Monkey Business (24 page)

Phil and I waited in his ute at the wharf watching the barge pull into the harbour. It was like watching grass grow, except that you're also depending on the grass to grow so you can use it for something important, like saving the life of the man you love. I jiggled in my seat. I couldn't stand it after a while so I got out of the car and stood in the sun instead. Phil got out too and leaned against the bonnet.

When I'd called Lucy and told her what she needed to do – get the lettuce crisper to Darwin that day for the overnight barge – she'd said she'd take it to the airport herself, make sure it got on the plane. Phil had heard from his mates to say it was on board.

I said, ‘Good grief, that thing moves slowly.'

‘Yip.'

The barge was a great hulking beast, lumbering into position at the concrete ramp, nose first. It shuffled around a bit until the skipper seemed satisfied, and the deckhands moved like arthritic old men, finally getting it tied up. Its great jaw opened, and the ramp was lowered at about one centimetre an hour. I jiggled some more.

‘Can I go over there?'

‘Nah,' said Phil glancing around. ‘Wait 'n see.' He twisted the top off a stubby.

‘What are we waiting for?'

‘Customs.'

‘Oh. Shit.'

I was about to ask Phil who he thought would have the stuff when I saw, oh my God, Lucy strolling down the ramp! I let out an excited squeak and lurched forward, but Phil snagged my top.

‘Not yet,' he said.

Lucy had her handbag over one shoulder and was carrying a plastic bag. A man in uniform approached her and she stopped, dropping everything onto the ground. She opened her handbag and the plastic bag.

‘Oh shit, oh shit.' I grabbed Phil's arm.

The customs man was checking out her stuff and I saw Lucy hunt around in her handbag. She handed something to the guy and he turned and walked away.

Lucy gave the boys on the barge a big wave, picked up her bags and jogged towards us, yelling, ‘Oh my God, your hair!'

I ran to meet her, hugged her tight, squealing with relief and happiness. I stepped back to take in the beautiful sight of her.

‘Fuck, it's hot,' she said.

‘I can't believe you're here!'

‘Did those gang people do this to you?' She ran a hand over my head.

I threw my arms around her again, whispering, ‘Thank you, Luce. Thank you, thank you.'

She pushed me gently away, saying ‘Too hot, hon,' and handed me the extra-large Myer bag – the size you get when you buy towels and bed linen – with Mum's special-edition lettuce crisper and a celery crisper as well.

‘Where did you get the celery one?' I said, shaking it then opening the lid. ‘There's celery in here!'

‘I found it in your mum's fridge. Thought it might come in handy.' Lucy shrugged. ‘You can get her another one.'

‘God, I love you, Lucy. Why did you come?'

‘Well, I didn't trust the courier to get it to Darwin on time,' she looked over her shoulder at the barge, ‘and once I got to Darwin and met those thieving bastards, no way could I trust them to deliver.'

I carried the Myer bag and we walked arm in arm to where Phil was waiting by his car. He seemed a bit embarrassed, not knowing where to look.

I introduced them. ‘Phil Collins, this is my friend, Lucy Collins.'

‘Hey,' said Lucy, ‘maybe we're related!'

Phil looked to the left, the right, up, down, then grunted and got into the car. Lucy and I got in next to him, Luce in the middle, the Tupperware on my lap.

‘Geez,' said Lucy, gazing around as we drove. ‘What a shithole.'

‘Do you want me to take you to my hotel and I'll go get Jack?'

‘No, hon. I'm coming with you.'

‘Are you sure? These people are dangerous.'

She gave my arm a squeeze. ‘I'm sure.'

I squeezed her back, but I admit I was thinking about how we were all going to fit in Phil's ute. The boys could sit in the back of it. I had a big sheet to cover them so no one would see us. Jack would need to see a doctor for his leg. Maybe Lucy could have a look at it. After I made the exchange we were going straight back to the barge. Phil had arranged with his mates for us to be taken to Darwin tonight. It was going to cost, big-time, but Jack had lots of money.

As we drove I asked Lucy about her trip on the barge. The skipper – a mate of Phil's – had given up his bunk for her so she'd had a good night's sleep, but not until she'd drunk all the crew under the table.

‘What did you give the customs guy?' I said.

‘Money.'

‘Really?'

‘Yep. He was pretty happy about it.'

‘He obviously was.' I looked at Phil and I thought I saw his beard move. Was that a smile?

Phil's ute clattered along. Ahead I could see kids chucking things at each other from either side of the road.

Lucy said, ‘Oh, shit, those kids!'

Phil maintained speed.

‘What are they doing?' she almost shouted, gripping the dashboard.

I patted her arm as we rattled past. ‘It's fine, Luce.' The young men stopped their missile-throwing while we went by.

‘Where are their parents?' She twisted her head to watch them.

Where indeed? Probably at cocktail parties with prostitutes and masturbating monkeys. With cupboards full of guns and Tupperware, and prisoners in cages.

I opened the celery crisper and tossed the celery out the window, wondering if I'd just transported a deadly vegetable virus across the sea that would now mutate and decimate the country's crops. All of them. I wiped the inside of the crisper with a tissue. It still looked used, but there wasn't much I could do about that.

As we approached Samson's driveway, I said to Phil, ‘Do you want to wait down here?'

‘Nah.' He made the turn, grinding the column shift down to climb the hill to the house.

We stopped and two guards approached us.

‘Jesus,' said Lucy. ‘I feel like we're in a movie.'

I said, ‘Wait here,' and climbed out of the car slowly, smiling tentatively.

I held up the bag. ‘This is for Samson.'

One of the men approached me and looked in the bag. He gave me a small shove and Lucy yelled, ‘Hey!'

I said to Luce, ‘Quiet!' Tried again. ‘This is a gift for Samson. He's expecting it.'

The guy glared at me. I didn't know what else to do – he didn't understand me – but then the front door of the house opened and Samson strode out.

‘Who are you?' he shouted. ‘What do you want?'

‘It's me, Erica. I've got the thing you wanted.'

Recognition changed his expression in an instant. He stopped, said something to the two men and they walked back to the house, stood by the door.

I glanced at Phil and Lucy in the car. Lucy was ready for a fight, eyes narrowed, fists clenched. Phil was trying to shrink into his seat.

Samson snatched the bag and opened it, his eyes lighting up. ‘Ah! This is the very thing she wants.' He pulled the lettuce crisper from its box and inspected it, returned it to the bag. ‘And what is this thing?' He held up the celery container.

And then, surprise, surprise, Kitty skipped out of the house.

‘Hi,' she said, waving as she ran up and gave me a hug.

‘Kitty,' I hissed, ‘what the hell are you doing here?'

I looked towards the house, half expecting to see Emeline rush out with a carving knife. So much for Samson never having anything more to do with this ‘whore'.

Kitty peered into the car. ‘Hi. Who is this?'

Lucy scowled and they sized each other up. I didn't bother introducing them.

I said, ‘Um, Samson, where are the boys?'

‘Boys?' he said, looking up from the Tupperware. He was taking the lid on and off the celery crisper.

‘You know, my friends? You were going to let them go?'

‘All right,' he said. ‘You can have the men. But . . .' he said with a finger in my face, ‘you must leave this country today. If I discover that you have been seen I will find you and kill you all!' He waved his arm angrily to make his point.

‘Yes! No! I mean, no problem!'

‘One minute.' He turned, striding back into his house. He returned with a small bag that he handed to me. ‘A gift,' he said.

I opened the bag and pulled a strange object out of it. I had no idea what it was. Something lumpy and grey – about the size of a golf ball – and it was on a thick string. It was the ugliest thing I'd ever seen. Samson took it from me and put the string around my neck.

‘Oh,' I said. ‘It's a pendant?'

‘This will bring you good fortune.'

‘Well, um, thanks.'

Samson nodded to his men and walked back into his house without another word. The men headed down the slope to where the boys had been in the cages. Were they back there? I'd thought he might have let Jack and Joe stay in his house. He'd said he'd look after them. I beckoned Lucy and followed the men. Lucy scrambled after me. Phil stayed put. I was feeling sorry for him; he seemed so fearful with his big round eyes under his bushy eyebrows.

Kitty was beside me. She said, ‘That is a very special gift, Erica. It is
sico lopes
. Shrunken monkey foetus. Very good luck.'

I stopped dead, scrabbling at the thing to get it off me but Kitty grabbed my hands and held them still.

She said, ‘You must wear it. At least until we leave this house.' The look in her eye suggested I'd be suicidal to do otherwise.

I let the petrified foetus flop back against my chest and walked on, shuddering as it bounced against me. Lucy was now ahead of me, following the two warriors. As we approached the cages I could see Joe sitting in his and I looked for Jack. Where was he? Lucy ran ahead. As I got closer I could see a lumpy form on the bottom of the other cage.

I called out, ‘Joe!'

He turned his head and stared at me. I ran to his cage. His eyes were red and watery. He was a mess. I wasn't even sure he knew me. ‘Joe?' Samson hadn't looked after the boys at all. And Jack wasn't even moving.

I said to Samson's men, ‘What's wrong with him?' They ignored me and went about lowering the cages to the ground.

Joe found his gravelly voice as the guard opened his cage. ‘Erica. Oh, God.'

Lucy had hold of Jack's cage before it hit the ground. She screamed at the men, ‘Get this open now!' I wanted to tell her not to do that, to not scream at them, but my voice wasn't working.

Joe pushed past me, stumbled and pulled Jack's cage door open, dragging him out of it. Jack was unconscious. He looked dead.

‘What's wrong with him?' I yelled in case someone had the answer.

Joe was kneeling, holding Jack's head in his lap and Lucy was all over him.

‘He's alive,' she said, and Joe told her to look at the arrow wound.

‘It was poisoned,' he said.

Lucy said, ‘He's septic. We need to go now.'

Joe tried to hoist Jack over his shoulder. It took him a couple of goes with Lucy's help. I stood there, mute. Joe struggled up the hill with Lucy walking next to him, holding his elbow, supporting him. I staggered after them; Kitty skipped along beside me in silence.

Joe lowered Jack into the tray of the ute alongside my backpack and climbed up next to him.

Lucy said to Phil, ‘We need to get to the hospital.' And she hopped in the back with the boys. I covered them all with the sheet and sat next to Phil, feeling useless and thoroughly, completely, shocked.

Phil started the car and Kitty stuck her head in the window. ‘Where are you going now?'

‘Straight to the hospital, Kitty,' I said. ‘Move away.'

She held the door and shook her head. ‘No. You will die if you go there. Samson will kill you.'

I stared at her and Lucy yelled from the back, ‘Let's
go
!' She thumped the car.

Kitty held the door and my stare. ‘Wait one minute.' She ran into the house, returning in seconds with her bag. She opened the passenger door and shoved me along with her hip. ‘I will tell you what you need to do.' She looked past me at Phil. ‘Okay, now we can go.'

Phil drove back to Seni in record time and Kitty directed him to her flat.

‘Why are we here, Kitty?' I said.

‘You will stay here while I get some things from the hospital.'

‘But we need to get out of here.'

‘He needs medical attention first, my friend. Then you go.'

We got out of the car. I pulled the sheet off the trio in the back, not looking at Jack because I couldn't bear it.

Before Lucy could start yelling and bossing, I said to her, ‘Samson'll find us if we go to the hospital. Kitty's going there now to get what you need and we'll wait here.'

Lucy glared at Kitty. ‘Like hell. I'm going with her.'

Kitty took a step back, which is the effect Lucy has on people.

Lucy said, ‘What I need isn't available over the counter.'

‘We can steal it,' said Kitty, without hesitation. ‘I know someone there. A surgeon who owes me a favour.'

‘Well, what are we waiting for?' said Luce.

They exchanged a brief look of admiration. We all helped the boys up the stairs to Kitty's flat. Kitty ran ahead to her bedroom to put Cecil in his cage so we wouldn't ‘disturb' him. Today Cecil was wearing a blue bow tie around where I supposed his throat was. We stood in silence as she cooed and coaxed Cecil into not strangling her.

Joe lay Jack on the bed and Kitty said, ‘Let us go now!'

Phil, Kitty and Lucy left. Joe staggered into the kitchen and returned with a glass of water for Jack, lifting his head gently and carefully tipping it up to his mouth, tiny sips that mostly ran down his face and neck, wetting the bed.

Joe drank and drank himself, and kept trying to give water to Jack.

I said, ‘I'll do that, Joe. You look after yourself.' But there didn't seem much point. God knows what had happened to them over the last couple of days. Just left to rot, by the look of it. Joe lay next to his mate and groaned. I sat by Jack and ran my hand through his hair. I went to the bathroom and came back with a damp washer to wipe his face. I didn't know if it was any use, but at least I felt I was doing something.

Joe peered at me through half-closed eyes. ‘How are we going to get out of here?'

‘We're leaving on the barge tonight.'

His head rolled away from me and I could barely hear him when he said, ‘Jack won't survive it.'

Won't survive it? But what else could we do? I stared at Joe for a full minute. He closed his eyes, defeated. I paced the room. Should we go to the airport? Risk being caught? How could we get Jack onto a commercial flight? We couldn't. I paced.
Come on, Erica, think.

Kitty's phone rang. I watched it for a few seconds then picked it up in case it was Kitty. But it was a man's voice, and I didn't understand what he was saying. I hung up and stared at the phone. I picked it up again and dialled Australia.

Celia answered.

‘Celia, it's Erica and I need Mr Degraves urgently.'

‘He's got the chairman with him —'

‘NOW, Celia. Go in there and tell him it's life or death and don't you dare not do this!'

I could hear her hesitation before the phone was quietly placed on her desk. A minute later she said, curtly, ‘Putting you through.'

John Degraves sounded annoyed and suspicious. ‘What is it, Erica, and where are you?'

‘I'm in Saint Sebastian and I've got Jack. He's dying and we need to fly him out of here but we can't go to the airport because a gang is looking for us and will kill us.'

There was silence, then he said, ‘And what do you expect of me?'

Rage coursed through me and I sucked in a huge breath. I screamed into the phone, ‘You get us out of here NOW or I swear I'll expose you and the Team and anything else I might be able to dig up!'

I was breathing heavily, almost panting. JD knew I could carry out those threats. My job at Dega meant I had contacts in every media outlet across the country.

He didn't say anything for so long. I held my silence and waited.

Finally, ‘Call back in ten minutes.' He hung up.

I watched the clock on Kitty's wall. Fifteen seconds before the ten minutes was up, I picked up the phone and called JD's office. Celia answered.

‘It's Erica.'

‘Hang on.'

JD came on the line. ‘Go to the airport now. The air force will bring you home.'

I put the phone down and gazed down the short passage into the bedroom. Jack and Joe, the elite of the elite, lay side by side, broken. Fallen soldiers. The very best Australia has to offer, sent here to this stinking country for what? Right now I hated John Degraves more than I'd ever hated anyone or anything in my life.

Jack groaned and his head rolled. Joe sat up and put a hand on Jack's shoulder. I rushed to his side.

Joe said, softly, ‘Mate.'

Jack's eyelids fluttered and half opened. His face was pointing at me, but I don't know if he saw anything before he closed his eyes again and slept. I wanted to believe this brief moment of consciousness was a good sign. Denial tried hard, but I knew it was more likely the opposite – a fleeting farewell.

The wait for Kitty and Lucy seemed interminable, but finally Lucy rushed back into the bedroom carrying a bag. Joe stood to make room for her. Kitty was in the doorway, watching us. Probably having the time of her life.

I said, ‘JD's organised something for us, Luce. We need to get to the airport.'

‘Okay. I need to sort this first.' She said to Joe, ‘Get him undressed,' and to Kitty, ‘We need transport.' To me she said, ‘Phil had to go.'

Joe stripped off Jack's pants and I helped. The arrow wound on his leg was horrible: red, pussy, swollen, dried blood everywhere. His whole body was a terrible grey colour. I clutched my monkey foetus.

Lucy put a drip in Jack's arm, injected him, washed the wound. ‘He might lose his leg,' she said, without emotion, and I felt relieved. If Lucy was talking about him losing a leg, then she must be thinking he would survive.

Kitty said, ‘The taxi is here.'

‘Five minutes,' said Lucy.

‘I will tell the driver,' said Kitty and ran out of the apartment.

I went into the bathroom and threw up.