Pearls (24 page)

Simeon's eyes flickered open. 'Mister Flynn?'

Wes frowned. 'It's me, Wes.'

'Wes?'

'Dat shark plenty humbug, hey? Here, you drink dis, feel better bimeby.'

Simeon shook his head. 'That was no shark. That was Flynn. Never going to let me rest, I reckon.'

'What yo' talkin' 'bout? Jay-sus!'

'I saw him, Wes. That shark's got Flynn in him.'

'Mebbe you bin dive too long, boy. You seein' spirit now. all diver see spirit one time.'

'He came straight for me. Like no shark I ever saw before.'

Wes put the coffee down and leaned in close. 'You check yo' suit befo' you dive, huh?'

Simeon shook his head.

'Dere was stains on yo' suit. Look like blood to me.'

'Flynn?'

'Will you shaddup 'bout dat Flynn? I'm tellin' you dey was real bloodstains. Mebbe somebody puts dat turtle blood on yo' suit.'

Turtle blood! Just a drop of turtle blood in the water would turn a shark crazy. The previous afternoon, after the
Ada
had left, the crew had seen a turtle in the water, three of the Koepangers had jumped over the side and captured it with ropes and knives. They had cooked it and eaten it for supper.

'Hanaguchi!' Simeon whispered.

'Mebbe.'

'I'll kill him!'

Wes grabbed him by the shoulders . 'It ain't certain it was him, boy. You want for killim, that's yo' business. But not while you is on dis boat. Dere four mo' Japs on dis hyar crew, we doan want no war.'

'I'll kill him,' Simeon repeated.

'Mebbe you better, boy. Looks like he ain't ever goin' to let you be for messin' up his face. Till then, mebbe you better stay crazy. I tell dat Huey Fong more better we go back to Broome. Hokkay?'

Simeon nodded. The big man was right. 'Okay,' he said.

***

Huey crouched over the doorway of the galley, whispering to Siosuki. 'Wes saw the bloodstains on the suit! I know he did!'

'What prove?'

'You have to find some other way! Maybe Simeon won't ever dive no more.'

'You help me.'

Huey looked around to make sure none of the crew were eavesdropping, but they were all too busy watching the shark which had appeared again, off the port side. 'It's your fight, Japanese. Nothing to do with me.'

Siosuki picked up the bone-handled knife, the one he had used to cut up the turtle the night before. He waved it under Huey's nose. 'You help! Or maybe you next!'

'Or maybe I should tow you behind the boat like your friends did to that Koepanger!'

'You never dare!' Siosuki said confidently.

He was right. With four other Japs on board, he didn't dare.

'You help me, Manilaman!'

Wes came out of the scuttle and Huey Fong turned away. He saw the big West Indian touch the
ju-ju
on his neck for luck and make the sign against the evil eye.

Chapter 38

Simeon lay on his bunk, shivering, while the sweat poured down his face. It was deathly silent save for the creaking of cordage and the lap of the waves against the hull. He heard the padding of feet on the deck above as the night watch changed hands.

He was drunk with exhaustion but still couldn't sleep. Whenever he closed his eyes he saw Flynn standing there, holding out the handkerchief with the noose inside. Above him Huey Fong tossed and turned, groaning and grinding his teeth. The diver's rheumatics, he supposed.

Then he heard him sit up, roll out of his bunk and slide to the floor. He felt his hot breath on his face. 'Simeon? You awake?'

'What is it?'

'Can't sleep. The pain's terrible.'

'Have you tried the cadjeput oil?'

'Doesn't help. Nothing helps. Have to get back into my suit and go down. Need you to help me.'

Simeon got up and slipped a sarong about his waist. Huey was in a bad way. He had to support him on his shoulder to the scuttle.

The deck was washed in silver from a three quarter moon. As Simeon climbed out of the scuttle he sensed a movement behind him. He turned, instinctively raising an arm above his head.

The marlin spike crunched down on his forearm, snapping it like a dry stick. He screamed in agony and fell back among the loops of coir rope. He kept rolling as the heavy iron came down again, splintering the decking inches from his head where it stuck fast.

He called to Huey for help but then his friend was on top of him and he shrieked again as Huey pulled his shattered arm behind his back. Through the pain he saw Hanaguchi twist the marlin spike free of the decking and heft it above his head. Simeon tried to twist away but Huey had his arm and there was nothing he could do.

Mother of God!

***

Cameron lay on his bunk, his hands folded behind his head. The cell door swung open and Sergeant Clarke put his head in. 'Cameron, you've got a visitor.' He ushered George Niland into the cell.

'I dinnae want to see him, thank you, Sergeant.'

'But Cam. We're old friends. I just want to say goodbye.'

'Goodbye George,' Cameron said. 'I dinnae intend tae get up. Now I'd be obliged if you left me in peace.'

'I understand that you're bitter. But I did everything I could. You only have yourself to blame.'

'Get him out of here, Sergeant.'

Clarke hesitated. He touched George on the shoulder. 'If you wouldn't mind, sir. There doesn't seem to be any point.'

'My wife wanted me to say goodbye too, Cameron. She says she will say a prayer for the repose of your soul every ...'

Cameron leaped to his feet and lunged at him. Clarke stepped in quickly shoving Cameron back onto his bunk. Then he bundled George quickly out of the door.

'Get that man out of my sight!' Cameron shouted.

He threw himself back on his cot. He caught a glimpse of George for just a moment, standing behind Clarke, smiling. Then the door slammed shut.

Cameron closed his eyes and settled down to wait for his last, long day in Broome to end.

***

Simeon heard a bellow of rage and an enormous shadow fell across the deck. Someone lifted Huey Fong off his back and threw him head first into the scuppers. Wes!

He scrambled back onto his knees. Hanaguchi still had the marlin spike but he was wary of the big West Indian bos'un. He backed away, in a fighting crouch. Then he raised it over his head and swung it at the big West Indian.

Simeon yelled a warning and launched himself across the deck. He hit the Japanese in the midriff, taking him off balance. The heavy iron dropped onto the deck, then he and Siosuki hit rammed against the port bulwark and toppled over the side into the water.

He surfaced, choking. He flailed out with his good arm, trying to reach the
Ilsa
; his left hung useless in the water, like a dead weight.

But then Hanaguchi grabbed him, pushed his head under the water. He fought desperately, but Siosuki had him fast from behind, and he had two good arms to fight with. His chest heaved. He didn't understand this. Huey Fong had done this! He understood why the Japanese wanted to kill him. But Huey was his friend.

Why?

He could not fight any more. His lungs were bursting. He coughed underwater and his whole body writhed as he started to choke. He made one last feeble attempt to get free but then the world faded to black. As the agony receded he saw the white boss Flynn holding out his hand for him.

He thought about Cameron. He didn't understand. Why did the Virgin want two deaths when there should only be one?

***

But then something hammered into his side and threw him up out of the water. He gasped and coughed, water burning out of his nose and mouth. The
Ilsa
was just a few feet away but even that was too far. He had no strength left. He sank under the water.

But then a huge hand grabbed his shirt and pulled him towards the rope ladder on the hull. More hands reached for him, dragging him aboard. He screamed when someone pulled on his shattered arm but no sound came, just a terrible gurgling that bubbled in his throat as he retched up the seawater in his stomach.

He lay on the deck, gasping, and racked with convulsions. Someone sat on his back, tried to pump the water out of his chest. Why didn't Flynn let him die?

***

Wes massaged Simeon's back. He vomited up what looked like a pint of seawater then took a long, shuddering gasp of air. His arm was at a crazy angle to his body.

He went to the port gunwale where the crew were staring at something that was floating on the sea in the moonlight. It looked like a human limb, or part of one. Then something broke the surface and there was a snuffling sound like a pig at a trough and it disappeared.

'Shark,' one of the Koepangers muttered, and made the sign for the evil eye.

'Flynn,' Simeon gasped. 'It was Flynn.'

Chapter 39

Huey Fong had split open his forehead on the capstan. He lay unconscious on Simeon's bunk, blood oozing from under a thick bandage. Wes had assumed charge of the
Ilsa
. With their cook dead, their number two diver half-crazy and crippled and the master and first diver badly injured, there was nothing to do but to head back to port. The Malays and the three Japanese wanted to be off her as soon as possible. The ship was possessed by bad spirits. Wes doubted if anyone would be persuaded to sail on her again.

It was morning when he finally opened his eyes. He rolled onto his side and Wes held a bucket under his chin while he vomited.

'I ought to kill you now,' Simeon growled.

Wes pushed him away. 'Mebbe but you ain't.'

Huey groaned and looked up at Wes. 'Where's Hanaguchi?'

'He be dead, boy.'

'He was crazy.'

'You tried to kill me,' Simeon said. He made to grab him with his good arm; the other was strapped into a sling. Wes pushed him back. 'You tell me why, maybe I won't tear out your guts for you!'

Huey raised a hand weakly in the air. He couldn't remember. His head was splitting open. Leave me alone.

He slept. When he woke up the bastards were still sitting there. Slowly it came back to him. Well, he could say goodbye to George Niland's bonus now. Better not say anything about that. Maybe Niland would pay him even more to keep his mouth shut now that everything had gone bad. Best try and get out of this any way he could.

'It was Hanaguchi. I didn't know he was going to use the iron ...'

Simeon drew his knife. 'Let me cut him up a little, I'll get the truth.'

Wes caught his wrist and squeezed. Simeon yelped and the knife dropped to the floor. 'Mebbe better you go topside,' Wes told him. 'We all in 'nuff damn trubble without any more, hokkay?'

Simeon backed off but he pointed at Fong and said: 'I will even with you.'

Wes gave him a push. 'Topside,' he said.

The Manilaman spat on the deck and disappeared up the scuttle.

'Mebbe you tell me 'bout dis ting,' Wes said.

'It was like I tell you. Hanaguchi said he just wanted to get even, I didn't think he was going to use the spike.'

'Simeon's a friend of yourn.'

Huey Fong just shrugged. His head! Everything so foggy, making it hard to think. 'George said that...'

'George? What George?'

'I mean the Jappo ...'

'You said George!'

'I swear I didn't know he was gonna hurt him bad.'

'When I comes up da scuttle you is sittin' on him while Hanaguchi is set to beat his brains out wid da spike! What that look like to you, fella? That he was gonna
tickle
him wid it?'

Huey couldn't think straight. He was soaked in sweat. The one thing he mustn't let anyone know was that he was the one who took his pearl. If he did, he was dead, for sure.

Wes shook his head. 'Dat debil he got a special place for fellas like you, boy. He gonna fry you real slow.'

Wes picked Simeon's knife up off the floor. He stopped by the scuttle, a frown on his face. 'Not George, the big white boss?'

Huey shook his head. Shouldn't have done that. The room started to spin.

'You a lying snake,' Wes said. 'Mebbe I should give Simeon back his knife.'

***

Roebuck Bay glimmered in the sun. To the north the gentle green slopes of Gantheaume Point slid beneath the sea. To the south lay Dampier Creek, the skeleton of an abandoned schooner rotting among the mangroves like the bones of some ancient dinosaur. A flight of pelicans glided overhead.