Authors: Alexis Fleming
With a chuckle, Morgan filled two dishes with water and dunked a washcloth in one of them. He wrung it out and turning, tossed it to Gili so it landed on her chest. “Hah, laugh at me, will you?”
Wet cloth in hand, Gili flicked him on the rear end as she headed for one of the dishes of water. “You'll keep. When you least expect it, I'll get you back.”
“You reckon? I'm shaking in my boots,” he quipped as he washed the dust from his face and arms.
Gili proceeded to do the same, her heart filled with pleasure at the easy teasing and camaraderie that existed between the two of them. She hugged the feeling to her as she stripped off her dusty clothing and donned a clean set of shorts and t-shirt.
By the time Morgan had changed and they finally exited the mine and climbed the mullock heaps to the Aboriginal village, the women had a fire going and were in the middle of preparing breakfast. The children ran around the campsite, laughing and playing as if nothing had happened.
Charlie came trotting up to them as they entered the circle of gunyahs. “Hey, you two. I was beginnin' to think I'd have to send out a search party for you.” He laughed. Big belly rolls of hilarity that made Gili smile.
He sidled up to her and dug his elbow in her ribs. “Hey, plenty fire in the belly, Missy Gili? That cave's powerful stuff.”
She looked at Morgan and the two of them burst out laughing. Charlie pushed his hat back on his head and scratched at his scalp, a puzzled look on his face, which only made Gili laugh even harder.
When she finally calmed down enough to speak, she gave Charlie a hug. “Sorry, we weren't laughing at you. I just figured it'd be Narri teasing me aboutâ”
She broke off as a wave of heat rolled up her cheeks. With a wink at Morgan, she leaned closer to Charlie and whispered in his ear, “You're right. Plenty of fire in the belly. You should give it a try some time.”
The old man gave a crack of laughter and shook his head. “Nah, this fella too old for those types of shenanigans.”
“Did Roy have any problems getting Jeremy and Whitey out?” Morgan interrupted.
“Nah, that Jeremy was so out of it, it was easy. Other fella was a bit frisky, but my boys handled him. Those two fellas won't be causing any trouble for some time to come. Roy said they'd be seeing the inside of a cell for quite a while, although the older guy's probably headed for one of those mental health hospitals.”
Morgan pulled Gili down to sit beside him on a log that fronted the campfire. “Can't say I'm sorry. Now all we have to do is find Gili's parents. Charlie, Gili and I are going to head back to the homestead this morning. Can youâ”
Before he could say anything else, a large white RV turned onto the road leading to the camp. It pulled up with a squeal of breaks and a cloud of red dust just outside the ring of gunyahs.
“What now? We do
not
need any more visitors.” Morgan jumped up and strode across to the vehicle.
Gili watched as the driver's door opened and a woman dressed in red shorts and a white top jumped down. Leaving the door swinging open, she looked wildly around and then stumbled into the village.
“Mom?” Gili shook her head and stared again, not certain her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. “Mom!”
Bolting to her feet, she ran across to the woman, catching her as her legs went out from under her and she started to tumble. With her mother's weight in her arms, Gili sank to the ground, conscious of Morgan hovering at her side.
“Mom, are you alright? What're you doing here? Where's Dad?”
Morgan kneeled beside them and laid his hand on Gili's shoulder. “How about you give your mum time to answer, okay?”
She drew in a shaky breath and tried to smile at her mother. “Sorry, I'm babbling.”
Her mother flung her arms around Gili's neck and hugged her. “Sweetie, you can babble all you like. I'm just so glad to see you. Dad said the
Dreamtime Fire
was at Opalton and that's where we'd find you.”
Gili pulled back so she could see her mother's face. “Mom, where's Dad? Is he still in the RV?”
A sob greeted the question and the older woman burst into tears. Gili felt as if her heart had dropped into her boots. Remembering Jeremy's taunts in the cavern, a sense of foreboding filled her.
Her own eyes watering, she cupped her mother's face in her hands and wiped away the tears with her thumbs. “Shh, it's okay, Mom. Just tell me what's wrong.”
“Oh, Gili, that awful, awful man took him.” She collapsed against Gili, hands clutching at Gili's t-shirt as she sobbed out her story.
“W-we were on our way here when they stopped us just outside Winton. That Whiteyâ¦he pulled your dad from the passenger seat and bundled him into their vehicle. They said they were t-taking him to use him as leverage against you.” She paused to catch her breath and wipe at her streaming eyes. “And they didn't even take his crutches.”
“Why didn't you go back to Winton and contact the police?”
“T-they were headed this way. I-I didn't want to lose sight of them. I followed them, but then the RV got a flat and I d-didn't know how to fix it.” She dissolved into noisy sobs again and buried her face against Gili's chest.
Morgan placed a hand on Gili's shoulder. “Why don't we get your mum over to the campfire and then we'll sort this out?”
Through the sting of her own tears, Gili tried to focus on Morgan. Her mother's pain burned deep inside her, feeding her own agony at the mystery of her father's whereabouts.
Dear God, what if Jeremy had hurt him? With his leg in plaster, he couldn't run or defend himself. Gili wished she'd never heard of Jeremy Grissomâ¦or the seal ring for that matter.
Rage overrode the pain and she wanted to scream. She wanted to pound Jeremy into the ground and stomp all over him. She reined the anger in, knowing she had to see to her mother before she could even begin to look for her father.
Morgan helped to lift her mother up, keeping his arm around her to support her. “Mrs. Adams, I'm Morgan Hunt, Gili's friend. Let's get you comfortable and then we can see about finding your husband.”
He walked her across to the log in front of the campfire and sat her down. With a wave, he called Charlie and Narri over. “Mrs. Adams, this is my foreman, Charlie, and his wife, Narri. Narri will look after you while Charlie and I work out where Jeremy might have taken your husband.”
Narri moved in and sat beside Gili's mom, her arm about her shoulders. “It's alright, Missus, we'll find him for you.”
Gili hunkered down in front of the log and took her mother's hand in hers. “The police have Jeremy and Whitey in custody, Mom, so they can't hurt anyone ever again. Andâ”
“But what about your father? What did they do with him?” The tears flowed even faster. “They might have killed him.”
Gili shook her head. “I don't believe so. You think about it. If they wanted to use him to force me to steal the opal for them, they'd have to keep him alive. Jeremy knows I wouldn't cave in without proof.”
“Here's another thing to think about,” Morgan interrupted. “If you started out following them to the mine, it stands to reason they stashed him somewhere out here. They'd want him close. Charlie has sent some of the men to check out the road into Opalton, but there aren't many places they could hide a grown man.”
“Missy Gili, âpears to me the best hiding place is in the mine,” Charlie said. “And Jeremy and Whitey were already in there when you and Piri found the first half of the opal.”
“You mean when Piri found it,” Gili said with a shake of her head. She turned Charlie's words over in her mind and came to the same conclusion. “There are dozens of tunnels branching off the main one. Dad could be anywhere.”
“We'll find him, Missy Gili. The spirits will help us. âMember what I told you? They'll be there when you need them. You just have to call them.”
For the first time since she'd learned her father was missing, Gili felt a nugget of hope. Jumping to her feet, she gave her mom a quick hug. “You stay here with Narri. She'll look after you.”
Charlie turned to the men from the station. “John, take a couple of the men and grab whatever spare rope you can find in the truck, along with flashlights. I think most of the kids brought flashlights to camp with them so commandeer them, too.”
“We're going to do this systematically,” Morgan chimed in. “We'll start from the entrance and branch out into each side tunnel we come to. I don't want anyone getting lost so we'll rope you together, with one man remaining at the entrance to each tunnel while the other one searches. If the tunnel goes on for longer than the length of rope, then you return and we'll fix more rope to you. Safety first, you hear?”
The men nodded and started to move down the gully that led to the mine. Charlie came over to Morgan and Gili, a large pack on his back. “Got some water and the first-aid kit here in case it's needed. Come on, Missy Gili, let's go find your Pa.”
By the time they'd crested the mullock heaps that guarded the entrance to the mine, the men from the station had formed up into pairs and divided the lengths of rope between them. Morgan took Gili's hand and they ran down the mullock heap, with Charlie following them. Morgan pushed his way to the front of the group, tugging Gili with him.
“Okay, boys, take it slowly. Don't miss anything. If yâ”
Gili tapped Morgan on the arm and held her finger to her lips. “Shh, I think I heard something.”
She turned and stepped into the mine, stopping every few feet to listen. There was nothing to hear, not even the singing of the Aboriginal ancestors.
Damn it, maybe it was just wishful thinking. For a second there, she thought she'd heard her father's deep voice. She shook her head, disappointing settling deep in her gut.
“Missy Gili, Missy Gili.”
Tears filled her eyes and a grin trembled on her lips as she spun to face Morgan. “That'sâ”
“Piri, where the heck are you?” Morgan yelled as he joined Gili in the mine. “Christ, I'm going to have to put a gate across the entrance to keep that little fellow out of here,” he grumbled to Gili.
Charlie appeared on Gili's other side, a mischievous grin on his face. “No need. Spirits called him this time. They won't call him again until he's older.”
Morgan frowned. “Charlie, is there something you're not telling us?”
Charlie tapped his forehead. “The old people just told me. This was Piri's time.”
Before Gili could ask him what he meant, she heard Piri's high-pitched voice again and this time she definitely heard a deeper male voice answer him.
“Missy Gili, Missy Gili, look who I found.” Piri stepped from the tunnel where Gili had found the rock painting of the pelican. His little arm was wrapped around the hips of an older man as he helped him hop on one leg, the other one encased in plaster.
“Dad!” Gili flew across the cave, tears overflowing and rolling down her face.
“See, I told you Missy Gili was waiting for you,” Piri said as Gili reached them.
One hand braced on the tunnel wall for balance, her father lifted the other from Piri's shoulder and ruffled his hair. “How right you were, young man. And my thanks for finding me.”
He grinned at Gili and held his hand out to her. “Come give your old man a hug, Gili Girl.”
Dust covered her father in a thick coat. His face looked lined and tired. His t-shirt was torn at the neckline. The plaster on his leg was grubby and cracked. All told, not a pretty picture, but Gili thought it was the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, she stepped into his hold and buried her face against his chest. “Thank God you're safe,” she whispered.
“I may not have been if this young man hadn't found me. Very resourceful is young Piri.”
Charlie stepped up, a frown on his face. “You did good Piri, but you're still in trouble. You wanna tell me why?”
Piri grimaced. “Ah, âcause I didn't tell you or Nan where I was going? Sorry, Pa.”
He hung his head and shuffled his feet in the dust, but peeked at his grandfather from under his brows. “But the spirits told me to, Pa. I had to find Missy Gili's dad.”
“Please don't be too hard on him. I would've been tied up for a heck of a lot longer if he hadn't found me.” Gili's father held out his hand. “I'm guessing you must be Piri's grandfather. Piri told me all about you. I'm Joshua Adams.”
“Just call me Charlie.” He shook hands, and turning, indicated Morgan. “This here is Morgan Hunt. Guess you know all about him, too.”
Morgan shook his hand before waving two of the men over. “How about we get you back to camp and then you can tell us where Piri found you.”
Gili watched as the men fashioned a chair with their arms, hoisted her father up and carried him from the mine. Instead of climbing the mullock heaps, they trekked along the gully and scaled the slight incline at the end to enter the village. Gili ran on ahead.
As soon as her mom saw her she jumped to her feet, hands reaching out to her daughter. “Did youâ¦you found him. Your face says it all. Oh, thank God.”
Gili's grin was so wide she thought her face would split. “He's okay. Piri found him.”
“Piri?”
“Charlie and Narri's grandson.”
Narri stood, hands propped on her ample hips. “Hmm, guess I'll have to have a talk to that young man again about going off on his own.”
The men arrived and propped Joshua up on the log in front of the campfire. Morgan gestured for Gili's mom to sit beside him. “Here you go, Mrs. Adams. One husband returned safe and sound.”
Despite the fresh tears in her eyes as she hugged her husband, Gili's mother smiled. “Please, call me Jan. And thank you for bringing Josh back.”