‘Many, many good things,’ Tim assured him, before his mood darkened a little. ‘Your mother’s death was never mentioned, however. I thought I was to have something to do with your development, but …’ He took a deep breath and decided not to go there. ‘I was warned that you’d be fiercely independent. I just didn’t realise how independent.’
‘Forget the past, Dad.’ The word just slipped out of Kyle’s mouth and surprisingly it didn’t feel awkward to say it. ‘I’m over it. It’s repressing and it will cause dis-ease in you if you hang onto it for too long. So, do us both a favour and give it up. I bear you no malice, or my mother either.’ Emotional tears were welling: Kyle felt like his being had been plugged into an energy grid ever since his encounter with Burn-a-debt. Pivotal revelations seemed to trigger a surge of emotion, which manifested in his physical form as a rise in temperature accompanied by a flood of tears. ‘I’m really happy to finally know who I am.’
Tim couldn’t keep his distance any more. He’d wanted to hug his boy for some twenty years and the moment finally felt right.
‘I don’t know why I’m crying,’ Kyle mumbled. ‘I’m happy, really.’ He pulled away from the long silent embrace first, to find Tim teary eyed as well.
‘Happiness is catchy,’ Tim explained. ‘I never thought I’d ever have your friendship.’
‘Well, you do.’ Kyle slapped his father’s shoulder. ‘No need to doubt that, ever.’
Their stroll led to a group of tall gums, which provided some nice shade from the afternoon sun.
‘So do I have to do anything special to prepare for tonight?’ Kyle sat himself down at the base of one of the trees.
‘When I take you back to the gathering, all your male kin will come together.’ Tim sat at the base of a tree close by. ‘Just be respectful and you’ll fare well … in fact, your success has already been foreseen.’
‘By Matong Bargi?’ Kyle asked.
Tim shook his head. ‘By me, during the same rite you are about to take.’
‘Did you partake in this rite in order to marry my mother?’ Kyle wondered what Tim’s motivation had been. ‘Or was it Book’s encouragement that led you to participate?’
‘Book had a lot to do with it,’ Tim granted. ‘Although I didn’t undertake the rite in order to marry her, I undertook it in order to understand Alex’s way of life, and I learnt so much more than I ever imagined I would. A brush with the divine can’t help but change a man.’
‘Are you talking about Baiame, or my mother?’ Kyle suspected the latter by the vague smile on Tim’s face.
‘I knew her for less than a year of my forty-five years on this earth and I had seen nothing as divine in this world until you showed up. I have never quite forgiven Baiame for not warning me of her death.’
‘She is very beautiful,’ Kyle conceded, his gaze lost in space as he summoned her image to mind. He emerged from his reminiscing to find Tim staring at him very strangely.
‘You spoke with her, you said?’
‘She told me you’d met at Turrammelin, been married there and that I had been conceived there.’ Kyle conveyed what he remembered of their conversation.
Tim chuckled. ‘Not necessarily in that order. I found out about you the night we were wed.’
‘Some wedding present!’ Kyle hammed it up.
‘It was the best wedding present I could have asked for,’ Tim assured him, leaning his back against the tree to stare at the clear blue sky. ‘Those were good times.’
‘So what happened?’ Kyle fished for the part of the saga that had only been touched upon thus far.
‘James Nivok.’ Tim looked at Kyle. ‘I would never have imagined that one man could do me so much damage, especially someone I originally got along with so well. I suppose I did turn on James unexpectedly, but had he not lied to his brother, David, then I would not have had to go behind his back.’
‘Please, Dad,’ Kyle appealed with a confused frown, ‘could you just start at the beginning?’
‘Fair enough.’ Tim realised he wasn’t being very clear, but he hated going back to the time of his undoing. He remembered the period just prior to that time as the best days of his life. ‘I suppose it really all started the day I found the nugget, which was also the same day I met your mother.’ The memory brought the warmth back into Tim’s face.
On the day in question Tim had been out at the mountain, doing the initial surveying before they brought the big equipment in. The sun was a real scorcher by midday and the pool beneath the waterfall was just too inviting to ignore.
Diving deep into the cool water, Tim spied a rock glittering on a rocky outcrop at the edge of the deep pool. He surfaced to find he’d discovered gold without so much as lifting a shovel. And that seemed especially good, considering this was his first major job since earning his degree.
‘The bunyip who frequents that pool is not going to like you invading its space.’
Tim looked up to see a goddess standing over him. She was dressed in trekking gear, her long dark hair flying in the warm breeze.
‘Men are not really to the creature’s taste,’ she told him, ‘but then I doubt it has ever seen a white man before. It might fancy you as a bit of a delicacy.’
‘You’re joking.’ Tim honestly thought so, until he heard something large surface in the pool not too far behind him.
He didn’t look back. He took the woman’s helping hand out of the pool and was quite a few metres from the water before he turned to see a large trunk-like neck, with a dog-cum-seal-like head on the end, as it sank back into the watery depths of the pool. ‘What the hell was that?’
The beautiful fair-skinned, dark-eyed beauty was not at all disturbed by his alarm; she was more interested in the gold nugget he was holding. ‘I think the more important question is, who are you, and what do you plan to do with that?’
When Alex discovered that Tim was working for James, who was executing a mineral surveying licence, she tried to warn Tim that something fishy was going on. Alex was working for David Nivok, who had conservation plans for the site. But Tim wasn’t about to forgo the glory of his first major discovery and it was his job to hand over the nugget to Nivok — which he did the very next day.
‘Idiot!’ Kyle exclaimed, getting caught up in the story and forgetting it was Tim they were talking about. ‘Sorry … then what happened?’
Tim, however, was nodding in agreement with Kyle’s first assessment. ‘Book happened,’ he explained simply. ‘Mine was a different story to yours, but the journey was still very much the same, I’m sure. Arika made me realise what a self-absorbed prat I was and how blind I was to the great love that had crossed my path.’
‘Sounds pretty familiar,’ Kyle joked. ‘And you finished Book’s tale?’
‘Yes, I did,’ Tim concurred. ‘And you know, the funniest thing was that I returned to the exact same moment in time as when I’d taken up the book to read. I didn’t lose a second, but I gained a world of knowledge and a whole new perspective on the situation I was now in.’
‘Hold on a second,’ Kyle objected. ‘Book never mentioned the time anomaly. That means I didn’t have to return to save Matt. I would have been given the opportunity anyway. Shit!’ Kyle calmed down and looked at Tim, who had both eyebrows raised in a questioning manner. ‘Sorry, do go on.’
‘The first person I sought out was Alex, to confirm if what I’d learnt about Turrammelin mountain from Book was true. Over a week we spent time together and talked and fell in love in the process. Alex had told David Nivok about our run-in and he was in the process of trying to uncover the story of the mineral mining lease affair. I divulged all I knew, to aid David in his private investigation into his brother’s dealings. Meanwhile, I continued to work for James, prolonging the initial surveying as long as I could. I married your mother during this time and had no reason to suspect that my wonderful life was about to be taken away. David Nivok fully intended to take his brother on in the courts, and if he had, our lives would
have been very different. James had tricked David into signing an application form for a mining survey on the land. By the time Alex and I flew down to Sydney to talk about our testimonies in legal proceedings, David had cooled. James had sworn that the survey was to be a gift to David, to let David know what the land was truly worth, and as getting a licence for mining surveys and the rest was a costly process, David’s suspicions abated. He forgave his brother and did not press charges or go on record about the dishonest dealings at all.’
‘Big mistake,’ Kyle emphasised.
‘Yet David was still suspicious enough to completely rewrite his will the very same evening that he let James off the hook. A month later David and his wife were dead, and I was on the run.’
‘But how on earth did Nivok frame you for their murder?’
‘James’ story was that David was all for the mining of Turrammelin mountain and that I had joined the extremists in the area who wanted to save the mountain.’
‘Say no more.’ Kyle waved it off, as the topic seemed to cause Tim some distress.
‘Of course, they never found any evidence connecting me to the car bomb, but it did distract everyone from the possibility of James’ involvement in his brother’s death. Everything was left to Zoe, so there was no motive to point the police in James’ direction either.’
‘Thus the death of Zoe’s parents remains an unsolved mystery,’ Kyle concluded.
‘Only for some.’
Zoe and Kimba arrived back at Kimba’s house to find Matt sitting on the doorstep. He explained that when Felix had heard on the grapevine about the ritual being held for Kyle this evening, he’d dropped Matt off and headed out to join the ceremony.
‘And you’re not interested in joining the rest of the men?’ Zoe nearly said ‘boys’ club’ but didn’t, knowing Kimba would take offence.
‘Spiritual matters go way over my head,’ Matt admitted, ‘and Kyle tells a good yarn, which I’ll look forward to hearing. I actually thought it more important that I speak with you.’
‘What have you come up with?’ Zoe noted Matt was wearing a confident air that hinted he was on top of the situation.
‘Any chance of a cuppa?’ Matt grinned, cheekily delaying his response to Zoe’s question as he looked at Kimba.
‘If you’ve found something to assist our cause, I’ll give you anything you like.’ There was a touch of flirtation in her tone as she unlocked the door and invited everyone inside.
Zoe pretended not to notice and she wondered if Matt had. ‘So what have you found?’ Zoe started grilling him as soon as they were seated at the kitchen table.
Matt pulled a slim file and a thick file from his bag. ‘Well, it seems to me that our biggest problem with saving the mountain is debunking James Nivok. We need to link what I have him saying on tape to hard evidence that he was responsible for the murder of your parents and Kimba’s father.’
‘Tim hasn’t been able to do that in twenty years of trying,’ Kimba commented, having been over this a million times already.
‘But he didn’t have these.’ Matt placed his hands on the files. ‘Tim hasn’t been successful because he’s been chasing the wrong man.’
‘What?’ Zoe opened the slim file on top to find a picture of her uncle’s hired thug. ‘Ivan Zevron … my uncle’s bodyguard?’
Matt nodded. ‘To prove your uncle was responsible, we need this man’s confession.’
‘You think Ivan killed my parents on my uncle’s say-so, Matt?’ Zoe quizzed. ‘Because of what they said to each other in my uncle’s office the night before Kimba’s father was killed?’
‘Because of what Nivok said on my recording, and because I was there when Harry picked up Tim. I saw a man slide out from underneath Harry’s car. I thought it was some guy having car trouble, until I saw Harry get into the same car. I tried to warn him once the penny dropped.’ Matt looked at Kimba to assure her he had tried, albeit too late.
She had a single tear trickling down her cheek, which she promptly wiped away. ‘And this was the man you saw climbing out from under my father’s car?’ Kimba pointed to the photo in the open file, a contemptuous look on her face.
‘I was eighty percent sure, then I started looking through these old company wage statements — obviously from before the days of computer programs — now I’m ninety-nine percent sure.’ Matt opened up the file to where he’d circled payments to Ivan Zevron, who had earned a steady wage each week from Nivok Industries for his services as James Nivok’s bodyguard. ‘Here, he received a large bonus.’ Matt pointed out the irregularity.
‘So,’ Zoe shrugged. ‘My uncle gives bonuses to all his high-performance employees.’
‘Look at the date.’ Matt pointed it out.
It took a moment to click before Zoe gasped in shock. ‘That was the same month my parents were killed.’
‘Exactly,’ Matt confirmed. ‘And I’m betting that if we could check this week’s wage report, we’d find Mr Zevron was getting another big bonus.’
‘I know all the entry codes to the computer systems at Nivok Industries. All I need is a mobile phone and a computer and I can confirm that guess … I’ll go shopping.’ Zoe sat back in her chair, sickened by the whole affair.
‘I’m sorry, Zoe.’ Matt reached out and took one of her hands. ‘This must be hard for you.’
Zoe shook her head, on the verge of tears. ‘I just want to set things right.’ Her tears overwhelmed her, as did the prospect of the challenge she was facing. ‘There’s so much history that’s created this godawful mess. Sorry …’ She pulled herself together and took a deep breath.
‘We’re here to help,’ Matt assured her, and Kimba’s timing with the cups of tea proved perfect.
‘You tell me what you want to happen,’ Kimba took a seat facing Zoe, ‘and I’ll make it happen.’
‘I want my uncle convicted.’ Zoe voiced her first wish.
‘Granted,’ Matt said. ‘We’re well on our way to doing that.’
‘I want to give Mount Turrammelin back to its people.’ Zoe was reduced to tears again. ‘Arika’s natural memorial will stand for all time and the resting place of her people shall never be disturbed.’
Tears were now streaming down Kimba’s face, as she thought Zoe’s sentiment was beautiful and selfless. ‘If only you could do that.’ Kimba held a hand to the sobbing woman’s cheek. ‘Once extinguished, Native Title cannot be revived. The freehold estate must return to Crown ownership if not inherited or sold by the owner.’
‘What!’ Zoe stood, enraged. ‘I can’t even give it back if I want to. Who the hell makes these laws anyway?’
‘However,’ Kimba clicked her fingers, ‘you could sell it back to us.’
‘No, I don’t want your money,’ Zoe objected strongly, ‘I have excess already.’
Kimba smiled, thinking Zoe was too sweet for her own good. ‘If this is truly what you want to do — and I believe it is unprecedented in Australia for any freehold landowner to want to give back Native Title —’ Kimba sniffled back her tears of pride and excitement, ‘there is an Indigenous Land Fund which can purchase land on behalf of our people, for those who have some connection with a piece of land but cannot make a Native Title claim to it.’
‘Yes!’ Zoe jumped at the idea. ‘Perfect. Why not channel public money into something worthwhile for a change?’
‘It won’t be nearly as much as your uncle would have given you for it, I’m afraid.’ Kimba winced at the understatement.
‘I don’t want anything for it,’ Zoe emphasised. ‘Any money I make in the process is blood money and I shall wash my hands clean of it in the hope that the curse my family created will be lifted. I could use the money to employ the local clan to create a memorial to the Turrammelin people who died there.’ She felt incredibly good about her resolution. ‘I don’t want anyone to forget Arika’s story.’
‘In that case,’ Kimba nodded, ‘there is also a department of the National Trust for cultural heritage projects which
we could approach. You might be able to ensure the land is as protected from mining as it possibly can be. There are no absolutes as far as mining is concerned. The best we can hope for is to keep the mountain’s treasure a secret, as my ancestors have managed to do for the last two hundred years,’ she concluded on a confident note.
The mention of a story had set Matt’s mind ticking. ‘We could make a documentary … the dark history of Mount Turrammelin.’
Kimba looked intrigued by the idea. ‘It could serve our cause to lay down the entire history on film. I could present it to the boards as part of our proposal.’
‘And it would give us something to send to the press and stir up public support.’ Zoe liked the idea of having that kind of insurance policy.
‘I haven’t called the TV station to see if I still have a job, now that I’m a kidnapper.’ Matt rolled his eyes. ‘Still, I’m pretty sure I could get a tape to the right people in the newsroom. Hell, I met most of them a few days ago. I’ve got business cards coming out my ears!’ He tried not to sound discouraged at the possibility that his media career was ended before it had even started, but a documentary would be a foot in the door to film making, which also had appeal.
‘It’s all good.’ Zoe smiled, relieved to have the skeleton of a plan. ‘Thanks guys, I feel better.’
‘Now the only question is,’ Matt posited, ‘that after we save the land and convict your uncle, what are you going to do with Nivok Industries?’
Zoe’s eyes parted wide. She hadn’t thought about that eventuality yet. ‘That’s a very good question.’ Her horrified expression turned to a smile as she mulled over the alternatives.
‘When is your birthday?’ Kimba wondered how much time they had to gather a case before Zoe had to present herself at the solicitors to claim her inheritance.
‘Two days from now.’ Zoe wasn’t looking forward to her big day of independence as much as she had been: instead of flying off to see the world she’d be entering the world of big business. I don’t doubt your ability to take on your uncle and win. Arika’s words gave her strength and determination. ‘Let’s write a script, Matt. And Kimba —’