Page 65 of Larapinta

‘You’ll have to. I’ll be fine here with him.’ She pushed away the thought of being stranded here in the gorge without Graysen, and without knowing whether he’d get back to the Chasm safely.

‘With him having the injury to the back of his head and then landing face first to break his teeth, I’d say he’s been hit from behind with a rock or something heavy.’

‘And then fell over the cliff?’

‘Or was pushed,’ Graysen said. ‘We’d better get back to him. We need to get him cleaned up and some Panadol into him. He’s in pain with the mess in his mouth, and he’s probably got a thumping headache from the wound and dehydration. He needs medical help before he gets an infection in his mouth, and to check out the head wound.’

‘An infection that could make him very ill.’

‘An infection that could kill him if we don’t get help fast.’

Sandra reached out and gripped Graysen’s forearm. ‘We won’t give it any more thought or discussion. There’s only one thing for it, Graysen. You’re going to have to leave me here with Andrew. No argument, please. We’ll be safe hiding between that big rock and the cliff. You can get some extra water, and show me where the waterhole is. With water, and those jubes, I’ll be right.’

He pulled away from her grip and stared at her.

‘That’s the logical thing to do, Sandy but I don’t know that I could leave you here.’

‘You have to. And if you won’t, I’ll go because if the three of us stay here, none of us will survive.’ Sandra’s words rushed out as she tried to convince Graysen. ‘Andrew is going to get worse, and if we just sit here and watch him, what do we do then? Head for Standley Chasm when it’s too late?’ Her voice shook.

Graysen ran both hands over his hair, frustration obviously taking hold of him. ‘I’ll go early in the morning.’

Her shoulders slumped with relief that he finally agreed. ‘You’ll be faster without me, and I’ll be fine,’ she said softly.

‘We’ll settle in here for the night. We’ll get Andrew cleaned up, and see if we can help manage his pain.’

Graysen’s lips tilted in a small smile. ‘How about we have some jubes and water for dinner after that?’

‘Sounds scrumptious. Unless you want to go hunting?’ Sandra smiled back as they each tried to lighten the worry.

‘You want me to find us a kangaroo or a lizard? Problem is we can’t have a fire.’

Sandra laughed with him.

‘It’s good to hear you laugh, Sandy. It’s a shocking situation. I could kill that bastard for what he’s done. I hope they haven’t got away.’

‘Or maybe we do hope that, because then they won’t be up on the track waiting for us.’

‘When Andrew’s able to talk he’ll be able to tell us exactly what happened, but I’d say he’s been thrown off the cliff and left for dead. It would’ve taken Zed too long to go down to make sure he was dead, but he would have known at the bottom of that huge drop no one would find him, and he took the risk that even if Andrew was alive, he’d be too badly hurt to move. He did amazingly well to get to us.’

‘It was just as well we were here.’

‘We came down the gully not far from where he went over,’ Graysen said.

‘It’s incredible what motivation can do. He has a wife and two children; I’m sure he would have been thinking of them. A parent will do everything for their children.’ Sandra thought of her girls; she was thankful they had no idea of the situation she was in. Ellie wouldn’t be able to help herself, she’d be in a helicopter on a rescue mission.

‘And that bloody Zed was as calm and cool as a cucumber when he came back and said he’d stowed the pack.’ Graysen’s tone held disgust.

‘What is it all about, Graysen? What do you think they are doing? They’re obviously working together.’ She took in a shaky breath. ‘Are you really sure Maggie’s dead?’

Graysen’s eyes were bleak. ‘I have no doubt of that. I worry about Paul and Cecily and PD. I worry about you, and I worry about Jenny and Clive out there too. I worry about Jodie. If Zed and Miska go to Birthday Waterhole—’

‘She wouldn’t be out there by herself under work safety regulations, would she? Surely not?’

‘She has been before, but I suppose if you think about those times, it was where there was a camp with other people, and then the old Homestead. Standley Chasm was a proper campground too. I imagine Birthday Waterhole is more isolated so I’m hoping that she’ll have another guide with her and that there’ll be at least two of them.’

‘But they’re so bloody devious. They’ll know it’s an isolated camp. And that’s probably why they chose this section of the trail to—’ Sandra’s voice shook as she tried to understand how someone could be so evil. ‘They came across as normal, and Miska was so sweet. They’re married and they’re doctors and they love each other and yet they killed Maggie and then pushed Andrew off a cliff. Why?’

‘And that’s why I don’t want to leave you here with Andrew,’ Graysen said, but when she went to speak, he put his hand up. ‘I know. I’ve accepted there’s no alternative. I’ll leave before first light tomorrow.’