Vanishing Point

by Alan Moore

  Katherine didn’t know how long she had been tied there, but time dragged. Each time she heard a vehicle on the distant road she sat up, straining to listen if it was Benjamin returning. When she finally heard the Land Rover approaching she was so relieved that she stood hurriedly, tripped over the rope and landed awkwardly in the sand. She scrambled up and dusted herself off just as the Land Rover came to a stop.

  Benjamin got out of the vehicle, gently lifting Carolyn out as he did so. The baby was awake but quiet but as soon as she saw her mother she started to cry. Without a word Benjamin held her at arm’s length and handed her to Katherine, ignoring her tear-streaked face. He turned to re-hitch the trailer. Carolyn needed attention. She had a dirty nappy and it was time for a feed.

  ‘You can’t do this to us. I must have stuff for myself and the baby. You can’t leave me tied up here,’ Katherine shouted at Benjamin’s bent back as he went about his work. He didn’t even look around.

  Screaming so loudly at him that her throat hurt, Katherine repeated what she had said and added, ‘you bastard!’

  Benjamin stood up and walked slowly over to her and looked down at her sitting in the dust. ‘Listen carefully, woman. Ya don’t call me names an’ ya don’t swear. It ain’t right. Do exactly what I tell ya to an’ we’ll get along jist fine. See, look ere, I bought ya some nappy liners and ya’ve got milk in ya tits for bubs. That’s all ya need for now. Jist drink lotsa water.’

  His tone was menacing. She was intimidated by his bulk looking down on her, and could not look him in the eye when he spoke. He didn’t touch her, just turned around and went back to work hitching the trailer. She couldn’t work him out, one moment tying her to a tree and taking her baby, the next surprising her by buying nappy liners. The act of thoughtfulness made Katherine wonder if perhaps he had a split personality. ‘Oh! God, am I dealing with a mental case here?’

  She lapsed into a confused, sulky silence. She was terrified what he might do, frightened not only for herself but for her baby. She turned her back to him and changed and nursed her baby.

  Once the vehicle was ready they set off again. They passed the roadhouse at Yalata in a cloud of dust. Katherine looked at it with longing as they sped by. She knew it had been her hope of rescue and now it was fading into the distance.

  They travelled in silence.

  A sign pointing to a side track suggested tourists go to view the famous cliffs at Head of Bight. Katherine’s eyes followed it round as the vehicle passed, recalling that she and Alec planned to do that on their next field trip. Now she wondered if she would ever do it. What would Alec think when he went back to the abandoned Kombi? She cursed herself for being so stupid to accept a ride from a complete stranger. It went against everything she believed in. Every minute brought her further from the man she loved and further from safety.

  Soon after the sun passed its zenith they approached the Western Australian border. The roadhouse there, appropriately termed Travellers Village, had several trucks and cars parked around it. Apart from a large ‘Welcome to Western Australia’ sign there was no other indication that they were passing into another state.

  Benjamin turned to her and broke their silence, speaking for the first time since their previous stop. ‘Go ta the toilets here. Git yaself cleaned up.’ It was an instruction, not a suggestion. ‘When youse in there, I’m gonna be jist outside with bubs, so don’ be stoopid or try nothin’.

  He parked a short distance away and Katherine, by this time desperate for the toilet, picked up a sleeping Carolyn and rapidly started towards the toilet block.

  ”ang on, woman. We’ll wait ta see if them’s empty.’ Benjamin’s hand gripped the back of her slacks firmly, holding her back. It inadvertently put pressure on her already uncomfortable bladder and she moved back towards him to relieve it. To an unaware spectator it looked like an affectionate link.

  ‘Gimme bubs. I’ll hold it while ya’re in there.’

  Reluctantly she gently handed him Carolyn. Still holding Katherine close the three headed towards the toilets. Someone came out of the Ladies and they waited just out of possible earshot. Katherine was tempted to shout for help to the woman leaving the block but fear of what Benjamin might do stilled her voice. After about ten minutes he said, ‘Okay. In ya go. I’ll wait ‘ere for ya.’ He positioned himself near the entry.

  The toilets were relatively clean, apart from a few scattered scraps of toilet paper littering the floor. Katherine briefly looked at herself in the cracked mirror as she passed the row of hand basins. The crack divided her visage into two and the tear-streaked face that peered back at her epitomised her feelings: a broken face peering back at a broken spirit. She felt helpless, desperate and miserable. Her clothes were still partly dirty from her fall at the truck stop. Instinctively she started to dust off the reddish stains that left permanent streaks of ochreous red on her blouse from where she had fallen. She went into a stall and closed the door.

  As she locked the cubicle door she wondered if she should try to climb through the rear window. Had she been alone she would have been tempted to do something risky but she was scared for the sake of her baby. She knew Benjamin would ensure she had no company. She sat on the toilet. The physical relief was immediate and immense; once over it allowed her mental anguish to become paramount. She put her head in her hands and started crying.

  On the floor near the edge of the door hinges she suddenly spotted what looked like a lipstick container. She almost fell forward and grabbed it, an idea forming in her mind. It was broken but a small stump of the blood-red, waxy material remained. Holding her unfastened slacks she raced across to the mirror and started to scrawl as fast and clearly as possible:

  S O S Katherine M Thompson. Kidnapped 23 10 65 Ceduna call police. He …

  The last words smudged as she struggled to write more but the stump, now worn to nothing, would not. She desperately looked around for something else to use to complete a message.

  ‘Ya finished in there?’ Benjamin’s voice rasped the question through the open entrance. ‘Bubs needs ya.’

  ‘Nearly. Just washing,’ she shouted back as she desperately looked around on the floor in case of something else to use. Nothing.

  She ran water and cupped her hands to wash her face. There were no towels, either linen or paper. She shook off the excess water and started to walk out, almost bumping into Benjamin as he walked in. She almost pushed him out in her haste to leave, and grabbed at Carolyn.

  ‘What kept ya? Someone in there?’

  ‘No. A woman just takes longer in toilets, or didn’t you know that?’

  Taking the crying Carolyn from him she started to walk towards the cafe. She lifted her daughter over her shoulder and patted her back. Almost at once the baby stopped crying.

  Benjamin’s hand was quickly on the belt of her slacks again, slowing her, firmly guiding her back towards the vehicle. ‘No, no, woman. Not thataway!’ he growled.

  No-one else was in sight and they were too distant from the roadhouse for Katherine to shout for help. No-one would hear her and again she was concerned for Carolyn.

  Once she was back inside the cabin he closed the door and said, ‘Jist sit tight now. I’m gunna fuel up. If ya behave there’ll be no probs. Otherwise big trouble.’

  He drove up to the diesel pump, a separate unit some distance from the other bowsers and the cafe. Benjamin waited until a large semi-trailer left so the Land Rover and trailer had the place to itself. Before getting out of the four-wheel drive he took out a small length of rope and tied Katherine’s wrists firmly around the metal ratchet for opening the front wind flaps. He put Carolyn down on the driver’s seat, head towards Katherine. Mother and child looked at each other. Katherine longed to pick her up and hold her close but was able only to lean as close as possible towards her and talk comfortingly. Carolyn just gurgled happily as if nothing was wrong.

  It took only a short time for the utility and the drum on the tray to be filled. Benjamin drove away
from the pumps and parked some distance from the store and cafe. As he got out of the vehicle he gave Katherine a meaningful look but, without saying a word, took Carolyn in his arms and walked across to pay for the fuel. He returned with soft drinks, a large bag of nappy liners and a large carton of powdered milk that he put on the floor next to Katherine’s feet. He did not undo the rope holding her wrists against the metal.

  Before starting the vehicle he stroked his hand down the back of her head. It was a gentle touch and the first physical contact.

  Katherine shrunk away. ‘Don’t you dare touch me!’ she said through clenched teeth. ‘You bastard,’ she added defiantly. The hope that her message in the toilets would soon free her from this ongoing nightmare gave her courage.

  He looked at her, his mouth twisting into a mixture of a snarl and a self-satisfied smile. After a meaningful pause and without breaking eye contact, he quietly said, ‘Touch ya? Dare ta touch ya. Like ya is, woman, I could touch ya where I wanted. But God told me ya’ll come to me. So I won’t an’ I ain’t in a hurry. Woman, ya’ll be begging me ta touch ya before the year’s out. Didden’ ya unnerstan’ me? Youse me wife now and I’m gunna keep ya, an’ bubs like if she’s me own child.’

  Katherine shrank as far towards the passenger door that her bound wrists allowed.

  Benjamin continued, ‘An’ this is me last warning: don’ ya call me names or else ya’ll get the back of me hand. So shuddup an’ behave.’

  Katherine braced herself in case he struck her but he gently put Carolyn on her lap and untied one of the ropes holding her wrists. It was clear that she was to hold Carolyn with her free hand; she could not relax it in case her baby rolled on to the floor.

  The dust streamed out behind them as they once more headed west along the Eyre Highway, avoiding the numerous potholes filled with fine dust and the trucks travelling in the opposite direction. Apart from the clatter of the occasional stone thrown up against the bodywork and the drone of the engine they travelled in silence. Carolyn slept comfortably in the crook of Katherine’s arm, blissfully unaware of the turmoil in her mother’s mind.

  The country was no longer as flat as in South Australia and after a distance they came to a steep pass. From the top there were fine views of the ocean. Rows of creamy white sand dunes stretched along the coast into a misty distance. Katherine realised that, in spite of her trauma and fear, she was actually admiring the landscape and her mind seemed to be working on two planes. On the one hand she was desperately seeking a way to escape and protect both herself and her baby. On the other, she was partially accepting her predicament. She realised she was looking at the sort of scenery that Alec would have appreciated.

  She turned to Benjamin. ‘My husband will be out of his mind with worry. I beg you, please stop and take me back.’

  Benjamin stared ahead and drove on in silence as if he was deaf.

  ‘I’m begging you, for the sake of my baby! I’m married. I can’t be your wife.’ Her tears and begging left him unmoved. ‘What do you want of me? You can’t do this. It is unkind to me and I don’t think you are an unkind person. Please, let me go.’

  Benjamin continued to drive without reply.

  At the bottom of the pass Katherine saw a sign pointing south, advising tourists to visit an old telegraph station. She looked left but saw only the track leading through the stunted bushes as they drove steadily westwards. Katherine abandoned her attempts at persuasion. They continued following the setting sun until twilight faded to night and the narrow-set headlights made the bumps in the road look like small hills.

  Fear, weariness and misery finally overcame Katherine.

  Under the hypnotic drone of the engine she unwillingly started to doze, her chin on her chest.

  * * *

  Startled by the change in engine noise and gear shifts she sat up suddenly. Her right arm ached from holding the baby. She had no idea what time it was since she had no watch. Carolyn was restless It must be time for a feed.

  They were turning right across some bumpy tracks, away from the wide main road and into a narrow track. It was very similar to the dog fence track on which she and Alec had been travelling when they broke down. Hardly visible from the main road and with no signposts indicating its presence, it was clear that it was a little-used route with which Benjamin was very familiar.

  ‘Where are we?’ Katherine asked.

  For the first time since leaving the border Benjamin spoke. ‘Jist past Heartbreak Ridge.’

  Katherine had no idea where that was, but she remained silent.

  Benjamin continued, ‘Quarantine in Norseman. Not allowed ta bring bee products inta WA, so from ‘ere we gunna take a shortcut to me place, over the railway an’ home. We’ll make camp in an hour. It’s late so gunna be a short sleep. Same’s last night.’

  ‘My wrist hurts.’

  ‘Okay.’ Benjamin stopped, leaned over and untied the rope. Katherine quickly put sleeping Carolyn on the central seat and rubbed the marks around her wrist where the rope had chafed. Her hand tingled as blood flowed back into a more normal position. She stretched her whole body to ease the stiffness from sitting so awkwardly. Carolyn sensed the activity, woke and started to cry. Turning slightly away from Benjamin, Katherine breast-fed her baby. The child gazed into her mother’s eyes between suckling and Katherine gently caressed the soft top of her head. The closeness of her baby gave her some small sense of comfort.

  Benjamin pulled the decompression lever to end the activity of the engine, turned off the ignition and got out of the vehicle, taking the opportunity to walk into the scrub for a pee.

  Katherine noticed he took the keys with him.

  Carolyn finally collapsed into a malleable milk-satisfied, replete rag doll, eyes shut and head lolling back over Katherine’s knees as she peacefully went back to sleep.

  ‘We gunna git goin’ now,’ grumbled Benjamin. ‘If ya need to change bubs or ‘ave a piss, now’s the time.’

  Katherine changed her daughter’s nappy and they resumed the journey. They drove in silence, following the beams of light as they bounced forward in time to the Land Rover’s uneven pace across the track. Katherine could see only as far as the beams reached, the road ahead as uncertain as her future.

  They made camp well after dark by which time Katherine was exhausted, mentally and physically. Benjamin organised the camp in the same way as the previous night but this time roped her ankle through the bumper of the Land Rover and from there to his wrist. In spite of the discomfort and Carolyn waking several times during the night, she managed to sleep fitfully. Each time she woke she heard Benjamin snoring nearby and wondered if she would be able to free herself and get the keys to the Land Rover. She knew they were in the pocket of his trousers, partly rolled under his head. Once or twice she tried to untie her ankle but the knot was too tight and the movement caused the rope to Benjamin’s wrist to tighten. As soon as this happened he stopped snoring and Katherine froze.

  * * *

  The morning sun cast long shadows across the red sand plains, making the scattered, stunted mallee bushes and spinifex grasses appear larger than they were. The shadows lapped the walls of the Travellers Village.

  A Yugoslav migrant, who spoke little English and was just starting her new life in a most remote part of Australia, carried her cleaning equipment into the ladies toilet. After sweeping, emptying the bins and cleaning the toilets, she took a cloth and vigorously wiped at the broken mirror. She swore under her breath. The waxy writing was difficult to remove and left illegible smudges in spite of her ardent efforts. She left, feeling well pleased with herself that, even though she had not been able to clean it as well as she hoped, at least no-one could read the dirty messages that she was sure had been scrawled there.

  By mid-morning the Land Rover pulled up at the gates of a compound with a few buildings surrounded by a six-foot high wire mesh perimeter fence. Benjamin clambered out and left the engine running as he went to open the double gates. It provided an o
pportunity for Katherine to make a desperate attempt at escape. She hastily clambered over the grasping gear levers separating the seats, sliding Carolyn carelessly under her in her frantic attempt to get into the driver’s seat as fast as possible. Carolyn set up a terrible scream and Katherine grated the gears as she tried to find reverse in the unfamiliar vehicle.

  Benjamin swung the gates open then, alerted by the noise, turned and ran back to the Land Rover. Katherine slammed the door shut as he reached it just as she found reverse gear and let out the clutch. The vehicle lurched backwards, jack-knifed the trailer and stalled. Benjamin was thrown off balance but managed to hang on to the door through the open window. He was furious. He wrenched the door open, dragged Katherine out of the seat and sent her sprawling into the red sand of the track. He said nothing but grabbed the back of her blouse with one hand and her hair with the other, almost lifting her from the ground. Maintaining that hold on her, he marched her through the open gate. With a push he thrust her forward, tearing the cloth as she fell sprawling to the ground.

  ‘Git,’ he shouted, his face contorted with rage, ‘inside.’ He pointed to the central building.

  Katherine, terrified of what might happen next, unsteadily got to her feet. ‘Carolyn, my baby. Please, she’s still in the car —’

  ‘Shuddup an’ git movin’,’ Benjamin shouted, his hand raised as if to strike.

  In shock Katherine ran, half stumbling up the three steps of the veranda and into the building with Benjamin close behind.

  ‘Stay there,’ Benjamin yelled. He returned to the vehicle and drove into the compound before returning to close and lock the two gates behind him. He picked up Carolyn, sobbing inconsolably, and brought her over to Katherine, very gently putting the baby into her outstretched arms. He said nothing.

  Even in the semi-darkness of the room Katherine could see the place was the home of a man living alone. It was very basic. There wasn’t even a curtain over the small, dirty window at the back. The kitchen had a gas stove, some shelving stacked with abundant tinned foods, a small table smeared with the remains of several previous meals and three chairs. Fine red dust coated most things.