Book of Dreams (27 page)

‘Watch your back.’ Rex raced after Ivan and caught him with ease. ‘I’ll take care of our friend here.’ He headed Ivan back to the car and pushed him into the boot.

Tim kept low as he ran across the dry, grassy flat land, heading towards the mountain forest as far away from the fallen tree as possible. He did this to avoid being seen by the trespasser — or trespassers. He didn’t seriously think the yowie was in trouble; it was far more likely to be Kyle and the yowie’s howl was a protest against this tree-felling incident. However, if the yowie again killed to protect the trees, the Great Spirit would definitely revoke his powers. Was that what had happened?

When Tim reached the cover of the trees, he grabbed his mobile phone from his back pocket and, locating a signal, phoned Zoe’s mobile number, as she would have reached her accommodation in Brisbane by now.

‘Hello?’ Zoe sounded sleepy.

‘Zoe? Is Kyle there?’ Tim whispered.

‘Well, yes, but he’s dead to the world right now. Do you want me to wake him?’ She was obviously surprised to be hearing from Tim at 6.30 a.m.

‘No. If you’re sure he’s okay?’ This seemed to indicate that the yowie had either killed or been killed, but Tim didn’t want to panic everyone until he was certain as to what had happened. ‘How was Kyle before he went to sleep?’

‘Um … energetic. Cocky, amorous —’

‘Sounds pretty normal,’ Tim warranted.

‘Are you on the plane already?’ Zoe yawned the last part of the sentence.

‘No, I had a change of plans. Rex is bringing Ivan down. I’ll explain later —’

‘Why are you whispering? Are you okay?’

‘At present.’ Tim felt that that might not be the case for very long. ‘Talk soon.’ He hung up and moved to rise when several darts skimmed past him to lodge in a tree in a lovely straight line. They looked like tranquiliser darts as they were filled with liquid — they could also have contained poison. ‘Hunters.’ Tim grabbed the darts as he made quickly for thicker cover — their liquid had been wasted upon contact with the tree, but the tips looked like they were made for elephant hide and would serve him as a weapon.

Tim moved with great pace and near silence further into the forest before he scaled a tree near the pool to await his pursuer. It wasn’t long before the hunter crept past Tim’s perch, and he was easily overcome by an attack from above. Unfortunately, the intruder managed to shout for help before Tim knocked him unconscious with a head butt, which indicated that the hunter had friends in the vicinity. Tim was about to disappear back up the tree when two more men with similar weapons came charging down the forest path that led to the far side of the pool — the track had been seldom used as an approach to the water. Tim snatched up two of the darts from his belt, one in each hand, and threw them into the legs of the man who led the charge. The wounded man hit the ground, losing his weapon in the fall. Spotting the gun of the unconscious man, Tim grabbed it up and took aim, only to find that, in the excitement of the chase, his pursuer had forgotten to reload the weapon.

The remaining hunter laughed as he realised Tim’s predicament. ‘All out of luck, hey?’

As the gunman took aim at Tim, the sound of bubbling water became audible. The hunter suddenly took more interest in a target that lay beyond Tim, and Tim figured the cavalry had just arrived.

‘Not quite,’ Tim replied.

The familiar disgruntled snarl of the bunyip strengthened Tim’s faith in cosmic justice.

The ringing phone was sweet relief to Zoe’s ears. She’d been so worried since Tim called, but hadn’t wanted to call him in case the sound of his phone exposed Tim to danger. ‘Thank God it’s you. Something has happened to Kyle. I can’t seem to get him to wake. He’s all groggy.’

‘That could be because his guardian has been pumped with enough sedative to kill an elephant!’ Tim explained angrily, but then calmed down enough to deliver the bad news. ‘He’s going to be out of action for at least twelve hours.’

Zoe gasped; the realisation that her uncle had outsmarted her yet again nearly stopped her heart. ‘No, no, no, he can’t win. How could he have known?’ In the documentary, they had made it clear that the yowie was deceased. ‘That bastard has got my apartment wired!’ She knew in her heart that it was entirely possible and easy to do, and therefore probable — what better way to keep tabs on her loyalty? ‘I’m so
stupid
. I should have rented an office in Sydney. Shit!’

‘It’ll be okay.’ Tim lied through his teeth to ease her fears. ‘As soon as I get your uncle’s thugs tied up and out of harm’s way, I’ll head across country to see Bargi and explain what’s happened. She’ll know what to do.’

‘I’ll get Matt to meet Rex at the airport, and we’ll await your word. If necessary, I’ll see if Kimba can get the trial postponed, or we’ll stall, or … something.’ Zoe forced a smile, knowing faith in divine order was all she had left.

‘Chin up,’ Tim advised gently and with more optimism. ‘Even if the very worst should happen today, we both know that karma will have her way in the end, should we live to see it or no.’

‘Thanks, Tim, for everything. I won’t forget what you’ve suffered for my family.’

‘Our people became one when Arika gave birth.’ Tim indicated that there was no need to thank him. ‘Our pain and dreams are entwined, and our hopes for tomorrow depend very much on each other.’

‘They certainly do,’ Zoe granted, stroking Kyle’s hair, ‘but I’m really glad you’re on my side, all the same.’

‘Ditto,’ said Tim. ‘Keep the faith. Speak soon.’ He hung up.

Zoe placed the phone on the side table and looked at Tim’s son, still unconscious on the bed beside her. ‘I fear karmic justice has taken the day off.’

‘No …’ Kyle almost stirred.

‘No what, baby?’ She slid down closer to him.

‘F —’ He stirred again, and his eyelids raised for a fraction of a second to reveal his dark, blurry eyes. ‘Fe —’ was all he said before sinking into a deep slumber once more.

‘No fear?’ Zoe took a guess as to what Kyle was trying to convey. Even in this state he could manage to be supportive and Zoe really appreciated his effort. ‘I promise.’ She kissed him, in the hope that like Sleeping Beauty he might be stirred by the kiss of true love — but no such luck.

Although Matt was disappointed at not being able to sit in on the court case, he was still going to get his exclusive afterwards, provided there was a trial at all today. He was a bit worried at first that the TV station, who had given him time off to fly to Queensland and attend the case, would feel ripped off if they discovered that he’d missed most of the hearing. However, Zoe had vowed to fill him in on
everything
.

Matt was on his way from the hotel to meet Rex at Brisbane airport and help keep Ivan under control, in case by some miracle they could still use him as a witness. Matt took his mostly unconscious mate with him to the airport.

In the hope that Kyle might come around, Matt tried to encourage conversation when his mate started to babble.

‘T — two.’

‘Nah, it’s only about nine-thirty,’ Matt replied.

‘Teams …’ Kyle’s head rolled to rest on his other shoulder.

Matt wasn’t too sure what to make of that. ‘Are you talking cricket? Football? I’m not too sure what’s on today. Hey, hold on, you hate sport!’

‘No!’ Kyle shouted loudly, his eyes opening wide for a second as his body stiffened. ‘Felix!’ His eyes closed and his head dropped as he continued to mumble. ‘Stop … Matt’s …’

‘We’re nowhere near Felix.’ Matt looked around at the highway they were following to the airport. ‘He’s back up north, editing,’ he explained, realising that his friend was now snoring again.

The girls spoke briefly to the press on their way up the courthouse stairs and then escaped the commotion when security cleared their way to the foyer.

‘I do love the way the press refer to me as Ms Nura-Jirrand,’ Kimba commented to Zoe, having handled the media masterfully.

Kimba was quite the rebel in her private life, but as a professional she saw being able to dress up and play power games as all part and parcel of beating the enemy at their own game.

‘I’m —’ Kimba’s phone rang and they stopped their journey up the interior stairs to take the call. ‘One second … hello?’

Despite the holes Nivok had shot in their beautiful plan, Kimba was still confident that they’d somehow win out. She’d waited forever for
this
day in court and nothing, but
nothing
, was going to destroy her belief that it was the will of the Great Spirit that they be victorious.

Zoe stood back to give Kimba some privacy to speak, and noting the commotion on the stairs outside the glass entrance doors she guessed that her uncle had arrived. He spoke to the press briefly to say he was confident that justice would be done today. When Zoe looked back at Kimba, the expression on the face of her defence counsel had been transformed from determined to devastated.

Kimba closed her mobile and shoved it in her pocket. Reaching into another pocket she retrieved a tissue to stem her sudden flow of tears.

‘What has happened?’ Zoe asked gently. Aware that Kimba was very good at suppressing her emotions, she knew the news must be dreadful to have upset her to this extent.

‘Felix’s studio went up in flames last night,’ Kimba said, still in shock. ‘Destroyed, along with everything in it.’

‘How is Felix?’ Zoe ventured to ask, as Kimba had vagued out.

‘He died on the way to hospital.’ Kimba stated this rather more serenely than expected, as she had spotted Nivok’s party entering through the courthouse doors.

If looks could kill, James Nivok would have been dead on arrival at court. Both women, still in shock, glared at him as he passed, eyes like daggers and revolt in their hearts and minds.

James blew Zoe a kiss and waved to her before he moved on up the stairs to the courtroom, with all his cronies and advisers in tow.

‘By sundown, that smug grin of his will be redundant,’ Kimba vowed. ‘The slaughter stops
today
.’

When Matt got Zoe’s call, they were just piling Zevron into the back seat of the car. Rex got in to sit beside their captive, leaving Kyle in the front passenger seat.

‘What’s up?’ Matt asked after updating Zoe on their progress.

The news of Felix’s death sent shock waves through Matt’s body. He may not have known Felix long, but he’d planned to get to know him a whole lot better. He was a good man and shaping up to be a good friend. ‘How is Kimba?’

‘She’s a rock,’ Zoe replied, ‘as always.’

‘Fuck!’ Matt exclaimed, as the revelation hit him. ‘That’s what Kyle was mumbling about before. Two teams! He must have meant your uncle had sent two teams north, one to deal with the Turramulli and the other to take care of my footage.’

‘Oh, my God!’ Zoe had her own revelation. ‘Kyle tried to tell me too. He wasn’t saying ‘no fear’. He was trying to tell me that Felix was in trouble.’

‘Well, Felix isn’t the only one Kyle has expressed fear for during this delirium of his.’ Matt walked further away from the car, so that Ivan wouldn’t overhear him. ‘I thought Kyle was just having a few nightmares about people he knows, because he’s also been calling out to Tim and Bargi. If there are two teams of hitmen up north and Tim’s only taken care of one —’

Zoe gasped. ‘Tim and Arika could still be in danger. I’ll call Tim right now.’

‘I’ll worry about Tim. You get your arse into court,’ Matt demanded, albeit in a friendly fashion. ‘And don’t worry about Tim and Bargi. They’re more capable of dealing with danger than the rest of us put together.’

‘We could really use Kyle though.’ Zoe’s concern and longing were apparent in her tone, although she tried to downplay it. ‘How’s my lad doing?’

‘Well, even unconscious, you’ve got to figure that Kyle isn’t lying idle.’ Matt wanted to say something encouraging. ‘We both know he has contacts beyond this world, and I feel he’s up to something in that head of his.’

‘Magic happens … right?’ Zoe picked up on where Matt was coming from.

‘Especially where Kyle’s concerned,’ Matt agreed.

‘Our luck can turn just like that!’

Matt heard the click from Zoe’s fingers. ‘Done,’ he granted, feeling that their situation couldn’t really get much worse.

He was pleased that Zoe seemed to be in better spirits when he said goodbye. Matt dialled Tim’s number straight after he’d hung up from Zoe. The recorded message informed him that Tim’s phone was unattended or out of radio range. ‘Damn it!’ He climbed back into the car.

‘What’s wrong with Mr Wizard?’ Ivan referred to Kyle, as having lost the glamour of ignorance Kyle had cast, Ivan now remembered everything Kyle had put him through. ‘Not even the supernatural will stop my boss.’ He chuckled with delight.

‘Gag him, will you?’ Matt beseeched Rex and handed him some gaffer tape that was in Matt’s all-purpose car repair kit.

‘Won’t that look mighty funny, him sitting there gagged?’ Rex pointed out.

‘Shove him in the boot then,’ Matt suggested. ‘Half the seat folds down, so you won’t attract any attention.’

The tape was across Ivan’s mouth before he could protest.

Rex was well bearded and Ivan, usually clean-shaven, had whiskers from his stay with the local clan, which the industrial strength tape would rip out by the roots upon removal. ‘Look on the bright side,’ Rex teased. ‘When this comes off you won’t need to shave for a week. Better than wax.’

Matt tried again to raise Tim by phone, while Rex shoved Ivan headfirst into the boot and closed the seat behind him. ‘I sure hope Tim’s battery ain’t dead.’ Matt figured Tim had made a few long-distance calls that morning.

‘There’s a black spot in the shadow of the mountain, so if Tim’s there he won’t have reception,’ Rex explained.

‘Great!’ Matt tossed Rex the phone. ‘Keep trying anyway.’ He turned to Kyle, being held upright in his seat by the belt. ‘I have to tell you, Kyle, the situation is
not
looking good. I can’t warn Tim; his phone is dead. I don’t want to guilt you out or anything, but we could really use your help right now.’