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Chapters (60)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. Acknowledgements
  59. About the author
  60. Copyright

Chandler understood that Mitch was fobbing him off but given the commotion with Turtle if Gabriel had been here he would have had ample chance to clear out. Plus, Turtle’s farm wasn’t where the kidnaps and killings had taken place. The crazy old man might have been blind but his ears were fine. Any cry for help within a few kilometres of his place and Turtle would have heard it. And been nosy enough to check it out.

18

2002

‘Watch your step, Mitch!’

Chandler shouted even though there was zero chance that his colleague had heard him over the whine of the helicopter engine overhead. He retreated a safe distance from the murderous blades that whipped up a vicious whirlwind of dust that almost obscured the aircraft from view.

Five days into the search for Martin and still they continued to forge deeper into the outback, so much so that they now had to be airlifted in and out with enough supplies to survive for a few days in the dense woods and scrubland. Out here, the terrain was pretty in a feral way, wild and untouched, alluring and unknown, appealing to the adventurous side of Chandler’s character, the teenage side, the lost side. He and Mitch had camped in the wild when they were younger but never this far in. It would have taken a full day and two tanks of fuel to get this far on scramblers, the terrain rough and undiscovered, lacking natural trails, which meant little speed and real danger.

As Mitch charged across the rutted ground, clear of the blades, the chopper began its slow ascent, whipping up dust in a wider and wider arc, causing the already disembarked Chandler to shield his face. Only as the helicopter cleared the top of the trees did the whirlwind die down, the craft angling forward and speeding back towards town.

They were amongst the second load ferried in today, bringing the group’s number to fifteen, a figure that was shrinking by the day and in Chandler’s opinion, a feeble effort given the area they needed to cover. Donning his backpack he set off to rendezvous with the others.

As their hearing recovered from the squeal of the engines, talk swung towards Bill’s morning briefing. The area to search over the next three days had been marked out with a warning for them to find a clear spot by the end of the third so that the helicopters could extricate them. After that the rest of the meeting spiralled into attempts to rouse motivation but Chandler sensed that even Bill was frustrated at the air search having proved fruitless.