Inheritance (32 page)

‘Mark. Thank God you are here and not down in Sydney. Something terrible has happened and it is all my fault.’ He heard a sob over the line before she continued. ‘I should never have gone and left her.’

‘Mother,’ he said sharply. ‘Calm down and tell me what has happened.’

‘Gemma is missing.’

A chill of fear ran through him. ‘What do you mean by missing?’

‘She is not here. I have searched everywhere and she is not here. I went in to Cairns to the hairdresser and to do some shopping and when I came home, Mrs Sims told me she had not seen her since early this morning.’

‘She was supposed to be looking after her, wasn’t she? How could she have not seen her all that time?’

‘She thought she was down with Annie with the horses. She often stays down there for hours. But Annie has not seen her today.’

A knot of fear twisted in his stomach. ‘Stay there, I’ll be right over,’ he told her, hanging up the phone.

When Mark arrived at the house, Nadia told him that the child was definitely not in the house.

He wasted no time asking questions. ‘Then I’ll look outside.’

Hurrying to the stable he saddled his horse, telling Annie to alert the men and start them searching too. It was dark when Mark returned. The manager was waiting for him with a small group of men. No trace had been found of Gemma.

‘Take torches and cover some more ground, we must find her. I’m going to phone the police now. If we don’t find her by midnight, we’ll start again at soon as it’s light. We’ll all meet here at daybreak if she’s not back and we’ll start searching again.’

The police responded quickly to Mark’s call. A patrol car with two officers arrived at the house. One set about searching the house while the other took down all the details of Gemma’s disappearance.

‘Now, sir, do you have a recent photo of Gemma?’ the police officer asked after making a note of her description. Nadia opened a photo album and removed a photo and handed it to him.

‘This was taken only a short time ago,’ she told him.

‘Excellent.’ He put it with his notes. ‘Now then, the first thing we’ll do is make a thorough search of the resort buildings. It’s possible she could be hiding somewhere in there. I understand none of the buildings are occupied yet, is that right?’

‘Yes. It’s not quite complete yet. We’ll come with you and help.’

Rain was falling steadily as they drove across to the other buildings. Every room was searched thoroughly.

‘Well, she’s certainly not here,’ the senior officer said when they had finished. ‘I’m afraid there’s nothing more we can do tonight, it’s impossible to search outside now. We’ll report back to the station and have someone here at first light tomorrow.’

Nadia was distraught. ‘Oh, if only I had not gone to Cairns and left her,’ she cried through her tears.

‘Mother, you can’t blame yourself. It’s not as if you left her alone. There were responsible people here to look after her.’

‘But they did not look after her. Perhaps she wandered out near the road and someone has kidnapped her,’ she wailed.

Mark didn’t tell her he secretly feared the same. Instead, he went to a cabinet and poured two large brandies, handing one to his mother. ‘Here, drink this. I think we both need it.’

She gulped down the drink and he refilled both glasses.

‘There’s nothing more we can do tonight. The police will have taken whatever steps they can and we’ll start searching again at daybreak. The best thing to do now is go to bed and try to get some sleep. I’m sure we’ll find her tomorrow. She’s probably hiding somewhere nearby. We both know she can be difficult and headstrong at times. Maybe something upset her and she’s gone off sulking somewhere.’

Eventually Nadia let herself be persuaded to go to her room. She lay in the bed, tossing and turning most of the night, blaming herself for leaving Gemma.

Mark spent most of the night in his study, unable to relax, tormented by thoughts of what may have happened to his little girl. His main fear was that she had been abducted. And God knows what could happen to her then. In the long hours of the night, his fears encompassed one terrible scenario after another.

Daybreak saw a group of police searchers, accompanied by a black tracker, set out to comb the surrounding area on foot. Mark’s group of men saddled up and prepared to search further afield. The rain still fell steadily as they split into pairs and moved off in different directions.

Mark took two of the station hands to search the rest of Binbin’s paddocks. When they reached a patch of scrub, the three separated and set off, calling loudly as they went. At the far side, the road ran down to the bank of the river. Although he thought the river too far away for Gemma to have wandered down there, Mark rode to the bank. He knew the peace and tranquillity of the river hid a danger not easily seen.

The waters were home to saltwater crocodiles, the fearsome predators that inhabit many of Northern Australia’s waterways. None were visible but he knew they lurked beneath the surface. He shuddered as he remembered Cassie telling him of the dangers to children on the riverbanks.

He searched carefully along the bank but there was nothing to tell him she had been here. Of course, the rain would have washed any traces away. How ironic, they had all been praying for rain and now it had arrived just in time to make the search so much more difficult.

Nadia was waiting for him when he returned to the house. A command post had been set up there and she had reports from the other groups. It was over two hours since the search had begun. No one had been able to find any traces of Gemma. The black tracker reported that the rain had washed away signs of her tracks. Nadia and the housekeeper had been kept busy providing hot tea and coffee to the men as they reported back and some were now inside eating breakfast before they set off again.

Mark drank a quick cup of coffee while he talked to Nadia.

‘We need to look further afield, I’m convinced she’s not on Binbin.’

‘Oh, Mark. What if someone has taken her?’ Nadia was near to tears again.

‘No one’s taken her,’ he said grimly. ‘We’ll find her. I’m going over to Yallandoo now. We need to alert all the surrounding properties in case she wandered off and got lost. She could be sheltering somewhere from the rain. Let the others know where I’ve gone, Mother.’

He called the other two men and they all set off in different directions.

In spite of his worry about Gemma, as he rode towards Yallandoo his heart beat faster at the thought of seeing Cassie again. He longed desperately to see her, as he had ever since their last meeting. But she had made it plain what her feelings were for him the last time they spoke. Her love had not lasted beyond the first test of its strength.

When he arrived at Yallandoo, a police car stood outside the house. Cassie hurried down the steps as he reined in his horse, looking as beautiful as ever to him, even in her Drizabone coat and hat.

‘I’ve just heard what’s happened,’ she said. ‘Tom’s gone to round up the men. We’ll join the search straight away. Oh, Mark, this is dreadful. How’s Nadia taking it?’

‘Not too well, I’m afraid. She blames herself for leaving Gemma.’

‘Oh, poor Nadia. Is there no clue at all as to where she might have gone?’

‘No, and of course the rain’s washed away any tracks she might have left. The police brought a black tracker with them but it’s no use, there’re no signs left to indicate which way she went.’

‘Mark, I know you don’t believe in Sam’s powers,’ Cassie said, ‘but I’m just on my way to see him and ask him if he can do anything to find her.’

‘I’ll come with you, I’m willing to try anything.’

The rain was still falling as Cassie led the way to Sam’s room in the staff quarters.

He opened the door in response to her knock. ‘Oh, Sam, Gemma’s missing, she’s been gone since yesterday. Will you help us to find her? Please!’

Sam shrugged. ‘No way we can find any tracks now, everything’s too wet, all washed away.’

‘But, Sam, sometimes you can think about things and you know, don’t you? You just know. Can you do that now? Please try.’ Her voice held a desperate appeal, but it was to Mark that Sam directed his response.

‘You want me to try?’

‘Yes. Please.’

Sam shrugged his shoulders again. ‘I seen that little girl lots of time with Larry and the joey. Can’t promise anything, all depends.’

‘Depends on what?’ asked Mark.

‘Just depends,’ he replied. ‘Okay, I’ll try. Can’t promise, though. Wait here.’ With that he shuffled away, taking a track leading away from the buildings.

‘I hope it doesn’t take him too long.’ Even through his anguish and his worry, Mark was acutely aware of the powerful feelings Cassie aroused in him. How he longed to be able to take her in his arms, to hold her close, to have her comfort him.

But her impersonal expression offered him no encouragement.

Cassie watched Mark pace impatiently up and down the small verandah as they waited for Sam to return. Just seeing him again made her heart ache with a terrible sense of loss. A surge of tenderness swept through her as she observed his tense face and the dark circles under his eyes. How he must be suffering! She ached to put her arms around him and console him, but he seemed so aloof she made no move.

Leaving him for a while, she saddled up Tango, then returned and waited with him again. The constraint between them was palpable. He wishes he could be anywhere else but here with me, that’s obvious. Should I go and leave him alone? No, she might be needed to interpret Sam’s directions when he came back, if he knew Gemma’s whereabouts. She made a show of adjusting Tango’s saddle and spent some time checking her hoofs, and then forced herself to sit on a stool while Mark continued his pacing.

They spoke only once while they waited. Mark cleared his throat and when he spoke, it was awkwardly.

‘I…er…I hear your cabins are doing very well. Congratulations. You’ve achieved your goal. You must be very happy.’

‘Yes. Yes, of course. Thank you.’

They both fell silent again, Cassie struggling to hide her emotions, to keep her face impassive.

When Sam re-joined them, they both waited anxiously for him to speak.

‘Well,’ Mark prompted him, ‘can you tell us where Gemma is?’

Sam nodded. ‘I think she sleeps with the kangaroo.’

‘Sleeps with the kangaroo? What do you mean? Where is she?’

‘Come on! Come with me. I know where he means.’ Cassie mounted her horse and, as she set off swiftly across the paddock, Mark followed her. Heading straight to the animal enclosure, she reined in as she reached it. ‘I’m sure this is where he means. With the joey. Inside.’ Cassie pointed to the little house.

Mark hurried to the doorway. He had to stoop to enter. In the dim light inside, he saw Gemma cuddled up to the young kangaroo in the corner. Relief flooded through him.

Gemma sat up as he entered and burst into tears. ‘Daddy, Daddy,’ she sobbed. ‘You found me! I’ve been so frightened.’

He scooped her up into his arms. ‘Thank God you’re safe. I’ve been so worried! Are you all right?’ He held her close, unable to say more for the emotion that welled up inside him. His tears fell on to her still damp head. ‘Has…has anyone hurt you?’

Gemma shook her head. Mark took a deep breath and tried to compose himself before carrying her outside.

‘Is she all right?’ Cassie asked anxiously as he appeared.

‘I think so,’ he answered, unable to keep the quaver from his voice.

‘Oh, Gemma, your face is hurt. And you’re all scratched, you’ve been bleeding. Whatever happened to you?’ Cassie asked as she caught sight of the dried blood on her arms and legs.

Gemma turned her head onto her father’s chest. ‘I want…’ she sobbed, ‘I…want…to go…home.’

‘Bring her back to the house and we can check her over, get the doctor to come and have a look at her,’ Cassie said worriedly.

‘No.’ Mark remounted his horse, holding Gemma easily with one arm. ‘I’ll take her straight home. It’s what she wants. And Mother’s frantic. Please let everyone know she’s safe and thank them for me, I can’t tell you how grateful I am for all the help. And thank Sam. Tell him I’ll see him later. And thank you, Cassie. I…I…’ his voice broke. ‘I’ll be in touch.’ He turned the horse and headed back towards Binbin.

Cassie stood watching him until he was out of sight. She swallowed hard, fighting to restrain the tears that slid down her cheeks.

***

As Mark carried Gemma in front of him, he tucked his coat around her to keep her dry and held her close to his chest. During the long night, horrific scenarios had run through his mind of things that happened to children who went missing. It had brought home to him how much he loved her and how much she meant to him. It had been the longest night of his life and he had plenty of time to look at his lifestyle. He realised it was less than ideal. He spent far too little time with Gemma and put too much responsibility for her upbringing and welfare on to his mother.

Mark realised his mother had been right when she told him he needed to make a decision about what he planned to do with his life and where he planned to spend it.

Gemma needed stability in her life. She needed him to spend more time with her. And his mother was probably right in saying she needed a nursemaid. Gemma would never have wandered away yesterday if there had been one. A nursemaid, poor substitute for a mother! But there was no way Rowena would ever be back in their lives again, regardless of Gemma’s touching faith that she would return one day.

Ah, if only things had turned out differently with Cassie. Seeing her again today had almost broken his self-control. How he had longed to take her in his arms. But it was obvious that she had no affection for him now. Apart from concern for Gemma, which was natural, she had been cold and distant. She had no desire to even talk to him. Sadness overcame him at the recollection.

He sighed, and held Gemma closer to him. He would make his daughter the center of his life now. Gemma and his work. He would appoint a manager for the resort and return to Sydney. He would finish what needed doing here and go back to Sydney immediately. No point in delaying it.