Riverboat Point (11 page)

“No problem.”

She didn't give him time to make any further conversation. She moved away along the jetty, clambered around the slippery bank to Jaxon's side of the fence and hightailed it back to the shack.

She was cross with herself about the toilet rolls. Ethan had suggested she do one more check and she hadn't. Jaxon had said the boats were ready to go. Worse than that, she was embarrassed about letting Fred take the boat without finalising the paperwork and paying the bond. Ethan hadn't said anything but she'd seen the rise of his eyebrows and the twinkle in his eye. He must think her a right fool and useless to boot.

She knew nothing about boats, from the proper stocking of them to driving them. At this rate Jaxon wouldn't have a business left to come home to and they'd both end up homeless.

Back inside the shack she paced the floor.

“Damn it, Jaxon,” she growled at the empty room. “Somehow I've got to make this work.”

She looked out the sliding door towards the three houseboats. From now on she'd be more focused. She would give each of them a thorough check. That at least was something she felt capable of doing and she'd start right now.

She took the three sets of keys and the page listing what should be on board each one and let herself out the back door. Over the fence she heard Ethan's bike start and roar away. He'd done her another favour but she didn't want to think about him beyond that.

She marched down to the bank, stepped carefully along the path and put the gangplank up to the first boat. On board she opened every cupboard and inspected every piece of furniture. This one was called
Our Destiny
and it was shipshape so far as she could tell. Plenty of toilet paper stashed in each bathroom cupboard as well as the toiletries supplied.

Jaxon had a huge supply of everything in a shipping container inside the shed. She'd had to take three keys to get into the shed to get the toilet paper. In the half dark of early morning she'd fumbled around with the padlock. It held a chain that connected the front sliding door of the shed to the side entrance door. Once she got that undone she needed another key to unlock the side door and then another key to open the door he'd made in the shipping container.

There was quite a bit of electrical equipment on the shelves along one wall of the massive shed. One bay was taken up with Jaxon's ute and that was full of tools. There was also a battered squat-looking bike with four wheels. He no doubt wanted to leave everything secure while he was away but it seemed like a lot of locking up. Savannah had decided she wasn't going to bother with the padlock. She'd left it with the chain inside the shed.

She climbed up onto the sundeck. Everything was dusty and leaves scattered the deck. That would have to be cleaned before the boat went out. She wondered if
Tawarri
had been the same. Too late to worry about it now.

She moved on to the next boat and then the third. They were fully equipped as well. There was cling wrap, foil and paper towel in each kitchen. It must have just been an oversight that
Tawarri
didn't have the extras. The only thing was the sundecks. All of them needed cleaning. There'd be little point going over them now though. She'd have to do it the day before they were due to go out.

Her stomach grumbled. Fred's phone call had woken her from a deep sleep. She'd thrown on clothes and set out on her mission to get the toilet paper to him without stopping for breakfast. The few supplies she'd bought on her trip to town were low or gone. She had plenty of time and nothing else to do but get back in the car and head into Riverboat Point.

Savannah turned left out of the driveway onto the dirt road. Then she stopped and reversed until she was level with Jaxon's elaborate letterbox. She hadn't ever looked inside. It was dirty and full of cobwebs. He must get mail even if it was only junk. She wondered where it was delivered.

Back in her car she drove slowly, peering left and right. Not far from Jaxon's gate on the opposite side of the road was a rough driveway littered with white rocks. There was a gate in the wire fence with a tree at either side. A sign hung on the gate stating Private Property, Keep Out. Savannah braked and peered past the gate. The track on the other side disappeared from sight into the bush beyond. It didn't look like many vehicles drove along it. She assumed that was the entrance to Gnasher's property.

She wondered how Gnasher lived. How did he get his groceries? What if he took sick? Who would know? She looked again at the sign and remembered the gunshot. He obviously didn't encourage visitors.

She drove on, looking to the left this time. She had meant to ask Ethan if he knew who lived over Jaxon's other side fence. After a while she came to a gate. It was a fancy white iron gate like you'd see on a house yard in the city. Once again the sign wasn't friendly. Bold black letters on a white sign declared, Private Property, Trespassers Prosecuted, and underneath, Beware Dog. Savannah didn't like the idea of going in there to find out who the owners were.

So what did Jaxon's note about the neighbours mean? None of them encouraged contact so there appeared little for her to worry about. Even Ethan was aloof in spite of the help he'd given her. The whole area wasn't conducive to neighbourly relations. Savannah shrugged her shoulders against the shiver that prickled down her back. The perfect place for anyone who was antisocial or not wanting to be noticed. Maybe it was just that all Jaxon's neighbours weren't the friendly type and he'd been warning her to keep away. But then he'd known she'd have to ask Ethan for help.

She slapped the steering wheel with the flat of her hand. Maybe that was it. He knew it was unlikely she'd have contact with Gnasher or whoever lived over the other fence but she'd have to work with Ethan. Jaxon had thought it necessary to warn her. But why? What could there possibly be about Ethan she needed to watch out for? She shook her head and kept driving.

When she reached the T-junction she stopped. Old Man's Landing Road went right towards the main road and left towards she knew not what – the river? Fred had moored
Tawarri
at Old Man's Landing. Perhaps this road would take her there. Ethan had said it was quicker to go by boat but she decided to check it out for herself. Savannah turned left. She had nothing to do and she might as well see where this road led.

The dirt road twisted and turned but gradually took her north. If she'd remembered the name of it this morning she could have driven herself here and not asked Ethan for help. As she rounded the next bend, a tyre hit a pothole and the car thumped below her. She eased back on her speed. The road ahead was uneven and dotted with holes. By the time she reached the next bend she was crawling from one deep rut or well-worn hole to another and her hip was beginning to ache from the jarring.

Finally the road ended in a huge clearing. Permapine railings defined the area between parking space and trees. In a gap, a sign pointed through the trees to Old Man's Landing. Savannah pulled up close to the sign and got out of her car. She stretched and bent her body, twisted from side to side and rolled her shoulders. The last few kilometres had been extremely rough going. She wondered about the ability of her little car to make it through such a rough road but she was here now. Ethan had been right about the time. It was almost a half an hour since she'd left the shack.

She turned a full three-sixty degrees. Without the sign pointing to the river she would have no idea she was anywhere near water. The road led to this clearing but all around her was bush made up of straggly taller tress and assorted smaller bushes. They were sparse enough to walk between but the random growth made it impossible to see very far ahead.

She set off along the dirt path. After five minutes she stopped and listened. A bird called. The trees rustled in a gentle breeze but there was no other sound. The sun went behind a cloud. Savannah shivered. She wasn't cold but there were goosebumps on her arms. The isolation pressed around her like a shroud. She had no idea how much further it was to the river or even if this path was really going there. She turned and went back the way she'd come. A surge of panic pushed her on until she burst through into the clearing.

She got back in her car and locked the door before she turned the key. Her heart skipped when the engine was slow to respond. Imagine being stuck out here. The rumble of the motor was reassuring. She took a deep breath and turned her car in a wide circle to face the track out.

A four-wheel drive entered the clearing, drove on past her and pulled up in the parking area. Savannah looked back to see its doors fly open and three children pile out, pushing each other and laughing. The sun came out again. How different the place seemed now. What a coward she'd been not to follow the path all the way to Old Man's Landing. It was the isolation that had overwhelmed her. How did people stand this kind of life?

Savannah pulled up in front of the supermarket, not sure where she could get a snack. There were no cafés that she'd noticed.

“Hello, you're still in town,” Faye greeted her brightly when she entered the shop.

“Just out of town actually,” Savannah replied. “I'm looking after my brother's place.”

Faye leaned closer. “You're not Jaxon's sister?”

“I am.”

“Savannah?”

She was startled to hear the woman shriek her name. Faye reached across the counter and grasped her hand.

“Welcome to Riverboat Point,” she said. “I'm so sorry I didn't realise you were Jaxon's sister when you came in before.”

Savannah stared at Faye. “How did you –”

Faye cut her off. “Jaxon asked me to look out for you. He told me you'd be coming to take care of the boats and to make you welcome.” She reached over with her other hand, patted Savannah's and let it go. “He said you had long black hair but I can see a likeness to him now that I look at you properly.”

Once again it hit home to Savannah how Jaxon must have planned all this. He'd been confident she would come.

“What can I help you with today?” Faye asked.

“I've got a list of groceries but I wondered if there was anywhere to get lunch?”

“We only have the reheated pies and pasties here.” Faye nodded towards a pie warmer behind her. She leaned close again. “They're not much chop really but the fishermen like something hot when they come in to buy bait. The tea room's the best spot. Everything's homemade there.”

“I haven't noticed it.”

“Riverboat Point's best kept secret.” Faye gave a huge smile. “Old Nell Jones and her husband Bob love to cook. They live in an old house on the street behind the pub. It used to be a shop once so they use the front room to serve food. There's a sign on the gate says Nell and Bob's Tea Room. You can't miss it.”

Savannah put a hand to her stomach as it rumbled in anticipation.

“Sounds like you could do with a feed,” Faye said and chuckled.

“Do they serve coffee?” Savannah asked.

“Only the instant kind. Bernie at the pub makes good coffee but only on weekends until the tourist season cranks up. Not worth running his machine at this time of the year. You'll enjoy Nell's tea. She brews it in a pot and serves it in china teacups.”

“Sounds good,” Savannah said.

“Give me your list. I'll get your shopping together while you eat.”

“I don't want to bother you.”

“No bother,” Faye said. “I'm not busy today and Jamie can help.”

Savannah pulled her list from her pocket. It felt odd to hand it over. Helpers had done her shopping when she'd first come home from rehab. She hadn't liked it then. Along with the personal washing and the cleaning it was an invasion of her privacy.

“Off you go.” Faye shooed her towards the door.

As Savannah stepped outside Faye called after her.

“Tell Nell you're Jaxon's sister. He was a regular customer there.”

Savannah got back in her car and set off for the tea room. Faye's conversation played over in her head reminding Savannah how little she knew about her brother. They'd been close when they were young but high school had changed so many things. She'd lost her little brother among the carnage that was her life back then. As soon as school was finished she'd left home. After their parents' death she spent so long in hospital and rehab. Jaxon had only been seventeen then. She hadn't given any thought to how he must have struggled. He'd gone to live with the family of a close friend so that he could finish year twelve. By the time Savannah had been able to manage on her own he'd finished school and taken up an apprenticeship with an electrician, another family friend.

She pulled up in front of the tea room and pushed her sense of guilt about her relationship with her brother away. Food, she needed food. A pebbled path wound through a tidy cottage garden to the front door. She wondered whether to go straight in or knock but when she reached the door there was a sign declaring, ‘Tea room open, do come in'.

She pushed open the door and a bell tinkled over her head. A couple seated at one of the four tables looked up at her with curious eyes. She shut the door with another tinkle of the bell. They went back to their food. Savannah's runners squeaked on the polished wood floor.

“Hello, young lady.” A man with snowy white hair and a face full of wrinkles stood in the doorway opposite. “Have you come for lunch?”

“Yes, please.” Savannah salivated as the smell of baking food reached her.

“I'm Bob. Welcome to our tea room. Take a seat wherever you like.”

She looked around and chose a table.

“We've got some of Nell's pasties just out of the oven,” Bob said, “or there's quiche or vegetable soup.”

“Oh.” Savannah had thought there'd be a menu.

“Or you can have all three if you're hungry.” Bob chuckled.