The SPECTRE Of The VATICAN ©

Chapter 37 - Close Encounters.

Time: Present Day
Location: HereAfter

Carter watched as plans were made for him with his new name to be brought back to Australia, with Roger and Amanda. Collette told them that Louise's father had pulled a few strings. He was close friends with powerful people through his golf club affiliations. He lobbied for there to be no autopsy as the family had suffered enough, and needed to arrange for their daughter's body to be transported home to Australia. He rang the CEO of Air France and arranged for her body to be transported on the same ticket she had purchased when alive. He asked him to arrange for all the family's various bookings on different airlines to be amalgamated including little Peter's booking so they were all seated together on the same flight that was to repatriate Amelia's body.

It was the morning of their flight home when the phone rang. It was the airline saying that the flight had been delayed four hours. As they were cursing Air France the phone rang again. This time it was Louise. She told them that there had been a bureaucratic problem with the transport of Amelia's body on a commercial flight. They were insisting that the body be transported on a cargo plane. Her father had again used his influence with the CEO. It took a while to sort out which necessitated the CEO holding their flight takeoff time but it had all been sorted out now.

Jean asked Louise to thank her Dad and said how amazed he was at what Louise's Dad had been able to pull off through his many business contacts. He asked if he liked single malt scotch. She said he did. "I'll arrange for a bottle to be sent to him when we get back to Australia. And a case of Australia's finest wine, Grange Hermitage, as well I think. It's the least I can do."

Carter enjoyed seeing the family pull together in times of trouble. They had a few wines with dinner and had an early night. Margot drove them to the airport the next morning in time for their flight to Sydney. They travelled in sombre silence remembering the cargo that travelled with them. Amanda wished that they could have had the coffin travel with them in the passenger cabin rather than the cargo hold but she guessed there was a limit even to Louise's Dad's sphere of influence. It was a long sombre trip. Even the addition of alcohol to the meals didn't totally mitigate the sorrow they all were feeling.

Carter watched as the family arrived in Singapore. They disembarked from the Airbus and made their way to the transit lounge in Terminal 1.

They were on the moving footway when Roger said to Amanda, "I'd love a smoke. Wait for me?"

"Okay. I'll take Carter to the toilets and change him while we wait. Mum and Dad, we'll meet up with you in the transit lounge." Monique, Michelle and Jean continued on to the Transit Lounge.

After changing the baby Amanda waited for Roger outside the smokers room.

Father Dan came out of the newsagency with the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine, for Peter to read on the flight. He caught sight of Peter looking at a TV screen with an international news segment running. There had been some sort of international incident in Paris which was going to be shown after the ad break.

He slapped Peter with the magazine. "Come on Petros, you know the rules, no TV, you have a lot to consider and big decisions to be made once we get to Rome. We don't need the distractions of what's going on in the outside world when preparing to give our lives to God now do we? Here this is for you," he said handing over the magazine, taking Peter by the arm and leading him off to the moving footway.

Father Dan was the only one who knew how much music meant to Peter. Peter had told him that it was music that kept him sane. It was music that simultaneously reminded him of Amelia, and helped him to forget Amelia, and helped him cope with all his moods in between.

As they travelled along with their carryon luggage at their feet Peter was engrossed in his magazine. "I might have to get off and go to the toilet soon," said Peter without taking his eyes from the magazine.