What else did he want? ...Or who?

Jeff left with Eric and Arthur while Karl attempted to convince Digger he needed to rest before night fell.

'Listen mate,' he said. 'I know how bad ya must be feelin'. Ya can't lose it now. Jeff's right, we have'ta all pull together. Yeah, someone 'round here is the firebug. It's someone who knows us all real well, but it isn't one of the family. C'mon, go have a rest and ya'll be thinkin' clearer when ya wake up. If ya h.e.l.l bent on catchin this p.r.i.c.k then ya need ta be alert or he'll outsmart ya every time. Ya can't be friggin' exhausted, buddy.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

He sat on a tree stump near old Harry's hut, thinking as he idly traced circles in the dirt with a stick.

'They can play b.l.o.o.d.y detective all they like but they'll never catch me. I'm one step ahead of 'em... all the time.' Laughing he, threw the stick at a bird. 'That f.u.c.kin' Digger Miles. What a smart a.r.s.e. Full of s.h.i.t, always flappin' his jaws about somethin'!'

'Reckon I just might ave'ta do somethin' 'bout im', the a.r.s.ehole!'

He rolled off the tree stump onto his back and put his hands behind his head. 'Yeah, I'll' think of a way to get you, Miles!' he thought.

Tammi wasn't at all happy about the restrictions Digger had implemented.

'He's gone a bit far, don't you think?' she said to Kathy.

'Too d.a.m.n right he has. I'm not allowed to even look at Eddie. He's not the b.l.o.o.d.y firebug, Tam. Dad's going over the top now!'

'We think Eddie's innocent, but Dad's never liked him, has he?'

'No he hasn't, but Eddie isn't what people think he is. He has his reasons for being an angry ant! He gets blamed for every b.l.o.o.d.y thing and is always talked about behind his back. He really misses his dad too. Imagine it, Tam, wouldn't that get your hackles up?

'For sure. I can see what you're saying Kath. It is unfair.

'The more people shunned him over the years, the more he became bitter. He needs someone to believe in him for a change. He treats me right and I have no fear of him at all.' She thought back to the times she had spent with him and sighed. 'Tam, I don't think I can stop seeing him.'

'You'll have to, at least until Dad calms down.'

Kathy looked away from Tammi, thoughts whirling through her mind.

Patrols remained in place day and night regardless of everyone's exhaustion from lack of sleep. The week so far had gone by with no more fires or sinister phone calls.

Kathy moped around. Tammi was bored senseless and spent a fortune in phone calls to Laura who had gone back to Cooma for the last couple of days before school resumed.

Mary and Harvey settled on a property at Jindera, a small country village outside of Hamilton Valley and about a twenty minute drive from Kia-Ora.

The night before they moved out, Harvey took Ellie to one side. They hadn't been together since he had poured his heart out to her and gone to her room. Speaking quietly so Mary wouldn't hear, he whispered, 'I'll contact you as soon as I settle her in, darling. We'll have to arrange a place to meet alone!'

'Okay, Harv. I want to see you alone too. I may just have an idea,' she a.s.sured him. He squeezed her hand and went back inside to Mary who was in the lounge room with Win and Emmie. Emmie had wanted to speak to Mary alone but she had steadfastly avoided her as much as she could. Mary was still very embarra.s.sed, knowing that Emmie was aware of her drunken behaviour.

Ellie was keen to tell Harvey about her idea but she wanted to check it all out before she mentioned it to him. She planned to rent a cabin at the Hume Weir Caravan Park. She was confident they wouldn't be seen out there. Their time together would be mainly evenings and no one would see them out there. Her plan was perfect! She and Harvey would be able see each other in complete privacy.

Francis came home from work at lunchtime the following Sat.u.r.day. He found Kathy in her room reading. She had been in there all week, only speaking to her father when she had to.

Win felt sorry for her. She understood her being upset, it was tough, but she could also appreciate Digger's reasons for the restrictions. Win was stuck in the middle. Kathy had been mortified when Dig stormed up the road to Eddie's house and told him to stay away from his daughter.

'Kath... are you in there?' Francis knocked quietly on her door.

'Yeah Francis, where else would I be? Come in,' she sighed.

'I've got a message for you,' he said, sitting on her bed.

'Well, out with it. What is it?' she asked.

'I really shouldn't be doing this, you know. If Uncle Dig finds out, he'll kill me.'

'Francis, what is it?' Kathy asked impatiently.

'Eddie came in to work this morning. He talked to me for a while about you two. He really does care about you, kiddo. I don't think he's at all like Dig says he is, and I definitely don't think he's the firebug.'

'And...' Kathy sat up straight now and was eager to find out what Eddie had said.

'Well, I said I'd take you out to the Weir this afternoon. Dig trusts me to look after you. You can meet Eddie out there. He's promised to have you back by five so I can bring you home again.'

'Oh, Francis, you're the best cousin the world's ever known!' Kathy flung her arms around Francis' neck and kissed him hard on the cheek. Leaping from her bed, she hurried about getting ready. A feeling of guilt crept over her about sneaking behind her parents' back but she quickly pushed it from her mind. Her father was to blame, she rationalized.

If he was reasonable and listened to her, he would realise that Eddie was a good person and she was safe with him.

Digger said she could go with Francis, insisting she be home by six o'clock. He trusted Francis to keep an eye out for anyone suspicious. Tammi went along with them, promising to keep their secret.

Eddie was waiting at the Weir when Francis pulled up. He got out and watched Kathy walk toward him. Tammi settled herself on a towel to sunbathe; she loved to have a tan and it really suited her fair hair. Francis decided to read a book and catch a few rays himself.

'Hi babe, how've you been? We've got a few probs, eh?' He kissed her and held her close against him.

'b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l, Eddie, I've been miserable. It's awful not being allowed anywhere unchaperoned.'

'C'mon, we'll go for a drive. We need to talk about this.'

He opened the door and she climbed in. He patted the seat close beside him and she slid over next to him. They drove out to a picturesque spot near Bethanga. It was not crowded so they got out and walked down to the water's edge and sat with their feet in the water.

'You know your dad came to see me, don't you?'

She nodded. 'Yep, sure do.'

'Well, he's right in a way. I am a suspect.'

'Yes, but you haven't done anything, that's what I keep telling everyone. It's s.h.i.tting me to tears. I feel like crying,' she said shakily.

'Come on, settle down. I know that you know that, but not your dad or any of the other blokes. He's scared silly you and Tammi could get hurt. He just wants you to be safe, honey. I do too. If it means peace of mind for him, go along with him until this is all over. Don't fight him. He loves you very much. Be thankful you have a dad, Kath.'

Kathy was watching him as he spoke. 'How the h.e.l.l can everyone think he's so terrible?' she thought. 'He's respecting Dad's wishes!'

'Oh Eddie, I know he does. It's just that when I thought he was going to get to know you, this had to happen.'

'Francis said he's happy to bring you out here sometimes and we can meet in other places as well, maybe outta town a bit. We can all meet at a pub for lunch sometimes, that sorta thing. Tam and Francis will be in that for sure. That's the best we can do for now, sweetheart. If you cause a stink, your dad will just go berserk and who knows what will happen, ok?'

Kathy rested her head on his shoulder. 'It's just unfair, Eddie. I wish they would catch the b.l.o.o.d.y firebug, then everything would go back to normal. Whoever the mongrel is, he's turning every one's lives upside down. I hate the b.a.s.t.a.r.d.'

Eddie hated the situation just as much as Kathy but they wouldn't win against Digger. Kathy's protesting would only fall on deaf ears. He convinced her to stay calm and eventually it would all work out. They had no other choice.

They spent the rest of the afternoon splashing in the water and enjoying each other's company. Lying on the gra.s.s by the water, they kissed and held each other close. Eddie felt himself becoming excited and had to reign in those impulses. Too soon, he had to take her back to Francis and Tammi.

'I'll see you again soon, Kath. I'll arrange it with Francis. We can meet somewhere nice outta town for lunch maybe, see what Francis thinks.'

Kathy's eyes filled with tears. Eddie put his hand on her face, gently stroking her cheek and then walked off to his car. She watched him drive away, happy that she had at least seen him, sad that they didn't know when they'd see each other next.

'd.a.m.n the b.l.o.o.d.y fires... d.a.m.n everything!' she thought angrily.

Emmie was reading the daily newspaper. 'Just look at the headlines: nothing but reports on Vietnam, protests in the cities and the Hamilton Valley Firebug!' She put it down and reached for a bowl of peas to sh.e.l.l.

'Yes, Mum, there's no good news in there, is there? It makes you not want to open the paper at all these days,' Win agreed with her.

'Have you heard from Harvey and Mary?' Win asked.

'Not since they left. I suppose they're busy settling in out there.' Emmie looked thoughtful, adding, 'You don't think Mary will feel isolated, do you?'

'No, I don't think so. She can drive. Harvey said he was going to get her a small car. Then she'll be independent. Maybe she'll be happier now she's got her own place. Once she's got her own transport, she'll be able to get around and do whatever she wants.'

Emmie stopped sh.e.l.ling the peas and pa.s.sed Hazel a bag of potatoes. 'There you are, Hazel. You can finish these. I get so tired these days. I'm going outside to sit with Ellie under the walnut tree for a bit.'

'By the way, Hazel, Ted sent a message up with Dig before. He'll be later in this afternoon. He has to finish spraying the apricot trees.' Win smiled.

'Righto, love, thanks for telling me. I can put me old feet up once I'm done with dinner and watch a spot of me favourite telly show. It's Peyton Place, you know, on every Sat.u.r.day night and I can't miss it.'

Emmie and Win left laughing. Hazel often sent them off into laughter.

Ted was staying late to get the spraying done. He didn't mind because he'd rather work in the cool of the evening. Digger and Karl were starting the night shift at Dawn's place. They were to change their positions every hour until midnight, when Sam and Arthur took over. They'd spend an hour patrolling around Dawn's, an hour at Sam's, an hour at Kia-Ora and Arthur's and then check them all on the way back to Dawn's again where they would hand over to the others.

Whistling a tune, Ted cheerfully went about his work. It was getting late and soon it would be too dark to see well enough to continue spraying. He was almost done and looking forward to his tea. He could feel his stomach rumbling.

Suddenly, he stopped what he was doing. Shaking his head, he muttered, 'Stupid old b.u.g.g.e.r, you're hearin' things.' Then he heard it again.

Someone was walking swiftly along the next row of fruit trees. He put the spray drum on the ground and moved as quietly as he could to look between the trees. He couldn't see anyone, but he had heard them.

Then a noise behind made him swing around, but he wasn't fast enough. A figure had emerged from behind one of the trees and Ted was knocked to the ground in one swift movement. The blow was hard enough to stun him and knock his gla.s.ses flying. He briefly caught a glimpse of the man as he ran off, but that was a blur, seeing his gla.s.ses weren't perched on his nose where they should have been.

Ted struggled to a sitting position and felt around for his gla.s.ses. Finding them, he leant back against a tree. After a few minutes, he went to stand up, but his old legs gave way and he sunk back to the ground.

The attacker made his way swiftly up to the house. He had to work fast. Sure enough, Towser was there in his kennel. It didn't take much to coax the stupid mutt to him. 'Some guard dog,' he thought, giving the dog a pat. He watched as Towser devour a large piece of meat.

'That'll fix Miles! He loves that dog,' he sneered.

Karl and Digger had checked Dawn's place and had now reached Sam's. So far, nothing was amiss.

'Maybe we might be gettin' somewhere. There's been nothin' all week,' Karl said.

'I wouldn't hang me hat on that, mate,' Digger replied. 'We've thought all was well other times and bang! Up goes somethin' else. Nat an' Rex are checkin' 'round some of the old people's places for 'em as well. Tha poor old b.u.g.g.e.rs are all scared s.h.i.tless. Old Beryl Davis livin' on her own's a worry, so Nat an' Rex are checkin' her place too.'

'Yeah, poor old Beryl locks herself in late in tha' afternoon. She keeps her gun near the back door, so I heard. She told Mrs Flynn at the shop that she won't hesitate to use it either.'

'I know, that's another b.l.o.o.d.y worry!' Dig glanced at him.

'We have'ta nab this b.a.s.t.a.r.d, Dig. We have'ta! This constant watchin' and waitin' is really tellin' on all of us. Don't know how much more everyone can take. Mum looks terrible. It killed Dad; we can't let it bring her down as well.'

Digger knew what Karl was saying was the truth and, as much as he vowed to catch the person destroying properties and ruining everyone's lives, he had to admit he simply had no idea what else to do either. He was completely at a loss for what tactic to implement next.

'Well, all's well here. Next stop, Kia-Ora.' They were crossing Hamilton Lane near Eddie's house. His mother was sitting on her front veranda.

'Evenin' Thelma,' they both called.

'Nice outside at this time of evenin', isn't it?' Karl added.

She offered a small wave in reply. She was a timid woman and when Digger had gone up there in a rage to warn Eddie off, she had stayed inside out of sight.

'Not a bad woman. Must've been hard rearin' her kid alone. She's worked hard all her life. Pity her son isn't more like her,' Digger said as he held the barbed wire fence up while Karl climbed through it. The evening was closing in and dusk was creeping up quickly. They reached the orchard and began a careful walk through the trees, on the alert for anything unusual.

'Listen,' Karl hissed to Digger, putting his hand up as he spoke. 'Can you hear that?'

'I certainly can... Sounds like someone's groanin'.'

'C'mon, it's this way!'

Following the sound, they raced up the path and cut across to the trees where Ted had been spraying earlier.

'Good Lord! Ted!' Karl was first to discover the old fella.

'Strewth, is he alright?' Digger came up behind him.

'Dunno, help me sit him up.'

Ted had stayed on the ground where he had slumped down after he was attacked. He tried standing, but each time a wave of dizziness made him sink back down again.