Little Girl Lost

by Gover, Janet

No news was good news. Right?

  Not at the end of the second full day of searching it wasn’t.

  He thought back to the case he’d studied at the academy. Four-year-old Steven Walls had survived for four days and three nights and been found eleven kilometres from where he went missing. Renee was six, but where Steven had been bush born and bred, she was a city kid. She didn’t know what to eat or not eat in the bush. And Tyangi was a very different place to the mountains where Steven had gone missing. In the mountains, there had been creeks with clean water and shady places for the child to rest. There was no water here, and under the blazing sun in this part of the outback, water was everything.

  He looked over to the mouth of the caves they had just searched. Renee’s father was slumped against a red sandstone boulder. His head was in his hands, and his hunched shoulders were shaking. Max knew the man was crying. His despair hung over him like a cloud. In all his years as a policeman, Max had never felt able to help someone suffering such profound grief. They didn’t teach that at the academy. He did his best, but was never sure he’d done it right.

  Like this search. He’d done the best he could. The townsfolk had rallied around, as they always did. Jess was back in the air again today, with Rachel Quinn as spotter. The trackers he’d brought in were the very best. But there were too few of them. When they had found Steven Walls alive, it had taken more than four thousand people. And several aircraft. He didn’t have those resources to call upon. But he was not about to give up. Not while there was even a glimmer of hope. If he had to search alone, he would do so until he found her.

  Dan appeared beside him. ‘I guess we should head back.’

  ‘I guess so.’

  They stood in silence for a few moments, watching the broken man by the cave mouth.

  ‘The poor bugger,’ Dan said.

  That was something of an understatement.

  ‘I’ll get him.’ Max walked slowly over to Mr Haywood.

  At the sound of Max’s footsteps, Haywood looked up. His eyes were ringed with red and tears streaked the sweat and dirt on his cheeks. The hope that flared in his eyes was quashed instantly when he saw the look on Max’s face. His shoulders heaved and he buried his face in his hands again.

  ‘She’s … she’s dead, isn’t she?’ His voice broke.

  ‘Don’t say that.’ Max laid his hand on the distraught man’s shoulder. ‘Kids are stronger than we think. You’re a father. You know that. Don’t give up on Renee, Evan. I don’t plan to, so you can’t either.’

  ‘It’s my fault,’ the distraught father sobbed. ‘Hazel was always at me for spending too much time at work. She insisted we take a family holiday. She wanted to go to the beach, but I said we should come out here. It wasn’t just for the holiday. I wanted to look at some aboriginal art. I thought that would be good for my business. I was working again. I wasn’t paying attention when Renee … And now she’s lost and it’s my fault.’

  Privately, Max might have thought there was some truth in those words. But dishing out blame wasn’t going to do anyone any good.

  ‘No,’ he said. ‘It’s not anyone’s fault. What we need to do now is focus on finding her. All right?’

  Haywood nodded.

  ‘Good.’ Max gave him a minute to pull himself together. He picked up a water bottle that was sitting at the man’s feet and passed it to him.

  ‘We’re heading back to camp now.’

  Haywood looked at the bottle in his hands. ‘Oh God. She hasn’t got any water out there. And it’s so hot …’

  ‘Stop that!’ Max said firmly. ‘That’s not going to help. Your wife and son are back at camp. They need you to be strong.’

  Haywood took a long deep breath, then slowly stood up. ‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘Let’s go.’

  They walked back to the car. Evan got into the back seat and remained silent as they drove back to the main search site.

  The camp was almost deserted when they returned. Max saw John Hewitt, the reporter, helping himself to water at the food tent. Sarah was standing by the radio. No sooner had Haywood stepped out of the car, than his son appeared at Sarah’s side.

  ‘Dad!’ The boy raced across the campsite and flung himself into his father’s arms. Haywood gathered Dustin into a massive bear hug, lifting him off the ground.

  The click of Hewitt’s camera made Max frown. He knew the man was just doing a job, but at times like this, it was a shitty job. If he could, Max would ban him from the search site. But he really couldn’t, and now wasn’t the time to start a fight.

  Haywood looked over his son’s head at Max, his eyes full of gratitude and despair. Then he turned and carried the boy back towards the motorhome. As he approached, the door opened. Mrs Haywood ran down the stairs to fling her arms around her son and her husband. For a long minute they just stood there, any past problems pushed aside by their desperate need for comfort. Max had to wonder if maybe the family might end up stronger as a result of these few terrible days. But that would only happen if they found Renee … alive.

  Max joined Sarah in the shade of the tent, keeping a close eye on Hewitt to make sure he didn’t bother the Haywoods.

  ‘My heart aches for them,’ Sarah said as the door of the motorhome closed behind the small family.

  ‘I know,’ Max said. He glanced up at the sky. ‘There’s still a fair stretch of daylight left. Let’s not give up hope yet.’

  Pete had long since given up any attempt to really see the track they were following. Dave just seemed to know where to go. He paused now, looking in two directions.

  ‘See, she was here,’ he said, pointing to the ground.

  Pete and Tia both crowded forward. Pete looked down at the ground and saw nothing to indicate the girl had been there; just red dirt that had already lost all traces of moisture from yesterday’s downpour. Thank goodness they weren’t relying on Pete’s eyes. He trusted Dave. The tracker knew what he was doing.

  ‘How long?’ he asked.

  ‘Hard to say. Today. Definitely today. See here, the dirt is still wet where she kicked that rock.’

  It didn’t look wet to Pete, although it might have been just a fraction darker than the ground around it.

  ‘Then she can’t be too far away.’ Pete glanced at Tia and saw her face reflecting his own hope.

  ‘Now you call for her,’ Dave instructed.

  ‘Renee! Renee!’ Tia called.

  They held their breaths and waited, listening carefully. There was no reply.

  ‘Maybe she’s asleep. Tired. We’ll keep going. You keep calling her name.’ Dave cast his eye over the ground again and started walking.

  Pete felt his energy return. They were close. He glanced at Tia and saw the same hope in her eyes. The sun was sinking in the west. They had some daylight left, but not too much. They had to find her. Soon. His instincts told him that the little girl might not survive another night out here alone.

  ‘Do you think we should try to get more searchers to this area?’ Tia asked.

  The same thought was forming in Pete’s mind. There were other search parties not too far away.

  ‘Maybe,’ he said.

  Tia called Renee’s name again. Still no answer.

  Just ahead of them, Dave stopped in his tracks. He bent down to touch his fingers to the earth.

  ‘She’s close,’ he said. ‘We need more people.’ Dave lifted his hands to his face and took a deep breath. ‘Cooee!’

  The harsh cry seemed to echo through the bush. Nearby, a big white bird flew startled from a tree.

  ‘Cooee!’ Dave called again, his voice rising to a high note that swept through the bush like the crack of a whip.

  This time there was an answering call, faint but clear, from some distance away.

  ‘That’s Grandpa,’ Dave sa
id. ‘I bet their track is coming back towards us from the other side of that ridge there. They’ll be with us soon.’

  Tia suddenly froze.

  ‘Wait. Listen!’

  Pete listened carefully. ‘I don’t hear—’

  Tia grabbed his arm and motioned him into silence.

  ‘Renee,’ she called, loud enough for her voice to carry, but not loud enough to frighten an already terrified child.

  Then Pete heard it too. It sounded like someone sobbing.

  ‘This way,’ Tia said, moving to her left.

  Pete followed, his heart thumping. Tia reached out to grab his hand and he held on to her as if he were afraid that she too would get lost.

  ‘Renee!’ Tia called again.

  This time she was answered with what sounded like a child calling for her mother.

  ‘Renee!’

  Tia let go of Pete’s hand and pushed her way through a patch of scrubby undergrowth. He was right behind her when she stopped dead in her tracks. Pete looked past her.

  The little girl was huddled against a fallen tree. Her clothes were torn and her skin was burned a fierce red by the sun. Her face was dirty and scratched and streaked with tears and her brown eyes were wide open. In her hands she clutched a bedraggled yellow teddy bear.

  ‘I want my mummy,’ Renee cried.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The little girl’s cry went straight to Tia’s heart. In three steps she had closed the distance between them. She dropped to her knees and gathered Renee up into her arms. The girl stiffened for a few moments then she dropped her teddy bear and wrapped her thin arms around Tia’s neck and started to sob in earnest.

  Tia lifted her gently and then sat down on the tree trunk. She cradled the child in her lap, rocking backwards and forwards.

  ‘It’s all right, Renee. You’re safe now. We’ll have you back with your mummy and daddy real soon, honey. I promise we will.’

  The arms around her neck tightened, and the sobs continued. Tia thought her own heart would break. She remembered all the times when she had been alone and hurt and crying, and no one had come to her. Tears welled up in her eyes and slid silently down her cheeks.

  ‘Shhh, it’s all right,’ she crooned, using the words she had longed to hear when she was a lost and frightened child. ‘You’re safe now.’

  Something tapped Tia on the shoulder. She looked up to see Pete holding a bottle of water for her. Tears were on his cheeks too.

  ‘Thanks.’ She took it. Pete had already removed the lid. ‘Here, Renee, I bet you’re thirsty.’

  Renee lifted her face from Tia’s shirt and grabbed for the bottle with both hands.

  ‘Careful,’ Tia said. ‘Sip it slowly, honey, or else you’ll make yourself sick.’

  Renee wasn’t listening, so Tia gently took the bottle from her after a couple of mouthfuls.

  ‘Slowly,’ she said again.

  Renee looked up at her with tear-filled brown eyes and nodded.

  ‘Good,’ Tia said gently. ‘Now, honey, are you hurt?’

  Renee nodded. ‘I scratched myself. It hurt.’

  Tia looked carefully at the scratches on the girl’s face and arms. There were brown smears of dried blood, but none of them looked serious. Of more concern was the bright redness of her sunburned skin. Renee was going to suffer with that.

  ‘I can see you did scratch yourself,’ Tia told the little girl. ‘But I think it’s going to be all right. You are such a brave little girl. I bet your sunburn hurts too.’

  With a solemn face, Renee nodded.

  ‘We’ll get you to see Doctor Adam soon. He’s a nice man and a very good doctor. He’ll make it all better. But in the meantime here, you should wear my hat.’ Tia placed her hat over the little girl’s head. It was far too large, but it would still help protect Renee from the sun.

  Tia continued to carefully monitor how much Renee drank while all the time talking to her gently.

  ‘That’s enough for now, honey,’ she said as she took the bottle again and handed it back to Pete. ‘You can have some more in a little while.’

  She suddenly realised there was noise all around her. She had been so concerned with the little girl, she hadn’t noticed that Dave’s ‘cooee’ had brought other searchers to their location. She could hear them talking and slapping Pete and Dave on the back, celebrating a longed-for but uncertain happy end to their search.

  ‘I’m hungry,’ Renee said. ‘And I want my mummy and daddy.’

  ‘I know, honey.’

  Tia looked at Pete. He swung his pack off his back and dug inside for a sandwich.

  ‘All right, Renee,’ Tia said. ‘We have a sandwich here. But you can’t eat it all at once. Just a couple of small bites for now, okay? You can have some more when we get back to the camp.’

  Renee nodded as she took the offered food.

  Tia stood up, the child still in her arms. Any weariness she had been feeling had been driven away by the euphoria of the moment. Renee stared over her shoulder at the men and women clustered around them.

  ‘Do you want me to take her?’ Pete asked.

  ‘No. I’ve got her,’ Tia said.

  ‘Can someone run on ahead and let them know,’ Pete asked of the crowd around them. ‘Tell her parents she’s safe. Get Doctor Adam on the radio so we can find out what he wants us to do.’

  ‘I can do that,’ a voice said from the back of the crowd, followed immediately by the sound of someone running through the bush.

  The group parted to let Tia carry Renee through. Pete walked at her side, carrying Renee’s battered teddy bear. A few people reached out to touch the little girl, as if to reassure themselves that she really was alive and well.

  As they passed Dave and Grandpa Pindarri, the old man gently patted Renee’s head. It was almost a blessing.

  ‘Thank you,’ Tia said to the two trackers, and was answered with two very happy smiles.

  They walked back, gathering more searchers as they went. At one point, Tia handed Renee to Pete, while she caught her breath. Her arms felt empty without the little girl and, as soon as she felt able, she took Renee back. For her part, the child was happy to bury her face in Tia’s shoulder, although she occasionally lifted her head to stare wide-eyed at the people following behind them.

  They were quite a crowd by the time they reached the campsite. When she emerged from among the trees, the first thing Tia saw was Renee’s parents standing by the tent. The second thing she saw was Max standing with them. He heard the people approaching and turned. A huge smile lit his face as he saw Tia and her companions.

  ‘Mummy!’

  ‘Renee!’

  The little girl wriggled in Tia’s arms. Tia put her down and she ran towards her family. Her parents scooped her up and she was lost in a joyous reunion. The little girl almost disappeared in a family embrace that also included her big brother. Tia felt tears pricking her eyes. All around the campsite, people were cheering and applauding.

  Max left the reunited family for a few moments and came to hug her.

  ‘Thank you, from everyone,’ he whispered in her ear.

  ‘It wasn’t me,’ she said. ‘Dave led us to her. I just …’

  ‘You just helped save a little girl’s life,’ Max said. ‘We are all so proud of you.’

  How good his arms felt around her. And his words of praise were the sweetest thing she had ever heard. Exhausted as she was, she suddenly felt about ten feet tall.

  ‘Go get some food and water,’ Max said as he, reluctantly it seemed, released her. ‘And when all this is over, I am buying you dinner. No arguments.’

  ‘I wasn’t going to argue.’

  The smile he gave her seemed full of meaning. Feeling as if her heart was going to burst, she slipped quietly a
way from the crowd and wandered over to the food tent where Syd Warren stood, sporting a smile so broad it looked as if his face would split in half.

  ‘Drop by the pub some time soon,’ he said. ‘Dinner is on the house.’

  She nodded as she picked up a bottle of water, twisted the top off and drank deeply. Then she looked around her with the feeling of deepest satisfaction. She had played her part in something amazing and in doing so, for the first time in a very long time, she felt like she belonged. Not only that, but this place to which she belonged was a good place.

  Like many people in the campground, Sarah had tears in her eyes as she watched Renee reunited with her family. When two of the searchers had run into camp a few minutes ago with the news, a cheer had gone up that must have been heard for miles. The Haywood family had emerged from their motorhome, and the looks on their faces had been enough to lift even the most exhausted searcher’s heart.

  She’d radioed the news to Mount Isa police, who were now trying to set up a link with Doctor Adam. Their first concern had to be getting the little girl to him for a check-up. There was no way Jess’s air ambulance could land here. They’d have to drive Renee back to Coorah Creek. Max had already decided they weren’t going to leave until they had at least talked to Adam on the radio and had instructions on what to do. It was a long drive to the Creek, and they wanted the little girl to be as comfortable as possible.

  A tall figure detached itself from the crowd and Pete walked over to join her in the tent where she was seated with her injured ankle bandaged and resting on another chair.

  ‘So I guess you’re her knight in shining armour now as well,’ Sarah said. ‘I always knew you were a hero.’ She stood awkwardly on her toes and kissed him on the cheek.

  ‘I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,’ Pete said, running his hand through his hair. ‘I’m not a hero.’

  ‘You are just a man who has spent two days and nights out here searching for a little lost girl. A little girl who is now safe. Don’t tell me that’s nothing.’

  Pete’s lips twitched, and slowly a smile spread over his face.

  ‘We found her,’ he said quietly. ‘We found her!’ This time it was a cry of satisfaction as he picked Sarah up and laughed joyfully as he spun her around. He lowered her carefully back to the ground and crushed her to him in a vigorous hug. ‘She’s going to be fine. That’s just—’