Page 95 of Larapinta

‘It’s been a pretty special time,’ he said.

‘And you need to get back to your family. Now, can you dial Ellie first for me? I know she’ll be home.’

Ryan smiled. ‘They’re all at Dru’s apartment. The Porter girls have been amazing, Sandra, but they were worried.’

Ryan began to press the buttons on his phone, but Sandra’s attention was taken by the sneer on the woman’s face at the table across from them.

‘Typical, isn’t it? Look at him. Drunk at lunchtime! And after all we do for them. Last time we’re coming to the Red Centre, Albert.’

Sandra turned to see who she was looking at. She jumped to her feet, and called out loudly, ‘Help! Help him. Ryan quick.’

She took off as P.D. lurched down the three bottom steps that led up to the trail. One arm dangled uselessly by his side and one side of his face was a mess of grazes and bruising. He fell head-first on to the ground and lay there.

Chapter 31

Back to Alice

The rest of that day was a blur for Sandra. The highlight of the afternoon was Graysen stepping out of the helicopter. He came straight to her and took her into his arms. They were interviewed together—Graysen had insisted—and it appeared that the coincidence of the arrival of her family was accepted, albeit reluctantly.

Fragments of information surfaced through the afternoon. She cried when she heard that Paul and Cecily’s bodies had been retrieved. Andrew had been taken to Alice Springs hospital as had P.D. They were both in the intensive care ward. The opinion of the Federal Police was that Zed and Miska were long gone.

‘We’re working in the dark,’ Jake had told them. ‘We have no photographs of them. Any that were taken by your group were all on phones that were destroyed in the torching of the truck. For the next few weeks at least, I’d like you to be vigilant. Both of you, Clive and Jenny, and the two guides are the only ones who can identify them.’ Jenny and Clive had been interviewed too.

Eventually, they were all allowed to leave, but Jake Sandhurst told them that they would be in touch again.

‘Where will you be, Mr Hughes? I noticed that you have no permanent address.’

Sandra’s insides had curled when Graysen looked at her and answered him. ‘I’ll be in Darwin.’

‘One last thing,’ Jake said. ‘We know that the target was Margaret Ferguson.’

Sandra caught her breath. ‘Oh, Maggie. Poor Maggie.’

‘Her husband is “assisting” us with our enquiries.’ He exchanged a look with Graysen.

They waited at Standley Chasm while Kane flew Jenny and Clive to Alice Springs. Ryan went with them and was collecting the car they’d hired and driving them to the hotel where’d they’d all met only a few days ago.

‘It seems like a lifetime, doesn’t it’ Sandra commented as she and Graysen and Connor sat together in the café waiting for Kane to come back. She had just had a long conversation with her three girls, and James too.

Graysen hadn’t let go of her hand since they’d sat down. She’d finally stopped shaking, and after talking to the girls, was feeling much better.

‘A lifetime of events has happened. I can’t believe it.’ Once her girls had calmed down and stopped crying, they hadn’t been able to hold back. ‘And none of you boys said a word, Connor.’

‘What’s happened?’ Graysen asked moving his leg against hers. She knew how he felt; she didn’t want him to go out of her sight and took every opportunity to touch him, squeeze his hand, or hold his gaze.

‘Well, in a nutshell. I have two new grandsons, two babies on the way—only one of which I knew about—and a daughter who’s been ill and didn’t tell any of us until she got the all-clear!’

Connor leaned forward. ‘Ryan, Kane, and I were sworn to secrecy. Anyway, Sandra, you’ll be home with them all tonight.’

‘No. I’m not going back today.’

‘Ryan’s going to book a commercial flight so there’s room for you.’

‘No. I’m driving back with Graysen. We’ll stay at the hotel tonight. Get our gear sorted. What’s left of it anyway, and then we’ll drive to Darwin tomorrow, or maybe even the next day. Depends how we’re both feeling. Isn’t that right. Graysen?’

Sandra bit back a smile at Graysen’s expression. A mix of surprise, happiness and innocence—for Connor’s benefit, she suspected—flitted across his face.

‘Yes,’ he said seriously. ‘That was our plan.’