Red Hot

by Cheryl Alldis

  ‘We’ll get him; he can’t outsmart us forever Eric!’ Des assured.

  Sam continued discussing the stakeouts. The men had worked out a special call as a signal and they all would carry high beam torches and their shotguns!

  They were determined that somehow, some way they would capture the crazed arsonist, dead or alive!

  ***

  As the family entered the church for the funeral service, they received many expressions of sympathy. By the time the service was due to start, the church was filled to overflowing. People were standing at the back and crowded in the doorway and out into the churchyard.

  The immediate family sat at the front. Kathy was on the end of the first pew and she felt she could reach out and touch the casket in which her grandfather lay. She felt tears well up in her eyes and flow down her cheeks. She wanted to cry her heart out.

  Emmie stood very still, her eyes on her beloved’s casket. She wanted to open the lid and tell him to wake up and just walk out with her. If only this was a dream, if only!

  ‘If only!’ she whispered to herself. ‘If only!’

  ‘What was that, Mum?’ Karl bent down closer. He had his arm around her and he held her tighter.

  ‘Nothing son, just thinking out loud,’ she choked.

  ‘Hang in there, Mum.’ Karl gave her a reassuring squeeze.

  Dig and Win were at the very end of the pew beside Ellie and Francis. Behind them were the rest of the family and the Winters.

  Win and Ellie were holding hands, willing strength into each other.

  The minister began the service. He spoke highly of Dave and his words brought a lump to everyone’s throats. Every now and then, the sound of a stifled sob could be heard.

  Dave’s dearest friend from the valley, George Hardy, gave a beautiful eulogy. During his speech, he had to stop to regain his composure, but went on to speak of great admiration, respect and affection.

  The organist started and they began to sing the beautiful old hymn, How Great Thou Art.

  This was Win’s undoing. As the hymn went on, verse after verse her restraint broke and she broke into sobs. This broke Ellie and then Kathy and Tammi.

  Emmie remained dry-eyed, never taking her eyes from Dave’s casket.

  After the service, people offered condolences to Emmie and family.

  Kathy felt as though she was suffocating. She wandered to the side of the church and sat on a bench seat, wiping her eyes and taking some deep breaths, trying to compose herself. She could easily break down completely but she knew that grandma Emmie didn’t need that; she had to be strong.

  She felt a hand lightly on her shoulder. She looked up into Eddie Chancellor’s face.

  He was dressed in a dark suit. He smiled at her with a sincere look of sympathy on his face. She went to stand up, but he told her to stay where she was. ‘Stay there Kath. Is there anything I can do, or say? I can see how devastated you are.’

  She was touched at the sincerity in his voice.

  ‘No, Eddie. Just asking is a lovely gesture. Thank you for that. They say time heals but it hurts so much now.’

  Eddie put his arm around her and she leant gratefully against him. He had a strong urge to comfort her. Why did he feel so differently towards this girl? He felt like he wanted to protect her.

  ‘I’d better get back to the family, Eddie. Thanks again.’ She looked up into his gentle brown eyes as she spoke.

  He lightly kissed her on the forehead. ‘Your granddad wouldn’t want you to cry like this. You were so blessed to have such a wonderful grandfather for the time you did, Kath. He will always be with you. Think of the good times and it’ll bring a smile to your pretty face, try it.’ He smiled at her. Turning, he walked through the church gates.

  Kathy sat for another moment, pondering the enigma that was Eddie Chancellor. He seemed so sincere. Bracing herself, she went back and joined the family for the long drive out to the cemetery. This was something else she thought herself unable to face, but as Eddie suggested, she tried to think of the good times with her grandfather.

  Eddie was right, it did bring a smile to her face.

  ***

  Everyone gathered around the gravesite at the Albury Lawn Cemetery.

  Kathy and Tammi held hands. Tammi was in control of herself until the casket slowly lowered.

  The minister read a passage from the Bible and then the haunting sound of bagpipes filled the air as a piper from the Albury Scottish Band played Dave’s favorite hymn, The Sweet Bye and Bye. Bitter sobs racked Tammi’s body. Kathy held her close and they both sobbed.

  Digger held Win close; she was sobbing uncontrollably. He held her close against him to prevent her from sinking to the ground.

  Karl was supporting Emmie who had almost buckled at the knees twice. Her face was chalk-white as she watched dry-eyed as Dave’s casket lowered slowly into his grave.

  Ellie and Francis were behind them with Harvey and Mary. Harvey put his hand on Ellie’s shoulder a couple of times and gently gave her a reassuring squeeze. By the firmness of his touch, she knew he was attempting to console her.

  Eddie could see Kathy through the crowd. He knew how she felt. He had lost his dad; he knew what it was like to hurt and to miss a loved one. He often wished he still had his father.

  Kathy saw him looking at her and managed a tiny smile. He returned the gesture and winked. She knew he was sending her positive thoughts, telling her to stay strong.

  Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was:

  And the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

  Ecclesiastes chapter 12

  ***

  The end of 1964.

  New Year’s Eve and the beginning of 1965.

  Nobody felt like celebrating. Hazel cooked a family dinner and she and Ted joined the whole Mason family, along with Harvey and Mary. They made a toast to Dave and, as the clock struck twelve midnight, they all joined in to sing Auld Lang Sine.

  Rest in peace, Dave Mason.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Dave’s death had left a huge void at Kia-Ora. The work in the orchard had to continue as always and now the full responsibility of running the property fell to Karl. He felt lost and alone; he was so used to having Dave there to discuss things. He had his brothers and Digger, but no one could replace Dave.

  January 1st, 1965, dawned fine and sunny. It was going to be another scorcher. Karl and Digger had just finished breakfast and would be out in the orchard all day. Then they were to do the first shift patrolling the properties for the night. Arthur and Robert would take over at ten o’clock. The men were to work in two hourly shifts throughout the night. All the local farmers and fruit growers were keeping careful watch on their properties. They had no intention of stopping until they caught the person who was wreaking havoc on Hamilton Valley.

  ‘Ready, mate?’ Digger asked.

  ‘Ready as I’ll ever be,’ Karl replied. He looked tired and sad. The past few days had taken their toll on him greatly. ‘As soon as we catch up with the fruit, I want to go through the rubble down where the shed was. Somethin’ just might have been overlooked.’

  ‘I’ll give ya a hand, mate. Won’t hurt to rummage through it again, although we did a pretty thorough job last time.’

  ‘Yeah, but I can’t get me head around how the arsehole manages to set fires and get away so bloody fast. Okay, we know diesel started the first shed fire. That explains him gettin’ away fast because that burns so slow before ignitin’. But the packin’ shed, he wouldn’t be able to throw a match into that and get away so fast. There was no smell of fuel at that one or any others since. So how’s he doin’ it? Shit, Wally was watchin’ the place.’ Karl leant against the sink as he spoke. ‘No, Dig, he’s got some other method! I’m gonna find out what it is!’

  ‘Well, if the clue’s there, we’ll find it. C’mon, better make tracks. I reckon we’ll get a visit from the cops later. They’ve left us alone all week because of what happened here.’ Digger patted Karl o
n his shoulder. He felt for his brother in law. Karl’s pain was evident and with grief, the strain of the lack of sleep and the torment of the firebug, Dig feared he could easily become a loose cannon.

  ***

  Kathy and Tammie had agreed to go with Eileen to visit old Harry.

  ‘Hi, Harry. You know my cousins, Kathy and Tammi Miles.’

  ‘Ello there, ah knows who ya are. Ya father’s a fine man.’ He smiled his gummy grin, saying to them, ‘I was right sorry ta hear ‘bout ya grandfather. Right darn sorry! Knew him well, I did. A fine bloke, he was.’ He slowly shook his head as he spoke.

  Eileen unpacked the box of food onto Harry’s old wooden table.

  The girls glanced around the hut. Tammi couldn’t believe the way this old man lived but he seemed happy and comfortable enough.

  ‘I’ll make a cup of tea,’ Eileen offered.

  She was glad the old man hadn’t been drinking. ‘Good thing it’s not pension week until next week,’ she thought. She could handle Harry when he’d had a few but it may not have gone down to well with Kath and Tam; he was prone to a few crude jokes when he was a bit tipsy.

  ‘Got any news, Harry? Seen anyone hanging around lately?’ Eileen asked as she scalded out mugs for the tea. There was no way she would make cuppa’s in his cups unless she scalded them first – anything could have crawled on them.

  ‘No one, girlie. Young Des was up ‘ere the other day, day before ya granddad’s funeral it was, not a soul since.’

  ‘Who do you reckon the firebug is, Harry?’ she asked as the old man sipped his tea.

  ‘Well, girlie, they say ‘e’s ‘bout six foot tall, a big bugger and right bloody fit. Now, all ya gotta do is find someone that fits that look, ain’t ya?’ He slurped at his tea, adding, ‘There ain’t too many ‘round these parts like that, now is ‘ere? Ya think ‘bout it. I’d say ya can scale it down to ‘bout ‘arf a dozen!’

  ‘Dad says the cops are at a loose end because they don’t have any clues. There hasn’t been any evidence left behind and they also reckon that he could have had some kind of hat on the night they chased him, they’re not sure,’ Kathy told him.

  ‘Ah well girlie the local blokes’ll catch him. I wouldn’t wanna be messin’ with tha local blokes, ‘specially now their danders are up!’

  They stayed quite a while talking about the fires and all that had happened since. Eventually, it was time for them to leave.

  They said goodbye to Harry and thanked him for the tea. Before they left, he promised to keep an eye open for anyone hanging around and assured them he was safe there with his dog and his rifle.

  He told them he was pleased they’d come up to visit him and invited them to come again sometime soon.

  ‘Digger Miles is a lucky man,’ he thought as he watched them walking away. They turned and waved to him. ‘Two beaut daughters, an’ Eileen, she’s just bonza.’ He looked wistful and he hoped they’d come back soon. This firebug drama had unsettled him. He hadn’t told the girls, but he no longer felt safe up here on his own. He’d never been worried before, but now he was.

  ***

  Ellie sat out on the veranda knitting a jumper for herself. She had chosen cream wool. It gave her no pleasure really. Her thoughts were of Dave, the knitting was purely to keep her occupied. She had a huge ache in her heart that travelled to her stomach. She knew it was grief and she was having a damn hard time dealing with it. She was trying hard to be strong for everyone else, but there were moments when she wanted to scream at them to leave her alone. Several times she had asked God why he had to take her father; she wasn’t ready to let him go, not yet.

  ‘That’s shaping up beautifully, Ellie.’ Win walked up and sat in the cane chair beside her. ‘I really must do some knitting too. Trouble is it will take me until the end of winter, even if I start now. I’m so slow at it.’

  Ellie smiled, lowering the knitting onto her lap. ‘Why don’t you come with me tomorrow? I have to get some more wool at Pearl’s. You could pick out some nice wool then. We could meet Francis for lunch at Mates as well.’

  Win missed her father dreadfully too. She knew things had to get back to normal sooner or later. Everyone said he would want them to get on with their lives, but actually doing it was easier said than done. Maybe this small outing would ease the way for her.

  ‘Yes, let’s. What about Mum? Should we ask her to come along too?

  Emmie had remained quiet and withdrawn. She had lost her sparkle, which was understandable, and her face told her deep grief. She spent a lot of her time in her bedroom sitting in a chair, gazing vaguely out the window that overlooked the property.

  Ellie thought for a minute. ‘I think we should leave her be, let her deal with her grief in her own way. We should keep a close eye on her though Win, we can’t let her sink too deep. We all know there’s no time frame for grief, so all we can do for now is be here for her and each other.’

  The first days of January passed uneventfully. Detectives Bennett and Simpson paid Karl and Digger a visit. They offered their condolences and questioned them again about the phone calls Ellie and Kathy had received on Christmas Eve. They had wanted to speak again to the women, but Digger had flatly refused. The women had been through enough.

  Karl stood watching as the detectives drove away. ‘Ya know, Dig, those bastards haven’t got a clue! What the fuck have they done? How many friggin’ fires have we had now, five… six? An’ still the bloody arsehole remains on the run!’

  He pushed his hat to the back of his head and rubbed his hand across his eyes. ‘What flamin’ use are they? Drivin’ ‘round lookin’ outta their bloody car windows at people they don’t even know. They don’t know if someone’s new to the valley. It’s just not gonna do any good. The firebug’s probably watchin’ ‘em and laughin’ his guts out!’

  Digger nodded. ‘Yeah, and writin’ who knows what in their bloody notebooks isn’t gonna catch ‘im either, mate. I tell ya what though, I’m a bit worried about some of the local blokes ‘round here runnin’ ‘round the place with guns. I hope we catch this fool before somethin’ shockin’ happens!’

  ‘I know what ya mean, Dig. The likes of that hothead O’Toole shouldn’t own a bloody gun.’

  Karl and Digger were right. The firebug had brought chaos to the valley. All the farmers and fruit growers owned guns. Now they were threatening to use them to shoot a person! The ordeal had them so riled that they were beginning to doubt neighbours they had known for years!

  If he wasn’t caught soon, an innocent person could end up being shot or perish in a fire!

  The police were completely baffled. They had not one shred of evidence to lead them to the culprit.

  ***

  Francis was busily pricing some shirts that had just arrived in the menswear department at Mates.

  ‘G’day, mate.’ Eddie Chancellor interrupted him.

  ‘G’day Ed…’ Francis hadn’t had a lot to do with Eddie he had only heard the usual gossip about him.

  Eddie stood staring at him, looking uncomfortable.

  ‘What can I do for you, mate?’ Francis asked with a smile.

  ‘Well, I was just thinkin’ about some new duds. Thought ya might be able ta give me a few ideas.’

  Francis raised his eyebrows. Glancing at how Eddie was dressed made him wonder what had brought him to Mates’ menswear department. It seemed a bit out of Eddie’s league.

  ‘These shirts have just come in today – have a look.’ Francis pointed out the newest stock.

  He showed Eddie some casual clothes as well as formal, offering opinions on several garments. Francis suggested colours that went well together and was surprised to sell him several outfits.

  Eddie was pleased with the effort Francis went to for him.

  ‘Thanks, mate. Just what I needed; I really have no idea about this stuff.’

  ‘No worries, Ed. Anytime.’

  Eddie walked off whistling, heading in the direction of the shoe department.

&n
bsp; Francis was left thinking Eddie wasn’t such a bad bloke, that maybe he just needed a bit of understanding. Maybe a decent friend or two wouldn’t go astray.

  Over dinner at Kia-Ora that evening, he mentioned that Eddie had been shopping for new clothes.

  Kathy’s ears pricked up immediately.

  ‘He needs more than new clothes to fix him,’ Karl remarked brusquely.

  ‘No matter what he wears, he’ll still be Eddie Chancellor,’ Digger added.

  Kathy was instantly irritated. ‘Can’t anyone give him a chance? He may not be as bad as you think. Everyone is so damn judgmental!’

  ‘Kathy… Be sensible girl. That boy is a bad egg and does fit the firebug’s description!’ Emmie remonstrated, taken aback by Kathy’s outburst.

  ‘So do at least half a dozen people, Grandma. He’s not the only one.’

  ‘Such as…’ Win asked.

  After talking to Harry, Kathy had thought a lot about just who did fit the description.

  ‘Well, for a start, Robert does… and Des!’

  ‘Now hang on a minute, Kathy,’ Win interrupted. ‘Bringing family into it is going a bit far. Frankly, I’m surprised at you!’

  ‘Mum, I’m not blaming Des or Robert, but they do fit the description. I’m sure we could come up others as well.’

  She was becoming very wound up.

  ‘Oh, and there’s Roly’s son, and what about the priest? Someone also said the bloke they chased could’ve even had a hat or cap on. They aren’t really sure, everyone is grasping at straws and, of course, Eddie’s the bunny!’

  ‘The priest…’ Win laughed. ‘Come off it, Kath, it’s more likely young Chancellor than the priest, as weird as he is!’

  Tammi was sitting quietly observing all this. Twice now she had noticed Kathy jump to Eddie’s defence. What was going on? Surely her sister didn’t have the hots for him?

  ‘Well, let’s not argue about Eddie Chancellor or the weirdo priest. Let’s all enjoy our meal,’ Ellie said, trying to calm the situation.