Black Mountain (8 page)

Greg sat back in his chair, his eyes narrowed. ‘It's expecting a lot, asking me to give up the
Ecstasy
range. I've been doing good business with it.'

‘Come on, Greg, we both know what a hard business it is to sell just another ho-hum product. They're in all the supermarkets these days.'

‘I object to you calling
Ecstasy
ho-hum, it's a damn good product.'

‘Maybe. But the big companies have it all tied up.
Clarins, Thalgo
and so on. And in the department stores we're fighting the likes of
Estee Lauder
and
Christian Dior
. My product has the advantage of being Australian made, and home grown is becoming more and more popular. Everyone's being urged to “Buy Australian”, these days.'

‘Hmm. Well, there's something in what you say,' Greg admitted. ‘So, supposing I agree, how would you see it working? I can tell you now, it'd have to be a good deal for me to give up
Ecstasy.
'

‘Then let's see what we can work out.'

For the next hour they quibbled back and forth, each one putting up a proposition only to have it knocked back by the other. Finally they worked out a deal that was acceptable to all.

Carl sat back in his chair and looked at the other two. ‘Well, that's a good deal all round. I have a standard contract here, so I can add the relevant addendum, we can all sign it, and then it's done.'

Pulling one of the piles of papers towards him he chose a set of sheets from it and began writing. When it was done he pushed it across to Greg, who took his time reading it thoroughly before looking up and nodding.

‘Yes. That's all okay.' Picking up a pen he signed it with a flourish, then pushed it across to Carl, who added his signature, and then to Marie, who signed without a word.

Carl picked it up and scrutinised it, then nodded his head. ‘We're now partners,' he said.

Greg smiled. ‘For better or worse,' he added. ‘Now, tell me, partner, what do you have in the pipeline at the moment? What are you working on now?'

‘A new eye gel. Something so light it won't upset sensitive eyes, but reduces puffiness and dark circles.'

‘Sounds good,' Greg agreed. ‘But what we need is something really wow! Something to make everyone sit up and take notice.'

‘That's easier said than done,' Carl replied uneasily.

Greg lifted a brow. ‘Ah! But what if I could get you a formula?' he asked with a sly grin. ‘Something that would be totally revolutionary?'

Carl's eyes lit up. ‘You bring me that and we've got a fortune.'

Chapter 12

When Elly rang Mitchell to tell him she was ready to resume their search, he replied he was on his way up and would be with her shortly. Hearing his car pull up a little later she was at the door to meet him, and he greeted her with a peck on the cheek.

‘So how are you feeling?' he asked her as he leant to pat Ben, who was sitting with one paw raised, gazing up at him, obviously waiting for attention.

‘Very much better. And I must thank you for rescuing me like you did.'

‘Think nothing of it.' He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. ‘It's all part of the service.'

‘Above and beyond, I believe.' She smiled. ‘I hate to think how I'd have managed if I'd been alone.'

‘You'd have coped.'

‘Well, I'm very grateful. If you hadn't taken my things off and got rid of the ants I would have been more badly bitten.'

‘Yes, well I—' Mitchell cleared his throat, ‘—I guess I just acted on impulse. The main thing was to get them off you.'

Elly suddenly realised that he was embarrassed and, remembering he had seen her naked from the waist up, she felt a faint flush tinge her cheeks, and averted her eyes. Not that he'd seen a lot more than could be seen on any beach on most days, but this seemed different somehow. She bit down the awkwardness rising inside her.

‘Mum washed your jacket,' she said quickly. ‘I'll get it for you.'

‘No hurry,' he replied, his composure obviously restored. Raising his hand he ran his fingers gently over the spots on her cheek, a whisper light caress that set her blood tingling.

‘They're looking much better,' he told her, his voice soft.

The intensity in his molten brown eyes belied the ordinariness of his words, and as he took a step closer Elly felt a catch in her breath. A shiver ran through her as her eyes searched his face. What was he thinking?

At that moment Beth's voice came from the kitchen.

‘Elly,' she called, ‘is that Mitchell?'

Mitchell dropped his hand and stepped back, and the moment was gone.

Elly swallowed, inwardly lamenting her mother's timing—Mitchell had looked as if he was about to kiss her—and she had wanted him to.

‘Yes, Mum,' she called, and turned and headed down the hall with Mitchell following.

Over coffee Mitchell told them the latest news in the search for Jackson Lee.

‘Because the police believe he may be in the country illegally they made some enquiries in Cairns, and finally found he'd been living in a studio apartment in Abbott Street for two months, but he left there suddenly the day before you returned from Brisbane, without giving notice and leaving no forwarding address. No-one has seen anything of him since, so he's been reported as missing, and his photo's been circulated. A report came in of a sighting in Brisbane, but it came to nothing, and another from Sydney, which is being followed up.'

‘Sydney,' Elly exclaimed. ‘I wonder what would take him there.'

Mitchell shrugged. ‘It may not be him. It's not unusual to receive reports of sightings once a photo's made public. But it gives us a lot more chance of finding him, and a friend in the force will let me know if they have something definite.'

‘Well, that's all good,' Elly mused, ‘but in the meantime we need to get on with our search. We need to try and find Della.'

‘I'm ready whenever you are,' Mitchell told her. ‘I've covered more ground while you've been recovering, but with no luck, obviously.'

Elly nodded. ‘I'm ready now. Let's go to Wujal Wujal tomorrow.'

‘Okay.' Mitchell pushed his chair back and rose. ‘I'll get going now, and I'll be here at seven-thirty to pick you up.'

Elly saw him to the door, and as he was leaving she saw Gai's car pull up outside and her friend get out. The two met on the path and Mitchell stood aside to let her pass with a nod and a smile.

‘Who was that?' Gai asked with raised eyebrows after she'd greeted Elly.

‘Mitchell Beaumont. He's helping us try and track down Jackson Lee.'

‘Wow, he's gorgeous. He could help me with anything he likes.' She gave a sly smile. ‘Why worry about Jackson when he's around?'

‘Don't talk rubbish,' Elly spoke dismissively, flicking her hair back, but she felt a wash of heat come over her as she remembered the look in Mitchell's eyes before her mother had interrupted them, and how it had made her feel.

‘Aha.' Gai grinned. ‘You fancy him, don't you?'

‘No, of course not. It's strictly business between us.'

‘Then why have you turned pink?' Gai laughed aloud. ‘I can tell the signs.'

Elly turned on her heel, not wanting to share her feelings about Mitchell with anyone at this point in time, not even with Gai. ‘You've been reading too many romances. Come and have a coffee and I'll fill you in on what's been happening.'

Leading the way to the kitchen she poured coffee for them both, and as they drank she recounted all that had happened, ending by telling Gai of their planned trip to Wujal Wujal.

Gai's face sobered. ‘This is serious stuff, isn't it?' she said when Elly finished. ‘I wonder if Jackson really did take your Dad's journal, and if he did—why? What would he do with it? Did he ever say anything to make you think he might be involved in the beauty industry at all?'

Elly shook her head. ‘No, never, except to say his mother is interested in herbs and aromatherapy.'

‘I wonder if he could have taken it to send to her.'

‘But unless she knew enough to understand Dad's work, and she would have to be a professional for that, it wouldn't be of any use to her. An amateur wouldn't understand it.'

‘Perhaps he didn't know that.'

Elly frowned. ‘I suppose it's possible. But surely he wouldn't have gone to such lengths—arranging the weekend and all—just on the off-chance his mother would understand it?'

‘Hmm.' Gai tilted her head to one side, considering. ‘It does sound a bit farfetched, I guess. Maybe he didn't take it, maybe someone else did, and you didn't discover it until then.'

‘That's possible, of course. But then why did Jackson lie to me? And why has he disappeared? It's all just going round in circles.'

Gai nodded. ‘You're right. And I guess we won't know the answer to that unless he turns up.' She paused. ‘Anyway, that's not what I really came over for. On Friday night Tim and I are going out for a few drinks and a meal, and to listen to a band. Would you like to join us?'

‘Sure. I could use a bit of fun to take my mind off all of this.'

‘Good. We're meeting at Galligans at eight.'

‘I'll look forward to it.'

Chapter 13

The next morning the sky was heavy with dark clouds that had rolled in overnight, and the air was thick with humidity. The build up to the ‘wet' was under way and Elly was grateful for the air conditioner in the Cruiser as they set off for Wujal Wujal.

After a few words of greeting they drove in silence as they sped smoothly along the bitumen road on the first part of the trip.

Elly was busy with her thoughts, turning over in her mind again the puzzle of Jackson's deception. Why had he pretended to be a Qantas pilot? Was he simply trying to impress her, in which case there was no reason for him not to go to Brisbane for the weekend, or was there a more sinister reason behind his deception?

Then her thoughts turned to what lay ahead of them. Would they find Della? And if they didn't, would they ever find the plant? If they couldn't find it, what then for the dreams her mother still had of creating the product she and Rob had hoped for? Could analysis of their trials reveal the composition of the components in them, and could they be reproduced somehow? Elly doubted it. And what then? It made her feel sick to think how demoralising this would be for her mother—just when she had finally seemed to shake off the mist of grief and unhappiness that had been with her since Rob's death.

Her mind came back to the present as they reached the Daintree River and joined the queue waiting to cross on the ferry.

***

Mitchell looked across at Elly sitting beside him. She'd been very quiet on the way here. He guessed she'd been thinking ahead, hoping they'd be able to find this Della, and that she'd be willing to help them. Elly had probably been right when she insisted on accompanying him, it was more likely Della, if they could find her, would help Rob's daughter rather than a stranger.

‘The ferry is on its way back, so we won't have to wait long,' he told her as he parked in behind a short queue of cars.

Elly seemed to have come out of her reverie, now they had reached the river, and she looked around with interest. She gestured to the small car ahead, which had camping gear strapped in a roof rack on top.

‘A bit late for tourists, but that's what they look like with all that gear,' she remarked.

‘Well, I hope they're not going too far ahead. That vehicle's a bit light for the really rough roads.'

‘He's probably come this far north hoping for a chance at spotting a croc, I suppose.'

‘Not likely here by the ferry.'

‘Well, you never know. They might be lucky.'

The ferry pulled in and disgorged the cars on board, and those waiting in the queue inched forward.

Elly was keeping a good look out as they crossed. ‘No, no crocs here,' she said as they reached the other side.

She was as bad as the tourists, he thought with amusement, finding crocodiles a novelty. But then, she probably spent little of her time near the water, even though she lived in Far North Queensland, and it was rare for crocs to venture far from their watery habitats. He shot her a grin. ‘I didn't expect there to be.'

As they drove forward along the road on the other side Elly sniffed the air and, winding down her window, peered up into the trees that lined the road.

‘Yes, I thought I could smell them,' she exclaimed. ‘Filthy little beasts! Bats! Dozens of them, hanging upside down in that tree ahead. Phew, they stink!' With that she rolled her window up.

Mitchell laughed. ‘That's one for the tourists to photograph.'

‘Bats!' Elly shuddered. ‘I hate them. I always imagine them getting tangled in my hair.' She shuddered. ‘Ugh!'

Leaving the bats behind, they continued on the road towards Cape Tribulation.

Mitchell was aware of her as she sat beside him and he realised that he no longer thought of her as someone who was a mere presence in his life while he did a job for her mother. Not that he had any interest in her romantically, of course. He was right off women. But seeing as how they were having to spend so much time together, there was no harm in getting to know her better. Besides, talking helped to pass the time on the long drive.

‘So tell me, Elly, what have you been doing with yourself since you left school?' he asked her.

Elly shrugged. ‘Nothing terribly interesting. Dad always wanted me to follow in his and Mum's footsteps, to be a part of the business, and I could never see myself doing anything else, so I did science at university and followed it with an aromatherapy course down in Brisbane. I worked with them at home for a year, and then decided to work in a salon for a year or so, for the experience. That's about all.'