Novels 02 Red Dust (10 page)

'Yeah, I get you. So where do we start?'

'Let's begin by running a criminal history on everyone living on Billbinya.'

Chapter 15

Jess and Gemma were talking seriously about the invoices spread out in front of them when Bulla banged on the door and walked in. Pat had gone back to Hayelle to check the stock and then on to Adelaide to see Jake and Sarah.

'Hey, Bulla,' said Gemma in surprise, then she looked at her watch. 'Hell's bells – sorry, I didn't realise the time. You must want me to help draft the sheep.'

'Nah, you're right. Me 'n' the dogs can do it.' Bulla had superb dogs. 'I just wanted to know if there was anything special you wanted me and Gaz to take care of while you're away this weekend?'

'The weekend? What's today?' she asked. 'Thursday?'

'Friday,' Jess answered with a smile. 'We've got a dinner date tomorrow night, remember? I say we head off tonight.'

'Do you think I can go? I mean, the stock squad guy is supposed to be coming back at some stage.'

'He didn't say when,' Jess pointed out. 'I bet he doesn't work on weekends anyway. I reckon we should take off.'

'Okay, well I've got the shearing contractor organised for Tuesday, Bulla. We're going to need to get the two-year-old wethers in. I think it would be best to start on those. The wool looks great and I guess Ben will bring a shipper buyer sometime in the next couple of weeks, so it'd be a good idea to get all the shearing cuts healed up before they come to look. I was going to go for a drive today and check what sort of feed is out in the back paddock. We're going to need to get some condition on those steers soon. I think they need to go to the feedlot in about October,' Gemma said, turning back to Bulla. 'By the way, I'm sorry I didn't come out to the shed this morning to catch up with you. I found out some really disturbing news last night and I couldn't face you guys. Hang around the sheds this arvo and I'll explain everything, okay? Ned and Ben are coming out as well so I can tell them at the same time.'

Bulla was nodding. 'Yeah, no worries. I saw Jess's ute when I got to the sheds this morning so I sorta figured somethin' was up. Gem, has this got anything to do with Sinny?'

Gemma took a while to formulate her response. 'Yeah, it does,' she said eventually, looking down at her hands.

Bulla nodded and left the house.

Gemma was quiet for a while and Jess busied herself looking at the folders of invoices that Gemma had brought out from the office.

'C'mon, Jess,' said Gemma at last, jumping up. 'Let's go and clean the shearing shed for shearing.'

'What about –?'

'Nah, the books will wait. Let's go.'

They grabbed buckets, scrubbing brushes, brooms and other cleaning paraphernalia and headed towards the shearing shed.

'I don't know what it is about shearing sheds, but I love them,' Gemma said. 'I used to really enjoy going up to the shed at Hayelle after the shearing had been done and just sitting, smelling the sheep smell and reading.'

'Yeah, I know what you mean. I can remember as a kid, Dad used to put me on the wool table and swing me around. We had one of those old round tables that were cemented into the floor and you had to stand in one place and turn the table as you skirted the fleece,' Jess replied.

Gemma nodded enthusiastically. 'Yeah, I remember them. You would stand in one spot and swing it as hard as you could, trying to get the pieces of wool left behind to fly off when no one was looking. Your Dad used to get aggro with you doing that 'cos usually one of the rousies would go to throw a fleece and the table would be spinning! Funny how different we are,' mused Gemma. 'I mean you grew up on a farm too and yet you knew right from when you were little you were never going to stay. The towns have always held something for you and yet you get the best of both worlds, living in town and partying and coming out to the farms when you need a fix of country!'

They arrived at the shed and walked up the steps. The only noise came from Bulla and his dogs out in the yards. 'Go back, Roady, get up, get up. Push 'im up.'

'Woof, woof.'

The flies buzzed near the ceiling, the sun shone in streaks through the windows and the tiny holes in the iron. Other than a piece of tin on the roof, banging in the breeze, the shearing shed was still. Silently Gemma and Jess looked at the shed. It was a tidy shed but all the grease from wool during the last shearing had been ground into the boards, making the floor sticky. It would need to be scrubbed and swept before the next team came in. The cobwebs needed to be swept away, no little wisps of wool lying around or scraps of rubbish in the bins. Adam had joined Flockcare, a quality assurance program, not long before he died and things had to be done to the letter if they were to keep the accreditation. Adam had assured Gemma that by joining Flockcare they would receive higher prices for their wool, but there was a lot more work involved in getting ready for shearing.

'C'mon, townie,' said Gemma, her voice echoing loudly in the stillness. 'Get your hands dirty. I'll go and start the fire to heat up the water, you sweep.'

'You reckon I can't do this sort of stuff anymore, don't you? Give us that.' Jess grabbed the broom Gemma was holding out and started to sweep.

'Don't miss any corners,' Gemma shouted over her shoulder as she went outside to crank up the fire.

'Yeah, yeah,' muttered Jess. 'Give the woman an inch and she'll take a mile.'

The two women scrubbed the shed to within an inch of its life. Even the windows were washed – Jess's idea. 'I don't think the shearers will care, Jess. They don't usually look out of them,' Gemma had said, but Jess had done it anyway. The wool bins were looked over and any fibres of wool found clinging to the wood were removed, the board swept, and finally the water in the old forty-four-gallon drum was boiling on the fire outside. The girls carted buckets of boiling water inside and threw them onto the floor, added detergent and scrubbed. Sweat dripped off their foreheads and they had stopped talking to concentrate on the work. Jack had stuck his head in a few times to offer help, since his room in the shearers' quarters was quite close to the shed, but Gemma had waved him away. 'Have the day off and get better,' she said. 'You'll be needed next week.'

At long last the grease had dissipated and the pine boards began to shine through. Gemma and Jess sat back on their haunches and surveyed their work.

'Well, I reckon if the inspectors come out this shearing, we'll be right,' commented Gemma.

'Excellent,' said Jess. 'Now I'm starving. It's way

past lunch so do you want to finish up here and I'll go and get us something to eat?'

'You turned into the boss or something?' mocked Gemma, her hands on her hips.

'Nah, just hungry,' said Jess with a smile, glad that Gemma was sounding like her old self again.

Gemma in fact had a knot in her stomach. She wasn't sure how she was going to tell Bulla, Gaz, Ned and Ben what was going on and what their reaction was going to be. She had the feeling that Bulla already suspected something after finding those wethers last week but how much, she didn't know.

Craig Buchanan had just about had enough of sitting in the police station. Bending over timelines, maps and computers really wasn't up his street. He did love his stock squad work, but he didn't like the drudgery of the paperwork. Checking out the pubs, that was more his speed. Maybe he'd try the Jewel Bar tonight . . .

He bent over the keyboard of the computer and typed in Bulla's name.
No matches found
flashed up on the screen. Craig sighed and typed in J
ack Charles
Marshall, DOB 19/07/70.
Searching, searching. Then
Match found
flashed at him. Craig clicked on the details, expecting to see a drink-driving charge or speeding ticket. He found a little more than he bargained for.

'Hey, Dave,' Craig yelled through the open doorway. 'We've got a hit. Come and look at this.'

Dave responded quickly. 'What've you found?'

Craig read out loud with his partner looking over his shoulder.

'Jack Charles Marshall, jailed for six months in 2003 for stealing. He stole three steers, slaughtered them at an abattoir then sold the meat without permission of the owner. This was in . . . Queensland,' said Craig, searching the computer screen for information. 'And an aggravated assault on a woman in 2005. Hey, hey, what have we got here?'

'Don't get too excited,' cautioned Dave. 'He's only been working at Billbinya for a short time. Still, it does throw a bit of a different light on things. Okay, let's keep that piece of information in the back of our minds. Jack will know that we'll find this out – maybe that's why he disappeared when I went to talk to him yesterday. But the other guys said he was crook and I didn't get the impression they were trying to cover for him. And,' Dave said after a moment's thought, 'I don't want to question him straightaway if he is trying to make a new start. He probably found it hard to get a new job and I don't want to jeopardise that without good reason.'

By 4 pm Ned and Ben were heading towards Billbinya. They spoke little as they drove. Ned had been cranky all day and Ben was really beginning to lose patience with him.

'What's the problem?' Ben had asked more than once. 'Nothing,' had been the curt reply. Ben knew he must be worried about Gemma, so he didn't push it. 'So tell me what you've heard about the stock stealing?' he asked, stretching out in his seat.

At first Ned didn't answer, and Ben thought he was ignoring the question. Then the older man said, 'I heard about some stock going missing about two or so years ago. Somewhere up near Dawns Rest. Think the first people I heard it from were the Tunnleys. They had a thousand and fifty pregnant ewes ready to sell. The vet had preg-scanned them, so they were fairly sure that the count was right. The day I was going to take a buyer out to see the sheep old Clem rang me in a big panic, saying he was missing some sheep. I didn't think much of it. His fences are basically stuffed so I suggested they may have got through the fence. "Not my sheep," he said. So I told him to get them into the yards and I'd count 'em when I got there. Sure enough, he was three hundred and fifty down. I still didn't really think that they had been stolen; I mean Clem probably didn't muster his paddock properly. His place is pretty hilly with quite a lot of tree gullies. We sold the sheep to the buyer I took out there and that was it. Didn't hear anything more about it. Next thing I heard was that someone else had lost some steers. About twenty-odd from memory. Then I started to wonder what was going on. So there were a lot of rumours and gossip flying around. Everyone keen to make the story better than the one they had heard yesterday, if you know what I mean.'

Ben nodded.

'Then a few people heard Sinny sounding off down the pub, big-noting himself about some scheme he had – he always liked a drink and it made him talk a lot. Anyway, someone must have put two and two together and got five. My guess is that's how it all got started. A few months later Adam was killed and here we are. Now, whether Adam actually had anything to do with it, I don't know. I'd reckon not. He was basically a trustworthy sort of fella. Good bloke. The stock squad are gonna hear all this too and my worry is that they might target Gemma as a suspect. Dunno what might happen, but I reckon we're gonna have some exciting times around here in the next few weeks.'

'So there's a lot of circumstantial evidence but not much proof, that right?' Ben asked as they turned into the driveway at Billbinya.

'That's about it.'

As they pulled up at the sheds Gemma came out of the shearing shed loaded up with buckets and brooms. She had dirt smeared over her cheeks and her hair had escaped her ponytail, but Ben thought she looked a treat. He had to keep reminding himself that this woman was a client and he shouldn't even think about her, but it was hard.

Smiling, she waved a hello and walked towards the house to drop off her things.

'C'mon, Jess, it's time,' she yelled.

Ned and Ben got out of the car and walked towards the sheep yards where Garry had now joined Bulla. The sheep had been drafted and were milling around.

'Howdy,' Bulla greeted them.

'G'day. Where's Jack?'

'Crook.'

The guys leaned against the railings without talking. Gemma and Jess walked over.

'Guys, you all know Jess?' began Gemma. The men nodded to her, and Ben flashed her a smile.

'So, here we are . . .' Gemma fumbled for words. 'I really don't know how to start this. I had a visit from the stock squad yesterday.'

Gemma looked at the expectant faces. These people were her friends; people she could rely on and trust.

'Seems that there are some rumours and pieces of evidence pointing towards Adam being involved in some stock stealing. Dave from the stock squad is pretty keen to get to the bottom of it. I have told him everything I know, which isn't much. Whatever happens, I'm not involved – but you guys would know that. Ned,' Ned looked up, 'one of the strange things about all of this is that Bulla found some sheep that weren't ours in one of our paddocks. There were about a thousand of them and they were wethers.'

Ned nodded but said nothing.

'They may have been the ones that were stolen although why or how they got there I don't know. But I think the stock squad is going to base their investigation around here because of those sheep. Did you notice anything strange when we were counting the stock?'

'I can't remember, Gemma. I know I was worried about the feedlot cattle numbers and the contract that Adam signed but I can't remember much about the sheep. I know you said some of the numbers were up after I counted them for you, but I didn't notice any odd earmarks – but then, I was counting, not looking for anything different, so I may have missed it.'

Ned's admission surprised Gemma. He was a very astute stock agent and if there was an animal that wasn't hers, she'd have thought he would have noticed. No wonder the poor bloke needed a holiday.

'Gemma, do you think Adam was involved?' Bulla asked.

'If you'd asked me last night I'd have said no, but – I've found a mobile phone that suggests otherwise. I want to think about it for a bit longer before I say anything else, though. But whatever happens, I want to get to the bottom of it. I don't like that those sheep were dumped here.'