Queen of the Road (11 page)

A few days later, Coop got out of the ute and cast his eyes over the mob of sheep. He’d taken to checking the ewes every day since he’d moved them closer to the house. Apart from the fact that they were so close to lambing now, he was worried he’d lose some more. But his rough count remained the same. He studied them for signs of change, but they all looked calm and content. No lambs yet.

He hadn’t told anyone about the missing sheep. He’d recorded it in the weekly diary Alice kept, but other than that, he didn’t know what else to do. It was a difficult situation. There were no dead sheep in the paddock. The fence he’d repaired had kangaroo fur stuck to the wire, but no sign of wool. He’d checked up and down the road – there were no droppings or prints, nothing to indicate an escape. And if, by some slim chance, the sheep had got out that way, he was sure Barry Barnes would have found them and let him know.

Alice had an even stronger and higher fence running along the reserve at the back. It was meant to discourage the native animals
from crossing over to her property, which didn’t exactly deter the kangaroos, but it certainly meant the sheep couldn’t get through it the other way.

That just left the Camerons’ property on the other side. The fence between the two farms was fine, though, so there was no reason to think the sheep had gone that way. Coop had driven the rest of Alice’s property, giving Jilly a huge run, but the missing sheep weren’t to be found. They’d completely vanished.

He couldn’t discuss it with Alice. Not yet. After his first phone call, he hadn’t rung again. There was no point. She wasn’t up to thinking about farm work and it pained him to hear her sound so disoriented. Mary had called last night. She was worried. Alice’s progress was slow and she was still in hospital.

Coop looked back at the sheep. Alice was pinning her hopes on their unborn lambs. He prayed she’d be back soon to see the results of her investment. Jilly gave a soft whine at his feet.

‘I know, girl. We’ve got work to do. Come on.’

The dog was back at the ute and up on the tray before Coop had moved more than a few paces. He was going to pick up the tank from the depot this afternoon. If he timed it right, Angela might even be there. Since their picnic last Sunday, she’d been constantly on his mind. There was plenty to keep him busy but as soon as he paused, an image of her smile or the flow of her hair over her shoulders or the warmth of her bubbling laugh would creep into his mind. By now, he thought, she should be back from her second trip of the week.

***

Angela paced up and down the Adelaide depot, her mobile pressed to her ear.

‘I can’t believe they changed their minds. We started the week with enough for three trips and now I’ve barely got enough freight
to make up two. And if it wasn’t for this last minute tank, I’d only have half a load to take back in the morning.’

She stopped and listened to her father’s soothing tones on the other end of the line. That was the transport business, he said, people changed their minds. But she had a feel for the Munirilla end of her journey, an understanding her father couldn’t possibly possess. Most people were excited to have a regular transport delivery and would do anything to keep it. Losing freight at the last minute wasn’t only bad for business, it was downright strange.

Frank from the supermarket had almost worshipped her first delivery and had intimated how happy he’d be for her to continue the run. Yet now she was missing part of his load, with only one small refrigerated container for her to take. No matter what her father said, she was annoyed.

‘I should be back in Munirilla already,’ she fumed, ‘not waiting for this tank. It’ll be too late to leave tonight. And the depot’s all industrial – we’re miles from anywhere. I’ll have to unhitch the truck and get takeaway again.’

Her father kept with his low, placating tone. Angela started pacing alongside her truck again, throwing a glance in the direction of the depot where Claudia was entertaining Shell, the woman who ran it. They hadn’t come prepared for an extra night in Adelaide. Not that you could call this being
in
Adelaide. She scanned the busy arterial road beyond the gate – the late-afternoon traffic whizzed by. She jabbed at one of the wheels with the toe of her boot.

‘There’s another problem,’ she said. ‘Shell says Big Red is due for a service.’

‘How is that a problem?’

‘It has to be done here, and with the unpredictability of freight I don’t know when I’m going to be here or how much time I’ll have.’ Angela could feel the agitation churning inside her.

‘You have to make time, Angel. Nothing is more important than your safety. I don’t want you to cut corners on truck maintenance. The freight will sort itself out.’

Angela continued to walk up and down the length of the truck, not really listening to her father’s words until an enquiry about Claudia brought her back.

‘Claudia’s fine,’ she responded. ‘She’s taken to life on the road like a duck to water. There’s no reason to send her back to Melbourne.’

‘Mummy?’

Angela turned to see Claudia standing beside her. Beyond her, at the office, Shell had her bag over her arm and was locking the door.

‘I’ve got to go, Dad,’ Angela said. ‘I’ll be in touch when this is all sorted.’ She shoved her phone in her pocket. ‘What’s going on?’ she asked Shell.

‘I’m finished for the day. I’ve just had a call from the delivery people. The tank should be here within the hour. Terry will help you load and then he’ll lock up. Nothing more I can do now.’ She gave a half-smile and hurried off to her car.

Angela scanned the depot for Terry, the general yard hand. He was nowhere to be seen. There was something about that man that made her skin creep. He was sneaky, the kind of guy who always had to be searched out whenever there was work to be done.

‘Mummy, are we going to sleep in Big Red again tonight?’ Claudia asked.

‘I think so, pumpkin,’ Angela said as she watched Shell drive away.

‘Aren’t we going back to Money Real?’

‘Tomorrow.’

‘Aww!’ Claudia wailed. ‘I want to go to Leanne’s. She said we could make fairy cakes.’

‘I’m sure she’ll make cakes with you another day.’

‘Awwww!’ Claudia stomped away to the side of the truck.

Angela scanned the desolate yard. She wasn’t keen to spend another night here either, but if they went to a motel they’d just have to come back in the morning. She wanted to be on her way early, and besides, her credit cards couldn’t take much more. Her first paycheque would be a good one, especially combined with the holiday pay from her work, but none of the money was due until next week.

She looked again at the traffic whizzing by, then back to Claudia who was busy complaining to her doll, Bebe.

‘Damn it,’ Angela muttered. Her father wasn’t keen for her to drive at night but there was no reason to hang around once the tank was loaded. If she got tired she could always pull over, and Claudia would probably sleep all the way to Munirilla anyway.

She strode up to the cabin of the truck. ‘Come on, Claudia. Bring your doll. We’ll have a tea party while we wait. Then we’re going to do some night driving.’

‘Back to Money Real?’ The little girl brightened up.

‘Yes.’

‘Can we go to Leanne’s when we get there?’

‘I’m not sure what time we’ll get there but we’ll see Leanne soon.’

‘Yippee!’ Claudia yelled and danced around with her doll.

Terry appeared from round the back of the truck. He was staring at Claudia as she danced and Angela felt goosebumps down her back.

There was a short toot and they all looked towards the gate as a truck rolled in with the tank.

‘Thank goodness,’ she mumbled under her breath. But she quickly followed it with a curse as she took in the size of the tank and the ‘Oversize’ signs on the truck. No one had mentioned it was an oversize tank. This would mean further delays while she dug out her signs and did the paperwork.

‘Oh no!’ She spun and looked back at the locked office. ‘Bloody hell!’ She’d need a permit and she didn’t even have a key to the office, let alone access to the computer.

‘Mummy, you swore.’

Angela looked down at Claudia’s frowning face and made a quick decision. ‘Claudia, hop in the cab and keep out of the way. As soon as I’ve got this loaded, we’re on our way.’

***

Jim helped Coop load the tank onto his truck and tie it down. They’d both arrived at the yard at the same time. Jim was there to post the sign telling people the next delivery wouldn’t arrive until midday tomorrow. Coop couldn’t help the disappointment he felt that Angela wasn’t there.

‘Ken’s not pleased either,’ Jim said. ‘Originally there was enough freight for three trips this week. Silly old bugger thinks people are pulling out because there’s a female truckie.’

‘How else will they get their freight?’ Coop frowned at Jim. Before Angela came along the town was desperate for a regular delivery service.

‘Evidently Berls picked up a bit more gear this week.’

‘They’re busy with stock though.’

‘Word about town is they’ve lost a few contracts.’

‘I thought they weren’t that interested in town freight.’

‘Their prices certainly didn’t encourage it,’ Jim said. ‘I know Ken was paying through the nose for deliveries to his agency.’

Coop patted the tank. ‘They were going to charge a lot more to get this tank here too. Alice decided she wasn’t in a hurry for it.’

‘That’s what makes it odd. I don’t reckon most people care who the driver is, as long as they get their goods delivered on time and at a good price.’

‘So what do you think happened with this new company?’

‘I don’t know. There’s plenty of freight to be had.’ Jim adjusted his cap on his head. ‘Anyway, I’d better get back to the office. Ken’s on a short fuse these days.’

Coop nodded a farewell then climbed into the old farm truck. This town needed the trucking company to stay, but ultimately it was nothing to do with him. He made a life for himself by not getting too involved with the communities he moved through.

As he started the truck, he glanced across at the sign propped in the office window advertising ‘Ranger Transport’. Once again the image of a smiling Angela danced through his mind. Coop shook his head to clear the thought.

‘Don’t get involved,’ he reminded himself.

Angela glanced over at Claudia, who was busy colouring again. It had taken a while to rearrange the load, making sure the weight distribution was right and the tank tied down properly. They’d only made it as far as Port Augusta before Angela had to pull in and sleep.

Now refreshed and with stomachs full of Jenny’s delicious breakfast, they were on their way again. Even though they were a day behind schedule, it was better than the two days Angela thought they’d lose when the freight didn’t eventuate in Adelaide. The oversize tank made up for some of it. If she could get to Munirilla without any more hiccups, all would be well.

A frown creased her brow as she remembered the Berls truck she’d passed on her way out of the truck stop. It must have arrived in the night. It was towing a tautliner trailer, the curtains on the side making it impossible to see its load. There was nothing unusual in that, except that Berls was predominantly a stock transport company.

Angela had heard they delivered freight to Munirilla before Ranger Transport started. Of course, there was no certainty that the truck she saw was going to Munirilla. They could be headed anywhere. Port Augusta was the gateway to so much of Australia.

Big Red hummed along the highway with the sun rising behind them, a glorious, orange glow spreading across the sky. Angela rolled her shoulders and settled back into the seat. What Berls did made no difference to her. Ranger Transport had made a commitment to Munirilla and it was her job to set that up until Tiny Trev arrived. Her father’s reassuring words echoed in her head. He was convinced freight would pick up. He trusted her to do this job and she was confident that she could. There were bound to be setbacks, but she would sort them out.

‘Can I get on the bunk?’

Angela flicked her eyes from the road to Claudia. ‘Are you tired?’

‘No, but Bebe is.’ Claudia held up the doll that Janice had given her before they left Melbourne. The poor thing was rather worse for wear. Her hair hadn’t done well after several washes and was now a dreadlocked mass. Her face was missing patches of the vivid makeup that had adorned it and her clothes were grubby, but Claudia still took her in the bag of toys she packed for every trip.

‘You can’t play in the bunk while I’m driving. It’s only for sleeping.’

‘Aww!’ Claudia cried, pushing her colouring book to the floor and flinging the doll onto the seat beside her.

‘Not too much further now. We’re almost on the highway to Munirilla.’

‘Will Leanne be waiting?’

‘I don’t know. Look, there’s the turn-off up ahead. Once we get out along the highway you can have a snack.’

Small snacks helped pass the time on distance driving and Angela was getting better at packing healthy choices. Thankfully Jenny always had a few things to choose from too – the long delay in Adelaide had almost depleted their stash.

‘How much longer?’ Claudia squirmed in her seat.

‘A couple more hours.’

‘Awww!’

‘Let’s play “I Spy”.’

‘I’m first.’ Claudia sat up and scanned the landscape around them while Angela turned onto the highway that ran all the way to Western Australia. They were only going as far as Munirilla but a small part of her would have been happy to just keep on driving. Trucking had always been something she’d dabbled in but now she wondered, if it wasn’t for Claudia, whether she could take it up full-time.

Angela flicked her eyes guiltily at Claudia. She was still deciding what her ‘I Spy’ clue would be. What kind of mother contemplated a life without her daughter? Remorse surged through Angela and she gripped the wheel tighter. She reminded herself that this was all only temporary. In a couple of weeks they’d be back in Melbourne, picking up the pieces of their previous lives. Somehow that didn’t make her feel any better; it only deepened the heaviness in her heart.

‘Mummy! You’re not looking.’

Claudia’s insistent tone dragged Angela’s thoughts back to the present. ‘Sorry, Claud, what’s the clue?’

‘I spy, with my little eye, something that’s brown.’

Angela cast her eyes around the countryside. Most of it was one shade of brown or another. Sheep dotted a paddock on one side of the road and horses the other, but apart from that there was nothing but large, open patches of land scattered with low bush. In the distance the red ridges of Iron Knob rose into the clear, blue morning sky.

‘A horse?’

‘No.’

‘A bush?’

‘No.’

Angela went on guessing for a long time until finally, with the help of a few more clues, she guessed a sheep which, she had to admit, certainly looked brown. Then she searched for something she could pick for Claudia.

‘I spy, with my little eye, something white,’ Angela said.

‘Clouds,’ Claudia said.

‘There aren’t any.’

‘I saw some back there.’

‘Well, this is something we can still see.’ Angela looked again at the small white shape up the road. It was a vehicle parked a long way ahead of them.

‘A rabbit,’ Claudia said.

‘Can you see a rabbit?’

‘It might be in its hole.’

‘Come on, Claud, it has to be something you can see. I’ll give you a clue. It has,’ Angela looked ahead at the vehicle which they would soon be passing, ‘it has … Oh no.’

‘What, Mummy?’

‘Sit back properly in your seat.’

Claudia sat back then yelled. ‘I know, I know, a police car!’

‘That’s right,’ Angela said. She kept her hands firmly on the wheel and her eyes straight ahead as they passed the stationary highway patrol car.

‘My turn again,’ Claudia said.

In her side mirror Angela saw the car pull out onto the road. Her heart skipped a beat as the blue and red lights began to flash. It picked up speed and flicked its headlights.

‘Bloody hell,’ she muttered.

‘Mummy, you swore again.’

Angela slowed and shook her head, looking ahead for a suitable place to pull over.

‘Are we stopping?’

‘I think the policeman wants to check the truck, Claud. I’ll get you a drink and a snack when we stop, then I want you to sit still and quiet, okay?’

‘Okay,’ Claudia said.

The calm tone of Angela’s voice didn’t match the turmoil in her stomach. She knew her truck was compliant and roadworthy, and that she was carrying all the necessary paperwork, except for one thing: the permit to carry an oversize load.

She slowed and eased the rig off the road as far as she dared, then opened the drawer of their small fridge. She passed Claudia a container of grapes and a bottle of water. By the time the policeman was walking towards her, Angela had organised Claudia and managed a sip of water for herself. If everything was in order, maybe he wouldn’t think to ask for the permit.

She watched him approach. This was a lonely stretch of highway and his appearance didn’t fill her with reassurance. He was tall, wearing dark glasses that hid his eyes, and he almost swaggered with the load of equipment on his belt, which included a gun.

‘Climb out of the truck.’

His command stopped the ‘good morning’ she’d been about to offer. ‘Wait here, Claud,’ she said as she snatched her logbook from the dash and opened her door.

‘Everyone out of the truck,’ the policeman ordered as Angela stepped down.

‘Good morning, officer,’ she said.

He nodded before repeating, ‘Everyone out of the truck.’ Then he walked along the edge of the road checking her load.

She clicked her tongue and went around to Claudia’s door. Surely good manners were still an acceptable part of police procedure. Angela lifted her daughter down. ‘You can have a picnic out here. Bring your things.’

The little girl’s eyes were as wide as saucers.

‘Hello young lady.’ The policeman approached along the passenger side of the truck. ‘I didn’t realise the co-driver was so young.’ A small smile pulled up the corners of his mouth and the usually brave Claudia stepped behind her mother, clinging to her leg. Angela held out her logbook and reached back to put a protective hand on her daughter’s head.

The policeman ignored it. ‘Driver’s licence.’

Angela tugged her wallet from her shirt pocket and flipped it open. The policeman took it. Through his glasses she saw his eyes flick to her then quickly down at the licence. After a long silence, he flipped the wallet shut and passed it back.

‘Show me the manual gazette notice for this load.’

Angela’s stomach churned a little harder. She felt like she was back in school, being grilled on her homework. The transport manuals were in a cupboard above the passenger seat. Her father checked them with her before she left but she never imagined she’d actually have to show them.

Claudia tugged at her hand. ‘Can I have my picnic?’

Angela glanced around. Behind them was a small patch of grass with a flat rock sticking out of it. She directed Claudia to it. The little girl remained silent, perched on the rock clutching her bottle of water, the fruit container and her colouring book and pencils.

Angela marched back to the truck and climbed in to get the manual. Not only was Claudia watching her, but she was painfully aware of the policeman scrutinising her every move. She pulled the bundles of folders onto the passenger seat and extracted the one containing the South Australian information. Back on the ground
she turned to see the policeman still standing, just watching her. She fumbled through the manual until she found the reference appropriate to her current load and held it out for him to look at.

He stepped forward and glanced briefly at the document. ‘Now your logbook.’

Angela clamped her lips together to stop herself from swearing. She took a slow breath and climbed back into the truck to retrieve the logbook she’d dropped there when she’d pulled out the manuals.

‘And your permit to carry this oversize load,’ he added behind her.

She stiffened. Damn it. He wasn’t going to overlook anything. Jenny’s breakfast was turning sour in her stomach. Slowly Angela stepped down from the truck. She turned to face him but the policeman had moved closer to Claudia.

‘What’s your name?’ he asked in a softer tone than he’d used on Angela.

Claudia looked past him towards her mother, who nodded back at her. ‘Claudia.’

‘How old are you, Claudia?’

‘Four.’

‘Do you go to kindy?’

Angela glared at the back of his head. He was wasting time with this small talk. ‘Here’s my logbook,’ she said.

He turned away from Claudia and took the book Angela held out. She watched him inspect it, glance at his watch and pull out his pen. She decided there was no point delaying the inevitable.

‘I don’t have the permit with me.’

He scribbled something on the page, looked at it for a little longer, then slowly raised his head. She could just see the movement of his eyes behind the lenses.

‘Why not?’

‘The tank arrived after the office was closed. I didn’t have access to the computer.’

‘You could have waited till the office opened again.’

Angela was frustrated with his patronising manner. ‘Time is money in the trucking business,’ she snapped.

He studied her a moment then passed the logbook back. ‘In this case, yes. There’s a fine for not having the necessary permit.’

Angela grimaced as he walked back to his car. She flung the logbook back into the truck and squatted on the ground beside Claudia, picking up small rocks and flicking them away. Beside her, the little girl kept her head down, colouring in. Another pebble skipped across the ground into a bush. Angela knew she was taking a risk leaving without the permit. Now she’d have to pay out some of her hard-earned money and no doubt get a lecture from her father. She struggled to her feet as the policeman returned, a piece of paper in his hand.

‘It could have been a lot worse than a fine, you know,’ he said, handing her the infringement. ‘There’s a reason you shouldn’t cut corners.’

‘I know, I’m …’ Angela stopped. She decided she wasn’t going to apologise to this man. He’d caught her out and she’d pay her fine, but she didn’t need to grovel.

‘How’s that colouring going, young lady?’

Claudia stopped what she was doing and stared up at him, a puzzled look on her face. ‘Colourful,’ she said.

Ask a stupid question
, thought Angela.

An approaching truck made them all look back to the road. Angela frowned as the distinctive purple cab approached, towing a tautliner trailer. The driver tooted and both Angela and the policeman watched it disappear up the highway.

‘Mummy, I want to go to Money Real.’

Angela looked at the policeman. ‘We’d best get going.’

He nodded and stepped out of her way as she gathered up Claudia and returned to the truck. He was still standing there as they drove off.

‘Why was the policeman grumpy, Mummy? Did you do something wrong?’

‘No … Yes,’ she corrected, tapping the steering wheel. ‘I didn’t fill out some paperwork I should have.’

‘Why are you cross with him?’

‘I’m not cross with him. I just don’t like wasting time.’

Claudia picked up her doll and started singing a song.

Angela couldn’t lie to her daughter any more than she could lie to herself. She was the one who’d done the wrong thing. She shouldn’t be cross with the officer, he was only doing his job. It was just his manner that had made it worse and now they’d lost another half-hour. Frank was waiting on the refrigerated goods. Cutting corners had ended up costing her time and money.

Not only that, the sight of the Berls truck was a puzzle. There were still many places it could be going besides Munirilla – all the way to Western Australia was possible, but somehow she felt it had a closer destination.

The sudden noise of the engine brakes startled her back to the present. She flicked her eyes over the dials and checked her mirrors. The road behind her was empty. She let out a breath and settled back into the seat again. There wasn’t room for any more hold-ups today.