The Delta Chain (37 page)

They had created their camouflaged village in the marshlands and were ready to move it at a moment
’
s notice if threatened by exposure.

And yet, despite all that, William had felt safe here.

Later on, looking back, he realised he must have “gone troppo”, that mix of exhilaration and delirium that could affect people in the wild. Civilised people wrenched back into a world of savagery and survival, exposed to the elements, becoming at one with nature. It hadn
’
t been uncommon in Vietnam. To this day, William had never been sure whether Vender was similarly affected, or whether in fact, always an oddball, he
’
d simply found a place that suited him.

The Mekong River basin was separated from the country
’
s other geographical basin, the Red River, by a mountain chain backing onto narrow coastal plains. Most of the traffic in the north of Vietnam was along the maze of waterways, even more so in wartime.

The Mekong Delta was a flat alluvial plain, much of its land surface covered in rice paddies. At least one third of the region was marsh and swamp, many of the swamp areas difficult to access. The road system was so bad it wasn
’
t even considered usable by the military forces.

William and Vender went back to the smouldering remains of the village and scavenged for the little food they could find. Then they wandered the banks of the tributary for five days. On the sixth day, they were rescued by an American Forces River Patrol.

The U.S. Navy had established the River Patrol in
’
65 to patrol and take command of the rivers. The boat that picked up Westmeyer and Vender was a PBR, a 31-foot fibreglass hull cruiser especially suited to operations in shallow waters. Manned by a crew of four, the PBR boats were equipped with surface radar, radios, and armed with .50 and .30 calibre machine guns.

William was surprised by the dope smoking, gung ho captain of the crew.

The young man
’
s name was Donnelly. And whilst he regarded Vender as something of a freak, Donnelly seemed to enjoy spending time chatting with William.

William and Vender made sure they wouldn
’
t face court martial for going troppo-or going AWOL as far as any military judge was concerned. Until now they
’
d been listed as missing in action. They informed their rescuers they
’
d been captured and imprisoned in a Vietcong detention stronghold hidden within an obscure Vietnamese religious cult. The U.S forces had never heard of any such religious sect but had no reason not to believe the two men.

But Donnelly, a man who enjoyed vindictive acts simply for the hell of it, suspected their story was a lie. He knew the Vietcong would have no such tolerance of any religious cult. He voiced all this to Area Commander Logan Asquith.

Vender and Westmeyer were demobbed and sent home, but Asquith let it be known to both men that he knew their secret and could expose them. This granted him favours he knew he could call in at any time. He wasn
’
t sure what use, if any, the warped Vender might have. Certainly he would always be useful, with his strange background, as a patsy. Westmeyer, on the other hand, had entered into service as part of a little known sponsorship program. He would continue with the Forces in scientific research. After a period of service he would be free to go out on his own. A man like that could prove incredibly useful to the ambitious Asquith.

Westmeyer was a brilliant young mind, but with a somewhat maverick soul.

Perhaps that explained why he
’
d become involved with a weirdo like Vender and why he
’
d gone troppo out in the jungles.

Asquith often wondered what the hell had gone on out there.

Asquith prepared profiles of Vender and Westmeyer when he was creating Nexus.

Joseph Vender had been born to Dutch parents who emigrated to Australia at the end of the Second World War. The family settled in the coal mining town of Herefordvale in South Australia. Sullen and moody as a child, Joseph was raised by strict parents. His father, Carl, was an enigmatic character who belonged to a pseudo-religious/political group called White Dawn. Bitter, disenfranchised men and women, they were ultra right wing, wore ceremonial robes when they met and considered themselves a breakaway from the Roman Catholic Church.

Joseph found life in the small town depressing and often went hiking, alone, in the woods. It was on these walks, he later revealed to Westmeyer, that he first imagined an isolated community, free and unhindered in practicing their religious beliefs, in harmony with nature
–
and quite unlike the bitter group with which his father was so obsessed.

It was also during these formative years the young Vender developed an interest in cults around the world, their beliefs, their leaders, their communal structures, and he read book after book on the subject.

He became involved in local churches. But with his bizarre ideas none of the churches would encourage his leadership aspirations. In
’
73, although not drafted, he volunteered to the Australian Army. To Vender it represented an escape and he had no intention of returning to South Australia.

In the Sun La Province, one year later, he met Westmeyer and they formed their unlikely friendship.

During his early months at Sun La, Vender first heard stories about the obscure sect somewhere in the jungles and when he sought them out he persuaded William to join him.

Westmeyer
’
s brilliant, ordered and adventurous mind was affected by Vietnam in ways he would never have imagined. After recovering from several weeks of fever, his actions became erratic, his mind toying with Vender
’
s unusual beliefs.

Following him into the jungle to live like a native, he had fallen in love with a beautiful young Vietnamese village girl.

They experienced a totally different and mystical lifestyle as guests of the cult.

Vender used his charms to persuade the leader to accept them. There was nothing manic or oppressive about this group
’
s ways, as Vender thought there might be. They were simple, honest people with a faith in God that mixed Christian views with Vietnamese jungle folklore and the fanciful ideas of the leader himself. As time marched on, Vender pushed his own ideas for austere leadership, strict living regimens and heartless punishments for the children.

Many of the elders began to keep a cautious distance from him.

Westmeyer noted, with interest, that some of the younger members were seduced by Vender
’
s charisma. They spent increasing amounts of time with him, supporting his ideas, performing small tasks for him.

William had never been religious in any way, but he saw how Joseph
’
s manic energy rubbed off on those who were easily influenced. It meant Joseph could persuade others to his way of thinking.

This meant power.

Westmeyer was determined he wouldn
’
t be trapped by an ordinary, uneventful life, like that of his father. He was fascinated by Vender; by his manic energy; and by his power and influence over others.

Years later, with the formation of Nexus and the launch of the Operation Babel projects, Westmeyer pointed out to Asquith that Vender could be useful.

Asquith bankrolled Vender
’
s idea for a sect. The self-deluded leader set up his Keepers Of The Faith and established his remote compounds, or “Coms” as his enlisted Keepers came to call them.

Nexus gave Vender and his balmy followers assistance in “obtaining” the babies and young children who would be raised on his Coms as pure, new age souls, the only ones fit, in Vender
’
s opinion, of being accepted by the returning Christ.

Vender saw his destiny as raising and preparing them. Even though Vender became increasingly disturbed and his views distorted, he
’
d posed no threat to Nexus.

And each year, as his “pure souls” grew older, just a few were made available to Nexus for their own projects. It was a small price for the First Keeper to pay. Vender was never told the purpose of these projects. Instead, he was fed various vague stories, which he simply accepted without further interest.

His only concern was that he and his growing sect would be left alone.

Kate phoned Betty Joel on her cell as she sped toward the Institute. The coastal road offered a view of a restless ocean beneath a sky of dark, swollen clouds.

‘I suppose a “welcome back” is in order, young lady,
’
said Betty.
‘
I
’
m sure you know you created quite a stir with your little disappearing act.
’

‘Betty, I know I owe you an apology, for not letting you know what I was up to.
’

‘Understood, honey. God knows you
’
ve been under more stress than anyone deserves…
’

‘James knew but I did ask him to keep quiet.
’

‘But he didn
’
t know the full story, did he, sweetie? You kept him in the dark as well-
’

‘Okay, you got me. And I
’
ve got some explaining to do to James, as well.
’

‘Yes you have. My view is that, secretly, James probably expected you to do something outlandish. Wouldn
’
t be the first time now, would it?
’
There was a hint of mischief in Betty
’
s voice.

‘I don
’
t know what you mean,
’
Kate quipped.

‘Of course you don
’
t.
’
Betty laughed.

‘I suppose you
’
ve heard the news about the murders here last night.
’

‘Yes. Spoke to James earlier this morning and he
’
d already heard from Westmeyer. I gather they
’
re all in a state of shock.
’

‘I
’
m on my way in now, so I
’
ll see James soon. He told me he
’
d solved the virus problem.
’

‘No doubt he
’
ll fill you in on the details. Seems we were both wrong about Rhonda being behind that, Kate. Melanie Cail was the culprit.
’

‘Betty, there
’
s more going on here than I can say right now. But when I
’
m back in Brizzie I
’
m going to talk through the whole damn thing with you.
’

‘You bet you will. I wouldn
’
t have let you off that hook anyway.
’
She gave another brief snort of laughter.

‘I didn
’
t know this when I took off for the Territory,
’
Kate revealed,
‘
but…it has to do with what happened to Greg.
’

‘What does?
’

‘The Institute.
’

There was a silence, hanging briefly but thickly between the two women.

‘What do you mean by
that
?
’

‘The Institute isn
’
t exactly what it appears to be…
’

‘Lately you have this habit of really worrying me, girl.
’

‘Got to fly, Bette. Almost there. But before I do, there
’
s something I wanted to ask, something you
’
ve probably got on record there…
’

Betty Joel didn
’
t like the anxiety she detected in Kate
’
s tone.
‘
Ask away, Kate,
’
she said.

Betty
’
s reply hovered in Kate
’
s mind as she walked into the Institute. A picture was forming in her mind, a jigsaw she didn
’
t like. But the pieces were falling into place.

The receptionist greeted her warmly, the conversation turning to the dramatic news.
‘
You
’
re not going to believe-
’

‘Already heard,
’
Kate said.
‘
Couldn
’
t believe it. I know it
’
s early but…what have you been hearing around here?
’

The receptionist was eager to gossip.
‘
The whole place
’
s abuzz. Some say this Melanie Cail sent those saboteur faxes, and that Tony went out there to confront her and it turned ugly. Someone else reckons they must
’
ve been having an affair because otherwise Tony wasn
’
t the type to go off to someone
’
s home and challenge them.
’

Kate shook her head, incredulous.
‘
Is James in?
’

‘Yeah. He
’
ll be glad to see you.
’

Kate smiled and headed for the lifts.

The motel room was pleasant but Jean Farrow couldn
’
t relax. She
’
d lost count of the times she
’
d paced back and forth, finding trivial things to do
–
making tea, then coffee, then tea again, listening to snatches of radio and TV, leafing through the motel-issued Northern Rocks tourist brochure.

She couldn
’
t have cared less about any of it. She wanted to know what was happening with the police investigation; she felt suddenly useless; if she couldn
’
t play an active role in uncovering the links between her son
’
s killers and the scientific institute, then she at least wanted to be close at hand. To observe.