Black Mountain (24 page)

‘Better put the plant somewhere safe first,' suggested Mitchell.

‘Right.'

Beth headed to the laboratory and, taking a key from her pocket, unlocked the door and waved him inside. He picked up the plant and carried it in, then closed the door, and Beth locked it and put the key back in her pocket.

‘All right,' she told them. ‘Now it's coffee time, and time for me to hear what you two have been up to.'

Over coffee and cake Elly and Mitchell took it in turns to relate the whole story, holding nothing back. Beth never interrupted, although her face turned ashen and she reached out and grasped Elly's hand when she heard of her ordeal inside the mountain.

When they'd finally finished Beth sat silently as she digested it all. Eventually she turned to Mitchell and reached her hand towards him, her eyes moist.

‘No matter how much I thank you, it can never be enough. Without you, I might have lost the most precious thing in my world. My daughter. And nothing in the world would have been worth that.' Her voice was husky with emotion.

Mitchell covered her hand with his own, leaning towards her, and took a deep breath. ‘The pleasure was all mine,' he told her softly. Then he leant back and patted her hand. ‘All part of the service,' he said briskly. ‘We try to satisfy, you know.'

Elly picked up on his attempt at lightening the atmosphere, and pushed back her chair. ‘Now then, Mum, I'm here safe and sound, and we have a
stripling
. Only one, but hopefully you can establish more from the seeds. So let's celebrate. I happen to know you always keep a bottle of bubbly in the fridge, and I think we should crack it open right now.'

Beth blinked a couple of times before she pushed back her chair. ‘Of course,' she said. ‘You bring the bottle, I'll get the glasses.'

As Beth set out the flutes Elly returned with the bottle and handed it to Mitchell. ‘Your part is to open the bottle,' she told him.

He took it from her, and when the cork gave a very satisfactory “pop” he filled each glass.

‘Here's to the
stripling,
' he said, raising his glass.

‘The
stripling,
' they repeated, clinking glasses before drinking the toast.

Mitchell looked at Beth as the two women sipped their champagne. ‘So now what?' he asked. ‘As this is the only
stripling
in existence, as far as we know, have you decided what to do with it?'

Beth nodded. ‘Of course. There's only one thing to do. I'll plant it, and raise as many plants as possible in the greenhouse from its seeds. And I'll also try to propagate extra plants from some of the stems and leaves, although I'm not quite certain how successful that part will be.'

‘Won't that take a long time?' he asked her. ‘Isn't it true that the plants won't flower for about four years?'

‘Yes, that's right. But four years isn't long, and I'm confident that in a few years I'll have established a small plantation of
striplings
, right alongside the mangoes.' Her face lit up. ‘And as well, I have a new supplier wanting to distribute my essential oil potions right now, and I'm going to be busy keeping up with that, as well.'

‘That's wonderful.' Mitchell raised his brows, looking from one to the other. ‘And how about you, Elly? You won't be able to continue your research, will you?'

‘Oh yes. I'll save a few of the seeds for that, although I think the new formula is good right now, but I might refine it some more. And I'll continue with my own research. I've been working on something else as well, and I'll continue with that.'

‘So you're not too upset that the other plants are lost?' Mitchell asked.

Elly shook her head. ‘It would have been great if it hadn't happened, but we have a plant. We've saved it from extinction, and, knowing my mother—' she smiled across at Beth, ‘—if she says she'll establish a plantation, then that's what will happen. And when the time comes to harvest it, we'll go ahead with the serum. And my parents' dream will be realised.'

‘And Rob will get the recognition he deserves,' added Beth.

Mitchell topped up their glasses and then raised his glass. ‘Then here's to both of you, and to your future success. Two amazing ladies!'

They stayed talking for the rest of the afternoon. Beth wanted to hear every detail.

‘So we don't know exactly how Talbot was planning to produce the serum, or rather, who was going to produce it for him, do we?' she asked.

‘No,' Elly replied, ‘but he's been doing business with Carl and Marie Evert, so I wonder if he had them in mind. He certainly didn't have the knowledge to do it himself.'

‘We may never know, but it's purely academic now,' Mitchell told them. ‘Talbot was certainly the mastermind behind it all, and I think he'll be spending a lot of time behind bars, where he won't be able to do any more harm,' he added.

‘And your friend Jackson. What did he have to do with it all?' Beth asked Elly.

‘I think he might have been gathering information for Greg Talbot too,' Elly replied. ‘But in the end it was him who led us to the plant, and to Greg and Tim.'

‘I think probably when he realised there was violence involved, he didn't want any further involvement.' Mitchell paused, and looked carefully at Elly. ‘And perhaps he felt he owed you that.'

Elly wasn't sure what he was implying, but she let it pass. She hadn't mentioned Jackson's declaration of love to Beth, and didn't want to.

‘He's going to England, you know,' she told them. ‘I'm sure he was sorry for his part in it, and wanted to make amends. That's what he said, anyway.'

Mitchell shot her a look that she couldn't define. ‘He …' he hesitated, then shook his head. ‘Never mind that. You didn't tell me he said he was going to England. The police would like a word with him.'

‘Why? He didn't do anything criminal, not that we know, anyhow. And he did help us in the end.'

‘I realise you want to defend him,' Mitchell told her. ‘But they wanted to know how he entered Australia. And he is the most likely person to have stolen the journal.'

‘It could just as easily have been Tim.'

Mitchell shrugged. ‘Let's not worry about it now. It may all come out when the police question the pair more fully.'

‘What do you think will happen to them?' Beth asked.

‘They'll both be charged, and I think Talbot, certainly, will receive a heavy sentence, so he won't be bothering you again.' Mitchell pushed back his chair and stood. ‘And now I'll push along, and leave you two ladies in peace for the night. I'm sure you'll both be pleased it's all over. No, don't get up,' he added as they both made to rise. ‘I can see myself out.'

He moved swiftly around the table, planting a goodbye kiss on the cheek for each of them. And with that he was gone.

Elly watched him leave with a heavy heart. So this was the end. He was walking out of her life.

***

As Mitchell left, he was considering his options. Much as he'd tried to avoid it, he knew he was in love with Elly, and was fearful she would fall for that bastard Jackson's protestations of love and decide to go away with him. But he wasn't going to let that happen. He had to put a stop to it.

She was worth fighting for, and he was already formulating a plan. It wouldn't do to rush her that might just push her into the bastard's arms. No, he had to get her away, somewhere where Jackson wouldn't be able to contact her to press his suit. And as he thought on it he decided what he would do.

Chapter 40

Elly spent a restless night. She had a nightmare in which she was back in the cave again, in the dark, and the bats swooped, their giant wings flapping and touching her body and face as they circled around. They pulled at her hair. And she smelt their vile smell. She woke, waving them off with her arms and screaming and clawing at her hair as Beth rushed into the room, switching on the light and gathering her, sobbing, into her arms, and soothed her, until finally she went back to sleep.

In the morning she picked at her breakfast, trying to eat something as she saw Beth watching her with worried eyes.

Wandering into the laboratory she picked up her notes and tried to focus her mind on what she'd been working on before all this happened. But her mind refused to work. She mooched around for a bit and then went outside.

The cyclone hadn't come this far, but the accompanying storm had deluged the area and then passed, leaving the air fresh and clear, and the coolness was welcome after the stifling heat of the days leading up to the storm.

Beth was working at her potting table, planting the
stripling's
seeds into seedling trays. Elly watched her for a while, and then wandered over to look at the
stripling
, minus its central stem, that Beth had already planted out into a secluded spot in the garden amongst the herbs.

‘What do you plan on doing now?' her mother asked as Elly came back and stood alongside her at the table.

‘I don't know.' Elly sighed. ‘It's sort of an anticlimax now, I can't seem to see ahead. I mean, I've been focused on finding the plant for so long now, it's sort of … dominated my life, if you can understand …' Her voice trailed off.

Beth stopped what she was doing and turned to her daughter.

‘I understand only too well. It was the same with your father. It got to be that he could think of nothing else, he became obsessed with it, with what he could do with it.' She paused. ‘That's why, in a way, I'm glad we now have to wait for these plants to mature. I don't want it to take over your life like it did Rob's. I want you to get on with your life. To think about something else other than this.'

Her words shocked Elly. She stood there for a moment, berating herself for her self-centred meandering. She needed to pull herself together, to make some plans. But she didn't want to tell her mother it was the fact that Mitchell preferred someone else to her that was bothering her.

‘I never realised you felt like that about Dad's work,' she said, leaning across to give her mother a quick kiss on the cheek. ‘But I promise you I'm not letting it take over my life.' Elly forced a smile to her face. ‘No, I just have to get myself back into work mode, that's all.'

Beth patted her cheek, smiling. ‘Good. Then you can start by helping me with these. Here—' she picked up another seedling tray and handed it to Elly, ‘—you can fill this with the seed-raising mix and then pop in some seeds.'

It was as they worked together that they heard a car coming along the driveway and Mitchell's Cruiser pulled in beside them. Elly's heart leaped in spite of herself.

‘Good morning, ladies,' Mitchell called as he got out. ‘Good to see you working on such a fine day.'

He came over to look at their work as they both greeted him. ‘So what have we here? Planting out the seeds already, I see.'

‘Yes, giving them a good start, and hoping they all decide to grow,' Beth answered.

‘And what about you, Elly, have you started work again yet?' he asked.

‘Well, no. Not really. I'm just sort of easing back into it.'

‘I see. Well, as a matter of fact, I've just dropped by to see if you'd like to come and join me for a few lazy days at my little place down at Flying Fish Point. I feel as if I need a few days to unwind and the company of a friend while I do it. What do you say?'

Elly's heart beat a wild tattoo in her chest, but she was wondering—why her? Surely he would want to take Fancy Pants?

‘I … well I-I' she stammered.

‘We
are
friends, aren't we?' he asked her, cutting in over her stuttering, his eyes dark as they bored into hers.

She sucked in her breath. ‘Yes, of course … it's just that …'

‘You're not doing anything else, are you?'

‘No, but …'

‘Then a few days away will help you get over your ordeal. Can you fish?'

‘No.'

‘Then I'll teach you to fish. Come on, say you'll come.'

‘Why don't you go, Elly?' her mother intervened. ‘You're not much good, mooching around here like you are, and a few days away will do you good.'

‘I … Oh, all right.' She laughed, feeling a sudden lightness in her chest. If she couldn't have him as a lover, a friend was the next best thing, and the thought of a few days to unwind was appealing.

Mitchell's face split into a wide grin. ‘Great. Go and grab your things, while I stay here and talk to Beth.'

As Elly turned and walked towards the door Mitchell called after her. ‘Oh, and make sure you pack a swimsuit.

‘But we can't swim now. It's stinger season.'

‘There's a pool.'

An hour or so later they reached the town of Innisfail, named as one of the art deco capitals of the world, and Elly looked around as they drove through. She'd always admired the many buildings of this style dotted throughout the town, and was relieved to see the town had suffered little damage, having caught only the tail end of the cyclone.

They stopped to pick up some fresh supplies—milk, a crusty loaf of bread, butter, cheese, olives, pink ham sliced from a whole leg, salad vegetables, and bait for the fishing. Stowing their purchases in the back, they headed on down the few kilometres to Flying Fish Point. Situated where the Johnstone River empties out into the sea, she remembered coming to stay in the caravan park here with her parents when she was quite young, but she hadn't been back since, and she noticed the area had grown since then.

They turned left to drive along the road following the seafront, with the tree lined beach and the rolling ocean on one side and houses on the other. Past the Flying Fish café, which was also the store and post office, past the caravan park, still further on, until Mitchell made a detour into what turned out to be a fish farm. Here he went in and returned with a parcel that he added to their other supplies.