Jack & Harry (52 page)

It was a surprise to him when Ron Carter said that Jack and Harry had returned to Perth. The policeman explained about how they had ended up in Coober Pedy, that Paddy O'Brien was taking care of things for them and sharing the work of looking after the claims with Reynold and that the boys had returned home to square things off with their parents.

‘You're a lucky man, Bruno,' Carter said. ‘Lucky to have found that gemstone and sold it for a fortune and lucky that you're alive to tell the tale.'

‘I musta thank alla those men who digga me out.'

‘You need to thank the boys more than anyone, Bruno. If it weren't for them you'd be dead, mate.'

‘Howsa that?' He looked puzzled.

‘They were the first to discover the cave-in, Bruno. Harry took off and raised the alarm and got the rescuers out to you. Jack and young Reynold headed back down the shaft despite the danger and started to dig for you with their bare hands until help arrived. Didn't you know that?'

Tears welled up in the Italian's eyes. ‘Those boys they doa that for me?'

‘Yes, mate, they did. By the way, Bruno, I still have a dilly bag here with some Opals in it. I found it in your shed and brought it with me for safekeeping.'

The Italian spread the stones on the sergeant's desk and, selecting the largest one from the pile, he handed it to him ‘To saya thanks.'

‘I can't accept it, Bruno.'

‘Yesa you can. You helpa me out, you take care of the opla for Bruno, its just a littla thank you.'

‘I appreciate the thought, Bruno, but I can't accept a gift like that. What I did was in the line of duty and it'd be against all the rules. You could think about maybe giving a couple to the lads,' he suggested. ‘They deserve it more than anyone.'

‘Yes, I thinka something, yes. Do you know how I get inna touch with them?'

‘I don't, but you can check with Paddy O'Brien. He should know where they are in Perth. I'll run you out now and introduce you to him.'

‘You mind if you bringa him here, Ron? I notta want to look onna da mine ever again.'

The three people in the black Chevrolet were as nervous as each other when they pulled into the Ferguson driveway at Ashmorton. The closer they had got to Jack's street the more concerned Jack and Harry had become about what sort of reaction they would receive from their parents and the anxiety was so infectious that Father O'Malley also had sweaty palms. Harry had insisted that they go to Jack's place first. That way, he figured, the brunt of the reaction would be over by the time they contacted his parents but his plan backfired when they saw Claude Turner's car parked on the roadway in front of the Ferguson house.

Jack sucked in a sharp breath. ‘That's Dad. It's me dad,' he whispered as a figure walked around the side of the house towards them to investigate the visitors, his hand to his eyes, shielding them from the glare of the headlights.

‘Just settle down, lads. Everything will be fine.' The priest spoke with a confidence he didn't feel, ‘let's work to the plan, you stay here for a bit.'

The headlights went out, leaving Jack Ferguson temporarily blinded as his eyes adjusted to the sudden blackness. He saw a dark figure step from the driver's side and come to meet him and wondered who the stranger was, unable to recognise either what appeared to be an older model saloon or the tall stooped figure walking towards him. ‘Hello,' he called, ‘Can I help you?'

‘Mr Ferguson?' A voice asked from the darkness.

‘That's right, who are you?' His eyes began to focus and he recognised the clerical garb of a catholic priest as the man opened the gates to enter his front yard. ‘What do you want?' Jack's tone became challenging and slightly angry at the gall of this man to walk onto his property uninvited.

‘Do you mind if I come in, Mr Ferguson? I'm sorry to turn up unannounced but I have some news about your son, Jack. Good news, sir, I assure you, so please don't be alarmed.' He saw Ferguson flinch.

‘Jack? You've got news about Jack? You better come in then.' Ferguson peered into the darkness past the priest to the car. ‘Have you got someone with you, er … Father?' Jack was unaccustomed to talking to priests.

‘They'll be fine,' the priest said quickly. ‘I'll only take a minute or so of your time.' He walked forward into the yard in case Jack decided to go closer to the car and held out his hand to introduce himself. ‘Timothy O'Malley, Mr Ferguson.'

‘Call me Jack. Come on in then, we've got Claude and Jean Turner here so they'll be interested in any news you have. You see their son disappeared with our boy.'

‘I know, I've got news of Harry also.' He saw Jack Ferguson throw him a sharp puzzled look.

The two boys were trembling as they watched the shadowy scene played out through the windscreen but unable to hear the conversation clearly. They had shrunk down into the seats when they thought that Jack's father was going to come to the car and watched with trepidation as Father O'Malley disappeared from view with him around the corner of the house.

‘Alice, this is Father O' Shan … er … sorry, O' …' Jack had forgotten the priest's name.

‘Timothy O'Malley.' The priest rescued Jack and he was beginning to get control of his fear. ‘Nice to meet you, Mrs Ferguson.' He turned to Claude and Jean ‘You must be Harry's parents, how do you do?' He nodded to Jean and shook hands with Claude who looked at him suspiciously.

Alice stared at the priest blankly. ‘How do you know Jean and Claude?'

‘I don't, Mrs Ferguson, but I know Harry. I know Jack also.'

Alice looked as if she was about to collapse and Jean gasped, her hand to her mouth. The two men stood side by side, staring at the priest silently.

‘Have we met somewhere before? Jack said.'

‘No, I don't believe so.' The priest replied thoughtfully.

‘You do look sorta familiar, Father.' Claude looked at him closely ‘You haven't said where you're from.'

‘I'm the parish priest in Kalgoorlie, been there a number of years now.'

‘My God, that's it!' Claude became animated. ‘Jack, remember? The priest, the old broken down Chevy we push-started and …'

‘Forget the car, Claude.' Alice came to life. ‘What's the news you have, Father, about our boys?'

‘Yes, you say you know Harry?' Jean joined in.

The priest was assailed with questions from the four of them speaking at once so he held up his hands to quieten them. ‘I think you better sit down and I'll explain some things to you. Rest assured though they are in good health …and safe.' He anticipated the next question.

‘So, where in Kalgoorlie are they?' Claude pressed.

‘Let the good Father explain.' Jean put her hand on Claude's arm. ‘Sit down and listen. Please tell us about our boys, Father.'

Father O'Malley explained as briefly as he could that Jack and Harry had been brought to his home by Paddy O'Brien but before he could explain further Alice broke in, ‘Who's Paddy O'Brien?'

‘I know you're anxious to know everything at once but please …' He paused, waiting for their full attention. ‘Let me explain briefly first, then you can ask questions. The lads wanted me to clarify some things to you as they are very concerned about your reaction to what they did by running away from home.'

He waited until he thought they would be quiet enough for him to continue without major interruption, then went on to give them a thumb-nail sketch of the events, watching their eyes become wider and wider and mouths slack open with shock. He told them briefly that the boys had gone from Kalgoorlie, joined a droving team in the Territory and travelled down into South Australia ending up in Coober Pedy where they had been for some months.

‘You mean they're not in Kalgoorlie after all?'

‘No, Alice, I'm afraid they're not. In fact they were only there for a day.'

‘But the letters we received were all postmarked Kalgoorlie. How could …' She shook her head in a daze, ‘I don't understand.'

‘There's an explanation for that.' Father O'Malley felt guilty but decided he would explain that at a later time. ‘The major thing is that both the lads love you very much. They are wonderful young men and would have let you know their whereabouts long before now except they believed they were still wanted by the police until quite recently. The reason I'm here is to break the ice as they were afraid you would be angry with them. I understand if you are but for their sakes please consider what they've been through before you react to them.

Alice burst into tears and sobbed. ‘I don't care what Jack's done, I just want to hold him. I'm not angry, just worried.'

‘Me too.' Jean also started to cry putting her arms around Alice. ‘I couldn't care less where they've been or what they've done, I just want to see my son again.'

The priest looked at the two fathers standing together beside the barbecue. ‘You, Jack? Claude? How do you both feel?'

‘I could have strangled the little buggers, oh … sorry, Father, when they just up and left but that's well past. I'm just glad to know they're safe. There'll be no recriminations. Tell them they can come home and that we love 'em.' Jack Ferguson's voice was thick with emotion.

‘I feel the same as Jack,' Claude said. ‘We searched high and low for them but not to punish them, just to let them know they could come home and that they'd been proved innocent of any crime.'

Alice sniffed, gaining control of her tears. ‘So they're in Coober Pedy, I can't believe it. We were just talking about that area tonight.'

‘Well no,' Father O'Malley said, ‘they're not in Coober Pedy at the moment.'

‘They're not?' Jack Ferguson was exasperated. ‘Where the hell are they then?'

‘Sitting in my car out the front of your house.'

There was stunned silence for some seconds until the news registered and then with shrieks and yells, the four grown adults ran like little children, scrambling over each other, to greet their sons.

Father O'Malley was relegated to an ignored onlooker, standing off to one side as the families were reunited. It was mayhem, tears, laughter, hugs and rowdy conversation. Jack's five brothers and sisters and Harry's siblings ran wild, shouting and tugging at their brothers for attention while the adults plied them with questions. Jack and Harry were overwhelmed with the attention and found it impossible to answer any of the questions completely as, before they could compose a reply, another question was fired at them, so anxious were their families to get all the information immediately.

After the initial uproar the younger children began to lose interest and drift off one by one until only Jack's brother, Tim remained with the adults, a look of sheer adulation on his face. Eventually, the initial shock and reaction waned and quietness fell on the group of seven as Father O'Malley watched, feeling somewhat of an intruder on this very personal moment in the families' lives.

The priest moved closer to the group still all standing around the barbecue and coughed softly to gain attention. ‘Excuse me, I'm sorry to intrude but I best be heading off now and leave you all to catch up on the past few months. I'm sure you've got a lot to talk about.'

‘Oh, I am sorry, Father,' Alice said, her arm around her son's shoulders. ‘We are being rude. Please stay for a while and join us. I'm sure the boys are hungry and you must be too. Jack …' She turned to her husband. ‘Fire the barbecue up so we can get the food cooking.'

‘Yes, you will stay won't you, Father?' Jean pressed ‘I'm sure the boys would like you too.'

‘I don't know how we can ever thank you.' Jack senior walked forward and drew the priest into the group ‘We owe you a lot for bringing our sons back.'

‘I didn't do much more than drive the car, the lads brought themselves back.' Father O'Malley smiled.

‘I think without you goin' in first to break the news, Father, we woulda bolted,' Jack said with a grin. ‘Don't you, Harry?'

‘It was pretty scary, mate, yes. Come on Father, stay for a bit.'

‘Its done my heart good to see you all so happy and I'd love to stay but you need time together alone and I have to get to where I'm staying otherwise they'll think I got lost …or my car broke down. He turned to the boys. ‘Not much chance of that now though thanks to you two.'

Jack looked at his son. ‘How's that, Jack? You do some work on it, you and Harry?'

‘Its nothin', Dad. The old Chevy ran like a clock didn't she, Father?'

‘It did indeed, Jack. Well, I'll be off then, lads.' He turned to the parents. ‘Nice to have met you and I'll have that barbecue again some other day perhaps.'

The two sets of parents watched as their sons went to the priest and couldn't fail to notice the friendly intimacy they shared as they shook hands warmly in farewell.