The Long Paddock, page 29
Judith’s only reply was a shake of her head. Cressy took hold of Judith’s hand.
Denham’s boots sounded on the hallway floorboards. He smiled as he entered but his eyes remained shadowed.
‘Everything looks in order but there’s no motorbike in the shed?’
‘No,’ Judith said. ‘That’s what Will usually takes when he goes out. He did say something about having dirty fuel so I thought he might have taken the quad bike instead.’
Cressy stood. ‘A motorbike will leave tracks we can follow. Would you like to come with us?’
She clutched the blanket tight around her and came to her feet. ‘Yes, please. He might need me.’
They left the house to the chorus of the dawn bird song. Cressy only hoped the sweet and uplifting sounds were an omen. Will had to be found safe and alive.
Denham drove towards the farm shed and in the beam of the strong light a single tyre track was visible.
Cressy turned to Judith who sat in the middle of the back seat staring through the windscreen. ‘So far so good.’
Judith pointed a finger towards a gate on the left. ‘I have a feeling he’ll go that way into the paddocks. There are no cows and calves in the paddocks to the right.’
Sure enough the tyre track veered to the left. Cressy left the ute to open and close the gate. Once in the pastured paddock, the motorbike trail proved harder to follow. Every now and then the tyre tread would appear imprinted on a patch of bare ground. Denham drove slowly and the marks continued to appear. They entered a second paddock where the motorbike tracks were again easy to follow. Will had stuck to the dirt road around the paddock perimeter. Sleepy black cows stood as they passed.
They entered a third paddock. Here the short grass formed a thick thatch across the ground. Cattle tracks crisscrossed the pasture making following the bike trail impossible. Cressy glanced at Judith whose brow was knitted in concentration as she stared ahead looking for anything that would indicate the direction Will had travelled.
Denham drove forward and then to the left.
‘Just a hunch,’ he said, ‘but so far Will has headed left every time he’s passed through a gate.’
Judith’s brow cleared. ‘You’re right, he has. Will’s always been a creature of habit.’
Cressy squinted to see through the shadows. There was a void ahead that didn’t look like a cow. Denham’s headlights reached the dark shape and revealed it was a red and white motorbike. Cressy leaned forward to search for any sign of Will but there was nothing.
Denham stopped the ute and in silence they went outside into the dawn chill to examine the abandoned bike. Cressy made sure Judith’s blanket covered her narrow shoulders.
‘Engine’s cold,’ Denham said. ‘The dirty fuel could have stopped the bike and then Will wasn’t able to start it again.’
Cressy put her arm around Judith and gazed off into the poor light. The paddock dipped into a tree-lined gully and then swelled to another gentle hill. Beyond that would be a creek and extensive woodland. Exhaustion dragged at her shoulders, worry settled deep into her stomach. Where should they search next? Will could be anywhere.
***
Denham examined first Cressy’s and then Judith’s faces. Even in the gloom, their apprehension appeared obvious. Both were strong women and their strength was being tested. With the motorbike track to follow there’d been hope but now with the trail disappearing, both knew finding Will had become that much harder.
Denham clenched his jaw to control his own fears and concerns. He needed a clear head to think. There would be clues to where Will had gone, he just had to find them. He walked to the front left of the bike and crouched to examine the ground.
Cressy came to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘What are you looking for?’
Denham remained silent and then he pointed to a compressed section of grass. ‘This. Will walked this way.’
Denham straightened and saw a similar compression that would be the right distance away for a man’s stride.
Cressy noticed it too. ‘There’s another one. I had no idea you could track. Did you learn in Montana?’
‘No.’ He pointed out Will’s footsteps to Judith. ‘Dad taught me on our one and only father son camping trip.’
The three of them stared in the direction Will had taken.
Denham turned to Judith. ‘Has Will ever said where he goes to hunt the wild dogs? Or is there anything familiar he would have headed for? A hut, a place he used to go to at the creek to fish?’
‘I just don’t know. He never says anything about what he does when he’s out.’ Judith hesitated. ‘The only thing I can think of is the limestone cave further north that he and Andy used to love exploring. Otherwise there’s … nothing.’
Cressy’s eyes met his, her mouth a grim and worried line. A place special to Will and his son could be somewhere Will might go to spend his last hours.
‘Okay,’ Denham said, keeping his tone light. ‘Let’s start with the cave.’
Under Judith’s guidance they found the faint track that led to the creek and then along the bank to the cave. Denham parked the ute and stared across the flowing water towards the dark entrance partially hidden by grass and trees. His gut told him they were getting closer to finding Will.
He looked over his shoulder at Judith. ‘How about Cressy and I take a look first?’
Judith nodded and wrapped the blanket that had fallen onto her lap around herself again. ‘Come and get me if you … find anything.’
He touched her thin arm. ‘I promise.’
Cressy passed him a head torch and they headed for the creek. The sky was now a pale grey and there was no need for torchlight. He glanced at the cavernous opening ahead of them. But they’d need artificial light where they were going.
‘Do you think he’s here?’ Cressy asked as they used a fallen log and stepping stones to cross the creek.
‘It makes sense. It’s a sentimental place familiar to him and perfect for seeking shelter in.’ Denham stopped to point out three dog paw prints in the dark mud. ‘And it’s near water. Wild dogs need to drink.’
They stepped inside the cave entrance and adjusted their torches. Cool air brushed his skin and a damp earthy scent filled his lungs. Stalactites jutted from the cavern’s roof and the trickle of distant water sounded like an echo.
Cressy linked her fingers with his. ‘Is now a good time to confess I get claustrophobic in caves?’
His lips brushed hers. ‘It’s fine if you want to sit with Judith. I know she wouldn’t mind the company.’
‘No. If you go in, I do too.’
Denham didn’t answer. On a water-smoothed boulder on the cave’s edge trailed a red line of blood.
He turned to her. ‘Seriously, go sit with Judith.’
Something in his voice must have betrayed his deep unease because Cressy frowned and glanced in the direction he’d looked. Her face paled as she too saw the blood.
He spoke again. ‘Cressy … please. You don’t need to see what could be in there.’
Her chin lifted. ‘We don’t know what could be in there. That could be an animal’s blood. You also don’t need to see what it could be either.’ Her grip firmed on his hand. ‘I’m not leaving you.’
He could argue with Cressy and waste precious time or ease Judith’s pain by confirming whether Will was inside the cave or not. ‘Okay then. We go together.’
Denham moved forward first and ducked as the ceiling lowered. The strong beam from the LED head torch showed a pool of water and proof a man had been in the cave. Stamped in the sand by the water’s edge was a boot print.
‘That has to be Will’s,’ Cressy breathed.
They continued forward. Cressy stopped and pulled at his hand. ‘Did you hear that?’
‘Yes.’ Denham stopped too.
He caught a glimpse of bow legs and a long reptilian tail before an animal bolted from the cave. ‘It’s a goanna …’ He paused as another noise sounded deeper in the cave. A noise that was the unmistakable sound of a human groan. ‘But that isn’t.’
Cressy surged forward, but he held her back. ‘Let me go.’
She shook her head, the light from her head torch flicking over the uneven walls. ‘We go together. Remember.’
They made their way over the slippery rocks that were strewn across the floor ahead and found the cave opened up into a larger cavern. Tucked into the sandy corner lay Will, his gun by his side.
‘There’s no blood,’ Cressy said, her voice loaded with relief as she released Denham’s hand to run to Will’s side.
Denham moved forward more slowly. The drag marks in the sand told a story. It looked as though Will had slipped on a rock on this side of the pile, injured himself and used his rifle as a crutch to get himself to the level corner where he could stretch out.
He carefully moved the gun away before kneeling beside Cressy. While Cressy continued to check Will’s vital signs, Denham focused on the older man’s legs and feet. His right boot was bloated and ankle distended. The only way his boot would be coming off would be by cutting the leather. Will’s chest rose and he made a nasal noise.
Cressy sat back. ‘Was that a snore?’
Denham smiled, relief unlocking the tightness of his chest. ‘It was. He’s asleep.’
Denham wriggled a torch out from beneath Will’s hand. He switched it on but no light shone. The battery had run flat. ‘He would have been waiting for daylight to find his way out.’
Will again groaned and turned his head from side to side.
‘Will, wake up.’ Cressy gently touched his whiskered cheek. ‘It’s Cressy and Denham here to take you home.’
Will muttered, his eyes flickered open and then squeezed shut.
‘Judith?’ The single word was low and faint.
‘She’s here,’ Cressy took hold of Will’s hand, ‘and waiting in Denham’s ute.’
‘I couldn’t do it, you know.’
Cressy glanced at Denham, wide-eyed, and then over to Will’s gun.
Denham leaned forward. ‘Do what?’
‘Cope with the pain. I’m too old … I just couldn’t … get out of here. I knew Judith would worry. But I couldn’t get over the rocks in the dark.’ Will’s eyes opened again. ‘I’m guessing Judith thought something else had happened? I won’t lie … that first year I thought about leaving this world to be with Andy but I love Judith. I’d never leave her on her own.’ Will struggled to sit and Denham helped ease him forward. ‘So she … and you … are stuck with me for a long time to come.’
Cressy smiled, her eyes overbright. ‘Just as well because I need you to teach my little bull riders how to crack whips. Now let’s get you out of here.’
It took a little time but they manoeuvred Will to his feet. With Denham on one side, and Cressy on the other, they made their slow way over the rocks and through the cavern. At the boulder where blood trailed, Will stopped.
‘I must have got that big dog after all. That’s why I went into the cave. I was trying to wait him out.’
Denham spotted further blood droplets on the leaves of the shrub at the cave’s entrance. ‘What did the dog look like?’
‘Heavy, black, like a Rottweiler.’
‘He sounds like the wild dog I had on my place that chased a wallaby,’ Cressy said as they walked again.
When they emerged from the cave’s mouth, pale pink streaked the sky. They waded through the creek shallows to where Judith stood on the other side. Tears in her eyes, she hugged her husband and wrapped him in her blanket.
Denham looked away and moved to put Will’s gun in the back of the ute. His happiness and profound relief at finding Will alive felt hollow. In the Rigby family such a story wouldn’t have had a happy ending. His mother and Kate wouldn’t have had the chance to hug their loved one again.
When they settled Will into the front seat and Denham was sure he was comfortable, he asked, ‘Can you give me a minute?’
When Will nodded, Denham headed for the paw prints he and Cressy had seen earlier. He didn’t want to leave without making sure the dog Will had shot wasn’t lying somewhere close by hurt and suffering. He tracked the trail along the bank that showed the wild dog had struggled to walk on three legs. Then Denham stopped.
In a dark hollow ahead lay the motionless form of a large black dog. From the stiffness of the body, the dog had died earlier in the night and hadn’t suffered. Denham covered the hollow with a branch to keep other animals out. A killer the Rottweiler may have been but he looked like a purebred and would have once been someone’s pet until they’d abandoned him. He’d return later to bury him and to pick up Will’s motorbike.
With the sunrise to light the way, the return trip to the farmhouse didn’t take long at all. Soon Will was seated in the lounge room, his foot elevated and a hot mug of tea beside him. Denham carefully removed Will’s leather boot to allow Judith to examine his ankle.
‘I’ve seen worse,’ she said after a thorough inspection. ‘Usually in the emergency department and on teenage boys who’ve come off their motorbikes and not on grown men old enough to know better. I don’t think it’s broken but we’ll head to town later to see Dr Sam. In the meantime I’ll ice and strap it.’
Will took a swallow of tea and stared at the closed curtains of the wide window in front of him. ‘Before Judith trusses me up tighter than a Christmas turkey, Cressy can you open the curtains?’
Cressy glanced at Judith. Denham shared the cowgirl’s concern. The view out the window looked over what used to be Andy’s garden.
Judith nodded. Cressy drew open the curtains to reveal the last blush of the sunrise. Sunlight shone over the bruised hills and revealed every splintered branch and every torn flower of the memorial garden. Will’s composure didn’t slip nor did he look away. Instead he reached for Judith’s hand.
‘It’s a new day, love, and from now on you don’t have to worry if I go out with a gun. Our son’s garden might be gone but our memories aren’t. Andy mightn’t be with us but what we do have is each other.’ Will again stared out the window, his faded grey eyes clear. ‘No more hiding in the shed for me, I have a farm to run.’
Denham tugged at his shirt collar. He needed air. He’d always believed Will would engage with life again and the knowledge that he and Judith would be okay made it a struggle to breathe. He’d honoured his brother’s memory by doing what Jake couldn’t, being there for his best mate’s family. A family who’d come to mean a great deal to him.
Cressy came to his side. She didn’t touch him, but he felt her warmth and care as if she had.
‘We’ll head off now,’ she said to Will and Judith, ‘unless there’s anything you need before we go?’
Will shook his head. ‘You go. I might have spent the night in a cave but you two look just as beat.’
Judith stood. ‘I’ll walk you out.’ At the front door she hugged them both. ‘Thank you.’
Denham nodded; he wasn’t sure his emotions would allow him to answer.
‘You’re welcome,’ Cressy said, talking for the both of them. ‘If it suits, I could organise some help for your clean-up?’
‘That would be appreciated. With Will being off his feet I’m not sure how we’ll get it all done.’
Once in the ute, Cressy turned to Denham and searched his face. But instead of speaking she kissed him and ran her hand through his hair before she bunched up the blanket to rest her head against the seat. Her eyes closed. After the high emotion of the past hour, she sensed his need for space.
He started the engine and headed back the way they’d come. But even when no storm damage surrounded them he couldn’t relax or again feel like he had himself under control. His side might ache, sleep deprivation might dull his senses, but it was his emotional agony that cut the deepest.
The past twenty-four hours had delivered emotional hit after emotional hit. All he could think about was Kate’s continued distress. All he could remember was the fear in Judith’s eyes when they’d searched for Will. Loving someone made you vulnerable, just like being loved also came with responsibilities.
He glanced at Cressy as she continued to sleep. Her thick lashes lay against her pale skin and a strand of dark hair curled over her cheek, making her look both defenceless and fragile. She’d entrusted her heart to him for a second time and warned him he didn’t get to break it again. So what was he doing playing Russian roulette with her happiness? What right did he have to think his need and love for her would be enough to guarantee they’d have the future they both dreamed of?
His hands clamped around the steering wheel. All his life he’d fought. He’d fought for his father’s affection that was never given. He’d fought for his brother who wouldn’t let him into his private hell. He’d fought to save his mother from cancer’s insidious hold. And he’d fought to be the best bull rider there could be. Some battles he’d lost and some he’d won, but he’d never walked away from a fight.
Until he’d come home. He’d let his emotions distract him from his biggest fight yet, protecting Cressy. She wanted little bull riders and deserved to live the life of her dreams. He couldn’t instead sentence her to a life of fear and uncertainty. The only way her heart would truly be safe was with him out of her life.
The ute rattled over Glenmore’s cattle grid but still Cressy didn’t wake. He pulled up at the homestead, his breathing uneven, his skin cold and a part of him already dying.
She stirred and gave him a sleepy smile. ‘Home already. That was quick.’ She squeezed his thigh before reaching for the doorhandle. ‘Coming in for coffee?’
‘Not today.’
‘Okay … I’ll see you later, then?’
He slowly shook his head, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. ‘That’s not such a good idea.’
‘Since when.’ From her sharp tone and the narrowing of her gaze, he knew she was now fully awake.
‘Since … now. I can’t do this, Cressy.’
For a long second she didn’t reply and then her chin angled. ‘Too bad because I can and we are doing this. I’m also not discussing this with you now. We’re both exhausted. I’d come and see you later but I don’t have a vehicle. So you will just have to come to me. Won’t you?’
