Frank and Karira saw Mette as she came from a group of new-built homes and headed across the Square, which was filled with tents and people bustling around setting up cooking fires, chatting, and selling goods. In front of the telegraph office, a group of elders sat in a circle in a deep discussion.
“There’s my uncle,” said Karira. “We’d better talk to him first. We’ll find Mette later…”
Hakopa gave them a small nod of greeting as they dismounted, but continued speaking in Maori to the men in the group.
“They’re talking about land confiscations,” said Karira. “The government confiscated the land of any iwi involved in the wars between Maori and Europeans, and they want to test the legality and ask the government to do so by the law and not by the sword.”
“But your uncle sold his land,” said Frank. “It wasn’t confiscated.”
“He’s firmly on both sides of the argument,” said Karira, smiling wryly. “Depending on who he’s with. This group wants to take their case before the Supreme Court – they’re formulating a letter because the government has just delayed doing anything one more time.”
“What do you think? Will that work?” asked Frank, curious.
Karira shrugged. “They have to try, I suppose. I think those who fought against the Crown can’t expect to have it their way now. That’s why they’ve brought in Hakopa. They know what he’s done, but he has good standing with the government, and can talk to them.”
Frank and Karira sat outside the circle of men as the discussion went on, each man speaking at length. Eventually, the talking stopped, and the men stood, nodded to each other, and moved off towards their tents.
Hakopa came towards them and greeted Frank warmly.
“Sergeant Hardy,” he said in slow and cautious English. “I must thank you once more for saving us when the rebel Anahera attacked Captain Porter. He brought disgrace on my hapu.”
“Sergeant Hardy needs our help,” said Karira. “The Armed Constabulary troopers are looking for him. We need to hide him for a few days. He’s done nothing illegal…wrong…but…”
Hakopa avoided Frank’s eyes, not inspiring much confidence. “Haere mai ki toku whare,” he said, having run out of English words. “Ka nga te ra.”
“He says, go to his house at sunset,” said Karira. “For now, just lose yourself in the crowd. There’ll be food over in the centre of the Square all evening. Lots of good food. Roast pig, smoked eel, dried fish, potted birds…and potatoes of course.”
“Are you sure we can trust him?” asked Frank. “I know he’s your uncle, but…”
“You could be right,” said Karira. “I wonder if we should head up to Wanganui…”
“To investigate the Mountjoys?” asked Frank. “That seems like a good first step. We could go now. Why wait until tomorrow? I’d just need to have a word with Mette, get some fresh clothes, and then…”
Karira nodded his agreement.
The crowd in The Square started to increase in size, and there was a sense of celebration. Frank and Karira led their horses through the melee, watching the reaction of the Maori to Frank’s disguise. He was sure he was fooling no one, but then there were no Europeans here, other than Constable Price who could be seen in the distance outside the police station, watching and waiting for trouble, Jimi by his side.
A cluster had formed in the centre of the Square, and Frank saw a chief mounting a trap, ready to make a speech. The chief stood there like a statue of a Greek philosopher, one hand under the fold of his short, feathered cloak, the other at his side, and began to speak. The people in The Square moved towards him, mesmerized.
“Who’s that?” asked Frank, feeling himself pulled to the centre as well.
“Peete te Awe Awe,” said Karira. “Chief of the Rangitane iwi. He was instrumental in selling the Manawatu block to the government more than ten years ago. If it weren’t for him, Palmerston wouldn’t be here.”
“You don’t sound happy about that,” said Frank.
Karira shrugged. “I used to think we were doing the right thing,” he said. “Moving forward, becoming like you – the British – but now I’m not so sure.”
The crowd was starting to respond to Peete te Awe Awe’s speech with shouts and movement. Over in front of the police station, an altercation had broken out, and they could see Constable Price and Jimi struggling with a man.
“We’d better help Price,” said Frank. “I think he’s in trouble.”
“I’ll go,” said Karira. “He knows you and probably trusts you, but he’d feel bound to turn you in if he knew the troopers were after you. Take the horses to the paddock and I’ll give Price a hand.”
Once in the paddock, Frank removed the saddles and brought the animals water and bags of oats, stroking Copenhagen’s mane affectionately. “Haven’t seen you much lately, have I?” Copenhagen butted Frank gently on the shoulder with her head and snickered softly. He’d had her for almost three years, one of the best mounts he’d ever owned.
Hop Li came from his kitchen carrying a billy can. “You’re back boss,” he said happily. “You see Mette yet? She’s been pretty sad I think.”
“I saw her in the distance,” said Frank. “But I haven’t spoken with her. I will as soon as Copenhagen is settled and I change my clothes. Don’t mention to anyone that I’m here. Have you seen any troopers about?”
“They were here earlier,” said Hop Li. “But they left for Ashhurst.” He waved the billy can at Frank. “I’m going to pick pea pods in my garden. Just coming in. Good taste. I’ll give you some later.”
Frank picked up a curry comb from a box by the kitchen steps and started brushing down the horses. He was happy Hop Li was out in the garden, acting like an early alert. It was in this paddock that Anahera had attacked Frank, almost killing him with hard slaps to his face. Hop Li had saved him with his unexpected skill with a push dagger, plunging it into Anahera’s belly. It had slowed him down, but not killed him.
He was almost finished when Karira arrived, more ruffled and upset than Frank had ever seen him.
“What happened to you? Did you have trouble helping Constable Price to subdue his prisoner?”
Karira looked despondent. “Not really. Jimi and I got him under control, but then the women came at us.”
“The women?”
“The Maori women. They threw themselves at us, and Warena – the man Price was trying to arrest – escaped. He ran into a hotel and smashed the glass in the door. Then he disappeared.”
Frank grinned. “You were beaten back by women? Shame on you man.”
“That wasn’t the worst part,” said Karira. “One of the women was Wiki, from the pa.”
“Hmm,” said Frank. “I’m not surprised. She’s a rebellious young woman.”
“She called me a traitor,” said Karira. “And slapped me across the face. That was the hardest part because I’m afraid that she’s…”
“You think you’re a traitor?” asked Frank. “That’s nonsense. You’re one of the most honest, loyal men I’ve ever met.”
“Loyal to the Crown, you mean,” said Karira. “Sometimes I think I should… here’s Mette.”
Mette came through the paddock gate, looking distraught. Frank dropped his curry comb and took hold of her hands. “What’s happened? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I think I did,” said Mette. “I saw Anahera. He was over by the trap in the centre of the Square listening to Peete te Awe Awe. He looked right at me and smiled.”
“That doesn’t sound like Anahera,” said Frank. “I don’t think he’s smiled in his entire life. Are you sure?”
“It was Anahera,” said Mette. “I know it was. And he recognized me. That’s why he smiled…it was almost not a smile. His lips just moved the tiniest bit. It almost seemed he was trying to tell me something, but I don’t know what.”
“I’ll finish with Copenhagen and we can go to the office,” said Frank. “We need to talk in private, and think things through, about Anahera, and about Wiki as well.”
“Wiki?” asked Mette. “What has Wiki got to do with anything? I saw her sitting with a group of women earlier, but she ignored me.”
Frank and Karira exchanged glances.
“We’ll talk about it inside,” said Karira.
“Wiki slapped him,” said Frank quietly to Mette. “She was one of a group of women who got in the way of Constable Price while he was arresting a Maori for furious riding.”
“She’s rebellious,” said Mette. “You know when we were out at Pieter’s farm, and he went out to replace the pegs … he told me that groups of Maori women had been out there pulling them up. And at the pa when Constable Price found Gottlieb’s body, I saw a pile of pegs. I thought nothing of it until we were at Pieter’s farm, and then I realized…”
Frank shook his head. “I hope she isn’t doing that. She’ll get herself in trouble.”
“I think it’s very brave of her,” said Mette. “She’s living at a pa that used to be a wonderful place, and now it’s in ruins, and the land is going to people like us who’ve come from other countries.”
“That’s the way the world works,” said Frank. “Although I agree it’s unfortunate.”
“More than unfortunate,” said Mette. “It’s unfair. Oh, and I forgot. The telegraph boy gave me this for Will. I said I’d leave it at the office…”
Karira reached for the envelope, but Frank took it and tore it open. “It’s a reply from Captain Porter.”
“What does he say?”
Frank scanned the contents. “Constable Karira. In Feilding on Thursday for land sale. Stop. Meet me there. Stop. Arrest came from highest level. Stop. Captain Porter. That’s tomorrow…I should be there when he arrives.”
“He’s expecting me,” said Karira. “I think it would be best if I…something’s up with Hop Li.”
Hop Li had come out of his pea garden waving frantically.
“What’s happened?” said Frank.
Hop Li waved his hand towards the garden. “Something to show you, boss. Something not good.”
He hurried ahead of them through the garden to the edge of the bush. His billy can was lying in the dirt, the contents spilled across a pair of scuffed Blucher boots. The boots were lying beside a blossom-covered manuka shrub, which was alive with honey bees.
“Someone left his boots…?” said Frank.
“No, no,” said Hop Li. He picked up one of the boots and dropped let it go. It fell heavily. “Someone is inside the boots. He’s dead.”
Frank pulled aside the branches of the manuka to reveal a bare leg above the boot. “My God. There’s a man here. How the hell…?” He turned to Karira. “Help me pull him out.”
Karira and Frank each took hold of a leg and pulled the body from its hiding place. It appeared slowly from beneath the bush, face down, the head flopping loosely from one side to the other.
“This is not good,” said Frank. “He’s a trooper. Help me turn him over and …my God. It’s Wilson.”
Sergeant Wilson of the Armed Constabulary lay with his head at an uncomfortable angle, his face bright red, eyes popping. He’d died with terror in his heart.
“What happened to him?” asked Mette. “And who is he? How do you know him?”
“He was here in September, searching for Anahera,” said Frank grimly. “Hop Li and I played cards with him. And I ran into him again at the prison. He shot at prisoners trying to escape a bush fire. Killed most of them. And he took a shot at me and Anahera as we stood beside the river.”
“Should I fetch Constable Price?” asked Karira.
“No, not yet. Mette was right. Anahera is back and he’s killed Wilson. See those red marks on the cheeks, the lines? They’re handprints. Anahera tried to kill me by slapping me on the face, and he came close to finishing the job.” He patted Hop Li on the shoulder. “I’d be dead if Hop Li hadn’t come to my rescue.”
“No problem, boss,” said Hop Li. “And I can be a witness this time if you need …”
“Witness? Why does there need to be a witness,” asked Mette. “Frank…will they think…?”
“You’re right, Hop Li. I could be blamed for this murder,” said Frank. “They’re searching for me because I left a trail – stupidly – and if they know I’m here they’ll blame me for this.”
“You need to get away from Palmerston right now,” said Karira. “Before too many people know you were here.”
“You can’t leave again,” said Mette. “I can’t have you leave again. Please Frank, can’t you stay in hiding until…”
“I saw him in the bush with a troop,” said Frank. “I wonder why they left him behind?”
“They’ll be back,” said Karira. “They don’t travel alone. When he doesn’t catch them up they’ll come looking for him. Sorry Mette, but Frank had better get as far away from here as he can…”
Frank put his arm around Mette’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “I’m sorry my darling, but Karira is right. Hop Li, could you give us a couple of hours start before you talk to Constable Price?”
Mette shook Frank’s arm away and faced him. “I’m coming with you.”
Frank and Karira exchanged glances. “No, I think not…” said Frank hesitantly. He was conflicted. He hated leaving her again, but taking her to Wanganui would be foolish.
“I don’t care what you think. I’m not waiting at home again. And won’t you want to go to Wanganui next, to see what you can find out what you can about the Mountjoy family? I could help you with that.”
Frank scratched his chin. He could see Karira behind Mette shaking his head and frowning.
“If I stay here, Anahera might kill me as well,” she said. “I’ll be safer with you…”
It was a weak reason, as clearly Anahera had come to take his revenge on the man who had tried to kill him. But he gave in to his own needs and said, “I suppose you have a point with that. And having you with me will be a disguise. We’ll look like a regular married couple…maybe you could even talk to the Mountjoys…”
“I can talk to the Mountjoys,” said Karira stiffly. “Do you think they won’t speak with me for some reason?”
“You represent the law…,” said Frank. “They might see you, but they won’t tell you anything.”
“I could go to the Mountjoy’s house and ask if they needed a maid,” said Mette. “Or, no, I have a better idea. Wait here for a minute.” She started towards the gate, then turned back towards them. “Promise me you won’t leave before I get back.”
Frank shook his head. “We can ride up to Feilding together,” he said to Karira, watching Mette pass through the gate and into the crowd beyond. “We’ll take the track up to the Kimbolton Road where there isn’t much traffic. Then we can take the coach up to Wanganui from there. The coach passes through from Ashhurst and no one in Feilding will have heard anything. We’ll have to make sure the troopers aren’t there of course…”
“Can she ride?” asked Karira. He was clearly not happy with the thought that Mette was coming with them. “Is there even a horse available for her?”
“She can ride with me, on Copenhagen,” said Frank. He walked away before Karira could protest.
They still hadn’t spoken when Mette returned thirty minutes later. Frank was examining the body again, while Karira paced back and forth at the steps to the hotel kitchen where Hop Li was frantically pounding bread dough into submission.
Mette was carrying a small, battered carpetbag. “I asked Mr. Robinson if he minded me going away for a few days,” she said. “I told him I was going to visit a relative in Napier, so if anyone asks he’ll put them off the scent without lying. I don’t think he could tell a lie.”
“What do you have in your bag?” asked Frank.
She smiled. “Oh, just some clothes and…other things. Now, am I going to ride with you Frank?”
“Of course,” he said, smiling down at her. “How else would we go? I’ll change into my normal clothes first though. Then we’ll be on our way.” As he passed Karira he slapped him on the shoulder. Karira stared back at him gloomily.
Karira was still annoyed with Frank as they neared Feilding, galloping on ahead and stopping occasionally to wait impatiently as Copenhagen caught up to him with her heavier load.
Mette didn’t care. She clutched her carpetbag and leaned back against Frank, wishing the ride would never end. Frank held her with one arm around her waist, squeezing her occasionally. She could feel him smiling with his whole body. He was in danger, they were riding on the most uncomfortable horse she could imagine, and her bottom was numb, but it was bliss.
The track wound through the bush, much of it burned or cut down, with intermittent farm fields planted with oats or corn. Once or twice a man stopped working and raised his hand to them, but no one paid much attention. By late afternoon they were on the outskirts of Feilding. Karira reined in and pointed towards a small stony river that briefly abutted the track before turning east.
“Let’s water the horse,” he said. “And then I’ll go into town alone to make sure it’s safe.”
Frank dismounted and held out his arms to Mette. She slid down, her face close to his, while waves of disapproval came from Karira. “Hide yourselves further downstream,” he said. “I’ll take both horses and look for stabling. Make sure you can’t be seen from the track.”
“Is something the matter with Karira?” asked Mette as he left. “He seems angry at us.” She hated seeing Karira disapproving of her. He had become like a brother to her, someone she could talk to about anything. She had been wanting to talk to Frank about Milo Mountjoy, to ask if he could possibly have a son, but it was so much harder with him than it was with Karira, who could read her thoughts.
“He doesn’t like seeing us being… affectionate to each other,” said Frank. “Perhaps we shouldn’t be so obvious when he’s around. I forget he’s not my brother sometimes.” He took Mette’s hand and drew her towards the river, and found a fallen tree trunk to sit on. “He’s not here now though.”
She rested her head against his chest. “Thank you for letting me come with you,” she said. “I feel much safer when I’m with…”
“We’ll have to be careful in Wanganui,” he said. “We’ll know more once we’ve talked to Captain Porter.”
She decided to ease into the topic. “When we find out what’s going on, we’ll be able to go back to Palmerston and start our lives properly. I can’t wait…”
She was cut off by the sound of horses. They were far enough away from the track that whoever was coming would not see them unless they were actively searching. But Frank pulled Mette down behind the fallen tree trunk, covering her with his body as the horses approached, and then thundered past.
“Armed Constables,” said Frank. “Lucky we were off the track. Looks like they’re heading towards Palmerston. It won’t be long before they find out Wilson has been murdered. Price will know by now.”
They stayed low, waiting to see if any more constables would ride by. After thirty minutes, Karira arrived on foot, scrambling along the side of the stream, looking rattled.
“It’s a trap,” he said. “We’re walking into a trap.”
“You mean it wasn’t Captain Porter who telegraphed you?”
Karira shook his head. “I think it was,” he said. “Captain Porter’s in Feilding with a dozen Armed Constables. They’re guarding all the exits. I was at the Denbigh Hotel to see if they could stable the horses, and they told me the stables were full because of all the constables in town. I left our horses tied to a post outside the railway station and came back along the stream.”
“Captain Porter set a trap for me?” asked Frank. “That can’t be true. I’ve known him for years…surely…”
“It’s for you, alright,” said Karira. “I saw your…I saw Mountjoy there. Captain Porter was on the verandah of the hotel, but I saw Mountjoy inside.”
“Damn,” said Frank. “Of all the people, I’d never have thought Porter…some constables just rode by. I thought they were on their way to Palmerston, but they’re probably only going half a mile or so. If they station themselves on the rise they’d see anyone approaching and block them in once they passed.”
“Then we’re trapped?” asked Mette, her voice quivering. “We can’t get out?”
Frank squeezed her hand. “They don’t know we’re already inside the perimeter. We’ll find a way out, I promise…”
“The smart thing to do would be to go into town,” said Karira. “They’ll be looking outward, waiting for you to ride in. Then if you can find a way to get onto the coach going north to Wanganui…or to hide until they give up and leave…”
“Couldn’t we go in by the river?” asked Mette.
Karira gave Frank a sideways look. “Perhaps Mette should return to Palmerston. Mountjoy knows her, and…”
“You want to send me home?” asked Mette.
“That would be the best…” said Karira.
“No,” said Frank. “I’d like Mette to stay with me. We’ll circle town by the river and see if we can bypass the town…maybe catch the Wanganui coach on the other side somewhere. Karira, you get the horses and head back to Palmerston.”
Karira looked annoyed. “You trust Mette to discover something in Wanganui that I could not?”
“She has innocence on her side,” said Frank. “No one would suspect her of anything. She can be part of my disguise.”
Mette set her carpetbag on the ground and knelt beside it. “I have a plan,” she said, opening the bag and pushing her clothing aside. “I didn’t want to show you before, but I brought some of my booklets with me…my recipe booklets. I could go door to door and ask to talk to the cooks. Perhaps even to the cook at the Mountjoy home…”
Frank smiled. “You see, Karira? A perfect way to investigate. And if you return to Palmerston you can see what’s happening with the Wilson murder. Make sure no one thinks it was me. And tell Price Anahera is in town. Remind him of the time he tried to kill me with the face-slapping…the same modus operandi.”
Karira agreed sullenly, mounting his horse. “Take care of her then,” he said as Frank walked with him to the track. “If you get blamed for murder, she mustn’t be implicated. They haven’t ever hanged a woman for murder in New Zealand, but that doesn’t mean they won’t.”
It occurred to Frank for the first time that Karira might have feelings for Mette. He wondered if Mette knew. Probably not. “Of course, I’ll take care of her,” he said, feeling a surge of annoyance. “I’ll always take care of her. Why would you say that…?”
“You don’t exactly have the best record,” said Karira. “I saw evidence of that no more than an hour ago. A man who is obviously your son…”
“That was twenty years ago,” said Frank. “I was hardly a man myself. And I’m not sure he is my son. I know he resembles me, but…”
“More than a resemblance,” said Karira. “He looks exactly like you, only younger.”
“And is trying to make me disappear, for some reason,” said Frank. “Look, Karira, I intend to do the best I can for Mette. Please don’t concern yourself.”
“Someone went to a lot of trouble to make you disappear,” said Karira. “And it can’t just be Mountjoy. He’s not much more than a boy. It must be something – or someone with something to lose. A lot to lose. And with some influence.” He kicked his horse and set off back to Palmerston.
Frank watched him until only the dust thrown up by the hooves remained. “Someone with something to lose,” he said. “And we’ll find out who that person is in Wanganui. Mette and I together.”