Friday
Jim Jim Falls
The drive down to Jim Jim Falls was quiet with only desultory conversation. Ellie occasionally broke the silence with a warning about upcoming corrugations or a kangaroo that she spotted on the side of the road. Mostly she looked out of the window at the scrubby landscape flashing by. For a while there, she’d been enjoying his company, and then for some reason he’d turned back into the sullen man who had been in the chopper with her yesterday.
She turned to him just before they were about to reach the end of the bitumen road.
‘The traditional owners call this season Wurrgeng. The creeks drain out and the floodplains dry up. During the monsoon season, we can’t even get down here.’
‘Wurrgeng?’
‘Yeah, there are six seasons in the Aboriginal year. The monsoon season is called Gudjewg.’
‘Did you have to learn all that for the scenic flights?’
Ellie shook her head and looked at the sky. Smoke hung low over the looming escarpment. ‘No. I learned it all from Bill Jarragah when I was a kid. He used to work with my dad, and he taught me a lot too. See the smoke? They’re burning off the grasslands. It’s a way of renewing for the next season.’ Ellie pointed to the granite cliffs to the east. ‘This time of year, we have spectacular sunsets. Have you been out on the lodge boardwalk at sunset yet?’
Kane shook his head and turned his attention back to the road. ‘I only arrived here a few days before you got back.’
His words sent Ellie’s thoughts wandering back to her mother as she stared at the landscape flashing past. She’d ring Emma and get her to send over any more information that Mum had put together about shale gas exploration in Kakadu. She’d had another quick flick through the folder Mum had given her but apart from the newspaper clippings about Sordina, it was mainly general stuff printed off from websites about fracking in other places. There were a few mentions of a company called Black Coal Holdings, but there was no links between the documents.
Ellie reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. She had the window wound down a little and the wind had blown strands of hair from her braid.
‘What’s wrong?’ His voice broke into her thoughts.
She kept her gaze fixed on Kane as she considered whether to be upfront with him. Even though his hair was cropped short, the ends were sun-tipped, and his tanned skin looked as though he spent a lot of time outdoors. His profile was hawkish and a little gaunt, with deep hollows in his cheeks. A web of laughter lines creased around his hazel-coloured eyes. Her eyes travelled down his tanned arms to the strong hands confidently holding the steering wheel.
Nerves shimmied in her stomach and tingled down a little bit lower. Ellie didn’t like the feelings that rushed through her body when she looked at him. While she didn’t know if she could trust him, the same as yesterday she instinctively sensed solidness about him.
Ellie swallowed and then bit her lip. ‘I was just deciding whether I can trust you to be honest with me.’
‘About what?’ Kane kept his eyes on the road ahead as the corrugations got deeper and the vehicle juddered to one side of the road.
She grabbed for the Jesus bar on the dashboard in front of her. ‘About the farm.’
‘I have been.’ He wrenched on the steering wheel as they approached a wide corrugation and his biceps flexed.
‘Do you think it would be okay if I went out there and had a look at what’s going on?’
Kane shot her a glance. ‘I can’t see it would be a problem. Mum would probably appreciate a visitor too.’ His hands were clenched on the steering wheel. ‘She’s not real well,’ he said. ‘And I think she’s a bit lonely.’
There was no more conversation until the towering granite escarpments signalling the beginning of the gorge appeared in the distance ahead.
‘Around the next bend, past the camping area, the road changes and it’s four-wheel drive vehicles only.’
Kane nodded and moved back a gear, slowing the vehicle as they approached the sweeping curve. A sudden flash of white was the only warning as a large all-terrain vehicle came careening around on the wrong side of the road.
He pulled the wheel to the left and their vehicle came crashing down into the channel, Ellie’s head bumping the roof.
‘Christ, who gave that cowboy a licence? Are you okay?’
She rubbed it with her hand. ‘Yes, I’m fine. That’s another one of the not-so-natural dangers of the park. Sorry I should have warned you.’ She shook her head. ‘The tour buses take the road down to the falls right through the dry season, full of backpackers and tourists. The worst part is, if we meet one of them on the next section of the road, one of the vehicles will have to back up to get past and I can guarantee it won’t be them.’
Kane pulled back onto the road, and slipped the vehicle into four-wheel drive mode as they passed the turn-off to the Garnamarr campground. Ellie watched his strong hands on the lever as the gearbox resisted for a moment. Finally it slotted in and the tone of the motor dropped back.
‘How come your mother is living back at the farm? I thought Sordina lived in Darwin. Isn’t he a member for one of the southern regions of the city?’
‘I can’t really help you there.’ Kane lifted one hand from the wheel and scratched his head, before he turned to her. ‘I don’t know why she is yet.’
‘Watch the road.’ She inclined her head to the road in front of them.
‘Yes, ma’am.’ That broad grin was finally back, and he hadn’t ‘babed’ her this time. ‘To tell you the truth, I don’t know Sordina that well. I’d only met him a couple of times before I –’ Kane stared into the distance ahead of them ‘– when my mother married him. When I visited them in Darwin after they were first married, they were living right on the water at Cullen Bay. But I’ve been away . . . for a few years. I must admit I was a bit shocked myself when I saw the state of the place yesterday. I’m not happy about her being there, especially when she’s crook.’ A pensive look crossed his face and Ellie could sense there was something more but she didn’t press.
‘Do you think he’s going to try and resurrect the mango plantation?’
Kane shrugged and changed back another gear as the road ahead narrowed. ‘I have no idea why he would want to. Mum didn’t say anything about him taking up farming. But honestly, I can’t imagine it. He’s a city bloke. He loves the horse races. Always running off to put a bet on. Not what you’d expect of your local member.’
‘That’s the Territory for you,’ Ellie joked.
‘Is there anything else he might have in mind for the place?’
‘Like what? Cattle or something? What other crops grow up here in this heat?’ Ellie stared at him. It was becoming apparent that Kane knew very little about the area. But was he being truthful or just prevaricating?
She bit her lip again as he slowed the four-wheel drive when they approached the next bend. His slowing down was timely and a curse left his lips as another tourist bus came around the curve in front of them, smack-bang in the middle of the narrow road. Kane shifted the car into reverse, and his fingers brushed her shoulder as he put his arm along the back of the seat, sending a quiver down her arm. He looked over his shoulder as he backed to the side of the road to let the vehicle through.
‘You’re a quick learner.’ Ellie nodded as the bus accelerated past them and tooted the deep horn as it went by. A blur of tourist faces flashed past.
‘How far did you say we have to go on this road?’
The moment for asking any more questions was past. She’d bide her time and wait until another opportunity arose.
*
Kane focused on the road without speaking. It had taken a while to regain his composure after that blasted panic attack at the billabong; the worst was the choking feeling when he had to fight for breath. The doctor at the base in Germany had offered him antidepressants but Kane refused to believe that he had a problem. The doctor had looked at him over his glasses so Kane had reluctantly agreed to take the leaflets on PTSD. Maybe it was time to read them.
‘Another one.’ Ellie’s voice intruded on his thoughts. Yet another big four-wheel drive bus was hurtling towards them.
‘Christ, it’s like a freeway down here. How many tourists come down here in a day?’
‘The tours start at daybreak and go all day. You’d be surprised at the thousands of visitors here every season.’ She turned to him with a grin and his gaze lingered on her face. When she smiled the constant wariness in her expression disappeared. Her pale blue eyes held his for a minute before she turned away.
By the time they reached the small car park, the sky had clouded over. Kane looked at Ellie, raising his eyebrows in question. ‘Are you sure this is the right place? Where are all the tourist buses?’
‘Yes. We’ve timed it well. Between tours. Don’t worry, the crowds will be back when the next bus arrives.’ She pointed across to the lone car parked on the other side. ‘That looks like the vehicle we have to retrieve over there.’
He parked beside it, and Ellie jumped out and checked the number plate. ‘This is it.’ She held the keys up. ‘I’ll drive that one back seeing you’re used to driving the Cruiser.’
Kane climbed out of the car and looked around. The car park was a large square and was fenced in with low timber. A few trees lined one side and there was no sign of a river or a waterfall. Red dirt was furrowed in deep lines from the tyres of large vehicles and the dust clung to his boots as he followed Ellie around to the back of the four-wheel drive.
The sky was low and dark, but the air was still, as taut as a bowstring. As the first puff of wind rustled the leaves of the small trees along the fence, the distant sound of running water carried across to him. Ellie lifted her face to the sky and Kane watched as she took a deep breath with her eyes closed. She tipped her head to the side for a moment as though listening for something.
‘There’s no rain in that sky. We should be right to walk in if you want to.’ Ellie had opened her eyes and her head was still tipped to one side. Her gaze was fixed on his face but her eyes were curious.
‘To the waterfall?’
‘We can have our lunch down at the falls before we drive back to the lodge. It’s about a twenty-minute hike each way although it’s a bit rough at the far end. Reckon you’re up to it?’ She leaned into the car and pulled out a small nylon backpack, slipping it over her shoulders. ‘Unless you want to eat here and head back sooner?’
Kane sensed this was a test of some sort, and he shrugged. As long as he had time at the end of the day to go and visit Mum. ‘Fine by me. Might as well see the waterfall after the long drive down here.’
Half an hour later, he was regretting his decision. Pain hovered over his hip like a knife. He hadn’t expected boulders the size of small trucks. Ellie had left him behind and rock-hopped like a wallaby about fifty metres ahead, lightly jumping from rock to rock across wide gaps. By the time he pulled himself over the last stretch and the biggest boulders, the sun had come out and perspiration was running down the back of his neck. The heat and the pain in his hip had drenched his shirt. Finally he pulled himself over the last boulder onto the sand and looked around. They were in a massive clearing. Ellie lay back on a large flat rock watching his approach.
‘Hell, this wasn’t what I expected.’ Up at the top of the escarpment, a single, narrow ribbon of water trickled down the rock face to a large pool. The water was dark green, but crystal clear. Kane let his gaze wander around the huge expanse of pure white sand edging the pool. Towering red cliffs rose majestically on three sides of the gorge. Strolling over the sand, and forcing his leg to bend, he stepped up to the flat rock where Ellie was stretched out sunning herself like a lizard. Her long legs hung casually over the edge of the rock and her head was tipped back, making the most of the warm rays. Despite the pain in his hip, a rush of blood headed for his groin and he turned away. He lowered himself onto the hot surface and lay back, focusing on the cliff top above him.
‘High, isn’t it?’ Ellie sat up and passed him a small bottle of water as Kane caught his breath.
‘Now I can understand how that tourist broke his ankle.’ He looked back over the way they’d come in. ‘Some of those big rocks aren’t very stable.’
‘Have a good look around, because we’re sure to have the helicopters down here sometime in the next couple of months.’
‘It must be a killer to bring a chopper between those cliffs.’ Kane lay back on the rock and looked up at the top of the escarpment. ‘Have you ever landed in here?’
‘Sure have. It’s a challenge, all right.’ She laughed with a wave of her hand and the sound was pleasant. ‘I think I came in here four or five times last season. I also helped the national park crew bring the walkways back into Twin Falls at the beginning of the dry season. The crosswinds are tricky, especially when they’re blowing from the west.’
‘I’ll make sure your bird is in tiptop condition for you then.’
‘How come you don’t fly anymore?’
Kane shrugged. ‘Personal decision. I enjoy the engineering side of the choppers.’
She tipped her head back to take a long drink of water. In contrast to her tanned arms, her slim neck was white and Kane let his gaze linger on her lips when she wiped off a drop of water.
‘If I hadn’t been away, I probably would have helped out with the crocodile management before they opened the falls up.’ She held his gaze and her tone was challenging. ‘If you’re still around next year, you’ll get to see it. We bring those big traps in by air, because there’s no other way in. Hopefully we won’t need to bring more in this season.’ Ellie shivered. ‘I don’t know how people can swim here, even if they reckon the crocs have been “managed” out.’
‘Is that why you’ve been away? Don’t like doing it?’
She shook her head. ‘Had some family stuff to do.’
‘A swim sounds like a great idea.’ The cold water would ease the blasted pain in his hip too.
‘Oh, God, no. Please.’ She unscrewed the cap from her water bottle and passed it over to him. ‘Tip some of that on your head if you need to cool down.’
He returned her worried stare. ‘Don’t waste your water. If swimming bothers you that much, I’ll just go down and have a splash in the shallows.’
Ellie grabbed his arm and Kane looked down at her long slender fingers as they circled his wrist.
‘Please. Didn’t you see the traps on the way in?’
‘I was too busy watching where I put my feet,’ he said. The warmth from her fingers was sending another lazy swirl of desire kicking to his groin. He lifted his gaze back to her face and a pleasant rush went through him as he caught her staring at his mouth. He realised she was serious. ‘You really do worry about them, don’t you?’
‘You would too if you’d seen what they can do to a person.’ Ellie let go of his arm and stretched across the rock to reach for the backpack. ‘Sandwich?’
Kane nodded and took the packet she passed over to him.
She pointed up to the bend in the narrow river. ‘The first traps are up there. All the areas stay closed to tourists until the wet season waters fall to a level where the crocs are less likely to be moving around. The national park rangers have to see if any have moved in during the wet. They put baited traps and foam buoys in the water.’
‘Foam buoys?’
‘Yep.’ She nodded. ‘Crocs are curious creatures and will have a chew on a buoy. So they have to get rid of them before the tourists can come in. The traps are big and sometimes they’ll put a big animal in there . . . maybe a donkey or a wild pig.’
‘Sounds like complicated work . . . and dangerous?’
‘Yep. Sometimes it’s not successful because crocs can be territorial. There are stories of them travelling hundreds of miles to come back to a favourite spot.’ Ellie looked at him and the colour ran up into her cheeks. ‘I’m sorry. I tend to rabbit on a bit. Where did you work before you came here?’
‘All over the place.’ Kane avoided a direct answer. ‘Any more sandwiches?’ Ellie caught his eye again as she passed another packet to him but this time her expression was clear. She was well aware that he was avoiding anything personal. He didn’t want to share. What he’d been through was his own business and the last thing he wanted was more sympathy. If it wasn’t for his mother being ill, he wouldn’t be visiting her either. He didn’t want to hear any more questions about what had happened. Or any more accolades about his supposed heroic status.
Christ, he just wanted to forget it and get on with life.
‘Come on, let’s go back.’ He wolfed down the sandwich and stood. Kane’s pleasure in the day had dimmed.
The look that Ellie threw him as she slipped the backpack over her shoulders added to his mood. She opened her mouth as if to say something and then obviously changed her mind.
She didn’t show him the crocodile traps as they walked back over the rocks and through the monsoon forest.