Deceit. [COMPLETED.]

Chapter 70

He turned towards me.

'You need to phone home. You need to tell my father. She cannot get away with this.'

He made me promise. He made me swear that if he died here and now that I would leave him by the roadside and get home to tell the truth about what Max had done.

'Promise me,' he cried out.

I nodded reluctantly.

I turned left at the next junction. I drove for a few miles and then turned right passing round the outskirts of towns like 'Gunong Rembau' or 'Buk Bintagan'.

But I didn't stop.

I had images of cars waiting for me, images of me dying under a hail of bullets like a modern day Bonnie and Clyde.

But nothing happened.

I continued to look over my shoulders for any signs of dust thrown into the air by people pursuing me but all I saw was that created by myself.

I hit another pothole throwing Adam against the dashboard. It was enough for me to take the car off road and into the woods so I could examine his wound. 

It had been a clean shot to the left side of his stomach. I turned him over but there was no exit wound.  He looked at me.

'I'm dying,' he grimaced. 'You have to leave me.'

I tried to stop the flow by wrapping his shirt tight around his midriff.  More blood escaped.

'Just stop,' he cried. 'Listen to me. You are wasting your time. Please.'

He grabbed hold of my arm pulling me close. I stopped. I looked at him.

'I know of someone who can help.'

I sat him against the base of a tree. He took out his wallet and gave me a card.

'Here. Take it. His name is Whartley. He is a private detective. He has been working with me for some time.' He saw the confused look on my face and misunderstood it's meaning. 'No. He's a good person. He's an American. Call him. He will know what to do.'

And yet another piece of the jigsaw fell into place.

I admitted our phone call. Adam merely nodded.

'I am not surprised. I said he was good. He has come highly recommended.'

He stopped and started to cough, blood seeping from his mouth. He swallowed and nodded again.

'The Cayman account is so typical of my sister. She can be quite devious when she wants to be.'

He frowned and lowered his head.

'Not only has she been able to get you to believe that I am guilty of so much but she has also split you up from your wife making it hard to retain custody of Amy.'

'Danielle,' I snapped. 'Her name is Danielle and I assure you, your sister is not going to get her hands on my daughter as long as I am alive to stop her.'

Adam looked away.

'How. How are you going to stop her? She is her biological mother. By law she is already her legal guardian. I don't see what you can do?'

'I can prove she was responsible for all this,' I said, 'for the sinking of two ships, for the deaths of so many people. That at least must count for something.'

He fell silent giving me time to reposition his body. 

Adam reached out and pulled me back down. His voice was laboured. He wondered about the men who had raped his sister.

'They died in an avalanche,' he said trying carefully to form each word. 'It might not have been an accident. Get Geoff to check whether Jenny was there.'

It was horrible to see. He could hardly string more than a few words together. I said we needed to find him some help but he wouldn't hear of it.

'You have to listen. Please.'

He then went on to explained a little about his abduction.

'It was strange. They came at night. We were blindfolded but what I do know is this. We didn't come ashore straight away.'

Blood fell onto his shirt from what was in his mouth. He didn't seem to notice.

'We got off the Jupiter by a ladder but not into a boat. We stepped onto a steel decking. We were shown into a room where we stayed for some time until climbing another ladder ashore.'

He told me about smells and noises.

'It was all wrong. There was a constant smell of oil. There was a constant humming sound too that was more likely to have come from a much larger engine.'

I told him not to speak. I manhandled him back into the car where I took the next road off to my right. I made up my mind that I would stop at the next village. Come what may I had to try and find help.

I prayed as I drove. I wanted Adam to survive. For no other reason that it had been my fault that he was dying.

I kept telling myself just another bend but everywhere I drove there was more road.

After a while he stopped gasping for air. It cast an eerie silence. He then fell into a deep sleep.

A few miles later and I lost him altogether.

He had not complained. His conduct had been impeccable, his death uncalled for. Now that I knew the truth, I felt nothing but shame for what I had done.

As I continued to drive I felt more alone than I had ever been in my entire life.

At the outskirts of the next village, I stopped by a ram-shackled hut. I pulled him out of the car and with as much dignity as I could muster; I laid his body on the ground.

I laid him flat. I found a few leaves to cover him with. I don't know why. It just seemed the right thing to do.

I offered a silent prayer for his soul and ultimately for my forgiveness.

I took his wallet. I took all his credit cards out and what cash he had.

I left the rest lying next to him.

I hoped that someone kind would find him, that they would give him a decent burial but more than likely, they would rifle his pockets and he would simply become one of the many names on the register of missing people.

I got back into the car. I drove away. I had no idea where I was going. All I could see ahead were my own failings. I could see Mr Peng calling out my name, putting a price in my head whether it was still attached to my body or not. I could see the police waving their guns at me. I could see Cheryl shaking her head with grief.

I drove without any sense or purpose. I continued well into the afternoon until finally and inevitably the car came to a halt. 

I freewheeled it off the road and continued on foot into the trees.  My own injury had started to catch my attention. It was no longer a dull nagging pain but a sharp angry one. I doubted I would be in any shape to fight anyone come tomorrow.

I walked on straining for any noise, any car but there was just nothing.

I don't know how long I was in this state but then suddenly and with clarity I remember I still had Uri's phone.

It was to be my lifeline and I ended up making two calls.

Both left me sobbing and both illustrated yet again what a complete and utter fool I had been.

+ + + + + + + + + + +

So ...

Poor Adam. None of this was his fault was it ... or was he part guilty for everything that had happened?

Kirk is lost. He is far from home. How on Earth is he ever going to get his life back?

Until the next chapter.

Take care all.
JU