James Benn - The White Ghost

“That’s impressive,” I said, meaning it.

“It isn’t,” she said. “I wasn’t alone, and the Japanese were fairly meek. They have no concept of surrender, so when they are taken prisoner-which isn’t often-they have no behavior to fall back upon. They feel cut off from Japan and believe they can never go home, having shamed themselves. Pathetic wretches, really.”

“Why did you stay on with the Coastwatchers? Couldn’t they have gotten you out?”

“My sister was a nurse with the army. Stationed at Singapore,” she said, her voice low and halting. “They brought the nurses out on the last ship before the garrison surrendered, but it was torpedoed off Sumatra. They all made it ashore in a lifeboat, where unfortunately the Japanese were waiting. They shot the wounded men and then forced all twenty nurses to walk into the water.”

“Back into the ocean?”

“Yes. Then they machine-gunned them. One of the women was only grazed by a bullet and simply floated until the Japanese left the beach. Natives gave her shelter and she worked her way to Australia. That’s when I found out my kid sister was dead.”

“You wanted to avenge your sister,” I said.

“I never thought of it that way,” she said. “I simply didn’t want anyone else to suffer like that because they’d been captured. And I wanted those prisoners we had to know what their people did.”

“You told them?”

“Yes, one of the officers spoke English. He told the others and they wept. What a strange people they are. Chopping off heads, shooting and bayoneting women, and then squatting in their loincloths and crying a river of tears for my dead sister.”

“Perhaps they were ashamed,” I said.

“I think they were, Lieutenant,” Deanna said. “But that may have had more to do with the carbine I had pointed at them. Not only did they fail to die for their emperor, they were prisoners of a mere woman.” She laughed, softly, to show it was a bit of a joke. But the laughter ended on a sharp note, and I knew there was a measure of vengeance in it.

“Enough of me, Billy,” she said, brushing the dark hair away from her face. “What brings you to Tulagi?”

“Looking up an old friend,” I said. “We heard about Jack’s boat and decided to see how he was doing. We missed him last night.”

“We were at a party. Hugh Sexton is in charge of the Coastwatchers in the Solomons. He’s got a bunch of his chaps in for a confab and we got together for drinks. They don’t see each other too often, so it was an occasion for celebration.”

“What was it like being a Coastwatcher? Lonely?”

“Hardly,” Deanna laughed. “You’re much too busy to get lonely. Lugging a heavy radio set, working with the natives, always looking for a better observation post, and evading Japanese patrols tends to focus your attention.”

“Are the natives on our side?”

“Oh yes,” Deanna said. “Even the ones who didn’t appreciate the British administration long for those days. The Japanese abuse them terribly. The Japanese might have done better if they’d befriended them, but word spread quickly about their brutalities.”

“The Japs did us a favor,” Jack said, his interrogation of Kaz complete. “Otherwise the natives might not have been so helpful.” Cynical, but true.

“I’ll let you fellows get on with your visit,” Deanna said, gathering up her medical supplies. “Jack, I’ll be back after lunch and we’ll take a walk, alright?”

Jack nodded as Deanna gave him an affectionate peck on the cheek and patted his shoulder on her way out. Even in army coveralls, she cut a great figure, which Jack viewed with proprietary interest.

“Are you up to walking, Jack?” I said, bringing us back to the present.

“Yeah, I get around okay,” he said. “I have deck shoes I wear loose, and a pal of mine gave me this cane.” He hoisted a long wooden cane with a heavy knobbed head and intricate carvings. “He said he got it from a native chief, but who knows? Sometimes friends keep the truth to themselves.”

Silence filled the hut as the three of us stared at each other.

“Are we friends, Jack?” I tried for an offhanded tone, but the bitterness hung in the air.

“I think we’re about to find out,” Jack said. “Now that we’re alone, why don’t you come clean and tell me why General Eisenhower’s personal cop comes all the way from North Africa to this dump. Are you going to arrest me for the murder of Daniel Tamana?”

“We don’t know who killed him, Jack,” Kaz said. “We only know that you found the body. But his death is why we are here. Or specifically, why Billy is here.”

“Let me guess,” he said. “Father pulled some strings.” He shook his head as if in disbelief that his father’s control extended so far.

“Not only did he pull them,” I said, “he thinks I’m still attached at the other end. As far as I can figure, if I come up with any evidence of your involvement, he’ll claim I’m biased against you.” Which had a ring of truth to it.

“You won’t,” Jack said. “I didn’t kill Daniel. I wish I knew who did.”

“That would save us all a lot of trouble,” I said. “Has anyone asked you any questions?”

“Not really,” Jack said. “Captain Ritchie came around and said he’d have it investigated. Some of Sexton’s Coastwatchers were district commissioners before the war. They would have been the local authority, but it’s the US Navy in charge around here now.”

“Meaning Ritchie,” I said. I outlined the captain’s connection to ONI and Ambassador Kennedy.

“Ritchie’s an idiot,” Jack said. “Headquarters down here is FUBAR.”

“Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition,” I explained to Kaz, not certain if he’d picked up that bit of Yank slang.

“Do you have any ideas who went after Daniel? Did he have enemies?”

“I didn’t know him well enough to say. I’d met him only the day before, when he came to visit with his native pals, Biuku and Eroni. They were the natives who found us on that island. Daniel was a Coastwatcher. Seemed like a smart kid. Spoke English like he went to Oxford with Kaz. I went over to Sexton’s that same day, and Daniel was there for a while, but left soon after I arrived.”

“Deanna and Jacob both mentioned a big Coastwatchers meeting,” I said.

“Yeah,” Jack said, leaning back in his chair, the trace of a wince crossing his face. “We’ve moved up the island chain recently. We took Rendova, which freed up a number of Coastwatcher teams. Sexton brought in some of the others for resupply and to make plans for the next offensive. There’s about a dozen of them, which is probably the largest gathering of the war so far.”

“Is Deanna going out again?” I asked.

“No,” Jack said. “Sexton wouldn’t go for it. She did her part, but she’s a civilian. All the Coastwatchers, even the ones who were plantation owners before the war, have been made officers in the British Navy. It’s supposed to give them protection under the Geneva Convention, but the Japs don’t care. If a Coastwatcher is caught, it’s the bayonet for him. Or her. And the closest villagers are killed as well, since the Japs figure they helped them.”

“Did any of them hold a grudge against Daniel? Maybe he slipped up and got some villagers killed?”

“Not that I’ve heard,” Jack said. “He comes from Malaita Island. Not too many connections to the tribes in this area. You’re thinking a blood feud?”

“Too soon to tell,” I said. “Can you show us where you found the body?”

“Sure. I’ll take you there. Toss me those shoes, Kaz.” We waited while Jack pulled on the white canvas deck shoes over his gauze-encased feet, the laces tied loosely. I grabbed his cane and handed it to him. It was a handsome dark wood, with artistic carvings at the top.