Phantom of Terawhiti

by Des Hunt

Colin: Um … Yesterday, I was walking around the wetland area where the takahe spend most of their time when two men came up to me. One of them asked if we ever lose any of the takahe. I said no, but we may have recently lost a little spotted kiwi. They seemed very interested, so I told them about Hoppy. Hoppy is slightly lame and we see him almost every night during the tour. But we haven’t seen him for two nights, which is worrying.

  Keith: What happened then?

  Colin: Well, the men became excited. They wanted to know exactly where Hoppy lived in the sanctuary, whether there were other kiwi around there, and asked lots of other questions.

  Keith: What makes you think they have anything to do with this AOS call-out?

  Colin: It was their size. Both were short, powerful-looking guys.

  Keith: As were the two men seen climbing into the sanctuary. Can you tell me anything else about them?

  Colin: Well, they’re not from New Zealand, that’s for sure. Only one of them spoke, and he had a heavy accent. And when he spoke to the other one, he used some foreign language. Plus I think both of them had been in a fight recently. Their faces were scratched and swollen. One even had a line of stitches down the side of his face.

  Keith: Hmm, they sound very like criminals to me. So, Colin, what’s your theory about why they’re here?

  Colin: Well, I think they’re here to steal kiwi. They’re wildlife smugglers. Little spotted kiwi would be worth a lot to animal collectors overseas.

  Keith: But the men seen last night were carrying a gun. If your theory about them being wildlife smugglers is correct, surely they’d want to take the birds alive?

  Colin: It could be a dart gun.

  Keith: Yes, you could be right. I guess we’ll find out sometime later today when the police have caught them. In the meantime, Zealandia won’t be opening to the public today, not that I can imagine anyone coming here in this weather. That’s all for now. Back to you, Sally.

  Crawford turned the radio down. He turned to Zac. ‘What do you think?’ he asked. ‘Do we know those people?’

  ‘The Neanderthals,’ said Zac.

  Crawford nodded. ‘Now why would they be in Zealandia?’

  Before Zac could reply a phone rang. It took him a moment to realize that it was his, sitting on the table. It was Jess.

  ‘Turn on the TV!’ she said. ‘Channel One!’

  Zac relayed the message to his father, who grabbed the remote.

  While his dad was flicking to the channel, Zac asked Jess, ‘What’s it about?’

  ‘Just watch!’

  The image on the screen showed a large vehicle parked close to a steel fence. A ladder leaned against the other side of the wire. A newsreader was speaking. But Zac didn’t need to know what was being said. He could work it out for himself.

  ‘That’s the Neanderthals’ pick-up,’ he said, to both the phone and his father.

  ‘Yes,’ replied Jess. ‘They must think Tasha’s in there.’

  ‘They’re right,’ said Zac, suddenly knowing that it was true. ‘A guy on Dub Dub FM said a kiwi is missing.’

  ‘Then we’ve got to go there!’ cried Jess. ‘We’ve got to try and save her. Otherwise they’ll shoot her.’

  Zac lowered the phone. ‘Dad! Will you take us to Zealandia?’

  With only a little hesitation, Crawford nodded.

  Returning to the phone, Zac said, ‘We’re on our way.’

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  The blades of the wind turbines were angled so that they offered no resistance to the wind, indicating they had been shut down. These gusts were far stronger than anything Zac had experienced before.

  Crawford wrestled with the steering wheel as the ute lurched along the ridge from one tower to the next. It became no easier when they made it off the tops and onto the road leading to the valley floor. They then had to cope with vegetation flying off the scrub and whipping at the ute, blocking the view.

  Getting through the gate proved to be a mission in itself. Zac had trouble staying upright as the wind howled along the valley. When he got the padlock off, the gate swung back, dragging him with it. He nearly froze from the biting cold as he waited for Crawford to drive through, and when that was done he couldn’t get the gate closed again without his father’s help.

  All of this was taking precious time.

  Zac’s phone rang as they pulled onto South Makara Road.

  ‘Where are you?’ asked Jess.

  Zac told her.

  ‘Mum and Dad are going to come too, so we’re taking Mum’s car. Dad’s made contact with someone who he hopes will help us get in.’

  ‘Great,’ said Zac. ‘See you there.’

  He passed the message on to Crawford, who acknowledged it with a nod.

  The climb up Makara Hill was relatively easy. It was only when they reached the top and started descending that they felt the full force of the wind again.

  Crawford was easing the ute around a corner when a gust threw them sideways. They would have been all right if some idiot hadn’t parked his vehicle across half the road. The ute bashed into the back of it.

  Zac groaned. Crawford swore. He reversed the ute so they could examine the damage through the windscreen. The whole tail-light assembly was smashed.

  ‘I’ll have to leave a note,’ said Crawford.

  ‘Just take the number,’ said Zac. ‘We’re wasting time.’

  ‘No!’ said Crawford. ‘I’m not leaving the scene of an accident. The press would have a field day.’

  Zac sighed heavily before opening the door to let his father slide over.

  To Zac, it took forever for Crawford to find a piece of paper, scribble his contact details, and then locate a place on the vehicle where the note would not blow away. In the end he tucked it between the rubber seal and the glass on the passenger-side window.

  Then, at last, they were on their way again. Except Crawford was now driving so carefully that Zac felt he could have walked faster.

  Things got slightly better when they moved onto Karori Road. The lanes were wider and the buildings lining the road blocked some of the wind. But then they had to deal with traffic lights. Although there were hardly any other cars, there always seemed to be one tripping the lights against them just as they arrived. One set stayed red even when there was no other vehicle to be seen.

  ‘Drive through the darn thing!’ yelled Zac.

  ‘It’ll change,’ said Crawford.

  It did, but only after another whole minute had passed. By then Zac was almost sick from impatience. At this rate Tasha would be dead before they got a chance to save her. His only hope was that the McGonagalls were ahead of them.

  They were, and they weren’t the only ones to arrive ahead of them. The car park was littered with vehicles, none of them parked within the lines: two TV trucks, several radio vans, and numerous cars with some sort of logo stuck on their sides.

  Most of the people were sitting in their vehicles, avoiding the wind while they waited for some action. Police tape was strung across the pathway leading to the entrance, keeping back those silly enough to be out in the weather. On the other side of the tape, the McGonagalls were standing around the main door next to a couple of police officers. Jess saw Zac and waved. She yelled something that was lost in the wind.

  When Crawford walked up and grabbed the tape in order to climb over, one of the officers ran forward.

  ‘Sorry, sir,’ he said. ‘Only approved people are allowed past here.’

  ‘We’re with them,’ said Crawford, pointing.

  ‘Then if you’ll just wait here, I’ll go and check.’

  As the officer walked away, a man stepped forward. ‘Hello. I’m Keith Montjoy from Dub Dub FM. May I ask how you’re involved in this incident?’

  ‘No,’ said Crawford, without turning to the man.

  Zac couldn’t help but look. Keith Montjoy was nothing like what he’d expected. This man was fat. There was so much fat hanging from his chin that Zac wondered how he could eve
n talk, let alone with such smooth, movie actor tones.

  The radioman saw Zac’s interest and moved in with the microphone. ‘What about you, son? You got something you would like to say on Dub Dub FM?’

  For a moment Crawford let his guard down. He spun around. ‘No! You leave him alone.’

  Keith looked up. Immediately his eyes went wide with recognition. ‘Well, well, well,’ he said, his surprised expression changing to a smirk. ‘Look who we have here.’

  The two men stared at each other for a time, before the police officer returned. If he thought something was amiss, he didn’t say so.

  Instead, in a loud voice, he said, ‘You may come through, Mr Morris.’ He held down the tape for them, seemingly unaware of the renewed interest among the assembled reporters.

  Zac and Crawford walked briskly towards the entrance.

  ‘You were recognized,’ said Will.

  Crawford nodded. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Let’s hope it’s all worthwhile. How are things going?’

  ‘It’s too early to say yet.’ Will then stepped back a bit so another of the group could move forward. ‘Crawford, this is Senior Constable Jack Stanton. Jack lived in Makara for many years. We went to school together.’

  The two men shook hands.

  Will continued. ‘Jack kindly climbed out of bed and rushed over here to help us out.’

  Jack Stanton was a big man who would probably look even bigger if he’d had time to put on his uniform. He had a no-nonsense look about him.

  ‘I’m not part of the response team,’ he said. ‘But I’ve managed to convince those who are that you have something they should listen to.’ He moved towards the door. ‘They’re waiting inside.’

  The police had set up a command post in the café where Zac and Jess had eaten less than a week earlier. It now seemed like a lifetime ago.

  There was nothing much to the post other than a large map of the sanctuary spread across two tables and held down by mobile phones and walkie-talkies. Standing around were two policemen and a policewoman. It was the policewoman who seemed to be in charge. She introduced herself as Sergeant Tania Brown.

  ‘Jack here says you have some information that may be relevant.’ Her tone was doubting. ‘So, let’s hear it.’

  The McGonagalls looked at each other before turning to Zac. Obviously, he’d just been nominated as their spokes-person.

  ‘The men that broke in are brothers,’ began Zac. ‘Ivan and Vassaly Tarasov. They are Russian mafia. Bratva is the name they use in Russia.’

  Instantly, the police showed more interest. The doubt mostly disappeared from Sergeant Brown’s face. Both policemen pulled out notebooks and began writing. Zac smiled to himself. This was exactly the effect he’d wanted.

  ‘They are after a large African cat called a serval. Her name is Tasha and she belongs to Mikhail Popanov. She may have a kitten with her which we have called Alex. We believe she jumped the fence to get in here because she could smell the kiwi and was hungry.’

  Tania Brown looked at the adults. ‘Do you believe this?’

  They said they did.

  ‘All right,’ she said. ‘Let’s assume it is true. How dangerous is this cat?’

  ‘She’s not,’ said Jess. ‘Not to us she isn’t.’

  ‘Then who’s she dangerous to?’

  ‘She attacked the Vassaly brothers,’ said Zac. ‘But only because they were going to hurt her.’

  ‘So she can be dangerous?’

  ‘Sometimes,’ Zac conceded.

  Sergeant Brown turned to one of the policemen. ‘Call the team. Let them know there may be a dangerous large African cat inside the perimeter.’ She paused for a moment of thought. ‘It should be shot on sight.’

  ‘No!’ cried Zac and Jess together.

  The sergeant turned to them. ‘I can’t have officers’ lives put at risk,’ she said, shortly. ‘There are two armed suspects out there. That cat could compromise the whole operation.’

  ‘But she won’t attack them if they leave her alone,’ said Jess.

  ‘She’s just like an ordinary cat,’ pleaded Zac. ‘She purrs, she meows, and she loves being cuddled. Even when she attacked the Neander — the Russians, she only scratched them.’

  Tania Brown breathed deeply for a time. ‘All right,’ she said, turning back to the policeman. ‘Change that to “shoot if threatened”. Now make that call.’

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Forty minutes had passed since they had alerted the Armed Offenders Squad to Tasha’s presence in the sanctuary. If anything had happened outside, then the McGonagall and Morris families hadn’t been told about it.

  For a while they’d been quizzed about their previous contact with the Neanderthals and Tasha. That had gone well. So well that Zac had expected Sergeant Brown to soften her attitude towards them. She hadn’t. All she’d done was contact Wellington Zoo and ask them to provide a keeper skilled in the handling of big cats. Then she’d sent them to sit on the other side of the café as if they were naughty kids in class. Will’s friend Jack had gone home at that stage.

  Jenny had tried to start up a conversation several times, without success. They couldn’t keep their minds on anything except Tasha, and talking about her was too painful.

  Zac was thinking mostly about why she’d come into the sanctuary. Was it really for food? He could imagine her seeing or smelling a kiwi at night and thinking it might make an easy meal. Or had she come in for refuge? Maybe she was being chased by dogs. A two-metre fence would be no barrier, except could she jump that high carrying a kitten? Not likely. She wouldn’t be in the sanctuary if she still had a kitten. There was only one conclusion: Alex had to be dead.

  He was thinking of passing these thoughts on to Jess, to prepare her for the inevitable, when a flurry of activity from the other side of the room distracted him. A woman was being ushered through the door. Zac recognized her straight away: she was the keeper they’d spoken to in the serval enclosure at the zoo.

  After a few words with the command team the woman was sent over to wait in the naughty kids’ corner.

  She put the case she was carrying on the floor and pulled up a chair before speaking. ‘Hello. I’m Anna from the zoo.’

  They each introduced themselves.

  Anna looked from Zac to Jess. ‘Have you changed your names?’ she asked, with a smile. ‘What happened to Tasha and Alex?’

  ‘Tasha’s out there,’ said Zac, nodding to the door leading into the sanctuary.

  ‘So I gather,’ said Anna. ‘And Alex?’

  ‘Alex is her kitten,’ said Jess.

  ‘How old is it?’

  Jess worked it out. ‘Four days.’

  ‘And for how many of those have they been on the run?’

  ‘Three.’

  Anna shook her head slowly. ‘That is not good. It’s bad even for the mother so soon after giving birth. But for the kitten …’ She shook her head again. ‘I gather you thought it was her that had killed the wallabies.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Impossible. The zoo fence would be too high for her. But this one, she could manage. Although carrying a kitten would make it more difficult. That’s if she was still carrying it.’

  ‘She has to be,’ said Jess quietly.

  Anna turned to her. ‘Let’s hope so. And we will plan as if she is. Now I need to know everything about them. How tame is Tasha? Does she wear a collar? Can she be put on a lead? Everything. If we’re going to save her, then you’re to leave nothing out.’

  They were back to sitting in silence again.

  Anna now knew as much about Tasha as they did. She seemed satisfied by what she’d heard and, while she hadn’t said as much, Zac got the impression that she approved of the actions they’d taken. This was a person who was as much concerned for Tasha’s safety as she was for the humans’.

  In the last few minutes there had been increased activity at the command table. The officers were more animated and the radios were getting constant use. S
omething was happening, but whether it was good news or not was unclear.

  Then everything went quiet again, with the officers sitting and staring at the radios as if willing them to respond.

  One did. A brief message that could be heard even from the other side of the room.

  ‘Got them!’

  Sergeant Brown jumped to her feet. ‘Yes! Yes!’ she yelled, punching the air. Then she remembered the others, pulled herself together and picked up the radio. After a lengthy conversation she walked across the café to their corner.

  ‘The two suspects have been arrested,’ she said with obvious satisfaction.

  ‘What about Tasha?’ asked Jess. ‘Did they find her?’

  ‘Yes! In a way she helped make the operation successful. The suspects were so intent on following her that they were unaware of our presence.’

  ‘Were the suspects armed?’ asked Will.

  ‘A rifle and a pistol. The rifle, however, is a dart gun.’

  ‘Where is Tasha now?’ asked Zac.

  ‘She’s holed up under a tree. Getting her out will be difficult. Two officers are at the scene keeping guard. Shortly, the others will be passing through here with the suspects. You must stay here. Do not approach them. Do not say anything to them. Is that clear?’

  It was.

  ‘Good. If all goes well, then we will consider what happens with the cat.’

  The first to enter was an AOS officer in full kit: black Kevlar body armour, squat helmet, goggles and mouth mask. Bits of equipment were hanging from various parts of the outfit, including a pistol in a holster.

  Next came the Neanderthals, their arms handcuffed behind their backs. Three more AOS officers followed, each armed with a rifle. Zac found the police scarier than the Russians, who appeared to accept their situation.

  That was until Ivan looked around and saw Zac. Before the officers had a chance to react Ivan broke ranks and was kicking chairs and tables aside as he rushed towards the startled group.

  ‘You!’ he shouted at Zac. ‘You have caused all this! You will suffer!’

  Zac tried to scramble out of the way. Crawford was on his feet, moving to intercept the Russian. Jess was yelling. Anna’s eyes were wide with shock.