Rain Music (42 page)

‘Just a lucky hunch going to that pub,' said Bella. ‘But I'm pleased you got them and that you now believe my story about Antony being involved.'

‘Well, at that stage it was your word against his,' said the policeman apologetically. ‘But now we know most of the story. One of the men we arrested decided that the best thing he could do was to tell us everything in the hope that we would reduce the charges against him. Dropped his so-called mates right in it. As they say, there's no honour among thieves, which is a good thing for us.'

‘So, what were they up to in that old house?' asked Ned. ‘I couldn't really see very well.'

‘Drugs, basically. Mainly ice. Seems that they had a rather elaborate operation,' explained another of the police officers. ‘Evidently these men, a group of mates, led by your friend Antony, decided to go into the drug business. But not only drugs, they also got into wildlife smuggling, too.'

‘That's terrible,' said Bella heatedly. ‘I always thought that Ant loved wildlife and wanted to protect it. He certainly knew a lot about it, so how could he do such a thing?'

‘It seems that he was a bit of an expert and knew where to look. He and his friends took fauna from the Daintree, mainly rare birds' eggs and even birds. They fetch a good price with serious collectors. The others working with him went after reptiles, which they caught in the hinterland behind Cooktown.'

‘So that's what those men in the canoe were doing when they ran across us,' said Ned. ‘Looking for lizards and snakes and crocodile eggs, I suppose.'

‘Exactly,' agreed the policeman. ‘Antony had a contact in the fauna-smuggling business running an operation out of north Queensland. He sold them the animals. Australian reptiles are very popular in Asian markets where they are bought and sold without too many questions being asked. The wildlife went out through one of the many coves up in the far north. Antony also used the funds from the sale of the wildlife to buy the ingredients for the manufacture of ice. The manufacturer who made up the meth amphetamines was in the process of delivering it to that old house, when you interrupted the whole operation. Good timing, Mr Chisholm.'

‘Gosh, it's all a bit scary,' said Bella.

‘Well, now that we've rounded up all the men involved, they won't frighten anyone else for a while,' said the policeman. ‘And by the way, one of the men we've just arrested provided the alibi for Antony when you were attacked in the hostel. I think we can disregard it now. I can't thank you two enough for your help. Without it, I suspect they might just have got away with it, at least for a while.' The policeman rose and shook their hands. ‘Leaving soon?'

‘Plane goes first thing in the morning,' said Ned.

‘I hope you have a good trip home. I expect we'll be in touch as matters progress.'

‘We won't mind that at all,' said Bella.

*

The following day they headed to the airport. Ned had left his four-wheel drive at a used car dealer's and Bella would hand her car in at the airport.

On the drive, Ned was very quiet. It was clear that yesterday's exuberance had been replaced by apathy. Bella sensed that he was thinking about his unfinished business with Toni and having to leave Queensland without a satisfactory resolution. His face looked worn and tired and she felt a tug at her heart as they arrived at the airport. They pulled into a rental car space and started to unload their gear.

‘Do we need a trolley?' asked Bella, looking around.

‘We haven't got much,' said Ned. ‘We'd better just get in line. You can return the car keys after we've checked in the luggage.'

The queue to the luggage check-in was surprisingly long and the crowded hall was buzzing with activity.

‘Lots of people leaving,' Bella commented. ‘Too much wet weather, I guess.' Ned just nodded despondently. ‘You are looking forward to going home, aren't you?'

‘Yes, of course,' he said without much enthusiasm. But then his face brightened slightly. ‘I am looking forward to seeing Mum.'

‘You don't think that this rain will delay the flight, do you, Ned? It will leave on time?' Bella asked.

Ned nodded absentmindedly. Bella saw that his attention was caught by the people in front of him. A man was jiggling and rocking from side to side. On his front, snuggled tightly in a pink sling, a tiny baby gave a soft cry. The man pressed his lips to her head as her cry rose and he stroked her soft hair gently for a few moments until she quietened.

Bella looked at Ned's face as a soft expression crossed it. He turned to her.

‘Bella, this is no good. I can't leave Queensland without sorting things out with Toni. I've thought and thought, and I know that I want to be a father, a decent father. I know I can be a good and committed one if I'm given the chance. Like Jack said, just because Dad betrayed us doesn't mean I'll turn out to be a bad father. I'm not the same man as he was. I just want to love my child. Watch it grow. Be there for it. And that's what I want to tell Toni. Maybe we can even raise the child together. I'm going back to make things right.' His face broke into a smile and Bella grinned back at him.

‘But what about the ceremony?' she asked.

Ned picked up his bag. ‘Tell Mum I'll make it.
I wouldn't miss it for anything. Tell her that's a promise. Trust me.'

‘I will.' Bella paused as she looked at her brother. He now seemed so full of resolve, so animated. ‘You've made the right decision. I'm so happy for you, Ned.'

He put his arms around her. Bella returned his embrace with a bear hug.

‘I'll see you soon,' he said, releasing her.

With that, Ned grabbed his bag and guitar case and, taking Bella's car keys, he raced out into the pouring rain.

Smiling to herself, Bella watched him leave the carpark to drive to Cooktown. Then she deposited her bags at the check-in counter before making her way through the automatic doors marked
Departures
.

Acknowledgements

T
hanking my children, Gabrielle and Nick, for their continued love and support, and hoping they will continue to explore Australia.

For my four precious grandchildren, Sonoma, Everton,
Bodhi and Ulani. I hope the Australia you inherit survives the ravages of climate change and greed. Do your best to fight for what is right and meaningful.

Hearty thanks as always to my formidable editor and good friend, Liz Adams.

Huge thanks to my Pan Macmillan family: Ross Gibb, Tracey Cheetham, Katie Crawford, Samantha Sainsbury, Maria Fassoulas and Praveen Naidoo. And welcome to Team Di to Kirsty Noffke and Emma Rafferty!

Special thanks to the late Dorothea Mackellar, who told a young girl to ‘write down the stories you make up in your head and put them into a book so that other people may enjoy them one day'. Quotation from Dorothea Mackellar's ‘My Country' reproduced by arrangement with the Licensor, The Dorothea Mackellar Estate, c/- Curtis Brown (Aust) Pty Ltd.

Many thanks to Brianne Collins for her meticulous copy editing.

And special hugs to Wayne Brookes, Macmillan UK.

A big thanks to Ian Robertson and congratulations on your achievements.

Special thanks to Andrew and Karen Stewart of Palmer River Roadhouse for sharing your knowledge and advice.

Hugs and thanks for Irene Barrett for your help and shared memories of GMA days.

Fond memories of Len and Honey Barnes, coconut pioneers of ‘Utopia' FNQ.

And in memory of photographer Stuart Owen Fox.

About Di Morrissey

Di Morrissey is one of the most successful authors Australia has ever produced. She trained as a journalist, working in newspapers, magazines, television and media around the world. Her fascination with different countries – their cultural, political and environmental issues – has been the catalyst for her novels which are all inspired by a particular landscape.

Di is a passionate advocate and activist for many causes. She established The Golden Land Education Foundation to raise funds to build and maintain a primary school in Myanmar (Burma).

To find out more, visit
www.dimorrissey.com
and
www.facebook.com/DiMorrissey
. You can follow Di at
@di_morrissey
on Twitter and
@dimorrisseyauthor
on Instagram.

Also by Di Morrissey

in order of publication

Heart of the Dreaming

The Last Rose of Summer

Follow the Morning Star

The Last Mile Home

Tears of the Moon

When the Singing Stops

The Songmaster

Scatter the Stars

Blaze

The Bay

Kimberley Sun

Barra Creek

The Reef

The Valley

Monsoon

The Islands

The Silent Country

The Plantation

The Opal Desert

The Golden Land

The Winter Sea

The Road Back

First published 2015 in Macmillan by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd

1 Market Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2000

Copyright © Lady Byron Pty Ltd 2015

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved. This publication (or any part of it) may not be reproduced or transmitted, copied, stored, distributed or otherwise made available by any person or entity (including Google, Amazon or similar organisations), in any form (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical) or by any means (photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher.

This ebook may not include illustrations and/or photographs that may have been in the print edition.

Cataloguing-in-Publication entry is available

from the National Library of Australia

http://catalogue.nla.gov.au

EPUB format: 9781743547489

Typeset by Post Pre-press Group

Jacket images: Shutterstock

Author photograph: Linda Bryant from The Photography Hub

Jacket design: Christa Moffitt, Christabella Designs

The characters in this book are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or

dead, is purely coincidental. This is a work of fiction. Characters, institutions and organisations

mentioned in this novel are either the product of the author's imagination or, if

real, are used fictitiously without any intent to describe actual conduct.

Love talking about books?

Find Pan Macmillan Australia online to read more about all our books and to buy both print and ebooks. You will also find features, author interviews and news of any author events.