The Whistle-blowers Severed Link

By Margaret Nyhon

Chen and Lan Mei had fled to Japan from China where their whistle-blowing had put their lives at risk. The three children followed and they were all settling into their new life. But when their daughter Shui went on holiday with a family to Mt Fuji, she never returned—they had all disappeared. When Shui's necklace was found on the ferry sailing between Japan and China, a deep fear struck. Had she been kidnapped for the reward on Chen and Lan Mei's heads? Was she back in the home from which they had rescued her? As Chen set out to find Shui, a murder, a sea tragedy and an affair were just some of the extremes he was prepared to go to. Heartache was imminent and lives would change as the truth finally began to emerge.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Willow Press
• Release date: Aug 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9780473643355

Margaret Nyhon

Margaret Nyhon lives in Alexandra, in the Central Otago province of New Zealand, where she writes, paints and practises the crafts of printing and bookbinding. She has worked extensively in hospitality management in New Zealand and resort management in Australia. The urge to trace her family history led to her most recent venture, the writing of her first non-fiction work, de Marisco. Margaret is married and has three adult children and two grandsons.

Book preview

1

THE SEARCH GOES ON

One year had passed since coronavirus made its name in history and brought the world to its knees. Chen and Lan Mei, too, had seen their lives changed completely as they and their family had been forced to flee to Japan from China, whistle-blowers on the run. Chen now waited to see what long-term implications of the virus would be revealed. At this stage, at least a third of the infected people remained asymptomatic and did not develop noticeable symptoms, but they could still spread the virus. Some patients continued to experience a range of effects for months after recovery; damage to organs had been observed, especially in the elderly with diabetes, respiratory disease and cancer. These were the groups most likely to develop serious illness. He knew he could never give up; there had to be a cure out there somewhere, but how many years would he have to wait?

The three children smuggled into Japan from China were settling into a new life with Chen and Lan Mei. The two girls, Ling and Shui, and their brother Zian were trying to put all the horrors behind them and were now attending school, where they were learning Japanese. They were struggling with mental reminders, losing their father then their mother and the traumas that had accompanied them along the way. They had never experienced the feeling of security, so this was a new beginning.

Lan Mei loved her ready-made family; they had settled in and were appreciative of their new life and all it brought with it. Zian was not a good mixer, and something seemed to be bothering him. His concentration span was very short and he was quite emotionless. Lan Mei attributed this to his treatment in China while in the home, as he did not want to talk about it – it was a ‘no-go’ zone. She hoped one day he would open up and let the demons come out, thus allowing him to become more relaxed and communicative. His favourite place was in the glasshouse among the bonsai, preferring his own company. The girls, on the other hand, were outgoing, probably because they had each other to bounce things off.

Today Lan Mei found herself observing Zian from outside the glasshouse. He seemed a troubled lad as he walked around collecting pebbles from one bonsai bowl and transferring them to others, repeating this many times. It looked as if he was trying to rearrange his unsettled thoughts without much success. She knew something was troubling him and hoped one day his demons would be beaten. Was this the day? Could she coax him to talk? She decided to try. She opened the glasshouse door and called to him, Zian, do you mind if I join you? This is my favourite place, I come here to find peace. Do you do the same? He sat down on one of the benches so she went and sat beside him. I like to just sit here and think, he told her. What do you think about? Lan Mei asked. As he looked at her, she could see tears glistening in his eyes, ready to make their appearance. Suddenly her thoughts went back to something she remembered the girls had said on their release from the home in China: ‘We hope Zian wasn’t going to be hurt any more.’ Was this what he was remembering? He remained silent but the tears began trickling down his cheeks, so he hastily wiped them away. You are allowed to cry Zian. Don’t hold back; it is good to shed tears, it helps release tension from your body. I come here and shed tears many times, but my tears are for joy because now I have a family I can care for. I know how sad it is for you to have lost both your parents but always remember they loved you dearly, as Chen and I do. If you have a problem, please feel you can share it with us. With this she took his hand and held it tightly. She felt him shaking, and something was definitely affecting him. Would he open up? Their silence was broken by Shui barging in. Lan Mei, we need you, we are baking a cake, where are the cake tins? she called. This was one moment when she felt upset by the intrusion of Shui, as now that one moment in time was lost, with no answers. You go, Zian told her. Lan Mei squeezed his hand before she let go, and whispered, We will continue our conversation another day.

Zian stayed sitting and because he was alone, he took Lan Mei’s advice and let his tears flow. She was right, his heart felt a lot lighter. Was this what a good cry did? It certainly helped to make him feel better. Perhaps he should come here more often and cry rivers of water!

One day Lan Mei decided to ask Ling what had happened to Zian back at the home: why did she say she hoped they didn’t hurt him any more? Ling told her they had heard him crying and calling out through the wall but couldn’t see what was happening. When they had a chance to ask him what had gone on, he wouldn’t tell them and told them not to ask again. Sadly, Lan Mei was no further ahead and this didn’t cheer her up, as she wanted to help him heal from whatever went on behind those closed doors.

Chen, meanwhile, followed the virus, wanting to know where the future was going to take the world. During his studies, he worried that some vaccines would fail, because they wouldn’t generate enough immune response to provide the protection needed. In his findings he was surprised no adjuvants were used in the main Covid vaccines. Chemicals have been commonly used in the production of many vaccines to date, including measles, to improve their effectiveness and give longer lasting properties. Adjuvants like aluminium are the most common compound. Were they not used because of the overall costs? Chen knew in his own mind that it was almost impossible to think humans could win the battle with micro-organisms, as they would continue to evolve and adapt!

Vaccines alone will not get us out of this pandemic as there will have to be boosters. Viruses will mutate and keep circulating, and masks will be an everyday accessory on public transport for a long time to come. Chen wondered if we would ever get out of this Covidness?

2

THE HOLIDAY FROM HELL

Shui had made friends at school with a girl, Biju, whose family had just moved to the area. They became best pals and were inseparable, staying overnight at weekends at each other’s home. Chen was a bit dubious about this close friendship, but perhaps it was his overprotective mind. The school holidays were starting next week and Shui had been invited to go away with Biju’s family. Chen was not keen for her to go, but she insisted, so he relented. They were going to Mt Fuji for a week. Shui had seen the mountain from a distance when they visited Tokyo Tower many months ago, and it was her dream to get closer to the mountain. Here was her chance! She was excited about her week away. Lan Mei arranged all her clothes, making sure there were plenty of warm jumpers packed, as autumn was coming to an end.

Today goodbyes and hugs were had by all, as this was the first time they had been apart as a family. Lan Mei and Chen felt sad saying goodbye to Shui, but they had to let her go. They couldn’t keep the children to themselves, as it wouldn’t be fair. They had to experience life outside of the family. As the friend’s car pulled up, Shui picked up her suitcase and waited until the father opened the boot to put her suitcase in. Chen studied the man, as this was the first time he had seen him face to face, but he was sure he had seen the car before, as it had a number plate he recognised. A sudden feeling of apprehension swept through him. Was this because he was entrusting his friend’s daughter to a stranger? Please look after her, he called out. They both climbed into the car, then he drove off. They could see Shui waving until they lost sight of the car. The silence was broken by Ling. I hope she has a great time as it is her dream to get closer to Mt Fuji. On this note they retreated to the house. Only a few minutes had passed and the chatterbox was missed already. How were they going to last a week without her?

The week seemed to drag, as the sound of Shui’s voice was sorely missed. Lan Mei and Ling went into the city several times for no other reason than to fill in time. Everyone was wearing masks, so their driver advised them to wear theirs. Crowds were gathering holding placards: a protest was getting under way over the Olympic games. People were voicing their desire to see the games abandoned. The virus was resurfacing and the Japanese people didn’t want foreign athletes bringing the virus with them. It was still rampant in Japan; they didn’t need any more cases. Feelings were running high.

Chen still had his reservations about Shui going on holiday. He felt he didn’t know enough about the friend’s family, but once again he asked himself whether he was just being overprotective. Zian spent a lot of his time in his place of refuge – the glasshouse. Only one more sleep and the chatterbox would be home. Everyone was looking forward to tomorrow!

Shui was talking away to Biju as the car sped along the highway. Her friend had a younger brother and sister, so the car was full of the babble of overexcited children. The family had made a picnic lunch so they stopped off at a picnic area to eat, then it was in the car and back on the road again. Dusk was closing in so they pulled into an accommodation complex for the night. Then tomorrow they would be at Mt Fuji. Shui had worked out how long it would take to get there: by lunchtime the next day they would have arrived. They went to a restaurant for dinner and when Shui asked to go to the bathroom, Biju’s mother accompanied her and stood outside the toilet door. She could see her shoes beneath the door and wondered why she was waiting there. When she came out, there she was; she hadn’t moved. She waited for Shui to wash her hands and followed her back to the table. After dinner as they walked back to their apartment, they stopped and brought the suitcases in from the car boot. There certainly seemed to be plenty of them. ‘Why would they need all these clothes?’ Shui asked herself? It was when they opened some of the cases and she saw items and lots of other things that didn’t relate to going on holiday that she began to have strange feelings.

The next morning the suitcases were packed back into the car boot and away they went. Shui wasn’t so chatty today. She was a little anxious but, in a few hours, they would arrive at Mt Fuji, then she could call home and let them know all was well. As lunchtime approached there was no sign of the car slowing down, and they just kept driving. When will we be there, Father? Biju asked. I have a surprise for you children, we are not going to Mt Fuji. We are catching the ferry back to China tonight. But Father, why are we going back there, I thought we had shifted to Japan to live? she asked. The father explained that he had a job to take care of in Japan and now that it was done, they were returning home to China. What about Shui, how will she get back to Japan? We will sort that out later, he replied. Suddenly Shui’s worst fears were realised; she never wanted to go back to China, and she remembered they had been smuggled out of that country. What was going to happen to her? Please can I catch the train back home? she pleaded. I’m sorry, Shui, you will be coming on the ferry with us, was his reply. She felt panicked. How could she get away? Lan Mei and Chen would wonder what had happened to her. She missed them already! She decided to wait until she could sneak away, then call them on her phone. She felt in her bag: no phone, where had it gone? She asked Biju if she had seen it. Mother, Shui has lost her phone; do you know where it is? I have taken all phones until we are settled back home, then you can have them back, she told them. It was then Shui realised something was terribly wrong, but there was nothing she could do, she was trapped.

While on the ferry she felt like a prisoner, as she was guarded at all times. There wasn’t a moment when either the mother or father weren’t at her side. How could she get a message to Lan Mei? All pens and paper had been removed, so she sat down and tried to think what was happening and how she could leave a message. It was then she realised that she was wearing her favourite necklace, a very expensive item that was a special present from Lan Mei. It had her name engraved on the back next to the inscription ‘Our Japanese girl’. Perhaps if she left this in the cabin someone would find it and give it to the purser, hoping it would somehow reach her family. It was her only hope and the only clue to where she was being taken.

The horn sounded so Shui knew they were about to berth, then it would be about ten minutes until they began to disembark. The ferry would then fill with passengers and begin its journey back to Japan. The necklace was her only hope! The father told them they were going to be met by associates in a café on the wharf. They found the café and ordered some food and began eating. As they were finishing, two rather stern-looking ladies came to their table. We are here to collect a Shui Jiang. As soon as Shui looked at the women, she recognised one as a warden from the home. Mother, why is someone here asking for Shui? asked Biju. Her father told her Shui was being handed over to the authorities. But she is my best friend. I want her to stay with us, she sobbed. Come Shui, we have to leave now, said the warden. With this she took a parcel out of her handbag and handed it to the father. Thank you. Here is your reward. As Shui stood up, Biju jumped up and clung to her, sobbing her heart out. I’m so sorry, I truly thought we were going to Mt Fuji. With this Shui knew her friend was just as shocked as she was. I hate you, Father. You lied to us, she was screaming, as Shui was being taken away.

3

EXCITEMENT SOON SUBSIDES

Ling and Zian had hung their homemade banner ‘Welcome back Chatterbox’ on the front door. They were all excited to hear about Mt Fiji from Shui. As no phone calls had come through, which Lan Mei thought was strange, she put it down to her having so much fun. They had no idea what time she would be home, but as the hours ticked by the excitement dwindled. By 6.30 Chen was starting to worry. Why hadn’t she phoned them to say she was going to be late? By 7.30 they decided to have tea and put Shui’s meal on a plate, to be reheated when she arrived home. All was quiet at the table; where was their chatterbox? Darkness had taken over the outdoors by the time 10 pm arrived, and still no phone call. Lan Mei convinced herself that there had been an accident, and she was beside herself. Please, Chen, call the police and see if there has been an accident reported, she pleaded. Chen obeyed as he was also worried, and his suspicious mind was at work. Had he smelt a rat right from the start? Is this why he didn’t want her to go?

The police asked Chen to give them an hour and they would get back to him. The waiting was tearing at everyone’s heart strings; was she lying hurt somewhere, had there been an accident? Then the call came through. We are sorry, sir, but there have been no reported accidents on the Mt Fiji highway today, but if something should come to our attention, we will call you. Chen felt broken: tears slid down his cheeks. He had had a bad feeling right from the start, but he prayed he was wrong. Len Mei came over and held him, telling him he had to be strong, as they needed him to keep the family from falling apart. Ling and Zian were upset: where was their sister? I think we should all go to bed. They may have arrived back late, and she is probably staying over at her friend’s place until tomorrow, consoled Lan Mei. A deflated family went to their bedrooms.

As Chen and Lan Mei lay in each other’s arms, they were reluctant to talk, as each was harbouring their own thoughts on what might have happened, though neither was willing to share. Lan Mei held on to the belief that because they arrived back late Shui was staying over, but Chen’s thoughts went deeper, not that they came anywhere near the truth. In the end they both drifted off to sleep hoping tomorrow would bring a brighter horizon.

Chen thought he was first up the next morning, only to find Zian and Ling had beat him to the kitchen. What are you two doing up so early? he asked. They wanted to drive