Kakadu Sunset (13 page)

Gina blinked as unwanted tears filled her eyes.

David frowned as he looked at her. ‘I’m sorry, darling. I thought we’d get back before you, but the kids were fascinated by the wild pigs and the crocodiles we could see from the boardwalk.’

Gina shuddered with revulsion. ‘Will that matter, not going today?’

‘No. I’ll work around it.’ He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close. ‘I’m really sorry.’

Finally, she let her head rest on his shoulder.

‘I didn’t even think about you being worried. I thought you’d be enjoying being pampered.’

‘I was.’ She sniffed. ‘Until I came back and couldn’t find you at the pool. And your phone was here. You never leave your phone.’ Another sniff and Gina lifted her hand and wiped her eyes. ‘And then I saw that the car was gone. I was frightened.’

David rested his chin on the top of her head. ‘My phone was flat. And I should have left a note before we drove down to the river.’

‘That wouldn’t have done any good. I didn’t take my card to get back in.’ This time she allowed a tremulous smile to tip her lips as she looked up at him. ‘I had to go to reception and get another door card. It was just thinking about what that man said to you. I couldn’t get it out of my head and I overreacted.’

David held her close and Gina’s breathing eased as the warmth of his body soothed her.

‘You do smell nice.’

David smiled as he held her gaze, before dropping his head and capturing her lips in a swift kiss. ‘I left my bags in the car.’

She glanced across at the children, now engrossed in the television show. ‘I’ll come with you. I left my Kindle in the glove box.’

Outside a storm was building in the north and the clouds that had threatened all day were closing in quickly. David held her hand as he grabbed at his cap, and pushed it down hard as a gust of wind lifted the brim. They stood back and let a small red car go past before they crossed the road to the car and David opened the boot.

‘Daddy!’

Gina turned as Binny’s voice reached them. She was running from the building and heading for the road.

‘Binny, stop,’ Gina yelled.

‘I wanna see the pigs some more.’ The little girl stopped and teetered on the edge of the kerb.

‘I’ll get her.’ David ran across and picked her up. There were no other cars apart from the one that had just passed them but Gina’s legs were shaking.

‘No more pigs today,’ David said.

Gina put her trembling hand to her mouth. She knew she was overreacting; there’d been no danger.

‘No pigs?’ Binny put her little hands on David’s face and turned his head to face her.

David shook his head. ‘No pigs.’

‘Piggyback then.’

Gina swung around as a woman’s voice called out:

‘David Johnson. I thought it was you!’

*

Ellie had spent most of the day at the hangar but no flights had been booked. Saturday was usually quiet as it was more often than not the changeover day for tourists. Kane hadn’t been rostered on, but she couldn’t help herself pulling up the electronic roster to see when they were next on together. Despite her expectations, she’d enjoyed the drive down to Jim Jim with him yesterday.

Pulling into the car park, she’d done a double-take when the pregnant lady and the man in the baseball cap had stepped back and waited for her to drive past. It looked like David Johnson, but the cap and sunglasses hid his face, and she’d only got a side-on view.

She’d just got out of the car and put the keys in her pocket when a child’s voice called out, ‘Daddy!’ She watched as the little girl sped towards the road, but the man ran across and intercepted her before she could step onto the bitumen.

It
was
David. He swung the little girl onto his back and crossed back to the woman who was waiting at the car. ‘David Johnson. I thought it was you!’

He turned slowly, holding the little girl protectively against his chest. He frowned for a moment and then his face cleared.

‘Ellie? Ellie Porter?’

‘Long time no see. It’s ages since I last saw you.’

He looked around the car park before he held out his hand. Ellie leaned in and kissed his cheek as the little girl took David’s hat from his head and turned it around so that the brim was over the back of his neck

‘I thought you’d be in Darwin. Aren’t you an important politician now? Chief Minister, no less?’

‘I’m just here for the weekend.’ Again David scanned the car park before twisting his hat around. ‘But I’m trying to have a family break. Don’t tell anyone I’m here. You know, privacy and all that.’

Ellie laughed. ‘Oh, David, I’m sure it’s all around the lodge already. If you checked in, everyone will know.’

David dropped her hand and pulled at the collar of his polo shirt. ‘This is my wife, Gina. We only came outside to get a couple of things and this naughty little madam followed us. Come on over to the apartment with us and we can catch up inside. Andrew, our little boy’s over there.’

His wife was a beautiful woman with flawless, olive skin and almond-shaped green eyes. She glanced nervously at David before she greeted Ellie. David tipped his head back to the cute little girl who had her arms wound tightly around his neck. ‘This is Binny, short for Belinda.’ Hitching the little girl up his back with a roll of his shoulders, he said, ‘Binny, say hello to Ellie. She’s an old friend of your uncle Chad.’ The little girl observed Ellie shyly as they all crossed the lawn to the building.

Back before Dad died and they left the farm, Ellie had briefly gone out with David’s youngest brother. They’d hung out at the Johnson house in Jabiru in the summer holidays until Dad found out that Mr Johnson was something important at the Ranger uranium mine. After that he’d said he preferred that she didn’t go to their house. David was a good ten years older than Chad and she’d only met him a few times that summer when he’d come home for Chad’s birthday. She’d forgotten all about him until years later when she read he’d been elected to parliament. She’d watched his meteoric rise to Chief Minister while he was still in his thirties and had followed his career with interest.

‘Where’s Chad these days?’ Ellie asked.

‘New York. Met a girl at uni and followed her back home to the States.’ David put the little girl down and she ran through the open door. He stood back and waited for the two women to step inside before him.

Ellie whistled quietly as she took in the decor. It was one of the most expensive suites at Makowa. ‘Wow. This is a bit different to my staff apartment.’

Gina turned to her and smiled. ‘It is very nice. We’re lucky to have the chance to stay here.’ Her voice was accented. A memory niggled at Ellie. Something she’d read about David marrying someone famous while he was overseas. Gina certainly had movie-star looks.

David looked from one to the other as if weighing something up. Ellie frowned, uncomfortable. ‘Look, I won’t take up any more of your time. I’ve got to drop some keys back to the office.’ She nodded at David’s wife. ‘Good to meet you, Gina. Have a nice break. And say hello to Chad next time you speak to him.’ She turned to go.

‘Ellie, no. Wait.’ A significant look passed between the couple, and Ellie paused in the doorway.

‘Can I beg a favour?’

‘Sure,’ she said. ‘What can I do for you?’

‘I have to go back to the city for the week, and I was wondering if you could keep an eye out for Gina and the kids while they’re here.’ David had lifted the sunglasses but his gaze was hooded. ‘Just maybe drop in occasionally.’

Ellie nodded. ‘Of course. How about a coffee one morning? Or even lunch?’ She turned to Gina with a smile. If she found it strange that the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory was leaving his heavily pregnant wife here alone with two small kids, she certainly wasn’t going to say anything. It was none of her business.

‘I’ll look forward to it. Call me when you’re free.’ Gina smiled and rolled her eyes as the little girl yelled from the room at the end of the hall. ‘I’ll really look forward to it.’ She gave Ellie her number and then lifted her hand in a wave as she went to attend to the children.

‘Bye.’ Ellie smiled at David and turned to leave but before she could take a step, his hand gently gripped her arm.

‘Ellie?’

‘Yes.’ She frowned as he slowly let her go.

His smile did not quite reach his eyes. ‘Please don’t mention to anyone you saw me here. Or that Gina and the kids are my family.’

Sunday
Black Jungle Springs

On Sunday morning Ellie rose early. She briefly considered driving out to the farm – Kane had said his mother wouldn’t mind – but then remembered that she’d promised Heather she’d come out to Black Jungle Springs for the day. She still hadn’t caught up with Bill Jarragah and she wanted to ask him if he’d heard anything about Panos Sordina and the development along the river.

She slowed her speed as the car crossed the last causeway across Stove Creek on the winding Old Jim Jim Road. The causeway was almost dry – just a small flow of shallow water across the lowest point in the middle – but Ellie still glanced nervously to each side as the tyres sent a sheet of water arcing high in the mid-morning sun. But there were no crocodiles basking in the warm winter sun this morning. When she reached the other side, a couple of Aboriginal children – probably Heather’s cousins – ran along beside the car smiling at her and waving. She didn’t recognise them and a pang of regret shot through her as she waved back. Between their rosters, she and Heather rarely had time off together, and she didn’t get out here very often anymore.

After turning off the sandy road, Ellie parked beneath the old Darwin woolly butt tree next to the falling-down fence at the Jarragah house, smiling as she looked up at the brilliant orange flowers. On one of her visits with her dad, Bill had stood beneath the tree and shown her the buds. ‘The orange flowers tell us it’s time to start lighting fires, to clean up the country so we don’t have intense wildfires late in the dry season.’ Heather had rolled her eyes; she’d been more interested in the
Dolly
magazines that Ellie had in her bag than hearing about boring old trees.

‘Ellie!’ Heather pushed open the screen door and ran lightly down the steps to the car as she climbed out and stretched. ‘It’s so good to see you here, away from work. Just like old times.’

Ellie grinned at her. ‘It’s only two nights since we had a drink together.’

‘Yeah, but you rushed off early and took Fly Boy away before I could get to know him.’ Heather tipped her head to the side and examined Ellie as she reached into the car for her bag. ‘How was the drive to Jim Jim on Friday? Did you learn any more about him? I’m not stepping on your territory there if I make a move on him tonight, am I?’

Ellie laughed at the barrage of questions, and ignored the strange feeling that ran through her. ‘Of course not. You know my policy: absolutely no sex with staff. I have to work closely with him, so he’s all yours.’

‘Did you check out the muscles in his arms?’ Heather shook her fingers in front of her face. ‘I wonder how big his –’

‘Heather! You sound like we’re in high school again.’

‘I was only going to say I’d like to get a look at his
six pack
.’

‘You were not. I know you too well. But just for the record, his abs are as good as the rest of him. When I first met him, he wasn’t wearing a shirt.’

‘Oh, lucky you. All I get to see is Terry in his work shirt and a tribe of kids in the crèche!’

Ellie walked around and opened the boot. ‘I brought a cake from the kitchens.’

‘Yum. I’ll put the jug on.’ Heather took the cake from her, and Ellie kept an eye out for snakes as they walked through the long grass to the house.

The screen door creaked as Heather pushed it open, but the house was quiet. Ellie looked around. ‘Where’s your dad? Up in Darwin?’

‘No. Still in bed.’

Ellie frowned. ‘He’s not crook, is he? I haven’t seen him since I came back.’

‘No, he had a late night. He’s got a lot on his mind at the moment. Between you and me I’ve been a bit worried about him.’ Heather dropped her voice to a whisper as footsteps padded along the dark hallway to the back of the old house. ‘See what you reckon.’

Bill appeared in the kitchen doorway and Ellie frowned as he stretched one arm into the air and held onto his blue striped pyjama pants with the other. He’d lost a lot of weight in the month since Ellie had seen him and his chest was sunken. His face unshaven, with his hair unkempt, he looked every year of his sixty-plus age.

‘Ellie. You’re a nice surprise to wake up to.’ Bill hitched his pants up with an apologetic smile. ‘Sorry, I’ll go and get dressed before we have a cuppa.’

‘Hey, Bill.’ She walked over and kissed his leathery old cheek, relieved when no smell of alcohol greeted her. For a brief moment, she’d wondered if he had gone back to old habits. She caught Heather’s eye as he walked back down the hall.

‘See.’ Heather mouthed at her and Ellie nodded. He looked dreadful.

When the bathroom door closed, Ellie walked over to the sink where Heather was filling the kettle. ‘Is he sick? Has he seen the doctor?’

Heather shook her head. ‘No, he’s got something on his mind and he won’t talk about it. Lots of mysterious phone calls at all hours, and he leaves the room so I can’t overhear. He’s been to Darwin about five times in the last two weeks. And every time he comes back he looks more worried than the last time.’

‘I’m not surprised that he’s so tired.’ It was a good five-hour return trip from Black Jungle Springs to Darwin. ‘I wonder what’s going on.’

‘I can’t get it out of him.’ Heather shrugged. ‘But you know the way he is. When he’s good and ready, he’ll share. Now get the knife and cut me a huge piece of that carrot cake.’

The kettle boiled and they sat down at the table together. Heather reminded her about the band playing in the bar.

‘Make sure you get dressed up tonight, Els. We don’t get much chance to. And if
you
do, I can get dolled up and not look too obvious. Don’t want to scare Fly Boy away.’ Heather wiped her mouth and let out a gentle burp. ‘Oops, pardon me.’