Читать книгу Indonesian Gold - Kerry B Collison - Страница 15

Sharon Ducay removed her shoes and tiptoed along the corridor, entering General Narciso Dominguez’s room without making a sound.

‘How is he?’ she asked the attending nurse, her voice but a whisper.

‘He rests,’ the middle-aged woman replied, ‘the doctor says that he was lucky – this time.’

Sharon moved to the side of the bed, leaned down and kissed her uncle on the forehead, then took a seat alongside to wait for him to regain consciousness. She settled back into the deep, cushioned chair, resting tired eyes after the long, anxiety-filled journey back from London. The General had suffered his second stroke.

Her eyes drifted around the all too familiar room with its rich furnishings, the presence of cigar smoke still evident in the air and, when she recognized the photograph which had been moved closer to her uncle’s side, she shed a tear. Sharon knew that this would have been Alfredo’s handiwork, and she muttered a silent prayer of thanks that Dominguez’s trusted aide had been present when her uncle had collapsed. Suddenly, she felt cold, the threat of Narciso Dominguez dying gripped her with the reality that the ageing General lying there was her only remaining family, and that with his passing, apart from Alfredo, she would be completely alone.

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Sharon ’s parents, along with her two brothers and a sister, had died when the Hercules transport carrying them to Hong Kong had crashed over the ocean, ten years before. Sharon had been devastated at the time, returning home immediately to attend to matters of estate. Since the tragic incident, Sharon had become the daughter General Narciso Dominguez could never have. Now, the old man and his niece were the sole, remaining members of what was once a most influential, Filipino family.

Although her parents had not been overly wealthy Sharon’s inheritance provided her with the capacity to travel freely for two years, by which time the therapeutic journey had not only diminished her funds, but had given her a greater appreciation of the power of money.

Whilst touring South Africa she managed to secure a position with Anglovest Reef Mines in Johannesburg, during which time she acquired considerable, practical field training under the guidance of more experienced geologists. Sharon learned quickly, enjoying the frequent field survey trips, the magnificent country and its flora and fauna. But, after three years, she yearned for a change of scenery and, touched by an occasional bout of homesickness, wrote to her uncle advising that she wished to come home. She had returned to the Philippines and accepted the General’s offer to live in his sprawling, Manila mansion, grateful for his support and introductions to the wealthy and influential powerbrokers that ate off President Marcos’ table in Malacanang Palace .

Sharon’s most recent visit to London had been to investigate avenues whereby some of the General’s associates’, illicitly acquired wealth, might be converted into American dollars. She had been unsuccessful, and had been preparing to fly to New York to meet with a number of brokers when Alfredo had called, summoning her home to Manila.

Now, as she rested alongside her uncle, Sharon prayed for his recovery.

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