Emerald Springs

by Fleur McDonald

  ‘Fucking cattle,’ he swore, finally able to relax once they were trotting down the laneway, confined by a fence either side. ‘Who wants the fucking things?’

  With a rev of the engine and a beep of the horn, he had them confined in the holding yard. Latching the gate, he climbed back into the ute to go to the shed and grab the weighing platform and readout. He’d leave them there for a little while, give them a chance to catch their breath. He’d go have a bit of breakfast, then come back and weigh them. John and Natalie were at church, so there would be no one to help him. Or bother him.

  A few hours later, Graham was back at the yards and starting to push the cattle inside. He heard a vehicle driving up and turned, expecting to see John. His eyes widened and his face paled when he realised it wasn’t his father.

  Graham walked carefully through the cattle, tapping one on the nose with the piece of poly pipe he was holding as it huffed and stamped its feet. ‘Don’t be like that,’ he told the steer. ‘I’m not going to hurt you.’ Then he faced the approaching vehicle and muttered, ‘Now what the bloody hell do you fuckwits want?’

  He stood with his hands hanging over the rails, watching the ute pull up. Graham tried to show he was in control, that he wasn’t frightened. But it was hard. ‘G’day!’ he called. ‘Didn’t expect to see you here.’ He had to keep his anger in check. He knew these two were dangerous and he didn’t want to give them any extra reasons to get nasty.

  ‘We didn’t expect to be here,’ came the answer.

  Graham watched as one of them walked down behind the cattle and the other approached him. The ominous feeling that had plagued him this morning was back, and he swallowed hard, all the while staring his visitor in the eye.

  He had to stand up to them. Had to get as much extra money as he could. The bank was hassling him and he knew this was the only way he could pay the loan back. John had told him just before the engagement party that he wouldn’t be making any payments—it was up to Graham and Graham only. He couldn’t let his family down, and what would Dani say? God, Dani.

  ‘You’re a liability, Graham.’

  ‘Not as much as the bloke down the back there,’ he shot back, his voice sounding much tougher than he thought possible. ‘He’s a nasty bastard, him and his stun gun.’ He glanced down at his watch. Damn, he knew there was no way his parents would be back yet, and he’d noticed that Pushme wasn’t where Amelia usually parked it when he’d gone back for breakfast. She must have gone to Paul’s.

  So there was no one else on the farm. He was in trouble and he knew it. His heart was pounding and he was drenched with sweat.

  Without warning, a gunshot sounded and the cattle jumped in panic. They moved together like the sea, swarming towards Graham, their eyes wide with fear. A few let out terrified bellows. To Graham it seemed to be happening in slow motion as they bore down on top of him.

  ‘Fuck!’ He scrambled to get over the fence, but the first steer was on him before he could manage it. He heard the clicking of their feet on the yards as the pressure of the bodies piling up on top of one another gave way and they spilled out into the openness of the paddock. The rest of them trampled on top of him and he was rolled over and over, beneath their bellies and through their legs.

  His last conscious thought was that now maybe he could be free.

  Chapter 31

  Dave was sitting on his bed, looking at a photo he kept in his wallet, when there was a knock on the door. ‘Coming,’ he called, quickly stuffing the picture back inside.

  He didn’t know why he still carried this image of his ex-wife. It had been taken at a party three years before they’d split: when they’d still been happy, or at least thought they were. Mel’s smile was wide and beautiful, and her eyes stared straight at him. But lately Dave had realised the ache he’d used to feel when he looked at it was fading. Did that mean he was finally moving on?

  Did he want to? That was a whole different question.

  His cousin Kate, in her wisdom, had asked if he actually wanted to get past what he was feeling. He’d looked at her, not fully comprehending. Since then he’d been thinking a lot about her question, when he was awake in the long hours of the early morning, while it was still dark.

  Was he going to be the aloof, scared, lonely and remote detective? Or could he find his way back to the man he’d been before? The one who laughed easily and told dirty jokes. The one who’d always been the first on the invites of his workmates, because he was fun to be around and good value. The one who held and loved his daughters and would move mountains for them.

  And the big one: could he love again? That question kept going around in his head as he walked over and opened the door.

  Kim rushed in, her mascara smudged with tears. ‘Oh, Dave,’ she sobbed.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ He put his arms around her and held her close, wondering what on earth could have happened now.

  ‘It’s Graham.’ She hiccupped as she pulled back and stared up at him. Instinctively he held her face in his hands, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears that were running down her cheeks. ‘He’s dead.’

  Dave stilled. ‘Dead?’ he asked with trepidation in his voice. ‘How?’

  ‘He was working with some cattle in the yards and they were spooked.’ Kim paused as a fresh round of tears stung her eyes. ‘They ran over the top of him.’

  ‘Faarrrk.’ Dave let his breath out with a whoosh and tilted his head to look at the ceiling as it sunk in. Kim wrapped her arms around him tighter and buried her face in his chest. He dropped his arms around her waist, gave her a kiss on the head, and they stood there for some time.

  In among the shock and horror, he realised that this woman, who felt so good pressed against him, might just have the power to make him love again. The detective in him wanted to rush to the scene and make sure there weren’t any signs of criminal activity—and the truth was, that was where he needed to be. But in that moment he was a man, not a detective. He was holding Kim and that was where he wanted to stay.

  Before heading to Granite Ridge they stopped off at the roadhouse where Kim clunked around the kitchen, dishing up two casseroles and a chicken bake. She’d thrown in a whole mud cake that she’d made the day before and raided her freezer to see what other sweet treats might be hidden away.

  Dave knew from experience that Kim’s sister wouldn’t feel like cooking for a long time, but the way Kim was throwing meals together, she wouldn’t have to.

  ‘Can you put this in the car?’ she asked Dave.

  He grasped the containers she held out to him, but she didn’t let them go. He looked into her vivid blue eyes. Even reddened and puffy, they still reminded him of the sea on a clear, sunny day, as they always had.

  ‘What?’ he asked gently.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, a catch in her voice.

  He gave her a tender smile. ‘It’s all right. I’m just pleased I’m here.’

  ‘Surely nothing else can go wrong now?’ she asked.

  ‘Things happen in threes,’ Dave answered automatically, hoping he sounded reassuring. But then he realised that, of course, only two things had happened.

  ‘That means there’s one more thing.’ Kim sounded miserable.

  Dave backpedalled as quickly as he could. ‘It’s just a saying. Nothing in it.’

  Kim shrugged and let go of the containers, and Dave took them out to the car, stacking them neatly in the boot. He was shutting it when his mobile rang.

  ‘Got a death,’ Andy Denning said as a way of greeting.

  ‘So I heard.’

  ‘When the ambulance got to him he was still alive, but he snuffed it before they could transfer him.’

  ‘Bastard of a way to die,’ Dave said, looking over his shoulder to make sure Kim wasn’t anywhere nearby.

  ‘Are you coming out?’

  ‘Yeah, we’ll have to send a report to the coroner’s office.’ He sighed. ‘And considering everything that’s been going on, we’re going to need to go over
the scene with a fine-tooth comb. Make sure there isn’t any sign of criminal activity. Don’t let them move the body until I get there. I’m heading out to Granite Ridge in about fifteen minutes. Where are you?’

  ‘At the station, so I can be there in about half to three quarters of an hour.’

  ‘So, Jack’s at the scene?’

  ‘Yeah, he went when the ambos called.’

  ‘Get on the phone to him and make sure no one touches anything.’ Dave was about to hang up when he thought of something else. ‘Oh, Andy, where’s the family? I’m just assuming they’re still at the farm because that’s where Kim is heading.’

  ‘The father has identified the body already, so I’ve asked them to stay at the house.’ Andy lowered his voice. ‘I didn’t really think Nat and Milly needed to see Graham in this state.’

  ‘That’s good. Really good thinking.’ Dave kept the surprise out of his voice as he praised the young policeman. ‘Right, I’ll get there as soon as I can.’ He punched the disconnect button and turned just as he heard Kim walking up behind him, her arms full of more food.

  ‘Get where soon?’ she asked quietly.

  ‘Andy Denning. We need to have a look at where it happened,’ he answered, his voice gentle, opening the boot again and taking the load from her arms.

  ‘But it was an accident.’

  Dave’s heart ached as she gazed at him, her eyes wide.

  ‘I have no reason to think it’s anything else . . . but Kimmy—’ he tucked a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear ‘—it’s just standard procedure.’ He placed the containers next to the others, slammed the boot shut and held the passenger’s door open for Kim.

  ‘I put a note on the roadhouse door saying I didn’t know when I’d be back. I would have got Jackie to help but she was at the motel.’ She sighed and leaned her head against the window. ‘Still, knowing Nat, she won’t want me around for too long. Always got her Great Wall of China up, she has.’

  Kim bustled straight into the kitchen at Granite Ridge and folded a sobbing Natalie into her arms. She didn’t say anything, just let her sister cry and cry. Kim couldn’t understand what it would feel like to lose a child, but the pain in Nat’s face, no matter how distant they were, was confronting.

  Although Kim had no clear idea how to handle this situation, she knew to make sure she loved everyone, whatever happened. She was a firm believer that love could fix and heal everything. She didn’t care if it was fairytale stuff: that was the way it worked in her world. She felt Dave’s reassuring presence behind her.

  Amelia sat slumped on the couch, her face white. Paul sat next to her, his arm around her shoulders. She stared at nothing but the floor, while John stood next to the window, his back very stiff and upright. He didn’t respond when anyone spoke to him, just continued to stare unseeingly.

  Finally Natalie started to hiccup and lifted her head from Kim’s shoulder. Her face was covered in tears and snot, and Kim felt her heart melt a little when Dave handed over one of those big men’s hankies, neatly folded.

  ‘Does anyone want a cup of tea?’ Nat asked after wiping her face, in a voice that was husky from crying.

  Amelia gave a giggle that turned into hysterical laughter. ‘Good old Mum,’ she managed, the tears beginning to flow. ‘That’s your standard line in a crisis.’

  Kim watched Paul pull her closer and thought how lucky Amelia was to have him—and reflected on how glad she was that he’d proved to be one of the good guys. She turned back to her sister, her hand still on her shoulder. ‘I’ll make a cuppa, if you’d like one, Nat.’

  ‘No, no, I don’t need one.’ She looked at Dave as if seeing him for the first time, then gestured towards him. ‘But your friend might.’

  Dave shook his head. ‘No thanks, Mrs Bennett, although it’s very kind of you to offer under the circumstances.’ He paused. ‘I’m very sorry for your loss.’

  Natalie sank down into a chair at the kitchen table, the hanky crumpled in her white-knuckled hand. ‘He was such a good boy,’ she muttered. ‘Such a good boy. Even when he was a baby, he never cried.’

  There were sounds of a vehicle pulling up outside and Kim watched out the window. Dani, sobbing hysterically, threw open the car door and tore down the path, her mother following behind her. A few seconds later, Dani burst into the room and stared around at everyone wildly.

  ‘It’s not true!’ she screamed. ‘It can’t be!’

  Kim moved towards her, since no one else seemed to be able to. ‘Oh, sweetie.’ She tried to guide Dani to a chair, but the young woman shook her off. The anger in her face took Kim aback and she let go without an argument.

  Dani ran across to John, put her hands on his tense shoulders and made him turn around to look at her. ‘It’s not true. It can’t be. We’ve got our whole lives in front of us. We have plans! Dreams!’ She stopped, her chest heaving.

  John reached out and touched her face, before a tear slipped down his grizzled cheek. ‘It’s true,’ he managed to say. ‘I’m sorry.’

  Dani stared at him for a moment, still disbelieving, then let out a wail and crumpled to the floor. Kim and Dave were beside her in a second, helping her to the couch, while the three Bennetts looked on numbly, wrapped up in their own grief, and Paul stayed by Amelia’s side.

  ‘In the sitting room there’s a bar, Dave,’ Kim said. ‘Can you get me the whisky from there, please?’ She flicked the kettle on and started to get out mugs from under the cupboard. ‘Paul, can you leave Milly for a second and go out to the car? There’s food in the boot to bring in.’ She started to put the tea bags into the cups. ‘Milly, sweetie, sit next to Dani, there’s a good girl.’

  Kim had worked out that today everyone needed to be told what to do—gently, of course. They didn’t know how to operate on their own, so she needed to put her own feelings aside and get on with helping her family. That’s what families do.

  An image of Graham standing on the stage the night before, smiling at Dani, came to her. Then another one of him as a little boy, with his brown hair flopping over his eyes, a chook tucked under one arm and his face covered with freckles. A smile that would have lit up any room. It was such a shame his mother had spoiled him the way she had, but he’d been able to turn on the charm.

  Kim heard Dave come up behind her and reach around to put the bottle on the bench. ‘Thanks,’ she said in a shaky voice, trying to rid her mind of the memories. They needed to come later. When she was alone.

  Dave whispered in her ear. ‘I have to go out to the scene, but I don’t want to leave you here by yourself.’

  ‘I’ll be fine.’ Kim reached up and put her hand to his face. ‘Honestly, I will. You go do what you gotta do, and I’ll handle things here until you get back.’ Kim managed a watery smile. ‘I can do this,’ she said, her eyes misting over. ‘Because that’s what families do.’

  Dave kissed her cheek and, with a last lingering look, walked out the door.

  Chapter 32

  As he drove towards the cattle yards, Dave knew he should be thinking about what had happened, but he couldn’t focus. He was overwhelmed with how kind and steady Kim was in a crisis. She just put her feelings aside and pitched in, helping anyone who needed it. She was the opposite to his ex-wife, Melinda, who’d spent her days giving to others as a nurse, coming home with nothing left for her family.

  Kim’s heart was as big as a lion’s, Dave was sure. And that, he decided, was very attractive.

  In the distance he saw the glint of the lights flashing from the police car. Someone had forgotten to turn them off. He made an exasperated sound—those boys would end up with a flat battery.

  He started to cast his eyes around his surroundings and he put Kim out of his mind. It was time to concentrate on the job. The cattle had recovered from being spooked and made themselves at home, grazing around the sheds. Some had jumped a fence into a different paddock, but most were in the hay yard, scoffing as much as they could get into them. He suspected there might be
a few with injuries—broken legs or the like—but at first glance he didn’t see any.

  The cattle lifted their heads and watched him curiously as he walked over to the ambulance. He could see a tarp stretched out over the body, not far away.

  ‘Dave.’ Jack nodded to him.

  ‘How you going?’ Dave asked as he studied the young policeman, who was rather pale and a bit green around the gills.

  ‘Fine,’ Jack answered shortly.

  Dave didn’t push the young man. Seeing your first dead body was always confronting and even worse when it was in a small, close-knit community. You didn’t need to be close to the deceased to know how hard their death would hit everyone.

  Turning to the ambos, Dave thanked them for coming. ‘I seem to be seeing quite a bit of you blokes,’ he said. ‘Wish I wasn’t.’

  ‘Yeah, we wish you weren’t too,’ one of them replied. ‘This is nasty.’

  ‘I’m sure it is.’ This would be the first time Dave had seen a cattle stampede death, but he knew what to expect. While the bruises and grazes looked terrible, it was the injuries you couldn’t see that killed. The fractured skull. The broken chest. The ruptured liver or spleen.

  Dave also knew that Graham’s mother, sister and aunty should never see him the way he was now: lying in the muddy yards, covered in fresh blood, with unseeing eyes. It was bad enough that John’s last image of his son would be of what was lying underneath the tarp. He would surely be haunted by what he’d seen for years to come.

  ‘Right, let’s have a look,’ Dave said, snapping out of his thoughts.

  All four of them went over to the body, and one of the ambos lifted the edge of the tarp and pulled it back. Graham’s corpse lay just as Dave had expected him to: twisted and broken. At first glance, Dave was sure an arm and a leg had been snapped, considering the unnatural way they were angled. There was blood pooled around the body’s mouth, nose and eyes. It was a mangled mess.

  ‘Damn,’ Dave muttered. ‘Okay, Jack, let’s shoot some photos for the coroner. I’ll show you what angles I want.’