Diamond Sky (Diamond Sky Trilogy Book 1) (7 page)

‘Oh, that’s right,’ said Lucas. ‘Tonight was the last heat before
next week’s poker final. How did you guys do; there were two spots up for
grabs, weren’t there?’

‘That’s right,’ said Joey, with a great deal of pride
showing in his voice, ‘and we took ‘
em
both.’

Sam gave his brother a sharp nudge to the ribs.

‘What he means, officer, is that we got lucky,’ he said.
‘I’ve never been big on tactics. I just play the hand I am dealt and hope for
the best.’

‘Is that right?’

‘Yes, sir.’

The policeman rose from his seat. Lucas was not a
particularly tall man, but he stood at least two inches higher than either of
the brothers. He used the light from an overhead streetlamp to press this
advantage further, casting a foreboding shadow over the boys.

‘Who else was in the game tonight?’

‘Oh, you know,’ replied Sam.
‘The
usuals
;
Robbo
,
Tommo
, Mick and
Jimbo
.’

‘What about Jimmy Johnson? I saw him leave the bar shortly
before you guys. Was he involved in the game?’

‘Jimmy, of course,’ said Sam. ‘Yeah, he played. He did real
well too. Who’d a thought young Jimmy would be such a card shark.’

‘Sharp,’ corrected Lucas.

‘Excuse me?’

‘The phrase is card sharp. A shark is a mean old fish that
preys on defenceless animals. Being a thousand miles from the coast they don’t
usually pose too much of a threat in these parts.’

The brothers chuckled weakly, neither of them quite sure
where the policeman was going with this.

‘I would hate to think that anybody here was being preyed
upon,’ continued Lucas.

Joey looked nervously over his shoulder as if he had seen a
dorsal fin in the corner of his eye. Sam grabbed hold of his brothers’ t-shirt
and started to pull him away.

‘If you don’t mind, officer, my brother and I really need to
be getting home.’

‘Not so fast,’ said Lucas, placing his palm against the
boy’s chest to stop him from walking away. ‘It may not have been some fancy
casino in the city that you boys were playing in tonight, but cheating is still
cheating and will not be tolerated. I know what you did to young Jimmy tonight.
People in this town are no fools.’

Sam was about to try and come up with an excuse, but Joey
was less confident and simply blurted out a confession.

‘I’m sorry, officer; we didn’t mean any harm, I promise.
Everyone knows that Jimmy is not all there. What were we supposed to do when he
sat down at the table with a load of money?’

‘You were supposed to let him lose his fifty bucks and drop
out of the game at the first round like he would have done had you played
fair.’

‘So what are you
gonna
do?’ asked
Sam. ‘You can’t arrest us. We may not have played fair, but we did not break
the law either.’

‘You’re right; I can’t arrest you. What I can do is place a
ban on you boys entering the pub.
Nothing permanent.
Shall we say one week?’

‘One week, but that means we’ll miss the poker final.’

‘Have you got a problem with that?’

Lucas raised his heels slightly off the ground and with the
added height of his hat he towered above the pair, menacingly.

‘No, officer,’ they repeated in unison.

‘Fine, now you boys get out of my sight and keep it that
way.’

The brothers crossed to the other side of the street and
scurried off back to their mother’s house. Lucas smiled as he watched them
leave. He could have confiscated the money the boys had unfairly won, but he
thought Jimmy needed to learn a lesson too. With any luck, the kid would not be
pulling up a chair at another poker table any time soon.

The station was at the top of Main Street and through a
clearing; lights from the observatory could be seen in the distance. Lucas
paused briefly before going inside and looked west through the clearing. He was
curious as to whom the outsiders could be and decided that he would pay a visit
to Professor Fox and his guests first thing the following morning.

The town had been struggling of late, with fewer tourists
passing through and relied more than ever on generous donations from its main
benefactor. Whatever happened at the observatory could possibly make or break
the town. He wanted to find out which it would be as soon as possible.

Chapter 7

Emmy
woke at eight o’clock.
Normally, she would be up at dawn, but this was the second morning running she
had slept in. She wondered if it had something to do with the experiments, but
did not let it worry her too much. Unfortunately, she was unable to make any
real hypothesis on the matter as Charlie’s sleep had not been interrupted at
all. He
always
slept late.

She got dressed and made her way to the kitchen to make
breakfast. Her grandfather was not around, but the two Americans were. The one
named Bradley was sat at the table eating cereal, but the other one, the
cockier one, stood up when he saw her enter the room.

‘Morning, ma’am,’ he said.

She murmured a reply. He was stood rigidly to attention and
only just stopped short of giving her an actual salute.
What an arsehole
,
she thought to herself.

She poured a glass of orange juice and placed two slices of
bread in the toaster. She did not take a seat. The two men looked at her
expectantly.

‘So exactly how long will we be having the pleasure of your
company?’ she asked.

‘That’s classified,’ replied Mike.

‘What do you mean; classified? I am going to be working
alongside you the whole time you are here. I think I have a right to know.’

‘You don’t understand. When I say classified, I mean that even
we don’t know. This mission is above top secret. We did not choose to come
here, we just follow orders. If you have questions, they would be better
directed at your grandfather.’

She looked into his eyes and gathered that he was telling
the truth. He was just a foot soldier, a disposable tool of the Government. It
was when the men in suits started to turn up that she would really need to
worry.

Her toast popped and she placed the two slices on a plate
before brushing them with a thin layer of low fat butter. She then picked up
the plate and her drink and joined the men at the table. Capt. Peters looked
relieved that he no longer needed to be chivalrous and could sit down too.

‘So have you guys seen the professor this morning?’
Emmy
asked.

‘Briefly,’ Mike replied. ‘He gave us a quick tour of the
parts he did not have time to show us last night and then told us to wait here
for you.’

‘Did he show you the lab?’

‘Not yet. He said you would be able to do that. I got the
impression that he was distracted. Some local cop dropped by this morning. He
isn’t in any kind of trouble, is he?’

She thought of the incident the day before. She was not sure
how seriously her grandfather was taking her concerns, but if he was talking to
Lucas about it then with luck the situation would be resolved swiftly.

‘No, Pops has never so much as had a parking ticket. My
guess is that he was maybe warning the police that a pair of foreigners had
come to wreck his otherwise peaceful little town.’

‘In that case, he sounds like a smart man.’

Emmy
took a bite from her toast.
She was beginning to get a feel for what these two were going to be like. It
could have been a whole lot better, but it could also have been a whole lot
worse. She was on the verge of rewriting mankind’s understanding of science and
as she did so, she would have to babysit these two Americans. Compared to this,
Einstein had it easy.

***

Lucy was relieved when the policeman arrived to pick her
up. The couple on the farm seemed nice enough.
Not at all
crazy.
She just did not like to impose herself on strangers. It was not
as if they wanted anything in return for their hospitality. They actually
seemed the type that would find the act of doing a good deed a reward in
itself. Any awkwardness with the situation was entirely on her part. She did
not choose it to be this way; it was just how it was.

The policeman arrived in a pick-up truck. When she told him
the extent of the car’s damage over the phone, he said that it would need to be
taken into town for repairs. With any luck, the necessary parts would be in
stock and she could make Alice Springs by nightfall. The alternative would be
to spend a few days in whatever small town she was taken to. If the residents
were as friendly as the couple on the farm, this would be excruciating.

They found her car by the roadside where she left it. The
fuel tank was completely drained, but she could see no sign of the spilled
petrol. It had either evaporated in the morning sun or been completely absorbed
by the iron-rich dust of the outback. The policeman quickly surveyed the damage
and then attached a tow rope. They were soon back on the road and headed west
towards a small town named Jackson’s Hill. Lucy liked that name. It seemed like
the kind of name that would not be out of place on a bottle of good Australian
wine. Unfortunately, they were a little too far into the country’s interior for
this to be a grape growing region.

When they were about five kilometres from the town they came
across a white
ute
parked by the roadside. The driver
was standing at the rear of his vehicle and in the process of tying down some
tarpaulin to cover whatever cargo he had in the back. The policeman, who had
earlier told Lucy his name was Lucas, pulled up a few metres behind the
stationary vehicle. The driver seemed to curse under his breath, but he quickly
hid any animosity that he harboured, behind a broad, gap-toothed smile.

‘Good morning, Officer Black,’ the man said. ‘How can I be
of service to you today?’

The man wore muddy boots with steel toe-caps. His jeans were
scruffy and his plaid shirt was ragged. Atop his head was a trucker’s cap. He
was pretty much the exact opposite of the smart, attractive policeman. The only
thing the two shared was their jet black hair. Lucas’s was cropped and tidy,
whilst what she could see poking out the sides of the other man’s cap was
unkempt and greasy. She wondered if they were possibly related, being from a
small outback town. The one thing she was certain of, was that with her blonde
hair, she was going to stand out more than she would like.

‘Morning, Ned,’ said Lucas. ‘It’s not what you can do for
me, but what you can do for this young lady I have with me. She may be staying
in town for a few days and I thought it would be good for her to get to meet
some of the locals.’

Lucas gestured for Lucy to climb out of the tow truck in
order to come round and meet Ned.

‘Pleased to meet you, Miss,’ the local said. ‘Ned’s the
name. I’m the town butcher. If you want steak, I’m the man to come to.
Finest in the territory.’

He held out his hand. It was covered in grease and what
appeared to be dried blood. She did not take it.

‘I’m Lucy,’ she said.

‘Of course, Ned is unable to source his produce locally,’
added Lucas. ‘There is no cattle ranch within a hundred miles and with us being
on the edge of a national park, shooting ‘
roos
is
strictly forbidden. Isn’t that right, Ned?’

‘
Er
, yes, of course.’

The butcher appeared nervous and tried his best to cover
this with another smile, which had the power to frighten any child into
adopting a rigid oral hygiene routine. Lucas walked over to the back of Ned’s
ute
.

‘Have you just been to pick up a delivery? Maybe we could
let the lady have a peek under the tarpaulin to see some of the fantastic
produce you will have on offer this week.’

Ned quickly placed himself between the
ute
and the policeman.

‘Maybe another time, officer.
The
meat has not been properly cleaned and prepared yet. Perhaps if either of you
were to drop by later, I could fix you up with something special?’

Lucas winked at Lucy.

‘Why do I get the impression that you don’t want me to look
in the back there? I hope your offer is one of genuine goodwill and not a bribe
to keep me from poking around.’

‘Of course not, officer.
I just do
not want to hold you up, that’s all. This lady has been inconvenienced enough.
I do not want to delay her further.’

‘I’m in no hurry,’ said Lucy, joining in Lucas’s game with
relish.

‘A-a-a...’ stammered Ned.

‘It’s okay,’ said Lucas. ‘We had better be going like you
said. The next time that I see you, I will want to take a look under the
tarpaulin; do you understand?’

‘Yes, officer,’ replied Ned, who then hurried back into his
ute
and drove away in a cloud of dust.

Lucy climbed back into the cab of the tow truck.

‘I am right in guessing that he had some dead kangaroos in
the back, aren’t I?’

‘Almost certainly,’ replied Lucas. ‘I like to keep an even
hand, but I also have a duty to act in these people’s best interests. Ned’s a mischievous
one, but he is certainly not a wealthy man. To issue a fine would do him more
harm than good. A little scare every now and then will stop him straying too
far from the straight and narrow.’

Lucy was starting to warm to Lucas. He seemed to genuinely
care about his work and had an air of naivety that could only come about from
growing up in the country. Despite her earlier reservations when staying the
night on the farm, she was starting to look forward to meeting more residents
of Jackson’s Hill.

The town itself could not have exceeded her expectations
more pleasantly. She had anticipated small, dusty buildings with corrugated
iron roofs, but the reality was much more elegant and charming. A quaint Main
Street with its own pub, green grocer, hardware store and butchers was the
town’s centrepiece. There was not a burger joint or a supermarket in sight.
This was exactly what a country town should be. The local garage was located on
one of the few side streets to branch off from the centre. This was their first
port of call.

‘
Davo
is our town mechanic,’ said
Lucas. ‘If anyone can get you back on the road, it will be him.’

The garage was open, but Lucy could see nobody inside.
Various car parts littered the floor and there did not appear to be any method
in place as to how the inventory was stored. A key rack was hung on one wall
and it contained at least twenty sets, although the only vehicle she could see
was a solitary motorbike. She knew even less about bikes than she did cars, but
Lucy could still tell that this was at least thirty years old. Some parts were
rotten and rusted whilst others gleamed like new. She guessed it was some long
term fixer upper job. Beside the key rack there was a poster of some 80’s or
90’s rock band tacked to the wall and a photo of an attractive couple just
below it on an otherwise empty storage shelf.

‘He must be in the office,’ said Lucas. There was a slight
element of embarrassment in his voice. ‘I’ll give him a knock to let him know
we are here.’

An office door was slightly ajar and Lucas gave it a quick
rap with his knuckles. When there was no response, he knocked again,
significantly harder this time.

‘Okay, okay; I’m coming,’ said a voice from within.

When Lucy finally saw the mechanic, she was not filled with
optimism. He looked in his fifties, although with heavy grey stubble and
unkempt hair it was difficult to predict an exact age. He was not wearing
overalls and his clothes were stained, though with more than just oil and
grease. When he was within ten feet of her, she could smell the booze.

‘Look, Lucas, if this is about the restraining order; I
already told you that I have not been anywhere near that old crank or his
granddaughter. Take
me
to court and I’ll expose the
bastard for what he is and where will your precious town be then?’

Lucas held up his arms, submissively.

‘Whoa there,
Davo
.
I’m actually here to do you a favour. I know business has been slow of late. I
received a call last night; an out-of-towner with a ruptured fuel tank.’

The mechanic looked at Lucy with surprise, as if he had only
just noticed her standing in his work shop. He briefly glanced to the floor.
Lucy had heard his outburst and despite not understanding a word of it, it was
natural that he would feel ashamed. When he looked up, his countenance softened
and she could now see a resemblance with the young man in the photograph. She
presumed the man in the picture was his son.

They went outside and the mechanic helped Lucas to detach
Lucy’s car and move it into the shop. After a brief look under the vehicle, he
gave his assessment.

‘Getting the parts should not be a problem. I will need to
go into Alice, but they will not be cheap.’

He looked to Lucy to gauge her reaction on the price.

‘I’m sure my insurance will cover whatever it costs.’

‘In that case, I should be able to have you back on the road
by tomorrow.’

‘Thank you very much; that’s excellent.’

She thought of suggesting that rather than going into Alice
for the parts, they could just tow the car to Alice to get it done there.
Clearly the man had some serious personal issues, but since she would only have
to spend one night in the town, she was happy to trust him. Besides, the
policeman seemed really helpful and would not have recommended the man if he
was not capable of finishing the job.

‘It looks like we will be having the pleasure of your
company until tomorrow,’ said Lucas. ‘Mindy will be able to put you up for the
night. She is landlady of the local pub and has a guestroom on the top floor.
We call it the penthouse, because it’s top of the only two
storey
building in town.’

‘It sounds charming,’ Lucy replied.

‘I’ll take you over there now. Do you have any bags?’

They took her luggage from the trunk of the car. When they
were walking down Main Street towards the pub, they were stopped by a panicked
woman who had come running from across the road.