Bede saw them looking and volunteered, ‘We have a few problems with radio signals sometimes, so mostly, we rely on satellite communications on the property. Perth is fine, of course, and all the suburbs, but where we are is problematic, especially when there’s a storm brewing.’
Martin drew in a deep breath. ‘We both have sat phones because we travel around so much, so it shouldn’t be a problem for us.’ He glanced at his brother. Gabe’s expression was still completely closed, although he didn’t think Bede would be aware of it. Gabe was a master at controlling his emotions and was renowned for his poker face. He would continue to be charming and completely untrustworthy, while he sorted out what the problem was.
Leaning against the driver’s door was a tall, rangy male. He was well over six feet with the broad shoulders and slim hips of someone who had spent a lot of time on a horse. He also was casually dressed in jeans, loose shirt, and boots. He was deeply suntanned with a hard face, probably in his early thirties.
Bede smiled at the stranger and turned to Martin. ‘This is Pete, he’ll drive the beast back to the farm, while we take the ’copter.’
Gabriel immediately proffered his hand, and it was grasped in a strong, almost crushing, grip. He grinned and returned the pressure. In their beautifully cut Armani suits, both he and Martin looked in this environment like a couple of pussies, so it was probably a good idea to correct the impression as soon as possible. ‘I’m Gabriel, and this is my young brother, Martin. Glad to meet you.’ Martin, with a grin, held out his hand. ‘Don’t listen to him. I’m younger by exactly ten minutes, but he’s always trying to pull the big brother act.’ They were both being as charming and as unthreatening as possible in this early stage.
Pete reached out to Martin and tried the same bone crusher, which Martin countered with raised eyebrows. ‘You look like you spend a lot of time outdoors, and you look as if you ride a lot.’ He turned to Bede, ‘Do you keep many horses on the property?’
Both Bede and Pete laughed. ‘Yes of course, but we also use trail bikes and have two helicopters. It’s a big property,’
Bede turned to Pete. ‘Martin asked me before just how big it is, but I don’t know exactly. Do you?’
Pete’s voice was low and gravelly with a strong Australian accent, ‘No idea really, James just kept adding to it as the fancy took him, so the only one who really knows is the solicitor here in Perth. There never seemed to be any reason to check up. Maybe that’s something else we need to do.’ He smiled proprietorially down at Bede.
Pete looked across at the small sports bags in their hands, and with raised eyebrows, asked, ‘Is that your entire luggage, or do we need to collect something else?’
‘No’, Gabriel answered, ‘we tend to travel light, but we’ll need some other clothes and probably boot.’ He looked at Bede for the first time since greeting her at the departure lounge. ‘I think it would make sense to go back and buy some things here, it will save time.’
She had been aware of his immediate negative reaction to her and didn’t understand why. She coolly raised her eyebrows. ‘Of course, sensible suggestion. You and Martin can do your shopping, and I’ll ring Meredith to let her know we’ll be about two hours.’ She walked away taking her phone from her pocket, then paused, thought for a moment, and called after them, ‘Don’t forget hats, the sun can be deadly.’ They slung their bags into the jeep, waved, and turned away.
As they walked back into the airport and headed for the shopping complex, Martin drew a long breath and murmured quietly, ‘Well, out with it. What’s happening?’
‘Dreams are still my problem, Martin, and I’ve been dreaming about that beautiful creature for the last two months, but I refuse to have anything to do with her.’
‘Bloody hell, Gabe, you really know how to complicate matters. What sort of dreams? Anything to do with this problem or purely sensual, or knowing you, they will probably be both.’
‘Got it in one, and there is definitely an element of danger here in Australia, so we need to stay on our toes. What did you think of Pete?’
‘Well’, Martin drawled, ‘he’s extremely fit, not just from riding horses or trail bikes around the property. He moves like he knows how to take care of himself, and that trick with the handshake was telling. He was checking us out, and I didn’t like the way he tried to manoeuvre us into driving.’
They both burst out laughing. ‘We also need to know just exactly how long he’s worked here, and how well he knew James. Bede seems to defer to him a little, which is also telling.’
‘Well, it looks like it’s going to be an interesting few days, so yes, I’ll run interference if need be between you and the beautiful Bede, but I think she picked up on the chill in the air, so you will probably be fine. Mind you, you’re going to owe me big time.’
Gabriel grunted, ‘Jeans, T-shirts, boots, and don’t forget the hat. Concentrate now, I have a feeling the very fit Pete was a little surprised with our lack of luggage. He will probably search what we did bring.’
Martin snorted, ‘He has no idea of how light we can travel and still be lethal.’ They both grinned.
Bede turned to Martin. ‘In answer to your question, both Hera and I often fly the helicopters. But mostly, it’s Pete and one other employee on the property. James insisted very early in the piece that both Hera and I know every aspect of the business, so we can take over at any time. We use the ’copters for fertilising and weed control when needed. Also, we have a problem with kangaroos, so we use the ‘copters to herd them away when needed. We don’t cull at all. There are a few big greys that cause a lot of damage at times.’
Gabriel leaned forward suddenly. ‘Can we do a sort of fly over to give Martin and myself an idea of just how large is “fairly large” and where, in relation to the house for instance, is the lake where James was sailing?’
‘Of course, I’ll swing by the lake, it’s closer, and then we’ll circle the property. We can go in low so you can get an idea of where everything is.’ Bede spoke into the microphone, but the noise from the blades kept chatting to a minimum.
She was confused about Gabriel’s negative reaction. Perhaps, he didn’t like tall slim dark women. Martin seemed okay though. It was a pity. She liked the look of Gabriel, liked his eyes—they were a beautiful chocolate brown—almost velvety, and he was so tall. In fact, they were both really tall, well over six feet. Closer to 6'4”, she thought. A relief, really, it was tedious having to wear flat shoes all the time.
She spoke into the microphone again. ‘There’s the lake,’ she pointed through the front window and took them lower. ‘That’s our boathouse with the blue roof. James was apparently heading back in shore when the boat exploded. There was not much left. But there was an investigation of the remains of the boat, and a post-mortem, naturally. They didn’t find anything suspicious, of course, but with everything else happening lately, we now suspect it was murder. What we don’t understand is why and how.’ She drew in a deep breath. ‘When we get to the homestead, we’ll fill you in on everything we know.’
Both Gabriel and Martin peered down through the windows at the lake below. It was much bigger than either of them had thought. Easily several square kilometres in diameter, an irregular shape—almost like a teardrop—and they could see a largish building not far from the boathouses on the shore. The countryside around looked flattish with a river meandering down from the distant hills, obviously feeding the lake. Bede continued, ‘Justin said on the phone that you two are a sort of troubleshooting team. Is that true?’
Martin nodded. ‘Yep, but we can leave all that until we can talk more easily.’
She angled the helicopter away from the lake and headed toward the hills in the distance. Gabriel looked back. The lake was a beautiful clear blue reflecting the amazing blue of the sky, the country around was wild with scrubby grey green trees, scattered shrubs, and red earth. There was a strange beau
ty about this landscape. He saw a group of kangaroos hopping through the scrub, and in the distance, there was a trail of smoke weaving toward the sky. There were no housing complex or shopping malls anywhere to be seen, just this astonishingly magnificent country. It was almost overwhelming. The beauty and majesty generated a calm and peace that sank to the depth of his soul. Even with the noise generated by the rotors of the helicopter, there was stillness around him. It couldn’t be more different to the grey skies of Prague if they’d been on another planet. He felt himself relaxing. The muscles in his back and shoulders slowly unwinding, and he smiled.
He thought he could really like this place, the open spaces, plenty of room to breathe. James was probably right. This was as far away from the Machiavellian machinations of the Family that it was possible to get. Then he grimaced to himself. James was still dead, and it was more than probable it had something to do with someone from within the Family.
He had liked and respected James. He was straightforward and honest, quite like his eldest daughter, he suspected. They certainly shared the same colouring. He admonished himself. Don’t get involved and don’t get too comfortable, this would only be for a couple of days. He glanced across at Bede, piloting the helicopter with confidence and skill. How to keep her at a distance, but still keep her on side? They needed all the conscious and unconscious information that Bede, Hera, and Meredith had. It would be a challenge, and they would need to be careful not to give too much away. He couldn’t remember if he and Martin had ever met the girls when they were young. He knew from Justin that James had brought them to Paris for one of the family Christmas celebrations, but he and Martin had always avoided them if at all possible. He had no conscious memory of meeting her before, so this impression of familiarity must be simply from the bloody dreams. The dreams, one aspect of their gypsy heritage that could not be bred out it seemed.
Martin turned around. ‘This is amazing country, Gabe, we should try to explore a bit if possible since we’ve missed out on our skiing R & R.’ They both laughed.
Bede grinned and spoke into the headset, ‘You probably had a traditional Christmas as well. I’m afraid any skiing here is done during the winter, mostly in June, July, and August, and in the Eastern states. A traditional European Christmas is a bit silly here. It’s too hot for a start, and all the workers on the property with family go home for the Christmas and New Year. Mind you, the lead up to the holiday period is really busy, we close down for the full week, so we need to get the distributions out well before that.
‘As I said earlier, we deliver overseas to Europe and America. They all seem to like our wild flowers, particularly the Hakeas and Proteas. We have a refrigerator truck that goes out once a week to Perth, and we have a freight contract with a Perth firm for the overseas market.’
‘Was there ever any suggestion that James’s death had anything to do with the business?’ Gabriel gently asked.
‘No, but in the initial stages, we accepted it as an accident. It was only later we, that is Hera, myself, and even Meredith, started dreaming a lot that we became anxious. When I got back here a couple of days ago, we started talking about the death properly for the first time. Then it became obvious to all of us that James had been murdered. That was when we started looking for that last contract and realised it was missing. We realised there were too many unanswered questions.’ She paused. ‘There’s the homestead ahead.’
They peered down, and Gabriel drew in a slow breath. The sight was inspiring. They were circling, and as they drifted lower, he could see people moving around the rolling green lawn, and there were several outbuildings scattered around a large two-storey Colonial style house with veranda’s shading all four sides. He could see a woman standing on the steps looking up with her arm, shading her eyes.
‘Is that Meredith?’ Martin asked.
Bede looked down. ‘Yes, Hera is probably still at the computer. She has an assignment due in tomorrow, she’s doing a masters in Biological Science.’
Martin looked intrigued. ‘Obviously useful out here, where is she studying?’
‘Curtin University in Perth, but since James’s death she had to change to correspondence. She’s needed on the property now,’ Bede replied.
‘Well, the sooner we try to sort out what actually happened and look at those two old books you’ve found, the sooner we can get at some answers,’ Gabriel replied.
Chapter Fourteen
The Homestead
Meredith strolled across the lawn as the blades started to slow and the noise decrease. She grinned at them, while she waited quietly for them to disembark.
‘You probably don’t remember me,’ she said, as both Gabriel and Martin came toward her. ‘But I knew you when you were both quite young.’
Gabriel held out his hand. ‘Very glad to renew the connection,’ he said with a charming smile, still keeping a distance between himself and Bede. He would let Martin keep her entertained, while he used his charm on Meredith and Hera when they met. I’m bloody sure neither of them would throw me off balance, he mused, still very aware of Bede following behind with Martin. ‘We need to get straight down to business if it’s all right with you.’ He smiled again at Meredith.
‘Yes, of course, but won’t you have something to drink and eat, it’s a long flight from Dubai.’ Meredith gestured toward the house.
Martin moved up beside Gabriel, and smiled. ‘Maybe’, he said, ‘but we ate on the plane and both Gabe and I think we should move as quickly as possible with this latest development. We need to look at the books, and to hear about this missing contract. You didn’t mention that when you spoke to Justin.’ They both looked at her with a query on their faces.
Bede determinedly, with eyes narrowed, turned to Gabriel. ‘No, at the time, we didn’t really think it was relevant, but now I suspect it will fit in with whatever is going on. James was furious about something to do with it, but he didn’t say what was bothering him. And the next day, he was dead, so coping with the shock and the police, it slipped our minds.’ She glared at Gabriel thinking, I don’t know what his problem is, but I’ll be dammed if I let him try to sideline me. She fumed silently to herself.
At that moment, Hera come out onto the veranda and smiled down at them all. ‘Hi, come in, we have tea waiting for you and then we can get started.’ She paused and then added, ‘Unless you would prefer something stronger to drink?’
Gabriel and Martin both grinned up at her. ‘No, tea sounds about right then we might change our clothes!’ Gabriel murmured as he moved forward to introduce himself. ‘I’m Gabe, and you are Hera.’ He was more relaxed now, as he took her hand and squeezed it gently.
Martin moved up behind him. ‘And for my sins, Martin,’ he held out his hand. They were all smiling now as they moved into the cool front hall of the house.
Martin looked around at the very high ceilings and the beautiful polished boards, the walls were painted a delicate shade of eggshell cream, and the antique furniture was lovingly polished to a high sheen. The house was open and airy with a warm welcoming feel about it. There was some astonishing artwork on the walls. He stopped in front of a huge canvas very striking, vibrant, but earthy colours reminiscent of the land they had just flown over. Bede stopped beside him. ‘It’s a Rover Thomas, and we’re lucky to have some of his. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’ He continued to study the painting and was stunned by the power of the image. He moved on down the hall, seeing more by the same artist.
Hera, following being and seeing his interest said, ‘They’re all by Rover Thomas, a very talented indigenous West Australian painter. Dead now, I’m afraid.’
Meredith shepherded them into the living room where Mrs Robinson had laid out the tea tray with plates of scones and biscuits. Meredith indicated they should make themselves comfortable and moved to the tea tray. To Bede’s annoyance, Gabriel immediately sat in the chair that had traditionally been her father�
��s. Arrogant sot, she thought to herself. There was something about this cousin, or whatever relation he actually was, that really annoyed her. She would have to be careful not to lose her temper.
She left them drinking tea and eating scones, while she went into the library to take the two precious antiques from the locked bookcase. They may as well start now to look at the books, she thought; and then as she turned, realised Gabriel had followed her in.
He leant casually against the doorframe watching her intently, and then spoke quietly, ‘I have been a little rude, I know, I owe you an apology. Can we start again?’ Looking into her eyes, he continued, ‘I have a problem. I am cursed with the Romany penchant for vivid and explicit dreams, and unfortunately or fortunately, I’m not sure which. Over the last two weeks, you have featured in every one. I didn’t recognise the woman in the dreams, and to my knowledge, we never met as children. But when I saw you at the airport, it threw me off balance, which is not something that happens to me ever. I didn’t handle it well. I turned you over to Martin and froze you out. I’m sorry.’ He looked at her carefully with narrowed eyes and continued, ‘I realise you are sensitive enough to have picked up on my conflict and my extremely bad behaviour, so here I am asking you to forgive my arrogance, and hope that we can work together on this? It’s important.’ He still held eye contact.
A Conundrum Page 8
