Ross River Fever

by Christopher Cummings

  “Oh who else would it be!” Andrew cried angrily. “I saw their canoes heading up the river only a few minutes ago. If you are quick you might catch them.”

  “We have to wait till the scientific people identify any prints and so on,” Constable Fort persisted.

  Andrew knew he was right but it did not help. He swore and bent to pick up Snoopy’s body. Very gently he placed all three bodies in the hole, then started shovelling the earth into the grave. Constable Fort left him to it and went away. Five minutes later it was done. Andrew trampled the soft ground to compact it, then swore again. The goldfish and the budgerigars! He would need to dig a grave for them too. He set to work digging another hole beside the first.

  By the time that hole was dug the police had photographed inside the house and checked for fingerprints. Andrew retrieved the dead birds and carried them to the second hole on the blade of the shovel. Then he went into the house to get the fish. He found Martin sitting on his bed in a state of shock. The three dead fish lay on the sodden carpet amidst the splintered wreckage of the East Indiaman.

  As gently as he could Andrew picked up the dead fish, a task more difficult than he had anticipated as they were slimy and nearly slipped out of his hands. He carried them out, just as Mr Schipholl arrived home. Andrew shook his head sadly and went on out to bury the fish. Only when the distasteful job was done did he go back in and sit down in the devastated lounge room.

  A neighbour gave him a cup of coffee which he drank without really noticing. The sound of crying and soft voices came from Letitia’s room but he did not want to go there. Instead he sat and listened to the police questioning Mrs Schipholl. As he sat there he began to shake. Before he knew it he was shivering violently and had tears streaming down his cheeks.

  The neighbour noticed and came to comfort him. Andrew shook her off. He stood up and went into Martin’s room. “Come on Martin, help me unload the canoes,” he commanded.

  Martin did as he was told, moving like a zombie. They untied and unloaded the canoes and carried them to the shed. Martin had to go and get a key and for a minute Andrew dreaded that the shed might have been raided too. When Martin swung the doors open he breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing had been touched. They carried the canoes in, then unloaded and stowed all the other gear. It was better to be up and doing and he was sure it helped Martin, although he kept alternately muttering: “Why?” and “What a waste!” and “Wait till I get the bastards!”

  That was exactly how Andrew felt. A slow, deadly rage was building in him. As they shut the shed up he placed his hand on Martin’s shoulder. “We’ll get the mongrels!” he vowed.

  Martin nodded. “Thanks mate.”

  As they turned to go inside Andrew was shocked to find it was nearly dark. ‘Strewth! Aunty Bev will be having kittens worrying over where I’ve got to,’ he thought, then cursed himself for his poor choice of similes. Once back in the house he used the phone to ring her. He then had to relay the awful news to Carmen, who wanted to rush over immediately.

  “Make sure someone stays to guard the house,” he cautioned. Then he phoned Mark and told him, warning him also to make sure his parents knew what had happened, and asking him to tell Jill. Only as he put the phone down did the full import of events strike Andrew. ‘Those five thugs have now got a dozen people in four homes in a state of such fear they won’t be able to leave their houses! This is obscene! We must end this.’

  Andrew wasn’t sure how but thinking about it helped steady him. He sat and answered police questions and drank another cup of coffee. TV and News people arrived and they irritated Andrew. The doorbell rang and Carmen and Aunty Bev were shown in. The house was quite crowded by then and it was a relief when the police took their leave, after promising to make all possible efforts to apprehend whoever had done it.

  After a few minutes of discussion Carmen and Aunty Bev left again to buy ‘Take Away’ food for tea. Andrew set to work with a dustpan to sweep up broken glass in the carport. Letitia and Anne joined him and they talked quietly. It helped to be doing something. Martin went to his room and Andrew joined him there but Anne arrived so he tactfully left them together. A glance into Letitia’s room showed him that it had already been partially cleaned. He told her how sorry he was and she burst into tears and clung to him.

  Mrs Schipholl came and stroked her hair and her father gave her a hug too but she only released Andrew when Aunty Bev and Carmen returned with food.

  But Letitia shook her head. “I don’t want any,” she wailed and fled to her room.

  Andrew felt too sick to eat too but Carmen insisted. Somehow he managed to force some of it down but then he started to shiver again.

  Aunty Bev noticed this at once. “You are suffering from delayed shock,” she diagnosed. “Home for you.”

  “I’m alright. I want to stay here,” Andrew insisted, even as tears started again.

  “You are going home and to bed. The Schipholl’s want to get on with cleaning up,” Aunty Bev insisted.

  Andrew said a sorrowful farewell and added that he would come over in the morning to help. Then he found himself in the car with Anne beside him. They dropped Anne at her home in Heatley and made their way home.

  After a hot shower, followed by warm Milo, Andrew felt a bit better, although disgusted with the human race and immensely saddened. He was put to bed and Carmen sat with him and talked. All the while he had been pondering what he could do. He had intended to keep it a secret from her, lest she forbid any action, but it just burst out.

  “We’ve got to find those thugs so that the police can arrest them,” he said.

  Carmen nodded. “I agree. They are beyond a joke. But we mustn’t take the law into our own hands.”

  Andrew felt rage boil up. “I’d like to give them the same treatment they gave poor little…” He paused, knowing he had made an error as emotion choked him up. “Poor little Snoopy,” he managed. At that he began to cry and wished Carmen would go away. Instead she sat and gently stroked his hair. After a time she said: “That was very good of you to take the cat away, and to bury all the pets. It saved them from the most distressing part.”

  For a while brother and sister sat in silence. Later Andrew lay awake for hours, brooding and wondering what could be done. He was very depressed as well as sick. His own actions and reactions also bothered him. He had not known he was like that and it bothered him.

  It was a long night. Andrew slept fitfully and kept waking to look nervously around, imagining the thugs were trying to creep into his bedroom. When he woke on Saturday morning he felt drained and down. As soon as he got up he wanted to phone Letitia but Aunty Bev forbad it.

  “You can wait till a more civilized hour. I doubt if they slept any better than you,” she said.

  So it was not till after breakfast that he was allowed to use the phone. Mrs Schipholl answered and told him they had got through the night alright but that the children were very upset. She also mentioned the good news that one of the gang had been arrested. She said the police had called half an hour earlier to report that they had arrested Drew in Innisfail.

  “Innisfail! How did he get there?” Andrew asked in surprise.

  “In a stolen car,” Mrs Schipholl replied. “The police think they are all up there and that they are heading for Cairns.”

  ‘Cairns! Oh great!’ Andrew thought. ‘We go home in a few days and they will be there.’ He asked if he could speak to Martin, although he wondered what he would say. To pick a subject that wouldn’t be too painful he asked if he still wanted to come to Navy Cadets in the afternoon. Martin said yes but he didn’t sound very enthusiastic and Andrew suspected that he only said it to be polite.

  After that Andrew phoned Mark and passed on the news. Mark was particularly happy at the news that the gang had fled the city and was hundreds of kilometres away. He promised to phone Jill straight away. “Her parents might let her out then,” he added.

  “Are you going to cadets this afternoon?” Andrew a
sked.

  “Yes. I’ll see if we can get Jill to come too,” Mark added.

  “What are you doing this morning?” Andrew asked.

  “Nothing, why?”

  “Just wondered if you wanted to come over here,” Andrew replied. In truth he wanted someone to talk to but didn’t know how to say that. Mark agreed and hung up.

  An hour later the doorbell rang. It was Mark. He came in and sat down. “I’ve seen Jill and she is allowed to come to cadets,” he said happily. “Her parents rang the police who confirmed the story about Drew and the stolen car in Innisfail. He was staying at some uncle’s place.”

  “That’s good,” Andrew replied. “Now we can get on with having a normal holiday. What say...” he was interrupted by the phone ringing.

  Carmen answered it. “Hello, who is that?" she asked in a puzzled voice. “Oh Rat! Yes, I remember you. Yes Andrew is here.”

  Andrew sprang up and walked quickly over to the phone his mind racing. Rat! What on earth did he want? Some sixth sense set his nerves tingling even as he took the handpiece.

  “Andrew here. Yes Rat, what is it?”

  Rat’s voice came back faintly: “You know them Killer Turtle hoons? Well we just seen three of ‘em.”

  “Where? What were they doing?” Andrew asked. He tried to keep the excitement out of his voice because Aunty Bev was just in the kitchen but noted that both Mark and Carmen were looking his way.

  “They came along Bamford Lane on foot carrying backpacks an’ went down onto the river bank,” Rat replied.

  “Bamford Lane? Where’s that? Never mind, we’ll get a map. Are you sure it was them?” Andrew asked.

  “Course I’m sure!” Rat replied in a scathing tone.

  “Can you keep watching them?” Andrew asked.

  “Yeah. Toad’s doin’ that now,” Rat replied.

  Andrew shook with excitement. “Where are you?”

  “Phone box at Forest Avenue, about a block from where we seen ‘em,” Rat answered.

  “Can you wait till we get there?”

  “Sure, but don’t take too long,” Rat assured him.

  Andrew hung up, every sense alight with excitement. The others noted this and he saw the interest in their faces.

  “What did he want?” Carmen asked. Andrew told them and their eyes also lit up.

  Mark hissed with satisfaction. “Aaah! So the police report was wrong!” he said.

  “Not necessarily,” Andrew replied. "Drew might have decided things were getting too hot and done a flit.”

  “So what do we do?” Mark asked.

  “Go and investigate,” Andrew replied at once.

  “Shouldn’t we tell the police?” Carmen asked anxiously.

  “Not till we have some facts to act on,” Andrew replied. “Let’s find these scum, then watch them. There are enough of us to keep tabs on them if we plan it right. Grab that street map Car, while I phone Martin.”

  “Why Martin?”

  “Because we need numbers to watch every route. Besides, I think Martin has an axe to grind of his own now and he wouldn’t thank us for leaving him out,” Andrew answered.

  Carmen nodded and ran to find the street map while Andrew went back to the phone. Luckily Aunty Bev had gone downstairs so he was able to quickly pass on the news. Martin was wildly excited and said he would come at once.

  “Will your parents allow you,” Andrew asked.

  “Not going to ask,” Martin replied.

  “What about Letitia?”

  “Not going to tell her,” he replied. The phone went dead. Mark asked if he could use the phone again. “If some of the gang are still around then Jill and Anne should be warned to be on their guard,” he said. Andrew was about to object on the grounds that they would probably tell their parents who would then call the police but he bit this back as the immorality of it struck him.

  Carmen returned with the street map and opened it on the table. Mark at once pointed to Forest Avenue and Bamford Lane. Both joined Ross River Road near the river. Andrew studied the map and bit his lip. “The place where he said they went down onto the river bank is almost opposite where there secret camp was. It’s on that stretch of the river between Gleesons Weir and Black Weir.”

  As soon as Mark finished his phone calls Carmen went to tell Aunty Bev they were going for a bike ride along “to the ‘Willows Shopping Centre’,” which wasn’t too bad a lie as the ‘Willows’ was only a kilometre further on. The teenagers then collected hats and pulled on gym boots, then went down to get their bikes.

  Carmen brought the map with her. “If we pass a Newsagents we might be able to photocopy this so that everyone has a copy,” she explained.

  Soon afterwards Martin arrived. He was red in the face and breathless and soaked from head to toe.

  “What happened to you Martin?” Andrew asked.

  “Nearly slipped over the edge of Aplins Weir,” Martin replied.

  Carmen looked horrified. “Oh you silly boy! We told you that was dangerous! Don’t you go across it again,” she scolded. Andrew shuddered when he remembered his own close call on the weir.

  As they mounted their bikes Aunty Bev called to them from the laundry: “Be sure you are home for lunch and don’t get wet.”

  Andrew pointed at the clear blue sky. “No rain today Aunty. See you later.” Then he started pedalling before she could change her mind.

  CHAPTER 24

  BIKE RIDE

  “Come on! Ride fast!” Andrew urged. He pedalled as hard as he could along Leopold Street. The others followed, needing little urging. Five minutes later they were at the intersection with Nathan Street. By then they were puffing and perspiring freely as the sun was blazing down from a clear sky.

  Mark pointed. “This way,” he called. He cut across the double lanes of traffic which rushed along Nathan Street in both directions and headed under the trees fringing Cranbrook Park. The others waited for safe opportunities and followed.

  As he reached the other side Andrew heard Martin call in amazement: “What are you doing here Sis?”

  He turned his head and saw Letitia riding towards them from the end of the bridge. She was dressed as she had been the previous day, very short shorts and a loose cotton top and hat.

  “I wondered what you were up to,” Letitia replied. “When you mumbled something about Andrew’s and took off like a scalded cat I knew something important had happened.”

  “What did Mum say?” Martin asked.

  “She didn’t approve but let me go because I was going to Andrew’s and ‘cause she thinks the bullies have left town,” Letitia answered. “So give. What’s going on?”

  They gathered under the trees and told her. Andrew was glad she was with them but was impatient to keep moving. “Come on, they will be gone if we don’t hurry,” he urged.

  The group rode on across Cranbrook Park and along Bergin Road as far as the Cranbrook State School, then right along Alice Street to Ross River Road. By then they were all puffing and sweating but Andrew insisted they keep moving. Mark wanted to check on Jill while they were in the area but was told to show them the way. Their route then led them left and along Ross River Road for a kilometre.

  As they passed the T-junction of Arinya Street Andrew pointed left along it and called to Mark: “Is that the street that leads down to Gleesons Weir?”

  “Yes it is,” Mark called back.

  A minute later they arrived at the junction with Forest Avenue. There was a delay till a break in the seemingly non-stop lines of traffic allowed them to cross safely. Rat was sitting outside a shop. As they rode up he stood up.

  “Was getting’ worried ya wasn’t gunna show,” he said.

  “Sorry. Where is this place?” Andrew asked.

  “At the end of the next block,” Rat replied. “What about a cold drink first?”

  Andrew frowned with impatience and said: “Later.”

  Rat made no move. “I’m thirsty, an’ it’s hot,” he replied.

&nbs
p; Carmen got off her bike. “Good idea,” she said brightly. “Come on, let’s all have a softdrink. What would you like Rat?”

  Andrew was annoyed and showed it but Carmen ignored him and led Rat into the shop. The others dismounted and followed. Seeing that the delay was now inevitable Andrew dumped his bike on the footpath with bad grace and followed. Inside Carmen pulled him aside.

  “Calm down Andrew or you’ll blow a fuse. Can’t you see that Rat wanted some sort of payment? It is only fair after all. He didn’t have to call us or wait around.”

  Put like that Andrew had to agree and it made him feel foolish and ill-mannered. He nodded and went to get a bottle of ‘Coke’. While the group stood on the footpath to drink Carmen took the map and went along to the nearby Newsagents. A few minutes later she returned with five photocopies of the map and handed one to each. She also passed Rat a chocolate.

  “Here you are Rat, and thank you for helping. Now, would you mind showing us where these bullies went?” she asked.

  Rat stuffed half the chocolate in his mouth and mumbled what sounded like ‘follow me’. He mounted his bike and shot across four lanes of traffic in a death-defying dash which left the watchers breathless with concern. They followed at safe intervals.

  Rat jeered and yelled encouragement: “Come on, they ain’t game ter hit ya!”

  Once they were all across Rat led them along to the end of the next block where Bamfords Lane made a T-junction with Ross River Road. Seated under a tree was Toad. He greeted them gloomily and sniffed. “G’day. I ain’t seen nuffin’ since they went outa sight over the bank,” he informed them.

  As he spoke his gaze focused on Letitia. She smiled and bent to give him a bottle of softdrink. “Here you are. Thanks for waiting,” she said.

  Andrew saw Toad’s eyes widen and had to smile. ‘God she’s a tease!’ he thought.

  But he was more concerned about the bullies so he held up his hand to keep the others back and walked to the end of the fence outside the last house on the river bank. From there he studied the layout. Ahead of him was a large, open area of mowed grass. On the right of it was Ross River Road with hundreds of houses beyond that. On the left of the open area was the river. The open area was only about ten metres across where he stood but grew steadily wider till it reached the buildings of the Weir State School about half a kilometre away.