A stone dislodged from the wall of the mine and skittered down the side, causing Dave’s heart to stop for a moment in case there was more above him that could come down on his head.
He peered up and could only see trees and blue sky, and although it was an odd feeling not to be able to see across the land, it was strangely peaceful and calming.
‘There you are.’ Melinda’s head appeared over the top. ‘Ugh, that looks a bit scary. Nothing but a big black pit.’
‘Pass the camera down if you don’t want to join me,’ Dave called up. ‘It doesn’t look like this one has got any timbers reinforcing the sides.’
‘It will have further down,’ Dee answered; she was at Melinda’s side, scrutinising where he was. ‘But it’s best not to go any further. Got no idea what’s down there, hey.’
Dave picked up a stone and tossed it into the inky blackness, listening. He didn’t hear it land. ‘Must be bloody deep!’ He started to climb out, slipping and sliding on the steep walls. He put a foot wrong and slid all the way back down, fear stabbing through him. Dave tried to reach out and grab something to stop his fall, imagining he was going to end up like the stone, but there was nothing but loose stones and solid wall. Without meaning to he let out a small cry of alarm.
‘Shit, shit, shit!’ he muttered. His fingers finally found a tree root and he hung on tight.
‘You okay there?’ Dee called down, laughter in her voice. Dave wasn’t sure why—he didn’t think it was a laughing matter! ‘Fine,’ he answered, but his heart was beating so fast he felt it was going to come out of his chest.
‘Sweetheart?’ Melinda’s voice held dread.
‘I’m okay, don’t worry.’ He started up the side again, this time watching his footfalls. Finding a solid piece of stone to use as a hand grip, Dave hoisted himself up, finally reaching the surface.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he grinned at them both. ‘Wasn’t sure what was about to happen then,’ he admitted.
‘It’s scary when you slide back down, I know,’ Dee said. ‘I’ve done it heaps of times, but you couldn’t fall in because the ledge you were standing on while you were down there would have stopped you. Doesn’t stop you from freaking out though.’
‘Dead right.’
‘Come on, I’ll take you up to the wedding hill.’
Piling back into the ute, Dave turned to Dee. ‘You said the pub was won in a card game? That’s pretty intriguing.’
She nodded, crunching through the gears as she drove towards a large hill on the horizon.
‘Yeah, the guy who owned it had a gambling problem.’ She looked over at him, a humorous look on her face. ‘I know you’ll find that hard to believe since he bet his own pub!’
Melinda gave a shout of laughter and reached out to hold on to Dave’s arm as they went through a bumpy river crossing.
‘Anyway, he didn’t have anything else to put up and he wanted to be in the game. He’d lost his car, savings, some of the stock from the pub—mostly rum. Had nothing left. My stepdad just played his cards right and won it.’
‘Just won it?’ Dave said, shaking his head.
‘Can you imagine it? Four fellas sitting around a campfire in the middle of the bush, drinking, watching the flames, and someone pulls out a deck of cards. They were playing poker. Unusual for out here. Two-up is more the go. Probably a good thing there were a few others there because otherwise he would have been in danger of being shot or murdered somehow so the owner didn’t have to pay up!’
Dave glanced across at Dee but he wasn’t seeing her, he was seeing a campfire. Men silhouetted by the flames, the glint of knives and guns, the distrust between men palpable. The cards were held by each man and a look of disbelief passed between the players as Dee’s father laid down the winning hand. He could hear the crackle of the fire, the hiss of anger as the previous owner stared at the cards.
The black cloud of flies above Tim Tucker’s mine shaft flashed into his mind’s eye and suddenly he realised how many complicated motives for murder there could be in this area he now called home.
Chapter 12
Tim Tucker sat out on his verandah, listening to the sounds of the bush. The sun had started to dip below the trees and the darkness was beginning to spread across the land. On the opposite horizon, the hint of the coming moon smouldered a deep orange.
He’d left his mates at the pub, deciding he really wasn’t in the mood for drinking and talking to people. That was one of the reasons he lived where he did—he didn’t like the energy it took to deal with people, and he was used to being in his own company. Miners had to be like that. Loners.
He hadn’t always been that way, but time changes people and he was a different man from the one he’d been in his younger years.
Taking another sip of his beer, he savoured the coolness as it slid down like a balm. Chief was lying on the dirt near his chair, waiting for him to move—he shadowed his owner everywhere. His was the sort of company Tim liked. Not the people who asked questions and used up generosity. Not the ones who promised things and didn’t deliver. Chief loved unconditionally. He protected, warned and adored. And he’d never let Tim down.
The tinkle of a piano seemed to filter through on the evening breeze and he turned his head to listen. Immediately it disappeared. Even after so many years, when his mind played
