Loyalty is the Strongest Glue

By John Latham

In this fast-moving thriller, mystery surrounds a tragic and life-changing event at Talaqui Academy. Eleven-year-old Luis Montero becomes embroiled in a dangerous web of intrigue as he searches for the truth about the attack on his school friend. Could it be that the criminal gang that terrorised his family two years earlier have returned to haunt him again? 

Loyalties are tested to the limit as, one by one, dark secrets emerge. Greed, revenge and love fight for supremacy as fate brings together the lives of strangers from different worlds …and no-one is above suspicion.

Loyalty Is The Strongest Glue is a gripping ”whodunnit” that twists and turns its way across Colombia before building towards its page-turning climax.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
• Release date: Aug 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781800466760

John Latham

John Latham was born in the Midlands where he lived and worked until 2008. After a career as a college lecturer, Employment Tribunal advocate and hotelier, he moved to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and is now a full-time author. Loyalty Is The Strongest Glue is John’s second novel for young adults and is the sequel to Hunting The Bushbird.

Book preview

Contents

1.…the long wait for news…

2.…the darkness of unwanted memories…

3.…the Bataras will rise again…

4.…a frenzy of temper…

5.…all part of the survival game…

6.…the coldness of his words…

7.…a price worth paying…

8.…no words were exchanged…

9.…it was human nature…

10.…Step aside! Man injured!…

11.…the elation of the white-knuckle ride…

12.…time for a cool head…

13.…early days on his road to recovery…

14.…the fire was still burning…

15.…running on empty…

16.…the much less attractive side of life…

17.…he went to bed a worried man…

18.…planning for a richer future…

19.…a greater sense of gravity…

20.…his next stark reminder…

21.…a pact with his informant…

22.…as if he had never been away…

23.…well and truly in the lap of the gods…

24.…a gamble worth taking…

25.…their lives were intertwined…

26.…something big is going to happen…

27.…a momentous twenty-four hours…

28.…ready to do what he had to do…

29.…a fragile and mysterious creature…

30.…an explosion of emotion…

One

…the long wait for news…

The long wait for news was almost over.

One by one, the seconds ticked away towards the announcement. The students of Talaqui Academy filtered through the entrance doors to take their places in the assembly hall.

With everyone seated, the moment arrived. It was precisely three o’clock on an overcast Colombian afternoon. In keeping with the storm clouds outside, a sombre atmosphere filled the room. A request for the expectant audience to stand boomed out. The animated chatter petered out.

Every member of the school rose from their seat in unison.

A procession of teachers filed in from the side of the stage. As part of their well-rehearsed ritual, they waited for their head teacher to take her seat before following suit. The whole community at Talaqui had been affected by the traumatic events that had taken place earlier that week. Each person in the hall, young and old, waited nervously to hear what their headmistress was about to reveal at their Friday assembly.

As she rose to her feet, a school held its collective breath. The usually-boisterous students fell silent. No-one made the slightest noise or movement.

With a slow and measured stride, Gabriella Garcia moved towards the raised platform at the side of the stage. The repetitive click-clack of metal heels on polished wood echoed through the huge space.

It was the only sound.

Lined up in rows behind their senior colleague, teaching staff bowed their heads in a united show of respect. The seriousness of the incident involving a much-loved member of the Academy had hit hard. The inquest into how and why the incident had unfolded could wait for another day.

All minds were now focussed on the well-being of the victim.

The head teacher stood at the podium. Without lifting her head, she gestured for everyone to retake their seats. Hands trembling, Ms Garcia unfolded her papers. Taking care to smooth them flat, she took a sip of water to moisten her lips.

Despite her many years in the post, her own nerves were very much in evidence. Gabriella Garcia had given countless announcements and messages to many different groups over the twelve years she had spent in the role. In that moment, she felt a greater sense of responsibility towards her young students and her work colleagues than ever before.

In the two-hundred-year history of Talaqui Academy, few words could have been more difficult to deliver for the speaker than the ones that now lay on the document in front of its head teacher.

A single deep breath, in and then slowly out, calmed her as she prepared to speak. Gripping the sides of the old wooden lectern, Ms Garcia looked out towards her audience. A sea of expectant faces filled her vision. Summoning all her experience of public speaking, she began in hushed tones.

Good afternoon everyone, I know this has been such a difficult week for you all. None of you could have imagined that such a terrible situation would happen here in Talaqui. Worse still, for such an event to have taken place on the Academy’s grounds is all the more shocking.

She paused for a second sip from her glass before continuing.

On Monday morning of this week, for a reason that we do not yet know, a gun was fired in the direction of the school buildings. It may even have been deliberately aimed at one of our students. The identity of the person who discharged the weapon is still unknown. Tragically, a young member of our student community was hit. He was struck in the back by two bullets. For those of you who are not already aware, the victim of this incident was …Miguel Sanchez.

Spontaneous cries of anguish burst out from the audience. A muted murmur rippled through the hall. Like a disappearing tide, it ebbed away to leave complete silence once more.

Ms Garcia maintained her sombre tone.

First of all, we should be grateful to those staff members who gave Miguel their support immediately after the shooting. In particular, I would like to thank Mr Vargas and Mr Murillo. Both staff members stepped in to give vital first aid at the scene. Despite their efforts, Miguel’s condition was very grave by the time the emergency medical support arrived.

Her features remained intensely serious.

I know that you will all want to express your gratitude for the outstanding medical assistance that he received from the paramedics who rushed to the school on Monday morning. There can be no doubt that their actions were life-saving.

A brief, almost apologetic ripple of applause quickly faded away. Her story continued to unfold.

Once they had stabilised his condition, Miguel was placed into an ambulance. He was initially taken to the Medical Centre in Mesquita. Soon after arriving there, it became obvious that his injuries needed a more detailed assessment and diagnosis. As a consequence, later that afternoon, he was transferred to the hospital in San Benito for specialist treatment. I spoke to a senior doctor there on Monday evening. She told me that Miguel had suffered a very acute trauma to his spine. His injuries were far more serious than they first thought. His condition had deteriorated significantly from the time that he was first moved into the ambulance.

The tension mounted in her voice. Ms Garcia paused once more to recover her self-control. The head teacher’s hesitation suggested that what was about to follow would not be positive news.

Three rows from the front of the hall, Luis Montero sat motionless. His hands were clasped together in silent prayer. The injured boy was one of his classmates. More than that, they were almost inseparable during an Academy day. The two friends would also sit together on their bus journeys to and from school. Luis and Miguel had known each other throughout the seven years that they had spent together at schools in the Talaqui region.

Three long days had passed for Luis as he waited for an update on his friend’s condition. The information was now just moments away.

Fighting to retain her composure, Ms Garcia’s eyes began to moisten. Her voice quivered as she revealed more crucial pieces of news about the injured boy.

Since Monday evening, Miguel has remained in the critical care facility at San Benito Regional Hospital. His parents and older sister have been at his bedside throughout. I have also visited him there on behalf of all of you in this hall today.

Her words began to crackle with genuine emotion.

It has to be said that his condition was very distressing to witness. It was heart-breaking to see him lying unconscious in a hospital bed. Like all of us, the whole Sanchez family have been devastated by the tragic events that have unfolded this week. It is clear that it will be a long time before they can return to any kind of normality. Today, however, there is more definite news about Miguel. It is for this reason that I have decided to speak to you at this assembly. This morning, I received a telephone call from Miguel’s mother. She has given me a detailed update about her son’s condition.

Luis Montero squeezed his hands together, tighter still. Without conscious thought, he closed his eyes. The audience held its breath once more.

Ms Garcia stared blankly towards the back of the hall. Her delivery was monotone.

Staff and students of Talaqui Academy, I am sure that you will all be relieved to hear that Miguel is out of immediate danger. Over the past three days, his treatment has led to an improvement in his general condition. As a result, I have been told that he will be moved out of the critical care unit tomorrow morning. The hospital will be transferring him into a regular nursing ward. The doctors hope that, if all continues to go well, he can be allowed to return home this coming Sunday. He can then begin his long road to recovery …with his family around him.

An excited murmur of relief rippled around the hall. Sensing the need to maintain a respectful atmosphere, the head teacher raised her hand.

Once again, the return to complete silence was instant. She continued her speech, this time with greater gravity.

There is, however, some much less positive information that I have to convey to you all.

Quickening her speech, she delivered the depressing final details of her medical bulletin.

It is with great regret that I have to report that Miguel Sanchez is now paralysed from the waist downwards. I have been told that the injuries to his spinal cord are very severe. The reality of this trauma is that his doctors do not believe that Miguel will be able to walk again. Tragically, they have confirmed that he will require the use of a wheelchair …for the rest of his life.

Gasps of disbelief filled the room. The chatter of young voices spread throughout the hall as the Talaqui students struggled to process the news. Ms Garcia asked for quiet once more. Less immediately this time, the hubbub died away.

The entire school continued to hang on her every word.

I have been informed this morning that Miguel is no longer under sedation. For the first time since the attack, he is now fully awake. We can at least be grateful for that. I have also been told that he is aware of what has happened to him. Miguel now knows that he will never walk again. We can only imagine how he must be feeling. His mother and other family members are determined to give him all the support that he needs, both now and in the future. Like them, we too must be strong for Miguel.

Pausing briefly to collect her own thoughts, her speech became more forceful. A genuine anger replaced her calm delivery.

An eleven-year-old boy should NEVER suffer such a fate here in Talaqui… or anywhere else in Colombia for that matter. The whole area shares our sadness and shock … and if today we were able to speak to the millions of people across our country, they too would express their sympathy… and their outrage. This shooting affects every single person who lives in our proud nation and all those who care about our precious children.

Her face became etched with real distress.

I could so easily have been announcing the death of Miguel Sanchez this afternoon. We could potentially have lost forever someone so young, someone who is so special to us all and with his whole life in front of him. As it is, he has at least survived this dreadful event …but with life-changing consequences.

Her tone sharpened. A fierce determination coursed through her body.

However, I will do MY very best to ensure that this senseless attack does not go unpunished. We must ALL make it our priority to fight back against this type of crime. Every one of you in this hall today needs to do this. As a group of staff, we must, and will, take the lead. I hope and pray that the person or persons who did this will be found as quickly as possible and brought to justice.

Her personal anguish and anger continued.

The whole school should know that my colleagues and I will do everything we can to ensure that such a terrible situation never happens again. Miguel was entitled to believe that he would be protected here. Staying safe at school should not have been too much for him to expect…

The head teacher turned around to address her staff. None lifted their heads to meet her gaze.

Some felt a sense of guilt more than others.

…but as we all now know, he was not. His life has been changed forever. It has been changed because of the violence that we have come to see all too often around us. Each and every one of us should also ask ourselves if WE could have done something differently to prevent Miguel’s pain and suffering. I want you all to take a few moments to think about that now…and to send your private prayers to Miguel Sanchez.

Gabriella Garcia paused to allow the whole assembly to come to terms with her announcement.

Like a statue frozen in time, Luis remained completely still. His eyes stayed closed. Hands still clasped together, his mind swept him back to the day that he had almost suffered a similar fate.

For Luis, the ghosts of the past were still very much alive.

Two

…the darkness of unwanted memories…

For Luis Montero, an unwanted spotlight on his own experience of gun crime had been switched on. The shock news from his head teacher had re-opened old wounds.

The trauma that he had endured two years earlier loomed large in his thoughts once more. A stream of painful memories flooded back into his mind. Despite the passage of time, the impact of his personal ordeal was still raw and emotional.

A horrifying sequence of violence shot out from the action replay.

The arrival of the armed gang at the front door of his house began the nightmare. Pictures of the notorious Vasquez brothers flashed through his brain. Like an old newsreel, images of the Bataras, the infamous drugs gang in that part of Colombia, haunted him once more. The smells and sounds of the attack returned to add layers of unwelcome realism.

One after another, the pictures continued to re-appear. A sequence of horror painted more and more vivid reminders of the past.

One man dominated the scene. The face of Antonio Vasquez lingered above all others in his mind’s eye. Framed by a burning doorway, the leader of the Bataras was front and centre of the action. Triggered by the replay sequence, the gang’s chosen symbol of unity made its appearance.

The bushbird tattoo on the wrist of Vasquez flew back into Luis’s world.

His thoughts multiplied. Frame by frame, the action leapt forward. The brutality of the hour that had followed the gang’s arrival began to unfold. His recall of the aftermath was still intensely shocking. As if it were happening all over again, he was transfixed by the power of the memories. In all its gruesome reality, Luis Montero stood powerless as the Bataras systematically destroyed his family home.

New feelings of despair swamped the boy. Luis recalled the pain of watching the destruction happening right in front of him. He was reliving the crushing sense of helplessness after the gang had gone away. Worst of all, he was remembering his total numbness on seeing his family’s house reduced to an unrecognisable pile of ash.

At the end of the attack, the Bataras had taken away his parents at gunpoint. Jose and Maria Montero were to disappear without trace. His sister Carlita was forced to flee for her life …and Luis Montero was abandoned. The Vasquez brothers had left him to fend for himself in the forest, with only his pet dog, Maya, for company.

The nightmare of that fateful day had left an indelible mark.

Subconsciously, his hand moved to rub across a different kind of scar. Zigzagging across his upper arm, the ten-centimetre gash had long since healed. Ripped open during his subsequent journey to find help, it was another unwelcome trigger to the past.

Whether he liked it or not, the impact of earlier traumas was never too far below the surface.

Emerging from the darkness of the unwanted trip to the past, he opened his eyes. His thoughts returned to the plight of Miguel Sanchez. The news of his friend had produced a mixture of emotions.

A huge sense of relief that he would at least be seeing his friend again led the way. More than that, an overwhelming urge to play a part in Miguel’s recovery lingered in his thoughts. His instincts told him that his own experiences might provide real inspiration for Miguel.

Luis looked towards the stage once more. The reassuring figure of the head teacher brought him back into the moment.

He refocussed on Ms Garcia and her speech. His determination to be there for his friend was reinforced by her final request.

Boys and girls, and fellow school staff members, this is YOUR opportunity to make a contribution to solve this mystery. We need to help the police catch whoever carried out this terrible act. So, if anyone in this room has any knowledge of what happened, then you should come and speak to me about what you saw or heard. If you have some information but feel that you want to remain anonymous, please write to me instead. I will make sure that all the details you provide are passed to the detectives who have been assigned to the case.

The head teacher paused once more. She looked out towards the faces of her young students. Only the sound of sobbing broke the silence. The emotions of her school pupils caused her to lower her head.

Her features became softer once more. A comforting smile for her students accompanied her closing words.

When you go back to your homes this weekend, try to think about Miguel with happy thoughts, not sad ones. Think about how cheeky he can sometimes be …think about some of the jokes he likes to tell …think about how good he is in English class. I will try to do that …and I know that my staff will do that too. It has been a horrible week … a most shocking and distressing week … but it is over at last. Next week, we must help each other to carry on. We must all try to return to normal as quickly as possible. Remember, everyone on this stage is here for you. We will give you our unconditional support to help you to get through this awful situation.

Tears streamed down her face as Gabriella Garcia brought the assembly to a close.

Boys and girls of Talaqui Academy, in the future, we must help Miguel in any way we can. All of us can make a difference. Thank you for listening so politely. You may all go home now.

A colleague stepped forward. He escorted the now-distraught head back to her seat.

In every part of the hall, children hugged each other. Their need for reassurance from friends was spontaneous. There was much to be discussed in the days to come. For each of them, there was so much more to be understood.

The exit doors were pushed open. The assembly hall at Talaqui Academy began to empty.

Moving outside into the spring air, Luis Montero leant back against the wall of the building. Still deep in his own thoughts, he stood alone. Within moments, he closed his eyes once more, this time to shut out the dazzle of the sun.

The switch to the past clicked on again. His mind accessed a second flood of emotion. More and more flashbacks of his own journey to find the truth took centre stage in his mind.

Two years earlier, he had been just nine years old. Despite his tender age, he had somehow found the energy and willpower to uncover what had happened to his parents. His determination had been fierce and unwavering. His commitment to find who had been responsible for their abduction had been remarkable.

Two years on, his parents and sister were once again able to live with Luis and Maya, this time in their newly-built home. It was an undeniable truth that the happy ending had only become a reality because of the efforts of very many different people.

It was though Luis who had been the inspiration for them all. It had been an incredible triumph for such a young boy