‘Can you come with me for a moment?’ he asked. From the resigned look on Chris’s face, Dave could tell he knew what was about to happen, but the ranger followed him without a word. When they reached the police car, they faced each other.
‘Chris Maynard, I’m arresting you on suspicion of animal trafficking,’ Dave said.
Tears welled up in Chris’s eyes, but he didn’t speak.
Dave said, ‘Now, mate, I’m going to allow you the dignity of walking out of here without being handcuffed. Just get in the back of the car. No one needs to know any of this just yet.’
Now a broken man, Chris choked out: ‘My girls . . .’
‘I’m sorry.’ Dave didn’t know what else he could say.
‘Ask Jacob and Eliza to look after them,’ he whispered. ‘Until I’m back. He’s my brother. My family. Don’t let welfare get involved. Please,’ he begged.
‘That will be okay for the time being,’ Dave answered. He knew that at some stage welfare would have to be involved, but, for the moment, those little girls would be with two people who loved them. And not only that, the whole town would gather them to their hearts and love them.
Epilogue
Weeks later, Jacob drove into Blinman with Eliza in the passenger seat, and Heidi and Tilly in the back. The girls had been very sad and quiet since Chris had been taken away to await trial, but Jacob hoped that with him, Eliza and Reen giving them love and support, and the endless stream of visitors, including Mary and John, they would be okay. Eliza had just had the last of her physio sessions. Her arm might never move as well as it had, but she hoped it would heal enough to allow her to do all the things she wanted to do.
‘Look!’ Eliza said, a laugh in her voice. ‘Reen’s got the welcoming committee out! There’s Mary and John. Oh, and Stacey and Stu! And Dave and Kim!’ She stopped, the lump in her throat almost too big for her to continue. ‘And Dessie.’
The girls didn’t tumble excitedly out of the car as they once had, but they threw themselves into Mary and John’s arms with the same gusto.
‘It’s good to see you all again!’ Mary’s voice was husky with emotion.
‘Lunch at the pub is on us,’ John said. ‘Reen, you’ll have to shut the shop for the rest of the day.’
‘What a fantastic idea. This is a day for celebrations!’ She put her arms around Heidi and Tilly. ‘What do you say, Fire Engines all round?’, referring to the lemonade and raspberry cordial drinks that had become the girls’ favourites since their father had been arrested.
Heidi and Tilly chorused yes.
Jacob put his arm around Eliza. They started to walk to the pub, but Dave stopped them.
He said to Eliza: ‘You were right in a lot of the things you said to Dominic that day in the caravan. His sister being asked to run the family business certainly hurt his pride.
‘Basically, he was just a small-town gangster. I think he was under the impression he was running a top organised crime group. He wasn’t. It was very small time, but it did involve poaching wildlife. There were other things he was involved with too—drugs and firearms.’
‘How did he get into smuggling wildlife?’ Eliza asked.
‘That’s not clear yet, but I do know how the chain worked.’ He indicated they should sit down on the store’s verandah. ‘The Taggarts were transporting the animals across the border.’
‘Chris’s in-laws?’ Jacob asked, shocked.
‘They would turn up here three or four times a year, and Chris would have the animals, or eggs, or whatever the orders were, ready for them.
‘They’d stash everything in their caravan and drive back to New South Wales. It was a pretty good set-up. Nobody would expect grey nomads to be doing something like that. It was the perfect cover.’
‘I still can’t believe it,’ Jacob said.
‘How did Chris get to be involved in this?’ Eliza asked. ‘Because that doesn’t make any sense to me. He loves animals, he loves that park.’
‘In his confession, he said that his wife used to do it, until she left. He’d had no idea what she was involved in.
‘When she left, his in-laws threatened him. They said they’d begin proceedings to take the kids away from him, citing he was an unfit father. They weren’t prepared to give up the money they got from smuggling because their daughter was no longer involved. Chris was terrified of getting mixed up in drawn-out legal proceedings, and the effect that might have on his girls, and didn’t know enough about the law to realise the Taggarts didn’t have a leg to stand on. He was planning to put money away the for the girls’ education. Private boarding schools are pretty expensive but he wanted them to have every possible opportunity.’
Eliza looked over at Jacob and saw his eyes were full of tears. She reached over and put her hand on his knee. The whole business was just so awful, and to hear it detailed out loud was even more upsetting.
A lone crow swooped down and landed in one of the cypress pines. It cawed long and low. Eliza shivered at the haunting cry.
The pub door flew open and Heidi called out to them, ‘We’re ordering. Are you coming?’
‘Be right there,’ Jacob answered.
The three of them stood up and started to walk over.
‘How strange is it that Dominic was the one behind all this and I’ve ended up here in Blinman?’ said Eliza.
‘Well, in my job,’ said Dave, ‘fact is usually stranger than fiction. But I’ve got to admit, the links between you and Blinman, and Dominic and Chris, have been on the bizarre side.’
‘Bizarre doesn’t seem to cover it,’ Jacob said dryly.
‘So, what now?’ Eliza asked.
‘Court for all of them,’ Dave answered. ‘Jail for Dominic, without a doubt. We’ve found Simon’s body, so not only will we have him for the poaching, we’ll get him for murder and assault too.
‘I don’t know about Chris: if he’ll get jail time or if the judge will be lenient under the circumstances. A good lawyer might be able to work a miracle.’
‘What about the girls?’
‘They can stay with you for the moment. If you’ll have them.’
‘Of course we will,’ Eliza said. ‘We love them as if they’re our own.’
They walked into the pub and she looked around. Despite all the awful things that had happened, she knew how lucky she was.
Heidi came over and hugged her, then told Jacob what she wanted to eat.
Eliza beckoned to Mary, John and Dessie.
They came over to her, and she held out her arms. ‘Thank you for being my family,’ she said.
Tears filled Mary’s faded blue eyes and she pressed her lips together, as if she were trying to think of something to say. John reached out an arm and wrapped it around Eliza’s shoulders as he took Mary’s hand in his.
Eliza lay her head on John’s shoulder, and smiled into his shirt, which smelled like sun and clean air. They were the best grandparents any girl could hope for.
She could see Dessie out of the corner of her eye. He nodded and closed his eyes briefly. She was sure he was giving a quick prayer of thanks. Eliza reached out to grasp hold of his hand.
‘Thank you,’ she mouthed.
Dessie didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. His face was full of tenderness as he watched her.
‘Excuse me. What about me?’ Reen had put her arms around the three of them and was looking at them all, her face soft.
Gulping hard, Eliza gave her a watery look. ‘What about you?’ But she hugged her too.
‘Actually, you all seem to forget that’s my job,’ Jacob said as he pulled Eliza to him, his hand resting on her waist, and looked down at her, his face filled with love.
‘Ugh. Do you have to kiss her again?’ Tilly asked in a bored tone.
‘Yes, I do,’ Jacob answered, reaching down to press his lips to Eliza’s. ‘I like kissing her.’ He looked over at the girls and wiggled an eyebrow at them, which set off another chorus of groans.
Eliza b
lushed and looked down. Then, just as quickly, she lifted her head and looked at everyone in the room.
‘I am so lucky,’ she said. She reached out to the girls, who came and stood next to both of them. Heidi looked up at her.
‘We’re the lucky ones,’ she commented. ‘Where would we be if you hadn’t been here?’
‘Yeah,’ Tilly added. ‘We like being with you and Uncle Jacob.’ She paused. ‘Even if you do kiss so much.’
Laughter filled the pub and everyone began talking again.
Eliza took her wine and sauntered over to the window, to look out on the quiet street. From the fear and sadness she had felt when she’d arrived in Blinman, she had emerged a strong and independent woman. She had gone from not having anyone, to having a whole town, not just a family. A place to belong and people who loved her.
In a phone call, while Eliza had been in Adelaide for surgery, Kim had said: ‘It takes time, but so often, tears turn to smiles, smiles turn to laughter, and laughter turns to kisses. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months, months into years. And, suddenly, you forget what life was like before. That, my darling girl, will happen to you.’
Standing there in the pub, with her ‘town’, Eliza understood what Kim had meant. She was beginning to forget what life had been like before. Now, she had other people depending on her, and she would be there for them, every step of the way.
Acknowledgements
The last twelve months have been incredibly challenging.
Firstly, to my sister, Suz. I wouldn’t have finished Indigo Storm if it weren’t for your persistence, support, phone calls, plotting and general nagging. How you did all this with a brand new baby, I’m not sure.
To my beautiful friends, who have stood steadfastly beside me and held my hands, during my darkest times and my happiest: Amanda, Ann, Carolyn and Aaron, Em and Pete, Heather, Jan and Pete, Robyn and Tiffany.
Catherine (what a lucky find you were!), Gina, Anna, Kath, Scottish, Shelley, Jenny, Marie, Kelvin, Mel, Maree, Lauren, and Graham and Kate. All at the Rotary Club of Esperance Bay.
I am so blessed to have the best tribe in the world.
Rochelle and Hayden—I love you both so very much. You are the lights of my life.
To my beautiful, gentle soul, Garry. Thank you for always being there, never wavering in your belief in me and also understanding my chaos!
To mum and dad, Nicholas and Susan, who love me when I’m unlovable, and to my beautiful nieces and nephews Ned, Lexy, Mac, Elijah and Chloe—you are precious jewels.
Richard Moore. Appreciated your help and knowledge.
Dave Byrne. Wow. This is the seventh book you’ve been in and helped with! How lucky I was to find you when I was writing Red Dust. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. None of these books would have been the same without your help, knowledge and friendship. By the way, we still haven’t managed that beer yet!
My agent Gaby Naher, publisher Louise Thurtell, editors Sarina Rowell and Sarah Baker, thank you for your understanding and patience. I promise to deliver my next manuscript by the deadline!
To Kelly Waite, who asked me the hardest questions to get me back on track—thank you . . . I think!
To my wonderful readers, I’m so incredibly lucky to have you. After all, without you both the story and the characters within these pages would be absolutely nothing.
Please feel free to contact me. I love hearing from you all and I do my best to respond to everyone!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FleurMcDonaldAuthor/
Twitter: @fleurmcdonald
Website: www.fleurmcdonald.com
Here’s to a brand new era with nothing but love, laughter and happiness.
Author’s note
The Flinders Ranges are a part of Australia I love very much. The scenery and wildness are amazing; there simply aren’t enough adjectives to paint you a proper picture. Firstly, I have to confess that I’ve made many changes to the landscape and also invented places, even though I have also used some real places as settings. I did this to bury the bodies (so to speak!) where they needed to go!
Blinman is a township 511 kilometres north of Adelaide. I’m sure that nothing like the events in this book have ever happened there. Well, if they have, I don’t know about it! To suit the story, I’ve used some poetic licence with the natural features of the national park.
The Kanyaka ruins, the Wilson cemetery and Blinman all feature in Indigo Storm as they are not only steeped in history but also wonderful spots to visit. They are not far from where I grew up, but I’ve only seen them in all their glory during the last twelve months. I just knew I had to set a book in this area. Plus the crime writer in me could see so many places to dump a body where it would never be found . . .
Thanks to Dick Thorp for his suggestion that we visit the Kanyaka ruins on our trip away. The creative juices started flowing the minute I saw those crumbling buildings.
I’ve consulted Lesley Slade’s Blinman: A concise history of Blinman, and Tony Bott’s On the Line to get a ‘feeling’ for the area’s history.
If you ever get the chance you should visit!
Indigo Storm Page 27