Red Hot

by Cheryl Alldis

  ‘Well, my strategy right now is for us all to get ourselves to bed. It’s been another horrible upset and we’re all tired and fed up,’ Emmie said, getting out of her chair. ‘You boys get some sleep; you can’t think straight while you’re all exhausted.’

  They said goodnight and made their way to bed. It must have only been an hour, maybe two, when Win was dragged from her slumber by the sound of fire sirens growing louder.

  She rolled onto her back and rubbed at her sleep-ridden eyes. She tapped Digger on his shoulder. ‘Dig… Dig, can you hear that…? It sounds like a siren…’ she mumbled groggily.

  Digger rolled over and mumbled, ‘It’s a dream… Go… sleep.’ He exhaled a loud, rumbling snore.

  ‘No Dig.’ Win sat up. She could distinctly hear the sirens rapidly drawing closer. She shook him roughly. ‘Wake up! There must be another fire somewhere.’

  Dig almost fell out of the bed. He wasn’t fully awake as he grappled for his trousers, gave up on finding them in the dark and stumbled to the door. Win reached to turn the lamp on but Digger was already heading down the hallway to Karl’s room.

  He staggered bleary-eyed into Karl’s room and shook him hard. ‘There’s another friggin’ fire somewhere mate. Get up, we’re gonna have ta help.’

  Karl fought his way out of a deep sleep. ‘Whatcha talkin’ ‘bout… Fire’s out.’

  ‘Wake up, mate, ya can hear the bloody sirens. Sounds like a coupla fire trucks comin’. C’mon, we’ll have a look outside.’ Digger shook him again.

  Karl dragged himself to a sitting position. ‘Dig, the fires out.’ Then he heard the sirens. ‘Fuck!’ He leapt out of bed and pushed past Digger in his haste to see where the fire was.

  Win dragged Ellie out of bed and they rushed downstairs, not waiting for the men.

  Karl and Digger came hurrying out to where they were on the back veranda. ‘Where is it…? Where’s the bloody fire?’ they both asked, but didn’t need to be told.

  ‘Shit! It’s Rex’s bloody packin’ shed…!’ Karl swore. From the veranda they could easily see across the paddocks to where Rex had his orchard. They could clearly see the packing shed was on fire. They could hear the crackling and popping as everything was devoured by the flames.

  ‘C’mon, we gotta get our trousers on an’ go help the poor bugger,’ Digger said. ‘Flamin’ bastard. Two fires in one night…’

  ‘Yep… We got a real crazy bastard on our hands, Dig!’

  ***

  Sunday morning should have been full of talk about the dance, but this Sunday morning was all about the fires.

  The women were the only ones in the house. The men had gone down to sift through the remains of the shed.

  ‘You know,’ Emmie confided to Ellie and Win. ‘I don’t know how much more of this Dave can take. Last night, when I told him about the fire, his face was ashen. He was so grey. I was quite frightened.’

  ‘Yes, I noticed his face, Mum,’ Ellie said. ‘I was worried too. Dad said he was alright, but he wasn’t, I could see that.’ Ellie squeezed Emmie’s hand gently. ‘It’s virtually impossible to keep him calm like the doctor suggested, what with all this going on.’

  ‘Did it ever occur to you that the machinery shed might be next on his list?’ Emmie looked from one to the other.

  ‘We’d be ruined if we lost all the equipment we’ve got in there!’ exclaimed Ellie. ‘It seems whoever this lunatic is, they’re out to ruin us, but why? What have we done?’

  ‘Yes, and now poor Rex Willis has lost that huge shed of his. The men will have to come up with a damn good plan. This sort of thing can’t go on. We can’t be living in fear all the time, we just can’t,’ Win said adamantly.

  ‘You know,’ Kathy interrupted. ‘Dad and the rest of them reckon Eddie Chancellor could be the one doing this.’

  Win looked a trifle surprised. ‘Well, they might be right. I heard you defending him last night Kathy. Why…? You know his reputation as well as we do.’

  ‘I know he’s been in trouble; it doesn’t mean he’s capable of something as horrid as this. I just don’t believe for one minute that he’s to blame for all these fires.’

  ‘Really…? Well, he was missing for the last half of the night,’ Ellie stated.

  ‘Robert was too. Des was gone for ages as well. He says he was outside having a cigarette but Robert just disappeared and didn’t come back at all!’

  ‘Des and Robert wouldn’t do such a dreadful thing! They’re family, remember! What would possess you to even entertain such an idea?’ Win assessed her face carefully, quite shocked at her daughter’s defence of Eddie.

  ‘Des probably had enough of the dance and went outside to be on his own for a while. He’s not one to socialise very much either. He’d prefer to be home with his nose stuck in one of his Phantom comics than out dancing,’ Ellie added. ‘And Robert more than likely went home and stuck his head back under the bonnet of that old bomb he bought!’

  Tammi had been listening to the conversation and was surprised at her sister’s attitude as well. She decided to interrupt and get Kathy out of the room before she ended up having an all-out argument with her mother.

  ‘Okay, who knows what nut is doing this. Dad and the blokes’ll get him. He won’t get away with it. Come on, let’s go and find Laura, Kath,’ she urged.

  Kathy was angry that everyone was so eager to pin the blame on Eddie but she knew she had to curb her defence of him.

  ‘Just because he’s had a few fights and his Mum’s not wealthy…’ she thought angrily, wanting to say that to them all.

  ‘Okay, Tam, let’s go. Bye, we’ll be back later.’ She kissed her mother, turned and walked outside, still prickling with anger.

  ***

  Nat and Rex had come across to see Karl and Digger. Dave, Sam and Arthur had arrived as well. Apart from Dave, the rest of them had been up since Rex’s shed had gone up. Nat, Rex and a few of the neighbours had looked through the rubble that used to be Rex’s packing shed but had found no clues. The shed would have been an easy target, just like the one at Kia-Ora: the boxes would have provided good fuel for the fire.

  Now they were searching through what remained, which wasn’t much. Just like the other shed, all that remained was twisted and buckled sheets of tin, part of the charred wall frame and burned beams lying on the ground. Apart from that, there was only a pile of ash that still smouldered.

  ‘Can’t believe this’s happened again… Wally was over here every friggin’ hour and saw no one around! He said that Towser was so quiet the dog never so much as farted. I can’t understand how someone was able to do this without being noticed!’ Digger was furious.

  ‘We’re bein’ watched, Dig! It’s the only explanation,’ Nat stated.

  ‘I know, Nat. It still doesn’t explain how the fuck he’s got the time to get in, set the friggin’ fires an’ get himself away without bein’ seen. We’ve been walkin’ ‘round the place every flamin’ bloody hour! Surely we’d see the mongrel!’

  ‘Well, this one woulda been an easy one for him, all the boxes we had in here would’ve been great fuel for him. Still, he’s bloody cunnin’. Wally could’ve come back at any time so he was quick to set it, that’s for sure. An’ that one over at your place, mate.’ He looked at Rex. ‘He woulda known that we all thought he was just targetin’ us Masons so he woulda known you woulda been snorin’ ya head off. He had an easy target there. We’re gonna have ta up our patrols. Can’t let the mongrel keep burnin’ our stuff. We’ll have nothin left.’ Karl spat angrily on the ground as detectives Bennett and Simpson arrived.

  As predicted, they took the report and had a look around, but found no clues and hadn’t really expected to.

  ‘Look, fellas, we can’t do much. I know we keep saying that but there’s just nothin’ for us to work with. We’re frustrated about it as well, believe me. We would love to catch the bloke, don’t worry about that. What we’ll do is increase the police presence in the valley. You won’t know when they�
��ll show up. It will be both day and night and at random hours. That’s about all we can do until this maniac trips up. He’ll make a mistake, it’s inevitable!’ Bennett said them, trying to give them some hope.

  The men weren’t convinced, but what else could be done? They felt frustrated, pissed off and utterly helpless.

  ‘We’ll take a look around your place now, mate,’ the detectives told Rex.

  ‘Don’t think ya’s gonna find anythin’,’ Rex said dejectedly. ‘We’ve been over an’ over it early this mornin’ an’ there’s nothin’ there.’

  ‘We still have to look, mate. We’ll meet you there, okay,’ Bennett said.

  Rex and Nat hung back for a few minutes after the detectives left.

  ‘We have ta come up with a plan; got any ideas?’ Nat asked.

  ‘Yeah,’ Rex added. ‘The bastard’s put me in a rotten position. All that fruit we’d graded and packed was ready to sell to go out. We had two hundred cases all ready for the stores. Now it’s all gone. The bloody shed’s insured but not the fruit. I’ve lost thousands!’

  There were murmurs of sympathy from the men. All the hard work they did had all gone up in smoke.

  ‘Well, we might set ourselves up in a good hidin’ place down here near the machinery shed for a few hours a night, eh Dig? We can’t risk it goin’ up next,’ Karl suggested.

  ‘Good idea. Grab a bite ta eat, then come down and hide out till say, oneish? The time frame the mongrel’s been strikin’ is around midnight, so that gives us an hour on the other side in case he decides to make a move a bit later. Reckon it’s the only way, mate,’ Digger agreed.

  ‘You’se are gonna be stuffed, workin’ all day, then up half the flamin’ night,’ Dave said.

  ‘Well Dad, we have’ta do somethin’ an’ right now that’s all I can think of.’

  ‘Look mate, we’ll help ya’s in the orchard as much as we can,’ Rex told them. ‘It looks like the cunnin’ bastard’s gonna hound us all so it makes sense ta join forces an’ help each other. We’ll be patrollin’ our places too.’

  ‘Reckon we can split the load between us all. Des an’ Eric, an’ what about Rob, Arthur?’ Sam looked at his brother. ‘He can lend a hand while all this’s goin’ on.’

  Arthur nodded his agreement, and so the plan was set in motion. Karl and Digger would grab a quick dinner then head down to the machinery shed and camp there until around 1am. If they dozed off, anyone moving around would certainly wake them.

  Usually the fires started around midnight. They wanted to wait out the extra hour to be sure.

  ‘Righto then, it’s settled. Tomorrow I’ll go in and get some decent locks for the machinery shed. We can’t risk anythin’ now,’ Digger told them.

  ‘Des can go with ya, mate. I’ll get him to pick some up for me as well,’ Sam said.

  Up until now, the locals felt uneasy about the fires the Masons had suffered and were worried whether they would be next. As the news spread about the fire at Rex’s place, the locals realised without a doubt they were all at risk. The uneasiness they felt grew into major concern and they all began to take precautions to try and keep their properties safe from the arsonist.

  ‘Revenge proves its own executioner’.

  John Ford

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The next day, Des and Digger returned from Albury by lunchtime. Digger had picked up the new locks for the machinery shed and he and Karl were fitting them.

  ‘If the bastard wants to burn this down, he’ll have to do it from outside!’ Karl declared. ‘There’s no way he’ll get in here now!’ he added, tugging on the padlock securing the shed door tightly.

  ‘Yeah, and with us hidin’ nearby we just might spring the bastard!’ Digger bent to pat Towser on his head.

  ‘If only that dog could talk!’ Dave said as he came across to them. ‘He’d tell us what we wanna know. Anyway, Hazel’s made some corn beef sandwiches. She sent me down to get you two.’

  ‘Don’t worry, Dad. The bastard’ll slip up,’ Karl said.

  ‘No one can keep doin’ somethin’ like this and get away with it, Dave. He’ll slip up somewhere and we’ll get im’. C’mon Karl let’s go, those sangers sound bloody good!’ Digger put his screwdriver down and looked over at the rubble where the packing shed once stood. ‘By hell,’ he thought. ‘One way or another we’ll get ya, ya friggin crazy bastard!’

  ***

  Dinner that night was a quiet affair. Dig and Karl were worn out after their long day’s work and they still had to face another seven hours hiding out, keeping watch down at the machinery shed.

  ‘This isn’t good for either of you, this lack of sleep.’ Win was worried about them; they worked hard enough without this.

  ‘Well, it’s all we can do for the time being. It won’t be for long. The mongrel will make a move for sure, and we’ll have him!’ Digger replied, tiredness lining his face.

  ‘Well I can’t help but worry. What if he’s armed?’

  Karl couldn’t help grinning. ‘I fought in the war remember, Win? I reckon I can handle a gutless bloody idiot running around settin’ fires!’

  Digger also had a bit of a chuckle. ‘Don’t worry, love, we can handle ourselves. It’s the firebug who should be worried! You get yourself to bed nice and early. You’ve got a big day Christmas shopping tomorrow and I want you to enjoy it.’

  Emmie, Win and Ellie were going into town the next day. They were leaving early and making a day of it. It was only a couple of days until Christmas and they still had a few gifts to pick up. Emmie wanted material from Pearl’s Fabric and Haberdashery. Win and Ellie were heading for the makeup counter at Mates to stock up on Mary Quant makeup, then on to Canns Boutique to look at the latest in fashion and purchase a couple of outfits for summer. Next would be Hunters shoe store for shoes to go with them. Daniel Hunter knew the Mason ladies and always gave them special attention; he knew there would be a sale in it for him, maybe several! Emmie would probably splurge on a new outfit or two and delighted in watching her daughters do the same. All three women loved to shop and were good at it. Then it would be off to enjoy lunch at The Albion Hotel. Once done there, they would get a taxi home. They usually had days out like this every year close to Christmas and looked forward to it. Going for a day out was the break they needed from the tense atmosphere the valley now harboured.

  ‘I’m goin’ to spray the grapevines tomorrow,’ Dave announced.

  ‘Dad, I don’t think …’

  ‘No, Karl,’ Dave interrupted him. ‘Stop worryin’ so much. I’ll wear a mask and I’ll be fine. A man has to make himself useful somehow!’

  ‘Dad, you’ve done more than your fair share over the years. We wouldn’t have a bloody orchard if it wasn’t for you.’ Karl wished he could make his father realise it was time he took it easy, but Dave was a stubborn and intensely proud man. Once he’d made up his mind, it was almost impossible to change it.

  ***

  Eileen picked up the basket of food she’d prepared for Harry. She was going to check on him, then head off to meet Kathy and Tammi. They were spending the day at the Lavington swimming pool. Passing the refrigerator on the back veranda where Jeff stored his beer, she opened it and grabbed a few cans for Harry.

  Grinning, she set off. ‘Harry will enjoy a nice cold beer on Jeff,’ she thought, feeling rather sneaky and finding it amusing.

  ‘Come in, lovey. You’re a good girl to old Harry, aren’t ya?’ Harry liked Eileen and looked forward to her visits.

  ‘Ah… cold beer… Looks mighty good. ‘Ere, let me ‘ave one’a those.’

  ‘I can’t stay long today, Harry. I’m going swimming,’ Eileen said. ‘How’ve you been anyway?’

  ‘Ah, I’m okay, girlie. Din sleep good last night. Somethin’ woke me a few times. Can’t put me finger on what though!’

  ‘You’ve got your shotgun, haven’t you?’ asked Eileen. ‘Might be animals you’re hearing.’

  ‘Nah, love, I know what a bloomin’ animal s
ounds like. Ain’t no animal! Can’t say what it was, I just knows somethin’ woke me an’ I’m a bit darn weary t’day.’

  ‘Well, don’t go taking any risks, stay inside with the door locked. Maybe you should think about staying with us over at the house until they catch the firebug.’

  Eileen was concerned about him. Harry was as old, if not older, than her grandfather Dave, and she didn’t like the fact he was all alone up here with some nutter on the loose.

  Harry shook his head. ‘Nah, no need for that, girlie; me dog’s here with me an’ I got me rifle. I’ll be right as rain! Now, how you bin?’

  They chatted about anything and everything. She listened to things she had heard many times but remained patient with the old man. Who else was he going to share his stories with? She often thought his dog would have a wealth of knowledge about the valley if only he could talk. Finally, Eileen said she better get going and gave his shoulder a friendly squeeze. Harry thanked her for the beer and food. He watched her leave and the fondness for the lanky young woman was evident in his eyes. ‘She’s a good’n that one, mate… A real good’n,’ he remarked softly to his sleeping dog.

  On the way to the pool, she thought about Harry and what he’d told her. It looked very much like someone was wandering around in the hills. ‘Hell, it’s rotten being suspicious of everyone and every sound you hear,’ she thought sadly.

  The valley had been so happy and peaceful. People always waved and called g’day when they saw you. These days the locals wore a look of worry and suspicion etched on their faces. Everyone had taken to locking doors. Never would they have bothered with that before. The Valley of Fear was fast becoming a more apt name for the once tranquil place.

  ‘Thinking will not overcome fear but action will.’

  W.Clement Stone.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Christmas Eve had arrived!

  ‘Isn’t the tree beautiful?’ Ellie exclaimed.