“So who’s writing her name on the footpath?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Never seen him myself. Some say he claims to be a descendant of Ellen’s and wants her to have a posthumous pardon.”
He jabbed a finger at the cover of the book Dusty was now holding in her hand.
“She was only in her early forties. Had a half a dozen children. Poor woman.” He looked at me. “Came from your neck of the woods, she did. She was only a kid when the family came to Australia in 1858.”
“Why does her descendant think she should be pardoned?”
“The trial was a joke. She should never have been convicted.” The historian shook his head in disgust. “Not only that. On the eve of her execution her lover admitted he was responsible for the murder. He told the authorities Ellen had nothing to do with it, which is what she’d said all along. You know what they did? They went ahead and hanged her anyway.”
We could have heard a lot more about the hanging of Ellen Thomson but Dusty interrupted the loquacious Court House historian to buy a copy of the book and we made a hasty retreat.
Chapter 48
My plane has landed at Melbourne Airport. Along with all the other passengers who’ve flown down from Cairns, I’m waiting to disembark. People are stretching as they rise from their seats to retrieve their bags from the overhead lockers. My Thunderbird, like Dusty’s FJ Holden, was being trucked back. Dusty had taken a flight to Sydney for a brief stopover to meet with an old school friend.
Our last day in Port had been spent on a luxury sailing catamaran. Dusty had rebooked the trip that had been cancelled the day Joyce arrived. “I promised you a relaxing day on the water. I always keep my promises.”
I should have told her then about Ingrid. Instead, I told her I was part Australian. Since our last case, I’d managed to do some family research. As well as Irish and English ancestry, my mother’s family had Australian genes through my mother’s great grandmother.
At my mother’s request, I tracked down some distant cousins in Australia. I have connected with them on social media but have not yet organised any face to face meetings. To tell you the truth, I don’t see the point; we’re all strangers to each other after all. Besides, I’m enjoying the opportunity of being free of family expectations and commitments. Since leaving Ireland, I’ve discovered I like being a free spirit.
Dusty was delighted when I told her of my family link to Australia.
She had grinned and said, “I’ll have to step up my efforts to Aussify you.”
I’m hardly aware of my surroundings as I accept the farewell smiles of the flight attendants and leave the plane. Inside the airport, I head towards the arrivals area.
Earlier today, at Cairns Airport, Dusty and I lingered over coffee in the departures lounge while waiting for our respective flights.
“A drongo,” I said with a sideways glance at Dusty. “Is that like, someone who gets chased by a cassowary?” I had searched the internet and found out that ‘drongo’ is Australian slang for a silly person. The spangled drongo acquired the name because it’s a bit of an avian comedian.
Dusty laughed, her eyes shining with merriment. “No. Someone who escapes from a cassowary is a smart person.” Her expression became serious. “A drongo is someone who tries to recapture the past.”
It took me a moment before I realised what she meant.
“You and Jake?”
She inclined her head in agreement. “Yes. Me and Jake. You can’t go back.” The public address system announced her flight was ready for boarding.
My timing might not have been the best, but that’s when I told Dusty about Ingrid. I fancied I saw a fleeting flash of disappointment in her eyes. However, she wished me well with much warmth and expressed a desire to meet Ingrid.
As I emerge into the arrivals hall, I see Ingrid looking captivating in a powder blue woollen jumper and jeans. She is scanning the faces of the people coming through the revolving doors. When our eyes meet, her face lights up.
About the Author
Brigid George is the pseudonym of JB Rowley – author of Whisper My Secret, Mother of Ten (both Amazon #1 Best Sellers) and the children’s series Trapped in Gondwana. Why Brigid George? Brigid because that was what JB’s father called her. George because that was his first name.
JB Rowley grew up in a small Australian town called Orbost in the state of Victoria. She spent her childhood chasing snakes and lizards down hollow logs, playing Hansel and Gretel in the bush with her brothers, climbing trees, searching the local rubbish tip for books to read and generally behaving like a feral child. To avoid her boisterous brothers she often escaped into the hayshed with a book. Hours and hours of reading from an early age trained her for life as a writer. In primary school her teachers called her ‘the one with the Enid Blyton touch’. Her love of reading murder mysteries as an adult has now evolved into a love of writing them.
As a teenager JB had short stories published in one of Australia’s national magazines, New Idea. Since then she has won several awards for her stories which have also been published in anthologies.
Visit the website of Brigid George.
www.brigidgeorge.com
Visit the website of JB Rowley for more information about her books.
www.whispermysecret.weebly.com
Further information:
While the story of Ellen Thomson is a true story, the idea of writing Ellen as footpath calligraphy was inspired by Arthur Stace who, for almost forty years of his life until he died in 1967, wrote Eternity in elegant copperplate on footpaths and walls all around Sydney.
Although the book is set in Port Douglas, the following locations are fictional:
Four Mile Resort
Rocky’s Cafe
Alexandra Retirement Village
Sunyarta Sanctuary: You can enjoy spectacular views at the top of the hill in Port Douglas, but you won’t see a forest monastery.
Glossary:
Thongs: sandals known in the UK and USA as flip-flops.
Akubra hats: (Akubra is pronounced ‘UH – koo – bra’) Iconic wide brimmed felt hats made in Australia.
Bathers: a piece of clothing worn for swimming aka bathing suit, swimmers, swimsuit, togs.
Bikie: a member of a gang of motorcyclists.
Bludger: a lazy person who avoids working or doing their fair share of work.
Smoko: a break from work to have a coffee or to smoke a cigarette.
Tradie: a tradesman or tradeswoman such as a plumber or electrician.
Wanker: someone who thinks too much of themselves. Often used in a light-hearted way but can also be used as a derogatory term.
Yellow-bellied dingo: coward.
Measurement conversion
1 inch = 2.54cm
One foot = 30.48cm
One kilometre = 0.62 miles
Review the book
If you have time to post comments after you read the book, that would be enormously helpful – just a few words would be fine. Many thanks to all who have taken the time to review my other books. Don’t forget to tell your friends about the Dusty Kent Mysteries.
Mailing List
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www.brigidgeorge.com/join-brigids-mailing-list.html
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Dedication
The Dusty Kent series is dedicated to my father, George Rowley; a good man who died too young.
Disguising Demons is dedicated to my ‘pommie parents’ Sylvia and Eric Barnes who loved Port Douglas.
Acknowledgements
My deepest appreciation to crime fiction editor Lisanne Radice who has been generous with her time and caring in her guidance.
BB eBooks has provided spectacular service and impeccable formatting for all of the Dusty Kent books and several of my other book
s.
Yocla Book Cover Designs provided the sensational cover.
Team Dusty, including Kay Wee and Claudette D’Cruz who travelled to Port Douglas with me to help research the setting – twice!
I am deeply grateful to my beta readers (Anita Marshall, Gael Cresp, Judi Hillyear and Sheila O’Shea) whose invaluable feedback gave the manuscript its final polish.
Port Douglas Historical Society.
Maria Bianco who generously shared her local knowledge.
Thank you also to the ‘informal consultants’ who have helped in so many ways. Some have offered information; some have suggested excellent ideas while others have assisted with research and/or acted as my personal assistant.
Friends and family members as well as the Friday Writers and the Writers’ Lunch Group continue to provide invaluable feedback and support.
My heartfelt appreciation to all those who have read my other books and made wonderful comments that have validated and encouraged me as a writer.
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