Riddle Gully Secrets (17 page)

‘You could have put a name tag on me,' said Dan.

‘I wasn't planning on losing you,' said Twig.

‘Go on,' said Ellie.

‘Well, when the hospital had fixed up Dan, they put him into foster care. It was forever before I could get hold of him. Then we finally came home and …' Tears welled in Twig's eyes. He looked at Ellie and Ash. ‘The fire. Not a trace of either of you, not a skerrick of our old life left. I thought the fire had taken you both.'

‘Didn't you look for us?' said Ash.

‘As much as I could,' said Twig. ‘But I thought I'd lost you – my two beautiful girls. I was hollow inside, a gutted man – not thinking, not seeing. I steered clear of the authorities. I couldn't bear to hear them tell me out loud what I knew in my heart to be true – or, at least,
thought
I knew.'

‘So much for instincts,' said Dan sullenly.

‘Instincts told me we were brother and sister,' said Ash, ‘and that Twig was my father.'

‘Helped by stories from your mum,' said Pollo.

‘That's true,' said Ash.

HB cleared his throat. ‘Go on, Twig.'

‘Anyway, I hung around in case by some miracle you reappeared. But it was no good with little Dan to look after and everything ruined by the fire. I called your dad once, Ellie, and he went to town on me, blaming me for everything. I thought he meant losing you to the fire, and I reckoned he was right.' Twig hunched forward, his
elbows on his knees. ‘It was then I took to wandering.'

‘If only I'd been there when you rang,' said Ellie.

Twig looked up at Ellie. ‘I'm so sorry.'

Ellie shook her head. ‘I'm the one who should be sorry. I should have had more faith in you.' When Twig reached out and laid his hand on Ellie's knee, she didn't brush it away.

A sob from Curly broke the silence. ‘Will youse two get back together now?'

Twig, Ellie, Ash and Dan looked at one another.

‘It's like waking up,' said Dan, ‘and finding out you've been standing on your head all your life.' The others murmured and nodded.

Ash said gently, ‘No one can say right away … err … Curly.'

Curly blew his nose loudly. ‘Please call me Dwayne. That's my name.'

Mayor Bullock sucked his humbug. ‘All very touching, I'm sure, but I have important work to do – like cataloguing my inheritance.' He patted the lid of the strongbox. ‘Sergeant Butt, why don't you charge this scruff with trespass and move him on?'

Twig pouted but his eyes sparkled. ‘Hey, is that any way to treat family, cuzz?'

‘Just sit down, Orville,' directed HB. ‘One thing at a time.' He looked at Curly and Pooky. ‘Firstly, I want to know why these two are marching through a reserve talking about blowing things up.' He turned his policeman's stern gaze to Mayor Bullock, whose hand crept nervously up to his toupée. ‘And Orville, I'd like to know why you feel entitled to that chest you've got under your arm.'

Bit by bit, HB drew out what had brought everyone to the clearing. He massaged his right ear lobe and then his left.

‘Everyone's to come down to the station,' he announced. He looked at Curly and Pooky. ‘You two, there's the matter of this gelignite to sort out.' He turned to the others. ‘The treasure we'll put in the police safe until we can establish who's who and what's what.'

‘Don't worry about the treasure, Sergeant Butt,' said Dan. He came to stand beside Twig, joined by Ash. ‘We don't want any of it. That's right, isn't it, Dad? Life is good just as it is.'

‘It wasn't ever ours to start with,' said Ash.

Twig grinned. ‘Cuzz can keep the lot as far as I'm concerned.'

Mayor Bullock coughed on his humbug. ‘Did you hear that, Sergeant?' he spluttered. ‘The man is relinquishing his claim.'

‘Are you sure, Twig?' said HB.

Twig picked up his ukulele and dusted it off. He smiled. ‘Sure as the stars will rise tonight.'

‘Well, well!' said Mayor Bullock, ‘that's sporting of you, I must say.' For a moment, the mayor appeared confused. Then he seemed to come to a decision. He put down the strongbox, unclasped the lid and drew
out Sarah's letter in its envelope. He handed it to his newfound relative.

‘I would like you to retain this. Frankly, I find the writing style nauseating. It accords, however, with your sentimental nature … and it goes with your family photograph.'

Twig smiled. ‘Why thanks, I appreciate it.'

Mayor Bullock turned to Pooky, still lounging with her foot in Curly's lap. She twirled the pearl on her ear lobe with one hand and admired her ruby ring on the other.

‘Madam,' said Mayor Bullock, ‘it has been a great pleasure working with you.' He bowed, taking Pooky's hand as though to kiss it. ‘Naturally I'll be relieving you of this.' With a quick tug he slipped the ruby ring from her finger.

‘Yow!' cried Pooky, jumping up and hobbling around in a circle. ‘Curly, do something. Don't just sit there!'

Mayor Bullock worked the ring onto his left pinky. ‘And you, Curly, or whatever your name is, I believe that fob watch belongs to me.'

‘What fob watch?' said Curly.

HB sighed. ‘Hand it over, mate. We can all see the chain hanging from your pocket.'

Curly did as he was told.

‘Curly!' squeaked Pooky. ‘What are you? A tadpole? Get up! Use your piece! Pop someone!'

Mayor Bullock smirked. ‘Would the “piece” to which you allude, Madam, be his travel hairdryer?'

Everyone looked at the gun-shaped bulge under Curly's hiking vest. Curly's hand slid up to cover it.

Pollo had never seen Mayor Bullock look more smug. ‘A chap at the golf club manages the electrical appliance store in town,' he said. ‘This morning he mentioned Mr Curly's unusual purchase.'

‘A
travel hairdryer
?' gasped Pooky. ‘Curly – you wouldn't! Oh, the shame of it!'

Pooky sighed like a punctured tyre. She looked at her husband wearily. ‘I have to say, Curly – today you have been one almighty big disappointment.'

Curly hung his head. ‘I never had no plans to pop no one, Pooky,' he mumbled, ‘and I'm sure not gunna do time for threatenin' a copper.'

‘And hampering a police investigation,' added Dan helpfully.

Mayor Bullock hoisted the strongbox onto his hip. ‘Well, I'll be off then.' He nodded to Curly and Pooky. ‘Send me your account. Include receipts, naturally, for any expenses – I won't be paying for them otherwise.'

Mayor Bullock skipped from the campsite, the sun
flashing red from his new ruby ring. A few seconds later, they heard the thud of human hitting dirt and loud cursing. ‘Blasted trees and their blasted roots!'

Pooky and Curly accompanied HB to his police van, Pooky muttering darkly.

‘We'll go too,' said Pollo.

‘I can whip you up something to eat first,' offered Twig.

‘Wow, thanks!' said Will. ‘I could eat a horse!' He grunted as Pollo dug him with her elbow. ‘But … um … I bet you've all got a lot of catching up to do.'

The newly reunited family smiled shyly at one another.

‘We do,' said Ash. She looked at Will. ‘But we'll be seeing you soon.'

Will and Pollo were at the edge of the camp when Pollo turned back. ‘Hey, Twig,' she called, ‘would it be okay if we took Sarah's letter into town to scan for the Historical Society? My friend Sherri is the secretary.' She looked at the remains of last night's fire, near which the envelope was fluttering. ‘It'd be awful if it got damaged.'

Twig put his arms around his family as far he could reach. He beamed at Pollo and Will. ‘Go right ahead! We've got way too much yabbing to do to worry about an old letter!'

A few hundred metres up the track, Will tugged Pollo by the arm. He had slowed to a shuffle and was turning the letter around in circles. ‘Look at this,' he said, pointing.

Pollo craned in. ‘Very curious,' she said. ‘Very curious indeed.' They hurried back to town.

Pollo poked her head into the kitchen, expecting to find her father reading the Saturday papers. But Joe di Nozi, dressed in the overalls he wore for house calls, was frowning over his new phone and adjusting his reading glasses.

Pollo called from the doorway. ‘I'm going to Will's, then over to find Ash and Dan!'

‘Mmm.'

‘I can come by the clinic later if you want a hand. Were any animals in overnight?'

‘Nnn.'

‘Okay then, bye!'

At the front door Pollo turned back. ‘Dad? You're going to finish the fence today, right? We're picking up Shorn Connery and Ear tomorrow, aren't we?'

Joe didn't look up. ‘What do these symbols mean, love? It's a message from Sherri. She's in Maloola.'

Pollo came around the table to look over her father's shoulder. On the phone's screen was a series of little round faces with frowns, fat blue teardrops and devils' horns. She laughed. ‘Sherri's not happy with you, Dad! What did you say to her?'

‘Only that she was a bit far to come and deliver a foal with me. Her friend's mare went into labour and Sherri got wind of it. The thing is, I don't have time to wait for Sherri to get back here. It could be a tricky delivery.'

‘Can I see?' Pollo took the phone and scrolled the screen with her thumb. She suddenly snorted. ‘Dad! You didn't tell Sherri she was too
far
! You told her she was too
fat
!'

‘What? Let me see!' Joe grabbed the phone and looked for himself. He slumped in his chair. ‘Lord above,' he groaned, running his hands through his hair. ‘My fingers turn to hotdogs on this ruddy thing. What do I do now? Every time I text Sherri I insult her.'

‘You could always ring her.'

‘She's got such a busy life without me blundering in and out of it. It's an intrusion to ring her. Texting is more polite.'

Pollo grinned. ‘Mmm, you've proven that!' She sat down next to her father. ‘Dad, I've never come right out and said this, but Sherri likes you.' Joe began to protest till Pollo added, ‘I mean,
really
likes you.' She waited for her words to sink in. ‘Ring Sherri and arrange to go somewhere nice for dinner. Say what you deep down want to say. Maybe meet her in Maloola – it's more private there. Somewhere with candles.'

‘You wouldn't mind?'

‘Course not! Besides, I'm pretty sure Sherri would kill me if I did. Just promise me you won't get onto sheep crutching or foot rot!'

Joe's eyes twinkled. ‘Candles, you say, eh?'

In her fingertips, Pollo carried a plastic sheath containing Sarah Bullock's letter. As she and Will approached Ash and Ellie's house they could hear Dan's excited chatter and Ash's gentle laugh.

Pollo glanced at Will. ‘Have you already told them?'

‘No way!' said Will.

They drew level with the letterbox and saw Ash, Dan, Twig and Ellie in their pyjamas sitting around a table on the verandah. Dan waved as they crossed the
grass. ‘We just found out!' he called.

‘How is that possible?' said Pollo. ‘We only just found out ourselves.'

She and Will slipped onto the bench seats as the family shuffled to make room.

‘So you know already?' said Dan.

Pollo tried to hold back a grin. ‘Know what?'

‘Twig and I are staying in Riddle Gully!'

‘What? Get out of here!' said Will.

‘That's brilliant!' said Pollo.

Dan's face was alight. ‘Ellie … err, Mum … helped Twig get a job as a park ranger with the tourist centre when it opens!'

‘It was Ash's idea,' smiled Ellie. ‘I can't take much credit.'

‘I thought he'd be perfect and the tourist centre people agreed,' said Ash. She looked at Twig proudly. ‘They said he was a standout with his understanding of our natural world.'