Indigo Storm

by Fleur McDonald

  With a hill edge high on one side and a line of gum trees on the other bank, they trekked in, listening to magpies singing and crows calling. The gentle, pale sunlight was warm enough for Eliza to think about taking off her jumper, but the wind had a brass monkeys chill factor.

  Finally, Heidi stopped. ‘Here,’ she said and pointed to where a cliff overhung the creek. ‘You can shelter when it’s raining or get out of the hot sun in here. We’ve had lots of picnics here, haven’t we, Tilly?’

  ‘Yeah. I don’t like coming here.’

  ‘Oh, really?’ Eliza looked at her, puzzled. ‘Why would you not like it here? It’s so beautiful and peaceful.’

  The two girls looked at each other before Tilly looked up at Eliza. ‘We came here when Mum still lived with us.’

  Eliza swallowed. ‘Let’s set up the picnic,’ she suggested, shrugging her backpack from her shoulders. ‘Now, I brought a couple of special treats. Who likes chocolate?’

  ‘Me!’

  Eliza laughed as they answered at the same time. She handed out the chocolate bars and poured water into the plastic cups she’d brought.

  She asked questions about the park and the girls answered every one she threw at them. They were hungry for female company, she realised, and both of them were extremely clever.

  When they had eaten their fill, they all lay on their backs, looking at the blue sky.

  ‘Okay,’ said Eliza. ‘What rhymes with “tree”?’

  ‘Bee!’ called Tilly.

  ‘Great, now let’s spell it. B. E. E,’ Eliza led off and the girls joined in. These two are going to learn better outside, she thought. This is where they’re both comfortable.

  Without warning, Tilly leaned over to Eliza, who was still lying on her back, and reached out a finger. Eliza froze as she felt the gentle touch on her cheek.

  ‘How did you get this?’ Tilly asked.

  Eliza felt her hand go to the scar and was instantly transported back to Dominic looming above her. When he had pulled her hair she’d had tears in her eyes from the pain and her chest had felt tight. Now, concentrating hard, she tried to get her feelings under control.

  ‘Eliza?’

  She realised both children had sat up and were staring at her. ‘Um,’ she took a shaky breath. ‘I had an accident and I got cut.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘Oh, it was just a silly accident. It was so long ago now, I’ve forgotten. Now, how about we pack up and head back to the house, so we can do a bit more schoolwork? We’ve had such a lovely break. Thank you for showing me this beautiful spot.’

  Playing follow-the-leader, the three of them walked back towards the house, Eliza trying to still her heart and furious with herself for reacting the way that she did.

  She was not a victim anymore. How could she allow Dominic to still have any power over her? It was something she’d thought a lot about and worked really hard on since she’d left him. There was no way she wanted him to have any influence over her life and that included her reactions.

  She recalled that not long after she’d first arrived in Blinman, she’d woken one night to the sound of a vehicle.

  Breaking out in a sweat, the fear she’d felt and the knots in her stomach had been testament to the fact she still had a way to go when it came to Dominic having no power over her. It had been the sound of the engine.

  It was the same as the one in the vehicle Dominic drove.

  Tilly’s voice broke through her thoughts.

  ‘Here comes the policeman again.’

  Eliza looked in the direction she was pointing.

  ‘What policeman?’ she asked. She glanced towards the house, trying to work out how long it would take her to get there. She wanted to usher the kids inside, so she could stay hidden in the schoolroom.

  ‘He visits every so often,’ Heidi said. ‘His name is Dave.’

  Eliza watched with trepidation as a white station wagon drew to a halt in the middle of the road. She had enjoyed his and his wife’s company when they’d had dinner together, but she preferred to keep a very safe distance from Dave, no matter how nice he was. She imagined that, being a detective, he would have some kind of sixth sense about things not being quite right.

  Dave Burrows’ friendly face stared out at them and he broke into a smile.

  ‘Hello there, you two,’ he said. ‘Are you showing your new teacher the ropes?’

  Eliza stood back from the car as Heidi launched into great detail about their stroll and what they had been doing.

  She could see Dave listening intently, his eyes never leaving Heidi’s face—which she was grateful for. He asked a few questions, engaging both children, then opened the glove box and handed over two Kit Kats.

  ‘Now, you make sure you’re not too hard on Eliza,’ he instructed. ‘She’s new here, you know, and you wouldn’t want to scare her too much. She might run away.’

  Eliza felt her face flush and she looked down, too frightened to see the expression on his face. She hoped that his choice of words was just that—and didn’t mean he knew who she was.

  Chapter 11

  The door of the shop flew open and a man rushed in.

  ‘Reen!’ he called. ‘Hey, Reen!’

  Eliza came out from the kitchen, where she’d been reading a photography magazine. ‘She’s not here. Sorry. Can I help?’

  The man looked at her, puzzled. ‘Sorry, I don’t know you.’

  ‘No, and I guess I don’t know you either,’ Eliza quipped. ‘But, despite all of that, can I help you at all? I promise I can cook, pack up the pasties and pies, work the till, charge you correctly and clean.’

  ‘Good. I’ll marry you then,’ he shot back at her with a grin.

  Eliza raised her eyebrows, a small smile crossing her lips. ‘I don’t think that’s an offer I’ll take up. But thanks anyway.’ She stood there and waited for him to tell her what he wanted.

  ‘So, where is Maureen?’ he asked as he went across to the drinks cabinet and pulled out a Coke.

  ‘Gone to Port Augusta to get some supplies.’

  ‘Can I get a Cornish pasty and a quandong pie to take away, please?’

  ‘Sure.’ She grabbed a paper bag and a pair of tongs before sliding open the warmer. The man leaned against the bench, pushing his hat back on his head, and looked at her.

  ‘I think I know you,’ he said.

  ‘I’m sure you don’t.’ A nervous feeling crept through her stomach.

  ‘You look familiar.’

  Concentrating on keeping her face impassive, she answered: ‘Oh, I just have one of those faces. Everyone says that to me.’ She shrugged. ‘I don’t take any notice of it anymore.’

  ‘You didn’t tell me your name.’

  Eliza stopped what she was doing and eyed him. ‘You didn’t tell me yours. Or why you came rushing in looking for Reen.’

  ‘Fair call. I’m Jacob. Station owner.’ He held out his hand and Eliza took it.

  ‘I’m Eliza. General dogsbody.’

  ‘Oh, yeah, I’ve heard about you. From Stu. I’d forgotten. Sorry.’

  ‘I help out with the house animals while they’re away. Where’s your station?’

  ‘’bout twenty k west of here. Out on the Parachilna road.’

  ‘Oh, okay—have you got that windmill and sheep yards on the creek there? I was out there the other day and saw some goats.’

  ‘Yep, that’s mine.’

  There was a silence that Eliza felt the need to fill. ‘Well, that’s got that sorted. Anything else I can get you?’

  ‘Nope.’ He held out a fifty-dollar note and waited while Eliza rang up the sale on the till and gave him the change. ‘So, where have you arrived from?’

  ‘Oh, here and there,’ she answered vaguely. ‘I’ve been travelling a fair bit, so I don’t really come from anywhere.’

  ‘Interesting.’

  ‘You didn’t say why you were in a rush.’

  ‘I just like to stir up Reen. Run in here and pretend I’
m in a hell of a hurry, and then sit and yarn to her for a while. She doesn’t ever take me seriously. I’ve been on holidays for the last couple of weeks and so it’s been a while since we caught up.

  ‘So, since she’s not here, I’ll sit and talk to you.’

  Eliza shook her head. ‘Sorry, I can’t. I’ve got vegetables to cut up and another batch of scones to make.’ Jacob was making her nervous, with his brown eyes regarding her steadily. In the five minutes he’d been in the shop, he’d asked her more questions than anyone else had in the whole time she’d been in Blinman.

  ‘Oh, come on now. Surely you’ve got time to chat to a lonely bachelor who only gets any company when he comes to town to have a beer?’

  ‘No, I’ve really got to get all of this done before Reen comes back. Otherwise, she’ll be wondering why I haven’t finished.’

  ‘Actually, I did have an idea I wanted to talk through with Reen, but how about I run it past you?’

  Eliza, making a show of being busy, started to walk back into the kitchen. ‘Make it quick.’ And stay out there, she thought.

  But Jacob followed her through the door and hefted himself up onto the counter.

  ‘Not sure that’d adhere to health and hygiene standards,’ Eliza said dryly as she watched his boots leave a trail of red mud behind him.

  ‘Oh shit. Sorry.’ He glanced around and leaned over to pick up the magazine Eliza had been reading. ‘Uh-huh,’ he muttered in a sarcastic tone. ‘Real busy, I can tell.’ Jacob shot her an amused look before putting it down.

  Ignoring him, Eliza grabbed a handful of carrots out of the fridge and started peeling them. She decided to steer the direction of the conversation.

  ‘So, what’s happening on the station for you at the moment?’

  ‘Been mustering, getting the sheep closer to the yards, so we can start lamb marking,’ he answered. ‘Know much about farming?’

  Eliza shook her head. ‘I know about a few basic things like shearing, but not the details.’

  Jacob nodded. ‘So, what do you do other than help out Reen? Do you want a hand to peel all of those?’

  ‘I’m fine. But thanks. I’ve started helping out Chris Maynard, by governessing his girls. I go down there a couple of days a week and supervise their schoolwork.’

  ‘Keep you out of mischief.’

  ‘Those girls keep me on my toes, that’s for sure.’ She smiled and grabbed a knife out of the drawer to dice the carrots.

  She lifted her head as she heard the front door bell ring.

  ‘It’s only me,’ Reen called out. ‘And if that Jacob Maynard is spreading mud or dust around my kitchen, there’ll be hell to pay!’

  Eliza raised her eyebrows and Jacob spread out his hands in a ‘who, me?’ gesture.

  ‘Maynard?’ she asked.

  ‘Yeah, Maynard. I’m Chris’s brother.’

  Reen came into the kitchen, shopping bags spilling out of her hands. ‘Oh, there you are. Chatting up my kitchen hand, are you?’

  Jacob assumed a look of complete innocence. ‘Never.’

  ‘No, of course not. Make yourself useful, can you? There’s still some more shopping out in my car.’

  ‘Anything for you, Reen.’

  ‘Yeah, yeah. Get away with you.’

  ‘You never told me Chris had a brother,’ Eliza said after Jacob had headed out for the shopping. She started to unpack the bags Reen had put on the floor.

  ‘I don’t suppose it came up. I’m not the genealogy society of Blinman, you know.’

  ‘Of course you are! You know everything about everybody.’ Eliza saw pain in Reen’s face. ‘Long day?’

  ‘Yeah, but a good one. I’m exhausted now.’

  ‘I’ve cooked tea for you. It’s in the fridge. Save you having to do it.’

  ‘You’re a gem. That’s the last thing I feel like doing. I want to curl up in my bed with a whisky and my electric blanket. And perhaps a few painkillers too.’

  Jacob returned and put some more bags on the bench. ‘I actually came to talk to you about an idea I had,’ he said seriously.

  Reen pulled out a chair and sat down heavily on it. ‘Fire away, then.’

  ‘I’ve been thinking about this year’s cook-off.’

  ‘Not far away now. Have I told you about it, Eliza?’ Reen asked.

  Eliza shook her head. ‘I’ve read about it—just what was in the magazine. I know it’s fairly popular.’

  ‘It’s huge! We get hundreds of people up here for it. They’ve got to cook over coals in a camp oven. It’s amazing what people produce. Curries, cakes, roasts. The smell is divine!’

  ‘Can’t wait.’

  ‘And it’s not just camp oven cooking,’ Jacob broke in. ‘We have a few other events too. Damper throwing and swag rolling—that’s always a good one.’

  ‘It’s a fun weekend,’ Reen remarked.

  ‘But, Reen, I was talking to Mary Caulder and she was saying that the Frontier Services are running fairly low on funds. Can we do some sort of fundraising for them? I thought the cook-off might be the best bet.’

  Eliza opened the freezer and placed the loaves of bread inside, then started stacking the bacon and meat patties alongside them.

  ‘Really?’ Reen leaned forward and put her chin on the heel of her palm. ‘I wouldn’t have thought they’d have problems. The church usually props them up, doesn’t it?’

  Jacob nodded. ‘Along with fundraising and donations from the public. But there’s not enough of either at the moment. You know how tight things are around here, with the last few years being so bad.’

  ‘I tell you what, you couldn’t have got a better service from them up here during the drought years,’ Reen said. ‘I reckon there would’ve been a lot more suicides if they hadn’t been around.’

  ‘Absolutely,’ Jacob said. ‘And you know I would have been one of them.’

  Silence filled the shop and Eliza froze, not knowing how to react. She looked over at this strong-looking man, who had an easy smile and kind eyes. He’d done nothing but joke with her since he’d arrived and there was no way she would have guessed that he’d ever had suicidal thoughts.

  Jacob turned around and caught her looking at him. ‘True story,’ he said. ‘Dessie, he’s the chaplain, drove into Manalinga—that’s my station—just at the right time. It was like he knew he had to come and see me. I’d just thrown the rope over the shearing shed rafter.’ Jacob looked down and swallowed.

  Eliza, overcome with emotion, reached out and touched his arm. ‘It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me.’

  ‘It’s good to talk about it,’ he answered, not looking up. ‘I was trying to work out if I should take my dog with me. Except I would have had to shoot him and I didn’t think I could do that. Strange, isn’t it? Didn’t think I could shoot my best mate, but I thought I could hang myself. Anyway, old Dessie sat with me in that stinking hot shearing shed. It was about forty-seven degrees and the wind was howling—moaning around the openings of the shed. It was so hot and dry, even the flies were sitting down somewhere.’

  Eliza slowly lowered herself to the floor, transfixed by what she was hearing. Reen had reached out and was holding Jacob’s hand in support.

  ‘We sat like that for hours. He didn’t try and talk me into going into the house, or anything, to get me away from the rope. We just stayed as he found me. I talked. He listened. Then he talked and I listened. Finally, I stood up and we went back to the house.’ He gave a sad smile. ‘I would have been stuffed if he hadn’t come by that day and, I tell you what, I’ll never know how he came straight to the shearing shed instead of going to the house first. I hadn’t left my ute outside—it was at the house. He just knew.’

  ‘He’s saved loads of people,’ Reen said, patting Jacob’s hand. She grinned widely. ‘And he’s married a few too.’

  ‘As well as christened the babies and buried the dead.’

  ‘We need to keep Dessie coming out here, that’s for sure. Reckon the community would
be lost without him.’ Reen continued, ‘So, what sort of fundraiser did you have in mind?’

  ‘I’ve got an idea,’ Eliza said. ‘What about a selfie trail?’

  They both looked at her, puzzled.

  ‘What do you mean?’ Reen asked.

  ‘Okay—say we make up a list of places people have to visit while they’re in Blinman: the mine, Parachilna Gorge, places in the national park. They have to take a selfie to prove they’ve been there. It’s a great way to get people to see parts they otherwise wouldn’t go to.’

  ‘Where does the fundraising come into it?’ Jacob asked.

  ‘They have to pay an entry fee. Either per person or per carload, or something like that. We can work out the details later.’ Eliza felt a bubble of excitement building inside her. ‘Pick some places that are out of the way; unusual spots that are beautiful or different, and people don’t usually go to. Someone’s homestead, a cemetery, that type of thing. The first person back with all of the places documented in selfies is the winner. They get a prize of some sort.’

  Jacob nodded. ‘Yeah, like Forget-me-not Well or the Wilson cemetery. Hey, I like this idea! What about you, Reen?’

  ‘It’s certainly got merit, but are you going to get older people taking selfies, do you think? Some of them find it hard just to use a mobile phone.’

  ‘From what I’ve seen at the park, most of the caravaners there have got iPads, but they could take photos on their cameras and show us. All we need to see is the photo on the display screen. And everyone has digital cameras these days.’

  ‘Yeah, absolutely they do,’ Jacob agreed.

  ‘Let’s get some other heads together on it,’ Reen said. ‘It’ll take more than us three to get it organised and we’ll have to thrash out the details. Eliza, I think you should be in charge, don’t you, Jacob?’

  ‘Her idea. She’s in charge,’ Jacob said, with a wink in Eliza’s direction.

  His enthusiasm was infectious but Eliza was torn. Part of her was worried about drawing attention to herself, and the other part wanted to be involved in this tight-knit community.

  ‘I think I can do that,’ she answered, trying to ignore the nervousness threatening to overtake her.