Indigo Storm

by Fleur McDonald

  His grandfather had told him that after he’d finished whipping him with a leather belt.

  Pastor Hunter indicated Dominic should sit in the front row, surrounded by people from community groups he’d supported in the past. He sat down next to the principal of the school. The man looked uncomfortable, as if he didn’t know what to say, but he shook hands and muttered something that was meant to be comforting.

  Dominic fought the urge to look around. Instead, he looked at his feet and waited, wondering if there were any police about. Would they mention Crime Stoppers tonight? He hoped so.

  ‘Do you know which TV stations are here?’ Dominic muttered to the principal. He felt the man next to him shift as he looked around.

  ‘I can see Channel Seven and Channel Nine, but that’s all.’

  Dominic nodded. Hopefully, they would be enough.

  ‘Friends,’ Pastor Hunter started to speak and the crowd hushed. ‘We are here to remind everyone about our dear friend and wife of Dominic, Ashleigh Alberto.’

  Dominic listened as the pastor gave a rundown of Ashleigh’s life. He continued: ‘On the night that Ashleigh disappeared, we have no idea what went on in her mind. What she was thinking to make her do something so drastic. We wish you knew, Ashleigh, that as a community you could have come to any of us and we would have helped you. Whatever the problem was. We want you to know that, as your friends, your husband, your community, all you need to do is contact any of us and we’ll help you return to your life here. Help you overcome whatever was troubling you.

  ‘Perhaps you are wondering why I am speaking to her as if she were alive,’ Pastor Hunter addressed the crowd now. ‘That’s because I feel sure she is. People don’t take drastic steps like these and not want to live. She has done this because she couldn’t think of another way. Ashleigh is out there somewhere and Dominic Alberto, her husband, the one who has borne the brunt of this horrific pain, needs to know where. We, the people of Jindabyne, need to know where she is.

  ‘So, we plead to the rest of Australia, do you know where our Ashleigh is? Do you think you’ve seen a fleeting glimpse of her, or is she living quietly next door to you? Is there a person you’ve seen recently who looks familiar and you’re not sure why? Find her, have another look. Imagine Ashleigh with shorter or different coloured hair.

  ‘We understand she may not want to be found. Whatever has happened to her might make her reluctant to return to her life here at Jindabyne and we will try to understand that. Ashleigh, you must realise, as much as we may not like it, we will try to understand. Dominic will try to understand.’

  No, I fucking won’t, Dominic thought as he wiped his palms down the length of his thigh.

  Pastor Hunter droned on. ‘But you, Ashleigh, you need to help us by letting us know you are all right.’

  Silence hung in the still night air as Pastor Hunter’s voice faded.

  Dominic looked up. The sun had slipped just below the hills and the evening star had appeared. Shadows were slipping into the calm, grey waters of Lake Jindabyne.

  People shuffled behind him. He let a tear slip down his cheek, making no attempt to wipe it away. Let the cameras get a close-up.

  ‘Thank you for coming,’ Pastor Hunter concluded his impassioned speech. ‘Now let us pray for the safe return of Ashleigh, or at least for information that lets us know she’s safe.’

  He led them in prayer, but Dominic didn’t bow his head. He stared straight ahead, giving the cameras every opportunity to film him. At the end of the prayer, he pulled out a hankie and blew his nose.

  A reporter sat down and put a microphone in front of him.

  ‘If you could say something to Ashleigh, what would it be?’ she asked.

  Dominic cleared his throat and opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He cleared his throat again and said: ‘It’s something I keep repeating over and over. Anytime anyone asks me. Ashleigh, I love you. Please come home. Whatever has made you do this, I’ll make it go away. I’ll get you the best doctors, anything you need. Just please come home.’

  The reporter put the microphone to her mouth and stared straight into the camera. ‘And if anyone knows the whereabouts of Ashleigh Alberto, please call Crime Stoppers.’ She recited the number then added, ‘Jessica Flint reporting from Jindabyne.’

  Dominic reached out and grabbed her arm. ‘Thank you for coming here. For trying to get the word out about Ashleigh. Any tiny bit of publicity will help. Time goes on and people forget. But I never do.’

  ‘You’re welcome, Mr Alberto,’ she said. Her face was compassionate. ‘I wish there was something more we could do.’

  ‘Will this go interstate?’

  ‘I hope so. I’m trying to get my boss to use it as a news grab.’

  ‘If you could, I’d be so grateful.’

  ‘I’ll do my best.’ She got up to leave. ‘And for what it’s worth, I hope she’s found safely. Mental illnesses are awful things to live with. You’re a very strong man to be able to deal with it.’ She walked away with her cameraman in tow.

  ‘There you go, Dominic.’ Lilian appeared at his shoulder. ‘I told you we could get it organised. Let’s hope it does the trick!’

  ‘I hope so, Lilian. I’m very grateful for the work you put in. Now, I really must go home. I feel very worn out.’

  ‘Of course you do, you poor thing. Don’t be a stranger, Dominic. We’re all happy to help and support you in any way we can. Night night, then.’

  Dominic said his goodbyes and walked away, back towards his house. The street lights were on now on but the road was empty. He could smell wood-fire smoke and still hear conversations coming from the edge of the lake. Pushing his hands deep into his coat pockets, he walked with purpose. Somehow, somewhere, someone knew something.

  ‘Mr Alberto?’

  Dominic slowed his pace and eyed the stranger standing in front of him at the edge of the light.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘I have a message for you. It came from interstate, yesterday.’

  ‘Who are you?’ he asked.

  ‘No one you need to remember, but I have information you’ll be interested in.’

  Dominic narrowed his eyes, while the man spoke quickly. So quickly, Dominic didn’t understand the first few words.

  ‘. . . from Port Augusta.’

  ‘Wait. Pause for a moment. Slow down,’ said Dominic, holding up his hand as he gathered his thoughts. ‘Now start.’

  ‘A pocket watch matching the description of your stolen one was pawned three days ago. The report has come from the Port Augusta pawn shop and was picked up by police when they did their weekly check.’

  Dominic tried to control his breathing. The first lead and the TV shots hadn’t even gone to air yet. ‘Do you know who pawned it?’

  ‘Mrs Ashleigh Alberto.’

  He drew in a quick breath.

  ‘Address?’

  ‘Fake. It’s already been checked out.’

  Suddenly, he no longer felt in control. To be so close, then lose her, was something he couldn’t let happen.

  ‘We need to make more enquiries,’ he snapped.

  ‘It’s in progress.’

  ‘Have you talked to the guy who owns the shop?’

  ‘All he said was she haggled with him. He asked her about the watch and she said she was selling it because she needs the money.’

  Dominic slammed his fist into his hands, while the stranger stood by impassively. ‘We’ll smoke her out,’ he said. ‘She’ll run out of money and she’ll come crawling back.’ He jerked around to look at the man. ‘How much did she get for it?’

  ‘Just over three grand.’

  ‘Won’t take long, then.’ He smiled without humour. ‘Anything else?’

  ‘Not at this stage.’

  ‘Who sent you?’ Dominic asked.

  ‘Just let’s say, someone who owed your father a favour. We’ll be keeping an eye on things.’ The man nodded to him, then melted into the darkness. Dominic stood there, and a
few moments later heard a car start up and drive away.

  He was furious. As much as he appreciated the information, he should have been able to get it from Simon. Now, at the end of all this, he was going to owe someone a favour and he didn’t know who it was. It was how these things worked.

  If Simon hadn’t fucked up, he could have had the information without owing anyone anything.

  He walked quickly towards his house, his coat flapping out behind him. There were plans to be put in place.

  Chapter 24

  Dave used the phone in Reen’s shop to check in at the station, as he was out of mobile range. He could have accessed the secure police radio station but preferred to use the phone. Plus, he wanted to talk to Kim.

  ‘Boss, you won’t believe what’s come through on the loop this morning,’ said Jack, one of the younger officers at Barker police station, as soon as Dave identified himself.

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘The pawn shop in Port Augusta has bought an item from that missing girl, Ashleigh Alberto. You know, the one from New South Wales? The one who seems to have—’

  ‘Yeah, I know the one you mean,’ Dave interrupted, glancing around to see if he could see Eliza. ‘What did she pawn?’

  He listened as the officer gave him the details. He knew why Jack was excited. Nothing big happened in small country towns. Well, that’s what he thought. Dave could have told him with authority that anything and everything could happen in the country. And Jack had been part of the investigation of the rodeo money last year. ‘When did she pawn it?’

  ‘Only a couple of days ago.’

  ‘That’s interesting. I guess she could be anywhere by now, though, couldn’t she? Port Augusta is the gateway to the west and north.’

  ‘But it proves she’s still alive.’

  ‘It proves that someone with her identification and access to the pocket watch is alive. Remember, nothing is ever as clear as it seems until it’s proven without doubt.’

  Jack was silent and Dave knew he’d taken the gentle reprimand on board. ‘I guess you’d better get on and ask a few questions then, Jack,’ he continued.

  ‘In Port Augusta?’

  ‘No, just around the town and surrounding areas. See if anyone has seen anyone who resembles her.’

  ‘I’ll get onto it right away.’

  ‘Good lad. Now, is there anything else I need to know?’

  ‘There’s a phone message from someone called Simon McCullen, who wants you to give him a call. Get a pen and I’ll give you the number.’

  Dave wrote it down in his notebook. ‘Did he say what he wanted?’

  ‘Nope, just that he wanted to talk to you.’

  ‘Okay, anything else? Nothing on the smuggling?’ Dave looked up as the bell tinkled in the shop. He heard Eliza call out to Reen and shut his notebook with a thump.

  ‘No, not that’s come through recently.’

  ‘Righto, I’ll call in tomorrow.’

  ‘When are you back?’

  ‘Might be another couple of days yet. Got a few things I want to follow up.’

  ‘All good. Catch you later.’

  Dave hung up just as Eliza stuck her head through the door.

  ‘Oh, hi,’ she said and started to back out of the kitchen. ‘I was just looking for Reen. Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt.’

  ‘You’re not interrupting. Come in. Reen just took off to Gillian’s to grab some more pasties out of her freezer.’

  ‘No, that’s fine. I need to go and freshen up. I’ve been out with Jacob, looking at crutching, today.’

  Dave started to walk to the door on his way out. ‘What did you think?’

  Eliza smiled, which made the scar on her cheek more obvious. ‘I’d never seen anything like it before. The little bit I’ve had to do with animals was the wildlife back where I was from. Used to see wombats and koalas, brumbies, all sorts of things, but nothing to do with farming.’

  ‘Where are you from?’ Dave asked.

  ‘Oh, here and there. I was in New South Wales before I ended up here.’

  Dave nodded and studied her closely. ‘Reen mentioned that you saw a strange vehicle on one of your nightly walks the other day. Can you tell me about it?’

  He noted that Eliza froze as he asked the question and a look of uncertainty crossed her face.

  ‘Nothing much to tell. Just that a four-wheel drive drove past me late one night last week and it looked unusual.’ She shrugged and moved back into the shop area to let Dave out.

  ‘In what way?’ He kept watching her face, his eyes flicking over her scar.

  She reached up and gave it a tentative rub before quickly pulling her hand away.

  She told him about the aerials and when she had seen the vehicle driving around. ‘It just seemed weird. I haven’t lived here that long, but I know it’s strange to see cars driving around at that time of night, covered in all sorts of tracking equipment.’

  ‘Why do you think it was tracking equipment?’

  Eliza paused. ‘I guess I can’t say for sure. It’s just what it seemed like. I only saw it for a moment or two in the moonlight.’ She sounded annoyed now.

  Dave knew it was time to leave it alone, so he gave her a smile and thanked her. ‘I’ll be off then. Got to head back to the national park.’

  ‘See you around,’ she answered.

  ‘Yep, I’ll be back later tonight. I might have to catch up with you again to ask a couple more questions.’

  ‘I don’t think I’ve got any more to tell you, but whatever.’ Eliza gave a hoist of her shoulders and turned away, heading to the kitchen.

  Dave got into his car, trying to work out the best plan of attack with Eliza. He wasn’t sure he wanted to let her know he knew who she really was yet. First, there was the chance she might run again; second, if she’d come here on purpose, it might hinder his investigation into the wildlife poaching. He really was in a quandary.

  Eliza watched Dave leave the shop, her stomach churning. She felt like everything was beginning to unravel. Her confession to Reen had left her with an uneasy feeling. One part of her was pleased to have been able to tell someone everything and know they understood, and the other part felt she had undone all her hard work to get where she was now.

  Dave seemed to have been around a lot in the last couple of weeks and she knew that wasn’t normal. Something was bringing him up to Blinman and she could only hope like hell it wasn’t her.

  ‘Dave!’ Chris strode over from the camping ground as the detective pulled up.

  ‘Looks like you’ve got it fixed and the grounds have emptied out a bit.’ Dave nodded at the post that had been hit the previous evening.

  ‘Got it all fixed this morning.’

  ‘Where are the girls today?’

  Chris glanced around. ‘Oh, who knows? It’s not a school day, so they could be anywhere! Climbing hills, trees; causing mischief somewhere.’ He smiled contentedly. ‘I love they have this type of lifestyle. So much better than staring at computer screens all day, don’t you reckon?’

  ‘You’ve got that right,’ Dave agreed. ‘Have you got time for a chat now, do you think?’

  ‘Absolutely. You’ve got me intrigued with what you were saying before. Come and have a coffee over at the house.’

  They walked over, exchanging pleasantries. ‘Are you going to play cricket again this year?’ Chris asked Dave.

  ‘I might be getting a bit long in the tooth for that,’ he answered.

  ‘Oh, come on! You guys smashed us last season.’ Chris gave a loud laugh. ‘You beat us by forty runs and three wickets!’

  Dave nodded. ‘Yeah, but I also pulled up pretty sore after taking that catch that got you out! Pulled a hammy ’cause I landed wrongly.’

  ‘I reckon the few beers you had afterwards would have helped with the pain.’

  ‘Yeah, yeah, and I didn’t see you being a saint either!’

  ‘It was a good night,’ Chris said. They went into the kitchen a
nd he put the kettle on. ‘So, want to fill me in on what’s happening? Coffee?’

  ‘Thanks.’ Dave collected his thoughts. ‘At this stage, it’s just a bit of prelim investigating. There’s certainly something happening up here, but I haven’t got enough information to know where to start. That’s why I need to talk to you.’ He repeated what he’d already told Chris and then said: ‘I’ve had a report of an unspecified car, driving at odd times at night. It seems to have tracking devices on it. It’s only been seen once, but with the info I have, it’s enough to get me curious.

  ‘I’ve also been given a bit of hearsay-type evidence about a caravan stopped in a parking bay with foam eskies and boxes laid out on the side of the road. I pricked my ears up because that’s how the transportation of wildlife is supposed to be happening. Caravaners are collecting from up here somewhere and taking it across the border.

  ‘There was a signed statement from a couple who’d camped here, saying they’d overheard a conversation that indicated this is going on.’

  Chris handed over the coffee and shook his head. ‘It all sounds pretty bloody out there, if you ask me.’

  ‘I guess that’s how these things stay under the radar for so long,’ Dave answered, taking a sip. ‘So, you haven’t seen anything odd that you can remember?’

  Chris wrinkled his brow as he stirred sugar into his coffee.

  ‘You’ve thrown a different light on some of the things I’ve seen, certainly, but I’m not sure there’s enough to give you any information.’

  ‘The smallest pieces of info finish off the puzzle, as my old boss used to say.’

  Chris sighed. ‘The girls reported that a goanna’s nest didn’t have any eggs left in it a while ago. I didn’t think anything of it because the foxes can come in and take them.’

  Dave jotted that down on his notepad and looked up.

  ‘Um,’ Chris scratched his head. ‘What else, what else?’ he muttered. ‘A while back now, I found a wedge-tailed eagle nest smashed on the ground.’ He stopped and his face brightened. ‘Now, that was interesting. There should have been eggs in that nest. I’d watched the birds come and go from there for a while. Wedge-tailed eagle nests just don’t fall out of trees. They’re built real strong. Some of the sticks they use are thicker than your finger, you know?