Mike Dixon

The phone went dead for a while then he heard her
again. „Listen, David. I want you to send them to me.‟ She
gave instructions on how he was to post the photographs in
well-sealed plastic bags, folded between sheets of paper
and placed in plain envelopes.
„What about the other photographs? There are pictures
of people being married. I think one is Mr. Lee.‟
„David. One thing at a time. Let‟s see if you can get
those two photographs to me. I‟ll tell you what to do with
the others later.‟
David unplugged the telephone and put it in a drawer.
He didn‟t bother to pick up the pieces of the regulator.
There was no point. His nerves were too much on edge.
There was no way he could complete the delicate job of reassembling
them. His world was falling apart. Harald was
going to lay charges. Their boating licenses would almost
certainly be cancelled. They wouldn‟t be able to run the
business and they would not be able to go after Tong Yee‟s
gold.
He wondered what Charlie would have done in the circumstances.
Charlie had problems but he never let them
stand in his way. He remembered a conversation he‟d once
had with his uncle. He was about fourteen at the time and
Charlie was staying at his parents‟ house in New York. David
was in conflict with his school principal. His father was
sympathetic but insisted that David bow to the man‟s au-
thority no matter how stupid he was. Charlie was of a different
opinion. One day, when they were alone, he reflected
on the problems posed by authority.
‘What do you do when you can’t beat them?’
‘Join them,’ David replied without thinking.
‘Do you really want to become one of them?’
‘No.’ David shook his head.
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