by Annie Seaton
By the time Gina returned to the suite, her mood was much improved. But if David had to be in Darwin by five, they wouldn’t have long to talk.
She’d forgotten her security card so she tapped at the door. There was no answer. Gina frowned. ‘David?’ she called softly. ‘Open the door. I’ve left my key card inside.’
Maybe he’s gone to sleep with the children? He’d said they’d have a swim and then a nap.
She tapped again, more loudly this time. She looked down at her watch. It was almost two; he’d have to leave within half an hour if he was going to make Darwin by five o’clock. And she wanted to talk before he left.
She knocked loudly one more time and waited, but there was still no sound from within. Gina’s newfound calm splintered. A frisson of worry tugged at her; it was out of character for David to risk being late for a meeting. Finally, she gave up and walked along the front of the building to the main doors that opened to the corridor leading to the pool. Maybe the three of them were still there; but if so, they’d be waterlogged by now.
Squeals and excited chatter reached her as Gina stepped through the door and held her hand up to her eyes. She looked around the two pools and over to the grassed area but there was no sign of David or the children. A chill ran through her blood. She gripped the doorframe, fighting the tendrils of panic that threatened.
‘Are you okay, love?’ An older woman in a pair of hot pink swimmers with a large sunhat perched on her head stood behind her.
‘Er . . . yes. Thank you.’ Gina forced a smile onto her face. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself. ‘I was just seeing if my husband was still out here with our children.’ She raised a shaky hand to her brow.
‘Are you sure you’re all right? You’re awfully pale.’
‘Yes, yes, I’m fine, thank you. Just the heat.’ Gina’s heart picked up a beat, and she forced herself to take a deep breath. She was probably worrying about nothing. Maybe there was a playground somewhere. Yes, that was it. She turned and hurried back to their room, conscious of the woman’s concerned gaze.
Still no answer. Finally she headed to the reception building. Maybe David hadn’t realised she hadn’t taken her card with her. Maybe they were asleep inside the room. Maybe he’d taken them somewhere and left a note. She’d get another key card and check the suite.
As she crossed the garden to the covered walk that led to reception, Gina glanced at the car park. The hair stood up on her arms as she realised their rental car was gone.
Dio, where are they? Surely he hadn’t left for Darwin already. No, that was ridiculous. She ran the last few steps and pushed the reception door open. Heather, the pretty Aboriginal girl, was there and she looked at Gina curiously as she caught her breath.
‘Hello, are you all right?’
‘I’ve left my card in the room, and my husband is not around. You haven’t seen him, perhaps, have you?’ Then she shook her head, realising the girl wouldn’t know what David looked like. ‘No matter.’ Heather smiled and offered her a spare card, making a joke about guests locking themselves out of their rooms. Gina grabbed the card with a muttered ‘thank you’, and whirled on her heel and hurried out.
The rental car still wasn’t there as she crossed the lawn back to their building, but the noise of the television reached her as she pushed the door open.
Thank God.
‘David?’
The living room was empty and the blinds were drawn, the light from the television flickering in the dim room. Picking up the remote, she switched it off before hurrying down the hall to the children’s bedroom.
Empty. And the same with the master suite.
A chill crawled down her spine. David’s phone was charging on the table next to the bed. He never went anywhere without it. The whole apartment was cold. Gina rubbed her arms as she walked over to the control panel and switched the air-conditioning off. Only silence filled her ears as she crossed the living area to the kitchen.
The mess in the kitchen showed they had been there, and she reached for the sponge, automatically wiping up some milk that had been spilt on the sink. When it was clean, she braced her arms on the cold stone benchtop, trying to calm herself as the baby kicked.
There was no point getting in a state. It wasn’t good for the baby. She had to stay calm and work out what to do.
As she stood there, there was a noise at the front door and Gina’s shoulders sagged with relief as she hurried up the hall. She paused; there was a strange scratching noise coming from the base of the front door. She listened . . . there it was again. It was as though someone was rubbing a rough piece of sandpaper on the timber. She walked over slowly and stood by the door and the strange sound continued. Stepping back, she crossed her arms protectively against her stomach as goosebumps ran down her arms.
Silence. And then another louder scratch. The door handle turned slowly and Gina held her breath as the door opened.
‘Oink, oink. I’m a baby pig.’ Andrew crawled around the door on all fours. ‘Mummy, I can scratch in the mud.’
‘And me too.’ Binny crawled in behind him.
The door opened fully and David stepped over the two children, tossing the car keys onto the low wooden cupboard in the entry foyer.
Relief and anger bubbled up into her throat. The serenity of the massage and facial had long since fled. ‘Where have you been? I thought you had to be in Darwin by five?’
He met her gaze but Andrew stood and pushed between them. ‘Mummy! We saw pigs, and crocodiles and ducks and funny birds.’ He ran to the television and plonked himself on the floor, followed closely by his sister. ‘Now can we watch Diego?’
She turned away from David before he could answer, and picked up the remote from the kitchen bench. She switched on the television and turned to stare out the window. The afternoon sun was glinting on the pool and children were crying and splashing in the pool, but she could hear no sound.
David locked the door, walked across to the kitchen and stood behind her. ‘A whole nature walk and now nothing is as good as Diego.’ He put his hands on her shoulders and dropped a quick kiss on the side of her neck. ‘Mm. You smell good. How was your afternoon?’
She turned slowly and he dropped his hands and stepped back with a frown as her voice tightened.
‘I thought you’d all been taken away. Taken by that man who threatened you.’ Her voice was low but the words sprayed from her tight lips like bullets. David reached for her again.
‘No, don’t touch me.’ Gina turned back to the window, folding her arms across her chest. ‘Just leave us. Go to your precious meeting. You’re going to be late as it is.’
David put his hand on her shoulder and turned her around to face him, his touch gentle on her tense shoulder. ‘No, I won’t. I rang back and postponed the meeting. It can wait. I’ll leave after lunch tomorrow.’
Gina blinked as unwanted tears filled her eyes.
David frowned as he looked at her. ‘I’m sorry, darling. I thought we’d get back before you, but the kids were fascinated by the wild pigs and the crocodiles we could see from the boardwalk.’
Gina shuddered with revulsion. ‘Will that matter, not going today?’
‘No. I’ll work around it.’ He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close. ‘I’m really sorry.’
Finally, she let her head rest on his shoulder.
‘I didn’t even think about you being worried. I thought you’d be enjoying being pampered.’
‘I was.’ She sniffed. ‘Until I came back and couldn’t find you at the pool. And your phone was here. You never leave your phone.’ Another sniff and Gina lifted her hand and wiped her eyes. ‘And then I saw that the car was gone. I was frightened.’
David rested his chin on the top of her head. ‘My phone was flat. And I should have left a note before we drove down to the river.’
‘That wouldn’t have done any good. I didn’t take my card to get back in.’ This time she allowed a tremulous smile to tip
her lips as she looked up at him. ‘I had to go to reception and get another door card. It was just thinking about what that man said to you. I couldn’t get it out of my head and I overreacted.’
David held her close and Gina’s breathing eased as the warmth of his body soothed her.
‘You do smell nice.’
David smiled as he held her gaze, before dropping his head and capturing her lips in a swift kiss. ‘I left my bags in the car.’
She glanced across at the children, now engrossed in the television show. ‘I’ll come with you. I left my Kindle in the glove box.’
Outside a storm was building in the north and the clouds that had threatened all day were closing in quickly. David held her hand as he grabbed at his cap, and pushed it down hard as a gust of wind lifted the brim. They stood back and let a small red car go past before they crossed the road to the car and David opened the boot.
‘Daddy!’
Gina turned as Binny’s voice reached them. She was running from the building and heading for the road.
‘Binny, stop,’ Gina yelled.
‘I wanna see the pigs some more.’ The little girl stopped and teetered on the edge of the kerb.
‘I’ll get her.’ David ran across and picked her up. There were no other cars apart from the one that had just passed them but Gina’s legs were shaking.
‘No more pigs today,’ David said.
Gina put her trembling hand to her mouth. She knew she was overreacting; there’d been no danger.
‘No pigs?’ Binny put her little hands on David’s face and turned his head to face her.
David shook his head. ‘No pigs.’
‘Piggyback then.’
Gina swung around as a woman’s voice called out:
‘David Johnson. I thought it was you!’
*
Ellie had spent most of the day at the hangar but no flights had been booked. Saturday was usually quiet as it was more often than not the changeover day for tourists. Kane hadn’t been rostered on, but she couldn’t help herself pulling up the electronic roster to see when they were next on together. Despite her expectations, she’d enjoyed the drive down to Jim Jim with him yesterday.
Pulling into the car park, she’d done a double-take when the pregnant lady and the man in the baseball cap had stepped back and waited for her to drive past. It looked like David Johnson, but the cap and sunglasses hid his face, and she’d only got a side-on view.
She’d just got out of the car and put the keys in her pocket when a child’s voice called out, ‘Daddy!’ She watched as the little girl sped towards the road, but the man ran across and intercepted her before she could step onto the bitumen.
It was David. He swung the little girl onto his back and crossed back to the woman who was waiting at the car. ‘David Johnson. I thought it was you!’
He turned slowly, holding the little girl protectively against his chest. He frowned for a moment and then his face cleared.
‘Ellie? Ellie Porter?’
‘Long time no see. It’s ages since I last saw you.’
He looked around the car park before he held out his hand. Ellie leaned in and kissed his cheek as the little girl took David’s hat from his head and turned it around so that the brim was over the back of his neck
‘I thought you’d be in Darwin. Aren’t you an important politician now? Chief Minister, no less?’
‘I’m just here for the weekend.’ Again David scanned the car park before twisting his hat around. ‘But I’m trying to have a family break. Don’t tell anyone I’m here. You know, privacy and all that.’
Ellie laughed. ‘Oh, David, I’m sure it’s all around the lodge already. If you checked in, everyone will know.’
David dropped her hand and pulled at the collar of his polo shirt. ‘This is my wife, Gina. We only came outside to get a couple of things and this naughty little madam followed us. Come on over to the apartment with us and we can catch up inside. Andrew, our little boy’s over there.’
His wife was a beautiful woman with flawless, olive skin and almond-shaped green eyes. She glanced nervously at David before she greeted Ellie. David tipped his head back to the cute little girl who had her arms wound tightly around his neck. ‘This is Binny, short for Belinda.’ Hitching the little girl up his back with a roll of his shoulders, he said, ‘Binny, say hello to Ellie. She’s an old friend of your uncle Chad.’ The little girl observed Ellie shyly as they all crossed the lawn to the building.
Back before Dad died and they left the farm, Ellie had briefly gone out with David’s youngest brother. They’d hung out at the Johnson house in Jabiru in the summer holidays until Dad found out that Mr Johnson was something important at the Ranger uranium mine. After that he’d said he preferred that she didn’t go to their house. David was a good ten years older than Chad and she’d only met him a few times that summer when he’d come home for Chad’s birthday. She’d forgotten all about him until years later when she read he’d been elected to parliament. She’d watched his meteoric rise to Chief Minister while he was still in his thirties and had followed his career with interest.
‘Where’s Chad these days?’ Ellie asked.
‘New York. Met a girl at uni and followed her back home to the States.’ David put the little girl down and she ran through the open door. He stood back and waited for the two women to step inside before him.
Ellie whistled quietly as she took in the decor. It was one of the most expensive suites at Makowa. ‘Wow. This is a bit different to my staff apartment.’
Gina turned to her and smiled. ‘It is very nice. We’re lucky to have the chance to stay here.’ Her voice was accented. A memory niggled at Ellie. Something she’d read about David marrying someone famous while he was overseas. Gina certainly had movie-star looks.
David looked from one to the other as if weighing something up. Ellie frowned, uncomfortable. ‘Look, I won’t take up any more of your time. I’ve got to drop some keys back to the office.’ She nodded at David’s wife. ‘Good to meet you, Gina. Have a nice break. And say hello to Chad next time you speak to him.’ She turned to go.
‘Ellie, no. Wait.’ A significant look passed between the couple, and Ellie paused in the doorway.
‘Can I beg a favour?’
‘Sure,’ she said. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘I have to go back to the city for the week, and I was wondering if you could keep an eye out for Gina and the kids while they’re here.’ David had lifted the sunglasses but his gaze was hooded. ‘Just maybe drop in occasionally.’
Ellie nodded. ‘Of course. How about a coffee one morning? Or even lunch?’ She turned to Gina with a smile. If she found it strange that the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory was leaving his heavily pregnant wife here alone with two small kids, she certainly wasn’t going to say anything. It was none of her business.
‘I’ll look forward to it. Call me when you’re free.’ Gina smiled and rolled her eyes as the little girl yelled from the room at the end of the hall. ‘I’ll really look forward to it.’ She gave Ellie her number and then lifted her hand in a wave as she went to attend to the children.
‘Bye.’ Ellie smiled at David and turned to leave but before she could take a step, his hand gently gripped her arm.
‘Ellie?’
‘Yes.’ She frowned as he slowly let her go.
His smile did not quite reach his eyes. ‘Please don’t mention to anyone you saw me here. Or that Gina and the kids are my family.’
Chapter 9
Sunday
Black Jungle Springs
On Sunday morning Ellie rose early. She briefly considered driving out to the farm – Kane had said his mother wouldn’t mind – but then remembered that she’d promised Heather she’d come out to Black Jungle Springs for the day. She still hadn’t caught up with Bill Jarragah and she wanted to ask him if he’d heard anything about Panos Sordina and the development along the river.
She slowed her speed as the car crossed
the last causeway across Stove Creek on the winding Old Jim Jim Road. The causeway was almost dry – just a small flow of shallow water across the lowest point in the middle – but Ellie still glanced nervously to each side as the tyres sent a sheet of water arcing high in the mid-morning sun. But there were no crocodiles basking in the warm winter sun this morning. When she reached the other side, a couple of Aboriginal children – probably Heather’s cousins – ran along beside the car smiling at her and waving. She didn’t recognise them and a pang of regret shot through her as she waved back. Between their rosters, she and Heather rarely had time off together, and she didn’t get out here very often anymore.
After turning off the sandy road, Ellie parked beneath the old Darwin woolly butt tree next to the falling-down fence at the Jarragah house, smiling as she looked up at the brilliant orange flowers. On one of her visits with her dad, Bill had stood beneath the tree and shown her the buds. ‘The orange flowers tell us it’s time to start lighting fires, to clean up the country so we don’t have intense wildfires late in the dry season.’ Heather had rolled her eyes; she’d been more interested in the Dolly magazines that Ellie had in her bag than hearing about boring old trees.
‘Ellie!’ Heather pushed open the screen door and ran lightly down the steps to the car as she climbed out and stretched. ‘It’s so good to see you here, away from work. Just like old times.’
Ellie grinned at her. ‘It’s only two nights since we had a drink together.’
‘Yeah, but you rushed off early and took Fly Boy away before I could get to know him.’ Heather tipped her head to the side and examined Ellie as she reached into the car for her bag. ‘How was the drive to Jim Jim on Friday? Did you learn any more about him? I’m not stepping on your territory there if I make a move on him tonight, am I?’
Ellie laughed at the barrage of questions, and ignored the strange feeling that ran through her. ‘Of course not. You know my policy: absolutely no sex with staff. I have to work closely with him, so he’s all yours.’