The Codebreakers

by Alli Sinclair

  How on earth could she wait until the morning to find out if Harry had made it back safely? Or was he combing the streets looking for her?

  Needing some fresh air to clear her mind, Ellie asked the taxi to stop and she walked the last few blocks to the dirt road that led to 67 AWAS Barracks. Ahead lay a dark tunnel of trees that led to home. She took a deep breath and quelled her nerves.

  It’s only trees. Nothing sinister.

  A figure stepped out of the shadows. Panic rushed through her. She clenched her fist. Took a swing. It connected with something hard. Her hand smarted. She turned to run but the attacker grabbed her arm and pulled her against him.

  ‘Ow!’

  ‘Ellie!’

  ‘Harry?’ Her voice wavered and he let go. She turned to face him. ‘I thought … I didn’t know …’

  She gulped air.

  ‘It’s all right, my love.’ Harry opened his arms and she fell into them and clung on tightly. ‘I was so worried. When I couldn’t find you …’ He let out a long breath. ‘If anything had happened, I would never forgive myself.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ she whispered, although her shaking body told her otherwise. ‘I’m a big girl. I can look after myself.’

  ‘I know you can but you’re also my girl and I love you so, so much.’ Harry’s voice cracked and she stepped back so she could see his face. The moon reflected in his glassy eyes. ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘For what?’

  ‘I tried to hang on to you but there were so many people and I failed miserably. I should have protected you.’ He rubbed his chin. ‘Although, you do have a nice right hook.’

  ‘Older brother.’ She laughed.

  ‘He taught you well. Hey …’ Harry looked deep into her eyes. ‘Are we all right?’

  Ellie’s lips met Harry’s. The stress, the tiredness, the worry … it all slipped away. ‘We are more than all right, Harry Kinsman.’

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Ellie sat in the truck with the Garage Girls as they left Nyrambla after another long shift. She settled against the canvas and closed her eyes. Her life was a constant cycle of work, spending time with friends and falling even more in love with Harry. The pure joy he brought to her life made everything brighter.

  The truck pulled into the barracks and she jumped down, grabbed her washing from her hut and headed for the boiling coppers. Some of the women working on a different shift had just done their laundry so the water was already hot and soapy.

  She placed her spare uniform and undergarments in the copper and stirred them with a long stick. The rhythmic motion lulled her busy mind and she stared into the bushes beyond the barbed wire fence.

  A rustling near her feet drew her attention to the ground in front of her.

  She froze.

  A long body slithered through the dirt, its brown scales catching the sunlight.

  A country girl through and through, snakes weren’t an uncommon sight for Ellie, although living in Brisbane had got her a bit too used to being in suburbia. The green tree snakes at the barracks hadn’t caused her to bat an eyelid but this creature, only a few feet away, was an entirely different story. One bite from the eastern brown snake was a death sentence.

  She held her breath. Her body unmoving. Every muscle tensed.

  ‘Hey, Ellie, I was wondering …’ Lillian followed Ellie’s gaze. ‘Bloody hell.’

  Lillian was still far enough from the snake she could back away. She did so, slowly, slowly, and as soon as she could, she turned and bolted to the rec hut. A moment later a group of women came out to observe Ellie’s predicament.

  Time stood still.

  The snake stopped.

  It lifted its triangular head and looked directly at her.

  Her belly swelled with nausea.

  Don’t move. Don’t move.

  The snake lowered its head and slithered towards the bushes, a narrow trough in its wake.

  Lillian ran over and grabbed her arm. ‘That was way too close.’

  Ellie relaxed. The potential gravity of the situation hit and she made her way to the rec room where Joy had a glass of whiskey waiting. Ellie collapsed onto the bench, drank the generous shot and rasped, ‘One more please.’

  Joy obliged and Ellie was grateful the women didn’t adhere to the strict instructions about no alcohol on the barracks. Today was one to celebrate.

  * * *

  Ellie exited the gates of Nyrambla and set off for a quick walk before she had to return from her break. She lifted her face towards the sun. Jacaranda trees lined the street, tiny buds getting ready to bloom sometime over the next few weeks.

  Ellie soon approached Ascot Racecourse where American troops were stationed.

  ‘Mornin’, Miss O’Sullivan.’

  ‘Well, hello, Sergeant Cooper.’

  ‘I hope you’re doing well.’

  ‘Very well, given this beautiful weather we’re having,’ she said. ‘I’m glad to see you’re okay after the Trocadero.’

  ‘I couldn’t believe what happened. Stupid fools.’ He shook his head then smiled. ‘I’m glad you’re safe and sound.’

  ‘I’m fine. A little shaken, but I got over it.’ Ever since the brawl at the Trocadero a month ago, Ellie and Harry had steered clear of dances. The American and Australian relations were strained and numerous times she’d encountered arguments on the street between Allied soldiers. The pictures were a safer bet than dances, and they were more enjoyable, especially since she and Harry had graduated from the front rows all the way to the back.

  ‘Do you work near here?’ Leonard looked at her uniform.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Maybe I’ll see you around some time.’ He gave a friendly nod and headed into the barracks.

  Ellie set off to do a lap around the perimeter of Ascot Racecourse. By the time she returned to Nyrambla, the place was buzzing. Joy typed furiously while Lillian read the tape from her machine, her brow furrowed.

  ‘What’s happening?’ Ellie asked.

  Florry wiped her forehead. ‘We’ve just received a new delivery of intercepts. Looks like the traffic between the Japanese units has picked up again.’

  ‘What are they saying?’

  ‘Nothing concrete yet. I just hope it isn’t a repeat of Sydney Harbour and Newcastle.’

  ‘Oh no.’ Ellie hung her handbag and hat on the hook by the door then sat at her machine.

  ‘These ones first.’ Florry handed over half a dozen sheets of paper.

  Ellie picked up the codebook with the keys and worked on her machine. She checked, checked again, then checked once more. Confident she’d got it right, Ellie didn’t look up until everything had been decrypted, transcribed and sorted into appropriate piles. She handed Lieutenant Andrews the last batch of messages that needed to be taken to the house.

  Florry came over to Ellie and leaned against the edge of the desk. ‘That was a few busy hours.’

  ‘As busy as it was in April when Admiral Yamamoto’s plane was shot down by the Allies.’

  ‘Which is a concern.’ Florry twisted her pencil between her fingers. ‘We’d found a few anomalies in some messages while you were out and they’ve been taken to Commanding Officer Buckley. I suspect they’ll go all the way to General MacArthur.’

  ‘You don’t think …’ She couldn’t bear finishing the sentence.

  Florry shrugged. ‘We’ve been through this before. Lots of action on the airwaves that amounts to nothing.’

  Ellie prayed her friend was right.

  * * *

  When the truck pulled up at the gates at 67 AWAS Barracks, Ellie noticed a familiar car parked nearby. While the gates were being opened she jumped off the back of the truck and walked towards Louis. She looked back and saw a cluster of women with their eyes trained on Louis.

  She laughed. No matter where Louis went, he left a trail of female admirers.

  ‘What brings you here?’ Ellie slowed when she noticed his slumped shoulders. ‘What’s happened?’

 
; ‘It’s Maude.’

  ‘Is she all right?’

  He bowed his head. ‘I think she’s been lying to me.’

  ‘About?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ he said.

  ‘There must be a reason you think she’s lying.’

  ‘I just know, all right?’ He kicked a stone and it skittered across the dirt. ‘Everyone lies and it’s wrong.’

  ‘Sometimes it’s just withholding information.’

  ‘Lying by omission is just as bad as an outright lie.’ His hard tone was out of character.

  ‘Sometimes a lie—or withholding information—is for a legitimate reason,’ she said.

  ‘There are no legitimate reasons.’ His words flowed out on a river of acid. ‘And secrets are just as bad.’

  ‘Louis,’ Ellie said firmly, ‘if you told me a secret, I would keep that to myself.’

  His frown deepened.

  ‘And if you asked me if that blue shirt you love so much looked good on you, I’d say yes.’

  ‘You don’t like it?’

  ‘Actually, I do, but the point is, if I didn’t like it but knew how much you loved it, I would say it’s nice. It’s a white lie. There’s no harm because I’m sparing your feelings.’

  ‘It’s still a lie.’

  Since when had Louis become so black and white? ‘I don’t think it’s as straightforward as that. There are varying degrees of lies and, sometimes, people have to keep secrets whether they want to or not.’

  Louis stared at the ground, hands in pockets, shoulders hunched. After some time, he said quietly, ‘Maude’s been lying to my face.’

  ‘What makes you say that?’

  ‘She says everything is fine, but it isn’t. We’re fighting—a lot. She spends a lot of time with her friends but …’

  Ellie gave him a moment to finish although nothing was forthcoming. ‘But?’

  ‘But something’s not right. The other day she said she was going to Tammy’s, but Tammy called around after Maude had left. She didn’t know anything about their supposed catch-up.’

  Ellie pursed her lips.

  ‘I think she’s having an affair.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘I should have taken the time to know her better before we got married. I should have thought it through.’

  ‘You were caught up in the moment,’ she said. ‘Short engagements aren’t uncommon these days.’

  ‘But I’m the sensible country boy.’ Despite his sombre mood he managed a smile. ‘Robert would have told me I was being ridiculous and to wait.’

  ‘He would have put you in a headlock and rubbed your head with his knuckles.’

  Louis’s expression turned serious once more. ‘I needed you to slap sense into me.’

  ‘You were blissfully happy. Why should I be the one to spoil it for you?’

  ‘True. This is my own fault, no one else’s.’ Louis rubbed the back of his neck. ‘We’ll figure it out.’

  ‘Yes, you will.’ She sounded more confident than she felt. ‘You still love her, right?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘Then you’ll find a way. It’s just early days.’

  ‘Yeah. That’s it.’ His eyes brightened. ‘Do you feel like going for a walk?’

  ‘Actually, I do.’

  Louis shortened his strides to keep pace with Ellie as they strolled in silence under an avenue of leafy trees. Their meandering took them to a paved road where the houses were closer together and more people were out and about. A perfectly coiffured woman walked arm in arm with her American serviceman. He whispered in her ear and she giggled. It was all so civilised and sweet, yet Ellie couldn’t help thinking about the hundreds and thousands of men, women and children suffering overseas, their worlds ripped apart. Australia lived in a false peace that could be destroyed at any moment. Was her country suitably prepared against invasion?

  ‘Do you miss home?’ she asked.

  ‘I do. A lot. You?’

  ‘Sometimes,’ she ran her fingers along a leafy hedge. ‘What do you miss about it?’

  Louis looked up. ‘I miss the sky. It’s not the same in cities. At Longreach it’s a different kind of blue and when I’m flying it feels like I could go on forever.’

  ‘It must be wonderful to experience that.’

  ‘It is.’ He stopped walking and looked at her. ‘Why don’t you do it?’

  ‘Do what?’

  ‘Fly. You have the smarts. You know how planes work. You grew up around them. It’s in your blood.’ Louis put a friendly arm around her shoulders and pointed at the blue sky streaked with wispy clouds. ‘Imagine soaring like a bird, the red earth below, nothing but you and the plane thousands of feet in the air. Nature, beauty, freedom.’

  Louis sounded wistful and Ellie could easily imagine him behind the controls, strong and silent, decisive and capable.

  ‘I don’t know if it’s for me,’ she said.

  He grinned. ‘You don’t know until you try.’

  Her shift finished and Ellie filed out with the others to wait in the courtyard for the truck.

  Florry adjusted her hat. ‘I’m not ready to go back.’

  ‘What do you want to do?’

  ‘Walk? I know you’re rather fond of it.’

  ‘It’s good to stretch the legs, clear the head. Although …’

  ‘What?’

  ‘We’re pretty far from the barracks,’ said Ellie.

  ‘You can have my dessert.’

  She laughed. ‘Deal.’

  ‘Hey girls,’ Florry shouted, ‘Ellie and I will see you at the barracks.’

  The women waved and Ellie and Florry made their way down the driveway to the gate where the guards let them out.

  ‘River?’ asked Ellie.

  ‘Sounds good.’ Florry absentmindedly picked a flower hanging over a fence and rotated it with her fingers.

  Ellie left it to Florry to start the conversation but her friend seemed content to just have company. They arrived at the river and strolled along the path. A group of girls in school uniform talked over each other as they huddled together under a tree.

  Ellie instantly recognised one of them. ‘Shelagh!’

  She looked over and furrowed her brow, as if trying to work out why a woman in AWAS uniform would be calling her name. She said something to her friends then came over to Ellie and Florry. Shelagh looked five years younger with her plaited hair and blue school pinafore.

  ‘How are you doing?’ asked Ellie.

  ‘I’m all right.’ She hitched her bag on her shoulder.

  ‘This is my friend, Florry.’

  When Shelagh smiled it looked like a grimace.

  ‘Did you get in much trouble when … you know,’ said Ellie.

  ‘I’m not allowed out of the house any more unless it’s for school or church.’ Shelagh focussed on her school shoes.

  ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’

  ‘I’m not supposed to be with my friends right now, either, but what am I supposed to do? It’s not fair.’ She looked up, her young face creased in anger. ‘My brother went to dances with his friends when he was sixteen and no one stopped him. Because I’m a girl it’s different.’

  Ellie’s heart went out to her. ‘I had the same problem with my brother being allowed to do anything he wanted while my every move was monitored.’

  ‘I hate being a girl,’ she huffed.

  ‘Being female can be tough.’

  ‘It sure can be,’ Florry said.

  ‘But also has its advantages.’ Ellie smiled at Florry. ‘Like friendship. Female friendships are extra special.’

  Shelagh looked at her friends who were deep in conversation, although they stopped every so often to glance in Shelagh’s direction.

  Shelagh tucked a stray chunk of hair behind her ear. ‘You know when the men come back from war all of you will lose your jobs, right?’

  ‘They’ll need to work when they return,’ said Florry.

  ‘Do you really want to spend y
our life in the kitchen with babies hanging off you?’ asked Shelagh.

  Florry raised her eyebrows at Ellie. ‘Where did you meet this one?’

  ‘We had a shared experience a little while ago,’ said Ellie.

  ‘Yeah, well, I hope you don’t get kicked out of your jobs when the war is over. It’s about time women showed the men what we can do. Gotta go!’ Shelagh waved and ran off to her friends. The schoolgirls chatted animatedly as they crossed the road.

  Florry looked at Ellie. ‘She’s got a big mouth for someone so young.’

  ‘Like we were never opinionated at that age.’ Ellie nodded in the direction of the girls. ‘Do you think it will be different for them?’

  ‘What will?’

  ‘We know what peace is. Whereas these girls are growing up in a country at war. There’s always the threat of invasion and war is always in the newspapers or on the radio. People are constantly talking about it in the streets and on public transport. I’m sure these girls have lost loved ones and have had to deal with grief at a young age. How does it shape their future? Do you think it taints their ability to see good in the world? To trust?’

  Florry studied her friend. ‘I honestly don’t know.’

  ‘Hmm.’

  ‘I have a feeling that your friend Shelagh won’t take anything laying down. Next thing you know she’ll want to be prime minister!’

  ‘Well you never know. Stranger things have happened.’

  ‘We’ve won the right to vote but a female prime minister is a pipe dream, as much as I hate to say it.’ Florry cocked her head in the direction of the barracks. ‘We better get a wriggle on.’

  They passed another of the few parks that hadn’t been taken over by the army. Three young children played with sticks and hoops, laughing and cajoling each other as their mother sat on a rug reading a book. She looked up every so often when they called her, and she gave them an exhausted smile.

  ‘What do you think it’d be like for mothers and children in Japan or Germany?’ asked Ellie.

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘Do you think they see their men going to war as an honour or do they spend every waking moment dreading a telegram with the worst news possible? Or both?’

  Florry shrugged. ‘I’ve never thought about it.’