The Innimincka Affair

by Robert Chalmers

  “Kali!” Rebecca admonished her friend and researcher, “You never had a recording going did you? Will I be able to listen to it…” Kali laughed and added?

  “I’ll send you a transcript, edited of course. But I need your advice now. I haven’t told the other partners of course. This is your brief. But this is a matter of national security, for almost everyone. You know if the wrong people get hold of this stuff…”

  Rebecca tapped her bottom lip with her finger. “Kali, can you sit on this for a moment please. Just a day perhaps. Cooper has had to go and investigate something here on his property, and I think it’s to do with New World. One of their aircraft is here, but there was no one in the homestead when we arrived. Some local aboriginal men came and asked him to go with them to show him something. Meantime, prepare a…” She smiled broadly, “sanitised transcript and make copies. Lock a copy of your recording in my safe, and put your copy somewhere safe. As soon as Cooper returns and hears this, I will call you back. Can you also let the partners know that I will be back when I can?” Rebecca sat back and thought. Kali watching her through the video-cam.

  “Rebecca, are you in Cooper’s office now? I can see it’s not your own laptop you are using, and it’s sure not a hotel suite. What’s he like?”

  Rebecca coloured slightly, hoping Kali would not notice, as the video signal was not very good. Kali was not her best ever researcher for nothing though.

  “Rebecca!” She shouted, “You’ve fallen for him haven’t you? You have, I can see it in your face.” Kali was grinning from ear to ear. “Come on - tell me all about him. Do you have a photo of him? What about a photo in the house?” Rebecca looked about the room. She hadn’t noticed one in the main house, and there were no photos on the walls at all in this room, other than one of a huge bull over the fireplace. This was a man’s house, and men didn’t keep photos of themselves on the wall. How fitting, she smiled, that the only photo was a bull.

  “No photos Kali, but he is… so gorgeous. He’s over six feet tall, dark hair and the darkest blue eyes, with long lashes that any girl would love to have. He is very careful of his appearance. I can see a mother’s influence there, and his clothes are the best. I mean, not fashions like we know them, but probably local Australian fashions that look very expensive. He is a working man after all, and until now has had very few women in his life. We’ve just come direct from Brisbane on the coast, and my things are still in the aeroplane on his runway. Kali, I think I really could love him.”

  Kali clapped her hands like a school girl.

  “Has he kissed you yet?” She was leaning forward toward the camera, and almost whispering, as though others might hear. When Rebecca replied “Yes” she squealed with delight.

  Kali looked aside for a moment to her iPhone and momentarily frowned.

  “Rebecca, that was Momo, the arms dealer. he just sent me a text. He’s remembered talking about New World, and he said, I quote ‘If you have friends involved with NW, tell them to get out, now.’ Rebecca…” Kali was now looking worried.

  Rebecca replied. “Kali, I can’t. I can’t get out. I can’t fly. Cooper is not here. No one is here except the two aboriginal women here to keep me company. Left here by the man who came to get Cooper.”

  “Can’t you drive out?” Replied Kali.

  “I don’t think so.” Said Rebecca. “I would get lost in a heartbeat. There is no where to drive to, and anyway, I don’t think there are any vehicles here that I could use.”

  “What do you mean, no where to drive to? Where are you?” Said Kali.

  “Kali, I’m in the middle of a desert I think. We flew in here. There is nothing for thousands of miles I don’t think.” Rebecca was feeling a little nervous now. She knew she had met with bad people now, but she hadn’t realised what scale these people were operating on. She was starting to get a little nervous for Cooper too. She knew he could probably look after himself out here, but he had gone off unarmed after all. What if he met up with them?

  She couldn’t lose him now. She had waited all of her life it felt like to meet Cooper. His arms around her would feel like such a safe haven, his lips on hers, brushing them. Probing them with the tip of his tongue, his hands on her body. No, she realised with a start, what ever it took, Cooper was hers. She had been alone long enough.

  Kali had been watching Rebecca, and could see what was passing across her face. She marvelled at how someone so inscrutable in the court and in business as Rebecca could be so transparent to her, Kali. Kali smiled and Rebecca noticed.

  “What is it Kali?” She said.

  “Thinking of Cooper again were we? Rebecca, you are hopeless. The first man who comes along into your life and you appear to have fallen head over heels for him. I saw that look on your face, it was almost embarrassing to watch.” Kali smiled hugely. “He must be a real stunner to turn your head. You must put him on camera as soon as he returns, meantime, I’m serious. Momo knows what he is talking about. If he says get away from these people, he means it.” Kali looked at Rebecca for a moment.

  “Perhaps I should call someone to come help you. I know someone here in MI5 who can get the ball rolling. If you say so, I’ll get in touch with them.” Kali waited for Rebecca.

  “Just a moment Kali. I’ll check outside.” Rebecca flew from the desk, and looked out the front. The two girls were still sitting in the shade and turned to smile at her. There were no other people or even animals in sight. She ran through the house to the back doors and looked outside. Nothing and nobody, just the endless desert stretching away from the remains of an old house yard fence.

  “My God!” She thought, “This place is desolate. Oh Cooper, how can you live here?” She went back to the computer.

  “Kali,” she said “perhaps you better had call your friends. I have no idea who to call from here. Can you stay online while you call? I need your company.” Rebecca was feeling very vulnerable and alone. The two aboriginal women may have been right at home here, but this was a place she would never be comfortable in. There wasn’t enough money in the world to alleviate the loneliness of this location. The house could be turned into a mansion with all the delights of a modern home - but it would remain an island in this sea of desolation. Kali had nodded and picked up her iPhone and stepped away from the video-cam and computer. Rebecca sat at the desk and fiddled with some papers on the desk. Numbers of cattle somewhere it looked like. Rebecca was not given to panic, but she was starting to feel a little unnerved. The silence of the place was total. Not a sound could be heard. No insects, no people, no animals. Not even any wind to rattle the blinds. Total silence and stillness. She got up and started to pace around the room. She didn’t want to leave the sight of Kali on the screen in an animated conversation with someone. The sound was off while Kali made her call. She was very good at her job. Rebecca thought about a big fat bonus for Kali when she finally returned to London. Kali was a good friend, but she was also the best researcher Rebecca had ever come across. She could see her now, waving some sheets of paper in the air as though the person on the phone could see them. She was pointing in the direction of the video-cam, but of course the person couldn’t see Rebecca. Suddenly Kali was there on screen, the iPhone still in hand.

  “Rebecca, can you go to Google Maps on that machine, and pin point your location for me.” It was not a question.

  “But how Kali. I have no real idea…”

  “Rebecca, it’s an Apple Mac you are on. It has location software built in. Go to Google Maps and click on “My Location” - then send the map to this address…” Kali reeled off an email address for her.

  “Wait, wait, wait,” shouted Rebecca, “I need a pen. ok, got it, repeat that email please. And Kali - stay on line please.”

  Rebecca clicked on what look like a map on the bottom of the screen. To her immense relief up popped a map, but it was a map of some city centre.

  “Kali…” She called.

  “Rebecca click on the small arrow on the top, just nea
r the address label on the left. Got it. Good. Has it located to where you are? It should be showing a blue circle. Good. Now click on the up arrow on the little box on the right side, send it as an email, and put in that address. My friend will have it in seconds. They will know what to do.” Kali waited.

  Within moments Rebecca had sent the map. This was very strange. She couldn’t believe someone in London would soon know exactly where she was, down to the nearest centimetre.

  “Ok Kali. Done. What did your friend say to your request?” Rebecca said.

  “Well, he was a bit cautious at first, but when I mentioned Momo, and Coopers remote property location, he became very interested. They’re… looking into it.” Kali sat back in her office chair.

  “Rebecca, are you going to be ok for a little while?” Kali had things to do, and suddenly Rebecca realised it, and knew she should not be holding Kali online just to keep her company. She straightened her shoulders and sat up.

  “Kali, I can’t keep you. I’ll go back out the front and watch for Cooper with the two young aboriginal women. Well, I’m presuming they are young women, because they are… um… built like young women. Firm breasts still. They have no clothes on other than some sort of fibre belt thing around the waist. I’d love to take some photographs of them, but my gear is still in the ‘plane and I’m not going out there unless I really have to. It’s actually hotter now than it was when we arrived. I can’t believe it.” Rebecca was about to sign off and just waited for Kali to answer her phone.

  “Rebecca, I’m told you will have company soon. Bye for now.” Click - and Kali was gone. No further explanation. What did she mean, ‘have company soon’? Rebecca thought of the options. It was either New World coming back, Cooper coming back, or because she had seen Kali take that call, it was someone from the government coming. Only time would tell, and she hoped in any case that Cooper would have returned by then. There was absolutely nothing for her to do now but wait, so she decided to look through the house where Cooper lived. She was curious about living conditions in this remote place.

  The house as Cooper had mentioned was very large. It was all on one level, and seemed spread out over a very wide area. Rebecca couldn’t guess at the physical dimensions, because every corner she turned seemed to lead to another set of rooms. She soon discovered what could only be guest rooms set on one side of the house, and so self contained that they would allow guests to remain completely separate from the rest of the house if they wanted. Perhaps these were meant to be her rooms, the ones that Cooper had suggested for her. She hoped not, as she realised with a start that she would much prefer to stay with Cooper. There was one problem though. She was not sure that she could stay in this place long. She was beginning to feel some sympathy with the other girls that Cooper had mentioned, who had fled the place as soon as possible. However, it was not likely that she would be staying in any case. She had a busy practice back in London, partners to work with, friends to catch up with. It was also evident that if Cooper was not in the house, the house was eerily empty. “I have only been here a few minutes, and already I’m talking to myself.” Rebecca said to no one in general. She completed her wander through the house. It was a beautiful place, or had been. But now it was tired, and worn by a lifetime of minimum care from men. First Coopers father, left on his own with only the boy, Cooper, and now Cooper himself rattling around the big old house, keeping a station property going for what Rebecca could see was no good reasons. If he stayed on out here he would wither and die like the sparse vegetation of the dusty plains and sand dunes. Rebecca resolved that she wasn’t going to let that happen. She went back to the front door and out onto the wide cool veranda. She had already noticed, that if she wasn’t actually in the sun, the heat was bearable. The deep shade of the veranda had to be quite a few degrees cooler than out in the open.

  The afternoon sun was starting to throw long shadows across the yards from the various fixtures that seemed scattered randomly around the area, and the few skeletal trees that still stood, struggling for survival in this harsh place. Rebecca had earlier discovered the hat rack on the wall by the door, and now took the widest brim hat she could find and pulled it down over her hair and stepped out into the yard. Immediately the other two young women were on their feet and following. They appeared to be totally at ease in the hot sun, and their bare feet on the scorching earth made Rebecca winch just to look at them. The fierce heat of midday was now waning, and although it was still hot, Rebecca felt she would be alright now. She really needed to retrieve her things from the aircraft and get back inside to freshen up. She certainly didn’t want Cooper seeing her all sweaty and dusty when he came back, regardless of how he looked. ‘He would always look gorgeous!’ She thought with a smile, but she always prided herself on looking her best in any situation, so she set off for the plane.

  Chapter 7

  With The two girls following, still looking about them in wariness. Rebecca opened the cargo hatch she had seen Cooper close with a snap when they loaded some supplies up in Toowoomba, their only stop on the way from Brisbane. Her suitcase and carry-on were there, and she lifted them to the ground, and then climbed up the steps to retrieve her laptop from near her seat. The interior was still hot, but the doors had been left open, and the interior was cooling quickly. Rebecca looked around for her bags, but the girls were already halfway back to the house with them. Rebecca hurried after them. She had never meant them to be her bag carriers. She was very embarrassed and tried to take her bags from them and carry them herself. The girls just laughed and waved her away as they went back to the house.

  The bags were deposited on the veranda for Rebecca and she took their hands in turn and shook them, thanking the girls for helping her. They had no common language, but they understood none the less, and smiled shyly. Rebecca was at a loss now. She badly needed something to eat, and her two companions must be hungry by now. There was nothing for it but to raid the pantry.

  Cooper ran steadily along with the aboriginal man in a direct line away from the homestead for some time. A steady mile burning pace that covered a lot of ground. Cooper did think that it may have been better to take one of the station vehicles, like one of the camel chasers. Cut down Landrovers with heavy metal bars welded on all around the vehicle to protect them from raging camels. They were go-anywhere vehicles, and Cooper wished he had one now. He was however not struggling with the pace. He was used to it. His companions for a lot of his lifetime had been the aboriginal children of the nearby camps, and his working life had conditioned him to the tough landscape and lifestyle needed out here in the outback. As he trotted along, he couldn’t help but think of Rebecca, a part of his mind on what he was doing and watching the other man, but part of it wondering if indeed it had been a smart move to bring her out here. How would she fare back there in the homestead with him having just literally run off to who knew where?

  “How far now?” He questioned the other man. Cooper still didn’t know his name. These wild men had a language of their own, and their names were often unpronounceable as far as others were concerned. This fellow spoke some English, so had probably been educated on a mission somewhere at some time in his youth, before he had gone ‘back to the bush’. Might be worth a try thought Cooper.

  “What name you speak?” He asked in a broken Pigeon English often used by people.

  The man looked across at him.

  “Billy.” Was all he said.

  “Ok, Billy. How far now to what you show me?” Cooper was wondering at the sense of this by now.

  “Not far now boss. Just over this next hill. We stop this side.” Billy replied. “Don’t you worry about your woman boss; my girls take good care nothing happens.” He added.

  The rise they were heading for was little more than that, just a slight rise in the land, and Cooper remembered that there was an old artesian water bore just on the other side, in a shallow depression. It had long since been capped off, and there was no water there now. Suddenly Bill
y halted and crouched down, his spears flat on the ground. He signalled Cooper to crouch down as well. The afternoon was well advanced now, and Cooper was getting pretty thirsty. He really wished he had not followed Billy so quickly, without thought. He should have realised these men could go all day and more, without a drink or food. Tough men who lived in this desert for thousands of years. ‘Well,’ thought Cooper, ‘I’ll just have to put up with it.’

  Following Billy’s lead, Cooper lay on his stomach and together they crawled over the sand and rock until they could just see over the ridge and into the depression on the other side. Cooper almost let out a yell of surprise and anger. There was a large ex-military vehicle, six wheels with huge desert tyres on. On the far side of it from where they lay in the sand, a large cage like structure had been erected, and inside Cooper could see his station hands imprisoned. Bill put a restraining hand on him as he was about to leap to his feet and rush down the slope to try and rescue them.

  “Look boss.” Whispered Billy. “They ok. Got shade, got water.” He had a huge grin across his face. These men laughed very little, and to see one with such a huge grin told Cooper that something was up, and Billy was going to enjoy it. Meantime, it was also evident that there was a large group of heavily armed men involved in the party that had imprisoned his men - and the dogs he now noticed. They obviously hadn’t head his plane arrive, as fortunately he had arrived at the homestead from the other direction, and flown in very low. They would not have seen or heard him arrive. What could they be up to? How had this huge truck arrived here? It must have come up the Strzelecki Track from Adelaide. There is no way it could have come in from the other direction without alerting people in three states. As it was, how they had managed to get here he couldn’t imagine. He looked at Billy and, keeping his head and his voice down, asked.

  “Billy, what you know about these men?”