| |
The mystery of the dogs was resolved as they approached the house again. The kennels were on the far side of a large shed. There were two dogs. They looked like yard dogs, used to move sheep in the yards rather than out on the farm meadows. They were curled up, not moving and not barking. Another aftershock rippled through the farm. The dogs did not stir. Richard held Alex as the ground shook. The noise sounded like a train, which rumbled away into the distance as the shaking subsided. There was a crash from the house.
"More ceiling falling," said Richard.
"The dogs need water," said Alex. She went to a barrel that took rain from a pipe from the roof. Beside it was a saucepan which Alex dipped in the water. She poured some in each dog's dish. The dogs were separated, each on the end of a chain. The ground around was fouled.
"Dogs are usually clean," said Alex. "These have been chained up since yesterday."
"There are three more chains and kennels," said Richard. "I think perhaps Zinsli has them on the back of his truck. Maybe doing the rounds on the farm." Maybe he went to town for some reason."
The dogs finished their water very quickly. Alex said, "Good boys." even though one was a bitch. "No more now. Drink too much, bad stomach."
Richard and Alex left the dogs, which whined at their leaving, showing that they had perked up a little.
"We'll have to find some biscuits or dog food," said Alex.
"I want to know what the crash was over at the house when the aftershock hit," said Richard.
They walked towards the house. The dogs were silent again. In the dusty earth, their feet made a muffled thud as they walked. They reached the house. A sheet of iron made a regular creaking sound as it swung slowly back and forth.
"Listen," said Alex.
"I hear it," said Richard. "It's a sheet of corrugated iron."
"No," said Alex. "I heard someone."
They listened. A sense of fear ran through them both. Richard bunched his fists as men do when feeling threatened. 'Bang. Bang' went the sheet of tin. A ghostly moan came faintly through the evening air.
"It's one of the dogs," said Richard. "He's feeling hungry."
"There's no-one around," said Alex. She felt strongly about the suffering of animals. "Let's find the dog food."
On farms, wild animals such as goats and opossums were killed and dressed then stored in a freezer. Some farms had a stand-alone freezer-room, especially if the farmers were licensed to sell farm killed meat. This was a run-down farm. Zinsli could well be making his income as a butcher.
Richard's thoughts were confirmed. In a garage they found a large freezer truck. An electric cable plugged into the wall led to a motor on top of the cab. Without power the motor was silent.
The back door of the truck was secured by a padlock. The space next to the truck was empty; Zinsli's farm truck was gone. That explained one absence. Richard and Alex looked around the empty garage for something to break the padlock on the rear doors of the freezer truck. Leaning against the wall was a hammer. Richard walked across the garage and picked it up. He aimed a blow at the lock but did not hit it cleanly. He tried again with the same result.
"Here let me," said Alex.
"You can't do it any better. It's because the shackle is round," said Richard.
"Not the hammer, silly," responded Alex. "This."
She held up a key.
"Where was that?"
"On a nail beside the side door," said Alex. "Dad always hung his keys there. Mum always wondered why Dad put half empty ice cream containers in the freezer."
"The police chief's daughter admits she's a thief," said Richard, in what he thought was a lawyer's voice. "That's why you're so fat."
"Richard, I'll divorce you, I really will," said Alex who remained a small slim lady no matter what or how much she ate.
The padlock came out of the staple. Richard lifted the hasp and then swung open the freezer truck door so they could get something for the dogs.
"Oh, no!" said Richard.
"What is it?" asked Alex, pushing past Richard so that she could see what had made Richard jerk back.
"Oh, my God!" she whispered. "Both of them. Are they ... dead?"
In front of them lay two bodies huddled together. Richard looked at Greg. He reached out and touched Greg's neck.
"I'm not sure. I think I can feel a faint pulse, I think but the skin is very cold."
"What about Ashleigh?"
Richard felt her neck. "Yes. Greg; he's lying on her," Richard replied. "I'll have to move him."
Lifting Greg to move him aside caused him to roll away from the woman. There was no rigor mortis. Greg's body was still flexible. He was wearing a pyjama top and blue jeans. He had no socks on, just his unlaced boots. Richard gazed at the woman.
"No obvious cause of death. They both have ash all over them. Their hair is singed as if they have been too close to a fire," Richard said.
"They smell of smoke," said Alex. "You can't smell anything yet after that blow to the head in Fern Valley."
Richard lifted Ashleigh so her face could be seen. Her body was soft but cold.
"There is a pulse," he said. "Not strong but definite."
Richard lowered Ashleigh so she lay beside Greg, who was now on his back.
"I wonder if Zinsli tried to kill them by freezing them to death?" Richard spoke his thoughts out loud. "He could then dispose of the bodies in a hole, or finish burning the cottage down. But why set fire to the cottage, only to bring the bodies here?"
Richard continued to voice his thoughts. "He might have set fire to the cottage to get them out of their house, hit them over the head then thrown them in the fire? But what stopped him, Alex?"
Alex said, "That makes some kind of sense. Use the fire to get them out of the house, not a bad idea. Something must have happened. Maybe the boy. Did Zinsli see the boy? Or did the dog attack Zinsli?"
"Something happened to stop him throwing them in the fire. Perhaps ... " Richard paused while he sorted out his thoughts. "Perhaps if they died in the fire, it would be arson and murder. Then why freeze them to death? To put them out in the bush somewhere so they appeared to have died from hypothermia? It's summer time. Unlikely someone would freeze to death. Put them under a waterfall?"
"But why didn't they struggle? asked Alex. "Were they drugged? Then put in the truck to freeze to death? The earthquake must have cut the power off. He couldn't have predicted that."
"I think we need to do some CPR on these two," said Alex. "I'll look after Ashleigh. You do CPR on Greg."
"I think you're right; they're drugged," said Richard. "Look at her eyes."
Richard lifted Ashleigh down from the truck to the ground to give more room and a firmer surface to work on. As Alex began CPR on Ashleigh, he climbed into the truck and began CPR procedures on Greg.
"Greg has two marks on his neck where he has been injected," said Richard.
"So has Ashleigh. One is faint, a pinprick. But the other is bruised."
"Injected with something to stun them, then again to make them unconscious for a long time," said Alex.
They both continued the CPR until clear signs of breathing were evident. Ashleigh was recovering more quickly than Greg. As a routine for the CPR developed, Alex and Richard began to talk.
"So... ," Richard began. "Zinsli or whoever .. "
"Zinsli," interrupted Alex.
"Zinsli lit a fire to get them out of the house. While they were focussed on putting out the fire, he drugged them. Put them in a freezer truck to die of hypothermia. That takes a while. Probably gave them a second shot of something like diazepam or ketamine. But the power supply failed. OK. They are very cold but not hypothermic. "
"If it was something like diazepam, Zinsli helped them by slowing their breathing and activity," said Alex. "They are breathing more naturally now. I think the movement of the CPR has begun to warm them, restored circulation. I think we can stop."
"Fire," said Ashleigh. Alex sat back in surprise.
Richard got up from his knees, jumped down awkwardly from the truck and gave Alex a hug. She seemed so tiny for someone who was so strong.
"Yes, fire," said Alex. "but you are safe now. You have been drugged and you are cold."
Back in the truck, Greg began to speak. "Sally! Sally!"
"It's okay, Greg," said Richard, "You have been given a drug and now you're cold."
"We need to cover them," said Alex. "Sacks. Look, there's a pile of hessian sacks. They will stop them getting colder."
Together, they rolled Ashleigh on to a layer of sacks they placed on the concrete floor They piled sacks on top of her, then Richard pulled Greg to the edge of the truck floor.
"Help me with him, please," he said. "He's surprisingly heavy for a small guy."
"Ashleigh? Is that you Ashleigh?" asked Greg.
"Greg, are you all right?" asked Ashleigh.
Alex and Richard lowered Greg on to a layer of sacks next to Ashleigh.
"You two cuddle up and get warm," said Alex. She and Richard looked at each other as if to say, "What next?'
"The banging," said Richard. "Back to the house."