The Innimincka Affair

by Robert Chalmers

  “At least be honest with me Cooper.” Rebecca was short of breath she was that tense, and her words sounded less than pleasant, but she was beyond caring.

  “You want me off the place and out of your house. Indeed, you want me on the other side of the world as far away as you can place me in as short a time as possible, and it’s nothing to do with New World, but everything to do with you and what you want.” Rebecca caught her breath in a sobbing hiccup as she tried to steady herself. She was on the verge of shouting. She felt like screaming at him in frustration and hurt.

  “I… I…” Words failed her and she suddenly stood up and fought past him and out of the cabin, back to her seat where she strapped herself in and looked out of the window, not seeing a thing. Her chest was heaving as she tried to breath deeply to calm herself. She was as much shocked at her own feelings as anything else. She had not been so close to losing her self control ever. Not even when Jake - there. She had used his name. Not even when she had been told he had been killed in action. Then, that time, she had simply stood there looking at her father as though he had suddenly started speaking Chinese. His words after that first statement had simply flowed through her. Her mother’s tears had looked like stars glistening on her cheeks, but Rebecca had simply - withdrawn. She had surfaced some weeks later and got on with her life as though nothing had happened. People stepped around her, and no one mentioned her state of being ever.

  In courtrooms her cool was legendary. Many of the grey haired older lawyers and the hot-shots up and coming had tried to break her cool and failed in their attempts. Now here she was trying to control herself because of this man. She looked at her hands, and her fingers were shaking. She clutched her hands in her lap.

  Cooper sat immobilised in the small cabin. He wanted to tell her he loved her and that she could ask him to do anything at all in the world and he would make it his life’s mission to try to do it. He wanted to tell her he loved her beyond reason. He wanted to tell her he didn’t fully understand himself why he had made the sudden decision to get her off the property and essentially out of his life. He knew the house was a broken down relic of the grand home he had been born into thirty odd years before. The whole property in truth should have been abandoned years ago. He knew that now, but didn’t know how to explain to Rebecca that he now saw his own home as others must see it. He would spend what it took to fix it, and make it all new and grand again, but when he looked out to the far horizon, he realised with some shock that it would make no difference. None at all. Rebecca would not be there and he would be. Same empty shell of a man in the same empty shell of a house. Flies and thirsty cattle for company. He knew then what he had to do.

  He looked back into the cabin to see Rebeca with her head resting on the headrest, her eyes shut and her head slightly turned to one side. She appeared to be sleeping.

  Cooper reached over and tapped the pilots shoulder and indicated he would be climbing into the co-pilot seat. The pilot, Stephen, removed his headphones and lifted some charts off the seat so that Cooper could get into the seat.

  “Stephen, can we get clearance to go direct to Brisbane Domestic Airport?” Cooper asked.

  The pilot raised his eyebrows.

  “Hmm. Maybe. I’m not sure Cooper. Our flight clearances are in and out of Toowoomba only.”

  “Call them up, ask for the supervisor, and the Australian federal police supervisor to be ready when you call back.” Cooper set his jaw, and determined to make sure he got to Brisbane without delay.

  “Tell them I have word on Agent Mitterrand and Captain Fielding.” He watched as the pilot Stephen called up Brisbane control and relayed the message. Cooper couldn’t believe it when Brisbane called back within minutes. The pilot put the speaker on, bypassing the headphones.

  “Brisbane control to aircraft QA142 from …” The voice hesitated. “Central western Queensland. Please state your business.”

  “Brisbane,” Cooper replied. “Do you have the AFP there, the Australian Federal Police? Or military?”

  “Yes. Both.” Came the terse reply.

  “Good. Brisbane, I’m requesting permission to come directly into Brisbane Domestic, bypassing Toowoomba. I have a passenger on board who has to be returned to the UK on the first available flight. We should be in Brisbane in about sixty minutes if permission is granted. If you have contact with either of the men previously mentioned, tell them that the delicate cargo that they encountered recently with the man Cooper is the … cargo… in question.” Cooper released the button and waited. The aeroplane whispered on into the gathering gloom below them. The day was drawing in down there. The early lights of Toowoomba could be seen in the haze away out on the horizon now.

  Cooper picked up the mic again.

  “Brisbane. We are approaching decision time.” Cooper didn’t want to give anything away on an open air channel. He was learning fast that the people of New World had resources beyond his comprehension, and as well the local Royal Australian Air Force base would be on their flight path if they proceeded to Brisbane. He didn’t want to overfly that place uninvited. Indeed, he was probably on their radar even now.

  Brisbane would know what he meant. The minutes ticked away. Stephen looked across at him and pointed to the airspeed indicator and the fuel gauge.

  “Brisbane is do-able Cooper. But there will be nothing spare for waiting up here. We go on or land in five minutes.”

  Cooper nodded and watched the clock on the console. With one minute left and the red second hand looking like a dagger in the lights of the console, the radio crackled into life.

  “QA142, cleared to land. Runway 4. Do not taxi. Land and hold. Acknowledge.” The speaker gave a squawk of static as though clearing its throat.

  Cooper grabbed the mic. “Acknowledge Brisbane. Runway 4. Land and hold.” He let out a breath.

  The speaker squawked into life again.

  “QA142. Cargo is cleared for departure eleven fifty nine pm. Formalities handled this end.”

  Cooper breathed a sigh of relief. Just in time. He nodded to Stephen and gave a grim smile.

  “You ok to handle this Stephen?” He asked.

  “No worries boss.” Said Stephen with a grin. “Do it every day.” Cooper very much doubted it. Within a few minutes the pilot was engrossed in checking his on board radar, answering the radio calls coming in, and the headphones now firmly back in place. He was entering the very busy airspace of a domestic airport, as well as it’s accompanying international air port, and the air force airbase now just to their right. His attention would be wholly on the job at hand.

  Chapter 12

  Cooper carefully eased himself back out of the cabin and took his place in his seat in the body of the plane, across the aisle from Rebecca. He looked at her and saw that she was still asleep. Good. No more shocks for her until they landed. With only a few hours to wait after that, she would be on her way. Cleared on tonight’s flight direct to London’s Heathrow. He was determined to stay with her whether she liked it or not, until she stepped onto the actual aircraft taking her home.

  “Home.” He said aloud. Rebecca stirred. She couldn’t have heard him, though he had spoken aloud. Perhaps he had spoken a little louder than he intended, the noise in this part of the aircraft played tricks on the ears. Rebecca’s eyes were open and she was looking at Cooper. Just looking. He felt slightly uneasy. He decided to brave it.

  “Rebecca, we are flying directly into Brisbane. We land in a few minutes. From there you will be taken directly to the International terminal, to catch tonight’s flight to Heathrow. You will be home tomorrow.” Cooper smiled with what he hoped was a friendly confident smile, but felt to him like a sickly grimace. He didn’t feel confident at all. In fact, he was feeling decidedly uneasy at the suddenly impending departure of Rebecca.

  “What did you say?” Asked Rebecca. “Did I hear you correctly? Brisbane. In a few minutes?” Her voice rose an octave. “On my way tonight?” She drew a breath. Then added. “I can�
��t wait.” Her tone not indicating any such thing at all.

  The small jet began its descent into Brisbane, the lights of the city sweeping beneath it then disappearing into blackness as the plane swept out over the bay next to the airport itself, and they began the sweep around to come in from the north, and land on the runway assigned to them, one used mostly for cargo planes and maintenance purposes. Well to one side of the huge international runways. As Rebecca looked out of the window she could see a massive Air India jumbo coming down almost beside them, it’s landing gear hanging down like the claws of some gigantic bird of prey. They dropped onto the tarmac and rolled to a stop. The plane rocked slightly and stayed where it was. Rebecca looked at Cooper, her eyebrows raised.

  “We were told to roll to a stop and hold.” He said by way of explanation. He got to his feet and went to the cabin again, and looked out of the windscreen. He patted the pilot on the shoulder in thanks. Speeding toward them on a service road was a collection of cars with lights flashing on them in multiple colours. The aircraft was surrounded in seconds, and the pilot having already dropped the entrance steps, the first person through the door into the cabin was Agent Mitterrand. He bounced to a stop just inside the door like a long lost friend, a smile of welcome on his face and with a boisterous shout welcomed them to Brisbane.

  "My friends! Welcome. So glad to see you again. You won't believe my news. Rebecca, Cooper. What an amazing 24 hours. I am a little surprised to see you both here so soon. I had thought that maybe..." Here he stopped and looked from one to the other. "Hmmm, apparently not. I'm not often wrong you know." He looked rather sternly at them, his mouth set in a thin line. "We'll see." Neither Rebecca nor Cooper had any idea what he was getting at.

  "Come, come, we can't sit here all night. The airport people are having fits as it is. Travelling light, I see. Good. Let's go." He turned back to the door, then said over his shoulder. "Your pilot, Stephen? He can park the plane for the night, these people will help him out and so on. You won't be going back with him. Either of you." With that he rattled back down the steps and walked briskly to the ubiquitous HUMV, black of course. Rebecca looked at Cooper. She couldn't help smiling.

  "Is that the same person we met out at the station?" She said. "I find it difficult to believe."

  Cooper scratched his chin with a finger, in what was now a familiar gesture to Rebecca.

  "I guess so. Although I have a feeling all this bonhomie may be a show for someone. Can't imagine who though." They made their way down the steps, a little nervous when they saw the heavily armed team waiting by the vehicles. Rebecca couldn't help taking hold of Coopers arm with a nervous grip and walking as close as she could to him. His very bulk was reassuring, the darkness and glittering lights all about with a cool wind keening across the open spaces was a scene that generated its own tension. She literally clung to him with both arms as the gigantic shape of a jumbo jet roared past them only seemingly yards away, it's engines howling like banshees from hell, with a bone shaking rattling roar of machinery at maximum strain shaking the ground beneath their feet. Cooper looked at the dark shape hurtling past them and gripped Rebecca with his arm around her waist.

  She was so tiny! He still wondered at her frailty. He held on to her in case she was blown away by stray jet wash. How on earth could he let her go? The jumbo lifted away further along the runway and the engines changed pitch as it picked up speed now that it was loosed from the ground. The undercarriage was coming up when they lost sight of it in the darkness. They hadn't taken a dozen steps when another huge aircraft was screaming toward them on its take off run. It was time to get out of here. What ever was in store for them had to be better than this. This was cold, noisy, and definitely terrifying.

  Cooper ushered Rebecca into the open door of the squat vehicle and climbed in beside her. He was not going to let them separate him from Rebecca. Something was happening, and he was going to protect her whether she wanted his protection or not. Once settled, the Hummer rolled off onto a side road and the whole convoy made directly for a huge gate in the perimeter fence. The gate rolled open enough for the vehicles to barrel through and closed behind them immediately. The Hummer that they were in was midway in the convoy of about a dozen, and they peeled out across the road with lights flashing and sirens screaming into the night forcing all other cars onto the grassy verge that filled the wide spaces along the airport approach roads. They were circling back around to get to the front entrance of the International Terminal, it being impossible even for them to cross the busy runways. They came to a stop in a flurry of vehicles, with cab drivers and bus drivers waving their arms and shouting. It all went quiet though when the armoured Special Services men piled out of the Hummers and stood facing the crowd of irate civilians in a semi-circle out from the vehicle that Rebecca and Cooper occupied. Special Agent Mitterrand opened the door for Cooper, a faint smile playing about his mouth.

  "No good having the power if you can't abuse it now and then?" He said in a half question. "You shouldn't have too much trouble at check-in.” All eyes were on Rebecca and Cooper as they walked rather timidly into the departure concourse. Agent Mitterrand showed them to the VIP departure area, and into the quietness of this supposedly exclusive lounge. He wasted no time, because the flight to London was imminent, and he knew he had a mission to complete.

  "Cooper," he said. "I want you in London with Rebecca. On tonight's flight. Can do?" He didn't sound like he would take no for an answer.

  Cooper was startled, it was the last thing he had expected to hear. It made no sense, and in any case he had business to attend to here.

  "Nope, sorry. No can do." Cooper replied immediately. "In fact I want the work aircraft turned around immediately, so we can fly back to Innamincka. So I can fly back to Innamincka. Rebecca of course is going home." He held up a hand. "No good arguing about it. That's the way it is." The agent looked at Cooper long and silently. His face was not a happy face thought Cooper. Too bad. He had things to do and he could see no point in his going to London with Rebecca. She probably wouldn't want him to anyway. He looked at her and could not read her face at all. She was just standing there watching the exchange between him and Mitterrand, her face giving nothing away.

  "Listen to me Cooper. This is not a request. I..."Agent Mitterrand started to say, but Cooper again interrupted.

  "Last time I looked, this was a free country. That means that I can - and will, return to my own home, on the plane that I chartered myself. What ever your problem is, it's none of my business and so you can work it out yourself. If Rebecca needs help back in London, her friends in MI5 will I have no doubt, provide such help." Cooper reached out a hand to Rebecca to shake her hand.

  "A hand shake Cooper?" She asked in surprise. "We are going to part on a handshake?" Her expression was almost still a mask, but Cooper could see the beginning of tears in the corner of her eyes. Cooper turned his back on the agent, and stepped up close to Rebecca, taking her in his arms. He was instantly transported into a world of light as he felt the heat radiating from Rebecca like a tidal wave. He hadn't been prepared for such a reaction and it stunned him. His arms tightened around her as he looked down into her eyes. Oh this had been such a mistake. He should never have touched her. The feel of her in his arms jolted him to the core. Her eyes were like drowning pools, and he felt as though he was being drawn down into their depths. Her lips seemed an impossible distance away from his, and without thinking he lowered his head and touched her lips with his. He knew in that instance that Rebecca felt as he did. Was as surprised as he was. Her breath was hot on his face as he drew his face back slightly and she sighed softly

  "Oh Cooper." He clenched her small body to his and whispered in her ear,

  "I will see you in London... my dearest. I will. But I have to finish things here. I can't just walk away, I... I love you Rebecca Boucher." With that he gently released her and stepped back. His head was swimming. He had not meant to say anything like that. He was going to be firm
but polite and bid her farewell as a good friend. They had only known each other a short time after all. Now? Now he had fired up his emotions again, and from the look on Rebecca's face, hers as well. Rebecca left her hands trailing down his arms, until finally she held his hands in hers. She looked steadily at him, oblivious to everyone else.

  "I love you too." She said simply, a faint smile on her lips. She dropped his hands and turned to go through the lounge to the departure area. She didn't need the others to escort her from here. She knew the way, and had her passport in her hand, and her carry on bag on her shoulder. Her suitcase had already been taken through directly from the VIP lounge boarding controls. She didn't look back, as Cooper stood there watching her walk out of his life. Her back was straight, her shoulders back and head held high. The picture of cool self assurance, in her dark skirt and pale blouse, her shoulder length hair shining from the lights of the lounge. Agent Mitterrand and his assistants seemed a little confused as to what to do. This was not going the way he had planned. Not at all.

  "Cooper," he said. "Rebecca could be in trouble back there. She has upset those people by not completing her brief. They may try to harm her." He spread his hands.

  "Agent Mitterrand, I am sure Rebecca's friends in London can look after her. Now they know the type of people she has come across, they will be at pains to watch out for them. Me being there will only cause unnecessary confusion. In any case, as I told you. I have things that need attending to here. I am about to wind up my interests in Innamincka. It may even be handed back to the traditional owners, and from that point on it's up to them. I would not like to be in the shoes of anyone from New World trying to intrude on their land." Cooper folded his arms across his chest. A pretty bold body language statement if he'd ever seen one he thought.