To Catch a Mirage

In 1996, I was visited by a man I had come to call the Chameleon and three of his dark-suited companions. I recognized Danny Moran, the Chameleon's personal bodyguard; however, the other faces were new to me.

After introductions to Murray and the Dutchman, the Chameleon began his explanation for his visit. Did I know of a drug that would stun a man without any long-term effects such as killing him? Could I keep safe a sufferer of emphysema on a long flight in a military jet?

Having failed to complete a medical degree some twenty-five years earlier, I could not even spell emphysema. However, I was intrigued by the reference to it and flying and guards who needed to be sedated. Over the next hour or so, the details were revealed to me of a plot being financed by the Australian government and a television network to kidnap the financial refugee Christopher Skase from his Mediterranean hideaway and bring him home to answer criminal charges.

I have related the story of the kidnap attempt as I saw it unfold and as the Chameleon's team revealed the details to me. If I have recorded some aspects wrongly, then I am amiss. Where I was not able to ascertain the facts or to check their accuracy, I admit I used my imagination to fill in. If I have misrepresented anyone in so doing, then I am truly contrite. But it has, I hope you agree, made for a pretty good yarn.