The Innimincka Affair

by Robert Chalmers

  For the first time in a long time, Cooper felt good. He checked his watch. He still had time. He called his old professor at the university, and arranged to see him in three days. The day after Rebecca left. He realised he hadn't told her yet that she was going home. The chartered plane would be here in a few hours to take her back to Brisbane. He called the hotel and booked a room for her, and one for him. Now all he had to do was tell Rebecca. He paled at the thought. He knew he loved her as he had never loved anyone before in his life, but he also knew that some things had to be done in this life. Sending Rebecca home was one of them. She was undoubtedly a fine lawyer, and would only go to waster out here. Wither away like a wilting rose in the heat. A sweet English rose. He almost jumped to his feet and went out into the lounge room to find Rebecca. He had left her alone for some time, and hoped she was ok. He needn't have worried. The stockmen and others were back, and gathered around Rebecca on the veranda. She was positively glowing with the attention these rough gentlemen were showing her. She looked up when Cooper stepped onto the veranda. The men all stood up, dusting off their jeans and slapping their hats on their legs. Rebeca was smiling and happy. Cooper welcomed the men with handshakes and heartfelt sentiments about their safe return. The foreman took Cooper aside a little, away from Rebecca and said to him.

  "I'll have to talk to you a bit later Cooper." He looked aside at Rebecca. "It's not pleasant." Cooper understood. The man was a bushman, one of the old school, and there were certain things you didn't say in front of women as far as he was concerned. The others were looking at them standing slightly aside, and their laughing banter quieted down. To cover up the moment, Cooper stepped back to join them and looked at Rebecca.

  "I have some good news for Rebecca." He said. "You're returning to Brisbane tomorrow, and London the day after. You will be home in a few days, this horrible adventure behind you." He could see she was stunned. "I'll have a new aircraft here later today, and if mine isn't fixed then we return to Toowoomba with the repair team and fly on to Brisbane. It might be a good idea to pack - if that's necessary." He forced himself to ignore Rebecca's look of shock and hurt surprise and turned to his men. "There will be building teams here by tomorrow, for as long as it takes they will be working here. All other work, apart from absolute necessity will stop. That has priority. You are all to work with them. If anyone is due, or wants a holiday, that's ok too. You young ringers can go home and see your folks..." He paused. "Oh yes. Full pay. your wages continue in any case. Charlie here will be in charge in my absence as usual." Even in her state of mild shock, Rebecca recognised the actions of a born leader in the way Cooper had organised everything. She could sure use some of that in her office. She lowered her head and hurried into the house. She was determined not to let Cooper know how hurt she was. He was treating her like a cast away rag doll. Oh how it hurt. Yes, he was escorting her to Brisbane, but she expected nothing less than that in any case. But the speed and finality of it all. Home before the end of the week. It was hard to believe.

  Some time later Rebecca had her small bag packed and had showered and changed into her travelling clothes. She looked stunning. Cooper stopped in his tracks, crossing through the lounge room. He was riveted by her beauty. He couldn't believe he was sending her away. After all they had said to each other. All that had happened together. He had to. He knew it.

  Chapter 11

  Rebecca was holding herself on a tight rein, fearing that if she looked directly at Cooper she would start crying again, and surely she had done enough of that on this recent emotional roller coaster. The steady whistling sound of a jet aircraft approaching broke the silence. They both looked toward the door, neither really wanting to move. The plane circled once and touched down, taxying almost up to the house. It was quite a large plane, obviously designed as a work horse. Large cargo doors were built into the sides and within minutes these had been opened, and a team of men began to pile out and started unloading right there on the edge of the runway. Cooper looked at it with satisfaction and turned to Rebecca.

  "We are flying back in with this plane on it's return to Toowoomba. It will take too long to repair my plane if indeed it can be done here, and I want you safe and on your way today. I'm sorry for the short notice Rebecca but it has to be this way. This is just no place for you, and I am so sorry that I brought you out here into this..." Here he swept his arms in a wide arc, "This run down eye-sore. I don't know what possessed me. I made an error, and hope you will forgive me." There was little else he could say. Rebecca was distraught, but she wouldn't say anything. She couldn't. She struggled not to show any expression on her face. She had fallen heavily for this man, for the first time since her earlier loss, she had let her guard down. She thought he had felt the same about her, he had certainly given all the signs. Now here he was sending her out of his life. He was being a gentleman and escorting her back to Brisbane, and for that she was thankful. She was quite capable of managing the trip herself, but it meant she could spend some more time with him. As hurt as she was, she was not willing to let go completely. She didn't understand his sudden change of heart, it had been nothing she had done herself, so she could at least spend the next few days until her departure from Brisbane International trying to discover what it was that had suddenly made him draw away back into himself. Rebecca had a vague idea floating around in her mind, but she didn't want to think that something as material as 'how things looked' could affect him so badly. It could be the reason for the sudden and unexpected flurry of building and repair work that was about to happen. Even now he was head to head with the leader of the repair team, and the aircraft people who had arrived on the plane. She could only admire his force of personality. Soon he was finished with them, and the plane was unloaded.

  Rebecca was not unhappy to be leaving, her experiences here had not been exactly pleasant apart from the interludes with Cooper of course, but the rest of it... The rest of it she could have done without. She had already decided that this property was not a place where she wanted to spend much time. A holiday would be fine, if the house were liveable, for a few weeks. It was not an option on a permanent basis however, and she thought that Cooper had suddenly realised it as well.

  It was time to get back to her real world, and leave these dreams behind. Rebecca picked up her bags and moved to the edge of the veranda. She stood looking about at the dry dustiness of the barren landscape. Apart from the few men working on shifting supplies nothing moved in the heat.

  It was actually quite depressing.

  The team of men had arrived in good time, and it seemed that Cooper would be able to take Rebecca back to Toowoomba in the aircraft that had arrived today, and from there to Brisbane tomorrow. The jet was soon unloaded, and the head of the repair team informed Cooper that the repair team would take at least two days to make his plane safe enough to fly back into Toowoomba. The jet was returning almost immediately, and if Cooper and Rebecca wanted a lift into Toowoomba, they should board now.

  Cooper came over to Rebecca and spoke quietly.

  "Rebecca, it's time to leave. I'm sorry your stay here has been so unpleasant. I'm really sorry. I have..." He paused and swallowed. "Come to think very highly of you. I had hoped that we may have had a happy time here, even though it was essentially a business trip. The surprise that lay in wait for us, then the sheer danger of being shot at, and lastly my own realisation that in it's present condition this property is barely fit for human habitation."

  "Cooper, you can't be held responsible for the actions of those criminals. That could not possibly be your fault. As for this house and property, well, you have now seen it as I first saw it. But Cooper, you know I love you." She paused. "Yes, I do. For that reason, I would be happy anywhere where you are. Repairing and refurbishing a house is a simple task. You just never had any incentive I guess?" Rebecca wiped the back of her hand across her eyes.

  "Cooper, what would I do here? I'm not a housewife. I'm a lawyer, just beginning a well planned career.
Even if the house was a palatial mansion, I could not live here."

  Cooper nodded, looking at his feet.

  "I know this Rebecca. Truly, nobody realises it more than I.” He picked up Rebecca's case and held her hand as she stepped down the front steps and joined him walking out to the jet. He didn't let go of her hand.

  He felt that there was nothing more to say. He knew he should be saying something though, he could feel it in his bones, but what? His steps slowed as he thought abut the dilemma. He wanted Rebecca to stay, but he wanted her to go for her own sake. He knew she wanted him, but he knew also that staying here was not an option for her. It was unresolvable, something that a chat over a cup of tea would never resolve. He shook his head in resignation as the options played over and over in his head for the hundredth time. Rebecca too seemed lost in her thoughts, her steps slowing to match Coopers. The whine of the jet engines starting did nothing to hurry them along. The pilot was watching them, and knew something was happening, so he took a great deal of care to ensure that the engines were just idling over, warming up in preparation for departure. Rebecca's heart ached at the prospect of losing Cooper but she could do nothing about it. She had a career to return to. People were relying on her, and if this was what love still held for her - more heartache, then she thought herself better off out of it. She was determined not to be hurt again and the sooner they got underway the better. She straightened her back and lifted her chin. She stepped out ahead of Cooper and almost marched to the steps leading up to the aircraft door. Cooper could only follow, now with surprise etched on his face at the sudden shift in Rebecca's demeanour. By the time he entered the cabin area, Rebecca was seated and belted in. She was in a single seat, so all he could do was take a seat across the wide aisle from her. The plane was essentially a workhorse, and not particularly designed for passenger comfort. They would be barely able to converse on the return journey, but Coopers glance at Rebecca's face told him that casual chat was probably out of the question anyway.

  Cooper signalled the pilot, who then began the full take-off procedures and soon had them lifting into the cloudless sky and turning to make a direct line for far away Toowoomba. In this plane it would only be a short journey of around an hour, perhaps a little less with favourable winds. There was nothing to do but settle back and try to work out what had happened. The short and passionate interlude had seemed so full of promise, yet like a fire of hardwood coals with water poured over it, had hissed and sputtered into coolness in a very short space of time. As he mulled over the events of the last few days, he kept coming back to the involvement of the people from New World, and the involvement of the special services departments of both Australia and the UK, and the US it seemed. So item one. Cooper checked on his fingers. Rebecca was certainly a lot safer if she was no where near his property. These people were a clear and present danger to anyone on the place. Even though they had apparently fled south, and that had yet to be checked, it meant nothing in this day and age of instant communications. The Federal Police and military types who had turned up and tried to take him had also gone south in some haste, and not bothered to let him know where they had gone, or what they were doing. To be expected he supposed.

  Cooper drew a small note book from his shirt pocket, and listed item one.

  One. Rebecca’s safety. Paramount. Remove her from the property and his life.

  With this one line written, he lapsed into a state of introspection. How could he remove her from his life? Dam it, he loved her. He was no school boy, and thought he recognised the signs of loving someone when he felt them. He turned to look at Rebecca, sitting some few feet away across the aisle - she may as well have been on the other side of the world so great did the distance of those few feet feel. The noise inside the body of the plane did not encourage conversation. There was very little in the way of lining or soundproofing. Only the pilot’s cabin and instrument area had been kept intact and soundproof in the interests of safety during flights. The two pilot’s seats, and a small space behind them for an engineer or navigator with his own desk and instrument panels. Cooper flung off his seat belt and stood up as best he could in the low ceilinged cabin. He beckoned to Rebecca to join him, and indicated the cabin where the pilot was. There was only the one on this short trip. No one else was in the flight deck cabin and the door was propped open.

  Rebecca sat for a long moment just looking at Cooper. Her eyes were brimming with tears, but he chose not to say anything or indicate that he noticed. He looked forward again and noticed out of the corner of his eye that Rebecca was dabbing at her eyes with a small white handkerchief. He kept his gaze resolutely forward for a few more moments, then again held his hand out to Rebecca and said “Please Rebecca. I must talk to you.” His words were only half heard in the noise, but she could read his lips well enough and see the pleading in his eyes. She fumbled with her seat belt and struggled to her feet when it sprang free. Cooper moved forward, holding onto the seat backs and reaching out for Rebecca’s hand. She kept her hands to herself. She was not going to let him touch her again. She knew the damage that would do to her resolve. She was aching all over as though she had been in some sort of accident, but knew it was a form of mourning for what might have been. She knew the feeling well, and was determined that she would surmount it this time and move on. She just had to get her feet back on the ground, and put some distance between herself and Cooper. This time it would be her choice. The plane cruised through the thin air as though on ice. Not a bump or dip marred it’s course. The air outside was thin and cold, but cloudless as far as the eye could see. The browns and reds of the landscape below unchanged even as the sight disappeared over the far horizon. Rebecca turned her gaze back to Cooper, and her heart lurched. He looked to be so much a part of this land. She could see the blue of the vast sky in the blue of his eyes, the brown of the landscape in the changing browns of his hair and the sun shine in his tanned brown arms. He could as easily talk to the dark skinned people who inhabited the silent regions of his vast property as he could to her, a pale city dweller from one of the biggest cities in the world. She almost sobbed aloud as the injustice of life struck her almost like a blow to her body. She struggled to collect herself. She did not want him, Cooper, to see her insecurities in her eyes. She had to do this. They were not good for each other, that was plainly obvious. They would end up destroying each other if one was forced to concede to the other simply so they could be together. Life had set them on different paths, and they were neither of them capable of changing that course. Or so it seemed.

  Rebecca preceded Cooper into the tiny cabin space, the pilot watching them as they tried to fit in. The biggest problem was Cooper. He just wasn’t built to fit in that cabin. Rebecca sat on the edge of the control console in the centre between the two pilot seats, in a spot that the pilot indicated to her. It was apparently a small surface used as a step - or in this case, a small uncomfortable seat. Cooper squeezed himself into the navigator seat, his knees almost touching Rebecca’s. The pilot adjusted his headphones making sure they were clamped on his head and looked forward, busying himself with a full aircraft instrument check. He knew when discretion was called for. Cooper closed the connecting door and immediately most of the sound stopped, leaving just a slight whooshing sound of the air rushing past the aircraft as it sped eastward. The engines were a long way back now, slung on either side almost under the tail. Both Rebecca and Cooper were looking at their knees, just millimetres apart. Cooper swallowed. He had never felt so helpless in his life as he struggled to find the right words to say to Rebecca, who sat there looking at him with her steady brown eyed gaze, clear now of tears and almost clear of any expression at all. She was not about to make it any easier for Cooper. If there was blame to apportion, she was going to blame Cooper for bringing her to this place. Leading her to trust him, to hold her, to protect her yes, but if she had never set foot on that dusty forsaken place she would never have needed protecting anyway. What hurt her the most though
was that she had trusted him with her deepest feelings, with her very body, with her heart and her body. A heart that she had never opened to anyone, ever, for a very long time. She couldn’t raise her eyes to meet Cooper’s just yet.

  She remained silent, the silence dragging out into minutes. The pilot kept himself busy scribbling notes in his log, and catching up on details he had forgotten he had to record. Finally, Cooper drew a breath and said to Rebecca.

  “I had to get you out of that place. I’m sorry, but your safety is very important to me. You were in danger there.” He paused, and into the pause Rebecca fired back.

  “In danger from you Cooper. From you. No one else.” Her eyes flashed and her chin came up. Her lips were pressed into a thin line. Her heart was thumping in her chest and she was beginning to feel foolish perched on the tiny step of the console. If Cooper wanted to make excuses for his sudden wish to be rid of her now that he had had his way, then at least he could be honest with her. He wanted her off the place and out of his house so he could get on with the renovations and rebuilding, no doubt for the benefit of some local girl he had in mind. Someone who wouldn’t mind living out there on a place that appeared to be less fertile than the surface of the moon.