Diamond Sky Trilogy Box Set: Books 1-3

by David Clarkson

  The road was clear as he turned onto Main Street, but about halfway up the road he noticed something in his way ahead. At first, he thought it was just a plastic carrier bag caught in a draft, but as he neared he could see that it was, in fact, alive. His uncle Harry had told him about the missing chickens and he assumed this was one of them. He thought that if he caught it, he could return it to his uncle and help to cheer the old man up.

  The fowl was not startled by the sound of the approaching engine and did not even look up as the policeman parked his vehicle by the side of the road and got out. Lucas removed his jacket and slowly crept up on the animal from behind. He expected it to try to flee when he neared, but it remained completely oblivious to his presence. It allowed him to come right up close. Close enough for him to wrap the jacket around it and lift it up from the ground. There was no struggle, nor any of the aggressive behaviour displayed by the other animals he had encountered. A small tag on its right foot indicated that it did indeed belong to his uncle. Its name was Wayne; a result of Harry’s habit of naming all of his animals after football players.

  A mesh divide separated the front and back halves of Lucas’ police car. Once he had safely secured the bird in the back, he climbed into the front and continued driving up Main Street. As he approached the station, the chicken somehow managed to get through the mesh and find its way into the front of the vehicle. It clucked and flapped its wings erratically, distracting Lucas from the road ahead. It then leapt onto the policeman’s lap causing him to swerve wildly. He lost control of his steering and slammed his foot down on the brake in a last ditch attempt to avoid a serious collision. He was too late.

  The car careened into a large tree outside of the station. The impact was forceful enough to set off the airbag, which muffled and disorientated Lucas. Fortunately, the cushioning device also prevented him from losing consciousness or sustaining an injury. Once it began to deflate, he looked around to determine if the animal had been as fortunate as he had. A solitary feather was the only evidence that the bird had even been in the car. No other trace of it remained.

  He stepped out of the car, but soon began to stagger and had to steady himself against a lamppost. The accident had shaken him up more than he realised. Enough to make him question his own senses.

  The bird was pecking away, almost nonchalantly by the side of the road. There was no way that it could have escaped the confines of the vehicle, but Lucas was convinced that this was the same animal.

  This time it did react to his approach and he instinctively performed a full body diving tackle in order to trap it. It struggled to break free and he had to squeeze it tightly against his chest so that he could get a look at its foot tag. The tag confirmed what he already knew; this was Wayne. This was the same bird.

  Lucas did not purposefully release his grip on the animal, but he found himself grasping nothing but air, as once more it managed to break free of its confinement. This time he did not make an attempt to recapture it. He turned and hurried on into the police station. When he got there the first call that he made was to Professor Fox. The line was engaged so he hung up and called the doctor. Whilst he waited for an answer he glanced out of the window and briefly scanned around until he saw the chicken. As a voice came on the line, the bird vanished before his eyes.

  ***

  Lucy considered going back out to the field on her last night in Jackson’s Hill, but after learning of Lucas’s accident, she decided to spend the night at the station. Part of her resolution to become a stronger person required that she see the positives in any given situation. Aside from the obvious good fortune of Lucas not being hurt, she thought it would be good for Davo to have something to focus his energies on after she left. Repairing Lucas’ squad car would provide the mechanic with just that.

  ‘Now are you ready to start believing in aliens?’ she asked him as they sat down to have dinner together. Val had earlier made a lasagne, which Lucas heated up and tried to pass off as his own handiwork. Lucy was not fooled.

  ‘Don’t you ever quit?’ he retorted. ‘It’s typical of someone from the city to always look for the most complicated explanation to anything. I’ve lived in this town my whole life and the only aliens here are the ones that you brought with you in that crazy head of yours.’

  ‘I’m only asking you to consider it. I thought the idea was ridiculous myself, but you’re the one that started talking about magic chickens.’

  Lucas shook his head despairingly.

  ‘Nobody mentioned magic. All I did was explain things as I saw them. The mind plays tricks on us all. Sometimes the signal gets a little mixed up as it makes its way to the brain. A car crash is a stressful thing. For a while, my brain wasn’t functioning quite how it ought to. No magic, no aliens, just simple human biology.’

  ‘Well, I still think there is more to it than that. Over these past few days, I have opened my mind up to things I would previously have thought impossible. Maybe it is not just this town. Perhaps these kinds of strange phenomena occur everywhere, each and every day - we just choose not to see them.’

  ‘Maybe,’ conceded Lucas, but Lucy knew that he was simply humouring her.

  She decided not to bring up the subject again for the remainder of the meal. Instead, they talked about their past, their families, their jobs, hopes for the future; all of the usual things that are discussed on a first date. When all of the food had gone, they moved to the couch.

  ‘Would you like a drink?’ Lucas asked.

  ‘Sure,’ Lucy replied. ‘Do you have any wine?’

  Lucas shook his head.

  ‘Maybe what I should have asked was “do you want a beer?” I’m not a big drinker, but I like to keep a few stubbies in the fridge in case I have visitors. You can probably guess that I don’t entertain often.’

  Once more, Lucy could almost see the loneliness that surrounded Lucas like an aura. It reminded her of how she felt after her father was taken into hospital. Whilst she had nursed her dying father, Lucas had taken responsibility for the wellbeing of an entire town. She could only imagine the kind of hole that would open up inside him.

  ‘You know, there was one part of your life that you left out when we talked just now,’ she said.

  ‘What was that?’ he asked, handing her a bottle and keeping one for himself.

  ‘You never mentioned any girlfriends. I don’t mean to pry, of course.’

  The policeman did not seem embarrassed by the question. He took a swig of beer whilst he considered his reply.

  ‘I guess some things we just put off. I mean, obviously there’ve been girls in the past, but not many people tend to stick around in a town like this.’

  Lucy thought about how she would be leaving in the morning. She wondered if that was why Lucas acted so nervously around her. Was he scared to make a move because he knew she would leave him too?

  ‘Have you ever thought about leaving, yourself?’

  ‘To do what? They have no place for a rural cop like me on a big city force. I’ve never had to stake out a villain’s hideout or bust drug traffickers. All I do is offer the people of this community somewhere to turn when they need a little help. It’s not what you would consider real police work.’

  ‘So why not leave the force – try something new. You don’t have to be a cop your whole life.’

  ‘Police work is in my blood – it’s all I’ve ever known.’

  ‘If there’s one thing I have learnt during this past week, it is that change cannot be avoided. To have the chance to meet that change on your own terms is a gift. There are plenty of jobs out there.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘You like protecting people; why not train as a lifeguard?’

  ‘I’ve grown up thousands of miles from the ocean. Does it look like I swim much to you?’

  ‘Okay, so maybe that was not the best option. How about becoming a park ranger? There are plenty of National Parks within a commutable distance of the cities.’

 
‘If I wanted, I could do that here.’

  ‘You’re missing the point. It’s about who you are, not what you do.’

  ‘This is who I am.’

  They finished their drinks, but the conversation did not flow as freely as it had previously done. Lucy wondered if she probed too deeply and inadvertently offended the policeman. She tried to make amends for any possible faux pas by offering to help him wash the dishes. Her plan worked and the tension soon lifted. Memories of past loves and missed opportunities were soon forgotten as they playfully splashed each other whilst they worked; somehow managing to create an even bigger mess than before they started.

  Once finished, Lucy dried her hands and then threw the towel down onto the worktop.

  ‘I guess I should be going to bed now,’ she said. ‘I’ve got a long drive ahead of me tomorrow.’

  She stood awkwardly in the doorway. Was this the last she would see of Lucas? Saying goodbye was never easy, but at least none would ever be as difficult as the one that instigated this whole trip.

  ‘I should too,’ he replied. ‘I certainly don’t want to risk any more hallucinations like the one I had today.’

  ‘I’m sure you’ll be fine.’

  Lucas stood sheepishly by the sink, not quite sure what to do next.

  ‘Do I at least get a goodnight hug?’ asked Lucy. ‘I was planning on saying goodbye before I leave, but just in case you get called away on police business and I don’t see you.’

  Lucas smiled and walked over and gave her a long, affectionate hug. It was a while since Lucy had been hugged by a man and she enjoyed it. So much so that she held on for little bit longer than she should have. When they parted, Lucas took her display of affection as a sign and leaned in to kiss her. She did not pull away from him, but as his lips touched hers, she felt her mouth involuntarily clamp shut. This failure to reciprocate did not go unnoticed.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ said Lucas, pulling away, clearly ashamed of what he had done.

  Lucy felt terrible. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him, but it just did not feel right. If she kissed him back and allowed him to take things further, the pain would ultimately be greater.

  ‘It’s my fault,’ she replied. ‘I shouldn’t have encouraged you. You’ve done nothing wrong. It’s me; I’m just not ready.’

  The more she lied, the more her guilt increased. She knew it was wrong of her to use her grief as an excuse when the truth was that had she felt an attraction she would have allowed things to progress much farther than a mere kiss. The new Lucy was all about taking chances, but she simply could not sleep with a man she was not attracted to.

  If only she had known sooner, she could have been more careful, but the fact was that she had been hoping for the kiss just as much as he.

  ‘It’s okay, you don’t have to explain,’ said Lucas. ‘I understand.’

  When he did not look her in the eye, she knew that his humiliation ran deep, but there was nothing she could think to say that could make things right.

  ‘It will be better in the morning,’ she offered.

  He just nodded and then passed her to go and make up his bed on the couch.

  She could not get to her room quick enough. Once inside, she closed the door behind her and fell face down onto the bed. She buried her head under her pillow and prayed for the night to swallow her up. If her most painful goodbye was behind her, the one that was ahead may yet prove to be the most awkward.

  Chapter 21

  A hastily scribbled note tacked to the fridge door spared Lucy the embarrassment of having to deal with the previous evening’s awkwardness. It stated that Lucas had been called out early and would try and get back to see her off. She suspected the first part was a lie, but it would genuinely disappoint her if the policeman did not make good on the promise thereafter.

  She poured herself a glass of orange juice and popped a couple of slices of bread into the toaster whilst she looked around for a paper to read. There was none to be found, but at least the power was back. It would have been one hardship too many to leave town without first having a shower.

  A change of scenery could not have come at a better time for her. The feelings of elation from the encounter with the kangaroos had completely worn off and her failure to reciprocate the kiss only contributed to the downer she was on.

  Val was in the office and once her breakfast was ready, Lucy went in to join the secretary. The other woman greeted her with a warm smile. It was the kind of smile often used by elderly relatives when discussing matters of potential suitors with their embarrassed younger kin. Lucy guessed this meant Lucas had not told her about the previous evening.

  ‘I trust you slept well, dear.’

  ‘Very well,’ replied Lucy. ‘The bed was really comfortable. I bet Lucas will be glad to have it back after I have gone.’

  She hoped that by emphasising the fact that she was leaving, it would deter the other woman from trying to press her into talking of a romance that was never there in the first place.

  ‘He probably won’t even notice. The bed, I mean, not you leaving; he will certainly be sad to see you go. Did you know that he actually spent the night on that couch before you even moved in here? He works far too hard and I do worry about him sometimes.’

  ‘I’m sure he’ll be fine. I’ve never met anyone who loves their job as much as Lucas does.’

  Val’s reaction was one of surprise.

  ‘Is that the impression you get; that he loves his job?’

  ‘Well, yes, why else would he care so much about it?’

  ‘Don’t get me wrong, dear, Lucas does indeed care about this town, but sometimes I wonder if he is not merely using his job as a substitute for other areas of his life that are lacking somewhat. What he really needs is a good woman by his side.’

  Lucy knew that it had been coming, but she still felt like she had been ambushed.

  ‘I’m sure the right woman is out there,’ she said. ‘He just has not met her yet.’

  She worried that her tone was a little harsh, but Val seemed to take the hint and did not press the matter further.

  A brief silence followed as both women sipped their drinks. As the instigator of the sudden change in mood, Lucy felt that she should try to restart the conversation.

  ‘Did Lucas say what time he will back?’

  The damaged police car was still outside. He could not have gone far unless he had appropriated an alternative means of transport.

  ‘I shouldn’t think he will be too long,’ replied Val. ‘You needn’t wait if it is an inconvenience.’

  ‘It’s not an inconvenience. I need to go and pick up my car from the garage, but I’m in no hurry to leave. So long as I make it to Alice Springs before nightfall, I will be fine.’

  ‘I’ll let Lucas know.’

  Lucy noticed the beginnings of a scowl on the other woman’s face. The expression was hardly perceptible amongst the creases and wrinkles of age, but it was there nonetheless. Imagining how she now looked through the secretary’s eyes actually improved her mood. Was she now a harlot; a city girl of loose morals who had sauntered into town and led on the wholesome police chief only to dash his heart against the desert rocks? The image was most appealing. She had certainly come a long way since leaving home. It was stupid of her to have worried so much about one kiss that never was. She was a strong, independent woman and if she broke a few hearts along the way then so be it.

  ***

  The professor did not plan on joining in with the day’s experiment and he requested that nobody was to disturb him without exception. Emmy could understand why he wanted to be alone on this of all days, but why could she not be afforded the same consideration? She picked the framed photograph up off her dresser and sat on the edge of her bed whilst she contemplated the image in front of her.

  The picture had been taken just weeks before she was born. It was the only one she had of her parents together. Her father looked content, as any expectant father would be. He
could not have known that a car crash would take his life before he got to see his little girl come of age. Her mother, however, had sadness in her eyes as if aware of the loss that was to come. Emmy could see a part of herself in those eyes.

  There was a knock at the door.

  ‘We’ll be starting in ten minutes,’ she heard Charlie call.

  She looked back down at the photograph and ran her fingers over the glass, which protected and preserved this image of her parents; the late George and Felicity Rayne. One day she would get to meet them. Maybe not in the flesh, but in spirit, at least. Her research was moving forward more quickly than she could have hoped. She had found a doorway and when the time came to step through it, they would be waiting for her.

  ***

  Lucy heard the muffled beat of the music well before she entered the garage. It was too loud for a place of business. It was too loud for that time in the morning. Something was wrong. She quickened her pace, eager to confirm if her fears were true.

  ‘Davo!’ she called out, but received no answer.

  When she got inside, everything at least looked normal. Tools were laid out on the floor in an orderly fashion, carefully planned for ease of identification. There was, however, something that did not seem quite right to her. The dull thump of a concealed bass still throbbed in the air. The office door was open and she went inside to turn the music down. That was when she realised what was wrong with the scene. The CD player was not on; the music was coming from elsewhere.

  As she stepped back onto the work floor she was met with a loud rev of an engine; her engine. Davo was sitting inside, behind the steering wheel. Lucy was relieved that she had worried for nothing and that the mechanic had lived up to his promise. He had stayed sober and he had fixed her car.