All their heads popped up, looked at each other then turned to the girl. They watched the girl stop in front of a tall man with thick grey curly hair and dressed in a sports jacket and tan slacks. The two chatted before the man bid his farewell and left the museum through the big glass doors.
The girl returned to the canteen with a satisfied smile. Alicia stopped her as she past their table, “excuse me but that Professor Harris wouldn’t be any way involved with Geology?”
The girls smile widened, “Yes. He was my lecturer at University.”
“What University?” they all said together.
“He’s head Lecturer at Adelaide Uni.”
“There we have it ladies and gentleman, end game.” Joel said clapping his hands.
The girl returned to her table.
The team now found themselves in a predicament.
“So what do you want to do?” Tony said. “Finish the race or try for that curious bonus clue?”
All went quite.
Nadia held her head down scribbling at her paper.
“After the way the schools treated us so cruelly,” Joel said. “I want to find what the story is about the other clue. And get me some prizes.”
“I agree,” Alicia said.
Tony and Roy stared at her.
“What, I can be left of center sometimes. Besides I deserve a new laptop.”
“Hey I agree with you,” Tony threw his hands up.
**
Nadia hidden behind curly hair she held her head down over her sheet of paper toying with the clue. An iconic shape entered her thoughts. A shape fed into her mind from the last exhibit she had seen in the museum, a triangle.
Starting at the top of the looping symbols as her peak she drew a triangle down in the center of the loop then jotted down the corresponding word. It still made no sense. Nadia then noticed five small markings in the centre of the looping symbols. They look very familiar. The map of the city that hung above their heads in the train ride back to the city put a different shape into her head, a square. Nadia twisted the page to line up the five markings into the correct position and drew the first square, then gasped. She twisted the page slightly once again and drew another square. She sat up in her seat as the eight corresponding words flowed coherently.
Tony interrupted her, “Nadia, yoo hoo, come back to Earth.”
“Sorry, what?”
“I was asking you what we should do, finish the race or go for the bonus clue.”
Nadia smiled, drew the final square and pushed her answer into the center of the table.
Roy stood up as he read the verse on Nadia’s paper, “Holy Klingon County that just might be it.”
The other three slammed their faces over the paper and read away.
“The center is a map of Adelaide but Roy do you know where it’s pointing too?” Tony begged.
Roy ran it through his mind. Two seconds later he dug into his bag pulled out a pair of scissors and cut out the star shape. “Follow me.”
The others followed him outside and watched Roy stop, dump one foot on the main road the other on the side walk and then spin around to face north. He held up the paper star and read the clue as he pointed to each tip, “Event of the furthest sun rise behind peak guarding city under pointed-finger search, here.” Roy held his finger to the last star point then held it up towards the peaks of the Adelaide hills. The tips matched perfectly. “Furthest sun would mean the winter solstice so the sun would shift a little and rise over the third peak, the point corresponding with the word sun so therefore the answer is HERE.” Roy dropped his finger onto the last point on the star then lifted his finger and pointed to the corresponding peak up in the hills.
“How are we going to get there?” Alicia asked. “We can’t use Dave due to all the secrecy.”
“But we don’t have to go there we only have to tell Mr. Cushly the location,” Roy reminded the others.
The others waved away Roy’s plea with a this-is-to-good-to-past look.
As the others threw suggestions at each other Roy very hesitantly tried to interrupt. “I might know,” he stuttered.
“Hey Alicia can’t your sister take us?” Joel suggested.
“Yes she could but there’s a problem with that, how would we all fit on her TRICYCLE,” Alicia smacked the back of Joel’s head. “She’s five you moron.”
“Sorry I thought you had an older sister,” Joel said rubbing at the back of his head.
“Excuse me I…” Roy stuttered again.
“WHAT!” the others all said together.
“I think my brother can take us? If we pay for the petrol.”
“Man do we have too,” Joel sighed. “He’s not going to make us play word games is he?”
“That or nothing,” Tony said. “Ok then this is what we do. Tell Dave we want an early one, get dropped off at school and get Roy’s brother to pick us up.”
Nods all round.
Chapter 16
The school yard lay deserted, the students had long returned to their classes after the lunch break; you could almost hear the yard let out a sigh of relief as a scattering of lazy litter surrendered themselves to the sweeping breeze. Our team waited by the low fence behind the gymnasium building. Roy held a tight grip around a collection of notes adding to the total of fifty bucks, scavenged from his teammate’s pockets as well as his own.
“This is going nowhere fast,” Joel said. “Where the hell is your brother, Roy?”
Right on cue there was a roar of a very non-environmentally friendly engine and then a dark metallic blue 2003 mach-1 Ford Mustang came around the corner.
“Here he is,” Roy said.
The paint work on the mustang threw back clean clear reflections of its surroundings as it rolled to a stop right in front of the group.
“You’re kidding me,” Alicia said surprised. “That’s your brother?”
“That’s his car?” added Tony.
A head popped out the driver’s window followed by a body as Roy’s brother sat on the window seal and rested his arms on the roof of the car. He had a number one shaved head with tiny black sprats of hair. He’s eyes were piercing blue, an almost perfect match with the colour of his car and he wore an open black jacket over a tight grey shirt.
“Hay there zit farmers,” he said with a grin ear to ear.
Roy sighed. “Guys, this is my brother Eric.”
Eric slid out the driver window and came over to the group. He snatched the money out of Roy’s hand, “that’ll be mine.”
Roy introduced Eric to the group, “this is Tony, Nadia, Joel, and Alicia.”
“A hello. Hello. A buddy I think you got some dirt on your lip,” he said to Joel. “And a special hello to you,” Eric said stepping closer to Alicia. “What was it, Alicia. Alicia. Alicia.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in, “I’m forever gonna smell the sweet afternoon spring blossoms whenever I hear that name again.” He gently took Alicia by the hand and went to kiss the back of her hand but Alicia quickly pulled it away and tucked it under her armpits as she crossed her arms.
“So which one of you two brothers is the adopted one,” Alicia shot back.
“I know it’s hard to believe a handsome guy like me is related to pumpkin head over there. But it’s true, full blood brothers. I took after dad, Roy took after mums slippers.”
Roy sighed deeper. “We should get going.”
Eric led them to the car. Roy and Joel sat at the front and the others squeezed into the back. They all took in the smell of the leather seats and impressive interior. Eric started the car and it hummed to life.
“I didn’t know this model came with a bench seat,” Tony asked.
“All custom made. So the girls can slide in close when I’m driving.”
Alicia rolled her eyes; it’s going to be a long day.
“Check this out,” Eric said and pushed a small black button where the console met the dashboard.
A black panel flipped around to reveal a
screen fifteen centimeters by ten. Tony and Joel couldn’t hide their wonderment and their mouths dropped.
“This little baby gives me total control over the car. It can tell me everything about the car, temp, compression, shock pressure, fluid levels, brake temperature and so on and so on. Which I can all adjust and it also has got digital radio and internet TV.
Tony and Joel’s mouths stayed open.
“Where to?” Eric asked.
“To the hills,” Roy said. “We think.”
Each one of them was pushed back into the black leather seats by an invisible hand as Eric climbed through the gears.
“How could you afford a car like this?” Joel said, practically bouncing up and down with joy.
“Ok boys and girls, “Eric said, one hand on the wheel the other halfway out the open window. “Here’s a little lesson they don’t teach you in school. Life is all about the people you know and how to play-em. Example, I’m cruising along for no particular reason with no particular destination, when suddenly I come across a guy scratching his head into the engine bay of his car which was parked on the side of the road. This guy is in an expensive suit and driving a Lexus. Bingo, I say and pull over. I take a look at his car, do my magic and wham, engine running. He offers me a fifty. I decline. Quite impressed with my charity we begin talking. He says he has a neighbor who wants to buy a car for his daughter but doesn’t know anything about cars. He asks me if I can help him out. Cut the story short I get her a killer car at the auctions and save the old man a couple of grand.” Eric then leant out the window and waved at a lady walking her dog, “hay Michelle.”
The lady smiles back in recognition and waves.
“Michelle, she’s a CEO for a clothing company, can get free clothes. Ok where was I. Alright I save this guy almost three and a half grand, his impressed and offers to pay me a thousand buckaroos for the trouble. Then I pounce. See this guy is a stockbroker. I say don’t worry about the cash I always wanted to get some shares. He’s face lights up; I’ve pushed my reward into his playground. No worries he beams, leave it to me I’ll set it all up. A few phone calls here and there and six months later his little thousand dollars he was going to pay me was now worth about seven thousand.”
“What if the shares went down,” asked Tony.
“It’s not about the shares; it’s about taking advantage of the right situations, cutting lawns for lawyers, driving managers to the airport. All these people care for only one thing and that’s their own financial wellbeing, help with that and they help you.”
“So you manipulate people,” Joel said.
Eric just smiled, “Lesson over.”
A very comfortable twenty minutes drive brought them out of the heavy traffic of the city and to the foot of the rangers. The road narrowed and began to snake its way through the vegetation; green sweet smelling eucalyptus and gum trees lined either side of the road.
“Head towards the third peak up there,” Roy pointed up to the top of the hill line.
The other traffic slowly dispatched to none as Eric veered off the main road and onto a thin back road. Eric slowed and put both hands back on the wheel. Nadia gripped Tony’s forearm as the side of the road dropped almost two-hundred meters down to the bottom of a valley.
“Check that out,” Eric said, pointing out the front windscreen. There sitting comfortably in the center of the road was a big fat echidna.
“Ooo, it’s so cute,” smiled Alicia.
“Why don’t you go out and pat it?” Joel laughed.
“Idiot,” Alicia replied.
Joel pulled out the medal around his neck and held it up as proof.
Eric slowly drove around the echidna and cruised on. The cold higher altitude air slipped into the car through the slit windows.
“Red, read the clue out again,” Joel asked. “Maybe we will spot something.”
Roy read the clue out again and Eric started to shift uncomfortably in his seat.
“You got a trapped fart in your pants or something?” Joel asked.
“Na, it’s that…” Eric hesitated. “I think I might know where that is. At that third peak at the top of the valley there’s this rock formation that looks like an animal’s ass. And below it, all these black rocks look like it was shitted out from the formation.”
“What were you doing hanging out up there?” Roy asked.
“I’ll tell you when you’re older.”
“Maybe you should tell Mum and Dad.”
“The thing is, it’s a bit of a walk. You have to drive through two gates on someone’s property, park at the end of a dirt road and leg it across the hill from there.”
“Trespass then walk through all that?” Alicia huffed pointing to the dense scrubland covering the mountain side.
“The owner’s house is miles away, he won’t know we’re there.”
Joel protested some more reminding the others that they were only to tell Mr. Cushly where it is not actually go there.
“This is becoming more intriguing by the minute,” Tony said. “What would he want with a place like this and why all the secrecy?”
“Secrecy?” Eric asked. “Now you got my interest. Might be gold up in dem ills?”
They drove off the bitumen and up a dirt road. The quiet hum of the tires turned into a sound unlike an old man trying to clear his throat of a thick, slimy loogie.
“The first gates coming up, Joel get ready to go open it. Go as quick as you can as soon as I stop.” Eric said.
“Quick? Why quick, you said the owner lives miles away.”
“He does but you take a walk to the back of your yard every now and then don’t you?”
The car slid slightly on the dirt as Eric stopped in front of the long metal gate. “And he carries a shotgun with him all the time.”
Joel’s eyes widened. Eric pushed him out the door, “GO! GO!” he cried
Joel scrambled out the car and slipped twice as his furiously pumping legs failed to find a good grip on the loose ground. Joel fumbled with the latch on the gate, his hands shaking. He ran the gate open, his head darted left and right looking out for danger.
Eric began to snicker.
“The farmer doesn’t have a gun does he?” Alicia asked.
“No” Eric laughed. “The guys ancient, he can hardly even walk.” He continued to laugh as he drove through the gate and watched Joel sprint for the car; fear etched on his face.
At the next gate Tony stirred Joel on, “get ready to do your stuff Joel.” Joel nodded huffing and puffing, face serious. “And remember shotguns won’t kill you with one bullet.” Joel almost started to relax thinking he could out run any danger when Tony continued, “They’ll kill you with forty slugs all at once,” and pushed him out.
This time Joel’s more frantic effort brought all the passengers in the car into an uproar.
Joel returned to the car. He sat confused at his teammate’s laughter as they drove on.
“End of the line” Eric said. He took the car out of gear, pulled the handbrake and turned the ignition off. The surrounding silence smothered them instantly. They all poured out, stretched their legs and took in the surroundings. They were about two hundred meters away from the top of the hill. Spatial Acacia trees were scattered along their path towards their destination, the thin trunks and leaves of the trees made for an easy view ahead.
“Maybe I should wait in the car?” insisted Alicia.
“Suit yourself,” Tony said. “But remember the one that breaks away from the group is always the first one to be attacked in horror movies.”
Alicia huffed and stayed with the group.
Eric took the lead; their feet crunched on the fallen twigs and dried leaves. Twenty meters up they started to feel the climb in their cramping thigh muscles.
“Never knew walking such a short distance would be so hard,” Nadia said.
“Just keep in mind guys,” Roy encouraged. “Coming down is always easier.”
A short time later Alicia asked to take a break. She rested up against a tree trunk, the others stood in a circle taking sips from their drink bottles. Deciding that out here isn’t the best place to be caught after dark Alicia pushed on and took over the lead. She then noticed from the corner of her eye, a black shadow the size of her palm appear on her right shoulder, another one of Joel’s stupid jokes. “Very funny Joel,” she said as Joel walked on past her. “Think you gonna scare me with that stupid fake spider again.”
“What? The fake spider from the envelop?”
Alicia stopped and faced Joel with her hands on her hips. “Really, then what is this?” she pointed to her right shoulder.
“Two things Alicia. Number one I don’t have the fake spider, Roy took it home. And number two, that’s real.”
Alicia turned and took a closer look. The hairy black spider stared right back, and almost as a salute slowly flicked up one of its front legs. A piecing scream sliced through the tranquility and echoed down the valley. A hidden flock of birds took flight and Alicia attempted to do the same. She danced around in a circle flapping her arms, “GET IT OFF!” she yelled. The spider enjoying the ride held on tight. Tony casually walked over, snatched up the spider between his thumb and forefinger and softly returned it to the ground where it scurried off under a fallen branch.
“Maybe you should be careful what you lean on,” laughed Joel.
**
Eric took over the lead again and the others followed in single file. Nadia took a quick glance back over her shoulder. The sun sat low, preparing to sink into the sea, rivers of bitumen led up from the sea to the bottom of the hills. The claustrophobic city rose up out of the ground slightly to her left. Nadia thought what a hideous Imitation of the rocky hill she now walked; deceptive, lying dwellers living in a lie. Nadia slowly blinked it away, turned her back and followed on.
A bearded dragon sitting on a rock enjoying the final hours of sun watched them pass one by one. They snaked through the scrub and as they rounded a denser cluster of trees Eric called back, “There it is.”
The teamed fanned out to get a clear look. Ten meters up was a strange black rocky form, five meters across and three meters high sat embedded in the western side of the hill a meter down from the crest.
“What rock is that? Dolomite,” Roy asked himself.
They all scurried up to the rock; touching and gliding their hands over the almost smooth surface. Roy suggested it was smoothed over by years of being submerged under the sea.