It was a typical station vehicle with an assortment of tools, coils of barbed wire and fencing wire, ropes and odd pieces of equipment. Willy looked through the window in the back of the cab and noted a shotgun and a bolt action rifle in brackets across the back of the cab. This was such a common arrangement in the country that he did not give it another thought. But he did note that Mr Carter was holding a radio microphone in his left hand. As most vehicles in the bush had a UHF radio this did not surprise him either.
As they travelled along Barry turned to him. “How is that youse come to be flyin’ over this bit of country?” he asked.
Willy explained the air race and how they had turned towards the nearest airfield when they developed engine trouble. “We only landed here because the engine had stopped and we were gliding down looking for a safe place to land. Then we saw this strip and only just made it,” he explained.
“Lucky for you,” Barry commented.
Willy nodded. “My word yes! This strip isn’t even marked on our map.”
“No. It’s too new,” Barry agreed.
It was only a few minutes before they came to a stop in front of the large shed which Willy now saw really was a hangar. Inside were the usual assortment of tools and boxes along the walls. A new bitumen apron led in to the concrete floor of the hangar.
Willy jumped down and helped push the aircraft into the shade of the hangar. Mr Carter pointed to the tools and machines along the side wall. “Help yourselves. I will go and let the missus know you are here. Do you need to phone your people?”
Mr Drew shook his head. “No thanks. I have radioed them. But we will use your tools thank you.”
“That’s alright. Always willing to help. I will send over some refreshments while you are at it. Barry, come with me and organize that.”
“Sure boss,” Barry replied. He and Mr Carter then left the hangar, Barry doing most of the talking.
Mr Drew told Willy to open up the engine cowling. While Willy did this, Mr Drew dug out his own tool kit and unrolled it, then set to work checking the lubrication. As he worked Mr Drew explained what he was doing and why and Willy paid careful attention and helped as much as he could.
They had been working for about twenty minutes when Willy realized he badly need a pee. He explained this to Mr Drew who shrugged and said, “Bound to be a dunny somewhere. Go and take the weight off your mind. I’ll be alright on my own. I’m used to doing this.”
Feeling somewhat embarrassed Willy hurried to the open front of the hangar and looked out. Off to his right was a shed that was clearly labelled as being the fuel store so he went left. To his left were the other buildings of the station. For a few moments he stood and studied them. He had been expecting to see a typical country dunny—a small corrugated iron hut with one door but instead he saw that closest to him was a long, low concrete block building that looked brand new. It had a door in the end nearest to the hangar and next to the door was a small window and a chimney in the roof that seemed to indicate it was a toilet.
I’ll try that, he thought, walking towards it.
As he crossed the fifty paces of short dry grass Willy scanned the other buildings. To the left of the building he was heading for was obviously the homestead, a rambling single story building set in its own fenced garden and surrounded by lawns, trees and shrubs. A gate in the homestead fence opened into the garden from near the end of the building he was heading for. Only part of the house was visible but it also looked new. He realized he was looking at the side and back of the homestead but that didn’t surprise him.
The landowner would build it facing the river, he thought.
A garden shed stood in the back corner of the homestead yard and beyond it to the right were at least ten other buildings. The function of some was immediately apparent. Across the garden from the house was a large garage under which were parked a tractor, a small bulldozer, a cattle truck and two white 4WDs. Next was a large shed that looked like a workshop and then further along a low timber building with a veranda and half a dozen doors and windows. A set of yards and a long stable building lay to the right of that. Beyond these buildings, under the trees along the river bank, were several more houses and sheds.
Head stockman’s house and so on, Willy decided.
The thing that puzzled him slightly was that there were no other people in sight. Then he shrugged and turned the knob on the door and pushed it. The door swung open to reveal a corridor running the length of the building. On both sides were doorways, five on each side, and there was a large room at the far end.
A dormitory or barracks, Willy thought. That didn’t surprise him either as most big properties had single men’s quarters.
On his right was an open door and he was relieved to see that it was what he was looking for—a toilet. He hurried in and closed the door and quickly relieved himself. Feeling much better he unlocked the door and walked across the corridor and through another open door into a bathroom. Here he bent to the sink to wash first his hands and then to rinse his sweaty face.
As he straightened up, feeling very refreshed, Willy heard voices outside. He glanced through the partly open window and saw two men walking across the back lawn of the homestead towards the gate at his end of the building. One was Barry and the other was a sun-tanned, hawk-faced man with black hair and dark eyes. As the men went past Willy heard the dark-faced man say in a foreign accent, “But why da boss not just get rid of zem, eh?”
“Use your loaf, Zoltan,” replied Barry. “If we act friendly they won’t get suspicious. We don’t want them to go away and tell everyone the people at Whetstone are unfriendly do we.”
“It not good zey here,” Zoltan replied. “Zey first visitors we ever had. Zey might see something.”
Hearing that caused Willy’s interest to prick up. He could just see the man called Zoltan through the partly open window as the two men had stopped at the end of the building. Not wishing to be seen to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations he moved slightly away from the window.
Barry answered. “Don’t worry. The boss knows what he’s doin’. Now you just go about your business and make sure those others are kept out of sight.”
Zoltan shook his head but turned away and walked back across the lawn towards the homestead, muttering as he went.
A nasty piece of work, Willy decided, watching the man’s retreating back. Then a stab of anxiety made him worry that Barry might come in and find him there. There is something suspicious going on here. If Barry sees me he will realize I have overheard him and that Zoltan fellow and then there might be trouble. Oh, I hope not!
Chapter 3
SUSPICIONS
Willy tensed and then realized he must be looking very guilty. To help allay any suspicions he turned the tap on and bent over the washbasin and pretended to be rinsing his face. But Barry did not come past and Willy was left feeling both anxious and foolish.
He must have gone to the hangar, he thought.
Cautiously he moved to the door and listened. There was no sound from in the corridor so he took a deep breath and stepped out. He felt very much on edge and his head was swirling with suspicions. Why had the man called Zoltan been worried that he or Mr Drew might see something? What is there to see that we shouldn’t? Willy wondered. The most obvious idea was that the place was being used to grow or smuggle drugs. That would explain the new airstrip, he mused.
By