Frontier - 53. FR Chapter 53

“You could be right. Let’s just keep this to ourselves for now. No mention of it to the police,” I responded and Simon nodded his head in agreement, as he stood up and went to the phone, where he ordered room service for lunch.

When the waiter arrived with our lunch, I asked him if he had a spare box to put all of the office files into, and ten minutes later he returned with the required box. I gave him a $20 tip for his assistance. After eating lunch, we packed all of the files and folders into the box, except the folder that contained the invoice and the yellow envelope with the microfilm, which Simon hid in his suitcase. With all of that work completed, we placed the box on the table, ready for Senior Constable Davies to look at, and at that moment my phone rang.

“Ok Mr, I have my plane ticket. The place I am going to this afternoon, is that where you are located?” I heard the police officer say as I answered the call, “Yes, that is where we are now. We’ll be close by anyway. We will meet you at the airport this evening. Bye for now,” I replied and I ended the call, just as Simon started chuckling.

“I think we should take the box of files and folders with us, and hand them over to officer Davies. We better take that envelope with us for safe keeping, but keep it hidden,” I suggested and Simon nodded his head in agreement. Two hours later, we boarded the sea plane and flew to the capital. We stopped at the hotel room that I had booked for officer Davies, and left the box in his room.

With this done, we went to a restaurant to have an early dinner, before we made our way to the airport, arriving just as the flight from New Zealand had landed. We went down to the arrivals hall and waited for Officer Davies to appear, which he did about 40 minutes after the plane had landed. He smiled when he saw us.

“Welcome to Fiji. Did you have a good flight?” I said with a big smile as I shook his hand.

“I would say that it was very enjoyable. Are you sure you can afford those business class tickets and luxurious accommodation?” Officer Davies replied, as we headed for the front door, and climbed into a taxi.

‘We have some stuff to show you, but let’s get you settled into your accommodation first,” Simon commented from the front passenger seat. About fifteen minutes later we arrived at the hotel, and already having the suite key, I led the way directly to the suite.

“Wow, another amazing room! What’s in that box?” Officer Davies said when he spotted the box on the table.

“What is inside we found in the storage locker, back at Portobello. We sorry we didn’t tell you, but we wanted to look at it first, and with everything happening, we sort of forgot about it, till my cousin Jasper was over here last week on his honeymoon, and because we have to stay out of sight, we had him empty the contents of the original box in my suitcase of clothes, which I asked him to get from the yacht at Vanuatu. I had him to fill the box with the boys’ education books.

When the yacht was ransacked two days ago, the original box, which has Wallis Transport written on the top, went missing,” Simon announced.

“We spent a lot of yesterday afternoon and today looking through everything from that box, going through every invoice and piece of office work, and last night while at dinner our bungalow was broken into, and the folders and files were searched. The person responsible, a former employee of the resort is now in police custody here in Suva. We think that there is something in here, that is the main cause of everything that has happened to the family over the past year. When the police were looking very unsupportive, Simon had his cousin in law, Anita on loud speaker on his phone, and filled them in on some of the events that have happened. Oh yeah, Anita married Simon’s cousin, Jasper a few weeks ago, and they had their honeymoon here in Fiji just last week,” I added.

“Ok, so we need to speak to the local police and the prisoner that they have, and another phone call to Senior constable Anita in Western Australia,” Officer Davies summarised.

“How about I freshen up a little, and we will get started,” Officer Davies suggested, and we sat in the lounge, while Officer Davies headed to the bathroom, with his toiletry bag. Fifteen minutes later he returned to the lounge area, where we had the files and folders out on the table.

“I was wondering if there is something illegal that my step father had received in his capacity as a transport company, that could be the cause of all this trouble?” I stated.

“Yes, that is a big possibility, and it fits in with all the incidences that have happened so far, including the break in at your resort bungalow. Now let’s get started on all of this paperwork,” Officer Davies said to us.

“You may not have to do that, but first we want a guarantee that only you will know about what we are going to reveal. We don’t want any more people killed or injured,” I announced.

“I can do that, but we will have to come up with some story, to keep my superiors off the scent, and I would prefer that you call me Kyle,” the officer said to us.

We both smiled, and Simon pulled out the envelope from his inside jacket pocket and placed it in front of Kyle. “These two items were found separately, firstly the freight receipt, then we matched the numbers to this envelope,” I announced.

Kyle looked at the freight invoice first, studying it very carefully, before he turned to the other item, which he held up to the light. “Microfilm. Interesting. I think that this is what all the fuss is about. We need to get it blown up, so we can see what is on it,” Kyle said.

“I think we want to hold onto it for now, till we know what is on it,” I announced in a serious manner.

“I can see why. You want some answers, just as I do. This bit of film is very important,” Kyle said to us.

“Could we get a kid’s version of a microscope? Would that be enough to see what is on this?” Simon suggested.

“It would, but a photography studio would be better, so we can enlarge and copy it. I think the best thing to do, would be to see if the police department here has a photo processing room,” Kyle mentioned.

“Actually, I saw a photo shop in town this afternoon, They may have a dark room,” I added.

“Ok, we will do that tomorrow. So, you keep the film and I will go through what we have here,” Kyle said turning to face the table of documents.

Simon and I said goodnight, and we caught a seaplane back to the resort. We headed straight to our bungalow to get some sleep. What we didn’t expect was to see the bungalow totally ransacked yet again.

“That’s enough of this. We are checking out right now. Go and pack your bags, while I call the seaplane again, then call the manager,” I said to Simon in a very angry tone.

Once I had arranged the seaplane, I packed my bags, and we headed to the jetty and flew back to the capital, where we made our way to the hotel where Kyle was, and knocked on his door.

“What are you guys doing back, and why do you have your luggage with you?” Kyle said when he opened the door.

“We need police protection. When we returned to our bungalow at the island resort, we found it ransacked again, so we packed and headed straight back here,” Simon said as he walked in, with me following close behind.

When I sat down in the lounge, I pulled out my phone and dialled a number. “Resort manager please. This is Anton Hamilton speaking,” I said when the phone was answered. Moments later I was connected.

“Mr Hamilton, reception tells me you are not calling from your bungalow,” the manager said to me.

“That would be because when we returned last night, we found it trashed yet again, so we packed and left the island. I expect no penalties for checking out early. Just charge me for the time we stayed there, and no penalties for the bungalow being trashed twice. Goodbye,” I said and ended the call, not allowing the manager to respond.

“You’re a hard man, Anton Hamilton. I wouldn’t want to mess with you when you are in a bad mood,” Kyle said with a smile, and Simon chuckled.

“There is a roll out single bed in my room, and the lounge. I will let you guys work out who gets what,” Kyle said and he headed to his bedroom. He carried out the rollout bed, which he placed in the middle of the lounge room, before retrieving a pillow and blankets from the cupboard and handing them to me.

The next morning, after ordering breakfast in the suite, Simon and I took it in turns to have a shower and change, before we headed out of the hotel. We walked to the nearby photography shop which had just opened for the day.

“I am Officer Davies from the New Zealand Police. I am wondering if you have a darkroom?” Kyle said to the gentleman behind the counter.

“I do, but I don’t just let anyone use it,” the man replied.

“Look, Sir, we need to process some important film which we cannot do through the usual official channels. I will be more than happy to pay for the use of your facilities. I have training in darkroom procedures,” I said to the gentleman, and I pulled out $500 Australian in cash out of my wallet and placed it on the counter.

“Well, for that amount I can spare you two hours for use of the darkroom,” the man said to me, and I smiled.

“I just ask you to keep this out of the media for three days, as there are dangerous people out there who have and will kill again for this information,” Kyle said to the man, who looked nervous after hearing this.

“I think I will keep it to myself if you don’t mind,” the gentleman said, and he led the way to the back area behind the shop.

Simon handed me the envelope, and I accepted it and walked into the darkroom, switching on the red lights before closing and locking the door. Taking out the microfilm, I placed it into the enlarger machine and turned it on to look at what was on it as it was projected onto the white base. Turning it off, I retrieved a A4 page of photo paper, and put it into place. I turned on the machine again for 20 seconds.

I did the same thing two more times before placing each sheet into the developing solution, the wash solution and the fixing solution before hanging them up to drip. While that was drying I put the microfilm back into the envelope. I managed to find three more large envelopes, and I placed the three new photographs into them. I placed all four envelopes inside my shirt before turning on the main light, unlocking the door, and walking out.

“It was no good. The film had been exposed to light already,” I announced sounding as disappointed as possible.

“Well, at least you gave it a try” Simon responded also sounding disappointed.

“Well, not much we can do now that it is ruined. Thank you, Sir, for the use of your facilities. We wish you a good day,” Kyle said to the shop owner, and we headed to the nearby back door and exited the building.

We remained silent as we weaved in and out of various alleyways, before coming out onto a main road close to the hotel. We headed straight to our hotel suite, checking that we were not being followed. Once the door was closed, Simon and Kyle faced me. “Well?” Simon asked me. I held a straight face for as long as I could before I smiled. I sat down at the dining table, and motioned everyone to remain quiet, before pulling out the small envelope and one of the big yellow envelopes, and placing them on the table.

Kyle picked up the large envelope and pulled out the photo, which was still damp. He placed it on the table in front of him, and studied it carefully. After a good ten minutes of looking at the photograph carefully, Kyle placed the photo back in the envelope, and he motioned us to go out onto the balcony.

“What you have in that photograph, is transport routes, names of contacts, in four countries, for transporting drugs from Bolivia to the Caribbean islands, the USA, Australia and Europe. This is way above my capabilities. I need to get this to someone who can take action with this information,” Kyle whispered.

“I figured that it was something like that. So, how do we go forward with this information?” I asked.

“Can you get us onto a flight back to New Zealand or even to Sydney would be better?” Kyle whispered to me. I nodded my head, as I pulled out my phone and began searching online. Ten minutes later I pocketed my phone and smiled. “We are on a 3.20pm flight to Sydney, so we have two hours to pack and get to the airport,” I said quietly. We headed inside where Simon and I closed up our suitcases with me slipping the two envelopes into the inside pocket of my case, while Kyle went to pack his bag.

Once we had checked out of the hotel early, we caught a taxi to the airport. We collected our tickets and headed to the 1^st class lounge, which would make it hard for anyone to follow us which we were all concerned about. Once we had passed customs, we entered the lounge and tried to relax. An hour later, the call for 1^st class passengers to board the plane finally arrived, and I began to relax a little as the plane taxied and took off, heading west for Australia, which was a 3-hour flight away.

During the flight we kept to ourselves as we were separated a little, having secured the last three available seats. As we passed through customs in Sydney, I was starting to get nervous, which caught the attention of the customs service. I was pulled to one side for a more detailed search. Firstly, a drug sniffer dog passed me and my luggage, resulting in no results. The two customs officers were talking when I saw Simon and Kyle approach. The customs officers soon noticed them.

“Gentlemen, I am Senior Constable Kyle Davies from New Zealand Police, based at Portobello, which is near Dunedin. My two travel companions and I are involved in a big investigation, and we request an interview with ASIO, as this involves multiple international jurisdictions,” Kyle said quietly as he pulled out his police ID and showed it to the two customs officers.

Suddenly we saw some commotion happening behind us at the customs passport control counters. Two men attempted to burst through the crowd and get past passport control. Feeling threatened, Kyle pushed me and Simon into a nearby interview room and slammed the door shut.

About five minutes later, we could hear keys in the lock of the door and it opened. In place of the two customs officers were now two Australian Federal police officers. The two AFP officers entered the room, and the customs officers brought in our abandoned luggage before leaving the room and closing the door behind them.

“Ok, Officer Davies, would you please explain to us why three men tried to bust through passport control and try to get to you three gentlemen, just as you ask to speak to ASIO agents?” the AFP officer asked Kyle.

“Those three men are probably employed by a drug lord, probably from Bolivia, to find information that will be damaging to their organisation,” Kyle said as he pulled out the large envelope from his suitcase, and gave it to the AFP officer.

There were a few minutes of silence while the two officers looked at the large photograph. “Well this is a big matter, and after what happened outside I can see why you are nervous. I think we should take this to our head office, considering this is very sensitive information,” the AFP officer said, and about 25 minutes later we arrived at the Sydney office of the AFP.

During the next two hour’s we were interviewed about everything that had happened to us and to the family members. We handed over the microfilm and we were informed that the three men who tried to attack us at the airport had been detained with no bail, and would appear in court in three weeks’ time. Once we were permitted to leave, it was just before 11pm, and I organised some accommodation and a flight back to New Zealand for Kyle. Once we had Kyle checked into the hotel close to the airport, and Simon and I checked into a different hotel, I asked Simon what he wanted to do.

“Can we go home for a while, to spend some time with family?” Simon asked me and I gave him a big smile.

“That’s what I was hoping you would say, as we are already booked for a flight early tomorrow morning,” I replied with a smile.

“Do you still have that copy of the photograph?” Simon asked me, and I was caught off guard by this question and stuttered a little, before taking a breath.

“How did you know that I did?” I asked sounding very surprised, and Simon just laughed for a moment.

“You know me too well, my friend,” I added.

We ordered for some room service dinner, since we had been detained during dinner time. Once we had eaten, Simon went to have a shower, while I watched some late news on the television. When he was done, I had a shower and we went to sleep right away, because of the early start in the morning.