Body in the Gorge (Cockatoo Cozy Mystery Series Book 1) Page 3

  Troy was also looking at Becca in awe “Yes she’s good at this she should have been a detective.”

  “Oh no! Becca shuddered “I’m just used to extracting information for the newspaper even though I’m a freelance photographer now, I haven’t lost my talents for news and gossip. I just like to champion the underdog and the one who needs us the most is that poor young woman who’s been lying out there in the wilderness all these years.”

  Troy sighed, “the biggest problem is finding out who she is. I’ll get my computer out of the car and see what we can find out from the internet, at least there’s good wi-fi access here in town.”

  We crowded around the computer screen when Troy brought it back into the cafe.

  After a bit of trawling through web sites Troy said, “we need to see all the missing persons from five years ago, thankfully the police like public co-operation and have this information available.”

  I pulled out a pen and a notepad, “okay read them out I’ll list them.”

  Missing persons

  1. Ann Smith 2005

  14 year old girl was abducted from Gumwood near Rollington while riding her bicycle through the bush to the road to catch the school bus. Her brother who left home ten minutes later found her bicycle and school bag by the side of the road but Ann Smith was never seen again.

  2. Susan Bell 2009

  British tourist backpacker 29 years old vanished in Central Queensland. Ms Bell was last seen walking along Rocky creek rd in September 2009. She was hiking to the Little rocky creek camping ground.

  3. Jane Gunner 2010

  Roma teacher’s aide Jane Gunner 21 years old disappeared while out walking her dog, a poodle in October 2008. Her car was found at Boundary creek. Neither Ms Gunner nor her pet poodle were seen again.

  Troy looked at the list, “after an hour of searching that is all we have come up with in a possible time frame. I think number one is probably too long ago unless she was kept captive for five years before she was killed and dumped.”

  “I suppose it is possible.” I was doubtful.

  Troy continued, “number two seems a bit too old and if she was a serious hiker where are her boots?”

  Becca joined in the speculation, “we haven’t got all the information, for example things like her backpack and boots may have been dumped elsewhere, so she couldn’t be identified.”

  “Well the number three is a good candidate except where’s the dog?” Troy added

  I piped in again, “my guess is the dog ran off and its probably too long ago to check dog records.” We looked at each other frustrated. Troy got up and ordered another round of coffee and returned to the table with a tray laden with fresh coffee and scones fresh from the oven with jam and fresh cream. We all tucked in to the feast then sat back.

  Becca leaned forward again, “okay Troy you’ve been at the Carnarvon national park for ten years now, have there been any missing tourists?”

  Troy screwed up his face as he thought, “I can’t remember any that weren’t found later. Of course if someone was killed and buried there, the killer is not going to report her missing in the park.”

  That reminded me, “I have one for the list.” I told Troy and Becca about Madge’s employee Sally who fought with her boyfriend and left suddenly. I added her to our list.

  Just then an elderly lady with sad eyes at the table next to us leaned over and whispered, “I’m sorry but I couldn’t help overhearing but that is just like my granddaughter, she disappeared from my son’s home about five years ago. She has not been reported missing because everyone says she left with her boyfriend, and that’s probably true, but if she was alright I’m convinced she would have at least sent me a card on my eightieth birthday we were very close, she only quarreled with the rest of the family,” she sobbed.

  Becca moved over to her table and gave her a hug. “I’m sorry,” the lady sniffed.

  Becca pulled out a clean tissue. “Here can you give us your name and the name of your granddaughter?”

  “Oh yes my name is Brown - Amelia Brown my granddaughter is named after me but she has always been called Amy, her full name is Amy Joy Brown.”

  “Perhaps you should go to the police now and report her missing,” Becca suggested gently.

  “Oh my son Bob wouldn’t like that.” Amelia’s lips trembled.

  Just then the cafe door swung open abruptly and a well dressed country woman bustled in. “Mother are you ready it is time to go, Bob is waiting in the car.” She glared at Becca who was still comforting Mrs Brown. Amelia rose unsteadily to her feet, picked up her handbag and with her daughter-in-law pulling her by the elbow she wobbled out the door.

  “Wow I think Bob is a Bully,” I observed.

  “Not just Bob but his wife too,” Becca added.

  I started writing “I’ll add Amelia(aka Amy)Joy Brown to the list.”

  4. Sally employee of Madge at Caravan Park

  5. Amy -Amelia Joy Brown from local farm property

  Troy was busy with the computer, after 15 minutes he looked up from the screen, “nothing seems to come up for Amy there are one or two references to Amelia senior she was CWA chairwoman at one time and a reference to her husband’s funeral, his name is Robert Brown, they are big on handing down family names. Wait look at this a birth notice last year the baby is Amelia Joy Graham. Wrong last name.”

  “Try Facebook.” Said Becca

  “Yes here’s an Amy Joy Brown but there’s been no additions to the page for five years. Amy Joy Graham pulled up nothing.

  We all rose and Becca said tiredly, “ we’ve been here all afternoon and our suspect list just gets longer.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Wild Animals

  Back at the campground the lights were coming on.

  “Do you want to have tea with us Troy?” Becca asked hopefully.

  “No sorry I’d better go I’m leaving early, I have three days off and I’m going home to Biloela it’s my Dads’ birthday and Mum likes to make a fuss. While I’m there I’ll check out my jeweller friend. I have that photo you sent me on my phone. I had better crop it first so it just shows the necklace and not the body.”

  “Sure,” said Becca from within a giant hug from Troy, then he waved to me and was gone. Becca looked lost.

  “Why don’t you go and have a shower, I’ll cook up that chicken into a quick stir fry for dinner. Then I think we need an early night.” I said as I gathered the ingredients together.

  “Great thanks.” Becca lost no time in grabbing a towel and fresh clothes and also disappearing. I let out a sigh, it was actually good to have some quiet time, dinner then a good nights sleep were definitely on order.

  The next morning when I woke I was still stiff and sore from the hiking and my brain started to churn as I thought about the last two days and our challenge of finding who the body was and then maybe the killer could be found too. I looked across at Becca. She was also awake and staring at the ceiling.

  Becca turned, “any bright ideas?”

  I replied, “not yet, I think I need to go for a hike today to stretch my stiff legs. Will you join me, I don’t think we should wander around alone here!”

  “Yes I agree finding a body does tend to make one cautious,” mused Becca.

  After breakfast and in our hiking boots and with my hiking stick, something I hadn’t used yet as I didn’t want to show my age and lack of fitness, but it could double as a weapon. Becca did not want one as it gets in the way of using her camera.

  We were wandering slowly along the main track I was in front as usual, Becca always found new things to photograph. Suddenly from around the next bend I heard a loud whistle, I looked back at Becca but she was engrossed in taking a close up of a tiny orchid. I hurried along as quietly as possible to see if someone was in trouble. Around the corner I nearly ran into a middle aged lady who was standing in the middle of path just as she let out another deafening whistle right in my ear.

  “Ohh!” I said holding
my ears.

  “Oh sorry.” She laughed, then before we could talk a big furry streak came bounding down the hill in a scurry of rocks and dust and jumped smack into both of us, we staggered back and fell on our backsides in the dust my hiking stick rolling off the track. Becca came running around the bend and ran straight into me and she went down too. From my seated position I looked into deepest brown eyes I have ever seen, then he boxed me on the shoulder. All of us ladies burst into helpless laughter. The Wallaby just looked at us as if to say ‘You humans are strange’ He snuffled around the lady’s pocket and came out with a carrot. While he ate that we picked ourselves up and dusted ourselves off, no dignity left.

  “I’m Emma and this is Walter, only don’t tell anyone, I’m not supposed to name the rescue animals, but I had him for nine months before he was released in the wild.”

  “He is adorable,” I gushed. “My name is Chloe and this is Becca behind the camera.”

  “I come and check on him every few weeks and I’m guilty of bringing him some carrots, he just loves them.”

  “He looks very fit and his fur just shines,” observed Becca from behind the lens.

  “Yes he’s doing very well, its been three months since I released him. She looked around I also released an echidna in this area about three weeks ago but I don’t see him anywhere but I can see where he might have been.” she pointed to some fresh diggings around some tree roots. “That is echidna diggings where they look for ants and termites.” Emma added.

  We watched as Walter started sniffing around the fresh diggings. Emma laughed “Oh Walter you won’t find carrots there, he remembers when Eric, thats what I named the echidna, dug up my vegetable garden and Walter scored some carrots.”

  I looked around me, “this is where we found the body, there was some fresh diggings around the skeleton.” I looked back up the hill and recognized the rock outcrop.

  Emma’s mouth was open in surprise, “I heard about the body, so it was you who found it?”

  “Yes I was retrieving my hat which blew off and I chased it up the hill and stumbled on the body, but it did look as though part of her was uncovered recently,” I grimaced.

  “So maybe Eric actually was first to find the body. Echidnas do a lot of digging the Rangers are not always happy with them but it is natural cultivation.” Emma smiled.

  Becca came out from behind her camera she pointed to Walter’s back, “look Emma what is that shiny thing stuck to his coat.”

  Emma moved over to the wallaby and Walter sniffed her pockets looking for another snack. Emma gave him another carrot which he started munching whilst she pulled the shiny thing off his fur. Emma held it up and we could see it was an unusual earring similar in design to the necklace.

  Emma looked puzzled. “It seems familiar but I can’t remember why.”

  I looked closely at the earring, “I think you should give that to the police it is obviously from the body I guess Walter has been up there too. Maybe Walter and Eric still hang out together sometimes.”

  “Well stranger things have happened.” Emma smiled “I have to go into town tomorrow for supplies, I’ll drop this off at the police station then. I live with my family on a nearby property, but I also run a rescue animal care facility as you may have guessed. Walter and Eric came to me when their mothers were run over by cars, most of the baby animals come to me that way.”

  Becca looked at her eagerly. “I’d love to see your animals could we come out to your place so I could take some photos and we could donate to the cause!”

  “That would be great.” Said Emma “Not tomorrow I’ll be in town, but come the day after in the morning would be best for me.”

  “Tomorrow we are booked in for a sunrise helicopter trip over the gorge should be good for photos.” Said Becca

  We waved as we parted Becca and I moved off to continue our walk and Emma headed back to the car park.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Dawn comes early

  Just before the dawn, the alarm went off. I hate alarms, it sets my heart going like a bongo drum. But we were in for a treat, this would be my first helicopter ride, and over beautiful country so we wanted to see it with the sunrise. I was up and dressed and had the kettle on before Becca rolled over. She was not a early morning person. We just managed a cup of tea and a bit of toast before we had to leave, neither of us was up to any conversation yet.

  The sky was getting lighter and the birds had started calling by the time we arrived at the helicopter base. The Kookaburra’s call sounded like derisive laughter at these foolish people who rise so early. A scruffy young man in greasy overalls with wild black hair and a dark stubble beard was working on the helicopter.

  Coming towards us was a well groomed young man, “perfect timing I wish all of my customers were so prompt. This is a great time of day for a flight, the early morning light is great for photographs. My name is Jim and I’m your pilot and guide,” said Jim who was tall and fit and looked like he worked out as his muscles showed through his khaki shirt and shorts.

  Jim gestured at the other man, “that’s Randall he’s giving the helicopter its last minute checks. I’ll just take your bags and stow them.” We both grabbed our cameras and I climbed into the helicopter, Randall helped Becca in on the other side and I saw her shiver at his touch.

  As we rose into the air the sky was taking on a golden glow and we forgot everything else as we gazed at the world below and the changing colours of the new dawn which reflected on the Gorge cliffs, the clouds above and the water way below in the bottom of the gorge. We flew over Carnarvon Gorge then flew further to the neighbouring Moolayember Gorge where the cliffs had been sculptured into Queensland’s version of the three sisters. We were completely entranced and our cameras didn’t stop clicking. This day did us proud, the colours were spectacular. But if you believe the old saying ‘Red sky at night shepherd’s delight red sky in the morning shepherd’s warning’ then we were going to have a change of weather later as there were plenty of glorious reds in the panorama this morning. The flight ended all too quickly.

  As we landed back at the airstrip the door was opened suddenly and a grubby hand offered to help me out. I also shivered as I looked into the ice blue eyes of Randall the mechanic. I got out as quickly as possible with minimal contact with his sweaty hand. Jim walked us to our car.

  “Thanks Jim that was worth the early rise.” I waved as Becca drove us back to camp. The mechanic watched us go from the shadow of the shed.

  After that beautiful start to the day we decided to treat ourselves to Brunch up at the restaurant in the Resort up the road from our campground. We decided to take the car as the clouds were gathering. We found a lovely native garden surrounding the restaurant, we ordered our food and found a table out on the patio overlooking a pond where the lorikeets were flying in for a drink and a dip.

  I listened to the chatter around us and was not surprised to hear there was only one topic of conversation.

  The waitress brought out our lunch, she had an eager look on her face. “You’re the ladies who found the body aren’t you?”

  We looked at her with surprise. I’d never been considered notorious before. “How do you know?” both Becca and I parroted together.

  “Well.” She pointed to Becca’s camera which was sitting on the table, “you are the photographer and looking at me she said, “you must be the Artist. Of course the whole story of ‘The Find’ is all over the Gorge.”

  “Well.” I asked “Does the rumour mill say who they think the body is and who the killer is?”

  “Oh I wish they did, its a bit creepy isn’t it, still I guess it must have happened a long time ago. Enjoy your lunch.” She swung around and trotted off.

  As we finished our delicious lunch a portly gentleman wearing an apron came to our table and placed two mouthwatering, tempting iced coffees in front of us. “I thought you ladies deserved a sweet treat after the experience of the last few days which you’ve had.”

 
; Becca beamed, “well thank you, you are very kind. Is this your restaurant?”

  He pulled up a chair. “May I sit.” We both nodded “Yes My name is George and this is my place, I don’t usually prepare the food but my cook bailed on me this morning, he told me he had to talk to the Police, something about a missing niece.”

  “Oh my goodness I hope it wasn’t her! Lunch was delicious by the way.” I grinned in memory of the great food.

  Becca frowned, “is everyone remembering family and friends who are missing? We have quite a list ourselves and we are not locals.”

  George’s brows drew down and he stared out at the squabbling lorikeets. “You know I’ve been here for fifteen years now and I’ve never thought about it before but there are a lot of young people who leave or disappear and are never seen again in Central Queensland. I do remember when Luke’s niece left he was very upset with her because we just assumed she left with a boyfriend, she did have an argument with Luke about her choice of boyfiend the day before she left. He hasn’t heard from her since. We have a lot of backpackers from overseas work here and we don’t expect these young people to stay very long. Its also not unusual in country areas for the young ones to leave, most of them would just move to the city for school or work, but there does seem to be too many who never contact their family again. Where are they? Well on that sobering thought I’d better get back to the kitchen.”

  He pushed himself up and moved surprisingly quickly, for a big man, back to the kitchen. I lingered over my drink not in a hurry to leave. The sun came out from behind the clouds so Becca took her camera over to the pond to get some close-up shots of the birds.

  The young waitress came back. “Do you want anything else?”

  I took in her fresh vibrant looks, the sunlight shone on her long blonde hair, I shivered, thinking of the young woman who lay out in the forest for so many years. I looked at her name tag, “no thanks Tammy the lunch was lovely. What is the name of your chef?”