Graham was enthusiastic about his new project and encouraged several others to join him in clearing some two hundred hectares of the bush at the northern end of the property. 'I could make furniture from some of these trees, even the burnt ones,' he told David. 'If we had some proper tools it would help a lot.'
'Do you know anyone who stocked tools in Sydney?'
'Sure, plenty of places. I know exactly where to go.'
A few days later, Tanya, with Joe and Graham on board, set out to find the site of a major supplier of high grade tools in Western Sydney. They flew around the factory several times, but there was no sign of life, so Tanya set the machine down in the main fenced-in yard. Graham and Joe checked out the locked main door, then asked Tanya to pick it.
'Okay, but you two stand guard here. We never know who might appear from the shadows. Walking back home has no appeal.'
It took a few minutes to unlock and open the door.
'Only take relatively light objects,' she reminded them as she returned and waited in the pilot's seat.
Joe and Graham emerged with a trolley loaded with various objects.
'Extraordinary,' Graham said. 'The place has been left clean and tidy, almost as if they were expecting to return tomorrow. Anyway, now I can really get on and make some decent furniture. I will probably set up a sawmill in the forest to avoid shifting all the trees down to the village.'
Having set a precedent, every month or so, Tanya was asked to go on similar expeditions to find items that were desperately needed. Mostly, they went about their business unhindered. Once, several people armed with rifles appeared as they circled the premises. Tanya immediately backed the helicopter away and flew out of range.
'Phew,' she said, 'one can't be too careful.'
Chloe looked after Susan as if she was her own. She always attended the medical examinations and made certain Susan was eating correctly and had enough rest. She encouraged her to continue with her schoolwork.
David, although he had no objection to the pretty girl, became more and more lonely at home. He began to spend more time at The Bandstand and his liaison with Caroline flourished.
As Susan's time approached, Chloe said to him in a quiet moment, 'The baby will arrive soon and I'm committed to helping Susan look after it. But that's not really fair on you. So I was thinking, Jonathan's house is unused; one of us should probably move in there. It doesn't matter to me which one of us it is.'
Jonathan's house was well furnished and, without any fuss, David moved his belongings there. He had become quite used to fending for himself due to Chloe's frequent absences in Sydney. It also meant he could make trips to The Bandstand without having to explain his absences.