by Mark Stewart
THE SUN sank slowly in the west. Jessica guessed the bushranger might make his move before the moon rose above the tops of the trees.
The trio in the house kept up a silent lookout. At the first sign of the bushranger, they were to give an owl hoot.
Lightening Dawn checked his pocket watch. “It’s a little after six,” he whispered.
Jessica poked her head out from behind a hay bale at the other end of the loft. She nodded at him and went back to viewing the station. In the background, the birds were starting to settle in the trees for the night. The sheep were in stealth mode. Even the foxes seemed to be quiet.
Lightening Dawn walked across the loft’s floor to where Jessica sat staring out of the window.
“Something’s wrong; it’s too quiet,” he said.
“I’d have to agree. I’ve been thinking about Dan’s approach. When the bushranger sees the homestead I’m gambling he won’t come from the back paddock he’ll come from the west. The trees are closer to the house which will give him a much superior cover.”
“You might be right,” said Lightening.
Both Jessica and Lightening Dawn walked to the opposite side of the loft to view the trees.
“If I were planning a surprise attack I’d make it before the moon got much higher,” whispered Lightening.
A few moments later Jessica and Lightening spied the dark shape of a man moving from tree to tree. He moved horizontally to the homestead. They watched him check the area before starting to close in. The distance from the barn to the tree line measured only seventy feet.
An owl hoot came from the house.
“This is it,” whispered Jessica. Cocking her rifle, she aimed it at the shape.
Through tired slits Lightening aimed his rifle at the tree line, commencing to study the scrub for a sign of life.
A fox moved at speed, darting off towards the sheep. The moon hovered just below the top of the trees illuminating less than a third of the paddock. A dark shape hugged a tree then darted to the next tree.
“We’ll wait for him to stop again before we shoot,” whispered Jessica.
The full moon rose quickly. Dan changed his attack plan, deciding to run straight for the homestead. He couldn’t risk waiting any longer. In a few minutes, anyone inside the house will become a hostage. If the woman weren’t in the house, he’d flush her out by shooting one of the hostages.
Dan dived for the next tree to hide behind its girth. Open ground lay between him and the house. He carefully checked the area. A thin trail of smoke from the kitchen fire wafted straight up. The entire homestead looked dark; tomb quiet.
The shadows from the trees created by the moonlight looked to be on guard. They were tall, thin shapes beckoning him to run across the open ground. Dan aimed his gun at the closest shadow. The object failed to move. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the face of his dead brother.
“Barry, the tree branch above you looks sturdy. I’m going to find the woman, grab her by the scruff of the neck, and I’m going to hang her from it. I can’t wait to hear her exhale the last breath. Brother, wait for me here. My next task won’t take long.”
Dan sprinted towards the house. At the halfway point he heard a bang. Hot pain shot through his chest just above his heart. A second shot saw him skidding along the ground. He groaned in agony, struggling to breathe.
“Barry, come get me,” he called.
His dead brother never showed.
Dan clutched his chest. A knowing look etched his face. To his right, there were muffled noises. Eventually, two figures sprinted across the ground towards him, handguns pointing at his head. Using a shaky hand, Dan lifted his gun at the shortest figure.
“Put the gun down, now,” Jessica yelled.
“Do exactly what the young lady ordered,” growled Lightening Dawn.
The barrel swayed between the two figures. When it stopped the gun pointed directly at Jessica.
“If your finger even flinches on the trigger it’ll be the last thing you’ll do on this side of life,” growled Lightening Dawn. “In seconds, you’ll be explaining your actions to God. Now, do yourself a favour, put the gun on the ground.”
“Barry, shoot the man. I’ll shoot the woman,” called Dan.
“Take a look around we’re the only ones here,” taunted Jessica.
Dan desperately searched the land for his brother. Finally, he dropped his gun in the dirt and struggled to a sitting position, glaring at Jessica through dying eyes.
“You’re right. My brother is dead. I’m done for. Tell me, which one of you shot me in the chest?”
Jessica hovered over the man, staring into his eyes.
“I shot you first. I told you at the train; nobody takes what is mine. I asked Lightening Dawn to help me track you down.”
“Why did you steal the money and the gold?” coughed Dan.
“The money is severance pay. The gold is accumulated interest.”
“You won’t get away with it,” jeered Dan.
“I reckon I will.” Jessica winked at Lightening.
Dan saw his opportunity to reach for the gun in his back pocket. In his last few dying seconds, he managed to lift the gun into the air, cock the weapon and ease his finger onto the trigger.
Two shots rang out in the still of the night.
Dan closed his eyes, exhaling his last breath. A bullet fired from a rifle which happened to be leaning against the barn wall interrupted his aim.
Jessica glanced over her shoulder. Smoke still wafted into the air from the barrel of a Winchester rifle. Gip wore a cold murderous expression. The rifle she held in her hand slowly dropped towards the ground. Jessica walked over to hug her tight.
“I did a bad thing,” whispered Gip.
Jessica kissed the top of her head. She dropped to her knees so she could look directly into Gip’s eyes. “Normally I’d have to agree. Tonight, you did a brave thing. Thank you for saving my life.”
“We family,” explained Gip. “Family look after each other.”
“We sure do,” replied Jessica.
Lightening Dawn stepped over to the bushranger to view the fatal gunshot wound. The bullet had entered the man’s, heart. Grabbing up the rifle Gip used he escorted Jessica and the girl back to the homestead.
“Before the law comes we’ll finish up,” stated Jessica. “I’m positive they’ll want to take a look around.”
She handed Gip to her brothers and collected Lightening. Together they walked to the barn, going over the tail end of the plan. Lightening entered the first stall. While he grabbed the rope hanging from the wall, Jessica snatched the long-handled shovel. In unison, they marched across the paddock to where Dan’s body lay on the ground. A fox coming to sniff at the corpse and the possibility of an easy meal darted off into the scrub before Jessica and Lightening came close.
“This is the last chance to change our minds on where the bushranger’s grave will be.”
“I’m firm on the plan,” stated Jessica.
“What if the law does come to visit?”
“The grave will be situated in the perfect place.”
Lightening Dawn spoke confidently. “Let’s do it.”
He took hold of the shovel, spearing the ground next to Dan. It felt soft due to the rain and a welcome relief to Jessica as they shared the load. The depth of the hole was easy to measure. Lightening stood an even six foot. From the bottom of the hole, he looked up at Jessica. He dug deeper than his head on instructions. Leaning the shovel against the side of the hole, Lightening used the long handle for a ladder to easily climb out. Together they kicked Dan into the hole. He came to a sudden stop. Face up.
Jessica looked down into the hole. His face showed no inkling of where his spirit might have gone; heaven or hell. “Mr. Dan, I warned you about stealing from me.”
“Do you think we should say something religious?”
“No, the man doesn’t deserve it” snarled Jessica looking sideways at Lightening. “The last time
I filled in a grave I couldn’t watch the dirt fall onto my husband’s face.”
“What about now?”
“This time, I don’t care.” Jessica spat on Dan’s face. Stabbing the long handle shovel into the loose pile of dirt she angrily dumped the dirt on top of his eyes.
In ninety-five seconds, the bushranger had beencompletely covered. Jessica stabbed her shovel into the ground then took to studying the paddocks.
“Now for the remaining part of the plan,” said Lightening.
Jessica snatched the long rope off the ground. She reached out to take Lightening Dawn by the hand.
“It’s time to go hunting,” she said.
The two walked about the property in the dark searching for their second victim. They walked past the first shearing shed. By the time they reached the bottom end of the paddock Lightening Dawn’s pupils appeared to be as excited as Jessica’s.
“I’ve been going over your plan in my mind. I can’t find a fault. I think you have stumbled upon the perfect plot,” said Lightening.
“Thanks for building my confidence,” replied Jessica. “You always say the right words at the right time.”
They walked around to the north side of the second shearing shed. In her mind Jessica could still see the shearers, hear their laughter; she could even smell their sweat. The Rosedale happened to be the first sheep station in the district to have the annual shearers walk onto the land. They’d come in their droves, regular as clockwork. The shearers stayed long enough to shear the entire flock of sheep before heading west to the next sheep station.
Jessica and Lightening climbed the sheep holding pen for a bird’s eye view. In the moonlight, standing alone at the start of the scrub they found a ram. He looked sick. He stood motionless waiting for the inevitable. The long wool on his back looked to be falling out in clumps.
“The old ram over there. The one looking a bit motley fits our plans perfectly,” sighed Jessica. “What do you think?”
“He does look half crippled. I’d say he’s the perfect candidate.” Lightening jumped the fence. He took to trotting over, rope in hand.
At first, the ram rejected his intentions. Jessica climbed down, opened the small wooden gate and ran behind the ram to help steer him towards the pen. For a big man, Lightening Dawn appeared to be light on his feet. He’d lassoed the old sheep before it could think about head butting his pursuer. Jessica and Lightening walked the sheep up the wooden ramp into the shearing shed. Due to the animal’s condition, the old ram tired quickly. It gave little resistance to the massive tugs Lightening gave. In a couple of minutes, they were back at the hole.
“Sorry old fella,” quipped Jessica. “You have served this family greatly with the amount of wool you’ve obviously given over the years. There has to come a time when all living things come to an end. On the positive side, you will be out of pain. Every member of the family will remember your sacrifice. I promise, you will never be forgotten.”
Lightening placed the sheep right on the edge of the hole.
Jessica pulled her gun, shooting the ram between the eyes. Lightening twisted its horns, watching it fall on top of Dan.
“The plan is complete,” snarled Jessica.
“Yes,” replied Lightening Dawn.
He finished filling the hole and placed the shovel back into the barn.
The two staggered across the undulating land to the homestead looking forward to a good night’s sleep. In the days ahead they’d activate their plan to the grand finale of the perfect alibi.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN