Frog Whistle Mine (12 page)

Midnight came and went, but Tony Hogan-White didn’t know. He was well asleep by then.

The revellers in the lounge did the usual things. Jamie led the singing of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ just before twelve and then they counted down the seconds to the New Year. When the clock ticked to midnight there was much hugging and kissing and goodwill to everyone.

From then on the party wound down with people slipping away to bed. Finally there was only Jamie, Nick and Lofty. Every now and then Lofty would look at his watch, hoping the two men would get the message and go. He started collecting bottles and glasses from the tables.

‘Well, Nick,’ said Jamie. ‘Let’s hope this year brings better things than the last.’

‘It will not.’

‘Come on, man, cheer up. It’s a new year. And I feel it’s goin’ to be a good one.’

Nick was sick of the man’s continual smiling. He wanted to knock that smile off his face, once and for all. ‘It will not be. Not for you.’

Duggan looked up sharply. ‘What makes you say that?’

‘I know about the Frenchwoman, Duggan.’

For a few seconds all that could be heard was the clock ticking. ‘And what is it you think you know?’

‘I have found her backpack.’

The clock ticked for longer this time. ‘Aye,’ said Duggan with a weary sigh, staring at his empty glass. ‘Then maybe you’re right. It’s not goin’ to be a very good year.’ He looked up. ‘When’re you going to do somethin’ aboot it?’

‘Today.’

Duggan nodded. ‘Then I’d better show you where she is. So you can tell them everythin’.’

‘You are going to show me where her body is?’

‘Aye. It will save the police a lot of work. To be honest, I’m sick of the whole thing. I’ve lived in fear fer five years. I want it over and done with.’

‘Where is she?’

‘In the mine. Come on, I’ll show you.’

When Nick got off the stool, he almost fell over. He shook his head a couple of times and then headed unsteadily towards the door.

‘You OK, Nick?’ asked Duggan.

‘Yeah. I will be OK when I get some fresh air. Look, if we are going into the mine I will go and get my jacket.’

‘Tha’s a good idea. You might need it. I’ll meet you at the entrance.’

They marched in silence, with Duggan and his torch leading the way. Nick was having trouble keeping up. His head wasn’t too clear and he kept tripping over. But he wasn’t going to ask the Scotsman to slow down, so he staggered on as best he could.

When it was plain they were going all the way to the wagon, Nick asked, ‘Is she in with the uranium?’

‘Nay, lad. I thought aboot doin’ tha’, but Fred keeps takin’ people in there, and sooner or later someone would start diggin’. She’s down where the stream is.’

Duggan seemed to have no problems climbing down into the pit. You would have thought he hadn’t had a drop to drink all night. Nick did not find it so easy, slipping and sliding most of the way, yet reaching the bottom with only a few cuts to his arms.

‘She’s in there,’ said Duggan, pointing to the gap where the stream flowed from the pit.

‘In there?’

‘Aye. Tucked around the corner. You’ll have to go right in to see.’

Something was troubling Nick. This didn’t seem right. Yet his fuzzy mind couldn’t fix on anything. He moved towards the gap, stooping to peer into the hole. He didn’t see Duggan approach from behind, but he did feel the pain of the torch smashing into the back of his neck. After that, for just a moment he sensed that he was falling, and then everything went black.

Christine focused on the red glow of the digital alarm clock—3 a.m., and still she hadn’t slept. For seven hours she had lain on the bed fully clothed. Right up until midnight she had considered going to the party. Twice she had decided yes; once even getting halfway to the lounge before her pig-headed pride made her turn back.

Now, that it was too late for the party, she wanted to be with Nick more than anything. Perhaps he was still awake? Maybe he was worrying about the argument as much as she was? Suddenly she sat up. ‘Do it,’ she ordered herself. ‘Do it now, or you’ll never forgive yourself.’

All signs of partying had gone: the lounge and the chalets she passed were dark and silent except for the faint sounds of deep sleep. Nick and Rose shared a pair of chalets that were designed for extra staff should they ever be needed. Neither chalet showed any signs of life. Her first nervous tap on the door of Nick’s chalet brought no response. She tried a bit louder. Still nothing. The third time she called his name.

A curtain was pulled back and Rose’s face appeared out the window from the room next-door. ‘He’s not in.’

‘Oh.’ Christine felt a stab of disappointment.

‘He never came back from the party.’

Now she felt anxiety. ‘How do you know?’

‘I would have heard him come in. You can check if you like. He never locks the door.’

Christine turned the handle and pushed the door open, as if expecting something to leap out at her. ‘Nick?’ she called. ‘Are you there?’

No answer. She turned on the light and stepped inside, feeling like she was an intruder. The room was a surprise. It was exactly the same layout as hers, yet it could not have been more different. This one was neat. It was the neatest man’s room she had ever seen. Not a thing was out of place: dirty clothes were in a basket, the bed was made, even the toiletries on the dresser were arranged in order of height. It made her realise how little she knew about the man, and how much she wanted to know more—a whole lot more.

‘See, I told you so.’ It was Rose in her nightie. ‘He never came home.’ This was said as if it was Christine’s fault.

‘Do you know where he might have gone?’

‘He wasn’t with another woman, if that’s what you’re thinking.’

Christine couldn’t help but smile—she had never even considered it.

‘Last I saw, he was drowning his sorrows with Jamie Duggan. He kept on looking at the door hoping for you to come. But you didn’t, did you?’ Rose accused. ‘You should have. That’s what he wanted.’

Christine nodded slowly. Yes, she definitely should have.

‘Lofty might know where he is,’ Rose continued. ‘He was still at the bar when I left.’

‘I’ll leave it to morning,’ said Christine sadly.

‘He loves you, you know,’ said Rose.

Again Christine nodded. Over the past seven hours she had come to that conclusion. She had also discovered that she felt the same way too.

Not long after Christine returned to bed, Tony woke with the sense that something was wrong. He lay thinking of what it might be. Perhaps it was just something in a dream? He knew he’d been dreaming of Nick and Christine, but he couldn’t pin down the details, even though it had not been an unpleasant dream.

He continued thinking of the pair, and what the future held for them. He decided that he had to intervene. It would be too risky waiting for them to make up by themselves. When it was light, he was going to find his mother and give her a talking to. He wasn’t going to let a stupid argument wreck the good things that were happening here in Charleston. It was time for some tough love between son and parent. He knew she would never find another man as good as Nick.

With that decision made, he rolled over, hoping to sleep some more. It was then that he realised what had woken him: the frogs were silent. Normally they would be singing every time he woke. He chuckled to himself. ‘Maybe they partied too much last night, and had to knock off early.’ Again he chuckled, before snuggling down and drifting back to sleep.

Christine was relieved when daylight finally came: it had been a horrible night. There had been lots of bad nights in the past, but nothing to compare with this. Since returning to her chalet she had slept off and on, with her thoughts and dreams merging until it was hard to know which was which.

Her first stop was Nick’s chalet to see if he had returned. There was no reply to her knocking, and a peep inside revealed that nothing had changed since her earlier visit. Rose poked her head out the window and confirmed that he had not returned.

Christine moved to the common room where she found Lofty and Betty in the kitchen.

‘Hello, dear,’ greeted Betty. ‘How are you feeling?’

Christine welcomed the look of concern on the woman’s face. ‘I feel stupid. Stupid and lonely. I had an argument with Nick.’

‘I think the whole lodge knows that, dear. Nick was a very unhappy man last night.’

‘He’s not in his room. Do you know where he is?’

Lofty replied, ‘I think he went off to Jamie’s house. I wanted to close the bar, so the pair of them went off together. I assume to do some more drinking.’

Betty said, ‘Jamie’s just gone off to Cathedral Rock. Nick might have been with him. I’m not sure.’

Christine looked puzzled. ‘Cathedral Rock?’

‘Yeah. Jamie always goes to Cathedral Rock first thing on New Year’s Day. It’s his wife’s birthday. I gather he spends some time thinking about her.’

Christine looked at the mess in the lounge. ‘Do you mind if I clean up later?’

‘That’s OK, dear. You go and find Nick. Then we’ll all be a lot happier.’

Christine knew the way to Cathedral Rock, even though she had never been there. She walked with her head down, unaware of her surroundings, thinking about what she would say to Nick when she found him. She wanted to get it right—this could be the most important moment in her life. Her future and Tony’s could depend on it. She hoped Tony never found out about the argument and how she had let him down. It was always the same—just when things were starting to work out, she would blow it. Well, this time she would swallow her pride and try to fix things.

As she moved out of the flax avenue, she became aware of the surroundings. She was at the top of a rocky outcrop with a fantastic view along the coastline. Jamie Duggan was standing close to the edge, gazing out to sea. There was no sign of Nick.

Christine stopped and watched the man in his reverie.
She knew he was thinking of his dead wife. The sea was uniting him with that island, deep in the Pacific, where his wife lay in peace. Yet Christine could see that Jamie Duggan was not enjoying a similar peace. His body was tense, with his arms locked to his sides. This was a man with problems.

She hung back. This was no time to disturb him. Maybe she should look for Nick elsewhere. He’d probably be down taking readings, wondering why the earthquake hadn’t come. The thought of the earthquake made her spirits sink. It was not just the memory of the argument, it was also a fear of what might happen when it came.

Rose was still adjusting her clothes as she hurried towards the kitchen. She had to catch up with Christine. Things were happening and she just had to be there. Not just to get the goss. She really wanted Christine and Nick to make up. They were the perfect couple. They had to be together, and maybe she could make it happen.

Betty did a double-take when she entered the kitchen. ‘Hello, you’re up early. Scared you’re going to miss out on something?’

‘Hi, Grandma. I was looking for Christine.’

‘Oh, were you. And I suppose you know she’s looking for Nick?’

Rose smiled and nodded.

‘She went to Cathedral Rock which is where I saw
Jamie going, and where I assumed Nick might also be.’

‘I’ll go and see if they’re all right.’

Betty gave her a sideways look. ‘OK. But don’t be a nuisance, Rose. If they have found each other, I don’t think they’ll want you hanging around spying.’

Rose moved towards the door.

‘And be careful on Cathedral Rock,’ Betty called after her. ‘It’s not safe up there.’

Rose waved an impatient ‘yes’ and scampered off. She didn’t need reminding that it was a dangerous place. She had been up there only once and had hated it. Then she smiled to herself. Back then she had hated the whole place. Now, with Tony around, she was beginning to think like him—it was exciting.

The thought of Tony gave her a twinge of regret. Their argument last night had been just plain stupid. ‘You can be a real pain at times, Rose Birch,’ she told herself. ‘Why would you want to pick a fight with Tony? You know you fancy him. Now you’re going to have to do something really nice to make it up.’

As she took the turning to Cathedral Rock, her thoughts were broken by sounds coming from Doctor Bay. The seals were roaring loudly. Something was really upsetting them. Good, she thought. Those are one thing around here I will never get to like. Horrible smelly things.

She saw Christine first, tucked away in the shadow of a flax bush. The woman raised a finger to her lips and pointed towards the cliff. There was Jamie Duggan, staring out to sea.

‘What’s he doing?’ whispered Rose.

‘Thinking about his wife. It’s her birthday.’

Rose looked at him. She could see the tension in his body. ‘Do you think he’s going to do something?’

‘I hope not, but I thought I better stay around, just in case.’

Somehow he must have sensed their presence, for he turned. Tears were streaming down his cheeks.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Christine moving forward until she was beside the man. ‘I didn’t mean to disturb you.’ Rose followed, yet she stayed a little behind. She couldn’t go that close to the edge—it was terrifying.

‘It’s all right, lassie,’ said Duggan. ‘I was thinkin’ of my Ema. I always visit her on this day. I think about the year just past and what she has missed. Whether she would have enjoyed it or not.’ His voice was taut with emotion.

‘And would she have enjoyed it?’

‘Nay. Not too much of it.’

‘Then you should think of the things she would have liked.’

‘The problem is she wouldna ha’ liked me.’

There was silence for a time before he continued. ‘I was thinkin’ aboot that when I felt you behind me. I was wonderin’ what she would have thought of me now. And I doona think she would have liked the man I have become.’ Again he was silent. The only sound was the waves washing onto the rocks far below.

‘You see, Ema thought I was all good, and maybe I was back then. But noo there’s a bitter streak in me that she
wouldna like. I doona like it myself.’ Another long pause. ‘I’ve been askin’ her to forgive me.’

Rose felt her eyes water. Despite her dislike for the man, she felt sorry for him. She could see that Christine was affected too.

Duggan wiped his face with his hand. ‘But I’m sure you both didna come all the way up here to listen to my problems. I gather you’re lookin’ for Nick.’

Christine nodded.

‘Tha’s what I thought.’

Christine asked. ‘Do you know where he’s gone?’

‘Aye, I do tha’. I know where—’ He stopped and turned away; his attention caught by something out at sea. ‘Good heavens, will you look at tha’.’

Rose followed his gaze. Not far offshore a group of seals were speeding through the water. They seemed to be in a panic, trying to get away from the coast. Rose thought of the noise she had heard from Doctor Bay. Maybe these were the same ones. Whatever the problem, they sure wanted to get away from the place. That was good, she thought. Charleston was much better off without the stinky things.