They both scanned the map to check but Carmen agreed. She then pointed to all the reefs. “Look where the wreck is. It is right in among this jumble of reefs. The Merinda must have been miles off course.”
“If she was trying to head into the seas whipped up by a cyclone she probably didn’t have much choice,” Andrew suggested. “No radar on coastal ships in those days,” he added.
Carmen grinned. “Well, we have some idea of where to look. Now let’s arrange for the boat.”
“Hang on Car. What if this is all wrong? What if this chart just shows a likely spot for diving for pearl shell or something?” Andrew said, anxious not to make more mistakes.
Carmen shook her head. “I don’t think so. Just think about how Old Mr Murchison reacted. He was beside himself about you having that chart. No, this is the place. And even if it isn’t, we’ve got to check it out anyway. I am going to phone Mr Tapau right away.”
She did. While she spoke Andrew sat and unhappily considered the recent past and gloomily contemplated the possible future. ‘It means I will have to go diving again,’ he sighed.
Carmen came back looking annoyed and said, “Mr Tapau wants to speak to Dad. He says we can only come if we have parent’s permission.”
“You wake him then,” Andrew said, adding, “And use your sweet-little-daughter-eyelash-fluttering trick.” Then he mimicked- “Please Daddy!”
Carmen snorted but laughed and left the room. A few minutes later their sleepy eyed father joined them. He called in their mother and the story of the chart had to be told, with both of Andrew and Carmen glossing over how they actually came by the information. “It was just on an old chart I saw over at the Murchison’s,” Andrew explained lamely.
Luckily neither parent pressed the issue and the discussion shifted to the probability of the place shown being the location of the wreck of the Merinda. Their father arrived at the same conclusion. “We have to check it out, if only for lack of any other specific clues.”
The talk then moved to the logistics and administration of a search expedition. As they discussed this Andrew noted that his father had decided the plan could go ahead. ‘He wants to know too,’ he realized. Suddenly his spirits soared, dampened only by his hurt over Muriel’s rejection and her assault on him.
After that it was their father who did the telephoning to Mackay. He spoke to Mr Tapau for about ten minutes before saying, “I see. I will find out and call you back. Thank you.”
That didn’t sound very hopeful to Andrew and he braced himself for bad news. It was, but not what he expected. His father came back to where he and Carmen were sitting and said, “Mr Tapau has pointed out a significant possible legal snag. The Great Barrier Reef is a World Heritage Marine Park. Large parts of it are closed to anyone without a permit. There are ‘green’ zones for example, where all fishing is banned. He doesn’t want to take his boat into any of them in case he gets into trouble with the authorities. He says he needs to know the location of this reef- its latitude and longitude.”
Andrew was aghast. “But.. but that will let our secret out. How do we know we can trust him?”
His father made a face and replied, “We don’t. But without his boat it is no go. I can’t afford to hire a launch for days on end just on this sort of hunch. Besides, I think he has a right to know. After all, he is putting his launch and his livelihood at risk.”
Put like that Andrew had to agree but he felt very uneasy about it. Reluctantly he and Carmen calculated, as near as they could, the latitude and longitude of Echo Reef. These were written on a note pad which he handed to his father. Mr Collins then went back to the telephone.
Carmen put a sympathetic hand on Andrew’s arm. “Cheer up ‘Grumps’. After all, our enemies already know the location too.”
Andrew didn’t like Muriel being called an enemy but he said nothing, just nodded.
Ten minutes later their father called to them, “It’s Ok kids. The place is in a zone where recreational fishing and diving is allowed. I will just get a few other things organized.”
He went back to the telephone conversation. From that emerged a number of key points, some good and others not so good. Among the good points were Mr Tapau saying he would arrange for the hire or loan of diving equipment and spare air cylinders. Among the not-so-good was learning that the Moa Mermaid had no air compressor and that she could only manage 8 or 9 knots, depending on the weather.
There was also the problem of when. By now Andrew was almost fidgeting with impatience, wanting to be on the way to Bowen the next day so he was dismayed to learn that it would not be till Wednesday, and that no diving could take place until Thursday at the earliest.
“But by then the holidays will be almost over! That only leaves four or five days for the search,” he cried.
“Three,” his mother commented. “You must come back on Saturday so as to be rested and ready for when school begins.”
Andrew felt like saying piffle to school but managed to hold his tongue. Secretly he was in the mood to keep searching until the riddle was solved.
His father confirmed what their mother had said. “I can only take a few days off work. I need to be back at work next Monday too.”
That told Andrew that his father was definitely coming. He turned to his mother. “Are you coming too Mum?”
“I’d like to,” she replied, “But I can’t leave the shop that long.”
Secretly Andrew was pleased by that, suspecting that an anxious mother might be a dampener on the diving operations. The conversation next moved to the minor questions of what to take and how to pack and move it. Transport wasn’t a problem as they would go in their father’s car but there were a host of minor things to decide. Carmen set to work making a list.
The remainder of the day and evening passed in a flurry of excited preparations, Andrew feeling an itchy irritation of impatience. He was also being gnawed at by yet another worry- the weather. Knowing that bad weather could wreck the whole expedition he made a point of listening to the radio news and then watching the TV late news to see the weather chart. That wasn’t so hopeful. The forecast for the Bowen area was for winds of 12 to 15 knots.
‘That’s not good,’ he mused, remembering that winds of that strength would cause waves of up to 1.5 metres- right on the limit for safe diving. That night he did not sleep well. Once again he dreamt he was at sea on a sail boat which kept shrinking but then he found he was on deck and had lost his clothes and Muriel was coming (Or someone called Muriel as the face was all blurry). He tried to hide and to cover himself but he was too late and before he realized what was going to happen she kneed him in the testicles and pushed him backwards over the railings. He went deep into murky green water full of flitting shadows, unable to straighten up or swim.
Monday was a long day. As soon as he woke up Andrew turned on his radio to listen to the weather. That wasn’t hopeful, with winds of up to 15 knots still predicted.
‘Oh well, still a couple of days to go,’ he told himself.
During the morning Andrew finished packing as much as he could, then sat around impatiently, unable to settle to anything requiring concentration. That led to a deal of brooding about Muriel and his dashed romantic hopes. The only bright spots were when some of Carmen’s friends came over and the girls had quite a cheerful chatter session, with himself on the fringes. Among the girls were Jennifer, Shona, Tina and young Kylie Kirk and her friend Margaret, Graham’s admirer.
“How did Graham go on the army cadet camp?” Andrew asked, genuinely interested.
“Really well so I heard,” Kylie answered. “Apparently he helped save some kid who had been bitten by a snake.”
“Being a hero again eh?” Andrew commented, his reply almost tinged with jealousy. To keep the conversation going he said, “Wasn’t Graham bitten by a snake once?”
Kylie nodded. “Mmm. Yes. Two years ago. Some sort of brown sake.”
“Ugh!” shuddered Jennifer. “I hate snakes.”
“Only tiny little vipers and I can’t wait to get back there,” Jennifer replied.
There was then a general discussion about whether Jennifer liked Australia (She admitted she loved it and the people) and if she would be happy back in England when her dad finished his exchange posting with the Royal Australian Navy.
Kylie then asked, “What are we doing for the rest of the holidays?”
“We can go shopping,” Shona suggested.
“What about the movies?” Tina asked, meeting Andrew’s eye as she did.
“What about sailing, or a trip somewhere?” Margaret suggested.
“I want to go on a dive trip,” Shona said. “It has been weeks and weeks and I have asked my Mum to take us out to one of the islands for a day. Who would like to come diving?” She looked at Carmen with raised eyebrows.
“I’d love to,” Carmen replied, “But we are going to be away on a dive trip for a few days.”
“Oh lucky you!” Shona cried. “Where to?”
“Off Bowen,” Carmen answered.
Even as she did Andrew saw her frown slightly and he knew she was annoyed with herself. He had been alarmed at the trend in the conversation but did not know how to remind her to watch what she said without causing even more damage.
Shona looked surprised. “Bowen! That’s a long way. Why Bowen?”
By this time Andrew was tense with anxiety. He looked hard at Carmen and she glanced at him, her eyes telling him that she knew she had made a mistake and was angry with herself. She shrugged and said, “Some friends down there invited us to join them. They have a boat and diving gear,” she replied.
“Oh, you lucky things! Can I come?” Shona asked.
Carmen shook her head. “No, sorry. It is a family thing.”
“When are you going?” Jennifer asked.
“Wednesday morning,” Carmen answered.
“How about shopping tomorrow morning and then movies in the afternoon or evening?” Jennifer suggested.
Carmen seized on this to change the subject and shifted the talk to movies and which ones might be worth watching. Andrew was asked by Shona if he wanted to join them. “I’ll get Blake to come,” she added.
Andrew shrugged and declined the shopping but agreed to the movies. The conversation then drifted onto subjects Andrew wasn’t interested in so he left the room and went to study his chart and to read once again about the loss of the Merinda. Later in the afternoon he drifted off to sleep while reading. Two hours of afternoon nap made him feel drained and he realized that the cadet camp and travel had probably taken more out of him than he realized.
The Weather Report on the TV news at 7:30 pm was reassuring. Winds had dropped to 12 knots and the announcer said they might drop even more the next day, with a further easing forecast for the day after.
A quiet night in front of the TV and then a good night’s sleep with no dreams helped to revitalize Andrew. On Tuesday morning he slept in, then pottered around the house doing chores and fretting with impatience. The weather forecast stayed good, cheering him up even more. For a while he sat and looked at the chart and again reread the accounts of the loss of both vessels. To help with trying to work out what might have happened he redid his calculations and made up a timetable of possible events. Not satisfied with his answers he got Carmen to help when he worked out how long it would take to row a small dinghy from Cape Upstart to Hayman Island.
He worked out that it was 11 days after the cyclone that sank the Merinda before the Deeral sailed from Cairns. It was then another 15 days before Old Mr Murchison reached Hayman Island. Five days before that, on the 13th of February according to Old Mr Murchison, the Deeral had sunk.
Now mathematics cast doubts on that story. Andrew showed his notebook with its calculations to Carmen. “The Deeral could have been at Echo Reef by the fifth or sixth of February. They might have discovered the wreck of the Merinda anytime after that. That gives about six days to find the wreck and salvage the gold. So Murchison could have had anywhere between five days and eleven days in which to sink the ship and row himself to Hayman Island.”
“Or sail himself if the dinghy didn’t have an outboard motor,” Carmen added.
Andrew pointed to his figures. “Rowing at three knots he could have covered the seventy five nautical miles in twenty five hours.”
Carmen shook her head. “Nobody could row non-stop that long. Eight or ten hours a day would be the maximum. I’d say it took him three days at least.”
“That still left him six or seven days which we can’t account for,” Andrew commented. “It would have only taken four or five hours for the Deeral to travel from Echo Reef to Cape Upstart.”
Carmen agreed. “Well, we might find something, but I’m going shopping. See you at two.”
Andrew was left to mull over the facts. Leaving his notes and the chart spread out on his study desk he went and had lunch. Afterwards he got out his bike and rode over to Blake’s. The two boys talked for a while, Andrew fending off answers to what he was doing for the remainder of the holidays and quietly turning down suggestions by Blake for sailing or swimming trips.
By 2pm the boys were outside the cinema. The girls arrived a few minutes later: Carmen, Jennifer, Shona and Tina. When they all went inside and sat down Andrew found himself seated between Shona and Tina. That made him feel distinctly uncomfortable because he thought that Tina was making eyes at him and he still wanted to try to win with Muriel.
‘Tina’s alright,’ he decided, eyeing her ample bosom out of the corner of his eye, ‘but I’m being disloyal to Muriel.’
Resolving to be strong he concentrated on the movie and ignored any of the small accidental touches or looks that otherwise he might have construed as hints. His emotions weren’t helped by having Blake and Shona ‘pashing’ right beside him. Jealousy and the stirrings of lust made him moody and irritable.
He found it a relief when the movie ended and they could all move outside. Blake and Shona then wandered off arm in arm and Tina was picked up by her mother. As she left she looked straight at Andrew, her eyes apparently full of wistful longing, and said, “Have a good holiday in Bowen Andrew.”
Andrew nodded and waved her goodbye, then sighed with relief as the car drove off. Jennifer and Carmen stayed to be picked up by Jennifer’s mother and Andrew unlocked his bike and rode home.
At home he parked his bike, unlocked the front door and went inside. After a visit to the toilet and a cold drink he went to his room. The first thing he did was stop and look down at the chart. As he did all thoughts of shipwrecks drained from his mind.
“That’s funny,” he muttered. “I thought I left my notebook on top of the chart?”
Even as he said this there was an odd clicking noise out in the courtyard. The sound caused Andrew to freeze. ‘What was that noise?’ he wondered. ‘Is there a burglar in the house?’
CHAPTER 30
BOWEN
What sounded like the faint screech of two metallic objects scraping on each other caused Andrew’s hair to stand on end. His heart rate shot up and he looked anxiously towards his bedroom door. ‘Was that the back gate?’ he wondered. A steel gate closed off the breezeway connecting the courtyard to the back yard.
Stories he had heard of people coming home and finding burglars in their house rushed to the forefront of his consciousness. In many cases the intruders assaulted the person who discovered them. Andrew hesitated, anxious lest he become the victim of a bashing. Then shame drove him to act. ‘Have a look, you great coward!’ he chided himself.
Very cautiously he peeked out into the hallway. Nothing. No sounds either. As silently as he could he padded along the corridor to the back sliding door. At the door of each room along the way he paused, listened, then looked in, ready to counter any sudden attack. Nothing happened but at the back sliding door he got another shock and bit his lip in anxiety. The door was not locked a
nd was not slid completely closed.
‘Did Mum leave that unlocked?’ he wondered. Sometimes when they were in a hurry they did not lock up as carefully as they might. Still unsure, and disgusted with himself for feeling so scared, Andrew carefully slid the door open, then the screen door outside it. This took a full minute as he did not want to make any noise which might alert a burglar to his presence.
That accomplished he stepped out and peeked around the corner of the brick wall and along the breezeway. Then he got another shock. The back gate was open!
The steel gate was partly ajar, but what really caused a chill wave of goose bumps was seeing the padlock that usually held it shut hanging undone in the bolt- and the padlock was swinging slightly! As there wasn’t enough breeze to cause the padlock to swing Andrew could only deduce that someone had just opened the gate.
A glance assured him there was no-one hiding in the laundry and the storeroom door was closed. ‘They are getting away!’ he thought.
Fear gave way to anger and a concern to catch whoever it was. In ten steps Andrew was at the back entrance. Again he paused for a few seconds out of caution. There was no-one in the back yard but the timber board back fence had what appeared to be scuff marks on it. As neither he nor Carmen had climbed on it for years that got his attention. He hurried across the back yard and peered through the gaps between the planks.
A movement at the corner of the house to his left caught his eye. He stared hard but could see nothing. ‘Did someone just go around that corner?’ he wondered.
But what to do next? Andrew stood in indecision. He put his hands up, preparatory to climbing the fence, but then hesitated. Could he catch them? And if he did, could he prove they had been in the house? And what if there was more than one of them?
At that moment the sound of a car driving into the front carport came to him. ‘Mum. I’d better warn her,’ he decided. He hurried through to the front of the house, wondering along the way if anything had been taken. But the big attractive items like video recorders and computers and so on were all still in place. Meeting his mother at the door he asked her if she had closed the back door and back gate. She assured him she had made a particular point of it.
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