Undercover

by Jacqueline Harvey

  ‘Seriously, now?’ she muttered.

  Ellery stopped ferreting about in the ward robe. ‘Did you say something?’

  ‘I was just wondering if there’s a bathroom nearby.’ Kensy glanced around for a pen and spotted one on Ellery’s desk.

  ‘Through there.’ The girl pointed at a door in the corner of the room. Trouble was, the desk was at the opposite end, near the door to the hallway.

  ‘Is there one a little further away?’ Kensy asked.

  Ellery wrinkled her nose. ‘Why?’

  Kensy racked her brain for a reason. ‘My tummy feels a bit funny and I don’t want you to hear any explosions or smell anything nasty,’ she said, dying inside.

  Ellery blanched. ‘There’s a powder room at the end of the hall.’

  ‘Thanks!’ Kensy spun around and flew past the desk, where she swiped the pen without Ellery noticing. She sped along the hallway, quickly locating the room she was looking for, then sat down on the closed lid and pulled the toilet paper from the roll onto her lap. She did her best to translate the dots and dashes, but the Chalmers must have had the softest toilet tissue in the world. The pen kept piercing through. Kensy willed the sequence to repeat, but it stopped for good. ‘No!’ she moaned, far louder than she’d intended.

  ‘Are you okay in there?’ Ellery called from the other side of the door.

  ‘I’m fine,’ Kensy replied. She stared miserably at the massacred length of toilet paper in her hands.

  ‘Would you like me to get Mum?’

  ‘No, give me a few minutes. I think it’ll pass,’ Kensy said, wishing the girl would just buzz off. She made the loudest farting noise she could with her mouth and hoped that would do the trick.

  ‘Eww. I’ll be downstairs.’

  Kensy bit back a giggle and put the sheet of toilet tissue on the vanity top. She began to write the first letters when Tinsley tapped on the door and asked if she was all right.

  ‘Well, I’m going to sit out here and wait just to be sure,’ the woman replied when Kensy assured her she was fine. ‘Van once had a twisted bowel and ended up in emergency. I don’t want the same happening to you.’

  Honestly, no one had ever cared this much about Kensy’s toilet habits before. She decided to translate the coded message later. She folded up the piece of toilet paper and stuffed it into the pocket of her jeans, then flushed the toilet and washed her hands.

  ‘Are you sure you’re all right?’ Tinsley asked when Kensy emerged. She stood up and walked towards the girl, concern etched into her features.

  ‘I feel much better,’ Kensy said, flashing the woman a smile. ‘Actually, I’m starving. Sometimes I just get a grumbly tummy – it’s embarrassing, but I suppose we all have our problems.’

  Tinsley tilted her head to one side. ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘Everyone has something wrong with them at times, like F– I mean, Dad – has dodgy knees even though he likes to pretend he’s still twenty and can ski like an Olympian,’ Kensy said, berating herself for almost mentioning Fitz’s name.

  ‘Yes, I suppose you’re right,’ Tinsley said. ‘Dash has awful allergies. He should carry an EpiPen, but he usually forgets to take it with him.’

  Kensy suddenly had an overwhelming urge to sneeze. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tissue, only just catching it. Then, with a sinking feeling she realised it wasn’t a tissue at all. She’d just snotted on her parents’ latest communication. She needed to check it and fast before the whole thing was a blur of ink. ‘Sorry, not quite better yet,’ Kensy said, and dashed back to the toilet, slamming the door behind her.

  There was no time to lose. She unfurled the tissue and grabbed another to try to complete the translation, but it was hopeless. All she was able to decipher was ‘ATARA’, which was clearly missing some letters.

  Fighting back tears, Kensy flushed the toilet again and washed her hands, then stuffed both lengths of tissue into her pocket. She couldn’t believe how badly she’d messed up. It wasn’t lost on her that this message from her parents could have been the most important one yet. Kensy reached for the handle, then paused. She took a deep breath and brushed at her eyes. Hopefully, Max had been able to jot part, if not all, of it down. Who knew what was at stake?

  It seemed Mrs Chalmers had procured far more than just a few humble sandwiches for their lunch. A feast of quiches, baguettes, sausage rolls and just about every cold meat and sandwich filling imaginable was spread across the island bench. In addition, a chocolate cake and a passionfruit sponge were each housed under glass domes. Kensy licked her lips and sighed. She couldn’t possibly fit in another thing. She wiped her hands and asked Ellery if she wanted to go for a walk – anything to distract her from her thoughts for a little while – but the girl wasn’t remotely interested.

  ‘It’s too hot,’ Ellery complained. ‘And the flies are terrible.’

  Tinsley stood up and began clearing things away. ‘Perhaps you and Kensy would like to go for a swim then,’ she suggested.

  ‘Daddy said the pool heater is broken and the water will be like ice,’ the girl moped.

  Tinsley gave Kensy a tight smile. ‘What about a board game?’

  ‘Boring!’ Ellery rolled her eyes and rested her chin in her hands. She spotted a lone ant scurrying between the plates and crushed the creature with her index finger.

  Kensy glanced at the kitchen clock, praying that Max and Fitz would be home soon. Ellery was really getting on her nerves and she needed to talk to her brother.

  ‘Well, I’ll come for a walk with you,’ Tinsley said, smiling at Kensy. ‘Just give me a minute to finish putting all of this away.’

  Kensy gave the woman a hand while Ellery played a game on her mother’s phone. She was soon distracted by a scratching sound on the other side of the kitchen door and was surprised to see a fat ginger cat pushing its way inside.

  ‘Oh, hello Meggs,’ Tinsley said. She put the food she was holding on the bench and bent down to give the cat a rub.

  ‘Is he yours?’ Kensy asked, wondering how the creature survived on the farm on its own.

  ‘He’s mine,’ Ellery said, ‘but Daddy’s allergic to the fur, so we had to bring him to live here.’

  ‘Our farm manager, Nick, looks after him for us. He lives in a cottage on the other side of the trees,’ Tinsley explained. ‘Poor Meggs. He’s such a sweet little fellow.’ The cat purred loudly, as if in agreement. Tinsley disappeared into the pantry and returned with a handful of treats. ‘Here you go, lovely boy. Just make yourself scarce before Dash gets home.’

  ‘Are you sure you don’t want to join us?’ Tinsley asked.

  Ellery pulled a face. ‘No, I’m going to watch a movie.’

  ‘Suit yourself. But your father won’t be very happy if he catches you inside on a day like this,’ Tinsley warned.

  ‘Whatever.’ Ellery waved her hand dismissively, her eyes glued to the screen.

  ‘Come on then, Kensy, let’s take a walk in the sunshine. I haven’t been round the property for so long, it will do me good,’ the woman said with a somewhat apologetic smile.

  Kensy practically ran to the door. Not only was it a relief to have a break from Ellery, she was aware this was the perfect chance to gather more intel from Tinsley. At least she could still do something useful today.

  The pair walked through the back garden, which was less formal than the front but with a swimming pool enclosed by a glass fence and an adjoining tennis court with a summer house between the two. There was a shed further beyond and a small herd of black cattle in the paddock. Tinsley chatted away, pointing out various parts of the property.

  ‘The railway line on that side forms one boundary and the road down there is another, and in that direction the land runs for a couple of kilometres,’ Tinsley replied, turning a circle as she pointed in each direction.

  ‘Are there many trains?’ Kensy asked.

  ‘It’s the main line between Sydney and Melbourne, so there are quite a few, though they
never bother me,’ Tinsley said, tucking her hair behind her ears.

  ‘There’s something comforting about the clackety-clack. I grew up near a railway line and it always reassured me that I had somewhere to go. Life wouldn’t always be the way it was.’

  ‘And is that how it turned out for you?’ Kensy asked, sidestepping a fresh cow pat.

  Tinsley almost laughed. ‘Perhaps I should have thought more about what I had instead of always wanting to be somewhere else.’

  The pair wandered on in silence, down a track that led past a cattle shed and into a forest of tall pine trees. Tinsley stopped and peered through the foliage.

  Kensy tried to see what the woman was looking at. ‘What is it?’ she asked.

  ‘Oh, I just don’t remember that shed being there,’ Tinsley said, her brow puckering. ‘But then again I haven’t been out here for ages.’

  Now that it had been pointed out to her, Kensy could make out a building that was almost obscured by a high cypress hedge.

  ‘Perhaps it’s not even on our property,’ Tinsley pondered aloud. The clatter of an approaching diesel engine filled the air. ‘I don’t recall there being a driveway coming in from that way either. But who knows with Dash. He could have bought the place without even telling me. His business dealings are quite the mystery.’

  A four-wheel-drive ute pulled up near the shed and a burly young man jumped out. Kensy thought he must have a full head of curls as he had tufts of hair bursting from under his cap. He walked straight around to the tray and picked up one of several large cardboard boxes.

  ‘Nick!’ Tinsley called out, waving.

  The man almost lost hold of his cargo as he spun around.

  ‘Sorry, we didn’t mean to scare you,’ Tinsley said, laughing, as they made their way over to him.

  The fellow broke into a friendly grin. ‘Hi, I didn’t think you were arriving until later,’ he said, lowering the box to the ground.

  ‘Ellery refused to watch the boys play cricket and I needed to stock up on supplies,’ Tinsley explained. She gestured to Kensy. ‘This is Kensington Grey, one of Van and Ellery’s friends.’

  ‘Hi,’ Kensy called and gave a wave.

  ‘Hi there. Ellery must be happy to have someone to play with.’ He smiled at Kensy and glanced around, looking for the girl.

  ‘Oh, she’s watching a movie,’ Tinsley said. ‘Said it was too hot for a walk. So, tell me about this shed – is it ours?’

  ‘The shed?’ Nick shrugged. ‘It just houses some farm equipment and a bit of feed, that’s all.’

  ‘Oh, okay,’ Tinsley said. ‘Can we give you a hand? You seem to have rather a full load.’

  Kensy glanced at the boxes and was surprised to read the labels: formaldehyde, aluminium salts and thimerosal. They sounded more like pharmaceutical supplies than some thing required out here, but then again Kensy was the first to admit she didn’t know much about farming.

  Nick grinned. ‘Thank you, but I can manage. Mr Chalmers would be none too happy if I had you doing hard labour.’ He lifted his cap and ran a hand through his hair. It was hard to miss the deep scratch on the inside of his forearm.

  ‘Ooh, that looks infected,’ Tinsley said, leaning in to take a closer look. ‘What on earth did you do to yourself, Nick?’

  ‘Caught it on some barbed wire when I was mending one of the fences,’ he replied sheepishly. ‘It’s silly, really.’

  ‘We should put some antiseptic on it before it gets wor–’ Tinsley’s face went white. ‘What time is it?’ she asked urgently.

  Nick glanced at his watch. ‘Almost four.’

  ‘Oh goodness, we’d better be getting back. Wouldn’t want Dash to have to make his own cup of tea now, would we?’ Tinsley laughed mirthlessly.

  Kensy grinned. ‘It’s okay, Fitz makes a decent brew.’

  Tinsley frowned at her. ‘Who?’

  ‘I meant Dad,’ Kensy said quickly. She could have kicked herself for being so careless. Seriously, if she was in charge of her first Pharos review, she’d be giving herself a big fat fail. ‘It’s a nickname Mum had for him, which we use sometimes. Anyway, should we go?’

  Tinsley nodded, clearly distracted. They said goodbye to Nick and hurried back to the main house. As they reached the back garden, Kensy spotted Fitz’s Land Rover heading up the drive and broke into a run.

  ‘Did you win?’ she asked, panting, as the four of them hopped out.

  ‘It was epic,’ Max fizzed. His cricket whites were streaked with grass stains and he looked a little pink around the ears.

  Van nodded, beaming at the girl. His usually immaculate hair was matted and his whites would need a good soaking too. ‘We smashed them!’

  ‘I think this calls for a celebration. I hope you have cake,’ Dash said, looking over at his wife, whose cheeks had regained some colour. ‘Where have you been, darling?’

  ‘Kensy and I went for a walk. You didn’t tell me we had a new shed on the northern boundary,’ Tinsley said, plastering a smile on her lips.

  Dash looked at her curiously. ‘You must be talking about the Davidsons’ place,’ he said, then clapped his hands. ‘Well, I could murder a cup of tea, and I’m sure the boys would love to give you a blow-by-blow account of their incredible victory.’

  ‘They did very well,’ Fitz said, ruffling Max’s hair.

  Kensy grinned and gave the man an unexpected hug.

  ‘Are you okay, sweetheart?’ he asked, wondering about her spontaneous display of affection.

  She nodded and looked up at him, then let go as quickly as she’d latched on. Kensy nudged her brother’s shoulder, and the pair hung back as the others walked towards the house.

  ‘Did you get it?’ Kensy whispered.

  He shook his head. ‘It was my turn batting and I had my gloves on. Talk about bad timing. What have I missed?’

  Tears sprang to the girl’s eyes and she suddenly felt sick to her stomach. ‘I’m s–’

  ‘Hurry up, you two!’ Van called.

  Kensy hastily brushed at her face. ‘I’ll tell you later.’

  As much as they’d rather it didn’t, for now, their conversation would just have to wait.

  Kensy heard the clock downstairs strike midnight when she pushed back the covers and snuck out of the bedroom. She’d been fighting sleep for ages, reading one of Ellery’s Nancy Drew mysteries under the covers with a torch she’d found in the beside cabinet. Unfortunately, she hadn’t managed a minute alone with Max all evening. The families had enjoyed a barbecue dinner in the pavilion and some lively games of tennis before the children watched a movie together. On their way to bed, the twins had made a plan to meet when everyone was asleep.

  Kensy tiptoed along the hallway, hoping that the old house wasn’t going to give her up with an inevitable squeaky floorboard. She had almost made it to the staircase when she heard a heated exchange coming from Dash and Tinsley’s bedroom.

  ‘I think you need to tell the police,’ Tinsley said. ‘They can get his DNA and test it against the sample they got from under my fingernails.’

  ‘You’re being hysterical. I really don’t think there’s any chance it was him, but of course I’ll call the commissioner when we get back to Sydney,’ Dash said. ‘You’re going to feel pretty awful, darling, when you realise you’re accusing an innocent man.’

  Kensy heard Tinsley sigh right before their bedroom door swung open. She rolled under a side table, pressing herself flat against the wall as Dash strode past and trotted downstairs. Kensy waited two full minutes before emerging from her hiding spot, reasoning that she could always claim to be fetching a glass of water if she got caught.

  Keeping an eye out for Dash, Kensy hot-footed it into the family room. ‘Max,’ she whispered. Her feet almost left the ground when he sat up on the couch.

  ‘What took you?’ he hissed. After Kensy explained the hold-up, she was about to tell him how she’d bungled their parents’ message when they heard a voice in the hall.

  ‘Max, are y
ou down here?’ Van whispered loudly.

  Kensy groaned in frustration. ‘Seriously?’

  ‘Come on,’ Max said, grabbing her arm. They hurried into the back hallway, past a wall of framed family photographs. Something caught Max’s eye and he stopped. He tugged at her pyjama top and pointed to a picture of a young Uncle Rupert with a woman. They were standing together, looking very much in love.

  Kensy peered at the photo. ‘Who’s that?’ she whispered as Van came through the other door. Max took her hand and they scurried down the front hall, soon realising there was nowhere to go.

  ‘Max!’ Van hissed. ‘I need to talk to you … about Kensy.’

  ‘Urgh!’ Kensy pulled a face and shook her head. She opened the door to the powder room and pushed Max inside, closing the door quietly behind them. She was about to explain how she’d messed up everything when they heard Dash’s voice loud and clear. It was one of those weird acoustic chambers, where the speaker on the other side of the wall sounded as if they were standing in the same room.

  ‘Tinsley’s fine, Mother. She’s much happier,’ Dash said. ‘No, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about anymore. She won’t be going anywhere.’

  Kensy nudged her brother much harder than she’d intended, and the boy let out a yelp. Max glared at her. ‘Are you trying to get caught?’ he hissed.

  ‘Sorry, Mum, I have to go,’ Dash said.

  The twins heard his footsteps in the hall. They were waiting for the doorhandle to turn when he walked back into the study and made another call.

  ‘Five biohazard transport boxes. Nine o’clock Monday morning at the farm,’ he said, then scoffed as if whoever was on the other end of the line had said something amusing. ‘If they want to play hard ball then they really don’t know who they’re dealing with. Don’t be late. I need to get back to the city before midday.’

  Kensy was about to tell Max about the note when the floor outside their door squeaked loudly. They heard footsteps and the sound of a door opening.