"Come, Tricksy, come!" ordered Lance.
Tricksy shuffled forward on her bottom to show that she was not being disobedient. She was simply too scared to go any closer. Lance walked back to her.
"Come, Tricksy," said Lance, pulling on the ruff at her neck. Tricksy lay down and whined. Lance smelled smoke and understood. He clearly remembered the fire in the cottage, the night Ashleigh and Greg disappeared, and how scared Tricksy had been. Was this another fire lit by Zinsli?
Lance went through the back door and through the utility room, closing each door tightly behind him. He saw Ashleigh and Greg lying on the floor in the kitchen. They too were tied up. Smoke was coming from coals that had fallen from the fire grate on to the floor. The floor had charred and was about to burst into flame.
"Untie me," said Greg to his son. "Lance, please untie me."
Lance tried to undo the ties but they were too tight for him. He needed a knife from the kitchen drawer.
"I'll get a knife," he said, using his chest voice. Greg had never heard that register before, only the childish falsetto.
Just then, the floor went up in flames around the coals.
"Get the extinguisher, son," said Greg.
The family had talked about fire. It was on every farmer's mind. An extinguisher sat in the utility room behind the door. There was another in the machinery shed, and also in the milking shed. The smoke alarms were screaming, which was bad for someone with normal hearing but for Lance the sound filled his mind and almost paralysed him. He hauled the heavy cylinder from its corner. Walking backwards as if he was shearing a sheep, he dragged the fire extinguisher into the kitchen. In the short time he had been away the fire had taken hold. The air was filled with acrid smoke. All three began coughing and spluttering as the smoke thickened. Ashleigh and Greg both knew that most people who died in fires did so because of the smoke. The flames came later.
Lance pulled the clip away then struck the plunger hard, just as they had practised. He pointed the nozzle of the extinguisher at the base of the flames, moving successively from one hot spot to another. The flames died almost immediately.
"Don't use it all," said Greg. "There might be more flames spring up. Get that knife please, Lance."
Lance opened the drawer and pulled out the sharp kitchen knife. The smoke was still very thick. Lance knew what to do. Mrs Armstrong had made the children practise in school. He dropped down and crawled back to Greg who rolled so his hands were in clear view. Greg sliced the rope, sawing backwards and forward until the strands were all cut.
"Thanks son. Now go outside where it's safer," said Greg. "I'll look after Ashleigh."
Ashleigh had been watching round eyed at the communication between father and son. She realised how valuable had been the times when Lance went with his father to do farm jobs.
Right out of the blue, as if they were sitting with a soft drink on a Sunday afternoon, Lance began to speak. "Dad, the cows need to be put in the long pasture," said Lance, using his new voice. "Can I do it?"
Greg laughed out loud as he freed his feet. He picked up the heavy extinguisher and sprayed where coals were threatening to turn smoke into flame.
"Yes, Lance. You can move the cows if you have Tricksy with you. Now son, please cut Ashleigh free," said Greg, trying the new direct communication where previously he had had to speak through Tricksy. It worked. Lance crawled across to Ashleigh and began cutting the ropes that bound her.
While Lance cut Ashleigh's bonds Greg used a fire shovel to pick up the coals and place them in the firebox. Then he shut the door of the coal range. Ashleigh was on her hands and knees.
"Come on, Lance," she said. "Let's get out of danger."
"So that's danger," said Lance.
"One sort of danger," said Ashleigh. "Come on big boy, move."
As they opened the utility room door, flames flared up from the charred patches on the floor. Greg squirted them. With the door open the air began to clear. There were always buckets of water outside, against the wall. Ashleigh carried one in and splashed it across the floor. There was sizzling and steam and then silence.
"Good one Ashleigh," said Greg.
Lance also brought in a bucket of water to douse the remaining hot spots.
"We've got to save the Wests," said Greg. "Well done Lance. Ashleigh are you okay?"
"Nothing a good hot bath won't cure," Ashleigh responded. They went outside and walked to where Tricksy was waiting anxiously. As soon as he reached her, Tricksy bounded at Greg, placing her paws on his shoulders.
"Down girl," said Greg. "You know you don't jump up."
He rubbed her fur and patted her sides. "Good girl, Tricksy," he said. "Good Girl."
Tricksy was in seventh heaven as Greg praised her. That was all she wanted in the world, her alpha male praising her for doing good.
"And you, young man," Greg continued, "you saved us from burning. You saved the house, and you have a grown up boy's voice."
Lance appeared to be neither pleased nor displeased.
"Dad?" he asked.
"Yes, son?"
"Is Mr Tricksy really a girl?"
"Yes, son. But you can call her Mr Tricksy if you like."
"No. Mr Ashleigh wouldn't be right and it's the same thing. But Ashleigh, she's got ..." Lance paused in embarrassment.
"Boobs," said Ashleigh. "Girls have boobs, and so does Tricksy but you can't see them for fur. And they're smaller than mine, but more of them."
Lance was stunned. He needed time to work his way through all of this.
"Come on, guys," said Greg. "We've got to save the Wests."
"What a time for a kid to pick for a sex education lesson," said Ashleigh. "Zinsli was going to drown them in the swamp. But how do we get there?"
51.
Zinsli had put Jo, Alex and Richard West into the pipe that carried the overflow from the swamp through a hillside and under the bypass road to discharge in the gully where the West's car had fallen.
Jo was at the front of the queue, lying on her back staring up at a ceiling she could not see, with her feet pointing the way the muddy foul water was carrying her. If she put her hand up she could touch the concrete pipe that was her whole world at the moment. It was a much better journey than the climb up the pipe, where she had been scraped and scratched and grazed and could only move slowly, as if trapped in syrup. She thought of the insect that had been caught in amber that her teacher had shown the class when she had been in primary school. That was how she felt now, as if the mud she floated in would harden and she would be trapped forever.
Alex was behind Jo, lying between Richard's legs as if he was a surf lifeguard and she a drowning swimmer. Richard's and Alex's feet pointed at Jo, occasionally touching her head or shoulders when progress down the slope was stalled. Richard whispered quietly in Alex's ear. He told her that they had been injected with some kind of hallucinatory drug, with the intention of being drowned while unable to fend for themselves.
"So," said Alex, "you think Zinsli under-estimated your weight, and took too long?"
"That makes sense," answered Richard. "He must have over-estimated yours, because you took a long while to come down from your high."
Alex punched him in the ribs. "Thanks for that," she said. "Do you realise you are saying I am heavier than I look?"
"Cut it out, you two," called Jo from just ahead of them. "We must just about be coming to the end of the pipe because I can see the ceiling now."
They all found that news very exciting, like entering a new port when on a cruise, unsure of what they might find. Suddenly the pipe was filled with a roaring noise.
"Jo, it's a chopper. Go for it, girl!" yelled Richard.
Jo moved as fast as she could. The noise reverberated in the pipe. It seemed that the helicopter was landing nearby.
"Do you think they will look for us?" Alex was worried that the people in the helicopter would see nothing and fly off. "Hurry up Jo!" she called out.
The no
ise abated then finally died. They could not tell whether the helicopter had left, or turned off the engine. Alex separated from Richard, rolled on top her knees and began to surf herself forward. She soon caught up with Jo, who was near the entrance of the pipe, in strong light.
"Help!" called Jo.
"We're in the pipe!" yelled Alex.
The helicopter had landed on the road behind the truck that Brendan Geddes had been driving when the mudslide happened. The truck was still there, trapped between the mudslide at this end and a fallen bridge at the other. Brendan was at home, taking time out before his next assignment.
Barbara van Buren was first out, then Bill Paki-Paki and Robert West eased their way out of the helicopter Bill had hired. The road was a complete mess. Nobody could have survived that rock fall. Boulders as large as houses blocked the way, sitting in a deep layer of solidified mud that had been liquefaction. Stones and large boulders the size of cars filled the spaces between the house sized monoliths. The motor of the helicopter whined as it slowed and stopped; the rotors clattered to a halt.
Nothing. The three of them had not known what to expect, except they were looking for a culvert pipe.
"It goes under the road," said Robert West. "It must come out over the side there."
"Shh," said Bill. "Did you hear that?"
Barbara and the two men listened. From under Bill's feet, it seemed, a thin voice called, "Help."
Bill was thrown completely out of focus. He thought that it was his dead grandaughter calling to him.
"I can't hear anything," said Robert, cocking his head.
"Shush," said Barbara. "I think the end of the pipe is just over there."
"Where are you?" called Bill, cupping his hands to magnify his voice. There was no reply. The pipe carried Jo's voice out but could not carry Bill's voice in.
"Wait for me please!" came the voice, stronger and nearer this time. Bill ran to the side of the road and saw the end of the pipe. Then his heart stopped in anguish as the pale brown ghost of his grandaughter emerged.
"Jo!" yelled Robert as both grandfathers scrambled down the bank. "Is that really you, Jo?"
"Of course it bloody is," shouted Jo. "Who were you expecting, Grandad?"
Alex was next to appear from the mouth of the pipe. Bill hugged his muddy daughter while Robert hugged their grandaughter.
"Richard?" asked Robert. "Is he.. ?"
Words failed him. Robert could not say 'dead'. Then Robert saw feet appearing, and then out popped Richard, equally as brown and muddy. Barbara helped him to his feet and then they all joined hands and whooped out loud and danced like 'Ring a Rosie'.
"Is that who you were looking for?" called the pilot.
"Yes, they are all safe," called Bill. "Would you like to tell the authorities?" he asked Barbara.
Barbara wondered if her wireless set would be heard. She moved to one side. There was no response. She switched channels and got the General Alert Service. She asked to be patched through to Inspector Frobisher. She spoke rapidly to him, then clicked off.
"No, we're not all safe," said Alex. "We have to go back for Greg and Sally and Ashleigh. Zinsli is going to kill them."
"Kill them?" asked Barbara. "Explain please."
"A guy called Zinsli drugged us and the others. He left them in the house when he took us to the swamp," said Richard. "He has already killed one person and buried her on the farm. I think he will the others and put them in the same place."
"Where are they?" asked Bill. "And how many? Three?"
"There might be a ten year old boy as well," said Jo. "He's autistic."
"Over the hill and up the road," said Richard. "Dad, is there any chance we could go there by chopper?"
Robert West looked at Bill. "What do you think, Bill?"
"Chopper only takes four," he said. 'We didn't load with fuel when we had to return to Kaikoura to get the helicopter checked. If we hadn't turned back for that faulty piece of cowling making a racket, we might never have found you guys."
The pilot was still in his cockpit. He waved for them to come.
"Look, I'll take Alex and Jo back to Wellington with me," said Robert. Could you stay, Bill? Officer? We'll send the chopper back for you."
Bill was thinking ahead. He spoke quietly to the pilot as they reached the helicopter.
"Richard, will you stay behind with me?" he asked. When Richard nodded Bill said, "Good. The pilot will fly the three of us to where your friends are, then fly back to Wellington with Robert, Alex and Jo. It may be some time before he can send help, and he will have to stop en route to refuel. Officer, are you armed?"
"No, sir," said Barbara van Buren, "but if there is trouble, sir, please do not interfere with my work."
Bill gave a laugh at Barbara's grasp of the situation. He and Richard climbed aboard and took the rear seats. Barbara resumed her place beside the pilot. The pilot pulled a face when he saw the condition of one of the passengers. The whole inside of the aircraft would have to be cleaned, and there were two more muddy ones to come. The pilot started up, came up to revs, then lifted off the ground and flew away towards Grantville. Robert West was left standing in the road with his daughter in law Alex and his grandaughter, Jo.
"Let's get into that lorry,' Robert said, using the English expression for the huge truck. "We'll be able to sit down while we wait."
Robert was so calm and phlegmatic that Alex wondered if he would suggest making a cup of tea, but inside Robert was a mixture of concern and relief.
"Going to tell me all about it?" he asked gently.
Alex looked into Robert's lined face. He was calm and he was strong. He was so much like his son that Alex felt safe. She began to tell their story.
52.
After Lance had freed them and they were sure the fire was thoroughly doused, Greg and Ashleigh wanted to get to the swamp to try to save Richard, Alex and Jo from being murdered. Zinsli had taken Greg's truck so they would have to use the refrigerated truck.
As they climbed aboard they heard knocking and a muffled groan.
"Sally! She's in the back!" said Ashleigh. She opened her door and jumped out, followed by Lance.
Ashleigh slid the bolts free and opened the door. Sally lay on the floor with a gag in her mouth. She was bound hand and foot.
"Mum!" cried Lance in his newly found chest voice.
As her gag was pulled off, Sally called "Lance! Greg! And Ashleigh! Thank God you're alive!"
There were hugs all around as they helped Sally down from the back of the metal lined truck. Tricksy sniffed Sally, then sat on her haunches beside her, a dog's way of showing they both belonged to the same pack.
Then Tricksy swivelled her head and tune her ears to a distant sound she could hear. Greg noticed first.
"Tricksy, who's coming?" he asked.
Tricksy made a whimpering sound and looked alternately at Greg and at the driveway that led to the road. They could all hear the noise of a light pick-up being driven hard on a gravel road.
"It's Zinsli!" said Greg.
Lance ran into the smoking house. "Lance, come back!" shouted Greg. The boy ran into the house and into a bedroom where he opened a wardrobe door. What he was looking for was not there. He ran into Ashleigh's room and opened the wardrobe and found what he was looking for.
The utility came up the driveway, dust billowing from its rear wheels. It skidded to a halt. The door opened and Zinsli stepped out, pulling his rifle from the passenger's side across his seat to point it at the group.
Tricksy knew 'rifle' and 'gun' and had seen the results on rabbits and goats when Greg took her hunting. Now the gun was pointing at her alpha male by another male, one who was aggressively trying to take over the pack. It was her role to defend her leader; that was the instinct of the pack animal. She launched herself at Zinsli.
Zinsli saw the dog flying at him. He let off the safety catch of the rifle and pulled the trigger. Although Tricksy hit him and knocked him off balance, he was prepared f
or her weight. She fell at his feet, jerking and kicking, and then lay whimpering.
Greg was shielding Sally. Barbara van Buren moved in front of Greg.
"You're next'" said Zinsli. He lifted the rifle and aimed at Barbara. There was a loud booming crack. Then Zinsli slowly fell to the ground next to the whimpering dog. Greg turned around and saw Lance, with West's Winchester forty five at his shoulder. The boy lowered the rifle to the ground and ran forward to his dog.
Lance lifted Tricksy's head and laid it on his stretched out legs so he could comfort her. Tricksy was still breathing, but her breaths were shallow and she was bleeding from her chest. She lifted her head a little and looked at Lance, then closed her eyes and lowered her head.
As Sally, Greg and Ashleigh looked in shock at Zinsli's body, and the dog and the boy they heard the thrum of a helicopter's rotors. Suddenly, the aircraft shot up into the sky above the hill that edged the swamp. It flew towards them like a dragon fly with huge shiny eyes. Sally, Greg and Ashleigh shielded their eyes from the dust that swirled about them as the helicopter came in to land on the ground in front of the house. Lance appeared not to notice; his eyes were rolled back as he rocked Tricksy gently, feeling that she was still alive if he could keep her moving.
The rotors slowed to a stop. A door opened then a man eased himself to the ground. Sally Greg and Ashleigh did not recognise the large middle aged Maori. Richard got out of the helicopter next. Then the first man turned and helped a smaller policeman down from the front seat. They gathered as a group and walked towards Greg's small gathering.
"I'm Alex's father," said Bill. "My name is Bill. Richard, Alex and Jo are safe."
"Thank God for that," said Ashleigh. "We were about to go and look for them."
"Zinsli," said Greg, pointing at the dead man's body, "was going to kill us all."
"He won't be doing much killing, will he," said Barbara. "I am Constable van Buren. Would someone please tell me what's going on?"
The three all began to speak.
"Stop," said Barbara. She opened her notebook. She addressed Bill Paki-Paki. "Sir, would you please take some photos? You know what to do?"
Farm Kill Page 23
