The Word of God (16 page)

He indicated a farm house on a low ridge about a kilometre ahead on the right of the highway.

Peter looked anxiously up and down the highway. Still not a car in sight. Graham's idea appealed. He felt very exposed walking beside the highway.

If the Devil Worshippers come driving along they will be onto us instantly,
he mused.
And they will probably shoot first and ask questions later!

With that thought he gave a nod and indicated he approved.

Graham turned off and led them down the track between the long grass and the sugar cane. Peter felt immediately both safer and more isolated.

Chapter 10

ALONG THE TRAMLINE

T
he vehicle track they were following was a typical sugar cane headland: two wheel tracks with long grass and weeds on the left and the tall sugar cane overhanging on the right. In places the cane leaves hung so far out that they brushed against them. Joy was the first to register her complaints.

“Ow! That hurt!” She indicated the back of her hand which showed a smear of blood. “That leaf cut me.”

Peter nodded. “Yes, you need to watch sugar cane. The leaves have very sharp edges.”

Graham looked back as he walked. “They have hairs on them too,” he added. “They can make you itch badly if you brush against them.”

“Thanks very much!” Joy grumbled. “How long do we have to walk along this track?”

“Only a couple of hundred metres,” Graham replied.

Sir Richard joined in. “I hope so. I don't agree with this idea of skulking off. It is very isolated. If we run into trouble no-one will know.”

“Hopefully we won't,” Graham replied.

“It's very hot!” Megan commented.

It was too. Down among the cane there was no breeze and the sun was blazing down from a cloudless sky. Peter had to agree as he wiped perspiration from his face.

The track curved slowly to the right. Ahead of them loomed a steep sided ridge which Peter knew was on the other side of the river. The slopes leading down to the water were thickly clad in rainforest. On the plateau above were cane fields and pasture.

The track curved further to the right until they were walking along beside the belt of trees marking the river bank on their left. The cane field continued unbroken on their right. Several kilometres ahead a flat topped wall of forested mountains rose to block the western horizon. At their northern end the mountains rose into a tumbled jumble which Peter knew was the Lamb Range.

Graham pointed ahead. “That is the Atherton Tablelands up on top of those
mountains ahead of us,” he explained. He had his map out and was checking their progress.

Megan frowned. “It looks pretty steep. I hope we don't have to climb up there,” she said.

Graham shook his head. “We won't. If Stephen is right we turn left at the base and go south up the Mulgrave Valley,” he replied.

As he said this they came to the end of the cane field. Ahead on their right was a recently harvested field. It was several hundred metres wide but on the far side was the highway, and, just beyond it, the farm house on the low grassy spur. Graham turned right without pausing, leading along the edge of the open field.

It was even hotter now and Peter wiped more sweat and managed a drink from his water bottle as he walked along. The group spread out in a long single file: Graham, Gwen, Mr Jones, Sir Miles, Sir Richard, Joy, Peter, Megan and Stephen. Stephen continued checking his mobile phone for service but kept shaking his head. Knowing how the valley twisted and turned Peter wasn't surprised but it was certainly worrying.

As they trudged along the dusty track Peter began to relax. Not far now, and there were cars on the highway too. He watched a furniture truck come around the bend to the left and head past towards Gordonvale, then a red sports car zip past in the other direction.

When they were only fifty paces from the highway another car went past. It slowed and turned right up the gravel road which led to the farm house on the low hill ahead of them. Both Gwen and Graham stopped and cried out in dismay.

“Devil Worshippers!”

“Are you sure?” Sir Miles asked as he halted behind them.

“I think so,” Graham replied. “Two men in black; and I thought that was the car I saw back at the place where you parked your car.”

Peter suddenly felt cold. Worse, he knew he was scared. He had only glimpsed the car so couldn't enter the discussion.

Sir Miles asked: “What should we do now?”

“There are other farms further along,” Graham replied. “Or we can just stop a car on the highway.”

Gwen gestured towards the farm. “We should hide before those men see us,” she said. The car could not be seen but Peter decided it was reasonable to assume that the highway was visible from up there.

Peter looked around. He felt very exposed. Whichever way they went they would be walking in the open for hundreds of metres.

Megan pointed behind her. “Back to the river bank?” she suggested.

Graham shook his head. “No. If we do then we may as well walk back to Petes Bridge because if we go the other way along the river bank we will still be visible from the highway and the farm.”

Peter saw that he was right. If they walked back the way they had come to the river bank, they then had to walk along the far side of the open field.

“Couldn't we hide in the sugar cane?” Sir Richard asked.

The cadets all cried out at once. Peter amplified their objections: “No! The leaves would scratch something awful and cane fields are full of snakes. I wouldn't go into one unless I was actually being chased.”

Stephen agreed: “Besides, If we were seen going into a cane field they might set fire to it.”

The cadets all looked at each other in horror. Sir Miles looked puzzled. “Fire? Does sugar cane burn?”

“Does it burn!” Stephen cried. “Like fury. It would be deadly.”

Peter nodded. “They sometimes burn the fields just before they harvest them,” he explained. “We have all seen cane fires.”

“Let's not stand here debating,” Gwen said.

Graham nodded. “You are right. Let's go. Stop the first car that comes along,” he said. He turned and started walking along the dusty track beside the tramline, which again ran beside the highway.

They walked quickly along. Peter kept glancing up at the farm house on the hill on their right. It was partly hidden by trees and long grass and he could only hope that any Devil Worshippers there weren't looking. Once again he shivered, despite the sweat which was soaking his shirt and trickling down his face.

Ahead the dirt track went to the left of a clump of trees. The tramline curved down into a cutting and the highway went right around a bend below the farm house. Peter began to puzzle over which path they should take.

Graham was obviously thinking the same thing as he halted as they reached the end of the cutting. He turned and looked back along the highway.

Peter did the same. As he did a vehicle came into view from the east. “Here comes a car,” he said, then his voice seemed to stick in his throat.

It was a black 4WD and it stopped on a slight rise beside the highway about half a kilometre back.

“That four-wheel drive,” Peter said. He pointed and his voice trailed off.

Stephen took off his glasses so he could use his long sight better. “It looks like the one that was at the bottom of the Pyramid,” he said.

Gwen nodded. “And was seen at the highway bridge in Gordonvale this morning,” she added grimly.

Joy gasped and looked anxious. “What are they doing? They must have seen us,” she said.

Graham shook his head. “Not necessarily. They might be looking somewhere else and we aren't that conspicuous. Come on!” he replied. He turned and started walking quickly into the railway cutting.

The others followed. Peter's heart had leapt into his throat with concern and he kept glancing back to see if the vehicle was following. As he did he met Joy's eyes. She gave a brave little smile but he could tell from her eyes and the tight lines around her brow that she was desperately worried.

As they made their way into what was now revealed to be a deep, steep-sided cutting Peter called to Graham: “I don't know that this cutting is a good idea. It might turn into a trap.”

“No choice,” Graham called back. “If we go left along the edge of the canefield we will be visible for much longer and we can't go along the highway without being seen.”

Peter saw at once that he was right. The dirt track which branched off ahead of them led up over a low rise and they would have to walk at least fifty paces in the open to get out of sight. He noted that already the long grass at the start of the cutting hid them. But still he felt uneasy. “Walk as fast as you can then,” he said.

The others caught his alarm and complied. It was easy walking but certainly felt claustrophobic. The cutting was quite narrow and became deeper and deeper, with steep sides they would only be able to climb with great difficulty. The top of the cutting on both sides was covered in long grass and weeds.

Anything could hide up there,
Peter thought, eyeing the area warily and wondering what they might do if the Devil Worshippers appeared.

Even as he was thinking this there was a murmured gasp from ahead of him. Peter looked that way and was dismayed to see two youths walking towards them along the tramline. Both were in their late teens or early twenties. One wore dirty blue jeans and a black T-shirt and the other wore jeans and a sleeveless denim jacket. Neither wore a hat.

Seeing no option Graham kept walking. The others followed. As they got closer Peter thought that the two youths looked very shifty and worried.

What on earth are these two up to? Are they Devil Worshippers; or just petty crims?

The two youths tried to avoid their eyes and grunted surly greetings as they
passed. Peter decided that they were just two youths. Stephen obviously agreed as he muttered after they had passed: “Going to water their marijuana plot.”

Peter looked back and nodded, noting that Stephen had the pistol in his hand but hidden from the two youths.

The pair passed out of sight behind them and the group pressed on through the cutting. This curved right, then left, to come out in a large open area. Water glinted ahead.

Gwen let out a little cry. “Oh, I know where we are,” she cried. “We come here for barbeques and swims.”

“Yes, it is the Ross and Locke Picnic area,” Graham replied.

Joy looked around with open wonder on her face. “Isn't it pretty!” she said.

Peter had to agree it was. The tramline went across the river on a low wooden bridge. From the highway up on their right a gravel road led down through a belt of trees to cross the tramline just before it went onto the bridge. The gravel road crossed the river on a short concrete bridge just downstream of the tram bridge. Upstream was a wide, deep pool. Steep, forested slopes rose beyond this.

“Plenty of people. We should be safe,” Gwen commented with relief. She was right. At a glance Peter counted six cars and at least twenty people, mostly families having a good time. Small children were playing on the road bridge. People were swimming, canoeing and lazing around.

“Safe for the moment,” Joy agreed.

Graham kept walking. “Let's see if any of them has mobile phone reception so we can call the police,” he said.

That reminded Peter: “Oh, Sir Richard, you might try to use yours again.”

“My what?” Sir Richard answered.

“Your mobile phone,” Peter replied.

At that comment Sir Miles turned and looked hard at Sir Richard and a frown crossed his brow. “I didn't know you still had your mobile phone Sir Richard.”

“Yes, I have,” Sir Richard replied. “I thought you knew.”

Sir Miles frowned again. “Those blasted Devil Worshippers took mine yesterday. I thought they also took yours,” he said.

Sir Richard shook his head. “No. They must have missed it.” With that he reached into his pocket and took out a mobile phone. He tapped the keys and held it to his ear. After a moment he looked at the display and shook his head. “No service.”

Peter watched him do this and then shook his head. Something wasn't quiet right but he couldn't decide what so he continued walking.

By then they were at the end of the road bridge. The small children there looked at them curiously. Joy gave them a cheery greeting and they became all embarrassed and jumped into the water. This flowed shallow and crystal clear under the two bridges, to tumble down a long set of gentle rapids under trees on the downstream side.

“Oh this is a lovely spot,” Megan commented. “What about a swim?”

“Good idea, but we must contact the police first,” Graham agreed. He kept on walking and led the way onto the short road bridge. As they did a car came from the other end, crammed with picnickers on their way home.

Graham stood in the middle of the bridge to stop it. He leaned in the driver's window. “Excuse me, have you got a mobile phone?” he asked.

The driver, a middle-aged man, shook his head.

“Then could you please take a message to the police for us?” Graham asked.

At the mention of police the man frowned. “I suppose so. What is it?”

“Could you tell them that it is the cadets that were up Walshs Pyramid yesterday and that…er… that we have something very important to tell them. Make sure Inspector Goldstein gets the message. And please hurry, it is urgent.”

The man looked doubtful then agreed. Graham stood aside and the car drove on. The group walked on to the far end of the bridge. On the left was a toilet block and barbeques. On the right was an open area with three cars parked and more people swimming and lying around.

“Will we ask them as well?” Peter suggested.

“Oh, one message should be enough,” Graham replied. “We don't want to bother a lot of people and start a panic.”