a shootout.’
‘You’re probably right,’ agreed Ernie. ‘Is there anything we can
do to help?’
‘To tell you the truth, after the drive down here in the pouring rain,
a cold beer or two would help a lot,’ said Fitzy. ‘It’s after lunchtime,
but if you’ve got anything to eat that’d be good too.’
‘No worries, Superintendent,’ said Ernie. ‘I’ll get eight bottles of
beer out of the fridge for you and then one of the girls will organise
some tucker.’
‘You can call me Fitzy. Everyone else does. This is Captain Wally
Symonds who’s leading our military contingent. You can call him
Wally,’ said Fitzy, indicating a young uniformed officer and taking a
swallow of beer. ‘Ah! The nectar of the gods.’
‘When do you reckon those gangsters will get to the road?’ asked
Ernie.
‘Jacko thought it could be as early as tonight if they’re fit, but
most likely tomorrow morning unless they get lost in this rain,’ said
Fitzy.
‘Yeah, I’d agree with that,’ Ernie said. ‘Jacko explained where
he’d left them. The only thing that’ll spur them on is hunger. If they

280
haven’t shot anything, which is likely because of the rain, they’ll all
be bloody hungry by now. Jacko said they were scared to go near the
water because of the crocs, so they wouldn’t have caught any fish.
Besides that, Steve, who runs a mechanics and fishing gear shop here,
convinced them to use radishes as bait for barramundi and they
swallowed it.’
‘Radishes?’
‘Yeah, radishes.’
During the laughter that followed, Fitzy noticed a very tall man
with a droopy moustache enter the pub. He gave them all a wide
smile exposing a gap between his teeth and walked over to the bar.
‘Fitzy, this is Steve. Steve, this is Fitzy, the police superintendent
that Jacko told us would be here to arrest those bastards who
kidnapped the young lady.’
‘Pleased to meet you, Fitzy,’ said Steve. ‘If you need any help, let
me know.’
‘Steve’s the expert on catching barramundi with radishes,’ said
Ernie, winking at Fitzy.
‘Yeah, radishes are just the thing to make a kidnapping fisherman
go crazy,’ said Steve with his deep throaty laugh. ‘Works a treat.’
‘So, how are you going to know when the crooks are near the
road?’ asked Ernie.
‘Jacko advised to have one of our men watching the junction
where the tracks meet the road about three to four miles from here,’
said Fitzy.
‘Those bloody crooks will probably shoot him!’ said Steve.
‘He’ll have to stay well-hidden and hightail it back here as soon as
he sees them,’ said Captain Symonds.
‘If you want the job done properly, I can lend you one of the
blackfellows who works for me in the mechanics shed,’ said Steve.
‘Wouldn’t want to put you out, Steve,’ said Fitzy.
‘No worries, mate. Bobby can take my jeep out there this evening
and leave the vehicle about a mile this side of the junction,’ said
Steve. ‘He’ll see or hear them coming a long way before any of your
blokes would.’
‘Are you sure?’ said Fitzy. ‘Your man, Bobby, wouldn’t mind?’

281
 ‘Naw! Give him plenty of t’baccy and tucker and he’ll be as happy
as Larry,’ said Steve. ‘Bobby doesn’t mind the rain. He can sleep
anywhere. The baddies will never see him in a million years, take my
word.’
‘We’ll take you up on that,’ said Fitzy with a glance at Wally, who
nodded. ‘I don’t know how to thank you enough.’
‘Just seein’ that pretty young girl rescued was thanks enough for
us,’ said Ernie. ‘You’ll probably owe Nifty Wise a couple of beers
when he next gets back from croc shooting.’
‘Yeah, more than a couple, I think,’ said Fitzy, chuckling. ‘He’s a
good man, ol’ Nifty. I know him well.’
‘Anyway, we’ll be charging you for what you eat and drink here,’
said Ernie with a chuckle. ‘You blokes are good for business, which
is always a bit slow during the wet. Besides that, Jacko left us a heap
of barramundi, some of which you can have for dinner tonight. He’s a
great fellow, that Jacko.’
‘Yeah, amazing cove,’ agreed Fitzy. ‘Highly educated but hasn’t
lost any of his Aboriginal skills. A war hero. The only thing that
seems to faze him is love.’
‘Love? What do you mean love?’ said Steve, puzzled.
‘Apparently Jacko fell in love with a beautiful girl in Egypt during
the war and he doesn’t seem to have a clue what to do about it,’ said
Fitzy.
‘Easy!’ roared Steve. ‘He should just marry her.’
‘He doesn’t think he’s good enough for her,’ said Fitzy, shaking
his head. ‘It’s got him rattled to billy-o. She’s just arrived in
Brisbane. His friends are trying to get him to invite her to Darwin.
But …’
‘Good idea. That’d probably seal it. Jacko’s good enough for any
girl,’ said Steve. ‘When you see him, tell him we’ll expect an invite to
the wedding.’
Fitzy laughed. ‘Yeah, don’t worry, Steve. I’ll tell him.’

****

282
Jamie and Carna were just walking into the Green Room at the Hotel
Darwin after lunching together in China Town when Jacko ran up to
them.
‘She’s coming! She’s coming!’ he called out. ‘Monique is flying
into Darwin, arriving tomorrow. Jamie, I don’t know how to handle
this.’
‘We can organise a room for her in the hotel,’ said Jamie. ‘It
shouldn’t be a problem.’
‘I don’t mean that,’ Jacko blurted. ‘It’s Monique. I can’t wait to
see her. No, I can’t wait to see her. I love her. I’m sure I love her.
What am I going to do?’
‘It doesn’t seem there’s a problem if you love her,’ observed
Carna.
‘Yes. No. I don’t mean that. Does she love me? No, I mean I know
she loves me, she said so. She keeps telling me she does. But would
she consider a life in the Northern Territory?’
‘I know I would if I loved a man who lives here,’ said Carna with
a mischievous grin and a glance at Jamie.
‘But I’m just a man. Yes, that’s it. I’m just a man and she’s a …
she’s a … she’s a goddess!’ Jacko stammered. ‘She mightn’t want to
stay with me. I mean … er … she mightn’t want to marry me.’
‘Listen, Jacko,’ said Jamie firmly. ‘I know Monique and in my
opinion, she’ll want to marry you wherever you live.’
‘Do you think so? I haven’t asked her to marry me,’ he finished
off lamely.
‘Of course you haven’t,’ said Jamie. ‘That’s what she’s been
waiting for.’
‘Oh, you men, you’re all so … so clueless,’ said Carna, laughing
and shaking her head. ‘What time does she arrive tomorrow?’
‘Tomorrow! Yes, tomorrow. I think the flight gets in at about four
in the afternoon,’ said Jacko. ‘I’d better check. Sparky should know.
Would you come with me when I pick her up?’
‘Of course, I will if you want me to,’ said Jamie. ‘I’ll be delighted
to see her again too. It’s been a long time. My best memory of the
war was the hospitality of her family, the Rousseaus, in Cairo.’

283
 ‘Yeah. She’s a wonderful girl with a wonderful family,’ said
Jacko. ‘I’m still a bit nervous though. Would you also come to the
airport, Carna? I need plenty of moral support.’
She smiled broadly, ‘Ciertamente! I wouldn’t miss it for the
world.’

****

In the late afternoon the rain had eased, and Graeme Thomas
calculated they were still five to seven miles from the road. He told
the others that if they just kept moving, they could get within a mile
or two of the road before dark. This would mean they might have a
chance of shooting anyone waiting for them on the road in the
morning. He figured the law might have decided to send only one
man to watch for their arrival there. If they sneaked up on him and
shot him, they could take off south in his vehicle. If there was no one
there, they might be able to ambush everyone at the Daly River
Crossing Pub.
Andy and Aiden were both limping badly but on the suggestion
that there might be a way out, they agreed to push on as fast as they
could. Nat and Owen who still had their firearms were enthusiastic
about the idea. The tracks were getting harder to follow, but Graeme
could detect them occasionally, particularly when they traversed
beside the long billabongs. They had given a wide berth to the site
where Jed Fisher had been taken by the crocodile, but otherwise kept
to the tracks as much as they could.
Some of Graeme’s optimism was restored by the possibility that
the early morning would be the ideal time to creep up on an
unsuspecting lookout. It wasn’t a hopeless proposition after all. It
could be achievable. Whoever was on lookout would probably have
been there most of the night, perhaps even sitting in a jeep, and would
be drowsy and slow to react in the morning. He started to hum to
himself.

****

284
It was nearly midnight when Bobby Jungala pulled up in Steve’s jeep
about a mile and a half east of the junction where Jacko’s wheel
tracks met the road. He parked off to the side of the road amongst
some thick bushes and lit a cigarette, drawing in the smoke deeply
and letting out a sigh of satisfaction. The rain had almost ceased and
he smiled, knowing it would be no problem to have another smoke or
two in the open. Putting the cigarette pack in his tuckerbag, and
wearing only a blue singlet and a pair of dark shorts, he set off,
walking quickly beside the gravel road until he arrived at the spot
where the wheel tracks turned north away from the road. Silently, he
moved along the tracks for another half mile until he found a clump
of large gum trees where he decided to settle down for the night. He
listened to the night sounds carefully before sitting down with his
back against a tree and lighting another cigarette. He had often been
barramundi fishing in the Blue Lagoons and knew this area
intimately. He felt quite at home spending a night out under the stars
but was also happy in his camp near the pub. He appreciated his work
with Steve. He reckoned he could now strip a jeep’s motor and put it
together again with the best of them. He was proud of that. He might
be able to start his own business one day. After finishing another
smoke, he satisfied himself there were no unusual sounds in the bush
around him and lay down and went to sleep.

****

The sunlight came early, breaking through the clouds which were
dispersing after yesterday’s rain. Graeme Thomas stood up and
stretched the stiffness out of his arms and legs, trying to ignore the
hunger pangs in his stomach. He then woke the others and told them
the time had come to move.
‘We’re less than a couple of miles from the road,’ he said. ‘From
here we’ll walk quietly down towards the road through the scrub on
the east side of the tracks. When we get close, we have to be very
quiet. Nat and I’ll go first with our shotguns. If someone’s waiting
there for us, we’ll take him out before he realises we’re there. Okay?’

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 Nat cleared his throat. ‘Yeah, and if no one’s there we’ll creep up
the road and attack the pub, eh Graeme? I’d like to swap my shotgun
for Owen’s rifle.’
There was a mumble of agreement from the others. After rolling
up their swags, they were ready to go. They set off through the trees
and scrub, moving slowly to be as quiet as possible.

****

Bobby Jungala awoke suddenly, knowing the sounds of the bush were
somehow different. Listening intently, he finally nodded and leapt to
his feet. With the rising sun behind him, he scanned the horizon
through the trees and detected a small movement a long way in the
distance. He grinned, picked up his tuckerbag and slipped silently
away through the bush in a direct line to the jeep. He started the
motor, knowing he was too far from the approaching men for them to
hear him, and drove onto the road towards the pub.
A few minutes later, he knocked on the door of Steve’s
demountable and told him the bad men were coming. Steve then
woke Fitzy and his men as well as Ernie and they all gathered in the
pub to plan the next move.
‘How far are they from the road?’ asked Fitzy.
‘Not longpela away,’ answered Bobby.
‘A mile? Two miles?’ said Fitzy.
‘Bobby wouldn’t be able to tell you when they’ll reach the road,’
said Steve. ‘I wouldn’t either. We’ve got to assume they’ll be on the
road within the next hour or so.’
‘Yeah. Sorry. You’re right,’ said Fitzy. ‘Thanks, Bobby. Great
job! The best thing is to find a good spot on the road a couple of
miles west of here and wait with everyone hidden. What do you
reckon, Wally?’
‘Yeah. That’s the best thing we can do,’ said Wally. ‘The quicker
the better. If they won’t drop their firearms immediately on
command, we’ll fire over their heads from different directions so
they’ll see the hopelessness of their position.’
‘Okay, fellas. Mount up,’ said Fitzy.

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 ‘Do you want me and Bobby to come with you, Fitzy?’ asked
Steve.
‘No, Steve. Better you stay here safely out of the way.’
About two miles west of the pub, they found the perfect location to
watch for any approach while all concealed in different positions on
both sides of the road. They parked the vehicles off the road 400
yards behind the chosen area, settled into position and checked their
rifles. Fitzy told them to wait for his signal.
It was a long wait. As the sun climbed higher into the sky, the
temperature rose and with flies buzzing around their heads, the men
started to feel restless. But then they became alert when they heard
the protesting shrieks of cockatoos startled into the air by something
further up the road.
Fitzy peered out through the leaves of his hiding place and
watched the five men coming cautiously into view. They were spread
out on both sides of the road with Graeme Thomas in the lead
carrying a shotgun. Owen Riley was next, also with a shotgun. Two
others including Aiden Smythe, the guard from Fanny Bay gaol,
didn’t seem to be armed while the tall man, Nat Brady, brought up the
rear carrying a rifle. Fitzy watched as they approached.
When Thomas was only ten yards from his position, Fitzy yelled,
‘Stand where you are and drop your guns!’
Several things happened at once. Thomas fired his shotgun wildly
in Fitzy’s direction, eight rifles shot just over the top of Thomas’
head, he and Riley both dropped their shotguns and Brady
disappeared. Fitzy shouted for the men to keep walking slowly
forward, a command instantly obeyed by the nearest four men. No
sign of Brady. Two military policemen with handcuffs stepped out in
front of the four men when a rifle shot rang out from further up the
road. A bullet just winged the left ear of one of the MPs. Everyone
dropped onto the road facedown. Fitzy tried to work out where the
shot had come from and fired a shot in the approximate direction. His
shot was returned by two shots and Fitzy ducked his head. Bloody
hell! he thought. One of the others shot in the direction of the sniper,
who returned fire again.
‘Throw down your rifle now or you’ll be shot!’ yelled Fitzy, only
to attract two more rifle shots from up the road. He scratched his nose

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and waved away some flies as he tried to work out what to do.
Stalemate!
After what seemed to be an interminable time, Fitzy felt someone
join him in his shelter. Looking around he recognised Steve who was
accompanied by Bobby.
‘We heard a lot of shooting and decided to have a look,’ said Steve
in his deep drawl. ‘Looks like some bastard’s got you pinned down.’
‘Yeah. We could attack him but I don’t want anyone hurt,’ Fitzy
admitted.
‘Fire at him once more,’ said Steve. ‘Bobby and I’d like to see
where he is.’
‘Well, okay, if you want,’ said Fitzy, aiming his rifle where he
thought the shots had come from and squeezing the trigger. There was
an immediate shot in response, causing him to duck once more.
Steve said something to Bobby who vanished and Steve moved
further into Fitzy’s shelter and suggested he tell his men to hold their
fire. Fitzy complied and asked Steve what he was going to do. Steve
told him to be patient and held his finger to his lips.
Fifteen minutes later, there was a distant thud and soon after Fitzy
saw Bobby walking down the road towards him with a large club in
his hand and a broad smile on his face.
‘That was the sound of a nulla nulla connecting with a thick skull,’
said Steve.

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 CHAPTER 36

An expectant but happy group was waiting for the flight from
Brisbane via Mount Isa at the Darwin Airport before four o’clock in
the afternoon. Jacko had managed to get the Darwin Harbour Pilot,
Jazz Nicholls, as well as Jamie, Carna, Sarah and Sparky to
accompany him to the airport in three separate vehicles to collect
Monique Rousseau. The others watched Jacko nervously pacing up
and down until they heard the drone of an approaching aircraft hidden
by clouds in the distance. The Qantas converted B-24 Liberator
suddenly broke through the clouds and descended towards the long
airstrip originally constructed by the air force for bombers. To Carna,
it looked like a fat silver cucumber propelled by four engines on high
wings with two large metal discs on either side of its tail. They were
unable to distinguish the faces of any passengers through the small
windows on the side of the aircraft; however, they could see hands
waving.
The B-24 landed with a roar, came to a stop halfway down the
runway and turned onto the taxiway towards them. Jacko was
bouncing up and down in small jerky movements, not knowing what
to do with his hands, putting them in the pockets of his shorts and
taking them out again.
Finally, the aircraft pulled up in front of the hangar which served
as a terminal and some steps were wheeled up to a door on the side of
the fuselage. The door opened, and Jacko held his breath as a few
passengers disembarked.
Then suddenly there she was. Stepping delicately out of the
aircraft in a light-blue dress and carrying a leather handbag was
Monique, her long hair blowing in the breeze. As soon as her foot
touched the tarmac she looked up at them, smiled and waved. She
looked cool and comfortable in the tropical heat. For a moment Jacko
stood transfixed and then as though a button had been pressed he ran
to meet her and stood looking at her with his hands on her shoulders.
She said something the others couldn’t hear and then melted into his
arms.

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 Jamie thought that Jacko’s smile might become a permanent
fixture, as he led her towards his friends.
‘I want you to meet Monique,’ Jacko said quickly and
breathlessly, stammering slightly. ‘You know Jamie of course. This is
Carna. Jamie’s going to marry her. This is my sister, Sarah, and that’s
Jazz. He’s a pilot. Not an air pilot. A harbour pilot. Isn’t she
beautiful?’
‘Bonjour, everyone,’ said Monique. ‘It is so nice to meet all
Jacko’s friends. I know Jamie of course. I’m so pleased to meet you,
Carna, the girl who has stolen his heart at last. Jacko has written to
me many nice things about you. I also feel I know Sarah well from
Jacko’s letters.’
‘Good afternoon, Mon Nik,’ said Sarah, concentrating on the
greeting she had been rehearsing all morning.
‘Good afternoon, Sarah. I’m sure we’ll be very good friends.’
Sarah’s face lit up. ‘Yu aye! Goot pren, Mon Nik. Goot pren. Ya!’
‘We’ve booked you into the Hotel Darwin where we’re staying,’
said Jamie.
‘Merveilleux! I just have to collect my luggage and then we can
go, n’est-ce pas?’
Jacko skipped towards the aeroplane where the baggage was being
unloaded and pointed to a pink leather suitcase. Monique nodded, so
he picked it up and loaded it into the back of one of the jeeps.
‘Mon Dieu! How did you know that was mine?’ asked Monique.
‘It was the prettiest luggage amongst a shabby lot,’ he said,
laughing.
After checking Monique into the Hotel Darwin, Jacko carried her
bag upstairs and told her the others were going to have a drink on the
ground floor verandah and he would wait for her if she wanted to join
them.
‘Of course I’ll join you all,’ she laughed. ‘I don’t intend to sit
around doing nothing. I’d like to get to know your friends here in
Darwin.’
He sighed and said, ‘You’re wonderful.’
‘Non, non, non. What is wonderful is that you and I are in the
same place after all this time. How many years? I’ll join you in a few
minutes.’

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 When she walked out onto the hotel verandah, she saw that there
was another young woman she hadn’t yet met sitting with the others.
She sat down in a chair next to Jacko, and Jazz introduced her to his
wife, Lucille, who was a Spanish Filipina, like Carna, but came from
a different part of the Philippines.
‘This is the best spot in Darwin to view the tropical wet season
sunset,’ said Jamie after they had ordered their drinks from a waiter.
‘Unfortunately, Jazz and Lucille have to leave us now, but Carna and
I will join you for dinner unless you wish to be alone.’
‘Non, non. It will be nice to catch up with you again, Jamie,’ said
Monique. ‘I’m also looking forward to knowing your fiancée better.’
‘How long do you plan to stay in Darwin?’ asked Carna.
‘I haven’t really planned anything yet,’ said Monique. ‘Please tell
me about you and Jamie. I’m dying to hear how you both decided to
get married.’
‘It was very complicated, Monique,’ said Carna, chuckling. ‘I had
to go and get myself kidnapped before he realised how much he
missed me.’
‘That’s not … er … no … not like that … er,’ Jamie stammered.
‘Kidnapped? How did you manage that?’ said Monique, half
laughing, half shocked. ‘Jacko wrote to me that he and Jamie were
investigating kidnappers of children. But you? How did you get
kidnapped?’
By the time Jamie and Jacko had explained the kidnapping and the
events leading to the incarceration of most of the international gang
of child abductors financed by a paederast syndicate in the
Philippines and Australia, the sun was descending. Monique was not
only fascinated with the story but also spellbound by the spectacular
sunset and the chirping of many birds in the parklands in front of
them.
Dinner at the hotel was largely a choice of barramundi fish or
steak which, Jacko told her, was common fare in Darwin. He also
mentioned that some of the best barramundi abounded in the
waterholes around where Carna had been held hostage.
‘So did the kidnappers feed you with this barra … barra fish
during your ordeal?’ asked Monique.

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 ‘No. Those kidnappers were hopeless fishermen,’ said Carna.
‘They gave me mainly canned food and some bacon. Jacko and Sarah
had no trouble catching lots of barramundi after they rescued me. I
caught some, too.’
‘The baddies didn’t have much chance,’ said Jacko, laughing. ‘At
the Daly River Crossing Pub, Big Steve convinced them they should
use radishes as bait for catching barramundi. They might as well have
used rocks or plastic.’
‘So, after you were rescued, Jamie proposed to you?’ said
Monique, winking at Carna. ‘What would happen then if I was
kidnapped?’
Somewhat bewildered by this exchange, Jacko thought he should
interrupt but didn’t know what to say. He was saved by the arrival of
Fitzy, who leapt out of his jeep and joined them on the verandah.
‘Just wanted to tell you that we’ve got them all under lock and
key,’ he said. ‘They won’t be getting out this time. Jacko was right.
There were only five of them left but we had a bit of a shootout with
one of them.’
‘A shootout?’ exclaimed Jacko. ‘I thought they’d be so hungry and
depressed they’d welcome you with open arms.’
‘Yeah, four of them surrendered right away but one of the leaders
of the Melbourne paedophile ring, Nat Brady, decided to put up a
fight,’ said Fitzy. ‘One of our military police, Corporal Brennan, had
a small slice taken out of his ear. That was the only casualty except
for Brady who’s got a gigantic headache.’
‘Why? What happened?’ asked Jamie.
‘Brady kept shooting at us from behind some fallen logs,’ said
Fitzy. ‘Then Steve’s blackfellow apprentice mechanic, Bobby, crept
up behind him and wanged him over the head with his nulla nulla.’
‘Good for him,’ said Jacko. ‘Those fellas at Daly River Crossing
are something else, aren’t they? Are you going to have something to
eat, Fitzy? You haven’t met Monique. She’s a close friend of mine.’
‘It’s nice to meet you, Monique. I’ve heard some nice things about
you from that lad sitting next to you. I won’t stay but I hope to see
more of you in the next few days. I’d better shove off home. I’m sure
Mary will be waiting for me.’

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 ****

After dinner, as Jamie walked Carna home, Jacko and Monique

walked into the park across the road from the hotel. Most of the
clouds had dispersed and the sky was alight with thousands of bright
stars. There was a gentle breeze floating in from the bay. Monique
sighed.
It’s quite beautiful this Darwin of yours, Jacko,’ she said, smiling.
‘I’m so happy to see you again even if I’m only a close friend of
yours.’
‘No, no. I didn’t mean it like that,’ Jacko protested. ‘I often don’t
say what I mean properly. I keep wanting to tell you that I love you. I
do.’
‘Ah, bon. That sounds more like my Jacko,’ she said with a
mischievous grin. ‘So, I don’t need to get myself kidnapped also?’
‘No, no, no. I’ve always loved you since we first met in Cairo,’
said Jacko. ‘It’s just that I’ve been worried you might not like this
place where I live.’
‘Stop and let me look at you,’ she said. ‘Yes, you are still the same
Jacko whom I fell in love with. I still remember your face looking
down at me from the deck of that ship two and a half years ago as it
sailed off from Port Suez. That is the last I saw of you until now. I
know it is trés en avant for me to say so, but the place I am happy to
be right now is here with you.’
‘As usual, I don’t know what to say,’ said Jacko.
‘Alors, don’t say anything. Let’s just enjoy our walk, n’est-ce
pas?’

****

Two days later, Fitzy met Jamie and Jacko on the verandah of the
Hotel Darwin to bring them up to date concerning the new inmates of
Fanny Bay gaol.
‘Apart from their complicity in the kidnapping and murder of
children from the Philippines, we’ll have no trouble convicting the
cousins, Theo and Sean Murphy, and their cohorts of multiple

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crimes,’ said Fitzy. ‘Ryan Turner has been more than willing to sign a
statement detailing the activities of the gang.’
‘As you predicted, singing like a canary, eh?’ said Jamie.
‘Squawking like a parrot I would say. He’s very bitter that Sean
tried to murder him. We have to keep him in a different section of the
gaol from all the others.’
‘I’ve already told Johnny Cook of MI6 most of the details of the
investigation,’ said Jamie. ‘I’ll pass on the news about Turner’s
witness statements to him tonight. He’ll be happy with that.’
‘It wasn’t hard to get some useful information out of Andy Cooper
and Owen Riley as well,’ said Fitzy. ‘We’ll be passing that on to the
Melbourne police, who should be able to use it to arrest a few more
members of that paedophile ring.’
‘That’s great, Fitzy!’ Jamie said.
‘It sort of wraps it up, Jamie. Where are all the ladies this
afternoon?’
‘Carna and Sarah are both bustling around in a cloud of chaos at
the moment,’ said Jamie, ‘with Monique adding to the bedlam. We’ve
set the date three weeks from today. We mere males have been told to
stay out of the way. I didn’t think that planning a wedding would
involve so much confusion.’
Fitzy laughed. ‘Mate, you’ve got no idea! It’ll get worse.’
‘In spite of all the bedlam, I’m happy that Carna’s uncle and aunt
will be flying down from Manila to attend the wedding,’ said Jamie.
‘They’re really nice. Carna’s also invited Ernie, Steve and Slim from
Daly River Crossing. I can’t wait to meet them and thank them.’
‘Don’t forget the Nifties. She’s invited them too,’ said Jacko. ‘I
don’t think they’ll be too ecstatic about wearing a shirt and tie,
though.’
Fitzy laughed again. ‘No, I wouldn’t reckon.’
Jacko chuckled. ‘Well, since we’re under orders to stay out of the
way of the ladies, I suggest we have a cold beer.’

****

Two weeks later, Jamie and Carna collected Don Andrés and Mrs
Revilla from the airport in one of the NT Administration’s cars,

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specially washed and polished for the occasion. As they stepped from
the Avro Lancastrian aircraft, the Revillas spotted Jamie, Carna and
Constanza Hidalgo amongst a small crowd and waved
enthusiastically. As soon as she saw the Revillas, Constanza first
smiled then burst into tears. Sobbing, she explained to Carna that
while she was very happy to see the Revillas again, it brought back
memories of her husband and son. She was soon mollified as Gemma
hugged her, telling her this was the happiest occasion for them all
since the war. Don Andrés gave hugs to both Carna and Jamie and
told them how overjoyed they were when they heard about the
nuptials.
During the drive from the airport, Carna and Jamie eyed each
other with silent amusement as a fast and spirited conversation was
conducted in Spanish in the back seat of the car.

****

At the same time, Jacko was having a beer with Neville Wise at the
bar of the old brick Victoria Hotel in Smith Street.
‘This is me favourite watering hole, Jacko,’ said Neville. ‘Let me
buy you a cool one.’
‘Listen Nifty, I think I owe you about a thousand bloody cool
ones, so it’s always my shout from now on,’ said Jacko.
‘Yeah, orright. I warn ya, but! I sometimes get thirsty. Ernie and
Steve told me you had no trouble rescuing that young girl from those
queer bastards, eh?’
‘No, it was a breeze, Nifty. Those stupid mongrels couldn’t spell
“bush” let alone live in it. But you helped us a lot.’
‘Glad to do it, mate. Don’t like the idea of them blokes messing
with young girls like that.’
‘That particular young girl – Carna’s her name – she’s gonna get
married to my best friend and she’s insisted that you and Nifty
Number 2 should be invited to the wedding.’
‘Aw, I dunno. When’s this then?’
‘Next week. I’ve got an invitation here for you written in her fair
hand.’

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 ‘Hmmm. I dunno. I think between me and the other Nifty we’ve
only got one shirt. I’m not gonna wear a tie.’
‘I’ll give you another two shirts if you’ll come. Carna wants you to
come. It’s hard to argue with some girls.’
‘Ha, don’t I know it,’ said Neville, reading the invitation. ‘We’ll
come to the church but we’d be fish outta water if we came to the
party after. Rather not.’
‘That’s okay, Nifty. Carna would be happy if you came to the
church. How did the crocodile shooting go?’
‘Oh, real good, Jacko. We bagged sixty-five big ’uns. Bloody
good belly skins. We’ve got a shipment going off next Tuesday.
Good money.’
‘That’s great, Nifty. Sixty-five! Bloody beauty! Let me get another
round.’
‘Won’t say no, Jacko.’

****

Two days later, Carna and her mother were in danger of losing their
tempers with each other. Carna explained to her mother yet again in
clear Spanish that the RAAF padre had spent the war giving services
which were acceptable to Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and other
religions and he had accepted the responsibility of conducting their
marriage ceremony in his church in a few days’ time. He was
available and it would not be viable to change the venue to a much
larger city where there were priests or clerics of a higher station.
Carna was saved when the Revillas took her side and convinced
Constanza that the two lovebirds should be united as planned in
Darwin where many of their friends were. They reminded her that the
happiness of her daughter was the priority. They also said that Carna
was fortunate that her betrothed was such a handsome and upstanding
gentleman who obviously adored her. Constanza finally relented and
just stopped herself from saying, ‘What would your father have said?’
Carna gave her teary mother a hug and thanked her. After thanking
her uncle and aunt, she told them she had to run to meet with the
manager of the Hotel Darwin to select linen and decorations for the
reception.

296
 Trotting down the Esplanade towards the hotel, she wondered
whether she would ever get everything organised in time. She still
had a number of dress fittings for herself and Sarah over the next
days. She had to organise hairdressers and a zillion other things. At
least Sarah was responsive and did whatever she asked her to do. She
hadn’t sighted the men much in the last few days but knew they were
busy writing reports and such. She knew they would be ready. They
were lucky. They didn’t have to worry too much about clothes and
hair. Jamie would probably be happy to have a picnic in the bush in
place of a reception. But I am sure he will love the reception also, this
precious man I am marrying, she thought as she trotted into the hotel.

297
 CHAPTER 37

A few days later, on a clear sunny afternoon, it seemed the whole of

Darwin was enthralled by the wedding of the beautiful long-haired
Spanish Filipina girl to Jamie Munro. The best man, Jacko, was
considered something of a hero as ever-more-embellished tales of his
mystical skills in the destruction of criminal gangs did the rounds. His
quiet little black half-sister, Sarah, had become part of the same
legend.
Everyone agreed that the bride was radiantly lovely. Before she
entered the old reconstructed church in an ivory wedding dress and
veil, she was enthusiastically applauded by a large crowd of curious
spectators. She was accompanied by her uncle, Don Andrés Revilla,
and the diminutive slim black girl, Sarah, looking pretty in a peach
bridesmaid’s dress. Earlier there had also been cheers and applause
when Jamie and Jacko arrived at the church.
The guests in the small church included Steve, Ernie and Slim
from the Daly River Crossing, all looking somewhat uncomfortable
in suits and ties. The two Nifties stood in a dark corner at the back of
the church as they were only wearing shirts and shorts. There were
also some old friends of Jamie and Jacko, Bill Pearce and Jake
‘Tommo’ Thompson, who had driven up from Daly Waters south of
Katherine. The front pews were occupied on one side by Carna’s
mother, Constanza Hidalgo, and her uncle and aunt, Don Andrés and
Gemma Revilla. On the other side of the aisle in the front row
Monique sat between Aubrey and Hilda Abbott and Russell and Mary
Fitzgibbon. Jason and Lucille Nicholls with their ten-year-old
daughter, Julia, who was quietly giggling with their newly adopted
son, Manuel, sat in the second row next to the Harbour Master, Eric
Downey. Carna’s boss and his family were seated further back. The
rest of the church was filled with friends, guests, local policemen, NT
Administration staff, the pilot’s boat crew and family members.
Sarah, resplendent in her bridesmaid’s dress, stood proudly next to
Carna. She couldn’t really follow the service but felt confident in her
role of support for the bride. She was naturally shy and felt nervous

298
with such a large crowd watching her but the presence of her brother
standing just the other side of Jamie gave her a lot of confidence.
Following the pronouncement that Jamie and Carna were man and
wife, they shyly kissed and she whispered in his ear, ‘Te adoro.’
Smiling broadly, they slowly walked back down the aisle greeting
guests as they passed. Jacko and Sarah followed them. As they
approached the rear of the church, Jacko touched Carna on the
shoulder, pointing to the two Nifties standing in the shadows. She
skipped over to them and kissed both their cheeks. Neville Wise later
confided that Nifty Number 2 was speechless for two days.
When the bridal party emerged from the church, the waiting crowd
again cheered and applauded. Jamie and Carna waved to them before
entering the cars to drive them to the reception at the Hotel Darwin.
The watching crowd continued to applaud as the guests filed out of
the church.
The Green Room at the hotel had been gaily decorated with
hangings, flowers and balloons. Tables with white tablecloths had
been set up around the dance floor in front of the raised stage for the
band.
Seated at the central bridal table, Carna thought that she had never
been quite so happy. Married to this handsome man in this
astonishing northern region of such a huge island. The last remnants
of her family were all present, and she and Jamie were surrounded by
so many good friends. To her left seated on the other side of Jamie
she saw Jacko and Monique whispering to each other and wondered if
they would decide to wed too. They were clearly made for each other,
she thought. To her right, Sarah was carefully concentrating on the
table etiquette she had been rehearsing for a week. Carna knew that
this sweet little black girl who had so effortlessly led her to safety
would be more comfortable out in the bush; however, it gave her
great comfort to have Sarah nearby on this occasion. My Guardian
Angel. Jacko was planning to send her to school in Darwin and Carna
hoped Sarah would agree. She was still very young. Still a teenager?
Carna wasn’t sure. It was hard to tell.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the band tuning up on the stage.
The band comprised a bass, a trumpet, a trombone, two saxophones,
drums and a pianist braving the slightly out-of-tune piano. The band

299
launched into a rendition of ‘Moonlight serenade’ while drinks and
entrees were being served. Then after a crescendo, it was announced
that the groom would say a few words.
Trying not to show emotion, Jamie formally thanked Jacko and
Sarah for their support as best man and bridesmaid. He acknowledged
Carna’s mother, and her uncle and aunt visiting from the Philippines.
He also paid tribute to the NT Administrator and his wife as well as
to all their friends in the Northern Territory whom he and Carna had
come to know well.
‘I have a couple more things to say,’ he said. ‘Firstly, I want you
to know that my lovely new wife and I are here for the long term. I
have just bought a house overlooking the harbour near Doctors Gully
Springs about half a mile from here. Secondly, since everyone has
asked where we’re taking our honeymoon, I have this to say. I wanted
to take Carna to London or Paris, but we decided that would be better
later on, after some of the wartime destruction has been restored. So,
we’ve decided to take a week’s holiday in Sydney and then she wants
to teach me to fish. We’re going to spend a week catching barramundi
at the Blue Lagoons near the Daly River.’
This was greeted with a rowdy standing ovation as Jamie sat
down. When it subsided, Carna mischievously whispered to him,
‘Don’t forget, you have to take your guitar, too.’
Then it was Jacko’s turn to stand.
‘I have a special request for our NT Administrator. Mr Abbott. On
behalf of some of our guests I would like you to approve the removal
of ties,’ he said with a grin, unknotting his own tie.
Smiling, Mr Abbott quickly responded with, ‘I officially approve,’
much to the applause of the crowd many of whom were quick to
comply.
Jacko held up his hand for silence. ‘I feel that I should say
something meaningful about this happily and newly wedded couple. I
have known Jamie now for nearly five years. During the war I tried
desperately to introduce him to some of the most beautiful girls in
Egypt and Asia, but he was totally immune to their allure. I
completely lost any hope for my friend. I thought he would drift
through life a lonely old man. Thereafter, I brought him back to
Australia and what happened? He met a girl even more gorgeous than

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all those exotic sirens over there and fell for her like a boulder falling
off a cliff.’
Carna blushed while the raucous applause filled the Green Room
again.
Jacko remained standing and again waved a hand for quiet. ‘I also
want to say that Sarah and I spent some time out in the bush with the
lovely bride. She was completely in her element, no two ways about
it. So, the wedding we have had today is the union between a bushie
formerly from New South Wales and a bushie formerly from the
Philippines. By this union they have now graduated to be two dinky-
di Territory bushies.’
The thunderous applause, including stamping of feet, continued
for about five minutes after which the band launched into the swing
music of the Dorseys, the Gershwins, Glen Miller and Cole Porter
while the main course was served.
When plates had been cleared, the band leader announced that the
happy couple would take to the floor for the bridal waltz. As the
lovely strains of the ‘Blue Danube’ rang out, Jamie was able to
negotiate this with the expert help of Carna and continued dancing
when the band reverted to swing. Later, almost all the men wanted to
dance with Carna who barely had a chance to leave the floor.
When Garry Speck asked Sarah for a dance, she found that she
could easily keep in step with the music and started to enjoy herself.
Then Big Steve insisted on dancing with her. They made a rather
awesome twosome, the six-foot-six giant dancing with the little black
girl of five foot four. Steve’s long pants, which ended eight inches
above his shoes, added to the spectacle. Then when Jacko took over
as her partner, her confidence increased. She knew she would have no
problem working her way through this strange event. It was far less
complicated than any corroboree.
Jamie requested Monique for a dance and asked her, ‘How long
will you stay in Darwin?’
Monique laughed and replied, ‘Oo là! A nice way of asking about
Jacko and me. Jamie, you’re the first to know that we’ve decided we
shall also get married, sometime in the future. We’re not quite sure
when. Jacko didn’t want anything said. He thought it would steal a
storm from you and Carna.’

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 ‘Steal our thunder?’
‘Oh là! I thought I had that wrong. Yes, steal your thunder.’
‘Have you planned a date yet?’
‘Non, non, my family don’t know about it yet, so we haven’t made
any plans. I would like Jacko to come to Brisbane for a short visit.
My parents are fond of Jacko so I think they will be happy. I think it
is possible that we may also get married in Darwin. But this needs
discussion.’
Jamie smiled. ‘Of course you must discuss these things with your
family. I’m sure they will be very happy. So shall I.’
‘Merveilleux! I think this is the most joyous day in my life.’
‘Mine too!’
At that moment, Jacko tapped Jamie on the shoulder and took over
the dance with Monique. Jamie went over to the table where Bill
Pearce and Jake Thompson were sitting with Ernie, Steve and Slim
who all seemed to be enjoying themselves.
‘I see that you’ve all become good friends,’ he said. ‘I have to tell
you that Bill and Thommo helped us a lot last year in running down a
bad mob of gangsters in the Kimberleys in Western Australia.’
‘Yeah, Thommo’s been telling us about it,’ said Steve with a wink.
‘At some length!’
‘Well, we probably wouldn’t have been as successful as we were
without Thommo’s help,’ said Jamie. ‘Just like our recent
investigation. We couldn’t have done it without you fellas. We
always seem to rely on the local Territorians for help.’
‘So you bloody well should,’ said Steve with a deep booming
laugh. ‘Stop being so bloody grateful and have a beer with us. If we
can’t help each other we don’t deserve to live here. Anyway, we all
had a lot of fun. If you want any more help running after gangsters,
count me in. Cheers and down the hatch.’
The band continued playing many old favourites and the dance
floor proved very popular. The most popular dancer was Carna, so
Jamie was only able to snatch an occasional short dance with her. He
decided he should have a dance with Carna’s mother who was
pleased to be asked.
‘I hope you and my daughter will be very happy,’ she said.
‘You’re a nice boy and I’m sure you’ll look after her.’

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 ‘Yes, Constanza, I certainly will try to do that,’ he said.
‘I was tempted to return to Manila with Andrés and Gemma,’ she
said. ‘Then I realised, if I did that, when would I see my Carna? So,
I’m staying here and you may call me Connie from now on. It’s
simpler.’
‘Thank you, Connie. I’m glad you’ll be staying. We’ll be able to
see you often.’
‘You’re a nice boy to say that. Sometimes I’m just a crusty old
woman but I’ll always be delighted to see you both. Don’t you think
my daughter looks pretty today?’
‘She always looks pretty, Connie.’
‘Yes, most of the time. I don’t know what’s got into her though.
Wanting to go fishing in the bush instead of having a proper
honeymoon.’
‘I think it’s her way of showing herself that she wasn’t too badly
affected by her horrible experience on the floodplains of the Daly
River.’
‘En serio? Crees? You think so? Yes, I suppose like getting back
on the horse, no?’
‘Yes, Connie. Just like getting back on the horse after a fall.’
‘Muy bueno! We’ll stop dancing now, if you don’t mind. My old
legs are tired and I might go home now. It’s all right for you young
things to stay up. Andrés and Gemma can walk home with me.
Buenas noches, Jamie.’
‘Buenas noches, Connie.’

****

The Philippines visitors congratulated Jamie and Carna and gave

them hugs, then departed with Constanza. The reception broke up
before midnight when the band left. The Daly River Crossing group
with Bill and Thommo in tow took off for the Hotel Victoria bar
around the corner in Smith Street to see if Nifty was still around. The
newly wedded couple then quietly slipped off upstairs to the hotel
bridal suite. All the other guests were leaving when Jacko and
Monique walked into the park opposite the hotel and studied the half-
moon which was pulling away towards the western horizon.

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 ‘A charming wedding and a lovely night with my Jacko,’ said
Monique.
‘This place is not very sophisticated, I’m afraid.’
‘I don’t have to be in a sophisticated place if it’s fun and if I’m
with you, Jacko my love.’
‘But your parents, Monique! They wouldn’t be too happy if they
settled down in Brisbane and you moved to Darwin.’
‘Pourquoi pas? I am a grown-up girl. I am no longer la petite fille
bébé of my family. Alors, my mama and papa like you very much,
Jacko. Why are you making excuses?’
‘I’m not, I’m not … er … sorry. Jamie’s going to be away for a
week in Sydney, so perhaps we could fly down to Brisbane for a few
days. I could get Sparky to book us tomorrow.’
‘Vraiment! That would be fantastic, Jacko. My parents would love
to see you, n’est-ce pas? When we tell them we are engaged they
won’t be too surprised.’
‘Yes, I think you’re right. Are you really sure you wouldn’t mind
living in a town like Darwin?’
‘I would never mind as long as you are here. I have to warn you
that my father will want you to take him to the Philippines one day to
look at the prospects for furniture manufacturing there. That’s his
business, as you know.’
‘That would be a pleasure. We’ll see if we can take off for
Brisbane tomorrow or the next day.’
‘Merveilleux! I am so very happy. Heureuse! Je t’adore, mon
chéri.’
‘I love you too, my darling. I’ll have to clear it with Jamie in the
morning before he goes to Sydney. I know he won’t mind. He’ll
encourage us to go. I’ll also have to make sure Sarah is set up with
her English teacher. She’s keen to learn.’
‘That’s wonderful, Jacko. You have a very sweet sister. She’s also
a hero.’
‘I’m glad you like her. She hasn’t had much education but she’s
determined and smart.’
‘Takes after her elder brother, n’est-ce pas? Are you sure there
won’t be an outbreak of crime while you are in Brisbane?’
Jacko chuckled. ‘No! I don’t reckon. They wouldn’t dare.’

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 www.zeus-publications.com
Official Review of The Warramunga’s War by the Online Book Club

The Warramunga’s War is the first novel in a trilogy. It is historical fiction

about war and espionage.
Being suspenseful and absorbing, the tale is well written, easy to read and
full of fascinating historical details. The characters are unique, exciting and well
developed, particularly the focal characters. The book is balanced consisting of
enthralling conversations, action and narration.
Undoubtedly, it will be a feast for fans of historical fiction blended with
mystery and romance.
Rosemary Wright. Online Book Club

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