Secret in the Clouds

by Christopher Cummings

  “No Grandad. It’s a boy,” Annalisa replied, her voice rising with amazement. She crouched to look and then called, “Come out from under there you!”

  Stephen realised she had not seen him, and that the flowers and passionfruit vine gave him some cover. ‘But if she looks around she must see me,’ he realised. As the girl straightened up to answer her grandfather’s query about whether she needed a gun or not Stephen took his chance. He wriggled back out from under the tank stand and stood up in the small space between it and the bathroom.

  For a moment he considered bolting across the back lawn and running for it but it was obvious he would be seen. He could see all the way to the lagoon and the grass in the paddocks wasn’t long enough to hide in. ‘Besides the dog will sniff me out in ten seconds flat!’ he thought ruefully.

  The corrugated iron water tank was standing on a square timber base and that offered a tiny corner of cover. Stephen stepped up onto this so that neither the girl, nor the dog, might spot his legs. Then another idea came to him. He swivelled his neck around and looked up. The end wall of the bathroom and the top of the water tank were festooned with passionfruit vine. The glimmer of a chance made him put his arms up and grasp the top of the tank. ‘People never look up,’ he thought.

  The girl was now shouting at the dog, which let go of Tom. That set it barking furiously instead. Hoping that would cover any noises he made Stephen heaved himself up onto the metal roof of the water tank. To his horror he found that the top seemed to be much smaller than he expected and he also found himself staring over the far side at the girl, Tom and Grandfather Potts.

  The top of the tank was just below the level of the guttering on the roof and for a moment Stephen considered climbing onto the roof. Then he shook his head, knowing just how much noise a person makes on a tin roof. Instead he lay flat, pushed in under the creeper as much as he could, then curled into a ball. Even so his head almost stuck off one side and he worried that his boots would be visible at the other.

  By then Tom was standing on the lawn and the girl had retreated to the steps. She held the dog by its collar. Stephen could see her face clearly now. ‘Gosh! She’s pretty!’ he thought. About his own age, he decided.

  The girl Annalisa stared at Tom with obvious astonishment. “Who are you?” she cried.

  Tom had been rubbing his ankle but now faced her. “It’s alright,” he said. “I don’t mean any harm.” He held his hands to show he was unarmed.

  “What were you doing under our house?” Annalisa asked.

  Tom shook his head, clearly at a loss to know what to say. Then he said, “I didn’t mean to frighten you. My name’s Tom. What’s yours?”

  “Never you mind! You are trespassing,” Annalisa snapped back. She was still staring at Tom in amazement.

  “Gee you are beautiful!” Tom gasped.

  “Don’t get fresh! What are you doing here hiding?” Annalisa replied. Stephen saw her blue eyes sparkle and noted a flush brighten her cheeks. ‘She is too,’ he silently agreed, noting the trim figure in shirt and jeans.

  “I can explain,” Tom replied. “But it’s a long story.”

  He never got a chance to tell it. Along the back of the house hurried the old gardener and he was holding a 12 gauge shotgun. “Hand up you!” he shouted.

  “Karl! Don’t shoot!” Annalisa cried. Stephen thought the old man was going to as well. He also feared the old gardener would see him as he was standing looking in his direction.

  The old gardener kept the gun pointed at Tom and shouted, “You get up on veranda Missy. Mr Potts! Mr Potts! Ve haf der third vone!”

  There was the sound of running boots and onto the back veranda raced two men: Potts and Jorgenson. Both had pistols in their right hands. At the sight of Jorgenson Stephen’s heart sank. His fears were almost instantly confirmed.

  Both Jorgenson and Potts stared at Tom in astonishment. “This isn’t Bell!” Jorgenson cried.

  Jorgenson hurried down the steps and before Tom realised what was going to happen Jorgenson struck him and threw him face down on the lawn. His hands were reefed behind his back and handcuffs were snapped on with professional skill. Jorgenson then rolled Tom onto his back and held the pistol at his face. “Who are you? What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Tom Downey,” Tom replied. “I came here to find out what happened to my great grandfather.”

  “Shut up kid!” Jorgenson snarled. “Where is Stephen Bell?”

  Tom shook his head and said nothing. At that Jorgenson began to twist his arm. Annalisa let out a shocked cry and said, “Oh don’t hurt him!”

  Tom looked at Annalisa. “Save me please! I didn’t come here to do you any harm. I didn’t even know you existed till a minute ago.”

  Jorgenson again twisted Tom’s arms. “Where is Bell?” he grated. “Tell me kid or I’ll break both your arms.”

  Tom gasped in pain, then shook his head. Stephen held his breath. Then Tom said, “Alright, stop hurting me. He’s gone to get help.”

  “When did he do that?” Jorgenson rasped.

  “Just after you captured Graham and Peter,” Tom replied.

  At that Stephen’s heart sang with hope and he felt a surge of admiration for Tom. Jorgenson kept twisting, ignoring Annalisa’s entreaties. “Why did you come here?” he asked.

  “I told you,” Tom answered. “To find out what happened to Lieutenant Percy Bellamy.”

  At that Stephen thought the old gardener would faint. He went very pale and seemed to stagger. There was a gasp from old Grandfather Potts. Potts shouted, his face contorted by fear or rage. “Jorgenson, get him out of here!”

  Another man appeared from the back veranda and joined Jorgenson. Jorgenson ordered him to grab Tom’s other arm and they heaved him to his feet.

  “Save me please!” Tom cried, directing his plea to an appalled Annalisa.

  For a moment Stephen thought Tom might be shot out of hand but Jorgenson and the other man hustled him away, passing just below Stephen’s feet and around to the side of the house. Stephen saw the old gardener bend down to look under the house, his shotgun at the ready.

  Jorgenson called from the corner of the house. “There’s a fourth one somewhere Karl, a skinny kid with glasses.”

  “I look,” the old gardener replied. He crouched and peered intently under the house.

  Annalisa came down the steps to join him. She said, “Daddy, what’s going on?”

  “These youths, they are trying to kidnap you,” Potts replied. He turned to Grandfather Potts. “That’s why I didn’t want to say anything. I didn’t want to frighten Annalisa.”

  Grandfather Potts snorted with anger. “Maybe. But I’m not a little girl! You could have told me!” he croaked back. “And I don’t believe you. They know, don’t they?”

  “They might,” Potts conceded.

  “Know what Dad?” Annalisa asked.

  “I will tell you later, now please come inside,” Potts replied.

  Reluctantly a puzzled Annalisa climbed up the steps, still holding the Alsatian’s collar. By then Stephen was uncomfortably aware that the old gardener had now moved to somewhere near his feet. ‘He will see my tracks!’ he thought. Away at the front of the house he could hear men shouting. ‘The hunt is on now!’ he thought. Fear suddenly gripped him so strongly he began to shake.

  The old gardener suddenly cried out. “Here. He dis vay kom.”

  At that Stephen almost lost control of his bowels. He bit his lip and tensed ready to run. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the old gardener walk to the shrub that he and Tom had crawled around. Stephen saw him bend and study the grass, then felt a surge of hope as the old gardener crossed the lawn to the back fence. “Here!” the old gardener cried.

  The old gardener hurried to the back gate and through it. Jorgenson came running past along the side lawn and joined him. Stephen watched the two men pointing down and discussing the crushed grass outside the fence. ‘Will they realise there were two of us?’ he w
ondered. He hardly dared breathe, knowing that if the men looked up, they must see him.

  To Stephen’s enormous relief the two men walked along to the shed at the corner, then went through the gate and started walking down the track towards the lagoon. Two more men, the same two who had captured Graham and Peter, came running down the side to join them. Both had rifles.

  The old gardener turned and called back, “Hey Missy! You let your dog go. He soon find him.”

  To Stephen’s horror Annalisa did. “‘Snapper’, go find!” she ordered.

  The dog ran down the steps, then did several quick circles on the lawn where Tom had been held, before going under the house. A moment later Stephen’s worst fears were realised when he heard the dog start barking and scrabbling at the tank stand. With sinking heart he saw Annalisa go down the steps. She walked across the lawn towards him and went out of sight. “No boy! Follow that way,” she said.

  The dog kept barking and scratching at the steel tank. Stephen silently cursed but could do nothing. For a minute he could see no sign of Annalisa. Then he heard a noise and turned his head. To his dismay he found himself staring down the barrel of .310 shotgun. Annalisa’s astonished eyes were lined up along it. For what seemed like minutes but must only have been seconds he saw her gaze move over him. Then the shotgun barrel twitched and she closed her left eye and squinted through the open sight with the other.

  ‘She’s going to shoot!’ Stephen thought in a flash of pure terror. He opened his mouth to cry out but was stunned to see her shake her head and put her finger to her lips. “Don’t move!” she whispered, her voice barely audible above the dog’s barking. Then she sighted the gun again and he realised it was aiming just above him.

  Bang!

  The shot caused Stephen to twitch in terror. Annalisa cocked the gun and slipped another cartridge into the breech, then levelled it again, this time pointing it at him. Stephen realised she must be standing on the ladder he had seen under the nearby orange tree.

  There was a great hullabaloo of shouting. Stephen heard Grandfather Potts cry out and Mr Potts call, “What is it Annalisa? Did you get him?”

  To Stephen’s amazement Annalisa shook her head. “No, there’s a bloody big black snake up here.”

  “Snake?” asked Potts in a puzzled voice. “Did you get him?”

  “Yes I did. I’ll just get up and get him down,” Annalisa replied.

  “You be careful! He might not be dead,” Potts replied. He then shouted to the men who were down the track. “It’s OK! Only a snake on top of the water tank.”

  Annalisa looked down at her father, then let out a gasp. “Oh Grandad! Dad, what’s wrong with Grandad?”

  Stephen risked a look and saw that the old man was slumped in his wheelchair.

  “Oh my God!” Potts cried. He turned and bent over him. Stephen saw that a grim looking woman in her sixties had appeared from somewhere. She also hurried to the wheelchair. Potts said, “Quickly Mrs Philp. Help me get him into his bedroom and get his tablets.”

  Potts and Mrs Philp quickly wheeled the old man into the nearest room. Stephen turned back to meet Annalisa’s eyes. He was quite unable to work out what was going on. She looked very anxious, but also very determined. She hissed at him. “You stay here. I want to talk to you.”

  Then she was gone. Stephen heard her ordering the dog to go and join the men. It took some persuading but at last she led him by the collar to the gap in the fence. The dog was off like a flash, hurrying along the scent trail towards the lagoon. Then Annalisa turned and walked back across the lawn, giving Stephen a warning glare as she did. She went up the steps and vanished into the corner bedroom.

  ‘Now’s my chance to escape,’ Stephen thought. But he hesitated. He knew Annalisa would be keeping an eye out. He was also puzzled by her curious behaviour. ‘Why didn’t she dob me in?’ he wondered. ‘Why did she make up the story about the snake?’ Then he felt something and realised the snake hadn’t been a made-up story. With a panicky jerk he looked behind him and was appalled to see a large black snake. ‘Yellow belly,’ he noted, almost passing out with fright. When he recovered he saw that the snake was nearly two metres long. He also noted that Annalisa’s shot had neatly removed its head. ‘She’s deadly with that gun!’ he thought. That helped him stay put.

  In the distance he saw the men searching near the pump ‘They will find our webbing soon and know that Tom was lying. Then they will come looking again.’

  There was a scuffling noise and the shotgun barrel appeared, then Annalisa’s face. “Ok you, toss down that snake, then climb down,” she ordered.

  Having no option Stephen did as he was told. As he lowered himself over the side of the tank he was uncomfortably aware that Annalisa was standing aiming the gun at his back. As soon as he was on the grass she pointed to the shed in the back corner. “That way,” she ordered. Stephen did as he was told, now even more mystified.

  The small shed had an open front with a rail across. Inside was a bench. As Stephen had noted earlier it was full of saddles, bridles and odd junk. A cupboard and some boxes stood in the corner. Annalisa pointed. “Get in behind those boxes and stay put. You should be safe for a few minutes. I’ll just get rid of that snake and check how Grandad is,” she said. As she turned to go she added, “And don’t try to run. If you aren’t here I will just whistle and Snapper will be back in flash. He will find you easily.”

  Then she was gone. Stephen moved into the corner and piled up a couple of boxes then sat behind them, looking carefully to see there were no more snakes lurking in dark corners. With a shudder that was a mixture of horror and relief he leaned back and tried to relax. That was impossible. His mind raced and his heart kept hammering. Fear kept him tense.

  The swish of footsteps on grass announced the return of Annalisa. She stood on the other side of the bench and placed the shotgun on it so that it was pointing towards Stephen. She then hoisted a saddle onto the bench and opened a tin of dubbin and took up a cloth.

  Stephen managed to find his voice. “How is your grandad?” he croaked.

  Annalisa eyed him speculatively then nodded. “He’s OK. He’s not having a heart attack. He just fainted. Now he’s resting. So, what’s going on? Who are you?”

  “Stephen Bell,” Stephen replied. “I come from Cairns.”

  “Who is that other boy that was with you?”

  “Tom Downey. He’s from Victoria,” Stephen answered. He now found himself faced with another dilemma. ‘Telling her the truth is going to really hurt her,’ he thought unhappily.

  But that was what she wanted to know. She said, “Why did you come sneaking in here?”

  “Tom is looking for his great grandfather,” Stephen replied lamely, casting anxiously around for some way to avoid telling her the ugly facts.

  “So? Why should he have to creep in and eavesdrop?” Annalisa asked. Then she stiffened and looked around the end of the shed. “Shh! Someone’s coming,” she cautioned. She began to vigorously rub the dubbin into the leather. Stephen heard the man’s hurrying footsteps, then glimpsed him. It was the younger man he had seen at the gravel scrape: Hans. The young man held up Stephen’s webbing.

  “Found their gear miss. They came along the side of the lagoon.”

  “What are you going to do?” Annalisa asked.

  “Theo and those two Feds are going to search back that way. I’m going to get George and we will drive back that way and try to cut him off,” replied the young man. As he talked Stephen became aware of another noise which had been in the background for sometime. It was a helicopter. He got a fleeting glimpse of a small mustering chopper as it went clattering overhead.

  “Good,” the young man said. “The helicopter will make it easier. Don’t worry miss. We will catch this fellow.”

  ‘He fancies her,’ Stephen thought, noting the tone of the man’s voice. Annalisa thanked Hans and he went hurrying on, to be called over to the house by Potts from the side veranda. When he’d gone Annalisa tu
rned back to Stephen. “OK, now tell me the story.”

  Still Stephen hesitated. “I’d rather not,” he said. “It’s not very nice.” To try to put her off he asked, “Why don’t you dob me in?”

  “Because I want to know what is going on. People have been avoiding that for a month now and I don’t like it,” Annalisa replied. “Every time I come along they clam up and change the subject, or they tell me some rubbish. I know it’s serious but until now I haven’t had clue what it is about. So tell me.”

  “It is going to hurt,” Stephen replied.

  “It hurts being lied to!” Annalisa snapped. “Now tell me or I will tell my father.”

  Seeing no option Stephen took a deep breath and began, starting with the discovery of the wrecked Arado.

  CHAPTER 32

  THE TRUTH HURTS

  As Stephen talked he saw a growing look of disbelief, horror and dismay on Annalisa’s face. “I can stop if you like,” he said. “I told you it would hurt.”

  “The truth usually hurts,” Annalisa replied. Stephen could see she was very upset and close to tears. Then she set her jaw and lifted her head. “So you think my grandfather was a German spy during World War Two?”

  Stephen nodded unhappily. “Or someone here was,” he added.

  “Who?” Annalisa asked.

  “Did Jorgenson’s family live here then?”

  Annalisa nodded. “Yes. His grandfather came here as refugee between the wars,” she replied. “But why him?”

  “Because Major Barnes mentioned a European refugee named Jorgenson helping in the search for Lieutenant Bellamy,” Stephen replied, “And he also said he had a bulldozer.”

  “So?”

  “That is how they hid the army truck, buried it,” Stephen replied.

  “But you don’t know if the old wreck you found at Green Swamp Dam is it or not do you?” Annalisa asked.

  ‘She’s clutching at straws now,’ Stephen thought. “No,” he replied, “But experts would be able to tell.”

  “And you think my grandfather had something to do with killing those two men?” she asked, her misery now clear on her face.