'Well, well! Obviously someone has coached her to make sure Eric took the blame! Someone has talked her into giving false evidence. That would explain that ink on her hands,' Emmie replied in disgust. 'She's written notes on her hands so she wouldn't forget what she had to say! Stupid, stupid woman...'

'What a wicked, treacherous woman, Emmie. For all her notes and all her stinking lies, she hasn't got a hope. My son is innocent!'

Sam and Connie's home that evening had a more relaxed atmosphere.

Des was happy with how his testimony had gone. Mr Kurl had insisted his evidence remain secret until the right moment. Even Eric had to remain ignorant of it until today.

Down at Kia-Ora, they were all talking about how clever it was of Mr Kurl to keep Des' evidence and spring it on everyone at the last minute like that. They kept it a closely guarded secret, and the only people who had known about it were Mr Kurl, Des and Sam.

'This Kurl bloke knows his business. He's b.l.o.o.d.y good,' Karl commented.

'He sure does. I can't see it going on much longer,' replied Digger.

'I hope not. Eric's looking very drawn.' Win sighed.

'He may be a big strong bloke but this would knock the guts out of anyone.' Digger glanced across at Win; she was looking rather drawn herself.

Don't ya reckon it's strange, Dig, how there hasn't been any fires now for weeks?' Karl asked, frowning.

'It's the smart b.a.s.t.a.r.d playin' his games, mate. Just bide ya time, wait and see what happens. The mongrel won't be finished with us yet, not by a long shot,' Digger stated firmly.

'Yeah, ya could be right. Anyway, one thing at a time, eh?' Karl yawned loudly.

Everyone was exhausted so they said their goodnights and prepared for bed.

As Ellie slipped into her nightgown, her mind went from the day's events to Harvey and Mary. They hadn't shown up at today's hearing, which Ellie thought was strange. She'd seen them briefly on the first day and they had promised they would be in today. There was so much to sort out in so many ways.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX.

Although it was winter, the valley was still very dry. A good steady rain was needed. The farmers and fruit growers were praying for it. Cows ambled forlornly around the paddocks, slowly swishing their tails from side to side. It was hauntingly quiet.

Since Eric's arrest, the atmosphere in the valley was still tense, even though the fires seemed to have ceased.

Stretching his arms above his head, he muttered, 'Well, today's the day! Everythin' should go smoothly.' Rubbing his jaw and standing up from the bed, he pulled up the checked blankets then plumped the feather pillow. He leaned over the basin and splashed his face with cold water. He gazed at his reflection in the small mirror that hung on the wall. He ran a comb through his hair. Fleetingly, a feeling of panic shot through him.

'What if things don't go right? Nah, everythin's goin' nicely. Nothin'll go wrong now. How could it?' His mind whirled.

He turned from the mirror to stare vacantly out the window. 'Mmm... Time will tell,' he muttered.

Des slowly walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

'You okay, love?' Connie looked at him with concern. His mood hadn't improved at all. In fact, since Eric's arrest, Des had withdrawn further. It was better to keep quiet at times rather than have him shout to stop nagging him.

'Maybe when this is all over he'll be different. He's so worried for Eric,' she thought as she poured him a coffee.

Sam came in, dressed for the day's court hearing: grey trousers, white shirt and a grey woollen cardigan. He placed his fedora hat on the table and picked up the newspaper.

The headlines leapt out at him.

YOUTH IN ARSON CASE SUFFERED FIRE LOSS!.

Albury Court was told yesterday that a youth charged with arson had also lost property in the fires in the Hamilton Valley area...

The report went on to describe the charges against Eric, and the evidence that Des had given yesterday. Sam folded the newspaper and leaned back in his chair, thinking.

'Well Des, at least we've established that it wasn't Eric in the tank shed last Christmas Eve. That b.l.o.o.d.y priest can't see past the end of his nose, let alone see someone all the way down here from up at the seminary. He couldn't even identify between you and Eric. You have dark hair and Eric's fair. Just goes to show.'

'Yeah, but that b.i.t.c.h Gelding reckons she surprised him near the haystack before it went up,' Des retorted angrily.

'She's just a stupid and vindictive woman. She thrives on b.l.o.o.d.y gossip and drama. 'Why would she just be standin' there doin' nothin'.? That surprised me too. She wouldn't know what b.l.o.o.d.y day it was. I reckon everyone'll see through her!'

Connie placed a large helping of scrambled eggs in front of each of them.

'Now eat up while I go and get ready. You all should have something in your stomachs to help get you through the day.' She untied her ap.r.o.n and walked towards the bedroom to get dressed for another long day in court.

The sun had risen brightly over the valley. It had been a crisp frost this morning, coating everything in sparkling crystals of ice.

A willie wagtail twitched its long tail as it stood on a fence post, singing Sweet Pretty Creature.

'Sweet pretty creature... Sweet pretty b.i.t.c.h...' he snarled and spat viciously on the ground. 'They'll all be there again today.' He reached in his breast pocket for the photo of the sweet pretty creature. 'The time'll come soon, me lovely,' he gloated as he stared at the photo through glazed eyes, fondling his crotch with his free hand.

Suddenly, he jerked his hand away. 'Enough!' he cried out. 'Ya evil b.i.t.c.h, I won't let you make me do these disgustin' things!'

He shoved the photo back into his pocket and strode angrily up the dirt track.

A willie-willie stirred the fallen leaves in the air and created a cloud of dust as he strode on.

The willie wagtail flew away.

The Albury Court House was filling up once again. The supporters and the nosey filed in and took their seats.

Karl helped Emmie to her seat. Stress was etched in the old lady's face. Digger, Win and Ellie came in after them. Francis had to attend work and Eric understood that. Dawn and Jeff were sitting at the very front of the courtroom.

The hearing and sheer worry had aged Dawn considerably. Jeff was very solemn; he hadn't said much at all these last three days. Eileen, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, sat beside them, her usual flippancy overtaken by a mood of solemnity.

Eric, his forehead creased by a frown, was in front of his mother with his barrister. Throughout the entire hearing he had kept himself composed, he had cooperated fully, but there was no hiding the strain showing on his face, nor the incredible hurt that showed in his sad eyes.

Arthur and Daisy stood outside the courthouse. Arthur kept checking the time on his watch.

'Five to ten. Where the blazes is Robert?' He shaded his eyes against the sun with his hand. He looked along Dean Street but Robert was nowhere in sight.

'We should go in now, Arthur. Robert must be held up somewhere.'

Daisy placed her hand on Arthur's sleeve. Her tailored navy and white woollen suit, complimented by a small white hat, looked elegant. Like all the other women, Daisy knew the importance of portraying a good image.

'I suppose we'll have to. Robert is so d.a.m.n unreliable, ya'd think he could make an effort for somethin' as serious as this!' Arthur stepped back for Daisy to enter the court room.

'All rise!' the clerk called in his crisp voice.

Kathy and Tammi had not gone to the hearing. They were both very fond of their cousin, and the whole affair had upset them greatly. Kathy had taken the week off work, not the usual procedure for a new employee, but she was lucky her employer knew Eric and the family well. She fully understood Kathy being upset.

'Well, Tam, it's ten o'clock. The court will be in session by now,' Kathy said, looking at the clock on the wall.

'Mmm, I wonder what today will bring. I wish it was all over.' Tammi sat down at the other end of the kitchen table.

Hazel was outside at the washing line. Ted was down at the shed working on the tractor, giving it a long overdue oil change and grease. The old couple had gone to the court the day before and Emmie had advised them to stay home today. They'd been very upset the previous day at everything that was said against Eric. They couldn't believe the accusations coming from locals they knew. It was beyond belief.

'Well, he's not guilty! Even if this drags on for weeks, they can't send him to gaol. He's innocent!' Tammi's face screwed up in anger.

'What a liar that priest is! He's known Eric for nine years and now he seems h.e.l.l bent on seeing him sent to gaol. I can't understand it,' Kathy added.

'I wouldn't be surprised if the priest lit the fires. He always turns up after everyone else. He seems to just appear out of nowhere,' said Tammi.

'I've heard a few people say the same thing, Tam. I wonder if it could be him...'

The hearing was in progress. It was a carry-over from the previous day's questions. Ivy Gelding was on the stand going over her evidence once again. Mr Kurl asked her to repeat her testimony. She stated again that about ten minutes before she saw Eric on her property, her dog started barking. It was about five o'clock and she didn't take any notice at first.

But the dog continued barking and it was getting more excited. She said she looked out her kitchen window and she saw the dog reefing on its chain, pulling towards the haystack. It was then that she walked outside and ran into Eric coming around the haystack.

'He looked at me in surprise and said 'fire!' then he ran for help,' she continued. Ivy went on to tell that it wasn't until he'd gone that she saw the smoke coming from the haystack and phoned the brigade. A neighbour came back with Eric and they managed to control the fire.

Ivy left the witness stand and another witness was sworn in. Mr George Hartog, a respected farmer in the valley, said again how he had seen Eric coming down the track from the direction of the fire.

Eric had told him how he had run from his mother's house when he heard the dog barking and noticed smoke. He told Mr Kurl that Eric had an unblemished character in the community.

Next to be sworn in was Frank Smith. He testified that he had thoroughly searched the area and found what appeared to be a partly burned mosquito coil at the bottom of a post, not far from the haystack. Also, he found an ash-like substance in a shallow hole near the coil. These were handed to the police, who had asked him to keep the find quiet for the time being. He also said the gra.s.s was burnt between the haystack and the post. He stated that, in his expert opinion, the fire had been set hours before it ignited. He gave an outstanding character reference for Eric. He told the court that in his opinion Eric Mason was falsely accused.

Nat Willis was next to the stand. He also gave an outstanding character reference. He vouched for Eric's good reputation, saying he had known the bloke since he was a baby. In his opinion there was no way in h.e.l.l that Eric was the arsonist and they were wasting valuable time with this court case. They needed to be out catching the real criminal.

Eric was next up to the witness stand to tell how he had noticed the fire. He told his story of how the dog barking had attracted his attention and how, when he arrived, he thought no one was home because no one had reacted to his shouted calls that there was a fire, and the fact the dog was barking profusely and still no one appeared. He told how when he did see Ivy, she was standing, leaning on the gate. He was also baffled by the fact that she wasn't doing anything to help contain the fire except to say she had already called the brigade when he suggested she do so. This proved she had seen the fire before Eric arrived!

Robert slipped quietly into the courtroom and sat at the back beside a couple of reporters. He'd been out the front having a sly cigarette. Arthur and Daisy had no idea he smoked; he was chewing on some PK gum, hoping to mask the smell.

The hearing continued. Emmie dabbed at her face with a lace handkerchief.

'Are you okay, Mum?' Win whispered.

She gave a slight nod. She was saying a quiet prayer for Eric. Emmie asked for the truth to prevail. She loved the young man as if he were her own son and she asked G.o.d to let the court realise his innocence.

'We could slip out for a few minutes, if you like?' Win whispered again.

'No, love.' Emmie shook her head. 'I'm okay.'

The voices of the barrister and Eric droned on.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN.

'Kath, come for a walk down to the shop with me. I need some shampoo.' Tammi poked her head around the door.

'Good idea, let's go. I can't stand just waiting around.' Kathy pulled herself from the cane chair and called to Hazel to let her know where they were going. They set off down the driveway. As they approached the drive, a tingle ran down Kathy's spine. She shivered.

'What's up, Kath?'

'Oh, probably nothing... Just that feeling you get when someone walks over your grave.' She'd had that familiar feeling of late, the sense that they were still being watched. Everything was still; even the birds had stopped chirping.

'It's really quiet, Kath.' Tammi had the same uneasy feeling.

'Come on, let's get out on to the road. At least we won't be closed in by trees out there.'

They quickly walked the last few yards down the driveway to Centaur Road.

'Tam, I still have this uneasy feeling. I can't explain it, things just aren't right.' Kathy looked over her shoulder, expecting to see someone behind them. She felt extremely edgy.

'Stop it, Kath, you're making me frightened,' Tammi scolded.

They reached the top of the small rise just before the bridge that crossed over the dry creek when Tammi let out a cry of dismay.

'Kath... look... Look over there towards Frank Smith's place... Kathy, its smoke and heaps of it!'

Tammi was pointing to where Frank Smith lived. He had a property a short distance off Centaur Road, secluded by tall gum trees and shaded by two enormous Castlewellan Gold pines. He didn't have a large property but he had built a very nice country ranch-style home, as well as two sheds further back from the house and another larger shed to garage the fire truck and his car.

He stored a small quant.i.ty of hay in one of the back sheds which was closer to his home than any of the others. It was this shed that the smoke was billowing from.