The Son (9 page)

‘And you want to know if I'm still working for them. Rest assured, Mr Quinn, I'm not. I've never been a communist. I worked for them because they asked me to, and I thought I could do something for Vietnam. I quit when I saw the way they were ruining the country.'

‘What were you doing for them? Please call me Paul.'

‘I worked for the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, as they've renamed Saigon. As an economics planner. Have you heard of a man called Dang van Loc?

‘Is he the one who's coming soon to Australia?' That was the name Jack had mentioned.

‘That's him. He's now Deputy Premier in Hanoi. Then he was vice-chairman of the HCMC Committee – a kind of deputy mayor. I worked for him for about a year and a half after 1975. Before that I was with the Bank of Vietnam. He's a good man. We could have done some good things together. But he didn't call the shots, and he was overruled when the doctrinaires from the north took over. He's a southerner himself, from Ben Tre. Have you ever been there, Mr Paul?'

‘No. It's near the mouth of the Mekong, isn't it?'

‘Yes. Under communist control for most of the war, even under the French. He's a real revolutionary, from the earliest days. And yet he helped me escape.'

‘From Vietnam?'

He nodded.

‘Surprising, isn't it! But there are many surprises in Vietnam, even under the communists. Loc's an intelligent man. He could see it wasn't working. So he sent me abroad, on an official mission. To France, and then here. I came here to ask for aid, Mr Paul. I asked for asylum instead. Your government was kind enough to give it to me.'

He smiled with gentle irony, clearly enjoying himself.

‘I still keep in touch with him from time to time. Indirectly, through friends. He's a moderate, in communist terms. If Vietnam is to get out of the mess it's in it can only be done with people like him. Not by trying to overthrow them, as those hotheads in the Vietnamese community here keep saying.'

‘Jack mentioned you'd received some death threats.'

He gave a derisive laugh.

‘They seem to think anyone who doesn't hate the communists is a traitor. But they're dinosaurs, Mr Paul. They live in the past.'

He seemed to like calling me that. Maybe it was his sense of humour.

‘All they can think of is restoring the old order. As if they had any hope! No, the only way forward is through compromise, and evolution. We need to install a multi-party system in Vietnam, a genuinely democratic society, but we can only do it with the help of the communists themselves. So we have to come to terms with them. Otherwise we'll just keep going in the same cycle of hate and conflict, and nothing will ever change …'

There was a messianic light in his eye, and I headed him off before he launched into a lecture. I'd met people like him before, in Saigon and later among the refugees, idealists who thought they could hold back the tide, somehow appeal to people's better nature, or who wanted to play the part of conciliator, and ended up getting caught in the middle, and crushed, like Hao's father. I wished him better luck.

But that wasn't why I was there, and I decided to trust him. After all he had taken me on trust himself, on Jack's recommendation.

‘I'm interested in one particular group in the Vietnamese community,' I said. ‘But I know very little about it.'

‘May I ask the nature of your interest?'

‘Yes. But if you don't mind I'd like to keep it between us. I didn't tell Jack the real story.'

He gave me a searching look, then nodded. ‘Rest assured, anything you tell me will be in strict confidence. I expect the same in return.'

‘Of course.'

I gave him a brief version of the truth, keeping Hao and Eric's names out of it. I spoke of a friend, who had a young relative who was involved in that group, and who was concerned about it. He asked if my friend was Vietnamese. I said yes, but assured him it was someone I trusted fully, and I hadn't told my friend about our meeting. He accepted this.

‘Do you know a man called Vo Khanh?' I asked. ‘He runs the Dai Nam restaurant in Cabramatta, and he's a former officer in the South Vietnamese Marines.'

Quang's eyes twinkled again.

‘Of course. He's well known in the community. He's one of those people I was telling you about, who want to overthrow the government in Hanoi and restore the old order. I sometimes see him at meetings. He has a reputation for violence. Lately I've heard that he's trying to organise some demonstrations against Loc's visit.'

I pulled out a sketch I had made of the tattoo on Eric's arm. Afterwards I had remembered seeing it before, on one of the young men I had met at the house in Cabramatta. Quang smiled when I told him where I'd seen it.

‘That's a mad buffalo,' he said.

‘That's what I thought. What does it mean?'

‘You haven't heard of the Mad Buffaloes? That's what they used to call one of the Marine battalions in Vietnam.
Tiểu Đòan Trâu Điên.
The Mad Buffaloes Battalion. Because of their fighting spirit. When they attacked, they kept charging like mad buffaloes until they reached their objective. That was their sign.'

‘Is that the name of this group then?'

‘Possibly. I hadn't heard the name being used here. But it makes sense, if Vo Khanh is at the head of it. What else do you know about them?'

‘Not much. It seems they hold meetings, from time to time. And they may have a training camp out in the country, somewhere in the hills north-west of Sydney.'

I told him what I'd learnt from Eric, conscious that I was breaking my promise to him. I didn't have much choice, if I was going to get anywhere. He took it all in, but couldn't add any more.

‘Do you know a man called Ho Xuan Bach?' I asked. ‘Also known as Bach Ho. He's a prominent businessman in Cabramatta.'

‘I don't know him personally. You're right, he is a wealthy businessman. Is he involved in this?'

‘I don't know. But he knows Vo Khanh.'

‘That probably doesn't mean anything. But I can check it out.'

He smiled at my look of alarm.

‘Don't worry, Mr Paul. I'll be discreet. I have my own friends too in the community. If what you say is true, your young friend would be well advised to stay out of that group.'

‘That's very kind of you, Quang. And please call me Paul.'

‘In return I'd be grateful for anything else you can find out. I am worried about what they may do during Loc's visit.'

Quid pro quo
. I'd never met a source who didn't want something in return, if not cash then at least a favour.

‘I should have something in a couple of days.'

I made sure I took one of his newsletters when I left.

At this point I started to make some mistakes.

The first was not to tell Hao at once everything that I'd learnt, even if it meant breaking my promise to Quang, and to Eric. I was thinking of doing just that, when she herself rang, and her news pushed mine aside. She'd been on the phone to her office in Leeds, they had a crisis on, they'd asked her to go back urgently. She was booked to fly home that weekend.

‘So soon?' I cried.

‘I'm sorry.' Her voice softened. ‘I did think about your offer, Paul. But it wouldn't have worked. You don't know me, you know nothing about me …'

‘I know enough.'

‘Really. It's better this way.'

I didn't argue. There was no point.

‘What's going to happen to Eric?' I asked.

‘I spoke with him this morning. He's assured me everything's going to be alright. He's promised to stay out of trouble.'

‘I hope so. You don't mind if I keep an eye on him after you've gone?'

‘Of course not. But I've already put you to so much trouble – you've been so kind–'

Not kind enough, apparently. I asked about her flight, and she told me she was leaving on Saturday, but when I asked if I could see her before she became evasive. I didn't insist. It was clear she didn't want to see me. Feeling rather bitter, I decided I'd handle Eric alone.

That was my next mistake.

It was too late to do anything that night, and the next day I was busy at work, but the following evening I drove once again to Cabramatta. The restaurant was much quieter this time, Eric was serving alone, without Hong, but Vo Khanh was at his post beside the counter and he shot me a dirty look as I walked in. Feeling a little defiant I took a table and waited. After a while Eric came up to me, looking unhappy.

‘What are you doing here?' he asked. ‘Haven't you found out all you want?'

‘It's alright, Eric,' I said. ‘I just want to have a talk.'

‘Well I don't want to talk to you. Sunday was enough, thank you.'

Hardly an auspicious beginning. But I pushed on.

‘You know your aunt's going back to Britain this weekend?' I said.

‘She told me. Why, what's it to you?'

‘What it is to me is that she was very worried about you just a week ago. She asked me to help you. And now she says everything's going to be fine. What have you been telling her, Eric?'

‘Nothing! All I said is that I can look after myself. Why should you care anyway? Why do you keep barging into other people's affairs?'

He was getting agitated, his voice rising in irritation.

‘Because I'm worried about you too. And because I don't think you're being honest with her. Did you tell her what you were doing at that farm?'

‘That's none of your business.'

‘Maybe not, but it's an important question, Eric. Did you? Or are you still hiding the truth from her?'

He said nothing, and I tried a softer approach.

‘Look, I didn't come here to argue with you. But this is serious. What if something happens to you when she's gone? I'll do everything I can to help you, I promise, but it may not be enough. And this time she may not be able to come back. Then she'll be really worried.'

He stayed silent, his expression wooden. I had no way of telling if I was getting through.

All might have been well if Vo Khanh hadn't chosen that moment to butt in. The first I knew was when he appeared at Eric's side.

‘You OK, Eric?' he asked. He had a rough, gravelly voice which went well with his looks. I stood up and held my hand out to him.

‘Mr Vo Khanh? I'm Paul Quinn. I'm a friend of Eric's aunt.'

He ignored my hand and I let it drop.

‘We closing now,' he said.

‘I know. I'm going. But first I think you should know that she is very worried about him.'

‘I do not want to discuss. We closing now,' he repeated.

Close up he looked even more unpleasant. His eyes were bloodshot, whether from drink or tiredness I couldn't guess, and he had a sullen expression which boded no good. But it was too late to back out now.

‘She's worried because of some of the people he's mixing with. People you know. I'm trying to make sure he doesn't get into trouble because of them.'

‘I do not know what you are talking about.'

‘People who wear this!' I seized Eric's arm and pulled up his shirt sleeve. I was getting annoyed myself and heard my voice getting too loud. ‘People who go to secret training camps in the hills and play with guns. People who talk big about fighting the communists but are better at organising violent demonstrations in Australia.'

His face became ugly.

‘I not speak with you, Mr Quinn! Go away! We are closing now.'

‘I'll go in a minute. But first hear me out!'

‘Mr Quinn, this none of your business! Eric is big boy now. He decide who his friends are. He don't need you to tell him. Go away!'

‘Mr Khanh, I'm not interested in your Vietnamese affairs. If you want to fight the communists and reconquer Vietnam go ahead! If you can! But don't try and use Eric to do it. If you don't leave him alone I will tell the police.'

‘Police have nothing to say! I not break the law. Eric a free man. This not Vietnam, and you are not big white man telling us what to do! Go away!'

He glared at me, his colour darkening with anger. He was almost a head shorter than me and running to fat, but stocky and still muscular, and he gave an impression of barely contained violence. He moved closer to me, rolling on his feet like a street-fighter, and I stepped back. I had no wish to tangle with a mad buffalo on his own premises.

‘I'm leaving now, Mr Khanh, but I'll be back. If you don't leave Eric out of your activities I promise you I won't give you a moment's peace.' I turned to Eric.

‘Eric, I'm sorry it's come to this. I think you're headed for big trouble if you continue to associate with people like him. And I'm not going to stop until I've made sure you're safe. I promised your aunt, and I'll keep that promise. I'll see you again soon.'