Page 85 of Larapinta

There was a flat rock on one side of the alcove. Sandra sat down and stretched her legs in front of her. She took out her water bottle and took a big drink, and then looked out over the view. Her eyes narrowed as she let her gaze follow the ridges ahead, and she jumped up. About a kilometre to the north she could see four pointed peaks a few metres apart. Excitement thrilled through her. The morning they had set off up the steps from the Standley Chasm campground, she had noticed those four short, jagged peaks on the eastern side of the chasm. Once they were on the trail, they were so close to their destination.

Close to help, and safe.

Even though Sandra was in the shade, the temperature was climbing steadily and perspiration trickled down the back of the neck. She put her hand up and wiped the moisture away as she waited for Graysen to reappear. The excitement of being so close to their destination was replaced by a niggle of worry when he didn’t return.

Five slow minutes passed and she tried to rein in her impatience, focusing on her breathing. It was a good opportunity to have a rest, and build her energy for the fast walk down hill to the campground.

Surely when he was up there, he’d be able to see if all was clear. Maybe he’d spotted someone and he was laying low.

Sandra tensed and held her breath as an unfamiliar noise came from above.

Chapter 27

From the air

Connor suggested they hire a car before the airport closed. ‘We don’t know what we’ll find tomorrow, and if we need a vehicle, it’s not far to come back to the airport and collect it.’

‘And we can go and get some food now,’ said the ever-hungry Ryan.

‘Good plan,’ Kane agreed. ‘Won’t hurt to have some food and water onboard tomorrow.’

‘And we can get some pies or something now,’ Ryan said hopefully.

Connor looked up at him with a grin. ‘I thought we’d had dinner?’

Ryan shook his head and grinned. ‘That was a snack, mate. All right for you sedentary blokes who sit at a desk all day. Kane and I need our food.’

After takeaway pies and coffee, they spent the night in a family room at the airport hotel and were up at dawn. The hired four-wheel drive was in the car park, ready if they needed it, and they booked the hotel room for another night just in case.

‘Hopefully, we’ll be home by tonight,’ Kane said.

There’d been nothing new from Greg, apart from the news that the chatter between Interpol and the Federal Police had quietened.

Kane’s concerns about the safety of the chopper were unfounded. All was well as they made their way across to the tarmac the next morning. The security guard gave them a wave.

‘Have a good day, guys,’ he called from his booth between the car park and the hangar beside the helicopter.

Ryan and Connor carried a backpack each, one full of water, and one with snack food. Kane had suggested getting a first aid kit; he carried that across to the chopper and stowed it under the front seat.

‘You’ve got the map folder, Connor?’ he asked.

‘I have.’

‘You pair can navigate. I’ve never flown here.’

Ryan and Connor made themselves comfortable as Kane did the pre-flight check. He focused on the R44 sitting on the tarmac in front of him. He walked around it slowly, checking the skids and the rotor blades before opening the cowl on the fuel tank to fill it with Avgas.

He hadn’t flown much since that horrific day he’d had David beside him and they’d gone out looking for Ellie and Gina. The rage that he’d experienced when he’d discovered that the chopper had been tampered with had frightened him, and after that he’d focused on the life that he and Ellie had made at the farm.

Although the delay frustrated him, Kane took his time preparing for the flight. His time in the desert in Afghanistan, and his experience at Makowa Lodge had taught him to be thorough. He filled the fuel tank and did another pre-flight check before he was satisfied that the bird was safe to take up. He lifted his head and surveyed the landscape to the west as he walked around the machine. His stomach churned as he thought of Sandra somewhere out there, and he prayed that they would find her quickly, and that she wasn’t hurt.

He took time to do a third check of the chopper.

He did a final instrument check and handed the earphones to Connor beside him, and Ryan who was strapped into one of the back seats.

‘I logged a flight plan along the whole route of the trail; they didn’t say anything about the air space being closed or the trail being closed.’

‘It’s been kept pretty quiet,’ Connor said. ‘I’m assuming that they haven’t caught the pair they’re looking for yet, or things would be back to normal.’