Coral Sea Affair
Page 44
‘You might think this is a beautiful place people, but don’t let the looks trick you. Those rocks are full of fear and death.’ Bobby Gumtree (fake surname) pushed a battered akubra back on his silver haired head and wiped sweat from his brow. Bobby ran “Bobby’s Aboriginal Tours” out of Cooktown in Australia’s Far North Queensland. He and his tour group, consisting of two families with sunburnt parents, bored teenagers and over adventurous 7 and 9 year olds, stood on a timber platform overlooking part of Black Mountain at its western base.
‘You don’t want to go climbing about on those huge boulders,’ Bobby continued. ‘There are crevasses and caves and holes all over the place that drop way down into the darkness of the earth where you’d never be found again. And if the fall didn’t kill you, the giant amethystine python would slide down through the blackness and crush the life out of what was left before devouring you, bones and all.’ The teenagers were now mildly interested.
‘Bobby! Really. I don’t think that’s quite appropriate.’ Margaret Quinn gathered her 7 year old daughter close.
‘Sorry lady. Just telling the truth. Then there’s the Queensland Tiger that people have seen around here on moonlight nights. Not a problem for us because it’s the middle of the day, but here at night he’d hunt you down and have you for dinner.’
Margaret Quinn looked desperately at her husband but he was enjoying the tales more than the teenagers.
‘And of course we have the ghost bats. Hundreds of them live down there in those rocks along with all kinds of other bats.’
‘So what’s special about the ghost bats?’ asked one of the teenage girls, shaking a lock of blond hair from her eyes.
‘Sharp teeth girly. Carnivorous. They fly on gossamer wings and strike lethally in the blackness.’
‘I hardly think such creatures exist,’ interjected Margaret.
‘Oh yes lady,’ said Bobby seriously. ‘They’re around here all right. You don’t go wandering off near Black Mountain in the day and especially at night. Full of evil spirits and the bones of the dead. Just listen for a moment.’
A warm sea breeze stirred the green and golden undergrowth surrounding the mountainous pile of dark grey rocks towering above them. Soft moaning sounds came from deep within the rubble. ‘Some say it’s just the wind,’ Bobby said. ‘Others say it’s the souls of the dead.’
Margaret’s husband, John, stepped to the edge of the timber railing which surrounded the viewing platform. He turned and faced Bobby. ‘We read all about these wild tales on the Internet at home. You guys have been telling whoppers about this place for years. It brings in the tourists.’
Bobby pulled the akubra down tight on his elderly head and glanced towards the sun. ‘Perhaps time to go. We’ve got lots more to see.’
John grinned at his wife and gave a knowing wink. ‘Let’s go kids,’ he called. ‘Bobby has other exciting stuff to show us.’
‘Where’s Beth?’ Janice Price, the other Mum, looked about frantically. ‘Beth!’ she called loudly. Her husband, Jordan, rushed to the platform railing. ‘BETH…. You answer us right now honey!’
Margaret and John did a quick head count on their children. All present.
‘Who saw her last?’ Bobby asked. The concern was obvious in his voice.
‘She was right beside me less than a minute ago,’ said Janice Price, her voice rising in pitch as hysteria rose within her.
Bobby made a quick inspection from all sides of the viewing platform. The little girl was no-where to be seen.
‘I’m going to search the rocks,’ said Jordan. ‘She can’t have gone far.’
‘No!’ Bobby’s voice was loud and firm. ‘I’ll search. You all stay here.’ He looked at Janice. ‘About 8 or 9 with short red hair?’
Janice gripped her husband’s arm. Jordan Price looked at Bobby and nodded. ‘She’s 9.’ Bobby ran back to the stairs leading onto the platform. He knew a little girl could not have climbed off the platform to the ground. She would have gone back to the stairs, giving her easy access to the ground beneath. To the right of the platform was thick scrub. Impassable. To the left was a tiny track worn by resident animals. Bobby moved quickly down the track. It skirted two massive granite boulders and went underneath another, into the semi darkness of a cavern. Shards of sunlight cut through holes between the rocks above. Blackness lay beyond. The rustling of leathery wings came from the blackness. The unmistakable stench of death lingered in the stale air.
The little girl stood motionless. Her eyes stared at Bobby, unblinking, full of fear. Bobby switched on his tiny key ring torch. ‘Beth?’
The girl nodded.
‘You OK missy?’
The girl remained silent.
‘Shouldn’t go wandering off like that missy. Scared the crap out Mum and Dad.’
Beth kept her eyes fixed on him.
Bobby shone his little torch over the girl. He sucked in his breath when he saw that her hands and arms were covered with blood. ‘Lord oh Lord! You hurt yourself?’
Beth shook her head. She slowly turned to the left but then quickly straightened and stared at Bobby. Her mouth opened but she couldn’t form words. Bobby’s eyes were now growing accustomed to the semi darkness. Two lumps were visible on the ground just behind the little girl.
‘OK Beth…. You head on out of here just the way you walked in. Your parents are waiting for you outside. You understand me darling?’
The red haired girl nodded again. She took hesitating steps towards Bobby, never taking her eyes off his. She froze as he laid a black, wrinkled hand on her shoulder, but then grasped it tightly with her tiny, blood stained hands.
‘It’s OK Beth. You just keep going my dear. Your parents are waiting outside. I’ll have a bit of a look around and be right behind you.’
The tiny fingers refused to release their grip on the large black hand. Bobby unclasped her fingers and pushed her gently towards the light. Beth walked unsteadily away from him. He swung the light back into the cavern. The stench of dead flesh was overpowering. As he moved closer he could see arms, two naked torsos, legs, two heads….one larger than the other.
Little Beth had tripped over two dead bodies. She had fallen into them, hence the blood on her hands and arms. Bobby wanted to vomit. He swallowed hard and looked back at the shards of light indicating the entrance to the cavern. Running from this sickening death hole would have been logical but he turned his torch back to the bodies on the ground. Both were female. Both were Aboriginal. There was no clothing on or near them. Both had suffered horrific physical injuries, probably by a swinging machete or axe. One was a woman of at least 30 although it was difficult to tell from the shocking wounds over her body. The other was in her early teens. The older woman’s head was almost totally severed from her body. Neither had a right hand. Each right hand had been severed at the wrist. Bobby shone his torch around frantically. No hands.
Distressed parents were attempting to understand why their stone faced, blood covered daughter wasn’t talking. Janice Price was hysterical. The teenagers had lost their detached demeanour and were looking decidedly alarmed. Margaret Quinn was clinging to her husband and their children had gone into a family huddle.
Bobby strode past the viewing platform without a word and jumped into the driver’s seat of his four wheel drive tourist van. A mobile phone nestled in his pocket but was forgotten because of shock. He turned on the two way radio and put the microphone to his mouth. ‘Lucy….’
A few moments later a bubbly female voice came back. ‘Bobby. How did you get past the spiders living on that old radio? What happened to your phone?’
‘Lucy. I’m at the Black Mountain lookout. I need help.’
‘You fall down and hurt yourself again old man?’
‘No. There are two bodies here. Two girls both hacked up bad.’
‘God in heaven Bobby!’
‘I
need the coppers out here.’
‘OK. OK. Don’t panic. I’ll ring them.’
Bobby dropped the microphone. He turned off his key ring torch and sat back with his eyes closed. The rest of today’s tour would have to be cancelled. Yes….. cancelled. No question about that.
“****”
Chapter Two