Undara

by Annie Seaton

  ‘Travis?’ Baker asked.

  ‘Yes, of course. I want to be there.’ Travis frowned. ‘Would it be too much to ask if we did it over at the house? After you’ve eaten. I’m heading there now. It would be a bit more private there, also. If you’re up to it, Emlyn? It’s your call.’

  * * *

  Emlyn was happy to be interviewed at Travis’s house. David drove the Troop Carrier, and she sat close to him in the middle of the front seat. The search teams had eaten and headed back to the towns they’d come from, and the university team had settled in with a couple of bottles of red wine.

  ‘Well deserved.’ John lifted his glass as David and Emlyn headed out. Meg and Lucy hugged Emlyn again and she smiled.

  ‘I’m feeling very popular all of a sudden,’ she said quietly.

  ‘It’s good to have you back safe and sound,’ John said.

  ‘Back to work tomorrow?’ she asked.

  There were calls of dissent from the team, and David shook his head. ‘Not for you.’

  ‘Perhaps we can have a meeting, and I can tell you what I saw down there.’ Emlyn threw out a teasing comment as they walked out. ‘I have so much to tell you.’

  The old house was ablaze with lights and it looked like Travis had raced around and had a tidy-up. The coffee table was clear, and there was a clean cloth on the dining-room table. The piles of newspapers that had been there on her last visit were gone. Detective Baker had come over before them, and he was sitting at the table with a laptop open in front of him.

  They sat down, but Travis stood behind his chair.

  ‘David. Tea? Coffee?’ he asked. He seemed nervous, and as Emlyn observed he kept looking at his watch and crossing to the window.

  ‘Just water, thanks,’ David replied.

  After going to the kitchen, Travis returned with a jug of water and put some glasses on the table before sitting across from Emlyn.

  The detective looked up from the laptop. ‘Any time that you feel stressed by what I ask you, you can call a stop to this, and we’ll do it later.’

  Emlyn shook her head, surprised by how strong she was feeling. David was sitting close and held one of her hands tightly between his. ‘I’m fine now. And there was only a short time over the past few days that I felt scared. Once I got away from Gavin and I knew I wasn’t injured too badly—’ she shot an apologetic look at Travis, but he shook his head—‘I was fairly calm.’

  She took them through the events of the day when the van had broken down and how Gavin’s behaviour had been bizarre.

  ‘We’ve had a look at the van. It had been tampered with,’ Baker said.

  ‘I agreed to his offer of a lift, but I started to worry when I knew we were heading in the wrong direction. I knew because I’d gone out that way to unlock the gate when I first arrived here.’ She looked at the detective and explained, ‘For the first delivery of provisions for the camp. Gavin stopped the ute and made me get out.’ Emlyn watched Travis closely as she explained about Gavin’s cave and what he had bragged about.

  ‘He told me he lit the fire that destroyed your family’s homestead.’ She reached out to touch Travis’s hands clenched on the top of the table. ‘Your family diaries are out there, too. He showed me.’ Her voice shook. ‘Even though he intended killing me, he had to brag and show me what he had down there.’

  ‘He articulated that to you exactly?’ the detective clarified.

  Emlyn nodded. ‘Yes.’ She closed her eyes as she thought back to the terrifying minutes she was in the cave with Gavin. ‘He said, “I was an interfering bitch who was going to ruin all of his plans. And that when I disappeared it would stop the research.” Poor Bluey, I thought he was interfering with our work. It must have been Gavin all along.’

  Travis dropped his head into his hands. ‘I’m having trouble processing all of this. How could Gavin hide all this for so many years?’

  ‘Your brother is a very clever man, Travis,’ Baker said. ‘The things he’s done with the bank, and from what you say, dealing with cryptocurrency, as well as the forged documents, shows a very calculating persona.’ He turned to Emlyn. ‘What happened then? How did you get away from him? Take it slowly.’

  In a calm, clinical voice, she told them of throwing the rock at Gavin and getting away. When David squeezed her hand beneath the table, emotion clogged her throat and she picked up the glass and took a sip.

  ‘I fell down a tube and landed heavily, and the last thing I remembered for a while was Gavin looking down at me.’

  * * *

  The bastard.

  Disbelief slammed through Travis. The house fire that had taken the old homestead, the diaries that he had thought were lost. The dead cattle? The backhoe? And interfering with the university team? What else had he done?

  How much more grief was his brother responsible for?

  Lights swept across the front window and he jumped to his feet.

  ‘I’m sorry; you’ll have to excuse me for a few minutes.’ By the time he reached the door, nerve endings were firing all over Travis’s body. His legs were like jelly and his hands were shaking. A car door slammed, and as he turned the front light on, it lit up a white SUV.

  Alison was running towards the house, holding Cass to her chest, her hair flying loose behind her. But it was the happiness on her face that brought him to a stop. Her smile was wide, and her eyes were full of love. Travis held his arms open, and for the first time in over a year, he held his wife close against him. There were no words spoken as he buried his face in her soft hair, and she slid her arms around his back and held him tightly.

  ‘Dadda, we home!’ Cass wriggled between them.

  Travis dropped a kiss on her curls. ‘You are.’ His voice cracked as he looked down at Alison. ‘Both my girls are home.’

  Cass wriggled some more and Alison put her down, and she climbed up the stairs.

  His wife lifted her face, and her familiar sweet smile made Travis catch his breath as she stared up at him. Her cheeks were damp with tears and he wasn’t ashamed when his own tears began falling.

  Alison reached up and gently wiped them away with her fingers. ‘Now that you know. Now that you know and still love me—’ Her voice broke as he held her close. ‘But you have to be sure, Trav.’

  ‘I’m sure.’ Travis put his finger against her lips. ‘Later. We’ll get a removalist to pack up the rest of your things,’ Travis said. ‘I’m not letting you out of my sight.’

  ‘We still have a lot of talking to do before then, Trav.’ Alison smiled tentatively at him.

  ‘We do.’ Travis ran a hand over his unshaven chin. ‘But unfortunately, we’ll have to wait. The police are here interviewing Emlyn. It’s been a few days of revelations.’ He hesitated as he flicked a glance at Cass. ‘Al, he wants to talk to you, too. About what happened. But you and me? We’ll talk later, even if we have to talk all night.’

  ‘Yes. I’ll talk to him. I just need you to know something first.’ Alison’s voice was full of pain.

  He took his wife’s hand as she stood on the bottom step, her eyes level with his. ‘It’s okay, love. We’ll be right.’ He brushed his lips over her fingers.

  ‘You have to know why I was so awful to you.’ Her voice dropped to a whisper.’

  Travis put his forehead against Alison’s. ‘I know, sweetheart. I understand.’

  The joy that spread across Alison’s face reached deep into his heart. Travis couldn’t wait any longer. He lowered his head and Alison lifted her face to meet him halfway. His wife’s lips clung to his for a few seconds before he pulled back as Cassie called out to them.

  ‘Hurry up, Dadda.’

  ‘We’re coming, Cass.’ Travis put his arm around Alison and held her close as they walked up the stairs to their daughter. ‘I’ve missed you so much, sweetheart. We have a whole year to catch up on.’

  ‘Where are the boys?’ Alison asked.

  ‘They’re with Blue. They’ll be back in the morning.’ He kissed her once more.
‘And then we’ll be a family again.’

  Emlyn turned as they came in through the front door, and her smile was wide when she saw his arm around Alison.

  Travis held her gaze and smiled back. He introduced Alison to Brett and David as Cassie disappeared into the kitchen.

  ‘I’ll put a cuppa on before I put Cass to bed.’ Alison hovered in the doorway. ‘If anyone wants one, just say and I’ll make it.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Travis found it hard to bring his attention back to the group at the table. He sat and filled his glass with water from the jug. ‘Where were we?’

  ‘There’s only one more thing I need to tell you.’ Emlyn spoke softly. ‘And I think it’s one of the most important. Apart from the diaries, of course.’

  Travis focused on her face as she smiled. ‘Knowing that the diaries are still there has been enough,’ he said. ‘What could be better than that?’

  ‘The children.’ Her voice shook as she held his gaze. ‘I found the children. The missing children. Missy and Thomas are in the cave I fell into when I ran away from Gavin. In a way, I think it makes it all worthwhile, don’t you?’

  Travis looked up at the ceiling and blinked as her words sank in. He turned to David. ‘I hope you know what an amazing woman your wife is.’

  ‘Oh, I do. Don’t you worry about that,’ David said.

  Colour stained Emlyn’s cheeks as she lowered her eyes. ‘But there’s only one thing that I’m worried about. Finding the two caves again. I walked a long way in the tubes underground, and I don’t know if I can remember exactly where we went in.’

  ‘How far is it out to that back end of the property?’ the detective asked.

  ‘Just under twenty kilometres as the crow flies,’ Travis replied. ‘I know exactly where Gavin parked the ute on that back road, so I’m sure we can find it.’ Travis stood, anxious to get back to Alison. ‘Let’s leave it for a few days, to give Emlyn a chance to recover. The children and the diaries have been there for a long time. A few more days won’t hurt.’

  ‘We won’t need you out there, Emlyn, if Travis knows where to look.’ The detective stood. ‘I’ll speak to your wife now, Travis, if that’s okay. I’ll organise for a forensic team to come in by chopper. I think we’ll need one to investigate what’s in that cave. It might take a couple of days to organise, but in the meantime, I’ll leave a couple of men up here to keep an eye out there. I won’t be confident until we have your brother in custody.’

  Travis nodded. ‘Me either.’

  Baker walked around the table and held out his hand to Emlyn. ‘I’m pleased to see you looking so well. You go back and get some sleep.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘For everything.’

  David took her arm to help her stand, but she shook her head. ‘There’s no need, I’m fine, really.’ Letting go of David’s hand, Emlyn walked over to Travis, reached up and kissed his cheek. ‘I’m very happy for you,’ she said quietly. ‘It’s been a big week for all of us. Now we’ll leave you and your wife in peace.’

  Travis walked to the door and waited until David had helped Emlyn into the Troop Carrier. He turned to Brett. ‘Is it okay if I stay while you talk to Alison?’

  Until Gavin was found, he intended keeping his family close.

  Travis took a deep breath as they returned to the table and waited for Alison to join them.

  He feared the rage that consumed him as he thought of what Gavin had done to his wife.

  And their life.

  CHAPTER

  36

  Two days had passed at the station, and although things were slowly getting back to normal, Travis was still being careful and keeping the boys, Cass and Alison close by.

  There’d been no sign of Gavin, or any communication from him, and Travis was beginning to think that the sighting of him at Greenvale had been mistaken identity. The police were patrolling out around where Emlyn had been found and there’d been no sighting of Gavin or a vehicle.

  At dawn on the third day that he had his wife and family home, he lay in bed holding Alison close as she slept. Normally he’d be up and heading out onto the station, but he was putting off all the cattle work that was waiting until he knew it was safe to leave the house. Detective Baker was coming back today with the forensics team and he’d take them out to the cave. The thought of seeing the family diaries again lifted Travis’s mood even higher, and he was looking forward to sharing them with his sons.

  He stared at the ceiling as the room lightened and the first rays of the sun hit the wall opposite the door. Alison’s breathing was slow and even, and he let her sleep. They’d talked until well after midnight each night. They were still being careful around each other, and he knew it was going to take a while before things were back to what they’d been. If ever. They both agreed they had a future together, but it would never be the same.

  As he lay there, anger began to rise in Travis’s chest and he fought it back. How ridiculous was it to be worried about your own flesh and blood hurting your family? How hard was it to accept what Gavin had done to Alison, and the emotional trauma she had endured over the past twelve months? The money and the deal Gavin had made with Carroglen was unimportant. That could all be sorted.

  What he couldn’t deal with was the betrayal of his family by his own brother.

  He eased his arm out gently and Alison murmured in her sleep, but she didn’t stir. As Travis headed back from the bathroom, he debated between getting back into bed and heading out to the cattle yards.

  Normal life had to resume soon, but Travis couldn’t shake the uneasiness that had stayed with him when he’d realised what his brother was capable of.

  He pulled on his work trousers and a T-shirt. He’d go down to the shed and feed the dogs before the police arrived. Going out to that cave was adding to the uneasiness. As he walked across the living room, he could hear the sound of a computer game coming from the boys’ bedroom and he tapped on the door. He shook his head. The games-on-the-back-verandah rule hadn’t lasted long.

  ‘I hope you pair have had some sleep,’ he said as he looked around. Jase was still asleep, but Joel was glued to the screen.

  ‘Yeah, Dad. I woke up at first light.’

  ‘I’m just going down to the shed. Mum’s still asleep. Just keep a bit of an ear out, will you?’

  ‘I will.’ Joel’s eyes were shadowed, and Travis walked across and sat next to him on the bed.

  ‘You okay, mate?’

  ‘Yeah.’ His son shrugged, but his tone didn’t convince him.

  ‘What’s bothering you?’

  Joel’s eyes were hollow as he stared back at him. ‘What Uncle Gavin did.’

  Travis’s gut tightened. ‘He’s got a sickness, mate. We’re going to move on with our lives. Mum and I have done a lot of talking, and there’re going to be a lot of changes. But all for the better, okay?’

  Finally, a small smile crossed Joel’s face. ‘Okay.’ He turned back to the screen and Travis touched his shoulder lightly as he stood. ‘I won’t be long.’

  He closed the front door quietly and stood on the top step looking out over the station. The grass had greened up from the rain they’d had last week, but he couldn’t get enthusiastic about it. Once he’d sorted out the mess with Carroglen, he was thinking about selling up.

  This place held too many memories. It wouldn’t be fair on Alison living in a house that held such memories.

  Bits started barking down in the pen and Travis frowned. As he looked around, dust rose on the road down near the river, and he waited for the vehicle to reach the corner. He held his breath when he heard the gear change as it approached the corner, but let it out slowly as a white Pajero appeared.

  It was one of the police vehicles.

  He hurried down the stairs and waited while the policeman opened the driver’s window. ‘Sorry to swing by so early, but Brett asked us to call in and let you know that the chopper is on its way. They’ll be here a bit after eight.’

  ‘No
problem,’ Travis said. ‘I’ll be here.’

  ‘There’s been no sign of a vehicle, so we’re heading out today after forensics have checked out the cave.’

  ‘Okay. So, you don’t think he’s on the property?’

  ‘Doesn’t seem to be.’

  ‘Thanks for hanging around.’

  The two policemen waved, and Travis waited until the vehicle reversed out of the driveway before he walked down to the shed.

  Bits was barking and stirring the other dogs up, and he didn’t settle even after Travis had filled his bowl with kibble.

  Travis put the scoop back into the bin and frowned. He looked towards the house and froze. The back door was open, and there was no one on the steps or in the yard. He took off up the hill at a run, keeping the house in his sight the whole way. There was no sign of a car, but Bits was still barking. Travis went around to the front and walked quietly up the front steps. He pushed open the door and stopped as he heard voices.

  His fists clenched at his side as he stepped into the lounge room. Gavin was sitting there with Cass on his knee. Alison was standing in the doorway of the bedroom, clutching her nightie across her chest, her face drained of colour and her eyes wide. She put one hand out to Travis and he could see her shaking.

  Gavin looked up and a strange smile crossed his face. ‘Hello, Travis. I was hoping I’d catch you before you went out to the cattle.’

  ‘Cass, go to Mummy.’ He tensed as Gavin snaked one arm around his daughter’s shoulders.

  ‘Why, Travis? Do you think I’d hurt my pretty little niece?’

  ‘Let her go, Gavin. Or God help me—’

  ‘Jesus, mate. Settle down.’ Gavin gave Cass a shove and she jumped off his lap and ran across to Alison. ‘It’s easy, Travis. I only came here to sort out the money. Nothing more.’

  ‘What money?’ Travis didn’t know how much Gavin thought he knew.

  ‘Don’t play dumb. The money that I can’t draw out of my account.’ He laughed, and it sent the blood chilling in Travis’s veins. ‘You’ve blocked me. Putting the account in your name backfired on me.’