Chapter 41

The trip down to the island was uneventful, except for the kidding I got because of my conversation in the front seat. I could have killed Tiny a dozen times over by the time we landed in the Virgin Islands. Two men in business suits were waiting by the luggage cart as we taxied up to the private hanger. We were asked the usual questions, and like I figured, they had me checked out, even with both IDs. They finally cleared me after taking down the serial numbers of both pistols. Tiny and his family weren't even checked for passports when they found out that I was the registered owner of the island we were going to. Without further delay, we were on the helicopters and in the air, heading for the island I had yet to see.

When the pilot of the helicopter announced we were coming in sight of the island, I looked out. To my surprise, it looked like the pictures Quanta had sent me. There was a huge beach below the house that was so white it almost blinded me from the sun's reflection. The pilot then said because of the palm trees and pool, we would have to set down on the beach. He would wait until we were all unloaded before he lifted off again. He said he would return in two weeks, unless he was called earlier to pick us up.

When we got closer, I could see about a dozen men on the beach, obviously waiting for us to land. I wondered who they were, until I recognized Quanta standing there with a smile on his face. The rest of the men were natives. They were dressed in bright sarongs and looked like they were glad to see us, from all the smiles I could see. Since there was just me, Kat, and Sally, but with all of the luggage in our helicopter, we sat down closest to the men on the beach. The pilot immediately shut it down, and I waited until all the rotor wash quit before sliding open the door. Quanta came running up to the door before I was able to get out. When I stepped onto the sand, he grabbed me in a big bear hug. I thought he was going to break my back.

"Jon, my friend, I am so glad to see you again after all these years. These men will take your luggage up to the house. I want to meet all your friends."

The men he motioned at made short work of grabbing the luggage. I noticed, almost to a man, they bowed to me. I could clearly see whip scars on their backs as they went up the steps to the house. I introduced him and he hugged everyone, saying he was so glad to meet them. Now this was a side of Quanta I had never seen before. I had to admit, he did look a lot happier than the last time I had seen him and his family in Nigeria. When we got up to the house, I got another surprise. There was a feast set up for us to welcome us to the island. I pulled Quanta to the side the first chance I got and lit into him.

"My friend, this is all well and fine, but do the people here have food and is all of this necessary? You were supposed to settle a few things before I got here, so bring me up to date."

"When the feast gets going good, we will slip away to the village, and meet with the headman, Jon. I assure you, that your friends will be perfectly safe. They will be treated like royalty by the men and women who have set this up. We had some problems, but I want you to meet with the elder before you make any decisions about what to do. My family is here, and I have sent the guards back to Nigeria because I know it's safe. You know I wouldn't risk my family again unless I thought they would be perfectly safe here."

With this coming from Quanta, I let my guard down a little, but I still went to the house and got the extra pistol out. I slipped it to Carver with a word of caution to be on his guard until I could check things out better. He just looked at me, then nodded his head in acknowledgment to my warning. He slipped the pistol under his shirt at his back and we went back out to the food. I finally got to meet Quanta's wife and daughters again. I almost didn't recognize the daughters because, in the years between our last meeting, beside a dusty road, they had grown up into beautiful young women. They all fussed over me so much I was starting to get dirty looks from Sally and Kat. I just smiled at them both and shrugged my shoulders, whereupon Kat gave me a big smile and just shook her head. Sally had that smirk on her face so I stuck my tongue out at her and she busted up laughing.

When Quanta gave me the high sign, I passed it on to Carver and he nodded his head that he had seen it. We went around back, climbed into a golf cart and took off, following a well used road. We traveled about half an hour before coming to a village and to my surprise, it was clean and well kept up. The huts were made with palm leaves and all natural stuff from the island, and all the people looked clean and well fed. There were kids playing all over the place, and I could hear shrieks of laughter coming from different parts of the village. We pulled up in front of the biggest hut and Quanta got out, motioning for me to follow. I looked around and saw there had been a lot of new palm leaves and other work done recently to the village. I followed Quanta up to the doorway of the hut, noticing that there wasn't a door on it and that it was all one big room. When we went inside, I immediately closed one eye and stepped to the side of the doorway, following old habits that had saved my life in the past. A voice spoke up from the side and I could see the outline of a man sitting there in the shadows. Before I could say anything, one of the sides of the hut was raised and the room became as bright as day. When I got a better look at the man behind the voice, I could see he looked to be in his late forties. He had long hair and very bright white teeth, which showed from the smile he had on his face.

"You have no need to be cautious, Mr. Morgan. You and your family are perfectly safe on the island. Thanks to your friend here following your orders, my people are once again free and happy, and well fed for the first time in many years. Please be seated and have coffee with me."

Feeling a little foolish, I went over and sat with my back against a post. He smiled when he noticed, and poured coffee for us all from the pot that was brought in by a young girl. We sat and sipped, with me waiting for him to speak. For some reason, Quanta was strangely silent and I felt my guard coming back up again.

"Mr. Morgan, my name is Michaela, but I am called Mikey by everyone in the village. When the previous elder was whipped to death by the overseer for not making us work hard enough, my people chose me to take his place. I am sure you are wondering what this meeting is about and what I am about to tell you. First, though, I would like to know what your plans are for my people. Will we have to leave our homes? Will we be forced to work for you and have nothing to show for it again? These are a few questions I have been asked by my people. I told them that until you came and answered them for us, they would have to wait and see, just like me. Your friend, Mr. Quanta here, has said that you are a kind man and hate slavery of any kind. Is this true? He also told us of your rescue of his family many years ago. Mr. Morgan, my people have lived here for many generations, and through all the mistreatment, we have managed to survive. Mr. Morgan, what are your plans for the island now that you have bought it?"

I looked at him thinking about my conversation with Myrna, wishing I had brought her with me. She could answer his questions a lot better than I could, but I knew I had to try.

"Mikey, from now on just call me Jon, please. First, let me explain something to you that you can pass on to your people. From now on, you will never be beaten for any reason, and if I hear of it happening I will shoot the man who does it myself. That goes for natives as well as strangers. Second, from now on, whatever you raise on this island, you will get sixty five percent of after taxes. I really don't care what you raise or how much money your people make, as long as the French taxes are paid on time. The house and grounds will be kept up and in pristine condition by your people. During the time that there aren't guests here, they are free to use the pool to swim. If you need it, I will even hire a school teacher to live here to teach the children. If you need foodstuffs you can't raise, I will set up an account with whoever you wish and make arrangements to have it shipped in. Mikey, let me make this very clear. If your people are ever exploited by their own or any stranger, I will not hesitate to take my anger out on anyone, including one of your own, for doing so. As the owner, I will have the final say. Quanta will tell you that I do not take something like this lightly. Quanta bought this island as a tax write off for me, and I don't care about profit in my own pocket. I would prefer that your people have their own governing body to make decisions, and your own police force to make sure that what has happened in the past doesn't happen again. This will be up to you and your people. I have a woman with me who will be more than glad to help you work it out. Quanta can invest for your people and make you even more money in the future. Mikey, your people will run the island while I am not here, and I expect it to be done right and above board. I want to be sure that you and all of your people are be happy and will want to stay here. My daughter is half owner with me, and I assure you she feels the same way I do. I am going back to my guests, so I suggest while I am there, you meet with your people and decide what you want to do."

I got up, but he stayed sitting with a shocked look on his face and his mouth hanging open. Quanta followed me out. We climbed back into the golf cart and headed back to the house.

"Jon, I think you just gave them a lot to think about all at once. According to what I found out, they have been the slave labor on this island for several generations. There is something else you need to know, Jon. The overseer tried to shoot me, and one of my body guards killed him. We dumped the weighted body out in the ocean a few miles offshore. I am sorry this had to happen, but he refused to listen to reason and left us no choice in the matter. He had several hundred thousand dollars in a safe in the floor of his cabin, along with the contract from the old owner. I have forwarded this to Interpol, along with his personal journals. I think they will be going after the old owner for some of the atrocities he committed while he owned this island. I kept the money to see what you wanted to do with it."

"Quanta, as soon as we find out all the information on these people, start investing the money in the tribe's name. Knowing you like I do, I think they will have a lot in a short time. I wonder if any of the kids would like to attend college, or if they have had any schooling of any sort."

"This I do not know, Jon, but before I leave I will gather all that information for you. Oh, and by the way, Mikey is an ordained minister. He said he would consider it an honor to perform your marriage ceremonies for you. He suggested that his people handle all the arrangements, and he would guarantee your bride would love it. Jon, there are seven large warehouses on the island full of food, mostly canned goods and things they can't grow. I hope you don't mind, but I gave Mikey the keys when I first got here, so he could give it out to his people. Jon, there is enough food there, besides what they grow, to last for a long time. I do not understand why it wasn't given to them before this."