Rain Music

by Di Morrissey

  Ned was still. ‘Brendan, in the kitchen tea leaves have been spilled all over the floor and no attempt has been made to clean them up. Bella would never leave a mess like that. I think she’s gone with someone, and I’m sure it wasn’t voluntarily, because she hasn’t left us a note.’

  Brendan looked at Ned in horror. ‘What are we going to do? We’ll have to go back to the roadhouse and contact the police.’

  Ned shook his head. ‘I couldn’t find my way back there with any confidence in the dark. You’d have to be an expert – there are tracks all over the place out here. We’d be no help to Bella at all if we tried it and got hopelessly lost.’

  ‘We can’t just sit here and wait till it gets light,’ said Brendan, the anguish clear in his voice. ‘Bella could be anywhere by then.’

  ‘I know,’ said Ned helplessly. Then abruptly he got to his feet. ‘We need help and I know just the right person. I’m going inside to look for Carlo’s gun.’

  ‘Geez, Ned, do you want to go after whoever took Bella with a gun?’ said Brendan, even more alarmed.

  ‘No, I want to summon help. You know we were talking about Jack earlier? The guy who lives across the valley? He told me on one of his visits that he and Carlo had a pre-arranged signal between them in case of an emergency, because Jack doesn’t have a sat phone. He likes his privacy. I didn’t think in a million years that I would have to use the signal in reverse.’

  Ned hurried into the house and found Carlo’s rifle in the gun rack. He quickly unlocked the rack and then hunted around in Carlo’s uniquely designed drawers until he found some cartridges.

  ‘Hate these damn things,’ he muttered to himself as he rejoined Brendan. ‘I’ll need a torch as well. Can you bring it?’

  ‘Yes, of course. You okay with that rifle? I’ve done a bit of shooting.’

  ‘Thanks, I can manage. Dad showed me what to do years ago. It’s not that hard.’

  Ned went outside and onto the top terrace with Brendan following behind. He grimly loaded the rifle and fired towards the river. He paused and then fired twice more in quick succession. ‘Brendan, wave the torch over your head in as big an arc as you can. I hope to hell that Jack hears and sees our signal. We really need him.’

  Brendan began waving the torch. He looked at Ned’s pale face. ‘What’s going on? Have you any idea?’ he asked.

  ‘I don’t know for sure, but a week or so ago, two blokes turned up in kayaks and helped themselves to food and some of Carlo’s alcohol. I reckon those blokes might have called by again. And I bet they weren’t expecting to find Bella.’

  ‘Oh, Christ, what’ve they done with her?’ Brendan started to shake, but at that moment a rifle shot echoed from the darkness opposite, quickly followed by a second.

  Ned felt a wave of relief. ‘Thank God. Jack heard us. That means he’s on his way. He’ll be here in about half an hour, I guess. Let’s take one more thorough look around, just in case they’ve locked her in a shed or something.’

  ‘Will we go after her?’ asked Brendan. ‘We’ll have to. Can’t leave her out there alone.’

  ‘Let’s see what Jack says. C’mon, let’s keep looking while we’re waiting for him.’

  As Ned headed towards the storage shed on the top of the rise, he realised that he was shaking, too. This nightmare seemed unbelievable. Images of Bella rushed through his mind. He started to think about their heated discussion over their father’s dedication ceremony. What were his last words to her? He didn’t want to leave things this way, when they were so at odds with each other. He should not have listened to her when she’d asked him to take Brendan to the old dam, leaving her alone in this wild place.

  Brendan looked pale as they finished searching the grounds around the river house. ‘I can’t stop thinking about the river. If they’ve taken her out on the water, they might have had some awful accident . . .’

  Ned didn’t want to speculate on Bella’s fate. The thought of what could be happening to her was tying his stomach in knots and making him feel quite ill. He was about to turn back towards the house when he heard Jack’s car.

  ‘Thank God,’ he muttered to himself. ‘Jack will know what to do.’

  Ned raced to open the gate, Brendan following close behind.

  Jack looked sombre as he quickly got out of the car. ‘What’s the emergency? It had better be a real one to get me over here at night.’

  Ned quickly introduced Brendan, then told Jack about Bella’s disappearance and explained what he thought had happened.

  Jack didn’t say a word, but took a torch from his vehicle and hurried down to the river. He looked closely at the ground by the water’s edge and said, ‘Yeah, they got away by river. Same as before, I’d say.’

  ‘How many canoes has Carlo got?’ asked Brendan.

  ‘Enough for us to be able to go after her,’ said Ned.

  Jack frowned. ‘I think a better plan than going after Bella in those canoes would be for me to drive back to the roadhouse and inform the police. They’ll go after those buggers first thing in the morning, even before first light,’ he said.

  Ned and Brendan stared at him.

  ‘But Jack, we have to go now. We can’t hang about till morning waiting for the police. We can’t leave Bella all night with these men. That’s ridiculous! We have to go now!’ said Ned, amazed by Jack’s suggestion.

  ‘Not so ridiculous,’ said Jack dryly. ‘Going out at night could make us sitting ducks. We can’t travel in the darkness without having to shine a light along the edges of the river to see where these men are holed up, and when we round a bend in the river and they see our light, and we can’t see them, what then? What will happen to your sister if they realise they’ve been caught?’ He shook his head. ‘Better to wait for daylight, and by then the coppers will be here.’

  ‘Jack, you can’t mean that,’ said Brendan heatedly. ‘I can’t sit around wondering what is happening to Bella. I have to do something now.’ He turned to Ned. ‘Come on, Ned. If Jack won’t help us, we’ll have to go after her by ourselves.’

  Ned was torn. He felt exactly the same way as Brendan. As far as he was concerned, they had wasted enough time already, but he was aware that Jack was the expert, the one with all the experience, the one whose counsel he should accept. He also knew he could not sit around and wait till morning without taking action.

  ‘Jack, I really value your advice, but Brendan is right. I think we need to get after these men right away, before anything terrible happens.’

  Jack sighed. ‘Okay, okay. Well, I can’t let you two blunder through this country alone, so I guess we go now, even though it’s against my better judgement. Get the other canoe and bring all the torches you can find. I think Carlo’s got a first aid kit somewhere. See if you can find it. And bring some bottles of water.’

  ‘Do you want me to bring Carlo’s gun?’ asked Ned.

  ‘Either of you two experts?’ Jack asked sharply.

  ‘Not really,’ said Ned, and Brendan shook his head.

  ‘Well, if you’re not, then bringing the gun is creating another problem we don’t need. Leave it behind.’

  Ned rounded up the few things Jack had asked for and Brendan retrieved the second canoe from the shed.

  ‘Right, let’s go,’ said Jack grimly.

  They hurried down the steps that led to the lower terrace and the river beyond. Ned noticed that Jack had a small torch attached to a strap that was fastened around his head, so that the light from it bounced as he ran.

  ‘You two take that canoe. I’ll take this one.’ Without another word, Jack settled in the canoe and started to paddle downstream.

  They paddled as fast as they could along the dark river. Occasionally Brendan swung a torch beam along the river bank.

  ‘I don’t think you’ll find the men this close to Carlo’s. I think they’ll be quite a way away
, where there’s even less civilisation than around here,’ said Jack over his shoulder.

  Ned wondered how on earth there could be anywhere more deserted than Carlo’s place, but said nothing.

  At one point there was a distant crack. Ned jumped.

  ‘A rifle?’ he asked.

  Jack shook his head. ‘Too far away to know for sure. Could just be a falling branch.’

  They finally came to the place where the quiet arm of the river joined the main, wider watercourse. They paddled along it for some distance. As Brendan shone his torch ahead, Ned could see that the water flowed around a rocky outcrop. As they neared the smooth, exposed rocks it was clear that another stream joined the main river at that point.

  ‘Do we stay in this main part, or go up that small branch?’ Brendan asked Jack.

  Jack hesitated, resting his paddle. ‘Hard to say. The smaller stream is more of a backwater, so maybe it’s quieter, making it a good place to hide out. The main part of the river is easier to navigate, but it also makes it more open and exposed. What do you think they’d do?’

  ‘Flip a coin,’ said Brendan. ‘I have no idea what these men would do. This country is empty, and as far as I’m concerned, they could be anywhere out here, and we may never find them.’

  ‘I think we should go up the quiet branch,’ said Ned, bringing their canoe alongside Jack’s. ‘I don’t know why, but I just feel that they would want to hang out in the quietest place possible.’

  ‘Okay then, decision’s made.’

  But after a couple of hours of paddling, Jack slowed.

  ‘This water is becoming far too shallow. If we scrape over any rocks in the dark, we’ll be in trouble. I don’t think anyone would bring a kayak or canoe any further upstream. The water level has dropped too much this late in the season. We’ll have to go back down the main river, but first I suggest we take a couple of hours’ rest. We won’t be much help to your sister if we’re exhausted.’

  Ned had no desire to stop. He wanted to turn around at once and keep up the pursuit, but Jack’s authoritative tone suggested he was not open to a discussion this time around.

  ‘I’m not at all happy about stopping,’ said Brendan. ‘But I have to admit that my arms are very tired. Perhaps a short break will help.’

  ‘Shine your torch over there, Brendan.’ Jack examined the river bank closely. ‘Yes, I think we should be able to get out of the canoes here and clamber over those rocks, so we can lie down.’ With that, Jack got out of his canoe and Ned was amazed to see he was standing in knee-deep water. He and Brendan followed suit and they waded to the shore, pulling their canoes behind them. ‘Try to get some sleep. It will start getting light in about three hours. I’ll wake you both then,’ said Jack.

  They made their way over the rocks and looked for somewhere to rest. Ned lay down uncomfortably on one of the flat wide rocks and tried to relax, but his arms and hands were throbbing from all the unaccustomed exercise.

  He couldn’t stop thinking about Bella. While at times she could annoy him, she always had his best interests at heart. She had taken the trouble to track him down in Cooktown, and while he had resented her determination to try to make him do something he didn’t want to do, he also felt remorse that he had not greeted her more warmly. She had made such an effort to do what she thought was best for their family, and instead of welcoming her, he’d bickered with her. She was his only sibling and she meant the world to him, and yet, he thought, his recent actions could have made Bella doubt it. Then another horrible thought occurred to him. What on earth was he going to tell his mother if they couldn’t find Bella? His mind racing, he thought sleep would never come, but his body was exhausted and the bush was silent and dark and eventually he drifted into a fitful doze.

  Jack woke him as the first sign of light began to seep into the eastern sky, and they were quickly on their way again, following the stream back towards the main river.

  With aching arms and his chest tight with anxiety, all Ned could think about was Bella and what could have happened to her. He tried to focus as he dipped the paddle blade into the dark water strongly and firmly, blanking out the frightening thoughts that pressed into his mind.

  As the sun began to rise, Ned lost track of time. He felt the three of them were travelling in some sort of parallel universe, with Bella at its centre, waiting for them.

  Jack showed no sign of slowing or tiring, nor had he made any further mention of going back for the police. For now, the three of them were on their own. Ned watched as the older man kept studying both sides of the river, clearly looking for any clue or sign to show that they were on the right track. He prayed his friend’s jungle-fighting experience would help them.

  After an hour or so, Jack stopped paddling and craned forward.

  ‘See anything?’ Brendan said in a low voice.

  ‘Yeah. Could be,’ the older man said quietly.

  Ned whispered, ‘What is it?’

  Jack pointed. ‘There’s a bit of an inlet up ahead. Good place for a kayak to pull in. I’ll go in first and signal to you if it’s clear. If you don’t hear me whistle, get the hell out.’

  Ned watched as Jack’s canoe glided quietly in to the bank. He could now see a small clearing along the water’s edge. He and Brendan drifted slowly, their paddles poised as they watched Jack leave his canoe and walk quietly into the clearing.

  Suddenly they heard a low whistle. Even before Jack’s signal had finished, Ned had started stroking swiftly to the shore. As Ned clambered out of the canoe, Jack touched his arm and pointed. Ned looked down and he could clearly see marks on the sand and in the grass.

  Jack moved further along the bank to a small area of flattened grass, and when Ned joined him, he shivered. Someone had been here very recently.

  Jack spoke in a low whisper. ‘They’ve dragged their kayaks from the river, and they’ve also sat or slept in this area. And look at the empty bottles lying around. Carlo’s grappa.’

  ‘Where’s Bella? Is she with them, do you think?’ asked Brendan.

  No one said anything, and Ned knew they were all fearing the worst, then Jack said quietly, ‘At least there are no signs of a struggle here.’

  ‘I’m not sure what that proves,’ said Brendan bitterly.

  ‘Keep your voice down, Brendan,’ said Jack in a sharp whisper. ‘They could still be around. They’ve obviously moved their boats, but not back into the water. I can’t see any signs of that. I think they might have taken them away from the river, to be hidden or picked up by a vehicle, so let’s look around and see if we can find their tracks. But first we have to see if we can find any trace of Bella.’

  Ned looked at the scrub that grew down to the edge of the river. How anyone could find and follow a trail in this dry, desolate country was beyond him, but he had every confidence in Jack’s ability. Unsure of what he was looking for, he set out, staying close to the river and keeping his eyes to the ground, looking for anything that might give him a clue about Bella’s whereabouts.

  As he picked his way cautiously along the water’s edge, Ned wanted to shout Bella’s name, but he knew that it would be too risky until they could be sure that they were alone. He saw a large gum whose roots had been exposed by the annual floods, and scrambled down the bank to take a closer look. He noticed that the leaves beneath the roots had been recently disturbed, and thought that an animal must have been foraging there for food. A few minutes later, he heard Jack’s low whistle and he went to join the others.

  Jack spoke softly. ‘Either of you two see anything? No? Then they must have gone inland. Maybe your sister is with them.’

  As they worked their way uphill through the scrubby but slightly open country, Jack moved between the small trees, pausing every so often to listen and to look around. Suddenly he grunted and signalled to the others to join him.

  He pointed to a narrow path, probabl
y made by stray cattle or goats, which skirted a gully forged by rushing floodwaters. ‘I bet they took this path. See, there are broken twigs on the ground and that branch up ahead has been bent back,’ he whispered with some satisfaction.

  Ned nodded, but in truth he knew he would never have seen these signs had Jack not pointed them out.

  They continued to creep up the hill, and near the top they found the kayaks. Brendan and Ned shook their heads as they surveyed the clever way three long green-grey kayaks had been strapped upright against three tall gum trees. Swiftly Jack took out his knife and slashed the hull of each of them.

  ‘Looks like there were at least three men,’ he said.

  Brendan swore under his breath. ‘And what have they done to Bella?’

  ‘Well, if their kayaks are here, then the bastards must have left in a vehicle. Let’s look around. Maybe down in one of the gullies. A four-wheel drive could get along a gully at this time of year. Couldn’t get through in the wet; the water would go over its roof.’

  The three men scrambled down the steep walls of one of the gullies, and at the bottom they found faint tyre marks in the gritty sand of the dry watercourse.

  ‘Now we know they’ve left,’ said Jack. ‘See, there’s one set of tyre marks just here and the same marks over there, a bit further. Four-wheel drive’s come in and then gone out again.’

  Brendan reached out and touched Ned’s shoulder.

  ‘Bella has to be all right. She just has to be,’ he said, but although he may have meant his words to be reassuring, Brendan’s voice betrayed his own fear.

  Ned nodded, his throat too tight to answer, and he shuddered at the thought of what could be happening to his sister.

  ‘They might have taken her, or maybe not,’ said Jack. ‘She could still be out here somewhere, tied up, or hiding, or trying to find her way out of the bush. How about we make a bit of a racket? Tell the world that we’re here.’ He clapped Brendan on the back and strode off along the gully, shouting out for Bella.

  They shouted and called as they hiked through the bush.