Saturday
Makowa Lodge
Kane pushed open the door to the administration block of the lodge, and welcomed the cool air on his face. He lifted his hand and wiped away the beads of perspiration on his brow, although the sweat probably had more to do with the pain in his damned hip than the heat of the day outside. The walk into the waterfall yesterday had left him with a nagging ache down his leg, and he’d barely slept after he’d come back from a late visit to the farm – his mind fogged with pain and worry until he’d finally resorted to painkillers in the early hours.
Concern about what this job was going to require of him was interspersed with thoughts of his mother stuck in that rundown dump by herself, and of the fact that Ellie Porter had somehow snuck through his defences.
He was hoping Jock worked Saturdays; he needed to ensure that he wasn’t rostered on to fly anymore. That misunderstanding needed to be cleared up or he would be out of here in a flash. The office was empty and he was relieved that Heather wasn’t there striking her Marilyn Monroe pose in the doorway. She seemed like a friendly enough person, if a bit over the top with the come-hither glances.
Kane wasn’t interested in making connections. As soon as Mum was on the road to recovery, he was out of here. Where to, he wouldn’t know that until he moved on. He had no interest in the social bonding that was always a part of isolated work places. It had been different in the Army; there you relied on others just to stay alive. They’d had good times together in the mess – as much as you could have in the middle of a war.
A single drop of perspiration ran down his cheek.
He squeezed his eyes shut but the flashback slammed in without warning.
‘Look out. Lift up, lift up.’ Hawk’s voice was steady but Kane sensed his navigator’s fear in the same instant that the machine gun fire ripped through the oil lines of his chopper.
‘Brace, brace.’ His yell drowned in the thin, high-pitched scream as the bullets penetrated the airframe and smashed through Hawk’s body. Surprise filled her eyes as her life drained away. The smell of her blood mixed with the acrid stink of the burning oil. Not my fault. Nothing I could –
Kane swallowed and forced the image away, focusing on the stand in front of him. Postcards, small stuffed animals and books about Kakadu filled the racks and he reached out and picked up a small green crocodile with huge teeth and a happy smile. He held it loosely, letting the soft fur brush against his fingers.
‘Hey, there. Do you need a hand?’
He put the crocodile back on the stand and walked over to the high counter.
‘I was wondering if Jock was about.’ Kane glanced at the name badge on the woman’s chest. ‘Hi, Jan. I’m Kane McLaren. I’m working over at the hangar.’
‘Nice to meet you.’ She held her hand out and he shook it. ‘Sorry, but Jock’s not here on weekends. He’s got a place in Darwin and he won’t be back till Monday.’
‘Okay, thanks, I’ll catch up with him, then.’ He turned to leave, but like seemingly everyone else in this place, Jan was on for a chat.
‘Are you staying in the staff apartments?’
Kane nodded. ‘For a while.’
‘Where are you from?’
‘Brisbane.’ He glanced down at his watch and forced a friendly smile to his face. ‘You?’
‘Oh, I’m from Jabiru. A died-in-the wool-local.’ She winked at him. ‘Anything you need to know about the place, just ask.’
‘Thanks.’ He tried to think of something else to say but the art of social chit-chat had left him a long time ago. Rescue came in the form of a fluffy toy. There was another pile of them in a small basket on the counter and he reached out and picked up one of the soft green crocodiles. ‘I’ll have one of these. A memento of Kakadu.’
As she took it from him, his gaze dropped to the assortment of Cadbury chocolate blocks on display along the front of the counter, and he picked one up and passed it over to her. If he couldn’t see Jock, he’d go for a drive to the farm and see his mother.
The thought of spending the day alone in the lodge didn’t appeal and it also meant there was more chance of running into Ellie. From now on, he’d shut himself off. Do his job. Look after the choppers and put his energy into taking care of Mum. And stay away from temptation – even though her apartment was only three doors away from his.
‘Chocoholic?’ Jan rang up his purchases and he shook his head as he passed over a note.
‘Sure am.’ He hated the stuff, but he wasn’t going to say it was for his mother. That would open up a whole new conversation.
Two hours later Kane stood on the porch of the old farmhouse. He’d loaded his Jeep with groceries from the small IGA supermarket in Jabiru. Last night Mum had apologised that she couldn’t offer him a meal because she hadn’t been well enough to go shopping. He stared out over the dam and bit hard on the inside of his cheek, holding back the words that he knew would hurt his mother. What the fuck was she doing here by herself in this dump when she had a beautiful home on the beach in Darwin?
Susan sat behind him on an old sofa that looked as though the rats had been in the stuffing. Balls of white fluffy filling covered the verandah, and there were animal droppings scattered through it. Finally, he ran his hand through his hair and composed himself to speak.
‘So Panos is taking up farming?’ He kept his voice light as he walked over and sat beside her. Today her weight loss was much more apparent. On his first visit he’d tried to have a conversation about her illness, but she’d insisted she was fine and that the monthly visit to the hospital for her ‘treatment’ – she wouldn’t give him any details – was only for a short time and she was on the road to recovery.
She shook her head. ‘I don’t think so. Why do you ask?’
‘I heard there was some work happening here.’
‘Oh, he said there might be some trucks; there’s a new dam going in down the back. Who were you talking to?’
‘One of the pilots at the lodge used to live here. She noticed them when she drove past the other day.’
‘That would have to be one of the Porter girls.’ Susan sat up straight and her eyes sparked with interest. ‘Let me see. Was it Ellie?’
‘Yes.’
‘Oh, Kane. She’s a lovely girl. Her father died about the time I met Panos. It was such a tragedy.’
‘Tragedy?’ He couldn’t help himself.
‘Her father committed suicide and the family was left with nothing but debt.’
‘So how did Panos end up with the farm?’
‘He bought it to help them out. One of the sisters was away at university, and the other one was about to finish school. That young Dru was such a wild one.’ She shook her head. ‘Their mother had a bit of a breakdown when Peter died, and Panos bailed them out financially.’ She reached over and took his hand. ‘All families have their hard times.’
Kane grunted an acknowledgement.
‘Are you feeling better now that you’ve left the Army behind you?’
‘Better? Me? I’m fine.’ Apart from the flashbacks. ‘It’s you we have to take care of.’ He took the opportunity that presented itself. ‘Mum? Why are you here on your own? Where’s Panos?’
His mother’s hand gripped his and she turned her head away, but not before he caught the flash of tears in her eyes.
‘We made some bad investments. You know, the GFC and all that.’
‘And?’ Kane held his tongue. His mother and Panos had married the first year he had been overseas on his first tour, which was well after the economic turmoil of the GFC.
She lifted her chin and this time she held his gaze steadily. ‘We had to sell our house at Cullen Bay to pay some debts that had accumulated.’
‘Your house.’
‘Our house. Panos is my husband. We owned this place so it made much more sense to move here rather than buy a smaller place in Darwin.’
‘So you’re not here by yourself?’
‘He stays in his electoral office in the city during the week and comes home weekends.’
Kane looked around innocently. ‘So where is he? It’s Saturday.’
‘He had . . . he had . . . a meeting today, so he’ll probably come tomorrow.’
‘Good.’ Kane’s voice was clipped because he knew exactly what sort of meeting was on in Darwin today – it had been on the front page of the Darwin Sun this morning. There was a big winter meeting at the racecourse and Panos would be there with bells on. He bit back the anger that stuck in his throat. Mum was in this dump, and her husband had left her here alone – as sick as she was? His mother always had been perceptive and she turned to him, reading his thoughts.
‘He calls to check on me every day, so I’m fine.’ Her hands were icy as she held his hand. ‘You worry too much.’
He’d be calling Panos as soon as he got out of here and giving him a piece of his mind.
*
Despite the pregnancy bump in front of her, Gina all but floated back to the suite, gliding on the memory of the massage. After they had argued, David had picked up the hotel phone and enquired about a booking for her. She’d scrubbed at her eyes; if he could get an appointment, he could damn well look after the kids. She didn’t want to be anywhere near him at the moment. Luckily the day spa had been able to take her straight away.
‘Mummy is going have some time out while we have an ice-cream. And then how about a swim?’ David had held her gaze when the two children rushed across to him and wrapped their arms around his legs. Gina’s mood softened marginally though the fear still gripped her stomach like a vice. David tickled Andrew and he giggled, running away back into the television room. ‘Then we’ll come back here and you can have a nap, okay?’ He ruffled Binny’s hair and she scarpered back into the living room behind her brother. Gina held David’s gaze and put her hands on her stomach as the baby landed a good kick to one of her ribs.
‘We’ll talk later, I promise.’ His voice was gentle but firm.
‘All right. I’m sorry for yelling.’
The massage had been just what she’d needed and calm had stolen over her as the long, firm strokes of the masseur had loosened the muscles in her shoulders, arms and legs. Gina laughed as the woman had held up the special pillow so she could lie on her stomach. As she’d lain there with her eyes closed, some of her worry had dissipated. She had to trust David, but she was still angry that he hadn’t told her earlier what was going on. The last thing she wanted was to be protected from reality. She’d had enough of being treated as a fragile female by her father – and her brothers – as she’d grown up, the only daughter in a boisterous Italian household.
The massage was followed by a facial, and it was obvious that the staff didn’t get many pregnant clients through the day spa as the technician adjusted the chair and Gina tipped slowly backward.
She clutched the sides of the chair when her head tipped back lower than her feet and a wave of vertigo hit her. ‘Can you sit me up a bit higher please? Not good for the blood flow.’ She placed one hand on her eyes and took a deep breath, placing the other hand on her stomach.
The young girl adjusted the chair and reached to the table at the side. All was quiet as soft fingers rubbed a cool cream into Gina’s face. She closed her eyes and the room went dark as the girl laid rounds of cucumber and thin slices of cotton gauze on her closed eyelids.
‘Your face is glowing and your skin is quite full and firm.’
‘Thank you. It’s called pregnancy.’ Gina smiled and settled more comfortably into the chair, relaxing as the girl’s fingers gently massaged her temples. The time passed slowly as her face was scrubbed, masked and exfoliated. For a while, she drifted off into a light doze when she was left alone with only the soft harp music surrounding her.
By the time Gina returned to the suite, her mood was much improved. But if David had to be in Darwin by five, they wouldn’t have long to talk.
She’d forgotten her security card so she tapped at the door. There was no answer. Gina frowned. ‘David?’ she called softly. ‘Open the door. I’ve left my key card inside.’
Maybe he’s gone to sleep with the children? He’d said they’d have a swim and then a nap.
She tapped again, more loudly this time. She looked down at her watch. It was almost two; he’d have to leave within half an hour if he was going to make Darwin by five o’clock. And she wanted to talk before he left.
She knocked loudly one more time and waited, but there was still no sound from within. Gina’s newfound calm splintered. A frisson of worry tugged at her; it was out of character for David to risk being late for a meeting. Finally, she gave up and walked along the front of the building to the main doors that opened to the corridor leading to the pool. Maybe the three of them were still there; but if so, they’d be waterlogged by now.
Squeals and excited chatter reached her as Gina stepped through the door and held her hand up to her eyes. She looked around the two pools and over to the grassed area but there was no sign of David or the children. A chill ran through her blood. She gripped the doorframe, fighting the tendrils of panic that threatened.
‘Are you okay, love?’ An older woman in a pair of hot pink swimmers with a large sunhat perched on her head stood behind her.
‘Er . . . yes. Thank you.’ Gina forced a smile onto her face. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself. ‘I was just seeing if my husband was still out here with our children.’ She raised a shaky hand to her brow.
‘Are you sure you’re all right? You’re awfully pale.’
‘Yes, yes, I’m fine, thank you. Just the heat.’ Gina’s heart picked up a beat, and she forced herself to take a deep breath. She was probably worrying about nothing. Maybe there was a playground somewhere. Yes, that was it. She turned and hurried back to their room, conscious of the woman’s concerned gaze.
Still no answer. Finally she headed to the reception building. Maybe David hadn’t realised she hadn’t taken her card with her. Maybe they were asleep inside the room. Maybe he’d taken them somewhere and left a note. She’d get another key card and check the suite.
As she crossed the garden to the covered walk that led to reception, Gina glanced at the car park. The hair stood up on her arms as she realised their rental car was gone.
Dio, where are they? Surely he hadn’t left for Darwin already. No, that was ridiculous. She ran the last few steps and pushed the reception door open. Heather, the pretty Aboriginal girl, was there and she looked at Gina curiously as she caught her breath.
‘Hello, are you all right?’
‘I’ve left my card in the room, and my husband is not around. You haven’t seen him, perhaps, have you?’ Then she shook her head, realising the girl wouldn’t know what David looked like. ‘No matter.’ Heather smiled and offered her a spare card, making a joke about guests locking themselves out of their rooms. Gina grabbed the card with a muttered ‘thank you’, and whirled on her heel and hurried out.
The rental car still wasn’t there as she crossed the lawn back to their building, but the noise of the television reached her as she pushed the door open.
Thank God.
‘David?’
The living room was empty and the blinds were drawn, the light from the television flickering in the dim room. Picking up the remote, she switched it off before hurrying down the hall to the children’s bedroom.
Empty. And the same with the master suite.
A chill crawled down her spine. David’s phone was charging on the table next to the bed. He never went anywhere without it. The whole apartment was cold. Gina rubbed her arms as she walked over to the control panel and switched the air-conditioning off. Only silence filled her ears as she crossed the living area to the kitchen.
The mess in the kitchen showed they had been there, and she reached for the sponge, automatically wiping up some milk that had been spilt on the sink. When it was clean, she braced her arms on the cold stone benchtop, trying to calm herself as the baby kicked.
There was no point getting in a state. It wasn’t good for the baby. She had to stay calm and work out what to do.
As she stood there, there was a noise at the front door and Gina’s shoulders sagged with relief as she hurried up the hall. She paused; there was a strange scratching noise coming from the base of the front door. She listened . . . there it was again. It was as though someone was rubbing a rough piece of sandpaper on the timber. She walked over slowly and stood by the door and the strange sound continued. Stepping back, she crossed her arms protectively against her stomach as goosebumps ran down her arms.
Silence. And then another louder scratch. The door handle turned slowly and Gina held her breath as the door opened.
‘Oink, oink. I’m a baby pig.’ Andrew crawled around the door on all fours. ‘Mummy, I can scratch in the mud.’
‘And me too.’ Binny crawled in behind him.
The door opened fully and David stepped over the two children, tossing the car keys onto the low wooden cupboard in the entry foyer.
Relief and anger bubbled up into her throat. The serenity of the massage and facial had long since fled. ‘Where have you been? I thought you had to be in Darwin by five?’
He met her gaze but Andrew stood and pushed between them. ‘Mummy! We saw pigs, and crocodiles and ducks and funny birds.’ He ran to the television and plonked himself on the floor, followed closely by his sister. ‘Now can we watch Diego?’
She turned away from David before he could answer, and picked up the remote from the kitchen bench. She switched on the television and turned to stare out the window. The afternoon sun was glinting on the pool and children were crying and splashing in the pool, but she could hear no sound.
David locked the door, walked across to the kitchen and stood behind her. ‘A whole nature walk and now nothing is as good as Diego.’ He put his hands on her shoulders and dropped a quick kiss on the side of her neck. ‘Mm. You smell good. How was your afternoon?’
She turned slowly and he dropped his hands and stepped back with a frown as her voice tightened.
‘I thought you’d all been taken away. Taken by that man who threatened you.’ Her voice was low but the words sprayed from her tight lips like bullets. David reached for her again.
‘No, don’t touch me.’ Gina turned back to the window, folding her arms across her chest. ‘Just leave us. Go to your precious meeting. You’re going to be late as it is.’
David put his hand on her shoulder and turned her around to face him, his touch gentle on her tense shoulder. ‘No, I won’t. I rang back and postponed the meeting. It can wait. I’ll leave after lunch tomorrow.’
Gina blinked as unwanted tears filled her eyes.
David frowned as he looked at her. ‘I’m sorry, darling. I thought we’d get back before you, but the kids were fascinated by the wild pigs and the crocodiles we could see from the boardwalk.’
Gina shuddered with revulsion. ‘Will that matter, not going today?’
‘No. I’ll work around it.’ He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close. ‘I’m really sorry.’
Finally, she let her head rest on his shoulder.
‘I didn’t even think about you being worried. I thought you’d be enjoying being pampered.’
‘I was.’ She sniffed. ‘Until I came back and couldn’t find you at the pool. And your phone was here. You never leave your phone.’ Another sniff and Gina lifted her hand and wiped her eyes. ‘And then I saw that the car was gone. I was frightened.’
David rested his chin on the top of her head. ‘My phone was flat. And I should have left a note before we drove down to the river.’
‘That wouldn’t have done any good. I didn’t take my card to get back in.’ This time she allowed a tremulous smile to tip her lips as she looked up at him. ‘I had to go to reception and get another door card. It was just thinking about what that man said to you. I couldn’t get it out of my head and I overreacted.’
David held her close and Gina’s breathing eased as the warmth of his body soothed her.
‘You do smell nice.’
David smiled as he held her gaze, before dropping his head and capturing her lips in a swift kiss. ‘I left my bags in the car.’
She glanced across at the children, now engrossed in the television show. ‘I’ll come with you. I left my Kindle in the glove box.’
Outside a storm was building in the north and the clouds that had threatened all day were closing in quickly. David held her hand as he grabbed at his cap, and pushed it down hard as a gust of wind lifted the brim. They stood back and let a small red car go past before they crossed the road to the car and David opened the boot.
‘Daddy!’
Gina turned as Binny’s voice reached them. She was running from the building and heading for the road.
‘Binny, stop,’ Gina yelled.
‘I wanna see the pigs some more.’ The little girl stopped and teetered on the edge of the kerb.
‘I’ll get her.’ David ran across and picked her up. There were no other cars apart from the one that had just passed them but Gina’s legs were shaking.
‘No more pigs today,’ David said.
Gina put her trembling hand to her mouth. She knew she was overreacting; there’d been no danger.
‘No pigs?’ Binny put her little hands on David’s face and turned his head to face her.
David shook his head. ‘No pigs.’
‘Piggyback then.’
Gina swung around as a woman’s voice called out:
‘David Johnson. I thought it was you!’
*
Ellie had spent most of the day at the hangar but no flights had been booked. Saturday was usually quiet as it was more often than not the changeover day for tourists. Kane hadn’t been rostered on, but she couldn’t help herself pulling up the electronic roster to see when they were next on together. Despite her expectations, she’d enjoyed the drive down to Jim Jim with him yesterday.
Pulling into the car park, she’d done a double-take when the pregnant lady and the man in the baseball cap had stepped back and waited for her to drive past. It looked like David Johnson, but the cap and sunglasses hid his face, and she’d only got a side-on view.
She’d just got out of the car and put the keys in her pocket when a child’s voice called out, ‘Daddy!’ She watched as the little girl sped towards the road, but the man ran across and intercepted her before she could step onto the bitumen.
It was David. He swung the little girl onto his back and crossed back to the woman who was waiting at the car. ‘David Johnson. I thought it was you!’
He turned slowly, holding the little girl protectively against his chest. He frowned for a moment and then his face cleared.
‘Ellie? Ellie Porter?’
‘Long time no see. It’s ages since I last saw you.’
He looked around the car park before he held out his hand. Ellie leaned in and kissed his cheek as the little girl took David’s hat from his head and turned it around so that the brim was over the back of his neck
‘I thought you’d be in Darwin. Aren’t you an important politician now? Chief Minister, no less?’
‘I’m just here for the weekend.’ Again David scanned the car park before twisting his hat around. ‘But I’m trying to have a family break. Don’t tell anyone I’m here. You know, privacy and all that.’
Ellie laughed. ‘Oh, David, I’m sure it’s all around the lodge already. If you checked in, everyone will know.’
David dropped her hand and pulled at the collar of his polo shirt. ‘This is my wife, Gina. We only came outside to get a couple of things and this naughty little madam followed us. Come on over to the apartment with us and we can catch up inside. Andrew, our little boy’s over there.’
His wife was a beautiful woman with flawless, olive skin and almond-shaped green eyes. She glanced nervously at David before she greeted Ellie. David tipped his head back to the cute little girl who had her arms wound tightly around his neck. ‘This is Binny, short for Belinda.’ Hitching the little girl up his back with a roll of his shoulders, he said, ‘Binny, say hello to Ellie. She’s an old friend of your uncle Chad.’ The little girl observed Ellie shyly as they all crossed the lawn to the building.
Back before Dad died and they left the farm, Ellie had briefly gone out with David’s youngest brother. They’d hung out at the Johnson house in Jabiru in the summer holidays until Dad found out that Mr Johnson was something important at the Ranger uranium mine. After that he’d said he preferred that she didn’t go to their house. David was a good ten years older than Chad and she’d only met him a few times that summer when he’d come home for Chad’s birthday. She’d forgotten all about him until years later when she read he’d been elected to parliament. She’d watched his meteoric rise to Chief Minister while he was still in his thirties and had followed his career with interest.
‘Where’s Chad these days?’ Ellie asked.
‘New York. Met a girl at uni and followed her back home to the States.’ David put the little girl down and she ran through the open door. He stood back and waited for the two women to step inside before him.
Ellie whistled quietly as she took in the decor. It was one of the most expensive suites at Makowa. ‘Wow. This is a bit different to my staff apartment.’
Gina turned to her and smiled. ‘It is very nice. We’re lucky to have the chance to stay here.’ Her voice was accented. A memory niggled at Ellie. Something she’d read about David marrying someone famous while he was overseas. Gina certainly had movie-star looks.
David looked from one to the other as if weighing something up. Ellie frowned, uncomfortable. ‘Look, I won’t take up any more of your time. I’ve got to drop some keys back to the office.’ She nodded at David’s wife. ‘Good to meet you, Gina. Have a nice break. And say hello to Chad next time you speak to him.’ She turned to go.
‘Ellie, no. Wait.’ A significant look passed between the couple, and Ellie paused in the doorway.
‘Can I beg a favour?’
‘Sure,’ she said. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘I have to go back to the city for the week, and I was wondering if you could keep an eye out for Gina and the kids while they’re here.’ David had lifted the sunglasses but his gaze was hooded. ‘Just maybe drop in occasionally.’
Ellie nodded. ‘Of course. How about a coffee one morning? Or even lunch?’ She turned to Gina with a smile. If she found it strange that the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory was leaving his heavily pregnant wife here alone with two small kids, she certainly wasn’t going to say anything. It was none of her business.
‘I’ll look forward to it. Call me when you’re free.’ Gina smiled and rolled her eyes as the little girl yelled from the room at the end of the hall. ‘I’ll really look forward to it.’ She gave Ellie her number and then lifted her hand in a wave as she went to attend to the children.
‘Bye.’ Ellie smiled at David and turned to leave but before she could take a step, his hand gently gripped her arm.
‘Ellie?’
‘Yes.’ She frowned as he slowly let her go.
His smile did not quite reach his eyes. ‘Please don’t mention to anyone you saw me here. Or that Gina and the kids are my family.’