The Codebreakers

by Alli Sinclair

  ‘You’re Robert’s best friend? The pilot for Qantas Empire Airways?’ asked Mrs Hanley.

  Louis laughed. ‘I didn’t realise I was famous.’

  ‘She talks about home a lot,’ said Mrs Hanley.

  Ellie was grateful for the dark evening as heat rushed across her cheeks.

  ‘Would you like to stay for dinner?’ asked Mrs Hanley.

  ‘I don’t want to impose—’

  ‘Nonsense!’ she said. ‘It would be wonderful to have some male company this evening.’

  Ellie looked at Louis. ‘I’ve never known you to turn down a home-cooked meal, Mr Dutton.’

  He turned to Mrs Hanley. ‘Thank you, I would be honoured.’

  Mrs Hanley went inside the house and Ellie followed with Louis behind her. She shouldn’t be surprised about the dinner invitation—Mrs Hanley had a habit of picking up strays. Most Sundays she invited an American serviceman over for lunch to give them a touch of home. So far, she’d never been refused.

  Ellie introduced Kat to Louis and they made small talk while she set an extra place at the table. Trust Louis to make friends within minutes.

  Mrs Hanley was about to lift the soup when Louis stepped forward. ‘May I?’

  ‘Thank you, young man.’

  He placed the pot on the wooden board on the dining table then pulled out Ellie’s chair for her to sit down.

  ‘They’ve been teaching you manners at the airline?’ she asked.

  ‘I didn’t think it was polite to push you out of the way at the feeding trough like the good old days, Bug.’

  She held her hand over her heart and gasped. ‘Well, wonders will never cease.’

  ‘Why do you call Ellie “Bug”?’ asked Kat as she ladled soup into the bowl and passed it to Louis.

  ‘When we were kids Ellie could always be found crawling around in the dirt.’

  Kat laughed. Mrs Hanley raised her eyebrows.

  ‘She’d collect all kinds of creatures and spend hours examining them. She loved flying bugs the most.’

  ‘Why?’ asked Kat.

  Ellie jumped in. ‘I wanted to understand their aerodynamics.’

  ‘Why?’ Kat repeated.

  ‘When I lived in Longreach I used to spend hours watching the planes take off and land. It’s incredible what humans have invented but it’s even more fascinating what Mother Nature has done.’

  ‘And now you and Louis and Robert are working—’ Kat closed her eyes. ‘You’ve all worked with planes.’

  ‘Yes,’ Ellie and Louis said in unison.

  A flash of sadness crossed Louis’s face. He quickly tasted the soup. ‘This is delicious.’

  Ellie shifted on her chair. ‘I need to tell you all something.’

  They looked at her with expectant faces.

  ‘I’ve resigned from my job.’

  ‘What?’ Kat dropped her spoon. ‘How come I didn’t know about this?’

  ‘It’s just happened,’ said Ellie. ‘But I’ve joined AWAS and in three days I’ll be living at 67 AWAS Barracks in Chermside.’

  ‘Monday?’ asked Kat.

  Ellie nodded then turned to Mrs Hanley. ‘I’m really sorry about the late notice but it happened out of the blue. I’ll keep paying board until you find someone else.’

  ‘Don’t worry about that.’ Mrs Hanley’s voice cracked.

  ‘I’m sorry.’ Ellie felt like she was letting them down.

  Kat stared at Ellie then angled a finger at her. ‘You’ve never mentioned anything about wanting to join AWAS.’ Her eyes widened. ‘Did it have something to do with that guy hanging around? I knew he wasn’t a family friend!’

  ‘What guy?’ asked Louis. ‘What family friend? Was it Jimmy Edwards? I’d heard he was heading to Brisbane for a bit.’

  ‘No, not Jimmy Edwards,’ Ellie said.

  ‘Who then?’ Louis pressed.

  ‘Someone you don’t know.’ Panic ripped through Ellie. Little lies were already piling up and she could barely keep her head straight. One step at a time … She turned to Kat. ‘An opportunity came up with AWAS that I couldn’t refuse.’ There, not a lie.

  ‘But you love your job at Qantas!’ said Kat.

  ‘I know, but AWAS needs me more.’

  ‘What are you doing with them?’ Kat asked.

  ‘I don’t know the exact details’—no lie—‘but apparently, I did well on the aptitude test and they have something in mind. I’ll find out more when I start.’

  ‘You’d give up the job you love to take one you know nothing about? And move to an army barracks to boot?’ Kat put down her serviette. ‘I really don’t understand what’s got into you.’

  The hurt in Kat’s voice hit Ellie hard. ‘If I could stay here, I would.’

  ‘This is happening too fast.’ Kat crossed her arms.

  ‘I’m going to miss you, Kat,’ she turned to Mrs Hanley, ‘and you, also. I hope you’ll have me over to visit sometime.’

  ‘Every Sunday for lunch.’ Mrs Hanley looked over her glasses. ‘Promise?’

  ‘As long as I’m not working, I will be here,’ said Ellie.

  Mrs Hanley patted Ellie’s hand. ‘Then that is the silver lining.’

  Kat uncrossed her arms and gave a lopsided grin. ‘At least I won’t have to put up with your snoring any more.’

  ‘She snores?’ laughed Louis. ‘Really?’

  ‘As much as I want to say her snores are like a chainsaw, they’re actually very dainty.’ Her expression turned serious once more. ‘Did you tell Sarah you’re leaving?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘And she was surprised but I assured her that had circumstances been different I would have happily stayed at QEA.’

  Kat’s eyes narrowed, like she was trying to get inside Ellie’s head. ‘I still find all of this very odd.’

  ‘As long as we’re helping the war effort, that’s all that matters, right?’ It came out defensively and Ellie wished she’d softened her tone.

  ‘Hmmm …’ Kat took a slow, long sip of water.

  The rest of dinner was spent with Kat and Mrs Hanley quizzing Louis about his life as a pilot. Louis answered the questions openly, bringing home the fact that Ellie would now have to keep details of her new working life secret.

  Kat cleared the plates while Mrs Hanley sat in the lounge room listening to Glen Miller’s ‘In the Mood’ on the wireless.

  Louis and Ellie went outside and sat on the verandah steps.

  ‘Do you still sketch?’ he asked.

  ‘Not as much as I used to.’

  ‘Anything you can show me?’

  ‘I guess.’ She went back into the house and grabbed her sketchbook then joined him once more. The moon shone on the white pages, highlighting the lines and curves she’d painstakingly drawn. ‘I haven’t shown anyone these until now.’

  Louis slowly went through the book, taking the time to study each page. ‘These are wonderful. You’re still focussing on nature, I see.’

  ‘Yes.’

  He stopped at a drawing of a willie wagtail and took a long time before speaking. ‘This is your best yet.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Her words caught in her throat.

  Louis closed the book. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘I drew that thinking of …’

  ‘Robert?’ he asked gently.

  She nodded. ‘He loved those birds so much.’

  A slow, sad smile formed on Louis’s lips. ‘It was a strange obsession.’

  ‘Just a little,’ said Ellie. ‘Remember when he brought home the baby willie wagtail that had fallen out of its nest? And my father said the mother bird wouldn’t take it back?’

  ‘Oh yeah,’ said Louis. ‘Robert nursed that bird day and night and the mother took it back, didn’t she?’

  ‘Dad had to eat his words.’ She laughed.

  ‘Robert never let him live it down. They’re good memories, huh?’

  ‘They are.’

  Silence wrapped around them. Up
until now she’d coped with being far from home, yet having Louis here reminded her how much she missed her family and friends in Longreach.

  ‘Come on.’ Louis stood and held out his hand. She took it and got up.

  ‘What are we doing?’

  ‘You are going to go inside and put on your glad rags. We’re off for a night on the town.’

  ‘It’s been a long day and I’m not really in the mood—’

  ‘You will be.’ His cheeky grin made it hard to say no. ‘I’ll be back in an hour.’

  ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘To get changed. Now hurry up. We don’t have all night.’

  ‘You’re a good man, Louis Dutton.’

  He looked around then dramatically held his finger to his lips. ‘Shh. Don’t tell anyone.’

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Ellie held her arms high as the fabric fell across her body. She tightened the belt on her dress then set to work applying a light layer of make-up.

  ‘Use this.’ Kat waved a red lipstick in front of Ellie.

  ‘That’s way too bright for me.’

  ‘You’re twenty-two, not eighty. Live a little.’

  Ellie sighed and held out her hand.

  ‘Let me do it, otherwise you’ll look like a clown.’

  ‘Gee, thanks.’

  Kat motioned for Ellie to part her lips and skilfully applied the colour. When done, Kat picked up a bottle of perfume and sprayed a fine mist, motioning for Ellie to step into it.

  The sweet scent made her cough. ‘Come with us.’

  ‘I have a headache.’

  ‘No, you don’t. What did you just tell me? Live a little?’ Ellie brushed her hair lightly so her curls didn’t frizz.

  ‘I’m talking about you.’

  ‘And I’m talking about you.’ Ellie grabbed Kat’s hands. ‘You’ll have fun, I promise.’

  Kat stepped away and put the leftover hairpins in the small box. ‘Nah. I’m not in the mood. Besides, you and Louis need some time alone.’

  ‘Argh!’ Ellie threw her arms wide. ‘That ship will never sail!’

  ‘Why? He’s handsome. Intelligent. He obviously loves you—’

  ‘In a very platonic way and I am more than happy with that.’

  Kat shrugged. ‘He’s a good catch.’

  ‘Just not mine.’ Ellie looked in the mirror and patted her lips with a tissue. ‘Right. Time to go.’

  Ellie marched down the hallway. Louis was already waiting on the verandah, his gaze trained on the fruit bats screeching across the sky.

  She opened the door and stepped out.

  Louis turned to face her. His mouth fell open. ‘When did you grow up?’

  ‘Is that supposed to be a compliment?’

  ‘No. I mean, yes.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘You look lovely.’

  ‘Why, thank you ever so kindly.’ She feigned a southern accent like Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind then changed to her regular Aussie. ‘And you scrub up all right yourself, mate.’

  He held out his arm and she threaded hers through his. ‘Shall we?’

  ‘Indeed, we shall.’

  They set off down the street and caught the crowded tram into the city. Ellie and Louis alighted and walked past windows covered in sheets of wood or cardboard and doors that had been taped to prevent light leaking. Since the brownout laws had started, people were forbidden from striking a match in the street and trams operated in ghostly darkness. Ellie and Louis walked past a post box painted with white vertical stripes that reminded pedestrians not to step onto the road and get hit by a car with no headlights.

  They continued down Elizabeth Street, past office buildings with sandbagged entrances and the surface shelters scattered around the city centre.

  ‘What are you smiling at?’ asked Louis.

  ‘Did I ever tell you about the four men who were drinking at the off-licence when we thought we were under attack last year?’

  ‘No, but I want to know now.’

  ‘The men thought the sirens were an air-raid drill so they continued boozing until the police came along and told them it was the real thing.’ She laughed. ‘The poor guys were so shocked they collapsed and had to be carried away on stretchers!’

  Louis’s laugh warmed her heart.

  ‘Turns out someone had misread the markings on the planes and didn’t realise they were American.’ She looked up at him as they kept walking. ‘Where are you going to be flying?’

  ‘Where I’m needed.’ He shoved his hands in his pockets and didn’t make eye contact.

  ‘You can’t tell me?’ Maybe she wasn’t the only one holding on to secrets.

  ‘I can.’

  ‘You don’t want to?’

  ‘I don’t want you to worry,’ he said.

  ‘I’m definitely worrying now you’ve said that.’

  Louis stopped and she did the same. ‘I’ll be flying to New Guinea to drop supplies and do evacuations.’

  ‘On the planes I used to service?’

  ‘I wish you were still servicing them. I’d feel more comfortable.’

  ‘The other maintenance engineers are really good.’

  ‘I know,’ said Louis, ‘but there’s nothing like someone you trust implicitly looking after your plane.’ He set off down the street once more and Ellie kept pace beside him. ‘Sometimes I’ll fly to Darwin.’

  ‘Another dangerous place.’

  ‘After the all the bombings Darwin has endured, I would say we’ve learned our lesson and are now better prepared to protect our shores,’ he said.

  She studied the men in uniforms from different Allied nations laughing with their friends as they sauntered, some staggering, down the street. Most would be posted to northern Australia or overseas to fight the Japanese in Asia and the Pacific. Not all of them would return.

  A woman in her late sixties stood out the front of a closed haberdashery shop. She scanned the crowd. Against her chest she clasped a single white feather.

  ‘Oh no,’ said Ellie.

  ‘What?’

  ‘That woman is looking for a victim.’

  ‘Huh?’

  ‘Over there,’ Ellie jutted her chin in the woman’s direction and grabbed Louis’s elbow to steer him away.

  The woman made a beeline for him.

  She shoved the feather at Louis who automatically took it then stared at it in horror.

  ‘Go and fight the war like real men. You should be ashamed,’ the woman spat out.

  ‘It’s you who should be ashamed!’ Ellie shouted. ‘Just because he isn’t wearing a uniform doesn’t mean he’s not doing his bit for this country!’

  ‘Ellie, it’s fine,’ said Louis calmly but she wasn’t going to let the woman get away with this behaviour.

  ‘If you must know,’ Ellie said to the woman, ‘my friend is in a reserved occupation—one that saves lives.’

  ‘He’s not enlisted.’ She turned to Louis and screwed up her nose. ‘Coward.’

  ‘Hey!’ said Ellie. ‘Did you not hear what I …’

  The woman stalked off, leaving Ellie clenching her fists.

  ‘I didn’t expect you to react like that,’ Louis said.

  ‘It just makes my blood boil.’ She relaxed her shoulders and hands. ‘Fine, I overreacted. I was just taken by surprise. As far as I knew, white feathers were only used in the Great War.’

  ‘I thought so, too. It takes a special kind of gumption to hand over a feather in person. What happened to the good ol’ days of leaving it in someone’s letterbox?’ Louis smirked. ‘I guess she didn’t know where I lived.’

  Ellie appreciated Louis trying to lighten the mood but how many men had suffered from this woman’s judgemental ways? There were many men who weren’t physically or mentally capable of enlisting to fight and they still contributed to the war effort. Then there were the essential occupations such as farmers and doctors and pilots like Louis who all made a difference.

  ‘Let it go, Bug.’

  ‘I can’t.’<
br />
  ‘You need to.’

  ‘I don’t want to.’ She pouted.

  ‘Still as stubborn as ever, I see. Come on.’ He grabbed her hand and they trekked across Victoria Bridge, over the Brisbane River and on to Melbourne Street in South Brisbane. As they drew closer to the Trocadero Dansant, the dark cloud over Ellie’s head started to dissipate. They joined the queue that snaked down the street, excited chatter buzzing around them, the air thick with cigarette smoke. A couple of American GIs passed a hip flask between them.

  ‘When was the last time you were here?’ asked Louis.

  ‘Never.’

  Nearby was a group of immaculately dressed women with perfectly coiffured hair, red lipstick and dark lashes. They chatted excitedly while eyeing off the men who winked and tipped their hats at them.

  Ellie stood on tiptoes and glanced through the doors. ‘This place is incredible.’

  ‘I find it incredible you haven’t been here,’ he said. ‘Why haven’t you suckered some poor bloke into taking you dancing?’

  ‘Ha!’ She smoothed down her dress. ‘Most of them are overseas and the ones that are here never ask me.’

  ‘What am I? Chopped liver?’ He winked.

  ‘No, you’re more like a bowl of porridge.’

  ‘Well, this bowl of porridge would like to take you for a spin across the boards.’ They stepped up to the booth, got tickets then went through the foyer and entered the dance hall proper. The orchestra played a lively medley and the dancers were already in full swing, their energy contagious.

  ‘I feel like a little mouse in a big city,’ she said.

  ‘More like a bush rat.’ He winked then took her hand and they moved into the flow of twirling couples.

  It was easy to follow Louis, who was a natural. He guided her across the floorboards as he kept an easy rhythm with the music. Ellie lost herself in the moment, singing along to the songs. No one cared when she accidentally bumped into them and profusely apologised, they just laughed and continued dancing.

  After a time, Ellie’s feet ached, and she yelled over the music. ‘Can we take a break?’

  ‘Sure, I’ll get us a drink.’ Louis disappeared into the crowd at the side of the dance floor and Ellie sat at a small table. Above, chandeliers sparkled. Decadent velvet curtains covered the windows from floor to ceiling, and lush tropical pot plants were dotted around the hall. She was so glad Louis had brought her here.