مجلة الصحة

Across the table, Xander swallowed his mouthful. ‘What brought you

over to Queensland?’
Simon had taken a sip of water and took his time swallowing. ‘Weather.’ ‘Really?’
‘Too bloody hot in WA.’
‘You know this is officially the hottest part of Australia?’
‘Oh. I didn’t, actually. Still, better than the freezing fog at home, isn’t it?’ Simon looked to Katy, who blinked, distracted.
‘Sorry. What?’ She had been staring at something unseen out of the window. The sky was dusky as evening drew in.
‘I was saying –’

‘Out west, mostly.’
‘Yeah, you said. West is a bloody big place.’ ‘I don’t think you would have heard of it.’ ‘Try me.’
‘Armistead.’
Nathan hadn’t heard of it, much to his irritation. ‘Where’s that exactly?’ ‘Kind of east of Perth.’
‘Everything’s bloody east –’
Liz dropped her fork on her plate with a clatter. ‘Jesus, Nathan.’ ‘Why don’t you let them eat in peace, mate?’ Harry said.
‘No, it’s my fault,’ Simon said. ‘It’s a crap description, I know. But it’s so hard out here. There’s nothing to help pinpoint things.’
That was only true, Nathan thought, if you were completely blind to the subtleties of the land.

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Simon nodded at Katy. ‘And she’s a teacher, so it worked out well with the girls here. Doing their School of the Air lessons with them.’
Katy gave a small smile. She had put down her knife and was picking at her thumbnail.
‘Do you like it out here?’ Xander asked. ‘Love it,’ Simon said. Katy didn’t reply.
‘Must be a fair change of pace for you,’ Nathan said.
‘That’s kind of the point,’ Simon said, and Nathan had a vague sense he was being patronised. ‘You don’t get anything like this at home. We were blown away by how big these stations actually are when we first came out. We passed through one in WA which was half the size of Wales.’
‘Oh.’ Nathan had no idea how big Wales was, but it didn’t surprise him. ‘So you’ve worked at other stations?’
‘Yeah, a couple.’ ‘Where?’

‘How long have you been out here travelling?’ Xander asked Simon, who also seemed relieved to have the silence broken.
‘Nearly a year.’
‘You’re not heading home for Christmas?’
‘No plans –’ Simon started, as at the same time Katy said: ‘It’s too expensive.’ Their eyes met and something passed between them that Nathan couldn’t read.
‘And Cam hired you?’ Nathan said, and they looked over. ‘Was that pre- arranged, or –?’
‘No. Just lucky.’ Simon swallowed and put his fork down. ‘We were in the pub in town and got talking to him. I’ve worked in a few trades at home

so I’ve been helping fix the fences, water bores, whatever.’
Harry’s features moved a hair’s breadth and Nathan wondered how much help the new guy had actually been.

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Bub gave Katy a smile that made her glance away, then turned to Harry. ‘What did Glenn have to say about meeting tomorrow?’
Harry’s eyes flicked towards Liz. ‘Not now, mate.’ ‘I’m only asking.’
Bub had changed his clothes, Nathan realised. He looked down at himself and across at Xander. The red dust from the death site had crept into the creases of their shirts, and the colour suddenly made his skin crawl. He rubbed at another red patch on his jeans. It made his hands feel gritty.
‘I’ll put the washing machine on later,’ Liz said quietly and Nathan realised she was looking at the dust as well.
‘Thanks.’
No-one spoke and for a while the only sound was cutlery against plates. After a few minutes, Xander turned to the backpackers, as Nathan had known he would. The kid lived in a city. He couldn’t cope with quiet like the rest of them.

Katy set the final plate down. ‘One for you, Bob.’ ‘Thank you, Katy.’
‘It’s Bub,’ Nathan said automatically. ‘Sorry?’
‘Just –’ He could feel Bub glaring at him. ‘With your accent it sounds like you’re saying Bob.’
‘I am.’
‘It’s Bub. ’Cause he’s the baby.’

‘Oh.’ Katy’s brow creased. She looked at Bub, who was shovelling food into his thirty-year-old mouth. ‘I’m so sorry.’
‘I don’t mind,’ said Bub, with feeling.
‘That’s so embarrassing.’ Katy gave an awkward laugh. ‘I’ve been calling you the wrong name this whole time.’
‘Well, his real name’s Lee,’ Liz said with a sigh. She had finally shut the fridge and sat down. ‘So you’re not the only one.’

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Katy was – and Nathan could think of no other word – a stunner. In the brightly lit kitchen, he could see how her skin and hair shone, and her t-shirt clung to her in all the right ways. As she smiled at something, a hint of a dimple appeared. She brushed behind Nathan, and he had the overwhelming urge to reach out and take her hand. He frowned and put his palms on the table.
Bub was watching with a look of slavish devotion as Katy moved from benchtop to table, carrying plates of beef and rice. Even Xander was introducing himself with an enthusiasm Nathan hadn’t seen before and a glaze in his eyes that made him look a little like Bub. Only Harry seemed unmoved, his stony expression unaltered. Katy bent over to get something from a low drawer and Nathan wondered what Cameron’s wife made of her. ‘We’re not waiting for Ilse?’ he asked Liz, who was hovering in front of
the open fridge door as though unable to remember why she was there. ‘She’s still with the girls,’ Harry answered instead. ‘She said to start.’ ‘Oh.’

‘Simon and Katy.’ The man pointed as he said their names, as though Nathan might need help working out who was who. ‘We’re no-one.’
‘You must be someone if you’re hanging around my dead brother’s hallway listening in on phone calls.’ It was unnecessary and Nathan knew it. He just couldn’t help it.
The woman found her voice. ‘Cameron hired us.’ ‘Yeah, Bub said. To do what?’

‘Help your mum around the house, for one thing,’ she said, nodding towards the kitchen. ‘So, if it’s all right with you . . .?’
She’d stepped around Nathan before he could answer and he found himself trailing them into the kitchen. Harry and Bub were already seated at the large wooden table. Nathan pulled up a chair next to Xander and looked across at the English bloke – Simon, was it? He had pale eyes and a very straight nose and thick dark hair that shone in a way that seemed strangely unnatural. Nathan would have had trouble tearing his eyes away from it, if it hadn’t been for the girl.

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The voices stopped abruptly as their owners rounded the corner and saw Nathan standing there in the hall. The man’s jaw was still open with a half- formed word unspoken. He appeared to be in his late twenties, as was the woman next to him. And, judging by their accents, they were English. Nathan felt fractious. That was all he bloody needed. A pair of Pommy backpackers.
‘God, you gave me a fright.’ The man recovered first. ‘You must be Nathan.’
‘Yeah. Who were you talking about?’ ‘Who?’
‘The person you heard on the phone. Talking to the police.’
‘Oh.’ The man hesitated, glancing past Nathan to the empty kitchen door. ‘It was Harry. Sorry. I wasn’t listening, I just . . . heard.’
‘Right.’ It was hard to see the pair properly in the low light. ‘Who did you say you were again?’

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Glenn had been sympathetic but sceptical. ‘I’ve had no other reports. And it’s a fair way for someone to come to do that.’
‘You don’t think they would? To get at me?’

Glenn had put a hand on his shoulder. ‘I’m not saying they wouldn’t, mate. I’m just not sure if they actually did.’
Nathan paused now in the dim hallway, one hand on Duffy’s head, as he heard a whisper coming from around the corner.
‘. . . but they’ll have to come . . .’
A woman. He didn’t recognise the voice.
‘No, I don’t think so. I’m telling you, it’s not that kind of place. He was on the phone asking if anyone was coming here –’ A man this time, also whispering.
‘Here to the house?’
‘Yeah, but I think the cop was saying no –’

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The exhaustion didn’t hit Nathan properly until he was back inside. Xander had gone ahead into the kitchen and Nathan lingered in the dim hallway, feeling hollow. He was used to starting his days in the early-morning dark, but the last few hours had drained him. There was a jolt at his elbow as Bub pushed past and disappeared into the kitchen. Bub looked just as tired.
Cameron’s dog, Duffy, wandered up to him, still looking forlorn. She had come from the same litter as Nathan’s own dog, Kelly, and now nuzzled his leg in the same way that Kelly once had. Nathan crouched down to Duffy and was immediately reminded of that bad morning last year. He’d woken up and known straight away that something was wrong. He’d eventually found Kelly hiding in one of the sheds, her eyes rolling around in her head, whining in pain. Nathan, who spent more time with that dog than any other living thing, had taken her in his arms and carried her to the house. She had died on the way. She’d been baited, Nathan had told Glenn when he’d calmed down enough to call the police station. His voice had cracked and he hadn’t cared. Someone had come out to Nathan’s place and poisoned her. To the sergeant’s credit, he’d driven out to Nathan’s property and helped him look for signs. They’d found nothing. It must have been targeted,
Nathan had insisted. ‘I know what a baited dog looks like. Someone got her on purpose.’