‘It could happen again.’
‘There is nothing wrong with a hearty discussion. In fact,’ he gently brushed a wayward curl away from her face, ‘I enjoy it.’
‘So do I,’ she said, unsure if they were still talking about their differences.
Harry inched closer. Her breath caught in her throat. Her heart raced.
He placed his lips on hers and the world spun in a slow, lazy manner. In that moment, any doubts she had about Harry Kinsman disappeared into the ether.
Wanting to escape the prying eyes of the Garage Girls, Ellie had gladly accepted Harry’s offer to walk around her neighbourhood. Used to seeing everything from the back of the truck, it was nice to experience it from the ground and, even better, with a handsome man by her side.
Harry’s hand was close to hers, but not touching, as they neared the local primary school. A whistle sounded and the doors opened. Children calmly walked in pairs to the western side of the school to long lines of trenches.
‘I haven’t seen kids practise an air-raid drill before,’ she said. ‘How sad this is part of their lives now.’
‘It is.’ Harry watched them and sighed. ‘My nephews are around the same age.’
‘What are they like?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘You haven’t met them?’ she asked. ‘When was the last time you were in Orange?’
‘My sister moved to England years ago. She’s married with three boys and they live in London,’ he said. ‘Well, they did. The children were evacuated to the country during the Blitz. My sister was a nurse and gave it up when she got married but now that Britain’s in dire need of experienced medical staff, she’s back working in a hospital.’
‘Are they all right?’
‘Yes, yes.’ His gaze fell to the ground for a moment then he looked up. ‘I really hope that one day I’ll get to meet the boys.’
‘That would be lovely,’ she said. ‘So what took your sister to England?’
‘She met an Englishman here then moved back with him before the war.’
‘Why didn’t they stay in Australia?’
‘He’s a doctor and returned to take over the family practice.’
‘You must miss her,’ she said.
‘I do. I’d love to have the chance to spoil them rotten.’
Ellie laughed. ‘I can see you doing that.’
‘There’s no point in wishing for something that may not happen,’ he said matter-of-factly.
‘You can’t give up hope. If we did that there’d be no point in fighting for the future.’ Ellie’s body stiffened. Had she crossed into dangerous territory again?
‘You have a point.’
She relaxed. ‘Just hold on to that dream.’
Ellie and Harry spent the rest of the evening sitting in one of the few parks that hadn’t been seconded as a military camp. When he left after walking her back to the barracks, their parting kiss was so sweet she’d barely slept the whole night. Now, in the early light of morning, Ellie wished she’d managed to catch a few precious hours.
The truck pulled onto the grounds of Nyrambla just as the Garage Girls finished a rendition of ‘(There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover’.
As she watched the women stream into the garage, a wave of gratitude swept over Ellie. Although the circumstances that had brought them together were tragic, she loved working and living with these incredible women. The only bugbear was Vivian, though Ellie had dealt with worse, like Matilda, the primary school bully. Surely she could handle someone like Vivian Jones.
Ellie entered the garage and was taken a back by Cassandra and Lillian sobbing while others, like Viv, wandered around with a look of disbelief. Lieutenant Andrews was in a corner shaking his head while Florry hugged Joy.
‘What happened?’ asked Ellie.
Florry said quietly, ‘A hospital ship has been torpedoed.’
‘What?’
‘The AHS Centaur. It was sailing from Sydney to Cairns when a Japanese sub torpedoed it near Moreton Island.’
‘Oh no.’ Ellie collapsed onto a nearby chair. ‘Were there … any …’
‘Survivors? We don’t know yet. What we do know is there were three hundred and thirty-two souls on board. The ship was clearly marked as a hospital with red crosses and bright lights.’
‘But it’s against the rules of war to attack a hospital,’ said Ellie. The breakfast she’d recently eaten now made her queasy.
‘The Allies don’t exactly have a clean record, do they?’ said Viv.
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ asked Florry.
‘Nobody plays by the rules in war, no matter what side you’re on.’
Florry placed a hand on her hip. ‘That’s why it’s called war.’
‘Yes, but there are international rules of war and they get broken all the time. Don’t tell me the Allies haven’t done the same as the Japanese,’ said Viv.
‘What has got into you?’ Florry’s tone held a hard edge. ‘Whose side are you on?’
‘I’m on our side—the right side. I just don’t have blinkers on, that’s all.’ Viv jutted out her chin.
Florry looked at Ellie. ‘Can you believe this?’
‘Viv actually has a point,’ said Ellie.
‘What?’
‘Don’t get me wrong,’ Ellie said, ‘I fully support the Allies, but both sides play dirty. With so many lives lost, how can war ever be the right answer?’
‘You two better be careful what you say, especially around here,’ Florry said.
Ellie glanced around the room but the other women were dealing with the news in their own personal way. ‘We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t believe our country was right.’
‘Just as well because otherwise you’d be in jail and branded a traitor,’ said Florry.
‘I’m not a traitor.’ Ellie said it slowly, deliberately.
‘Neither am I.’ Alarm rang in Viv’s tone. ‘How could you think that?’
Florry let out a long breath. ‘I’m not saying you’re traitors. I’m just reminding you to be careful about what you say and do. Look, this morning’s news is distressing. Let’s just get on with things and do what we can to stop it from happening again.’
Ellie glanced at her TypeX machine. ‘Did we miss something? In the intercepts?’
‘You can’t go down that road.’ Florry said. ‘None of us can. It will drive us all insane, otherwise.’ She went over to Lieutenant Andrews and quickly became involved in a conversation.
Ellie picked up the book with the new codes and checked the message to make sure she had the right key. She set about decoding the message but it didn’t make sense. She tried again, without success.
‘Florry.’ Ellie waved her over. ‘What have I missed?’
Florry went through the message and checked the key but arrived at the same answer as Ellie. ‘This key isn’t right.’
‘That’s what I thought but why?’ Ellie squinted at the paper like it would change the outcome.
‘What’s going on?’ Cassandra sidled up to them.
‘Look at this.’ Ellie pointed at the paper with her pencil.
‘That’s weird.’
‘I’m having the same problem,’ called Joy.
‘I’ll get to the bottom of this.’ Florry headed towards the door. ‘But it could take time.’
‘We don’t have time.’ The devastation of the Centaur was a stark reminder of how close the war was to these shores.
Grabbing a blank sheet of paper, Ellie wrote out the encrypted message, placing the letters in groups of five.
‘Cassandra, can you write this down as I call it out?’
‘Sure.’ She held her pencil ready over the notepad.
Ellie followed the first letter of each batch of five with her finger from top to bottom rather than left to right. She called them out and Cassandra wrote it all down.
‘I’ll put them in the TypeX.’ Lillian typed it in then printed it out. �
�Nope. Doesn’t work.’
‘Have you had this problem before?’ asked Ellie.
Joy shook her head. ‘This cannot be good.’
Ellie, Cassandra, Joy, Lillian and Viv huddled around the table, pencils in hand, paper at the ready, as they tried to break down the message.
‘I don’t get it.’ Joy rubbed her forehead.
‘What if we substitute this Z for an A?’ suggested Viv.
‘Why would you do that?’ asked Lillian.
Viv raised her eyebrows. ‘Why wouldn’t you?’
‘I think Viv is on to something,’ said Ellie. ‘The last lot of code we worked with used the X as an A and if you look at the keyboard, there’s a diagonal pattern.’
‘So there is,’ said Florry.
Ellie looked up. ‘I didn’t hear you come back in. Any news?’
‘No. Although it looks like you ladies might have an answer anyway.’
‘It doesn’t work.’ Joy leaned back against the chair, her hands by her side. ‘I just tried it.’
Ellie gripped the pencil. ‘Back to the drawing board.’
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Cassandra passed Ellie a mug of hot water with a slice of lemon. ‘I’ve heard citrus is good for the brain.’
‘Then give me a lemon tree,’ moaned Joy. ‘We’re getting nowhere.’
The roar of a motorbike engine signalled its arrival just outside the garage.
Lillian cocked her head towards the main house. ‘More despatches. We are so far behind.’
‘Come on.’ Ellie shifted on the wooden chair. ‘We can’t let this get the better of us.’
‘Okay, so what if …’ Lillian pointed at the first letter then dropped her hand by her side. ‘That doesn’t work.’
Ellie pushed the end of the pencil into the paper. Frustration gripped the muscles in her neck. ‘It’s just not making sense. It’s like someone’s thrown the alphabet up in the air and … oh …’
‘What?’ Lillian and Cassandra said together.
‘I see it too,’ said Viv.
‘Huh?’ Florry bent over the paper. ‘Ah, of course.’
‘What? What am I missing?’ Joy stood on tiptoe.
‘See this?’ Ellie pointed at the first letter within the group, then the second letter in the other group and the third in the next.
‘Yes.’ Joy frowned.
Florry wrote down the sequence as Ellie read them out, skipping letters until she reached the end of the message then she started again, this time working with the second letter in the first cluster, the third letter in the second and so. As soon as she’d finished Viv typed them in.
‘Bingo!’ yelled Cassandra.
‘Ha!’ Joy grabbed Ellie in a tight hug. ‘Great work, Missy!’
‘It wasn’t just me,’ Ellie laughed, ‘it was a team effort.’
‘Yay team!’ Lillian swished her skirt then did the do-si-do with Cassandra.
‘Righto.’ Florry gathered the papers. ‘I’m going up to the house with this and we can add in that extra step. Well done, ladies.’
Ellie had lain awake most of the night. The Garage Girls working together on the coding problem had left her elated and proud to know such intelligent, resourceful women. She loved the way they had come together in a moment of crisis, even after the tragic news of the Centaur.
By the end of the shift more information had come in about the devastation. Although the details hadn’t been publicly released, Central Bureau had been advised that the sinking of the ship was likely caused by a torpedo hitting the fuel tank of the Centaur. It had exploded and trapped people below deck. Many were presumed drowned, and there were at least sixty unaccounted for. The niggle about having missed some vital information crowded in on Ellie. With the Japanese so close to the coast of Australia once again, it was only natural that talk of the Brisbane Line would resurface.
Ellie looked through her mosquito net. The only person not in her bed was Viv. She never slept much, so perhaps she was in the rec hut having an early breakfast.
Even though Ellie was exhausted, she didn’t want to stay in bed so she pushed the net aside, donned her uniform and left quietly. The sun had barely crept above the trees and the fresh morning helped her wake fully.
A few of the women from other huts and shifts were already hanging washing or drinking tea. Not quite ready for company, Ellie waved hello then went through the gate and set off down the dirt road. She had no idea where she was headed, her body just needed to move.
A figure in a dark blue evening dress strode up the road from the opposite direction.
Vivian Jones.
Viv drew closer, locked eyes with Ellie then brushed past, continuing towards the barracks.
‘Viv!’
‘What?’
‘Are you just getting home?’
‘Why do you care?’ Viv maintained her haughty manner.
‘I don’t care what you do with your time but your shift starts in three hours and if you haven’t slept—’
‘Who’s to say I haven’t?’
‘Have you?’
‘Look, I’m seeing someone and I spent the night with him. So what? I got some sleep, so you don’t have to worry about that.’
‘Is it serious?’ asked Ellie.
Viv drew herself up to full height. ‘It’s early days but, yes, it’s headed that way.’
‘That’s nice.’ What more could she say? If someone had fallen in love with prickly Viv then there was definitely hope in this world.
‘Are you going to say something to the others?’
‘I don’t plan to.’
Viv regarded her for a moment. ‘I would have thought different.’
Ellie exhaled slowly. ‘Why do you have so little trust in people?’
Viv crossed her arms and averted her gaze. ‘I do trust some people.’
‘Really? It doesn’t come across that way. We’re in this together, you know. Maybe if we got to know each other a bit better—’
‘Why?’
‘Because we work and live in the same place and having tension within our group isn’t helping anyone.’
‘I don’t try to be ornery.’ Viv’s expression softened. ‘Though I guess it might come across that way.’
‘At times.’
‘Sorry.’ Viv’s apology sounded genuine.
‘We all have our moments.’ Although Viv tended to have more than her fair share.
‘Look, I know I’m not the easiest person in the world to get along with but my parents weren’t exactly the best example of decent human beings.’
‘Is that why you joined AWAS, to get away from your parents?’
‘No.’ Viv drew her lips into a thin line then huffed. ‘I know you’re going to hassle me so I’ll give you the short version: I left home at fourteen and went to Melbourne. I worked in a grocers, got in with the wrong people and my life was heading in the same direction as my violent alcoholic parents.’
‘So AWAS was a chance to get away? Start fresh?’
‘I have to go.’ Viv hurried through the gates.
Ellie set off again, filled with more questions for Viv but the moment had passed. Who knew if it would ever surface again? Instead of worrying about things she couldn’t change, Ellie concentrated on stopping every so often to close her eyes, inhale the refreshing eucalypt scent and allow calm to flow through her.
The roar of a plane in the distance disturbed a flock of white cockatoos in the treetops and shook Ellie out of her peaceful state. The birds squawked and flapped their wings, departing with haste as the US Army Air Force Bell Airacobra flew overhead. These planes were a regular sight and now part of the Brisbane cityscape, although the wildlife hadn’t adjusted.
‘Hey.’ Florry appeared from the direction of the barracks. ‘Couldn’t sleep, either, huh?’
‘Nope.’
‘I just saw Viv go into her hut. Was she wearing the same dress as last night?’
‘I don’t think we should judge.’
‘I keep having dreams that I’ve missed something important and thousands lose their lives or we get invaded.’
‘It’s hard to switch off, I know.’
‘I can still concentrate even though I’m not getting a lot of sleep, don’t worry,’ said Ellie.
‘I have never doubted your ability, my dear friend. It’s important we’re kind to ourselves. We’re doing the best we can.’
‘What if what we’re doing isn’t good enough, despite our efforts?’ asked Ellie. ‘What if we can’t stop the Japanese and the Brisbane Line really does happen? We never thought a hospital ship would be torpedoed, yet …’
‘It all feels rather helpless, doesn’t it? But we need to keep the faith.’ Florry looked to the heavens then rested her gaze on Ellie. ‘I’m sorry if I pushed you into something you didn’t want to be involved with.’
‘I don’t regret being recruited.’
Florry looked away and let out a long breath. ‘To be honest, I’m struggling too.’
‘With?’
‘With all of it, especially the weight of the work we’re doing. I desperately want to confide in my sister as we’ve always shared everything. And I’m still dragging around the guilt about my mother’s health.’ She held up her hand. ‘I know, I know, I couldn’t have influenced it but I feel bad all the same.’ Florry’s hand dropped. ‘She’s not doing well, Ellie, but she’s still managing to cling on. This double life is getting harder and harder to live with.’
‘I just wish there was more we could do to help end this war and bring our boys back home safely.’
‘Like what?’
‘If I knew, we’d be doing it.’ Ellie held out her hand and Florry took it. ‘Come on, we better get back before Lillian eats all the porridge.’
CHAPTER TWELVE
Ellie opened Mrs Hanley’s front gate and paused when she spotted a familiar figure sitting on the verandah reading the newspaper.
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