Undara

by Annie Seaton

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  ‘All I want you to do is get on the phone to the bank and tell him to transfer it to my account. And, Travis, it’s only a down payment, there’s a lot more to come. You have to appreciate that. When the money starts flowing in, I’ll give you some for the property.’

  Travis glanced at Alison. ‘Al, take Cass into the boys’ room and lock the door. I’m not transferring any money, Gavin. I can’t afford it. There haven’t been any cattle sales, and the account is low.’

  Gavin stood and shook his head. ‘No, Al. You stay right there. Travis, stop talking shit and get on the phone.’ He looked across at Alison and smiled. ‘You were a stupid bitch to come back here. Don’t you know you’ve been replaced? How’s your little girlfriend going, Trav?’ Gavin’s eyes were cold and hard.

  ‘My girlfriend?’ Travis said.

  ‘The insect woman. Did the university come good with the funding?’ He stared at Travis and frowned.

  Travis narrowed his eyes as he realised that Gavin was fishing for information.

  He doesn’t know she’s been found.

  He caught Alison’s eye and shook his head slightly. ‘Dr Rees is missing. The police thought that you kidnapped her, but I told them you had no reason to.’ He tried to inject a level tone into his voice. ‘Her husband came up here, and he thinks she took her own life. They found her phone down at Townsville.’

  Reel him in. Get him confident.

  ‘If I tell you where to find her, will you ring the bank?’

  ‘Do you know where she is?’ Travis stood straight, his hands clenched tightly beside him. ‘The bank won’t be open yet.’

  ‘They’ll answer the phone from eight-thirty.’

  ‘It’s only eight.’ Travis pointed to the time displayed on the digital clock next to the television. As Gavin looked over at it, Travis held Alison’s gaze and mimed putting a phone to his face. ‘How do you know where Emlyn is?’

  ‘Because I’m smarter than you, that’s why. Now get on that phone and I’ll tell you where to find her.’

  ‘You tell me first and then I’ll call the bank in half an hour.’

  ‘How does it feel, Travis?’ Gavin said.

  ‘How does what feel?’

  ‘The world’s about to find out that you’re not the best in this family, and you never have been.’

  Travis clenched his jaw, fighting to stay calm. He wanted Cass and Alison out of the room and then he was going to beat the living shit out of his brother.

  ‘It wasn’t my fault. Silly bitch fell down into a tube, a hundred and fifty metres west of where the fire trail joins the road. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen.’

  ‘Was she hurt? Why didn’t you get her out?’

  ‘She was out to it, and I couldn’t reach her if I’d wanted to. Besides, I had a flight to catch.’ Gavin’s voice was devoid of emotion, and Travis realised the depth of his brother’s mental-health issues. He had to protect his family; Gavin had no feeling for anybody apart from himself.

  Play for time. Stay calm.

  Gavin looked at his watch. ‘Go and make us some breakfast while we wait, Alison. I’m bloody hungry.’

  Travis gestured to Alison with his head. She grabbed Cass and went into the kitchen.

  Travis walked slowly to the sofa and sat down. He kept his tone casual. ‘When does the next payment come from Carroglen?’

  ‘Three months, and then another one after twelve months.’ Gavin sat beside him and put his feet on the coffee table. A half-full cup of coffee fell to the floor and the stain spread onto the carpet. ‘And you’re going to give some to the property? Do I have your word on that?’ Travis ignored the spilt coffee.

  Keep him talking. Keep him calm.

  ‘You can hunker down on this piece of dirt and do whatever you want.’

  Travis tried to keep the disgust from his expression as Gavin leaned back on the sofa.

  ‘What? What are you looking at?’

  He shook his head. ‘I’m wondering how our parents could have produced such—’

  ‘A piece of shit?’

  ‘If the cap fits.’

  ‘Just be careful, dear little brother, or I might change my mind about giving you any money from Carroglen.’ Gavin chuckled. ‘I did a great job of passing myself off as you. I wish you could have seen it.’

  ‘All right. I’ll make the call.’

  ‘I knew you’d come around. I want the first payment, and then I’ll share.’

  ‘Fair enough.’ Travis knew he had no intention of sharing anything, but he wanted to keep him calm. A bit after eight the chopper would be here, the policeman had said. But it would land at the dongas, and Gavin would hear it if it came over this way.

  The door opened, and Alison slipped out of the kitchen and pressed her back to it, staying out of reach. She gave an almost imperceptible nod to Travis.

  He had to mark time and keep his brother focused. Keep him talking until the police arrived.

  ‘How did you do it, Gavin? How the hell did you manage to swing the whole gold deal without me having a clue you were doing it?’

  ‘Because you’re so wrapped up in the bloody cattle you wouldn’t have a clue what was going on.’ He pointed to the phone on the table beside Travis. ‘Try the bank now. They might be there early. The sooner I get off this fucking place for good, the better.’ The look on his face was sly as he turned and stared at Travis.

  ‘It’s too early.’

  ‘Make the fucking call.’ He leaned across Travis and grabbed for his hand and forced it to the phone.

  Travis snapped. He closed the fingers of one hand around Gavin’s forearm, and grabbed the back of his collar with the other. Dragging him off the sofa, he pulled his brother to his feet and slammed his back against the wall.

  ‘This is for the pain you’ve caused my family.’ He let go of Gavin’s arm and slammed his fist into his stomach with all the rage of the past year behind it. Gavin grunted and leaned forwards, but Travis was ready for him as his brother brought his head up fast and tried to headbutt him.

  ‘Oh no, you soft bastard,’ Travis snarled. ‘Maybe if you’d come out and helped me on the station you might have been strong enough to take me on, but you were too fucking lazy and self-absorbed.’

  As Gavin lurched forward and went for Travis’s eyes, Travis pulled his fist back and hit his brother on the side of the jaw.

  But Gavin kept coming, so Travis punched him again. ‘That’s for Emlyn, who you left for dead. And this is for Mum. You hurt her and you broke her heart.’ He held both his shoulders and shook him. ‘I’m not a lowlife like you, but if I was I’d kill you for what you did to Alison. It would be satisfying to hurt you, but I’m not like you. But it will give me great satisfaction to see you rot in jail for the rest of your life.’

  ‘What’s that noise?’ Gavin’s eyes widened as a helicopter flew low over the house and the sound of sirens filled the air. ‘You can’t prove anything. Let me go, you bastard.’ He struggled, but Travis held him tightly.

  ‘I forgot to tell you, Emlyn’s been found and has talked to the police. They know about your cave, and all the backpackers. You’re going down for a long time, Gavin.’ Travis turned to Alison. Tears were rolling down her face. ‘Al, when I get him out the front door, get the boys to take Cass down to the shed. I don’t want them to see any of this.’ He put his face close to Gavin’s. ‘From this minute on, you have no family. I want nothing to do with you ever again.’

  He turned Gavin around and held him in a tight arm lock and pushed him over to the door as footsteps pounded up the stairs.

  * * *

  Apart from an occasional twinge in her back, Emlyn made a swift recovery over the next week. Physically, she grew stronger every day, but her emotional recovery was helped by having David by her side.

  At night, lying beside her, talking quietly, smoothing her hair with his gentle fingers, he made her talk about what had happ
ened.

  ‘Get it all out, sweetheart. Don’t bottle it up.’

  ‘Not like I usually do,’ she said with a sad smile. A slight breeze ruffled the curtains and the intense heat of the day was eased by the gentle wind puffing through the window as the night closed in. She talked, and he listened, and Emlyn’s determination to get over the last few days was strengthened. For a few minutes there was a comfortable silence, and she reached up and tangled her fingers in David’s hair. ‘I still can’t believe you’re here, David.’

  ‘Of course I am. And I’m not leaving you ever again.’

  ‘Ever?’ she asked with a smile as she pulled his head down to hers.

  His lips roamed over her face before he laid his head beside hers. ‘Enough, you need your rest.’

  His voice sent a shiver through her.

  ‘I need you more,’ she whispered as she rolled over and put her body as close to his as she could.

  ‘I love you, Em.’ David’s whisper soothed her to sleep in those first dark nights, and his smile was the first thing she woke to each morning.

  She knew that his presence stopped her from slipping into that dark place where she’d thought she wanted to be alone. For the first time in many months, she had managed to get past that barrier that had prevented her feeling a part of the real world. She’d tried to explain it to David, but he’d stopped her words with a lingering kiss last night.

  ‘Put your scientific mind away, sweetheart. There’s no need to analyse how you’ve felt, or document your recovery.’ David rolled over onto his side and his breath puffed warm on her lips. ‘Just tell me. Are you happy?’

  She nodded.

  ‘Do you love me?’ His words were tentative, as though he couldn’t believe that she needed him.

  She nodded again and moved her lips closer to his.

  ‘Are you sure you want to come home with me?’

  This time her nod was slower. ‘I am. But I’m going to have to spend a lot of time up here in the tubes.’

  ‘I can deal with that. I’ve got a proposition for you.’

  When she giggled at his words, his eyes darkened. ‘Oh, Em, it’s so good to hear you laugh. We’re going to be okay, aren’t we?’

  Emlyn lay close beside him, the hard planes of her husband’s chest pressed against her breasts. She closed her eyes and smiled, taking comfort from his closeness, from the warmth of the body she knew so well. He moved closer and Emlyn lifted her head to lose herself in David’s hazel eyes.

  He looked back at her steadily, his gaze intent.

  ‘So, what’s this proposition?’ she asked, letting the tip of her tongue run across his lower lip. Love and certainty of their future ran through her even as she teased him.

  His voice was husky. ‘Would you believe it’s got nothing to do with what you’re thinking?’

  Emlyn sighed as his hand reached down and cupped her breast.

  ‘Although I can come up with another proposition along those lines as soon as I tell you what I organised today.’

  Emlyn leaned back and watched the smile play over his mouth.

  ‘I’ve been asked to write a new software package for a supermarket chain the company has just signed up,’ he said. ‘And the good news is, I don’t have to be in the office to do it. I can work remotely. The boss has already agreed to it. As long as I go to Brisbane once a month or so to liaise with the company, I can work from anywhere I choose.’

  ‘And where would you choose?’

  ‘That depends where you’re going to be. If it’s the lava tubes, the company will pay a share of the rental for a bit of office space for me and my access to the internet.’

  Emlyn lifted her head and brushed her lips against David’s. ‘That’s where I’m going to be. And it would be wonderful if you were here, too.’ She could feel the slow, heavy beat of his heart against her skin as his mouth opened against her lips.

  EPILOGUE

  Winter, two years later

  Travis looked at his watch as they turned onto the Conjuboy Road. They hadn’t been up to the station for over a year, and he was surprised to see how green it was looking, even as winter approached. There were no cattle in the paddocks these days to keep the feed low, and the road edges were mown and tidy. As they reached the turn-off to Hidden Valley, Cass leaned forward.

  ‘Are we nearly there, Daddy?’

  Alison pointed to the new large sign at the gate. ‘I think we are, Cass. Look at that. It says, FIND AN INSECT. BE A SCIENTIST FOR A WEEK.’

  ‘Wow! Can I be a scientist too?’ Cassie jumped up and down.

  ‘I’m sure Emlyn will have a spot for you,’ Travis said with a smile.

  ‘Jase and Joel too? Ethan’s a bit little.’ Cassie’s words were almost a high-pitched squeal.

  Since he’d bought the property down at Giru, and they’d moved into the new house that Travis had had built on the small property sixty kilometres south of Townsville, Emlyn and David often visited for weekends. Cass was in love with Ethan, their fifteen-month-old, and Alison and Emlyn had forged a strong friendship.

  ‘Yes, I think Ethan might be a bit young. But guess what?’ Alison smiled at Travis as he replied to Cassie. ‘Jase and Joel are meeting us up here.’

  Cassie sighed and put her hands to her mouth. ‘This is like Christmas.’ Cassie had settled in at a small country kindy on the coast only ten kilometres from their new house. For the first few months, Jase had helped Travis get set up and build new fences and cattle yards, before he’d decided—to everyone’s surprise—to go to agricultural college. Joel was at university in Townsville and living in the unit that Gavin had purchased at the beach. They’d retrieved the family diaries from the metal boxes that Gavin had stored them in, and Joel was transcribing them onto the computer with the plan to publish a family history.

  ‘The first of many historical books,’ he’d promised.

  Travis had decided to grow sugar cane, as well as run a few cattle, and Jase was now full of advice about soils and fertilisers. They drove along the river, and as they turned the last bend, Travis slowed the car. The old house had been rebuilt and converted into the administration block for the new tourist facility. A lump settled in his throat and Alison reached across and squeezed his hand.

  ‘This is still home in your heart, isn’t it, darling?’

  Travis shook his head. ‘No. My home is wherever you are, Al. And we couldn’t stay here, not after the memories the place holds. It was time for a new start.’

  He parked the car and then walked around and opened the door for Alison. Cass shot out of the car and squealed. ‘There’s Ethan!’

  Emlyn was standing at the top of the steps holding her little boy. Travis smiled up at her as Alison followed Cass up the steps; she’d put on weight and her cheeks were glowing.

  Alison hugged her before taking Ethan, and Emlyn hurried down the steps. Travis leaned over and kissed her cheek.

  ‘Well, Travis, what do you think?’

  He laughed. ‘If it’s anywhere near as flash as the new sign at the gate, I think you’ve done pretty well.’

  Emlyn and David had returned to Brisbane the week after Gavin had been arrested, and she had presented their sponsorship application to the university. It had been met with an enthusiastic response, and today, just over two years later, the official opening was about to take place.

  Emlyn looked up at him. ‘Alison told me you’ve been in Brisbane for the trial.’

  ‘Yes. He’s being sentenced next week.’

  ‘I read about it in the paper.’ Emlyn put her arm through Travis’s as they walked up the steps together. ‘It’s very sad.’

  ‘Yes, but at least there’s a diagnosis and he’s getting treatment.’ Despite his harsh words the day that Gavin had been arrested, Travis had supported his brother through the trial and his medical tests. The evidence in the metal boxes in the caves—there were photos of each backpacker after he’d drugged them—and Emlyn’s testimony had been enough for a multit
ude of charges to be laid. ‘Narcissistic personality disorder. Speaking to his doctor has helped me understand his behaviour.’

  ‘You’re a good man, Travis.’

  ‘That may be, but I’ll never forgive him or condone what he did. The doctor explained that even as young children narcissists learn to mimic the emotions they need to present to the world.’ He shrugged and shook his head. ‘He’s family, but even when I go to see him, I don’t know if his remorse is genuine or just what he thinks he needs to put across to get a light sentence. But we have to trust in the judicial system, don’t we? Speaking of which, we’ve got more good news, too. The other court case is almost done, and it looks pretty certain that Carroglen have decided to pull out of their proposed gold mine.’

  ‘That’s great news. For you, and for the facility.’

  * * *

  Two hours later, Emlyn stood in the doorway of the new administration office and smiled. She’d taken the Carlyle family on a tour of the facility, and after having a private lunch in the conference room of the administration centre, they were about to go to the main cave for the official opening by the head of the Queensland Museum.

  ‘I don’t know how you’ve managed all this in such a short time,’ Alison said as they headed back to the cars. ‘It’s only just over twelve months since we moved out of the house. Not that you’d ever recognise the building as the old house.’

  ‘It’s been a hard slog, but I couldn’t have done it without David staying here and being a house dad for Ethan.’ Emlyn smiled at her husband; she was proud of what had been achieved here in just over two years. Not only a new facility that was already booked out for the first six months, but the continuing scientific discoveries made by the team that had now grown to eight scientists.

  And she and David had created a new family. She put her hand on her still flat stomach. A family that was about to grow some more.

  Sophie, and Mum and Dad would never leave her, but she’d learned to cope with the raw grief that still overtook her at times. But those times were becoming less frequent as the months passed. Her emotions had healed along with her physical scars.