‘Any sign of her?’ she asked. Her face fell when the sergeant shook his head. Ben took her hand.
‘What time is it? It’s so dark and I just … I just …’
Hilary tried to ignore the rising panic in her daughter’s voice which only added to her own. ‘It’s 8.03 according to my phone.’
‘No! It can’t be. I feel like I’ve been here for days – not six hours!’
‘I know. We just have to stay calm. Think.’
Sergeant Kemp’s usual self-important bluster was nowhere to be seen as he sat clasping his thick fingers on the wooden table on the verandah of the shearers’ quarters. Not a good sign, thought Ben.
‘We’ve had reports there were some out-of-towners hanging around the Commercial Hotel around lunchtime, asking about Nina,’ Sergeant Kemp said.
‘Asking what?’ said Izzy urgently.
‘And Hilary was there, too.’ Gillian Ferrier flicked through her notebook. ‘She spoke to them briefly, according to the other witnesses. Just chit-chat.’
‘So, they saw Hilary …’ Ben tailed off.
‘What exactly were they asking?’ repeated Izzy.
‘Let’s just say they were awfully interested in the nugget,’ Sergeant Kemp replied. ‘They’d seen a photo in the paper and were talking some bullshit about making a documentary. Claimed to be journos.’
‘They thought the nugget was still here?’ asked Ben.
Kemp nodded.
‘So you think they came out when Nina was here?’ cried Izzy. ‘They might have taken her?’
‘Well, Nina and Hilary have gone,’ said Ferrier. ‘Hilary has left her car in a hurry and you’ve said some paintings have been taken. Then, there’s the missing firearm. That indicates they were here and that we’re looking at an abduction situation, yes.’
Izzy burst into sobs.
This can’t be happening, thought Ben, as he hugged her shaking shoulders.
‘There’s something else,’ continued Kemp. ‘I missed a call from Hilary at 12.45. She left a message asking me to phone her but I haven’t been able to raise her since. When was the last time any of you saw her?’
‘I saw her in town this morning when I was getting the meat for tonight,’ said Alfie quietly as he sat at the table next to Ben.
‘What time was that?’ Constable Ferrier’s pen was moving rapidly.
‘Maybe half past 11, quarter to 12.’
‘That would’ve been before she went into the Commercial. She was fine? Anything odd in her manner?’
‘Not that I could see, all dressed up and that. Nothing unusual there,’ Alfie added.
‘We’ve searched her vehicle and found this.’ Kemp pulled a used envelope from his pocket.
‘A car rego number she’s written down,’ added Ferrier. ‘It’s a hire car, but the blokes who picked it up in Dubbo used false driver’s licences. We’ve set up a state-wide search. Every police patrol in a 500k radius will have the details. And we got a good description of the men.’
‘We’ll find ’em,’ Kemp added, reassuringly. ‘We all know this area like the back of our hands.’
Barry Kemp had always struck Ben as a dim bulb and the thought of him being in charge made him shudder. Heath won’t like it either. ‘What about senior cops? Detectives?’ he asked.
‘They’ll be here in the morning,’ Ferrier assured him, catching his eye.
‘Are you sure you’ve got enough officers to cover the area?’
‘Yep. And we’ve got teams out asking everyone around here to check their properties, and their neighbours’ too,’ answered Ferrier.
‘We thought Lachlan might have taken the paintings,’ said Ben. ‘He and Nina had a bit of a falling out, like I told you on the phone, and he left a note saying he was leaving. We thought he might have grabbed the paintings out of spite, but his note didn’t seem angry. See for yourself.’ He handed it to Kemp.
‘Hmm. I’ll have the team inside look at this,’ said Kemp, frowning. ‘We’ll send out a general alert to find this Lachlan Wright as well. Just to see if he’s safe.’
Izzy sat on Ben’s lap, burying her head in his chest, his arms wrapped around her. A gentle tattoo of rain drops on the tin roof exploded into full-blown drumming as the heavens opened. ‘Izz, it’ll be alright,’ he murmured into her hair.
‘Phone call!’ yelled a voice out of the darkness.
Heath tried to take in what Ben was telling him but the darkened suburban shops around the public phone box seemed to undulate around him.
Nina.
‘What did these guys look like?’ he managed to ask.
‘Not sure – the police have the full descriptions,’ said Ben. ‘I’ll put one of them on in a sec. But every cop in New South Wales is looking for them. We reckon they must have seen the story on the news about the gold and then …’
‘Where’s Lachlan?’ Heath couldn’t stop himself from shouting.
‘Lachlan? We think he’s okay. He left before the blokes got here. There’s a note.’
‘No. You’ve got it wrong,’ Heath said urgently. ‘He’s involved with those guys.’
‘What the fuck?’
‘He owes them money, big-time. And they’re seriously bad news.’ He kept seeing flashes of the dark bruises on Steph’s arm and the frightened look in her eyes. And now Nina could be with these same people.
‘So, maybe they came out here looking for Lachlan. How do you know?’ asked Ben.
‘I went to see Lachlan’s ex-wife today and her two boys.’
‘Kids?’
‘Yep, and they’re terrified. She’s been getting visits and threats from these thugs, they even attacked her,’ said Heath. ‘It has to be the same ones. They’re loan sharks. Lachlan owes them over one and a half mill. Which is probably why he was hanging around us like a bad smell.’
‘Well, he’s gone now,’ spat Ben. ‘Fuckin’ coward. He must’ve known they were onto him. Or worse, he could have lured them out with a promise of the gold. That amount of money would’ve got them off his back.’
‘Put the cops on and I’ll fill them in,’ said Heath. ‘And get Lobby to put some flares out on the landing strip. I’m going straight to the airport and flying home.’
‘You sure, Heath? It’s bucketing down here.’
‘Yeah, mate.’
‘You okay?’
‘Yep. But Lachlan won’t be if I get hold of him. I’ll see you soon.’
As Heath told Gillian Ferrier his story, the Sydney traffic swept past, oblivious. Everyone in their own little boxes, caught up in their own little worlds, while his had been turned upside down. He looked at the Family Inn across the road. At least Steph would be okay for now.
He felt sick with fear.
Nina, where are you?
There was a silence. Then a muffled noise.
‘It’s coming from over … there.’ Hilary shuddered at the thought.
‘Maybe one of them is down here …’
CHAPTER 27
After the night’s rain, the dawn broke bleak and grey. Heath paced the front yard at The Springs in an agony of restlessness. Since he had touched down just after midnight there had been no phone call, no sign of a ransom demand, no news. The scent of Nina’s roses filled him with melancholy.
The door opened. Izzy, coffee.
‘If we can’t sleep, let’s at least be fully awake.’ She handed him a cup. ‘Thank god the forensics guys are done and I can use the kitchen. And the bathroom for that matter.’
Heath nodded.
‘The phone guys are still in there, though. If only someone would ring,’ added Izzy, as they walked away from the house.
‘I know. You’d think if they wanted money they’d have to call soon, or what’s the point?’ he said, feeling his agitation rise. Around them, magpies warbled in the new day – a heartless celebration.
‘Heath,’ she said, turning to face him. ‘I need to tell you some thing. I …’
‘What is it?’
‘Everything you told us last night about Lachlan – the kids and the dodgy deals and everything – there’s more. He and I, we had a – I don’t know what to call it – a fling, an affair, a something that didn’t turn out too well.’
‘What? I thought something wasn’t right …’
‘It was stupid. I can’t think why I let that happen.’ Izzy looked wretched.
‘He has a talent for using people,’ he said tightly. ‘Look, you don’t need to tell me that. It’s none of my business.’
‘No, there’s more to it. When it ended, I saw a side of him that was so cold. Angry. He threatened me physically. It’s like he’s two different people. Scary.’
Heath gripped the fence rail. ‘Does Nina know about this?’
‘Yes … a bit. Well, no, not all of it.’
‘Izzy, I know it’s hard, but you have to tell the police everything,’ Heath said urgently. ‘Everything is important now.’
‘It’s okay. I told them last night and Ben knew before we ever got together. And I think Lachlan had something going with Hilary too.’
This was more than Heath could take on board just now.
Izzy continued: ‘I keep wondering what would have happened if I’d told Nina how bad it really was. Maybe she’d have gotten rid of him then. And this would never have happened.’ She looked at him from red-rimmed eyes.
‘I keep saying the same thing to myself,’ said Heath. ‘I thought he was bad news. I thought he was taking advantage of her but she talked me round. And I still can’t believe I left my phone in the plane. When I got back into the Cessna last night and found all those missed calls from her, I knew I’d let her down.’
‘No. No, you didn’t. That was just a lost phone. You’d never let her down.’
‘Another thing I don’t get,’ said Heath. ‘They were all made throughout the morning yesterday. Was she in trouble even then?’
Izzy shook her head. ‘That’s weird. It’s not like she called any of us yesterday.’
The verandah door banged. Heath turned to see Barry Kemp emerge, his uniform creased.
‘No – nothing,’ the policeman said, reading the question in their eyes. ‘The forensics report should be back by the end of the day – fingerprints will help.’
‘What about choppers?’ said Heath. ‘The amount of country you’re going to have to cover is huge. What about Steph? Have they interviewed her yet? And Janet. She knows all kinds of stuff. This isn’t a shoplifting case, or whatever you blokes usually do.’
‘We’re doing all we can,’ replied Kemp with a trace of annoyance. ‘I know it’s tough, but you’ll just have to be patient.’
Biting back harsh words, Heath brushed past him and into the house. He couldn’t stand this waiting. He headed to the sitting room where Ben was pinning a map on the wall and threw himself into an armchair. ‘What’s this?’
‘I’m trying to work out how far they could’ve gone by now. The yellow lines are all the roads leading away from here,’ said Ben, pointing. ‘They could be anywhere in this red radius.’
‘So, they could be anywhere from Newcastle to Condobolin, to bloody Broken Hill!’
‘I don’t reckon they could’ve got past this blue circle, without being noticed,’ said Ben. ‘It’s no use getting mad. Working it through is the only way we’ll find them.’
Nina had to fight the urge to retch – she couldn’t afford to lose even the slightest amount of fluid. But there was no point in telling Hilary. After all, they could spend the time they had complaining about their bruises and cuts, their fatigue and fear, but what good would it do them?
Heath nodded. Ben was right. They needed clear heads. To be systematic.
‘The hire car’s a four-wheel drive, so I’ve also marked out the national parks where they could be holed up. It’d have to be near water and nowhere that could be spotted from the air. Let’s go through everything we know again.’
Heath sighed. Was there any corner of this story they hadn’t traced and retraced during the long night?
‘Okay,’ he said. Ben was like a terrier with a bone when he wanted to solve a problem, always had been.
‘So, these are for sure the guys from Steph’s place?’
‘Has to be. Acne scars, big teeth, heavy build –’
‘But how did they know Lachlan was here? I mean, Steph didn’t even know, right?’
‘Hang on …’ Heath leaned forward and picked up a copy of Monday’s Argus from the coffee table. The front page showed the picture of the four of them grinning like idiots around the nugget on the fountain’s rim. Behind them, looking intently at the viewer, was Lachlan.
‘In the background.’ He handed the paper to Ben.
‘I didn’t even notice before,’ said Ben. ‘He’s looking right at us. So maybe they tracked him to here and took him hostage as well? But how do they think they’re getting their hands on the nugget?’
‘I’m lost,’ said Heath.
‘What happened with that criminal check on Lachlan? It might give us some info about these guys …’
Ben’s voice faded in the background as Heath looked down again at the photograph. Nina’s dimpled cheek against his own, her beautiful eyes crinkled with laughter. So alive. How could she just be gone?
‘Heath?’
‘Yeah. Sorry.’
‘I think we’ve ruled out that Lachlan asked these guys here,’ said Ben.
‘Definitely. So, let’s say he knows they’re coming. Does he take Nina and Hilary to protect them?’ asked Heath. ‘Not likely, but possible, I guess.’
‘Maybe. But what about the note?’
‘He could have left it to misdirect them.’
‘I don’t think either of us really believe Lachlan’s a knight in shining armour,’ said Ben. ‘Besides, we would have heard from him by now. He’d be looking for a reward or something.’
‘Alright, then let’s say these loan sharks turned up at The Springs and he joined forces with them,’ said Heath. ‘He’s much more likely to offer Nina as a hostage than he is to protect her.’
‘Right. And then he wrote the note to throw us off the scent. They drive towards the main road, see Hilary coming, flag her down and take her, too.’
‘Makes sense – Lachlan knows she’s loaded. Two payoffs for the price of one kidnap.’
The sound of the police radio crackled through to them from outside.
‘Hear that? Something’s happened,’ said Heath, his stomach lurching.
‘Go and check,’ said Ben. ‘I’ll be there in a tick.’
Heart racing, Heath ran back up the hallway and into the yard.
Kemp spoke into the mouthpiece. ‘Yep. Make sure they don’t touch the vehicle until Dubbo Ds can get there.’ He beckoned Heath over. ‘Good result. Keep the news coming. Roger and out.’
‘What?’ Heath demanded.
‘They got ’em, at Nyngan. Just five minutes ago.’
‘Is Nina safe?’ He could hardly get the words out.
‘Sorry, Heath – it was just the two suspects. No sign of Nina, Hilary or Lachlan. But the detectives’ll get the whole story out of this pair, don’t you worry.’
‘Are you fucking kidding me?’ Heath turned aside, feeling the nausea of fear return.
‘Have they said anything? Anything at all?’ asked Izzy, running towards them, Ben close behind.
‘The blokes reckon they were looking for Lachlan and the place was empty when they turned up. So they nicked the paintings and got out.’
Anger. ‘Why would anyone believe them?’ Heath shouted. ‘They could have dumped Nina anywhere, she could be … I’d get it out of them, I’d …’
‘Heath, they’re doing the best they can. They know their job. This isn’t helping Nina,’ said Izzy, her voice thick.
‘And what exactly is helping Nina?’ said Heath. He charged out the gate, narrowly avoiding Moira’s car as she pulled up. He glimpsed her worried face behind the windscreen but he needed to be alone. Str
iding through the long, wet grass, he wanted to bawl like a baby. But he wouldn’t. He knew that if he opened that floodgate he may never be able to close it. He walked along the new line of saplings. Their robust stalks taunted him. Without Nina, everything seemed utterly pointless.
The tears that had been waiting slid down his face. He knelt in the grass. His sobs finally escaping.
The home paddock was filled with cars and vans with satellite dishes. The front yard was a moiling mass of people. Heath could hardly believe he was returning to the same place. He recognised Ned and Kim McNally and some of the Campbells, but most were strangers. Kemp was talking to reporters.
‘Heath!’ Ned raised his hand.
At the sound of his name, the crowd turned as one and surged towards him. A blonde woman with a vaguely familiar face was the first to reach him. She pressed a microphone into his face as a two-man crew lined up their camera and sound equipment behind her.
‘How are you feeling? Are you confident they’ll find her?’ she asked.
Heath stood blinking helplessly in front of the camera.
‘Do you think there’s a connection with her father’s disappearance and death?’ asked a young male reporter, elbowing the woman aside.
‘No, I can’t … excuse me.’ Heath tried to push through the press but they followed him.
‘What would you like to say to Nina if she can see this?’ said the blonde woman, elbowing back.
‘Hey, excuse me, mate,’ a voice cut in. ‘’Scuse me – hey guys, I just need to get through.’
Heath turned to see a familiar figure with sunglasses on his head push his large frame through the crowd. Trent Campbell – the bank manager.
‘So, here’s the deal,’ the man’s voice boomed. ‘Where’s the cops? Oh Barry, there you are. Hold on, sweetheart,’ he said, turning to a reporter. ‘You might wanna turn that mike around so you can catch this.’
Heath shook his head. What now?
‘What’s going on, Trent?’ asked Kemp. ‘You have any information? We’re about to brief the family inside. You can’t just barge in.’
‘Sure, sure, chillax, Barry. The thing is, I busted a gut to get here when I realised I may have something for you. But if you’d like to meet somewhere privately first, I can brief the press later,’ he said, his pink-shirted chest swelling with importance.
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