Kaylar Ch. 01: Contraband

"Mrs Carmall, excuse me, could you come over here for a moment, please?"

Jennifer looked across the wide corridor towards the young gentleman standing outside the Customs and Revenue Inspectorate office. She flushed slightly, partly from surprise, partly from uncertainty as to why she should be called over at this stage. Carefully, she manoeuvred herself out of the stream of passengers and across towards the very smartly-dressed young man who had called to her.

Jennifer looked at his name badge, then up at Officer Lammar Imiken. A slight, almost imperceptible shiver ran down her spine. She was genuinely perplexed.

"Is there a problem, Officer?"

The officer looked directly at her, but not in a particularly threatening way, and smiled.

"I just need to clarify a small matter before you board the ferry, Mrs. Carmall. May I just take a quick look at your passport, please?"

Jennifer rummaged through her shoulder bag and tendered the requested document.

"Can you excuse me for just a moment, please, I need to tell my friends that I'll catch them up as soon as we have finished here."

Officer Imiken nodded and took the proffered passport. "Of course, please do."

Jennifer walked the few paces back to where Jo, Katrina and Sam were waiting and explained that she just needed to sort something out and that she would catch up with them in the waiting area as soon as the matter had been resolved. All of them were equally perplexed, but they knew from experience that such things tend to happen and they were confident that it would not in any way cast a shadow over the perfect weekend that they had spent on the island of Kaylar, about 85 miles from the mainland.

***

Jennifer's promotion to executive level had been expected, but this did not diminish the almost universal delight that greeted the announcement of this rise up the management hierarchy. Now, she would have an opportunity to put her undisputed skills to work in advancing the cause of her dynamic employer even farther.

Jo, Katrina and Sam were Jennifer's closest friends and there was an unwritten understanding that major events had to be celebrated in a manner appropriate to the occasion. Thus it was that all four of them found themselves one cold Thursday evening at a rainy provincial airport, boarding an aircraft bound for Kerata, on the first leg of their long journey to the port where they would catch the ferry that would ultimately deliver them to Kaylar, one of the few resorts of its quality not to have an airport of its own.

The four women, with ages ranging from late 30s to early 50s, worked with a fifth woman, a 55-year old by the name of Judith. Whilst they all worked well and efficiently together, there was not the same closeness with Judith as there was amongst the rest of them. There was certainly no obvious hostility and the status of the relationships between the four and Judith could best be described as business-like and civil.

That said, Judith had been very quick to congratulate Jo on her commendable achievement at the relatively young age of 42 and with only 11 years' experience, compared with the 28 years that Judith had spent working her way slowly up the ladder.

Over champagne celebrations at the office, there was a lengthy discussion as to where the most suitable place would be to commemorate this promotion in real style. In fact, it was Judith who suggested Kaylar, an island of which the others knew very little, but to which they soon began to warm as Judith shared photographs on her mobile 'phone that she and her partner had taken during the previous year. The idea of long flight followed by an even longer rail journey and a 3-hour ferry crossing had threatened to divert their choice to a more familiar sun-trap, but at the brasserie where more senior staff from The Hallswell Design Consultancy tended to congregate for lunch and for such events, a few more glasses of champagne helped to clinch the agreement and four bookings were made the following day for an 8-day package, departing for Kaylar on the Monday and returning one week later.

Judith had been invited to join the group, for they all felt that it would have been less than kind to omit her, but, as predicted, she declined very politely, on the pretext that she was expecting family to spend the Easter weekend with her and her partner. However, she did make one discreet request to Jennifer, asking if she would be so kind as to visit an unusual antique dealer on the island, at a shop tucked away in a back street far from the main tourist area in Jaralam, the main town on the island. Judith had written some notes down on a piece of paper, with an address and a telephone number, also with a photograph of a small objet d'art that she said that she had been unable to obtain during her visit. She also placed a £50 note in the envelope, assuring Jennifer that this would cover the purchase price.

As the travellers were about to set off, Judith went round all her colleagues to wish them well, reserving a particularly and totally unexpected hug for Jennifer.

"I just know you are going to love that place. You are not going to find it easy to travel home after your break there. It leaves a profound mark on you."

Jennifer returned the hug equally warmly as her mind attempted to get to grips with this sudden apparent thaw in a colleague who had always appeared to maintain a social distance from her four colleagues. In fact, Jennifer was all the more surprised inasmuch as she was sure that Judith had set her heart on the post to which she had been appointed, placing her several steps higher up the ladder than her older colleague. However, there had been no obvious sign of resentment, a fact that had been greeted with universal relief.

As Judith walked to her car after saying goodbye to the travellers, a smirk developed gradually across a countenance that rarely displayed emotion of any kind. She recalled the fascinating antique shop and the extremely knowledgeable Mr Batar, with his detailed recall of the ancient history of this island that was now almost forgotten to all except for a few discerning and well-off travellers and to students of ancient civilizations.

As she approached her car, her bottom twitched slightly as her mind dallied upon her experiences in that remote place and the smirk widened and blossomed into a full-blown leery grin.

***

Quite apart from the abundance of small, secluded sunny beaches, fragrant woodlands, colourful meadows and quaint villages and from the virtual absence of motor vehicles, except for emergency services, highly efficient 'buses, small goods vehicles and taxis, Kaylar was renowned amongst the cognoscenti for one or two other reasons, one of which was that it was home to the sole source of an extremely rare mineral with unique properties.

Marverdenium, a name derived from what had been regarded as a likeness to sea-green, was a truly beautiful mineral of a rich colouring that changed with the angle of the light. It had been used by the Imenari people who had once occupied the island and it owed its existence to an extinct volcano. It was not easy to carve, but Imenari craftsmen had succeeded in creating artefacts of great beauty and of enormous value from this mineral, the rarity of which had led the government to impose a total ban upon exports in 1984, since which time instances of successful breaching of the strict barrier set up to prevent misappropriation could be counted on two hands. In fact, there was a detailed notice that was handed out to all visitors to the island, warning against attempts at taking anything made from this mineral off the island, complete with details of the sanctions that anyone who was caught so doing might face. It was emphasised that it was the responsibility of individual purchasers to verify that any items that they acquired did not contain the mineral, for which purpose dedicated assay offices had been set up at a small number of popular sites on the island. To many people, those sanctions, which could be applied summarily, were surprising, if not completely astonishing, even shocking.

A few foolhardy visitors had failed to take heed of that notice, issued jointly by the Kaylar Chamber of Antiquities and the Public Office for Customs and Revenue. None had forgotten the consequences, albeit for very different reasons.

Scientifically, the unique feature of marverdenium was its radioactive signature, which distinguished it from all other sources of radioactivity. Fortunately, radiation levels were extremely low and, outside of a scientific laboratory, only the sophisticated equipment at the government assay offices was capable of detecting this distinguishing feature.

***

Kaylar enjoyed what was probably one of the best climates to be found anywhere on the planet. Such precipitation as there was tended to fall after dusk or, more commonly, in the early hours. Day-time rain, apart from the odd shower, was almost unknown. Temperatures rarely fell below 15°C and, thanks to a cool ocean current on the west side, had never been recorded at a level higher than 32°C. During the weekend of celebrations, it hovered comfortably around the 25°C mark, with just the odd cloud to interrupt the sunshine.

Being seasoned hedonists, the travelling ladies took full advantage of the weather and lapped up the sunshine as they spread themselves out on the soft sandy beach at the resort and whilst they walked in the richly fragrant gardens and woodland surrounding the hotel. Unsurprisingly, there was considerable laughter and giggling and all four ladies slept extremely well, with a little help from delicious island cuisine and excellent local wines.

After looking at the long-range weather forecast, Jennifer had decided that the best time to run her shopping errand would probably be during the early part of Saturday, since it had been predicted that the island would be slightly overcast until around 11 a.m. It was, therefore, agreed that all four of them would take an early 'bus from the hotel, so that they could be in the market-place by nine o'clock, in time for a light breakfast before doing the rounds of the amazing Saturday market, vibrant with music from a variety of countries and with an array of colours and textures that could not fail to appeal to an appreciative audience of well-travelled ladies.

After a mid-morning coffee at a café overlooking the harbour, Jennifer announced that she was going to wander off independently for a short while. The others felt that this would be a good idea, so they dispersed having agreed to meet at the 'bus station at 11.40, to return in time for lunch at the hotel.

Jennifer was surprised at how quickly and easily she managed to locate Mr Batar's fascinating antique shop close to the Old Goat Market, but Judith had always been very good at giving directions. As Jennifer entered the establishment, she was greeted by the proprietor, who was talking to his young male assistant.

Rarely had Jennifer seen such unusual pieces, in a whole variety of materials, colours and shapes, ranging from glassware to metalware and delicate porcelain. In fact, the only material that she had not seen in the shop was marverdenium, although her visit to the Imenari Museum during the previous evening had shown her just how beautiful and unusual this mineral was.

After selecting a couple of unusual items, Jennifer made her way to the counter, where Mr Batar was now alone. He greeted her with the friendly warmth that Jennifer had found in all the island people whom she had met and asked if she had found everything that she had been seeking.

Jennifer was just about to say 'yes' when she remembered the envelope in her bag. Carefully, she opened it and showed Mr Batar the photograph before asking if it was an item that he might have available for sale. The proprietor's expression changed momentarily to one of caution verging on anxiety, but he soon regained control of himself and disappeared into the back of the shop.

As Jennifer left the antique shop to join her friends, the cautionary words of Mr Batar still echoed through her mind. Meticulously, she recited his advice to herself, remembering to keep the small item in the bubble wrap in which he had sold it to her, both to protect it against damage and to keep it from prying eyes, for there were antique thieves who would descend to all manner of devious behaviour in order to relieve her of it. Her thought drifted back to the shiny black object that appeared to be coated in shellac and that bore an ancient fertility symbol. She would keep it, as recommended, amongst the personal effects that she carried around in a zipped compartment in her shoulder bag, in order to ensure its safekeeping. She smiled to herself and wondered if her efforts on behalf of Judith marked a total change in the social structure within their group.

As forecast, the sun returned to full strength, cooled slightly by a gentle onshore breeze, as morning turned into afternoon. In perfect keeping with the information that Judith had provided, the four of them spent the next forty-eight hours in what felt like a totally different world, far removed from the artificial hustle and bustle of their everyday lives. The calm of the evenings, as they watched glorious sunsets from two different shoreline restaurants, was a medicine in itself. The gastronomic delights of the island were just the icing on a very nourishing cake.

By the time the four ladies had returned to the port to catch the ferry back to the mainland, during the late afternoon on the following Monday, they were in a totally relaxed frame of mind, all resolved to return to this surprising place with their respective partners for a proper holiday at the first opportunity.

***

Jennifer walked quickly back to Officer Imiken, who was now standing with a young woman who appeared to be in her late 20s and whose name-badge identified her as Alari Essalta, Inspector of Customs and Revenue, and with an older gentleman in civilian clothing, identified as Kammar Olesse, Head of Port Security. Officer Imiken introduced Jennifer to his two colleagues before leading the way into a modern, brightly-lit office innocuously labelled as "Port Security Administration".

Jennifer was beginning to feel slightly uneasy and clung somewhat nervously to her shoulder bag.

"Officer Imiken, could I have my passport please. I don't want to forget it!"

The officer walked round the desk to his seat, whilst his two colleagues took their seats close by.

"I need to retain it for a very short while, Mrs Carmall, while we complete these simple formalities. We don't want to cause you any undue inconvenience."

Jennifer's anxiety was allayed to some extent by the almost musical and very attractive accent in which Officer Imiken spoke English with complete fluency.

"Could you explain, please. I'm not quite sure what is going on."

Officer Imiken smiled. "I'll let Mr Olesse explain it all to you."

Jennifer nodded, frowned and turned to face the older gentleman from Port Security, who addressed her in a somewhat deeper and slightly crisper tone.

"Mrs Carmall, you will recall that your hand baggage was run through the scanner as you entered the embarkation area."

Jennifer nodded.

"Well, as your shoulder bag was emerging from the scanner, a warning light was triggered, so we just need to make absolutely certain that this was simply a malfunction. May I look at your bag, please?"

Jennifer stuttered slightly as she passed her bag hesitantly to Mr Olesse. "What kind of a warning was it?"

"It was a radiation warning, Mrs Carmall. So we need to be absolutely sure that you are safe to board the ferry."

Jennifer went pale as visions of radiation sickness crossed her mind and news stories of radioactive poisons were resurrected in her memory.

Sensing her alarm, Mr Olesse went on. "Please don't be alarmed, Mrs Carmall, since the level of radiation was extremely low. We just need to identify the source or demonstrate that the system malfunctioned."

Jennifer watched silently as Officer Essalta donned white silk gloves and carefully removed each item of property from the bag. Once the entire contents had been laid out on the desk, three pairs of local eyes fell upon one small package, carefully and neatly wrapped and very well sealed. The officer looked at Jennifer and asked her in a very straightforward, even warm tone if she would be so kind as to open the package.

Jennifer looked at the young woman with a mixture of uncertainty and slight annoyance.

"It's actually a package I am taking back to the UK for a lady with whom I work. I purchased it on her behalf at..."

Officer Essalta took up the statement: "...at Imenari Antiques, in the Old Goat Market."

Jennifer's jaw half-dropped.

"How did you know that?"

"Well, we have been keeping watch on that establishment for a while as we are slightly concerned about possible irregularities there."

"Irregularities? You mean drugs? Stolen goods?"

"No, Mrs Carmall, historic relics made from a very particular material - marverdenium."

Jennifer sighed with relief. She had read the literature and she recalled that marverdenium was renowned for its rich colouring, whereas this object was glossy black and the knowledgeable Mr Batar had informed her that it was a rare amulet made from an early form of glass and coated with shellac. She smiled.

"Well that is a relief, Officer Essalta, because this material looks nothing like marverdenium."

The officer made no comment but watched as the item was unwrapped and set on the desk in front of Mr Olesse, who donned white gloves, picked the item up, examined it with the naked eye and then stood up, looking at Jennifer with a quizzical expression on his face.

"Glass and shellac, you say. Well let me just confirm that."

Mr Olesse turned around and walked across to a very sophisticated looking machine, similar in size to a domestic microwave oven that would not have looked out of place in an advanced technology laboratory. Officers Imiken and Essalta joined him. There was a gentle hum as the device was switched on. After a few seconds, a 'Ready' message appeared on the LED display. The Head of Port Security placed the item on a ceramic plate before pressing the 'Start' button.

It was only a matter of seconds before a fresh reading appeared in red characters on the display. It simply read "Marverdenium".

A whirring sound announced the emergence of a printed ticket and a photographic image, which were then placed on a steel tray, along with the artefact.

It was Officer Essalta who next addressed Jennifer, in a calm, mellifluous tone that completely misrepresented Jennifer's predicament:

"Mrs Carmall, you have been found in illegal possession of a prohibited export item, within the meaning of the Export of Antiquities (Unlawful Materials) Order dated April 1984, whilst preparing to board a vessel sailing from the Island of Kaylar. You now have..."

Jennifer's voice did not in any way disguise her panic as she interjected: "B-b-b-u-u-ttt I had no idea.."

Officer Essalta calmly gestured to her to remain quiet until the full charge had been read out.

"You now have two options. You may defend yourself before the next Minor Offences Court or you may have the matter heard summarily by the Port Magistrate. If you opt for the latter, you will be free to leave as soon as the Magistrate has given judgment and set the appropriate penalty. If you opt for the former, you will be returned to your hotel to await the next Court session, which takes place next Thursday."

Jennifer was completely dumbfounded, but found herself in an impossible situation. She could not possibly afford to miss her return to work, in her new role, on Tuesday, so she would have to take a gamble and entrust her fate to the Magistrate.