Climbing Fear

by Leisl Leighton

  ‘Is someone on the ground?’ Nat said and got out of the car, running to where Mac was, kneeling down, looking at the woman lying on the ground in a pool of blood. ‘Barb?’ The older woman who meant the world to her lay on the ground, her leg at a strange angle, blood running from a head wound. Bos lay to the side, green and white flecks of foam at his mouth, his eyes flat and glassy staring at the sky.

  ‘Gran!’ Reid said, going down next to Mac. ‘What happened?’

  ‘I don’t know. She must have fallen down the stairs or something while carrying Bos. Lisa said Bos was scratching and whining at the door to the bunkhouse so she let him out so he wouldn’t disturb the kids. But then he started barking so Barb went to see what the fuss was. When she didn’t come back, Lisa went searching for her and found her like this. She ran and got Ben and he called me and I came straight up.’

  ‘When was this?’

  ‘A few minutes ago.’

  Footsteps pounded behind them and Nat turned as Steve came up beside her, his breath a heave as he leaned over and gulped in air. ‘What’s going on? I saw lights coming up the road. Oh shit. Is that Barb?’

  Nat blinked and looked again at the scene before her, trying to make sense of it all. But there was no sense to be made. Barb was hurt, badly hurt. It seemed so wrong somehow—Barb had always seemed indestructible—but there she was, lying on the ground, broken and bleeding and needing others to help her now. Barb needed her. Barb needed them all.

  The thought galvanised her as nothing else could. She turned to Lisa who had come to stand beside her. ‘Has someone called the ambulance?’

  She nodded slowly, her voice full of tears when she spoke. ‘Ben did. The air ambulance is coming.’

  ‘Good. Who is looking after the kids?’

  ‘Nobody.’

  ‘Then you need to go back and stay with them. They might sleep through it, but some might wake when the chopper comes. You’ll need to assure them everything is fine and keep them inside.’

  ‘Okay.’ She ran off.

  Nat joined Reid, going down on her knees beside him. ‘Is she alive?’ she asked, her voice incredibly steady.

  ‘Yes.’ Reid’s hands were moving over his grandmother. ‘But she’s bleeding from a scalp wound and I think she’s broken her leg.’

  ‘Has she been unconscious since you found her?’ She looked up at Mac.

  ‘No. She was conscious but not making sense when Lisa found her and she complained bitterly when I moved Bos off her to check her.’ He looked over towards the poor old dog who was obviously dead. ‘She was worried about the damn dog.’ He turned back to Barb, his fingers on her face. ‘She fell unconscious after that.’

  ‘How long ago was that?’

  ‘A few minutes. Maybe. I don’t know.’

  Reid looked at her, his expression calm, steady. After what he’d been through tonight, she’d expected he might lose it, but he was nowhere near panic. ‘We need to get her over to her side, clear her airway.’

  ‘Should you move her? What if she’s broken her back or something?’ Mac asked.

  Nat shook her head. ‘Doesn’t matter. Breathing is the most important thing right now. If she can’t breathe, nothing else will matter. Although, keep pressure on the head wound. It won’t help her if she bleeds out.’

  Together they got Barb onto her side in the recovery position and then Reid leaned over her, clearing Barb’s mouth. Blood trickled out, but there was nothing in there stopping her from breathing. She groaned, her eyelids flickering open.

  ‘Reidy-boy.’

  ‘I’m here, Gran. I’m here. The air ambulance is coming.’ He stroked her hair.

  Her hand fluttered in the bloody dirt. ‘Someone pushed.’ Her gaze dragged to the still form of Bos lying a few metres away. ‘Poisoned.’

  ‘What?’ Reid’s shocked gaze met Nat’s and she heard the questions in her mind as if he’d spoken them aloud: Who would poison Bos? Why would they push Barb down the stairs? She shrugged, unable to find an answer.

  ‘Did you see who it was?’

  Barb shook her head slightly, winced. ‘Dark,’ she said and passed out, her eyes fluttering closed again.

  Nat’s gaze followed Reid’s as he looked up at the porch light. It was a sensor light. It would have come on the minute she stepped within five metres of the veranda. It didn’t make sense.

  ‘Barb?’ Mac said, his voice shaky. ‘I don’t think she’s breathing.’

  Reid put his hand over her ribs as Nat leaned down to put her cheek near Barb’s mouth. Nothing. She looked up at him. He shook his head. ‘Roll her onto her back. Do you know CPR?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘What can I do?’ Mac asked.

  Nat looked up, saw Ben standing helplessly behind his dad. ‘You and Ben go get the defib and then you need to make sure the paddock is clear for the chopper and to guide them in. You’ll need to get the flares. Hopefully it will be here soon. Steve, go with Ben.’

  Mac pushed up and ran off, his son hot on his heels.

  They worked over Barb, Reid doing compressions while Nat managed the breaths when needed and kept pressure on the head wound. A few minutes later, Mac came racing back holding out the defib and a first aid pack. ‘Ben’s taking care of the paddock with Steve and has the flares ready.’

  ‘Good.’ Reid grabbed the defib from Mac and tore Barb’s shirt open while Nat continued compressions. He turned the machine on and followed its instructions, baring his gran’s chest, working around Nat to apply the pads. The mechanical voice told them a shock was necessary and to stand back.

  ‘Mac, get the bandages out and be ready to apply pressure on this head wound when I say go.’

  He nodded at Nat’s command and riffled through the first aid kit.

  ‘Stand clear. Stand clear. Shocking now.’ The mechanical voice echoed around them, the beeping from it coming to a crescendo. Barb’s body jolted. They waited for the machine to assess. ‘Continue CPR. Another shock required. Charging. Charging.’ They followed its instructions as it went through two more rounds of shocks, their actions ever more desperate. Then after the third try: ‘Heartbeat identified.’

  ‘Thank god, thank god.’ Reid grabbed Nat and kissed her, smiling briefly into her eyes, then as the machine kept talking, they turned back to follow the instructions.

  ‘No further shocks required. Leave pads on for assessment. Move patient into recovery position. Apply first aid. Assessing. Assessing.’

  ***

  In the distance the whoop-whoop of the chopper could be heard coming closer until the whir of the blades was an ear-splitting noise above them. Flares ignited in the paddock behind Barb’s house and out of the corner of his eye, Reid could see the chopper landing.

  ‘Come on. Hurry, hurry.’ He turned back to Barb. Mac was staring down at her, his face white as he applied pressure on the head wound. Nat kept checking the older woman despite the assurances from the defib machine that there was a heartbeat. Hell, she’d been a rock, solid and calm, her presence had helped him to stay calm too. Although, as he stroked his gran’s blood-sticky hair, gaze moving from the stairs and then back to Bos’s still form, the burn of fury began to build inside. Someone had done this to his gran and that someone needed to be found and made to pay.

  ‘Have the police been called?’ he asked Mac abruptly.

  The older man didn’t take his eyes off Barb. ‘I told Ben to when I got the defib, given what Barb said before. Do you want me to check if they’re coming?’

  ‘No.’ If Ben called them, they’d be here. Besides, the way Mac was looking at Barb, he didn’t have the heart to tell the older man to go. He rubbed his hand over his mouth. He’d had no idea there was something going on between the old hand and his gran. Showed how observant he was.

  ‘Mummy?’ He and Nat turned to look behind them at the sound of that shaky voice, full of tears. Tilly stood at the edge of the circle of light from the porch, tears streaming down her face. ‘Is Granny Barb dead?’


  ‘Oh god, Tilly-sausage. No.’ Nat jumped up and went over to her daughter, going down onto her knees hard to scoop the little girl into her arms. ‘We’ve helped her and an ambulance is on the way.’

  ‘Is Bos dead?’

  Nat glanced at the dog and blanched. ‘Yes, Tills, he is gone, I’m afraid. I’m so sorry.’

  Tilly’s lips trembled and big tears welled in her eyes. ‘Is he in pain?’

  ‘Not anymore, baby girl. Not anymore.’ She brushed her daughter’s face with her fingers, through her hair, kissed her cheek.

  The tears spilled down Tilly’s face but she didn’t make a sound.

  ‘You should have stayed inside with Lisa.’

  ‘I know. But I heard the chopper and I was scared something bad had happened.’ She wrapped her arms around her mother. ‘Shouldn’t we put something over Bos? He’ll be cold.’

  Nat kissed her daughter’s cheek and hugged her close, her gaze on Reid’s, pleading and then flickering to Bos. He nodded, understanding. Leaving Mac to keep his eye on Barb, he ran inside and grabbed a blanket then ran back and laid it over the dog.

  ‘Can’t you move him?’ Nat mouthed to him.

  He shook his head. The police were coming and they needed to see the scene as it was, Bos included. If someone had poisoned Bos and pushed Barb down the stairs, the only chance the police had of finding them lay in keeping the scene as intact as possible. Fuck. What was going on around here? Nat had been attacked, her cottage ransacked, there was someone killing rabbits and possums, leaving their entrails and carcasses on their trails, upsetting the horses, leading to Lisa being thrown and injured and now this! It couldn’t all be a coincidence.

  Sirens sounded in the distance—the police—then the ambulance officers were there, Steve helping them to pull the trolley over the uneven ground, their gear lumped on top of it. Reid pulled Nat and Tilly back and stood on the outer circle of light, watching as the ambulance officers worked over Barb. A car stopped close by and then Constable Bruce was behind him.

  ‘I’ve called in some detectives from Traf. They’ll be here shortly. In the meantime, I have to take photos of the scene. If we want to catch the bastards who did this to Barb —’ his voice caught and he stopped, took a breath, ‘—I need to do it.’

  ‘It’s okay. Take your photos.’

  The flash of his camera burned bright in the dark night, illuminating the scene in a series of gruesome vignettes Reid wouldn’t be able to get out of his head for a long time, if ever: the ambulance officers as they worked over Barb, the mound that was poor Bos under the blanket, the blood, black against the green of the grass, Nat standing, clutching Tilly, Mac pale faced and grim beside her, his hands dark with Barb’s blood.

  He blinked, pressed his fingers to his eyes, feeling the horror build like a bubble of panic in his chest, pushing, expanding, threatening to cut off his air. But he wouldn’t give in to it. If he’d learned anything from tonight with Nat, it was he could find a way past the panic, the fear. Barb needed him and he would be strong. He could do this.

  Nat’s hand clenched around his, fingers squeezing and he knew she believed in him. But even better, he believed in himself. He took in a breath, squeezed her hand back, giving as much as taking, and the panic flowed away.

  The ambulance officers stabilised Barb and had her on the gurney, moving over the uneven ground as steadily and quickly as they could to the chopper waiting for them in the paddock. The blades hadn’t stopped cranking, but now they whirred faster and faster, stirring up loose bits of grass and hay and surface dust. It blew into his face as Reid followed behind the gurney, Nat with Tilly trailing behind, but he didn’t care.

  ‘You coming?’ the ambulance officer asked after securing the gurney into the chopper.

  ‘Can’t,’ Steve shouted over the noise, grabbing Reid’s arm. ‘The constable says we have to stay until the detectives from Trafalgar get here. They want to ask all of us questions.’

  Reid waved the ambulance officer off. ‘We’ll follow later. Look after her.’

  ‘Stand well back,’ the ambulance officer told him before hopping into the chopper and closing the doors with a thunk.

  Reid, arm over Nat, Tilly between them, ran from the chopper, the air from the blades hitting him in the back as it took off, reminding him of the night Luke had died, the chopper that had come for him. He waited for the panic to rise again, but it didn’t. He was steady. He was going to be all right.

  When they were clear, he watched the chopper’s progress, the lights blinking until it disappeared behind the mountains and trees.

  He sighed. It was going to be a few hours before he could see his gran, to find out if she was going to be okay.

  ‘She’ll be fine,’ Nat said, reading his mind, his worry. ‘She’s a fighter.’

  ‘I know.’ He kissed her forehead, aware of Tilly gaping at them.

  ‘Are you and my mum together?’ she asked.

  Shit. He glanced at Nat, wondering what he should say.

  She smiled gently, brushing the hair back off Tilly’s brow. ‘Tilly, this isn’t the time. We’re all worried about Barb and the police need to see us. But I promise, we’ll sit down with you soon and talk about it all, okay?’

  ‘Okay. But if you and Reid are together, would we go with him when he’s doing his show?’

  Reid snorted as Nat said, ‘Tilly.’

  Tilly looked chagrined, but then flashed him a smile and a thumbs-up when her mother turned away—cheeky girl. She seemed delighted by the prospect of him being with Nat—at least he didn’t have to worry about her hating him for it. He ruffled her hair and put his hand on her shoulder as they began to walk towards the main building.

  Some of the kids had woken up and were milling around in the breezeway with Ben and Lisa.

  ‘Is Barb okay?’ Andrea asked, running up to them.

  ‘She’ll be fine,’ Nat said.

  Together, she and Reid assured the rest of the kids then helped Lisa and Ben herd them off to bed. They went reluctantly, but they did go, settling down quickly. Thank god the kids’ parents would be here tomorrow morning to pick them up, because after what had been happening here over the last week, he couldn’t guarantee the children’s safety.

  Hell, what was Flynn going to say when he got back?

  Flynn. He’d have to call him. His uncle would want to come back immediately to be with his mother. He looked at his watch. It was just past one. He’d call Flynn first thing in the morning—that was soon enough to cut short the rest of his holiday with his son.

  Nat came out of the girl’s bunkroom as he exited the boys. ‘Tilly okay?’

  ‘Yeah, surprisingly so. I was worried how she’d react with Barb being hurt like that and Bos being killed, but exhaustion is a wonderful thing. She and Andrea fell asleep on the same bunk bed and I think they’ll be out until morning.’ She sighed, rubbed her head. ‘Thankfully, it’s the last night of camp.’

  He reached out, pulled her into his side, relishing the comfort of her warm body as it nestled against him. ‘I know.’

  Steve came out of the dining room then and waved at them. ‘The police are waiting for you.’

  Together, they walked inside the dining room where the lights were on and the police had already started to question Mac.

  Reid was surprised to recognise the Detective Constable as Bryce Harrington, a boy he’d gone to school with. Bryce had been the local footy hero and had been offered a spot with the Tigers but when he did his knee in the first season, he ended up back here. He’d been a bit of a mess for a while and the last time Reid had seen him ten years ago, he’d been drunk and passed out in the Wally pub. ‘Bryce.’ He held out his hand for a firm shake. ‘Good to see you.’

  ‘Good to see you too although sorry it’s under these circumstances.’ He gestured to the bench seats at the table. ‘If you take a seat, I’ll get this over as quickly as I can.’

  He kept his arm around Nat as Bryce asked him to relate wha
t happened tonight, keeping her close to his side while he answered the questions. Then Bryce turned to Nat. It was a horrible echo of only a few nights before when Nat was knocked unconscious.

  ‘As Reid said, we were just coming back from a midnight drive and were heading to Barb’s house to get something Reid left there. I thought Barb was with the kids in the bunkhouse—that’s where she usually goes on their last night. I didn’t hear anyone around or see anyone until we saw the group around Barb and Bos.’ She glanced at Reid. ‘Do you think it could be the same people who broke into my place the other night?’

  ‘Yes.’ He shot a questioning look at the police officer who shrugged.

  ‘Constable Bruce informed us of that break-in and assault. All I can say is at this time, we don’t have enough evidence to point us one way or another.’

  ‘But if you were to make an educated guess?’ Reid asked, pushing Bryce.

  Bryce raised his brow. ‘If I was to make a guess, it is a likelihood. They didn’t get what they wanted the other night so they tried again tonight and brought poison to keep the dog quiet. You say your grandmother usually sleeps in the bunkroom with the kids on camp. That’s something that’s known locally?’

  ‘Not widely, perhaps, but yes, it is something she’s been doing for years, ever since her husband died. So locals probably know about it.’

  Bryce wrote something down on his pad. ‘Well, hopefully she got an eyeball on her attacker and we’ll have more to go by when we speak to her. For now, I’d suggest none of you go anywhere alone, as it appears those responsible were stopped again tonight from getting what they wanted and it’s quite possible they’ll be back.’

  Reid shot a look at Mac and Steve who were sitting at the table opposite. ‘We’ll be on the lookout. They won’t hurt anyone else.’

  ‘Not if we can help it,’ Steve agreed, Mac nodding along with him, a fierce look on his face.

  Given Lisa and Ben were in the bunkrooms with the kids, the police detective agreed to talk to them tomorrow when they were free, and after telling them they would send someone to pick up Bos to test for poison and instructing them not to go near the crime scene, stood.