Dorothy Eden (44 page)

But the blazing sunshine and the strange tormented landscape washed in yellow light soothed her, and her resentment began to dissolve. She walked on, all at once enjoying her loneliness and solitude. She had a desire to lose herself briefly in this impersonal plain, to get out of sight of the cars and people, and have a little time of utter relaxation.

The only sounds were lonely ones, the crackle of the gum leaves in a sudden breeze, the constant harsh cry of the crows, sheep calling intermittently far in the distance. Once she thought she heard her own name called, “Abby! Abby!” but when she looked back she found she was out of sight of the cars. They must have been down that slight hollow behind the dried creek. How odd! She thought she would have been able to see them clearly from a long distance. But there was nothing except a faint puff of dust in the distance.

She stood still, pondering. In spite of the hot sunshine, she shivered faintly. Something of the eeriness of the previous night touched her again. She turned to go back, and at that moment the rifle shot cracked through the stillness.

Instinctively Abby fell flat. She hadn’t been hit. For a moment she thought she had been. She did know that the bullet had come perilously close. The dust had whipped up at her side.

She was almost certain, as she lay rigid, that there had been no kangaroos in sight.

The shot must have been meant for her.

It was a long time before she could bring herself to move. There were no more shots, but suddenly, from a group of gum trees, the uncanny laughter of a flock of kookaburras began. It ran its gamut of harsh squawks and chuckles. It seemed that the whole countryside was laughing at her, lying in the dust, afraid to move.

When at last she stood up, scarcely daring to breathe, nothing at all happened. The kookaburras were silent, the landscape empty.

But not quite empty. Along the dusty ribbon of road, far away, was a car travelling very fast. It could have been anyone, a commercial traveller on his way to Sydney, a farmer on his way to some distant homestead.

Abby’s paralysis of fear left her. She began to run, stumbling now and then, towards the hollow where the cars were.

When she reached the place they had gone. There was only the dead fire still emitting a thin wisp of smoke.

The long, straight road stretched into infinity. Far away there was a clump of tall gums and a high water tower which suggested a homestead. In complete panic Abby wondered if she must make her way there, all the time stalked by an unknown assailant with a gun.

But was he someone she would recognise all too well if they came face to face?

Where were Luke and Milton, Lola and Mary, all of whom carried guns? Why had they gone and left her? Was this something they had concocted late last night over their drinks in the bar? They knew, or at least Lola and Luke knew, how frightened she had been when alone for only a few minutes in the darkening landscape the previous evening. So how could Luke, her husband, who said he loved her, go and leave her?

Abby could no longer think coherently. She only knew that all her premonitions last night about this uncanny and hostile land had turned into this gigantic nightmare. Even in broad daylight the horrible stark eeriness had come back.

What was she to do? Stand forlornly on the roadside waiting for a passing car? And who would be in the car? Another enemy?

Everyone she encountered seemed to be an enemy, the fish-faced man, old Jock lurking suspiciously, the cosy woman with the too bright eyes, even the dressmaker, Miss Court, of the far-off ghostly voice…

And now the Moffatts and Luke, deliberately deserting her… There had been nothing wrong with the engine of Mary’s car. It had been an excuse to keep Luke. Or perhaps an excuse Luke sought… Suddenly Abby was remembering her slip on the cliffs above the Gap, Luke’s grip on her arm, and then his intense distress. But had it been distress—or remorse for something he had planned and not quite achieved?

The cloud of dust in the distance was visible before the car itself. It was travelling at high speed. Abby had a momentary desire to run for cover. She pulled herself together sharply. For since whoever was in this car was coming miles from the opposite direction he could not have been her assailant.

She had to stop the car, from sheer self-preservation. She stood boldly on the roadside and when the car pulled up with a squeal of brakes and she saw Luke at the wheel, her first feeling was one of intense joy and relief.

It didn’t matter in that moment that he might be her enemy. The joy was instinctive and automatic.

It had to be replaced by caution. As Luke opened the door and sprang out the other horrible feeling of suspicion nagged at Abby again.

He was looking so unconcerned, as if nothing had happened. Too unconcerned …

“Sorry we left you, darling. Lola spotted some kangaroos and we followed them for a few miles. But we lost them eventually. Didn’t you hear me call you?”

“I was too far away.”

“Yes, that was the trouble. We’d have lost the roos if we’d waited. Hey, what’s the matter? You look scared stiff. Don’t say you’re nervous of the wide open spaces even in broad daylight.”

Abby heard the incredulity that was almost contempt in his voice. There was a cold knot of misery inside her.

“Wouldn’t you be scared stiff if someone had just tried to kill you?”

“Kill you! Abby! This isn’t true!”

She should have been glad that at least he wasn’t laughing at her. Instead, the shock in his voice showed that he could believe it was true. This seemed to be the worst of all.

“The shot came close enough,” she said stiffly. “It happened over there. From that clump of bushes. Just afterwards the kookaburras made a fuss, as if they’d been disturbed.”

“Must have been someone taking a shot at a rabbit?”

“Do I look like a rabbit?”

He searched her face. The old tormented look was in his eyes. He wasn’t trying to hide it any more.

“Abby, do you swear this is true?”

She held out her hands, palms up, showing the marks of dust.

“I lay flat on the ground for ages. I thought then that whoever it was might think I was dead and go away.”

Luke didn’t speak for a long time. Then he said slowly, “This couldn’t have happened. Never!”

She had never seen his face so stern, so old. She could hardly bear it. She wished that he hadn’t believed her. She knew now that in all the panic and fright she had scarcely believed it herself. No one could really want to kill her!

“Perhaps it wasn’t really me he was shooting at,” she said quickly. “You’ve always said I jump to conclusions. Perhaps there was a rabbit, or even a kangaroo. The country seemed big enough to walk in safely. Then what should we do? Try to find this man? Although he’s probably fifty miles away by now. I saw a car travelling very fast.”

“The explanation would be too slick,” said Luke oddly.

“You mean there isn’t even any point in finding out who it was.”

“I don’t think there’ll be any mystery about that.”

Abby knew that this time she wasn’t jumping to a conclusion, she had logically reached one.

“The fish-faced man!” she breathed. “Then if you knew all the time that he was dangerous why didn’t you warn me? I thought I saw him at the hotel last night,” she added, and knew that this time Luke wouldn’t laugh at her.

“Then for heavens sake, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t think you’d believe me. You’ve never believed anything else I’ve told you.”

“Abby!”

She backed sharply away from him.

“Don’t touch me!”

His hands fell to his sides.

“Abby, you don’t think I—” His face was stiff with shock.

“Then why have you been so odd, so secretive? What
can
I think?” The anger that flamed in her was welcome because it temporarily buried her fear. “I’ve got sick of it, Luke. You might habitually think girls are pretty dumb, but I’m not that dumb. Was I your wife or a tame puppy to run after the Moffatts? You came home at nights, shut in yourself, never telling me anything. You’d talk to Lola, but not to me. I expect you told her your plans, as you probably always have. It was I who was the intruder whom you’d had to be gentlemanly enough to marry. But if you behave like this, deceiving me, putting me in danger, why ever did you think you had to do a little thing like keep a promise to a girl to marry her?”

Luke took her arm roughly.

“Get in the car and shut up. We’re getting out of here as fast as we can. If there’s anyone prowling over there with a gun he’ll be brought to an accounting, I can promise you. And if you, can bear it, if you don’t think that I might have murderous designs on you, we’re driving back to Sydney alone. Lola can go with the others. We can finish our quarrel if you insist on it on the way.”

As she got in the car he went on, “I’ve been unforgiveably and abysmally stupid. You don’t know how a man gets when he follows an obsession. He sees straight ahead and not round any corner. I’ve been missing all the corners. But I do love you, Abby. If I’d had the faintest suspicion that anything like this could have happened to you, I’d never have let you leave England, much less let you do anything as crazy as marrying me. For God’s sake, don’t you believe me?”

“Then stop treating me like a Victorian wife!” Abby exclaimed furiously. “Trust me. Tell me what it is that you’re up to. Tell me, if you can, why Lola has this spell on you.”

“Lola!” he said, in a tone of acute distaste. Then abruptly he put his hand over hers, looking into the distance. “See the dust. They’re coming back to see what’s happened.”

“To find my body!” Abby whispered.

The stony look had left Luke’s face. It was alive with fury and urgency.

“Listen, Abby. Can you behave as if nothing has happened until we get back to Sydney? This is rather important. I’ll explain on the way, if we can get rid of Lola. There isn’t time now. Can you?”

Abby shivered. “I’m not anxious to try convincing Milton that anything has happened. He only listens to himself and his own tragedy.”

“Milton listens to everything, believe me. But can you trust me, Abby?”

The car approaching them was rapidly growing nearer. Abby wanted badly to say ‘Yes’ whole-heartedly. She remembered almost the same words on their wedding night, Luke saying desperately, “Try to understand.” The words had had nothing to do with the act of love, after all. She might have known they hadn’t. Luke had expected her to match him in passion. He hadn’t thought he was making love to a scared mouse of a girl. The words had meant that she was to understand his subsequent strange behaviour.

But if he could let events take place that even led to the point of her life being in danger, it must have been for some desperately important reason.

“Tell me why I should trust you?”

“You remember Andrew?”

“Your brother? Of course. How couldn’t I? Is he in this, too?”

“He was. He’s dead.”

Abby’s lips went dry.

“Oh, Luke! When? You never told me.”

“He died a few months ago. Actually, he was murdered and his body dumped in the Sydney harbor. There’s no time to tell you more now.”

He was looking towards the rapidly approaching car. He had got a grip on himself and was hiding his fury. His profile was hard and austere. Abby knew the look that would be in his eyes, cold, withdrawn, much too old.

“I can go on acting, Luke,” she said quickly. “You’ll see.”

The car came alongside and Lola sprang out. Abby was intensely aware of three pairs of eyes on her, but she didn’t want to jump to any more conclusions. She couldn’t decide whether the eyes held surprise or disappointment, or no particular emotion at all. She was not the only one with the ability to put on an act.

“Hi,” she said. “Sorry you had to come back for me. I walked too far. Luke says you didn’t get any roos, after all.”

“The beggers jumped in the wrong direction,” Milton said. His voice was as usual, flat, without pleasure.

“All that dash for nothing,” said Lola. She looked at Abby. “I hope you weren’t scared when you found we’d gone?”

“Scared!” said Abby. “In broad daylight! Whatever could happen to me?”

“You didn’t care much for it last night.”

“That was different. It was dark and uncanny. But if I could go for a walk alone, I wasn’t scared, was I? Luke knew that.”

Luke put his head out.

“It’s getting late, Milton. Time we were making for home. Abby and I will lead the way this time.” He started the engine and released the gears.

“Hey, wait for me!” said Lola.

Luke grinned. “Thought you might like to ride with Mary and Milton. I want to show Abby some of the views from the Blue Mountains. It’ll bore you.”

Milton had opened the door of his car. His face looked pale and bad-tempered.

“Sorry, Luke, there isn’t really room in here for a third. My back’s aching like the devil. I’ve got to stretch out.”

“Anyway,” said Lola, smiling, her golden eyes looking directly at Luke, “I intend to sleep. You two lovebirds can prattle as much as you like.”

She got in without further invitation. Milton called, “Don’t lose us, Luke. I’m still not too happy about the way this engine’s behaving.”

“Then you’d better lead after all,” said Luke. “I’ll tail you. Abby and I can do the Blue Mountain trip another time. Sorry, darling.”

Abby knew that he was apologizing for having to keep her in the dark for a few more hours. She couldn’t look at him, acknowledging her understanding, for Lola in the back would be watching them ceaselessly in the driving-mirror.

Now Lola added her careless apology. “Sorry, kids. But Milt’s in such a temper I couldn’t stick three hundred miles of it. Poor Mary. But after all, she is his wife, and it’s her job. Abby, you look worn out. Doesn’t she, Luke? The color of paper. You must have walked too far. Or did you run into a dinosaur?”

“It wouldn’t have surprised me if I had,” Abby answered lightly. “I’m becoming fascinated with this country. I believe I’ll even become an addict.”

More double talk. It was to comfort Luke and assure him that now she was all right. But Lola had interpreted her words in some other way.