Red Dirt Country

by Fleur McDonald

  ‘South of Gassy Junction, huh?’ Bob said, leaning back in his chair. ‘You know, I’d reckon that not mentioning he was a station owner is pretty interesting, don’t you?’

  ‘He certainly wasn’t forthcoming with information.’

  Bob pointed his finger at Dave. ‘That’s my point. And …’ He pulled out the map that Glenn had given them. ‘Look here.’ He traced a road with his finger. ‘If whoever stole these cattle from Spinifex Downs turned south when they left, as Kev said, that’s heading down that way.’

  ‘Circumstantial,’ Dave said.

  ‘But interesting, son.’

  ‘Hang on, let me see if I can find him and come up with any other information.’ Dave plugged in Boyd’s name and in a second the search was complete. He read through the headlines but there was nothing—no names or photos that correlated with the Boyd he had met. ‘Pretty unusual not to even be mentioned in the Farm Weekly or Countryman, isn’t it?’ he asked around the pen he was chewing.

  ‘Depends. Maybe he never goes to the stock yards. Maybe he keeps out of them because he doesn’t want anyone to know his face. Obviously people up here know him, but there’s no need for anyone down south to, especially in and around the saleyards, if he keeps out of their way.’ Bob picked up the phone and put it on speaker. ‘Let’s ask Kev if he knows anyone by the name of Boyd.’

  ‘Spinifex Downs?’ Kevin’s voice came down the line.

  ‘G’day there, Kev. Bob Holden here. Dave Burrows is with me and you’re on speaker.’

  ‘G’day, officers. Have you got some news?’

  ‘No, mate, but I’m wondering if the name Boyd Shepard means anything to you?’

  The line hissed with silence and Bob glanced at Dave with his eyebrows raised.

  ‘Yeah, it’s a name we know up here in the community.’

  Bob was looking down at the desk now, concentrating. ‘What do you mean, a name you know?’

  ‘We all know him here, but we never see him, see? He doesn’t come here. Better that way.’

  ‘Are you saying he was part of your community?’ Dave asked, thinking back to Boyd’s tanned skin.

  There was banging at Kevin’s end and then his voice came through the speaker a little clearer. ‘I had to go into the office,’ he explained. ‘It goes back to Deep-Water Station. Kit’s father. He had a relationship with an aunty of mine. Boyd’s her son.

  ‘See, Kit’s mother died and his dad used to come over here, to the community. Visiting. There were lots of girls here. Not so many in town.

  ‘He managed to charm my aunty away. Took her back to Deep-Water. One day she turned up back here, pregnant, you know?’

  Bob’s face was grim, and he was shaking his head. Dave figured he’d heard this type of story before.

  ‘When Old Man Redman found out she was having his kid, he kicked her out. Said something about it not being right that a black woman’s child should be raised with his white son.

  ‘And the other son was Kit?’ Bob clarified.

  Dave mouthed, ‘Half brothers,’ with a look of surprise on his face.

  ‘Yeah. Aunty, she came to back to us to have the baby, and one day they both disappeared. The Elders and men, they searched. They called in people from the neighbouring stations to help, and she was found. By Old Man Redman. My aunty, she’d perished. Too much hot sun. But the baby was still alive. That’s when Redman decided he was going to look after Boyd. Take him back to Deep-Water.’

  ‘But he said he didn’t want to raise Boyd with his own child?’ Dave said.

  ‘I know,’ Kevin said. ‘No one really understood his change in heart. I guess he was sad when he found Aunty dead and he knew that he’d done something wrong.’

  ‘Does Boyd ever come to Spinifex Downs to see you?’

  ‘He has done, but not for a long time. I don’t think he likes it here.’

  Chapter 29

  Kevin hung up the phone and put his head in his hands.

  He didn’t want to admit his dad had been right, but he was beginning to think that finding out who was responsible for the cattle thefts might cause more trouble than it was worth.

  ‘Who were you telling that story to?’

  Kevin looked up and saw Jackie standing in the doorway. He got up and walked over to his father. ‘Let’s sit outside. There are days I hate being inside.’

  Together they walked over to the campfire that was smouldering closest to the office and sat down cross-legged in the sand.

  ‘Who were you telling that story to, boy?’ Jackie repeated.

  ‘That was the police on the phone. They rang to ask if we knew the name Boyd. I told them we did.’ He dug into the sand and let it drift through his fingers, liking the feel of the earth on his skin.

  ‘Why are you telling them?’

  ‘I was putting the story into context for them. The history. Why we know him.’ Kevin frowned. ‘There was nothing wrong with telling about his past was there?’

  Jackie picked up two sticks that were lying close to the fire and started scraping them together. ‘That Boyd’s no good,’ he said, not looking at his son. ‘I tell you, boy, he’s not nice. He was raised by a wicked man. One who hated our people.’ Jackie’s voice got low. ‘He told a lot of lies and now you, boy, you’ve told those lies to the police. Told you not to talk to the police.’

  ‘What lies?’ Kevin asked flatly.

  ‘Once you hear the truth you can’t unhear it, boy. But I’ll tell you the real facts: she was one of them that they made disappear. The ones we don’t talk about.

  ‘He wanted that boy, but your aunty, she didn’t want to go with him. He treated her badly. Hit her. Just like his son hits his own wife now. That’s why she didn’t want to go with him. She came back here to have the baby. When he was born, she disappeared.’ Now Jackie wagged his bony finger. ‘But she didn’t disappear! She was taken. During the dark time. Taken, boy, you hear? He wanted his son back and she wouldn’t go, so he took her. Next thing, she was dead. They blamed us, the whitefella coppers.

  ‘But you know, boy, you know we don’t treat our people badly.’ Jackie closed his mouth and looked into the fire. ‘Told you not to talk to the coppers.’

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me this before now?’

  Jackie shook his head. ‘We don’t speak about people who have gone. You know that. No point, no one believes us. That boy believes those stories his whitefella father fed him. He hates us—you be careful around him.’

  ‘Did Old Man Redman kill Aunty?’

  ‘She was found dead and the baby alive. A baby is weaker than a woman. You think about that, boy.’

  Dave’s mobile phone rang as he was trying to find out which agent Boyd Shepard sold his cattle through. Glancing at the screen, Mark and Ellen’s home number flashed up.

  A flicker of guilt ran through him. He hadn’t given much thought to Melinda or the situation at home since he’d been back up here. There had been too many other things going on.

  Not knowing who he was going to be speaking to when he answered, he just decided on, ‘Burrows.’

  ‘Dave, it’s Ellen.’ She sounded breathless and the guilt hit Dave’s stomach with full force.

  ‘Ellen? Everything all right?’

  ‘It’s Mel. We had her at the doctor today and her blood pressure was high again. They decided to induce her. He didn’t want to wait.’

  Dave stood up, but realised he didn’t have anywhere to go, so he sat down again. ‘What? When?’

  ‘Early this morning. I tried to call you a couple of times, but I just got your message bank. It wasn’t the sort of thing I wanted to leave a message about, so I’ve kept ringing until you answered.’

  ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’ll catch a flight. Has she had the baby yet?’ Dave didn’t know which question to ask first.

  ‘You’re a dad again, Dave. Another little girl. A very quick birth and both she and Alice are okay.’

  ‘Alice?’ As far as Dave could remember,
he and Mel hadn’t talked about names.

  ‘That’s what she’s named her. Dave, I’m sorry …’

  ‘Doesn’t matter, Ellen,’ Dave said. ‘As long as they’re both okay. I’ll catch the first flight I can, okay? What hospital?’

  Ellen gave him the details and said goodbye.

  ‘Shit!’ Dave got up and paced the edge of the room. ‘Shit, shit, shit.’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Bob said. ‘We’ll get you on the first flight we can. I’ll drive you to the airport now and get something organised ASAP.’

  They were both solemn-faced as they looked at each other, realising the ramifications of Dave not being there for his daughter’s birth.

  ‘Congratulations,’ he added.

  ‘God almighty, can you imagine—’ Dave broke off.

  ‘Son, you don’t need to come back here until you’ve sorted things out at home, okay? Take your time.’

  ‘She’s gonna kill me.’

  ‘Well, look on the bright side, better than Bulldust getting hold of you. At least Mel killing you might be quicker and less painful.’

  ‘Ever the little ray of sunshine, aren’t you?’ Dave ran his hand through his hair. ‘How did it all get to this?’

  ‘Come on, go and grab your things and I’ll run you out to the plane.’

  Dave knew that Bob didn’t have an answer. Opening the door, he jogged back to the caravan park and threw his things into the duffle bag. As he checked he had his driver’s licence and ID in his wallet, his eyes fell on the family picture they’d had taken on the day he’d come back from Brisbane after getting out of hospital.

  Mel was smiling widely, her arms around Dave’s waist, with Bec on her hip. The gentle swell of her stomach was touching his and he was leaning down pressing his lips to her hair.

  ‘Shit, Mel, I’m sorry,’ he muttered. ‘Sorry I wasn’t there. Sorry that all this stuff has happened to us.’ He looked at it a moment longer and then snapped his wallet shut and grabbed his bag.

  The flight was the longest Dave had ever endured. When they touched down, the relief that coursed through him was almost overwhelming.

  He ran through the terminal and hailed the first taxi he saw. ‘I need to go to Princess Margaret Hospital, as quickly as you can,’ he said, throwing a fifty-dollar note onto the front seat. ‘I’m a copper.’ He flashed his ID.

  The driver didn’t say anything but put his foot down and screeched away from the kerb.

  Please let her be happy to see me, Dave thought as he watched the cars race by. Please.

  ‘Cheers, mate,’ Dave said with relief as they pulled up in the drop-off bay at the hospital. Keep the change.’ He handed him another fifty and yanked the door open, almost tumbling out in his haste.

  Five floors up and he stood nervously in the doorway of Mel’s ward. The butterflies in his stomach were almost as bad as when he’d stood at the altar waiting for Mel to walk down the aisle. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he tiptoed in and saw Mel in bed, on her side, her back to him.

  There was a crib next to the bed and her hand was inside. He thought she might be stroking the little girl’s cheek.

  ‘Hi,’ he said softly.

  Even though Mel wasn’t moving, it seemed to Dave as if she froze as he spoke. Putting his hand out, he touched her shoulder.

  Mel turned over and sat up. ‘Hi,’ she answered.

  Still cautious, Dave sat on the edge of the bed. ‘How are you?’

  ‘Okay. The birth was all fairly fast, but I’m okay.’ She nodded towards the crib. ‘Meet your daughter. I called her Alice.’

  ‘Pretty name,’ he said, not moving but looking into her eyes. ‘I’m sorry.’

  Mel shrugged. ‘Can’t change it now.’

  ‘You’re upset?’

  Mel’s mirthless laugh made Dave realise how much trouble he was in.

  ‘Wouldn’t you be? We knew there wasn’t any point in trying to get to you—that you would’ve been out on a station somewhere. The doctor said we could wait until we got a hold of you, if it was today, but I didn’t want to. Thought it was better to have Alice and get hold of you when we could.’

  Choosing his words carefully, he continued to stroke her hand. ‘I guess I’m the other half of this and I’m very upset I wasn’t here.’

  Mel swallowed and didn’t meet his eye. She stayed silent.

  This unnerved Dave. He really wanted to get up and go and look at his beautiful new daughter, but something kept him sitting on the bed looking at Mel. In the end she said in a singsong voice, ‘You know, Dave, I feel our whole life is about you. About the job. I don’t feel valued or loved or that you’re invested in Bec, Alice and I.’ Her lilting tone sent shivers up Dave’s spine.

  ‘Mel—’

  ‘No, I think you should hear me out. Think about the last three weeks. You’ve been up north twice and to Brisbane. I’ve been living with Mum and Dad. Bec has been out of her routine and her home. Neither of us should have to do that.

  ‘You’ve barely been here and, when you have, we’ve been fighting. You can’t say it’s the best for us all.’

  ‘No, I agree.’ His heart ached at everything she said. How could he fix this and still stay married? Spencer’s voice came to him: I’ve seen this time and time again, where plenty of coppers have changed their roles to make their wives happy. They’ve gone to the country. They’ve gone back to the city. They’ve changed who they are and who they want to be, because of the wife. Next thing you know, the wife up and leaves anyway. You know why? Because it’s not the job they hate. It’s the fact their husband isn’t who they want him to be.

  He took a breath. ‘What do you want to do about it?’

  ‘You haven’t been listening, have you? I’ve asked you to leave the job.’ She folded the sheets between her fingers just as Alice started to stir. Looking at the watch Dave had given her for their wedding anniversary two years ago, she said, ‘Alice is due for a feed.’

  Dave got up and went to the crib, staring in. Squinty eyes stared back at him, a downy black cover on her head. Alice’s fists flayed through the air and she made sucking noises.

  ‘Hello, little one,’ Dave murmured, his voice catching in his throat. ‘Welcome to the world.’ Gently picking her up and kissing her head, he handed her to Mel, who unclipped her bra and latched Alice onto her breast.

  She drank greedily and Dave smiled, reaching out to stroke her arm that was thrown up over her face.

  Dave paused, wondering if he should say what he really wanted to. Surely this wasn’t a conversation to have with his wife when she had just given birth. Too late! The words tumbled out. ‘And now I’ve got a question for you.’

  Mel looked up and met his eyes for the first time.

  ‘What happens if I leave the job and I take up something boring, like you suggested. An accountant. What if you weren’t happy with the hours I had to keep at tax time? Then what? I’ve given up a job I’ve worked towards for years and things still aren’t working between us.’ He held out his hands, appealing to her.

  Alice let out a little cry and they both looked down at her.

  ‘I don’t know,’ she said quietly.

  ‘What I’m asking, Mel, is it really the job, or is it me?’

  Mel’s head snapped up. ‘The job, of course!’

  ‘Are you sure? Because if it’s me, we’re never going to fix the problem. If I change jobs, I’m going to lose a part of me that’s really important and you still mightn’t be happy.’

  Mel’s eyes widened and Dave could tell he’d shocked her with his words.

  ‘I’m going to get a coffee and come back, okay?’ he said. ‘Can I bring you anything?’

  She shook her head and just before she dropped her gaze towards Alice, Dave saw the glistening of tears in her eyes.

  Chapter 30

  Kit waved as two tourist vehicles drove down the main street of Boogarin. He continued along the pavement until he came to the farm merchandise store and pushed the door ope
n.

  ‘G’day there, Sally,’ he said to the girl on the front desk. ‘Digby around?’

  ‘Hello, Kit. How are you? I’ll see if he’s free.’ She picked up the phone and dialled a number. ‘Kit’s here to see you.’ She listened and then waved Kit to go through. ‘You know where you’re going,’ she said and turned back to her computer.

  Kit walked down the passageway toward Digby’s office, stopping to say hi to the people behind the merchandise counter.

  ‘Got a pallet of lick blocks I can take home with me?’ he asked one of them.

  ‘Sure, Kit. Your ute out front? I’ll get them loaded up for you.’

  ‘Good on you, fella. Cheers.’

  Kit greeted a short, ruddy-faced man standing at his office doorway. ‘How you going, Digby?’ He walked towards the stock agent, his hand outstretched.

  ‘Good, Kit. You? Come on in.’

  They took their seats and Kit leaned back, crossing his legs. ‘How’d that shipment of cattle from Darwin port a couple of weeks ago end up?’

  ‘Arrived and docked without any problems,’ Digby answered. ‘We had a couple of vets on board to make sure the cattle were well looked after. No problems at all, even with the temps a bit higher than were forecast.’

  ‘Good, that’s real good. Now, listen, I wanted to talk to you about getting some forward contracts for next year. Got any idea what sort of money we’re talking yet?’

  ‘Nothing’s come through, but I can make some enquiries. How many are you talking?’

  ‘Maybe three hundred micky bulls.’

  Digby whistled. ‘Nice. That a few more than usual?’