Black Mountain (23 page)

‘Then I'll lead the way,' he told her, ‘but you hold on to my belt from behind, and tell me if you need to stop.'

Slowly they made their way through the tunnels, the torch lighting the way ahead, until a streak of light was visible and they could see the entrance.

As they came out of the tunnel into the clearing Elly took great gulps of fresh air. Looking up at the sky she breathed deeply for a couple of minutes before turning to Mitchell.

‘I've never been so frightened,' she told him shakily. ‘You saved my life.'

‘It's all part of the brief,' he told her gently. ‘Anyway, you'd have found your way out eventually.'

As she shook her head he put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. ‘You're safe now, and that's all that matters. Now, let's get you back to a doctor as quick as possible for a check.' He gave her his hand to help her up and over the boulders, back to the car. Now was not the time to tell her how important she'd become to him, or how frightened he'd been that he might have lost her.

***

After the doctor told Elly that she was not concussed, and she would be fine after a good night's sleep, Mitchell drove around until they found a motel that had managed to survive the cyclone more or less intact, with two rooms vacant. After falling into an exhausted sleep, helped by the sedative the doctor had given her, Elly woke the next morning with nothing more to show for her ordeal than a very tender bump on her head, and a sense of dejection at the loss of the
stripling
.

‘Of course, the worst part is that whoever has it now has a head start on producing more of the plants,' she told Mitchell as they sat at breakfast in a small café that, in true survivor fashion, had opened its doors for meals in spite of the loss of part of its roof, the gaping hole now covered with blue tarpaulin.

‘That's true, but they don't know where the rest of the plants are.'

‘No, they don't, and we can take another one on our way down south. Let's hope they've survived the storm without too much damage.' Elly drained her cup.

Mitchell stood. ‘Then let's go.'

They parked as close as possible to the mountain, then picked their way gingerly in as direct a route as possible around its base, avoiding entering the badly damaged forest as much as possible. As they negotiated their way amongst a large scattering of boulders, looking as if they'd been thrown there willy-nilly by some giant in a fit of rage, Elly was relieved to see the granite outcrop ahead. Around the corner of the point was the cleft where the
striplings
grew.

Grabbing Mitchell's hand tightly, she stopped and took a deep breath.

‘I hope they haven't been damaged too much,' she whispered, as her heart began to beat faster.

‘We'll know in a minute.' He squeezed her hand. ‘Come on, let's see.' He strode forward, Elly at his side.

As they rounded the point the blood froze in her veins.

Where there had previously been a thriving copse of
striplings
, there was now only a mound of black boulders. She looked up to see that a huge section of mountain above had been displaced. The
striplings
were now buried beneath an avalanche of granite rock.

Chapter 38

Elly stood rooted to the spot, feeling her world crumble about her as she thought of all that was represented by the plants lying beneath the mass of rubble. The months and years of work by her parents, and herself. All their hopes and dreams. Now shattered by a rock slide.

Drawing a shuddering breath her mind flew to her mother. Her mother! How was she ever going to tell Beth? Her heart plummeted.

Slowly she turned to Mitchell. He looked as stricken as she felt.

Realising she still held on to him with a vice-like grip, Elly let go and spread her hands in a gesture of despair, struggling to find words.

He shook his head, his eyes full of compassion. ‘I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Elly. I don't know what else to say.'

She shook her head, struggling to hold back the tears. ‘There's nothing else you can say. Or do. There's nothing anyone can do. It's all over.'

Walking forward she stood by the rocks, staring, almost hoping for a miracle. Just one plant left standing, or even peeping out from under a rock. Just one. But there was nothing.

‘It's over.' She sighed, turning. ‘It's all over,' she repeated, ‘and there's nothing we can do.'

Mitchell gave a slow shake of his head. ‘I'm afraid not.'

‘Let's go home.'

Silently they walked back to the car. Mitchell held the door open for her and she climbed into the passenger's seat. Then he walked around and swung himself up, inserted the keys and started the motor. Pulling out onto the highway, they headed silently to the south.

They'd not travelled far when Elly's phone beeped. Pulling it from her bag she checked the display.

‘Oh! Jackson.' She'd forgotten all about him. ‘I wonder what he wants?' she exclaimed, not feeling inclined to speak to anyone.

‘Huh. Lover boy!' Mitchell snorted.

Rolling her eyes Elly pressed the button.

‘Elly, hello.' Jackson's voice came over the line. ‘Have you thought about what I said?'

‘I didn't need to think about it, Jackson,' she told him wearily. ‘I already told you no. Supposing you really meant it, that is.'

‘Oh, I meant it,' his voice sounded urgent, ‘and I meant it when I said I love you. I do love you, Elly, but I know there's no hope for me, so I'm heading off to London to try my luck. But there's something I can do for you, now, before I leave. Something to make up for whatever part I might've played in deceiving you.'

Elly frowned. ‘What do you mean?'

‘I want you to know that I would never hurt you. I never meant for you to be hurt, believe me, and I had no idea things were going to get out of hand like this.' He paused. ‘Where are you now?'

‘Heading down the highway, just past Black Mountain,' she told him, bewildered. ‘Why?'

‘Have you passed the Lion's Den Hotel?'

‘No, not yet. Why?'

‘Listen carefully now. Is Beaumont with you?'

‘Yes.' She glanced across at Mitchell. ‘Why?' she asked again.

‘Because you need him, you couldn't do this on your own. I want you to stop at the Lion's Den, and both of you go to room number four. Get Beaumont to go in first, because there might be trouble. Inside you'll find the two people who are behind all your troubles.' He paused again. ‘And your missing plant,' he added.

‘What?' she gasped. ‘How do you know—?'

Jackson cut her off. ‘Never mind that. You'll catch them red-handed. Room number four. Have you got that?'

‘Room number four. Yes, but …'

‘Remember I love you, Elly. Goodbye.' With that the line went dead.

‘What was that all about?' Mitchell asked her, as she pressed the redial button.

When the call went to message bank she switched it off and replaced the phone in her bag, turning over the conversation in her mind as she looked across at Mitchell.

‘Don't turn off for Mareeba,' she told him. ‘Keep going straight on. We have to go to the Lion's Den.' She repeated Jackson's directions.

Pulling up on the verge outside the Lion's Den's fence, Elly and Mitchell left the car and went through the gate, passing the replica of a lion that stood on guard, and Mitchell led the way to the accommodation rooms.

When they reached the door marked number four, Mitchell motioned Elly to stand behind him as he knocked. As the door was opened he placed his foot in the way just as Greg Talbot took one look and tried to slam it in his face.

‘Not so fast,' Mitchell told him, pushing against it with his shoulder and barging into the room, with Elly right behind him.

Greg staggered back, eyes agape, uttering a string of obscenities. Quickly regaining his balance he rushed at Mitchell with flailing fists.

Mitchell grabbed his wrists and forced his arms down.

‘Just take it easy, mate, I've got some questions for you,' he told him, holding his arms pinned to his sides.

‘You can't push your way in here like this,' Greg shouted as he kicked out at Mitchell and struggled to free his arms, his face scarlet.

‘I just did.'

‘You've got nothing on us, we're just travellers having a quiet breakfast. Now let me go,' he panted, twisting and turning as he tried to break Mitchell's grip.

‘Tim!' Elly gasped as she looked beyond them and saw Tim Pope, a shocked look on his face, sitting at a small table with a plate of half eaten eggs and bacon in front of him.

At Elly's exclamation Tim pushed his chair back and jumped to his feet, looking around wildly. ‘Elly. It's not what it looks like.' His voice was hoarse. ‘I had nothing to do with anything that's going on. I'm just driving the car for Greg.'

Elly followed his gaze and relief flooded through her. There, in the corner of the room, stood the
stripling
.

‘Mitchell, look,' she called as she rushed across the room, ‘we've found it!'

‘So you were both in this together, were you?' Mitchell asked as he released his hold on Greg.

‘I-I don't know what you're talking about,' Greg stammered. ‘We found that plant in the forest.'

As Mitchell turned to watch Elly examining the plant, Greg plucked a sauce bottle from the table, raised it in the air and rushed at him.

Swiftly Mitchell grabbed the arm with the bottle and pushed it aside, his mouth set in a straight line and his eyes narrowed and hard as flint. ‘So it was you who attacked Elly and left her to die in the mountain.'

He didn't wait for a response from Greg but, as Greg rushed him again, he drew back his fist and landed a punch to his jaw.

Greg dropped in a heap as the sauce bottle clattered to the floor, and Mitchell stood over him rubbing his knuckles.

‘That's for Elly,' he said.

It was much later, after Mitchell had rung the police and they had come and arrested Greg for attempted murder and theft, and Tim for being an accessory, that Elly had time to think back over what had happened, and to piece the story together.

Both men had tried to bluster their way out of trouble, saying they had found the plant in the forest, and they had no knowledge of any attack on Elly, but Tim had crumpled and, putting all the blame on Greg, told them that he had only driven the car for Greg, and had no idea of what he intended.

It seemed that Greg and Tim had been friends down in Brisbane before Tim had come to Cairns to work for the Health Department, which was where he'd met Gai. Whenever Greg came to Cairns, which was fairly frequently, they always met for a beer, and when it came up in conversation that Gai and Elly were friends, Greg told him the story he'd heard, that Elly's father had been working on something big before he died, and he'd be willing to pay good money for any information Tim could find out for him.

So, through an unsuspecting Gai, Tim had discovered all he could about her friend Elly and her movements, beginning with the existence of Rob's journal, and he'd been keeping Greg informed of developments ever since. As each snippet of information was rewarded with a deposit into Tim's bank account, he'd been eager to continue the lucrative alliance. So when Greg asked him to bring his car to Cooktown and meet him in the Lion's Den, in order to transport something that he couldn't take on the plane, Tim had been only too happy to oblige.

He denied all knowledge of the attack on Elly, saying he'd waited in the car while Greg went into the cave to retrieve the plant, and he was unaware of what had happened.

As Elly watched them being marched away she felt sorry for her friend Gai, who had been totally unaware of what was going on and, she knew, would be devastated to find out about Tim's treachery.

Chapter 39

It was later in the day when Mitchell pulled the Cruiser into the driveway at
Wanagura
, with Elly seated beside him and the
striplet
riding in the back. Elly had phoned her mother as they drove back, telling her only that they were on their way home, and that they'd found the plant.

Beth was already there waiting for them, and she swooped on Elly and threw her arms around her as soon as she stepped from the car, hugged her and then stepped back and held her at arm's length, a frown puckering her brow.

‘You're looking a bit pale,' she told her. ‘Are you sure you weren't hurt in the cyclone?'

‘Quite sure, Mum, but it has been a bit of a hectic time. I'll tell you all about it in a minute. First though, you'd better have a look at the
striplet
.'

‘I can't wait to see it,' she answered, turning as Mitchell carried the plant from the car and placed it on the ground alongside them. ‘And to thank Mitchell too,' she added as he straightened up and she hugged him. ‘Thank you, Mitchell. You've done an amazing job,' she told him as she released him and stepped back.

‘All part of the service.' He smiled. ‘So what do you think of it?' he asked, indicating the plant.

Beth bent over and touched the tip of the plant, where one flower still remained above the row of seed pods below it. ‘It looks remarkably healthy.' She broke off one of the brown pods and peeled the husk away, revealing the seed inside, and held it reverently. ‘And this is what it's all about,' she said slowly. ‘This small kernel is the basis of the serum. The serum Rob had such hopes for. Here—' she handed it to Elly, ‘—you take care of it.'

Elly bit her bottom lip as she took it. ‘We need to take great care of it.' She gestured towards the plant. ‘It's going to be a long time until we have more. This is the only plant left from the cyclone.'

Beth took a deep breath. ‘I think we'd better go inside and you can tell me the whole story. There's coffee brewing.'