by Benson, Tom
The mood was lightened considerably, and as would be expected, the young men were the last ones to see that Sandy and Helen were holding hands. The women, all being ahead of the game, simply smiled and whispered their congratulations to the newly-formed couple.
Amber touched Helen’s hand and then changed tack. “I hope the rest of you have been doing what you said while we were away.”
“Oh, we have, don’t worry,” Calvin said. “Imogen was able to tell us about the highs and lows of getting to Dalwhinnie by boat. We’ve set out our initial plan for ferrying the first relay equipment to its new home.”
“We’re listening,” Flint said and grinned. “Go on.”
“If you’re willing to take part, we’d like to start tomorrow,” Calvin said. “The plan is that three of us will go out in the big rowboat with one set of relay equipment. We know from what Imogen said, that the route is marked and the only major issue might be getting the gear up the steep bank.”
“What about carrying it for four or five miles across country?” Flint said.
“We’ve done a rehearsal,” Archie said. “Between the three of us, we can carry everything if we create an improvised stretcher. None of the equipment is especially heavy, it’s just cumbersome for individuals.”
“Who’ll be involved?”
Calvin thumbed his own chest, “I’ll be on the boat with Josh and Archie while you and Tracey go downriver to flag the section from the Dalwhinnie landing point to Achallader.” He paused. “We’ll set up the scaffolding behind the house that we’ve been told about which is near the station. Even if it takes a few hours, we’ll get the installation set up and then stay at the station overnight.”
“Okay, and I take it that Tracey and I will be staying at the signal box overnight?”
“Yes,” Josh said, playing his part in the briefing. “I’ll be going along on the first day to help set up and make sure that Calvin and Archie are happy with the installation. The next morning, Friday, we’ll get back here and load the boat with the other relay equipment.”
“Right, and who’ll be rowing it to Achallader?”
Sandy said, “I’ll be going with the second trip downriver, along with Calvin and Archie.”
“Okay,” Flint said, “so what will Tracey and I be doing on the second day—the Friday?”
Sandy grinned. “You guys will hopefully have the time to perform a recce, look out for problems and flag the route from Achallader to Auchcarn. More accurately, I suppose, to Loch Awe … and the new mooring that our fishing enthusiasts have been building.”
Tracey nodded. “I think we’d be okay with the plan, Flint. Two of us in a kayak will be able to maintain a good pace, and we can move back and forward on the river if we have to. With any luck, we ought to have a straight run down through the swollen waterways if we can read the features.”
“It sounds like a good plan,” Flint said. “If it worked out that you guys in the rowboat arrived at Achallader on the second day without a hitch you could stay at the signal box overnight and then aim for home.”
Sandy nodded. “That’s the idea. You and Tracey would be back at Auchcarn by Friday evening, and we’d be there sometime on Saturday if all went well.”
“Yes,” Flint said, “it definitely sounds feasible.”
Sandy said, “There is also the bonus that if we map the route with our bright ribbons. We can organise a rowboat journey from Loch Awe to Aviemore to see how long it takes. I’m guessing that although it’s a five-day hike across country, with two people rowing, it might only be two days by boat.”
Flint turned to Helen. “We didn’t both intend to leave. Are you sure you guys are okay with all that’s been suggested?”
“We’ll be fine. You and Amber have marooned the hostile neighbours, and they were our only worry. Besides, we know Sandy will be back soon.” She smiled at the new man in her life.
Glen said, “It’s a pity we don’t have another one or two rowboats.” He turned to the girls who had dealt with procuring all the craft. “Is there any way we could do something with those bigger boats that you said needed fuel?”
“No,” Imogen said, “there aren’t many powered boats you could easily row or sail. We’ve got a couple of sailing dinghies which can be rowed, and they’ll be ready for serious trials soon enough.”
“Wait a minute,” Amber said. “If I could borrow a couple of you tomorrow I’d like to go down to the river and check out some of those bigger vessels. Something has just occurred to me.”
Emma laughed. “What?”
“Oh, I can’t tell you,” Amber said, “at least until tomorrow.”
Laughter filled the garden area.
The Eagle’s Nest couples all headed to their rooms, and Tracey used the spare room. Calvin and Archie made up cosy bed spaces in the living room. Helen went to her room in the knowledge that the new man in her life would be with her before she slept.
Before going up into the mill, Flint stood leaning on the wooden gate not far from the farmhouse. He was gazing into the darkening countryside when Sandy approached and leant on the gate alongside him.
Sandy said, “I was impressed by the briefing earlier, but I got the impression that Amber was following your lead for some of it. I’m good with it, and I’ll go along with whatever the others have to believe.”
“What you’re saying is that you’d like to know what really happened?”
Sandy half-turned and nodded. “Only if you’re happy to talk about it, mate.”
“The only two people who’ll hear the truth are you and Bill. For the most part, what we reported was exactly how it was, and I wanted that to be the case to reaffirm it in Amber’s mind. It will also increase the confidence the others have in her and what we’ve done.”
“Okay, so would you like to tell me about your meeting with the two ‘people’?”
“I left Amber with instructions for actions-on should there be a no-show from me after ninety minutes. I made good time because the tracking was relatively easy. Before I got close to the place where Patsy is living, I located two booby-traps, so some things never seem to change.”
“You did get to speak to her?”
“Yes, I did, but first, I followed the fresh tracks and found her daughter contentedly fishing in a broad stream about five hundred metres from the house. I retraced my steps, and as I got close to the house, the murderer came outside carrying her bow. I shot her in the leg, and she collapsed so I was pretty sure I fractured the tibia, fibula or possibly both. Anyway, she wasn’t going anywhere, and she’d dropped her weapon.”
“She didn’t call out or scream?”
“Remember who we’re talking about, mate—she is a tough bitch. I asked her about the two teenagers, Ronnie and Erika, and as you’d expect, she smirked and told me to take a hike. I told her she had one minute to talk, and then her hands would be next for damage. When I saw the smirk start again, I added her daughter into the equation. I said I’d be happy to damage her daughter’s elbows and knees and then leave them to work things out.”
“Did some maternal concern surface at that point?”
“I thought it did, but later, on the way back to Amber, I realised it had nothing to do with feelings for her daughter. It was survival—she believed I’d injure the child and if that happened, it meant they couldn’t hunt or fish.”
“Shit—you’re probably right, mate.” Sandy squinted. “I’ve no doubt she’ll know how to splint her leg but if she’s left permanently lame when the injury repairs itself it doesn’t concern me.”
“Well, to cut a long story short, we were on the wrong train of thought regarding the boat—Adventurer.” Flint paused. “When Bill, you and I discussed it we figured that Patsy had found the boat somewhere, found her way to Aviemore and at some point killed the teenagers.”
“How far out was our theory?”
“Nowhere near, mate. Those two youngsters left Eagle’s Nest Farm and after surviving for goodness knows how l
ong, they arrived in Loch Awe and pulled up near the forest at the water’s edge. If they’d just rowed a few hundred metres farther they would have landed at the sandy bank we can see from halfway down the mountain.”
“Oh, no—don’t tell me they came ashore and went into the forest?”
“As far as I could make out from her story, she met them in the forest, befriended them and let them sleep in one of her caves, which is where she later murdered Erika. She let Ronnie escape, but then she went with her daughter to track him—hunting a man was a training challenge for her daughter according to the sick bitch.”
“She didn’t tell you what they did with their bodies, did she?”
“I didn’t want to go there, but she made a few sly comments so we can safely say that two of the skeletons we found in the cave belonged to Ronnie and Erika. The other one was the remains of the child’s father. According to Patsy, some guy living in the woods found her and raped her in her early days alone. He made two fatal mistakes. Firstly, he treated her as a lost and frightened victim he could keep tied up for regular abuse. His second mistake was falling asleep.”
“I shudder to think about how things went for the rapist when the crazy woman got free.”
Flint sighed. “The end result was that she had fresh food for a few days, and she was alone again, but pregnant.”
“How did you leave things with her in the end?”
“I told her that if she or her daughter ever crossed the river, they’d both be shot on sight. She gave me that confident smirk again and reached for a knife, so I shot her right hand. I think that one hurt more than the leg because she passed out. I left the house and watched for a while from a safe distance.”
“Did you see the daughter returning?”
“Yes, I stayed within some bushes to observe. She came back carrying a spear with three fish on it. When she went indoors, there was no screaming or crying, but they both came outside, and the child was carrying her bow with an arrow nocked, ready to use. After a couple of minutes of the child looking for my tracks, they went back inside, and at that point, I went back to Amber, and we destroyed the rowboat.”
“Did you consider keeping the rowboat and towing it out of there for our use?”
“Yes we discussed it for about two minutes—Adventurer would have been a constant bitter reminder to the Eagle’s Nest guys about their lost friends.”
“Yes, I suppose you’re right, mate. How much does Amber know about the meeting?”
“She doesn’t know any of the things Patsy told me, and she didn’t see the companion. I told her the version I gave earlier, and I asked her to follow my lead whatever I told the others. She was prepared to support whatever I said to give her friends confidence to live without fear.” Flint nodded. “She’s a brave young woman, and she’d make a helluva soldier if we worked on her.”
Sandy placed his hand on his comrade’s shoulder. “We’ll train her with stealth, so she doesn’t realise how far we’re taking her.”
“If you intend to stay here, she’ll be a great back-up for you if needed.” He smiled and reached out a hand. “Congratulations on your new relationship—you and Helen will make a great couple.”
Sandy shook his friend’s hand. “Are you sure you’ll be okay sleeping up in that mill alone?”
“It’s a bit dark.”
The two men turned from the wooden gate and went their separate ways, Flint’s quiet laughter fading as he went around behind the big barn.
19. River Dance
Thursday 25th August
After breakfast, Sandy, Helen and Emma walked to the sub-station to send a briefing to Auchcarn. By comparison to messages so far, it was lengthy. Time had been spent reducing it to the essentials—a technique that all those using Morse code were urged to keep in mind. It was a mark of how efficient the message handling had become that the trio were back at the farm a little over an hour later. Mission accomplished.
It was a sizeable procession of friends which headed to Aviemore a short while later. Amber took point, followed by Josh. Quincy, Glen and Archie took turns pulling the small trailer loaded with all that would be required for the two separate boat trips. A short distance behind the trailer group, Flint, Tracey and Imogen kept a wary eye for troublesome dogs or any other predators.
Having so many in the party enabled them to carry the equipment over the railway bridge, and the embankment to the boat shed in one trip.
Flint and Tracey stripped down to T-shirts and swimwear, packing away all else they needed into their packs. Flint’s rifle was clipped onto the front rim of his cockpit while Tracey had a pistol inside hers. They hoped not to need firearms.
Amber and Imogen gave the pair hugs and wished them well.
“Make sure we hear from you soon,” Amber said.
Imogen added, “If not by radio, then as soon as we’ve got contact on the power circuits again.”
“I promise,” Flint said and winked. “To conserve power, our radio calls will be minimal.”
Their bergens had been strapped on top between the two cockpits. Tracey slipped into the front, and then Flint got into the back. Flint said it would be easier to steer while he paddled, rather than be up front and calling back instructions. He also had the comfort of his map on top of the bergens right in front of him.
“Take care, guys,” Quincy called as the kayak slipped out into the river and with a few quick strokes was speeding along in midstream.
Glen said, “It didn’t take long for them to get a good pace going.”
“The hard work for them will start tomorrow,” Josh said. “For Flint, at least, some of the journey will be a repeat of what he’s done, but tomorrow they’ll have to concentrate on their navigation.
The fourteen-foot rowboat had the first set of relay equipment and accessories loaded evenly enough to still allow a passenger at the rear for steering and two oarsmen in the middle. Imogen and Amber stood at the other side of the boat shed to judge how the vessel sat in the water. Until they were satisfied that the craft had been packed efficiently, it wasn’t leaving. The long antenna and the solar panels were moved to the front, and all was good.
Calvin and Archie sat side by side in the middle facing backwards, while Josh settled at the back facing forward.
“See you guys again tomorrow,” Quincy called as he and Glen reached forward and eased the boat towards the shed door and into the flow of the river. Various good-natured shouts issued back and forth between those in the boat and their friends in the shed.
Calvin and Archie took up the oars, while Josh lowered and secured the rudder before resting his arm on the tiller. Like the kayak before it, the long rowboat was soon at one with the steadily flowing river.
After closing and securing the door from inside, Glen went up onto the embankment to join Amber, Imogen and Quincy. They watched the rowboat become a tiny craft in midstream before it disappeared around a distant bend. The four friends headed back over the railway bridge and home. They’d be pleased to report to Sandy, Helen and Emma that the two vessels were safe en route.
The trip in the kayak was a joy for the main part because apart from the occasional effort, Flint would suggest lifting their paddles. The light craft was seated well in the water, and it cruised along comfortably.
While taking the opportunity of a drink, Tracey said, “Those yellow and pink strips you’ve tied along here are really effective, Flint. The guys in the rowboat are going to be impressed.”
“As long as they remember to land at the double set they’ll be fine.”
“Will it be easy for us to see the climb from out here in mid-stream?”
“We’ll see it okay, but you won’t get to appreciate the gradient as much as they will.”
Tracey laughed. “I think I’ll forego the joys of carrying equipment up a steep hill.”
They lifted their paddles and got back to work for a while.
Flint glanced at the map on top of the bergens in front of him. He look
ed from one bank to the other. “Very shortly we’ll see the landing spot for Dalwhinnie.”
“Okay.”
Ten minutes later, while cruising along, a yellow streak fluttered in the breeze on the left bank. Then nearby a strip lifted from where it was tied to a tree, a rippling pink tendril.
“I see the landing area up ahead—two sets of yellow ribbons,” Tracey said. As they passed, she glanced to the left. “Oh my—the guys are going to love climbing up there.” She laughed. “How far did you say they had to go after the hill, is it about four or five miles?”
“Yes, the route I chose is closer to five, but it’s quite pleasant.”
“Oh, I’m sure that will make all the difference in the world to them.” She laughed.
“In a few minutes, we’ll be looking for somewhere to tie the first of our ribbons today, so I’ll start to ease us over towards the left bank.”
“Okay, but you want me to keep my eyes peeled for anything under the surface?”
“Yes, we don’t want to be tearing the bottom out on a building that we didn’t know was there.” Flint steered the kayak in close, and it took two minutes to secure a bright yellow strip of material to a substantial overhanging branch. They set off again and gained mid-stream quickly. In the next hour, they attached four more ribbons to prominent branches or fenceposts. At one time, some of the items might have been many metres farther back from the water’s edge.
“Tracey, keep a lookout for a place to pull over on either bank. We’ll get out to stretch our legs and have a snack.” He paused. “Preferably somewhere with a hill nearby.”
“You’ve got it.” Tracey’s strokes were more leisurely as she savoured the thought of standing upright for a while. Her gaze flicked from left to right and up ahead, eager to see a sandy or grassy patch.
