Deception: Redemption...Is A Bitch (Book Four)

Chapter 16

Charles and Percy were in a small hut in the middle of the lush countryside of a Malay village. It was quiet and peaceful. Karen was tending the infants trying to keep them cool, the heat was stifling. Percy was watching the water buffaloes and egrets from the small opening that served as a window for the occupants of this private home. Charles was busy arranging transport to Vietnam, this being a short stop on their epic journey through Southeast Asia.

When they were in the air Percy had noticed the pilot, a friend of his cousin, was watching the group with way too much interest. As a result, on a fueling stop at Brunei International Airport, Percy effectively distracted the man with questions of how long it would take to get to Japan and the like while Charles managed to hire a car. When the pilot stepped away to deal with the flight plan at the tower, they moved their luggage into the waiting vehicle and left, headed into the lush green of the agricultural land of the valley.

Absently he had been thumbing through a local newspaper, stopping mouth open. "I found the reason for the scrutiny Charles." He showed the article regarding the missing twins and the appeal from the brothers. His mentor's eyebrows formed a dark line over his eyes. Ending his current call, he turned his attention towards his clerk.

"I hadn't expected this, we'll have to contact the others. How did they find out about the imposters? The cremation, what clued them in?" Charles was making a rut in the woven carpet, agitation clearly blinding him. "We have to keep the membership apprised of the situation. We must, at all costs, ensure Charlotte's anonymity and the safety of the children." Percy watched as Charles dialed, connecting with his associates.

Percy was now more than sure this had been a mistake. Actually, from the beginning, in his humble opinion, it had been a horrendous error in judgement. First ignoring the plight of the brothers when they first discovered the abuse years ago under the direction of the board, small 'b', using the rationale of 'it isn't our place to interfere as per our principles'. The Vale, by that time, had already been disintegrating from within. Charles had tried to mitigate the invariable problems by trying to stay the course, and following the original mandates. All the while keeping a hand and an eye on the organization in the position of "Chairman". It got worse when Charlotte started her vendetta pulling Jonathan into that ungodly mess. Percy thought things could have been handled better but the Board instructed Charles to tell the twins the truth and what did that do? Just make it a muddle, a disaster eventually leading to this escape towards Japan and the shrine.

He still wanted to have the family reunited, it just wasn't right. Now, the twins had discovered the deception, knew the children were alive and were appealing to the public to help them find their progeny.

The fiasco with the pilot was another problem, putting them in this precarious situation. Still, Charles was relying on the others, hoping that his plan would succeed. Still uneasy with the whole general strategy he was on the verge of standing up to Charles. It would be better if they worked with the brothers, rather than against them.

Returning to the matter at hand, he noticed the frown prominently on his mentor's face. "We're going to go underground for a few days while the membership re-route us. They advise we shouldn't go to Vietnam just yet, the courier has been recalled to pick up new documentation and passports. We're to wait here in Brunei until everything has been put in place. Radio silence until then." The young clerk nodded hesitant, not really looking forward to this depressing heat, it made him uncomfortable. He would have to talk to Karen and hope they could arrange suitable accommodations without causing too much of a stir. Now that the public would be on the lookout for the Black brothers' twins, it would be imperative their movements not be noticed.

The venue had been picked. The Jerudong International School (JIS) Arts Theatre, a small school auditorium with a seating capacity of 725 people. It was a fairly new addition to the area having opening in October of 2011. It was ideal for their purposes, just a twenty-one minute drive from the airport. The twins had sent the set-up crew, including Thomas and cohorts, on ahead a week earlier.