The gap fire was lighting up the night sky. The reflections through the smoky haze gave off an eerie selection of shapes that appeared chilling and sinister.
Ellie put her arms around Win’s shoulders and squeezed her tightly. The younger girls huddled on the steps with Hazel. All they could do was watch and wait.
‘Mum, I don’t like this. It looks really bad.’ Tammi wiped her face with a hanky.
Win reached out to her. She went to her mother and cuddled against her shoulder.
‘I know darling… Even the hills fire didn’t look as treacherous as this one… We can only pray, love… Pray!’
The women felt helpless. Their men had gone to face a raging inferno and all they could do was wait and pray for their safe return.
So they did exactly that… They prayed long and hard.
***
As the water tanker came to rest against a burning tree, Francis cried out in pain.
He was squashed under the dashboard and his head felt as if it was about to split in two. He had to think for a moment. Quickly, his senses came to him. He glanced up to see Karl slumped in an awkward position over the steering wheel. Blood was oozing freely from a nasty looking wound on his forehead. Francis looked in the other direction. The passenger door was open. Digger was nowhere in sight!
‘Dig?’ Francis clutched his head and slowly struggled from under the dashboard. ‘Digger!’ he shouted as he managed to get out and attempted to stand beside the crumpled truck.
He could hear men shouting from somewhere nearby but his vision was blurred from the blinding headache and the thick smoke wasn’t helping. It was impossible to see where they were.
‘I have to get Karl out! …Shit… The fire’s coming straight for the truck! …Dig, help …Digger! Help… Help… Someone… Help!’ Panic-stricken, he shouted desperately.
Francis was shouting as loud as he could. The roar of the approaching flames seemed to snatch his voice and devour it as quickly as it did the bush.
‘I’ve got to get Karl out …I’ve got to!’ Francis was on the verge of hysteria.
He went to Karl’s side of the truck. He tried the door but somehow he had known it wasn’t going to budge. Karl was groaning and Francis could see he was bleeding heavily from his forehead. ‘Karl…’
‘Francis?’ A voice drifted from the smoke filled scrub.
‘Over here… Over here!’ Francis shouted frantically. Digger staggered out of the scrub.
‘Dig… Dig, thank fuck you’re ok! Help me get Karl out, quick!’
Before Francis could finish, Digger bellowed. ‘Get goin’. Hurry!’ He dragged Francis away from the truck towards the steep embankment.
‘Wha… Wha… What the fuck… We gotta get Karl.’ Francis struggled to free himself from Digger’s grip.
‘Fire!’ Was all that Dig managed to reply. His face was a mask of pure terror.
‘Dig… Karl… He’s in the bloody truck… We have to get him out… He’s hurt badly!’
Digger looked wild-eyed at Francis. Slowly, realization began to register on his face.
‘Karl! Oh fuck! Karl.’ He lurched back to the truck. The fire was rapidly closing in on them.
Francis was close behind him. Then firemen with knapsacks came hurtling down the embankment. Digger and Francis shouted at them to get Karl out of the truck. The words had barely left their mouths when the fire leapt towards the truck. The men rushed to the burning truck. Fighting flames and intense heat, they managed to pull Karl’s limp body from the cabin. They carried him to the foot of the embankment as an ambulance screeched to a stop at the top. One of the firemen had called them on his radio when he saw the truck go over.
‘Karl… Cobber… Oh God! Look at him!’ Digger dropped to his knees beside Karl’s limp body and broke down in tears.
Francis also knelt by Karl’s side, a shocked expression on his face.
Ambulance officers quickly checked Karl’s condition then turned to Digger and Francis.
‘Come on now, you blokes need attention too. Your mate looks worse than he is. We’ll get him to hospital and he’ll be alright.’
The ambulance officer was trying to pacify them, even though he could see Karl was in a bad way. ‘Lucky you got him out when you did. Look at the truck now… He was lucky… Bloody oath, he was lucky!’
The truck was now completely engulfed in flames. The firemen shouted for them to get down and cover their heads. The shouted instructions had no sooner left their mouths when the truck’s fuel tank exploded with a mighty roar. Flames flew into the air and the ground rocked beneath them. One of the ambulance officers had thrown himself on top of the injured Karl. Francis and Digger were both knocked off their feet but luckily hadn’t suffered any further injuries. The firemen helped Digger and Francis up the steep embankment and the ambulance officers carried Karl on a stretcher.
They rushed Karl to emergency at the Base Hospital while another ambulance transported Dig and Francis.
The Gap fire was spreading fast.
Sirens screamed along Urana Road. Ellie and Win sat together on the back steps of Kia-Ora. They had insisted the girls go to bed and get some rest. Even though they knew this was impossible.
‘That’s an ambulance going along Urana Road, Win. There’s another one following and they look to be in a mighty big hurry!’
‘Oh no…’ Win’s voice trailed away.
***
The ambulance officers lowered the stretcher from the ambulance as doctors and nurses rushed to meet them. The officers gave the staff a run down.
‘We’ve stopped the bleeding from the head wound, but he’s got facial burns and his arms are burned badly as well.’
Dig and Francis arrived in emergency only minutes after Karl. Digger insisted he could walk in. Francis was transported in a wheelchair. He was deathly white and his head throbbed. Being knocked unconscious in the accident, he was now in a state of shock.
Digger had a thorough examination. Miraculously, he had survived relatively unscathed apart from a badly grazed arm and thigh which was a result of being thrown from the truck when it plummeted down the embankment.
He was able to go to Francis’ bedside. Dig placed his hand on Francis’ shoulder.
‘Hey, little mate. How’s things?’ he asked gently.
‘Dig… I’m okay, just got this shit of a headache!’
Francis held his head. He closed his eyes. Within a second, they flew open again.
‘Karl… Is he…?’
‘He’s alive,’ Digger said quietly. ‘They won’t let me see him yet; they’re still patchin’ him up. I dunno how bad he is, mate.’ He lowered his face into his hands.
‘Have you phoned Mum and Win?’
Digger looked up quickly. ‘Oh shit! Francis, no, I haven’t even thought of that. What the hell will I tell them? This is the livin’ end. What the hell’s next?’
‘You have to let them know; they’ll be worried sick,’ Francis implored.
‘You’re right, mate. You’re right. I’ll do it now.’
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The shrilling phone interrupted the silence at Kia-Ora, startling Win and Ellie as they worriedly watched the inferno out at the Gap.
‘I’ll get it, Win,’ Ellie said soberly.
Win followed her sister through to the hallway. A phone call at this hour would not be delivering good news and both women knew it.
‘Hello. Kia-Ora,’ Ellie said softly.
‘Ellie… It’s Dig.’
He explained in the calmest way he could the events of the night and about Karl, also adding that he did not know a great deal about Karl’s condition just yet.
Ellie was wise enough to answer as calmly as possible… although her knees had turned to jelly and she thought they would give way at any moment. Once he also explained that Francis was safe, she was able to keep a steady voice as an anxious Win was listening to her end of the conversation.
‘Right, Dig… We’ll come in straigh
t away. Okay, bye.’
Once off the phone, she took a deep breath and turned to Win who was watching Ellie with a stricken look on her face.
‘Win… Everything is alright. Now stay calm and come and sit down.’
‘Ellie… There’s been an accident, hasn’t there? Dig’s okay, obviously. Francis? Karl?’
Ellie urged Win onto a chair as the three younger women came into the room.
‘What’s happened, Mum? We heard the phone ring,’ Kathy said.
‘Everything’s alright, Kath, but there’s been an accident.’ Ellie explained everything to the anxious faces watching her. Tammi began to cry and Beth comforted her.
‘We’ll all go to the hospital. We must see how badly Karl’s hurt. Dig couldn’t tell me much at this stage,’ Ellie said quietly.
‘Come on, Mum.’ Kathy helped Win to a standing position and glanced at Ellie worriedly.
‘Win… They’ll be alright.’
‘Oh Ellie, I hope so. I hope so.’ Her voice cracked.
***
‘Can’t this little shit box go faster?’ Tammi asked anxiously. They had all squeezed into the Volksie and Ellie was already exceeding the speed limit as they headed into Albury to the hospital.
Ellie couldn’t help but laugh at her. ‘Tam, this “little shit box” is going as fast as it can.’
They were all anxious to see what had happened to the men. They were also afraid of what they might face. Karl’s injuries sounded bad.
Ellie pulled the car into the car park a few feet away from the casualty entrance. As she locked it, she glanced at Win and asked her if she was alright. Win nodded and walked into the hospital.
Digger saw them as they entered. Francis was sitting up. He gave Ellie a weak smile.
Ellie rushed over and took him in her arms. She hugged him gently. ‘Dig said you have a whopper headache, darling?’
‘It’s getting better now the painkillers have taken effect. Before that, it was a doozy.’
Win stood with her arms around Digger. He then hugged Kathy and Tammi.
‘They dragged you in too, Beth?’ Dig said, smiling.
‘I couldn’t have stayed at home; we were all worried sick. I hope you don’t mind me being here?’ Beth felt a bit out of place.
‘Hell no, Beth. Come here.’ Francis held out his hand to her.
She took it and he held it firmly. She felt tears pick her eyes but quickly blinked them away.
‘We have to know about Karl. Have you heard any more?’ Win’s eyes were pleading with Dig for answers on Karl’s condition.
‘Yeah… A doctor came in about ten minutes before you arrived. They have him sedated. He’s in a lot of pain. The head wound is pretty deep, but it’s the burns.’ Digger faltered.
‘Burns… What burns…? How bad are they, Dig?’ Win’s voice rose and he took her arm.
Ellie looked up from where she was crouched beside Francis. ‘How bad is he, Dig?’
‘Well… His face is burned, his arms as well. He got trapped in the truck and it caught fire… The bloody thing caught fire with Karl in it!’
He broke down and Francis continued. ‘They said he’s badly burned and it’ll take at least two weeks before they’ll know what the outcome will be. They say that if he’s a good healer, things will look brighter. He can have skin grafts or something.’
‘Skin grafts…!’ Win’s voice broke on a sob. She finally succumbed to the shock and tears that had been threatening earlier.
Ellie had tears streaming down her face, as did the three girls. This was all far too much too bear!
***
Eddie and Kathy were outside Kia-Ora, sitting in his car. ‘Bloody shit of a thing ta happen, babe. I’m bloody sorry about Karl. He’s a good bloke, doesn’t deserve this.’
Kathy agreed. ‘Yes, it’s horrible. Things just seem to be going from bad to worse.’ She fidgeted with her bag and sat staring out the window.
‘What’s up, Kath? You’ve been off the last few times we’ve got together,’ Eddie said.
She sighed loudly and took a deep breath. ‘I want to spread my wings, Eddie. I’ve bought a car and I want to be independent, go it alone. I’ve got my whole life ahead of me and I want to see what it holds.’ She turned to look at him. ‘I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m not ready for a serious relationship.’
Eddie shifted in his seat and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. ‘So, you’re breakin’ up with me, is that it?’
‘I guess so, yes,’ replied Kathy softly.
‘I kinda thought this was comin’ by the way you’ve been lately. What’d I do, Kath?’ he asked, still tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.
Tears had formed in her eyes and Kathy quickly blinked them away. ‘Eddie, this isn’t easy for me by any means, but let’s just say I’ve grown up and am looking at things more clearly.’ She knew if she mentioned Dot and the incident at the club it would result in an argument. ‘Just leave it at that, please.’ She blinked hard again. ‘I know it’s hard, but we can still be friends, can’t we?’ Kathy looked at him sadly.
It hadn’t taken Kathy much to put two and two together at the club when Eddie and Dot had both been missing for so long. She had decided then that a relationship tainted with deceit wasn’t any good for her. She wanted complete trust. Sadly, she didn’t have that with Eddie.
Eddie turned to face her and caressed her cheek with his fingers. ‘You’re a hell of a chick, Kathy Miles. You made a better bloke outta me. I’m really gonna miss ya.’ He leant forward and brushed his lips on hers. ‘Betta head in now, babe.’
‘You didn’t answer me. Can we still be friends?’
Eddie looked at her with a lopsided smile. ‘We’ll always be friends, Kath.’
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Smoke hung heavily around Mary’s property. The Gap fire had burned for hours and had taken every available man to help the firefighters bring it under control.
Several injuries were sustained, but fortunately, no lives were lost.
Sadly, many wild animals were not so lucky. Baby birds trapped in their nests high in the trees where their mothers had worked tirelessly to build a safe and secure home for their young were now burnt to a crisp. The sky above was blanketed by smoke.
As Mary stood at her kitchen sink gazing out the window, thankful her property was safe, she sighed, willing her phone to ring, hoping to hear Karl’s deep voice on the other end.
‘Er, missus?’ A voice at the back door jerked her out of her reverie.
Mary swung around to face Mick.
‘Oh… Mick, please come in. Sit down and I’ll get some coffee. You must be exhausted after last night; you were fighting the fire for hours.’
‘Yeah, was a helluva fire, spread like a beauty she did!’
Mary placed the steaming coffee in front of Mick just as the phone rang, causing her to jump.
‘Excuse me a minute, Mick.’
She hurried to the phone, expecting to hear Karl’s voice.
‘Mary, it’s Win. I thought I’d better ring you… It’s not good news.’ Win paused as Mary interrupted.
‘Is it Karl? Emmie? Just tell me!’ She was beginning to panic.
‘Mary, yes, it’s Karl… There’s been an accident.’
Win continued to explain what had taken place last night, that Emmie didn’t know yet and that only immediate family were allowed in to see Karl.
A devastated Mary hung up the phone after Win promised her faithfully that she would keep her informed about Karl’s condition.
***
Sars hotel was buzzing with the news of the Gap fire and Karl Mason’s accident. One drinker in particular was more vocal than the others.
‘Strike me pink, I never did like the bloke much, but shit, ya’d never wish that on anyone. They say his face is burnt somethin’ friggin’ terrible!’
Other drinkers nodded in agreement, discussing the accident and fires among themselves. They all agreed whoever was
attacking the valley residents wasn’t about to give up. He was out to destroy!
The main problem was evident to the cops and the farmers. All the plans, patrols and traps they put in place were useless. This lunatic was going to outsmart them everywhere they turned.
The news about Karl had to be broken to Emmie before she overheard nurses and others in the hospital discussing it. Everyone was talking about the horror that had taken place and all because of the crazed arsonist.
Digger and Francis were back at Kia-Ora, and Sam and Jeff were present as they discussed telling Emmie.
‘She has to be told and I think it has to be today. The doctor says Karl is stable, so he’s crossed one hurdle. …Our brother has a few more to cross though.’ Sam was visibly upset.
‘Yes, you’re right, Sam. The doctor said the burns on the side of his face are not as bad as they originally thought. Mum has to know.’ Ellie sighed heavily. ‘Pray this doesn’t kill her.’
The family agreed that Emmie should be told. Sam offered to be the one to break the news. He suggested that Digger, Win and Ellie go with him to help comfort their mother.
Jeff stayed on and chatted with Francis, who had the remainder of the week off work. He was still suffering from headaches after the blow to his head in the accident.
‘You know, Francis, anyone would think with all these patrols and stakeouts, we’d sight this bastard… at least catch a glimpse or somethin’,’ Jeff said despondently.
‘I know. It’s like the bastard’s invisible. I’ll admit, I’m bloody terrified,’ Francis added.
***
Detective Bennett sat at his desk, massaging his temples, procrastinating over the whole mysterious and frustrating firebug saga.
‘Never in all the years of my career as an officer of the law have I been stumped like this! I’m fucked if I can think what to do next! The prick might be insane but he’s mighty bloody clever… Mighty bloody clever… or just sheer lucky… dunno which!’
‘You could say clever. You could also say very lucky. But then again, how lucky can one bloke be…? Shit, it’s been too long for luck. Nah, you’re right, he’s clever… Insane, but clever! And someone has to know who he is. He must live with someone around these parts,’ Simpson said thoughtfully.
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