"That and the spa pool," Steve said.
He swung the jeep into the school driveway just as the home bell rang. The quiet street was suddenly filled with hundreds of girls in their blue uniforms heading home. And Cathy was waiting for them, all grins again as she leaned on her crutches for perhaps the last time.
*
CHAPTER 11
"My God, we're in trouble now." Steve grinned over the back of the passenger's seat of Lavina's Nissan Pulsar where Cathy and her friend Donna were seated. It was the mid-winter school holidays and Steve decided to take a week off, too, so he could help Lavina sort out the farmhouse before the new manager shifted in. He could even find time at the old school, too, if he was lucky.
"Why?" Cathy retorted when Steve's eyes fell on her. She was dressed in her new jeans, top and jacket, all presents from her party the night before.
"With your birthday yesterday we have a teenager in the family. I don't know if we'll be able to cope," he said.
Cathy screwed her nose up. "Mum! Make Steve stop teasing me. I'm no different."
"You're in real trouble now, Steve," Donna interrupted with a grin. "I've been thirteen for two months."
Throwing his hands up in mock horror, Steve grinned at Lavina as she turned off the highway to Lower Forks Road. The car was filled with bags and gear for their week's stay and they were all looking forward to getting away from the city.
Lavina chose to ignore the good-natured banter. "The road's a bit swishy. I hope there aren't any more slips farther up. We had enough rain in the city and usually it is heavier up here."
She shifted down and manoeuvred the heavy car expertly around a tight bend as the windshield wipers had to be switched on again. They continued on through heavier rain before descending below the rain clouds into the valley.
"The last time we had weather like this was up on De Wolfe's Plateau," Steve said. "I hope it doesn't turn to snow."
"I hope it does," Cathy said.
"Well, you won't be going out in it with your sore foot," Lavina said.
"Awe Mum. The doctor said I could treat it as normal now. Tell her, Steve."
"Me!" laughed Steve. "You fight your own battles, Miss Teenager."
Cathy scowled for a second and then turned to her friend, Donna. "Mum did say we could ride the quad bike."
"Only if Donna drives," Lavina said. "You won't be able to change gears." She glanced in the rear vision mirror. "And only on the farm tracks except the steep back one until the weather improves."
"And wear safety helmets, " Steve added.
Donna's eyes glowed. The four-wheeled quad bike was one of the attractions of the holiday. "Yes Steve and Lavina," she said, giving Cathy a poke in the leg.
Fifteen minutes later they arrived and everyone helped carry bags and groceries inside. Much of the cleaning had been completed and all evidence of Lavina's late husband was gone. The only subconscious reference to the man was Lavina's refusal to sleep in the old master bedroom. Instead, she'd moved her clothes and personal items into what had been the guest room.
"This will be our room," she said to Steve the first night. "I don't want to be tainted by old memories."
The house seemed friendly again and it wasn't long before a blazing fire was alight in the sitting room and the girls were cackling away in Cathy's bedroom. Steve and Lavina sat down for a cup of coffee in the kitchen.
"So what did you think of our final selection for the temporary manager?" Steve asked.
"He sounds perfect," Lavina said. "With only four replies to our advertisement and the first two looking like they were more interested in growing drugs than farming, I was becoming despondent. Mind you, either of the last pair seemed suitable."
Lavina had insisted Steve help her select the farm manager and they'd checked out the applicants and had interviews the week earlier. Their final selection was Barrie Dey, a third year university student who had to complete three month's practical work on a high country farm as part of his Bachelor of Agriculture degree. Though only in his early twenties, he seemed confident and knowledgeable.
"I think we made the right choice," Steve said. "I had a feeling the other guy would move on if anything better turned up. There'd be nothing worse than having someone walk out in the middle of spring lambing."
"I agree. I was impressed with Barrie, too," Lavina said. "Come on, you can help pack all the crockery we're taking home with us. A bachelor will hardly need a forty piece dinner set."
*
The crisp white frost had melted. After a good deal of nagging, Cathy and Donna were allowed to take the quad bike out across the track that was cut up a moderate hillside to an upper plateau. The heavy tread of four tyres crunched through the ice that still covered the shady slopes as Donna roared the vehicle forward in one of the crawler gears. Clouds of blue smoke chugged out the exhaust.
"Come on, Donna!" screamed Cathy from the rear of the extended seat as she clung to her friend's waist. "Put it in a higher gear and go a little faster instead of just roaring hell out of the motor."
Both teenagers wore bright blue crash helmets, thick jackets, gloves and knitted black balaclavas. On their feet were gumboots, the rubber footwear that reached their calves.
"Okay," Donna shifted gears. The quad bike's tyres bit the soil and propelled the two passengers in a burst of acceleration. The driver gasped and throttled back to a more sedate speed.
Cathy took her eyes off the track and gazed over the farm. In the valley to their right the roof of the farm house could be seen amongst tall trees and hedges while further back, the gravel road wound away with the Upper Forks Road School just visible in the distance. She swung her head and gazed over the sunny green slope ahead dotted with white blobs of grazing sheep. However, her gaze detected something moving across on the other hill. A person had just reached the crest of the hill and was striding across the flat top paddock.
"Nobody should be walking across our property," she yowled and tapped Donna on the back. "Let's go and investigate."
"Right," Donna yelled back. "How do I get there?"
"This track leads around the side of the hill and comes out at the end of the top paddock. From there we can drive across the grass."
Half way around, a section of the road below came into view below them. A small orange car was parked on a grass verge.
"I know that car," Cathy hissed. "It's Janice Ludlow's, the woman Dad was having a fling with. Now, what would she be doing crossing our farm?"
"Beats me." Donna yelled back. She slowed on a tight bend, changed back to a low ratio gear and waited for Cathy's criticism but praise came instead.
"You're going well," Cathy said. "Stop by the gate at the top. I'll open it for you, then it's all the way across the paddock."
By the time the girls reached the spot where Janice Ludlow had been seen, the woman had disappeared. The girls climbed off their vehicle and strolled around searching in all directions.
"Look here, Cathy!" Donna shouted.
Cathy joined her on the edge of the hill where it sloped back down into a steep shaded valley. Distinct in the white frost, footprints led down out of sight.
"Come on," Cathy said. "We'll have to walk."
The going was slow but Donna waited patiently for Cathy and gave a guiding hand on the steeper sections. They eventually reached a fence line bordering a line of thick native bush. The footprints led directly to the fence before they stopped.
"What's there?" Donna asked.
"The cave. It's actually a tiny stream that goes through a narrow canyon. The foliage above has grown right across in parts. The canyon meanders around until the stream goes into this huge cave and comes about half a kilometre away on the other side of the road just beyond a bridge. It's fun to walk through in summer but can be a raging torrent at this time of the year. I would imagine the rocks along the edges would be covered after all the rain we've been having.” She grimaced. “It's a steep climb down to the bottom, though. Years ago D
ad tied a wire all the way down and cut some steps in the bank. I doubt if I could make it with my foot, though."
Donna shivered, "Why would this woman go there all by herself?"
“What was that?" Cathy whispered. Both girls stopped and listened as a faint cry filled the air.
The girls stared at each other and cupped their gloved hands to their mouths and called out.
"Help me!" a muffled reply came back.
"Sounds like she's slipped or something," Donna said. "I'll go and look."
Cathy grabbed her sleeve. ”No. It's too dangerous. You're faster than me. Take the bike and find Mum or Steve. I'll wait here!"
"We're here!" she screamed down the bank. "We'll get help!"
There was no reply.
It took half an hour, but finally the ancient Land Rover appeared and drove down to where a cold and impatient Cathy waited. Lavina and Donna jumped out and dashed to her.
"Even though I've kept shouting, I've heard nothing," Cathy reported.
"Okay," Lavina said and handed Cathy the mobile phone. "Donna and I will go and have a look. Steve's at the school but probably left his mobile phone in the car. Try to get him. If you can't and we aren't back in half an hour, ring the McPhersons next door."
"Right, Mum." Cathy was worried.
"I've got a thermos of coffee in the Land Rover," Lavina said. "Go and sit in it and have some. There are some sandwiches, too. I was making them for your lunch when Donna arrived."
"Thanks Mum."
With a coil of rope slung around her shoulders and a torch in her hand, Lavina disappeared down the slope. Donna gave a wave and Cathy was alone. In the distance a bellbird twittered a song but she was too apprehensive to be impressed. She ambled over to the Land Rover and tried Steve's number. The call rang but there was no reply.
*
Lavina examined the path and made a slipknot in the rope, tied it around a small shrub trunk and tossed the rest of the rope down into the cavity below.
"I'll go first, Donna," she said.
She moved down backwards hand over hand until her feet found a secure foothold just above where the normally trickling brook, tumbled past in a dirty brown torrent, two meters wide and half a meter deep. There were still dry rocks on each side and footprints could be seen in a tiny gravel section.
"Janice, can you hear me!" Lavina called out.
"Hear me...hear me...hear me," the echoes bounded back.
She listened but could only hear the tumbling water.
"Hello!" she screamed.
"'Hello...hello...hello," echoed her voice again before a faint, "Help me, please," became intermingled with it.
"I heard it, Lavina," Donna said in a hushed voice as she reached Lavina's side. "Wow. It's creepy down here. Cold, too!"
Lavina recovered the rope and handed the torch to her young companion. "Remember to step where I do, Donna. And watch out for stinging nettle. It can grow quite vicious down here." She pointed to a branch of spiky shaped leaves growing on a bush in the bank. "Don't let it touch your skin."
With Donna like a shadow following every step, Lavina pushed her way through the foliage of grass and ferns, over a massive tree trunk jammed across the gap and down another steep section of rocks until they were on the floor of the canyon. The walls on each side were covered in dripping moss and, high above tree branches twisted together in a canopy of light green. In one spot, a ray of dust sprinkled sunlight shone down and bathed a wall in light. The brown water tossed and jumped in a miniature version of the river she had travelled through in the raft.
"It's pretty down here," Donna whispered.
"Yes. It's lovely in summer. Come on! I hope you don't mind getting your feet wet. I think we'll have to wade through water before too long."
"No problem."
The main obstacles were the dozens of logs jammed everywhere. They went under some, over others and even along a few with the water pounding beneath them, until the area opened out and there was a small gravel spit on the side. Several footprints could be seen facing the way they were heading.
"Janice!" Lavina yelled.
"I'm here in the cave," the reply came back faint but distinct. "I think my foot is broken."
The pair made their way cautiously until they reached the dark cave. It was shaped like a Russian church with an onion shaped point towering above them. Donna shivered and switched on the torch.
"We'll get wet," Lavina observed. The stream stretched from wall to wall but didn't seem too deep.
She stepped in and found the water reached half way up her gumboots with the pressure pushing the rubber in. "I think we'll use the rope again," she said. “That water's pretty swift."
With Donna's help she tied the rope to a firm log jammed between the rocks, walked into the cave and fed the rope out as she went. It worked well but ran out before they'd completed their journey. Lavina tied the end to another log and continued on.
"I can see your torch," the voice sobbed through the darkness.
They found the distressed woman sitting on a log with one foot jammed through the debris beneath. She stared at them with wide eyes.
"Lavina Ryland!" she gasped and fear shot across her face.
Lavina asked Donna to shine the torch around. "It's okay, Janice," she said as the woman's staring eyes and white face came into view. "I've come to help."
"I'm sorry, Lavina," Janice said. "I was a damn fool coming here but I just wanted to get away from everything."
"Where's your torch?" Lavina asked.
"I never had one. That was the trouble. I thought I could see but didn't remember how dark it became. I was trying to walk along this log and slipped through a rotten bit. My leg became stuck and when I attempted to get out my foot became twisted somehow."
"Okay," Lavina said. “I'll see if I can crawl underneath and free it."
"You'd do this for me?"
"Of course. Why not?"
"Well, I wasn't exactly friendly to you at Grant's funeral."
"You were under stress. We all say things we don't mean."
"But I did," Janice answered. "It was afterwards I found out about you being dumped on the plateau." Her voice trailed off. "It almost fits in with what happened that Sunday."
"Forget about it," Lavina replied. "Let's get you out of here first." She made her way past Janice and let herself down the meter drop on the other side so she was standing in the cold water. "Damn!"
"What is it, Lavina?" Donna said.
"The water's flooded into my gumboot." Lavina shivered. "Hell, it's cold." She bent down and took the offending footwear off, tipped the water out and handed it up to Donna. "I'll give you both of them, Donna, then you hand me the torch."
In the harsh torchlight she could see Janice's foot jammed between two large branches just above the water level. The freezing water was up to her thigh. As she stepped forward, the icy water reached her waist. Water soaked jeans clung to her skin like concrete. Lavina grinned to herself. She should be used to this by now.
"I'm under you," she yelled up.
Janice's foot was twisted and wedged in but did not appear broken. Lavina tugged on the bottom most branch and felt it give a little. "I'm going to undo your boot lace," she called out again. "When I yell, try to pull your foot out."
"Okay!"
Tightened by the water, the knot was impossible to undo so Lavina took a small pocketknife out and cut the lace. The top of the boot sprang out but Janice's foot was still wedged between two branches.
"Donna," Lavina called. "Can you find a stick to use as a wedge and come down here?"
"Sure, Lavina!"
Seconds later the shivering teenager appeared behind her with a stout piece of wood in her hand.
"Thanks," Lavina said. "Just what I needed. I'm going to wedge it between the two branches. When I pry them apart, I want you to twist Janice's boot. Okay?"
Donna clutched at a branch beside them and nodded. Water was up to her chest and the frail g
irl seemed to remain in one spot through sheer determination. "Okay. Lavina," she said, reaching up to the boot.
"Janice," Lavina yelled. “When I tell you, try to pull your foot out of your boot."
"Okay!"
Lavina poked the wood between the branches so it was on a diagonal. She hoped that the pressure pulling down on the long bit sticking out would move the twisted branches apart long enough for the foot to move. If it didn't work, they'd have to get a chainsaw to cut the branches. She gritted her teeth and wedged the stick further in. Handing the torch to Donna, she pulled downwards. There was a creak of parting timbers, and the boot appeared loose.
"Now!" she yelled. The pressure was terrific and she doubted if she had the strength to hold it apart for more than a few seconds.
Donna pushed the boot up, saw she was getting nowhere and switched her tactics. She moved sideways a fraction, grabbed the swollen ankle and yanked it towards her. Janice screamed in agony but their combined effort was enough. Just as Lavina's arms could maintain the pressure no more, Janice's ankle slipped out and the boot went tumbling into the stream below.
"We did it!" Donna shouted. In her excitement she dropped the torch.
The light plunged into an eerie darkness but, to the youngster's surprise, the torch still shone beneath the water. She gasped, took a breath, reached down for it and came up spluttering, saturated with water streaming off her hair. Meanwhile, Lavina had let the wedge go and Janice's foot disappeared through the gap above.
“I got the torch," Donna said, shining the torch beam up the gap where Janice's foot had been.
Lavina smiled and gave her young companion a hug of appreciation. Together the pair climbed out to where Janice was standing and nursing her ankle.
"I don't think it will take my weight," Janice whispered. "I think it is sprained." Her attempt to walk ended in a stagger and a suppressed grunt of pain and all she managed was to find a branch behind her to sit on.
"Okay," Lavina said. "Donna, can you make it back to Cathy by yourself? Take the torch with you."
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