The Delta Chain (31 page)

‘Who are the Keepers,
Daniel?
’
Joey asked.

‘They
’
re the ones who look after us and teach us.
’

‘Then where are your
parents?
’

Daniel thought about this
for a moment.
‘…I guess, the Keepers are my parents.’

‘Then why do you call them
the Keepers?
’

Daniel stared back at
Joey. He didn
’
t seem to have an
answer.

‘And you ran away from The
Com?
’
Costas asked.

Daniel hesitated. Then,
guiltily, he admitted,
‘
Yes.
’
Tears smarted in his eyes.
‘
You said you wouldn
’
t send me
back.
’

‘We won
’
t,
’
said Barbara, touching the
boy
’
s shoulder in a gesture of
support.
‘
You look incredibly
tired.
’

‘I am.
’

Barbara looked to
Costas.
‘
Then no more questions for
now.
’
And to Daniel:
‘
How about a nap?
’

‘You can use my
bed,
’
Joey offered.

‘But I need to get my
backpack.
’

‘And
where
’
s that?
’
Costas asked.

Daniel explained how
he
’
d dropped it in a bush near the
bridge. He told them how it contained things that were important to
him, though he didn
’
t specifically
mention his journal.

‘You get some
sleep,
’
Costas said.
‘
I
’
ll go into town and find your
backpack. Okay?
’

‘Okay.
’

After Barbara had led
Daniel through to the bedroom, Joey turned to Costas.
‘
Are we going to go look for it now?
’

‘It
’
s as good a time as any.
’
In the
midst of all that was happening, Costas remained aware Joey was
continuing to respond to him in a positive manner. In fact, it was
the first time there had ever been any real communication between
them. As he led the way out to the car, Costas turned his eyes
skyward for just a brief moment and thanked God.

The area Daniel described was
easy to find and the backpack sat, nicely hidden, in the bushes
near the bridge.

Returning, they found Daniel was
fast asleep. With an eager Joey and a concerned Barbara hovering,
Costas inspected the contents and he fished out the thick but
compact journal.

Kate and Walter had been
on the road a couple of hours, crowded into the ute driven by
Simon. From the outstation there
’
d been
an easier access to the highway.

Thomas and Simon were
taking Kate and Walter back via the quickest route to where
they
’
d left their four-wheel
drive.

They stopped at a roadside
café and while Simon ordered refreshments, Kate selected a table.
The sound of a helicopter swooping overhead caused a number of the
patrons to look out the windows.
‘
Third
time this morning,
’
the woman behind the
counter said to Simon.

‘You know what
it
’
s about?
’

‘Word has it the Wildlife
rangers have a search on for one of their own.
’

‘Uh oh.
’
Simon quickly rejoined the others at the
table.
‘
Guess who that
copter
’
s out searching for?
’

Using the
café
’
s public phone, Walter called Harold
Letterfield.
‘
You
’
re not searching for me, are you, boss?
’

‘Of course
I
’
m damn well searching for you.
’
Letterfield
’
s tone was
relieved but testy.
‘
Is Kate Kovacs with
you?
’

‘Well, yeah…but why?
We
’
re-
’

‘I want you to stay right
where you are. I
’
ll have one of the
choppers pick you up. Another team will bring back the four wheel
drive.
’

‘Boss,
there
’
s no need-
’

‘Humour me. I want you
both back safe and sound asap.
’

‘Harold, listen. We have a
way…well, to be more precise, Kate has a way to track the
hunters.
’

‘What? How?
’

‘Kate
’
s the best one to explain that.
’

‘Save it for when
you
’
re back here. I
’
m going to want some explanations.
’

‘Why did you come looking
for me in the first place?
’
Walter
wondered.
‘
I was on leave…
’

‘Because we have a
photograph of an alligator poaching gang taken in Florida a couple
of years back. Need you to have a look at it.
’

‘Florida?
What
’
s Florida got to do with any of
this?
’

‘That
’
s what we all want to know.
’

Kirby called Adam in to
his office.
‘
I
’
ve spoken to both Westmeyer and the mayor,
’
the senior sergeant said.
‘
Everything
’
s set up.
’

‘Reaction?
’

‘Well, the
mayor
’
s ecstatic, likes the idea. You
know Sandy Bingham. He
’
s nervy about the
festival and his re-election, wants to keep any more bad news under
wraps.
’

‘And
Westmeyer?
’

‘Welcomed the help but
quite frankly seemed a little cool.
’

‘Doesn
’
t want me snooping about the place,
’
Adam said,
‘
but at the same time
doesn
’
t want to give the wrong impression
by rejecting help.
’
Adam headed through
to his own office, but found his focus on the case continually
under threat from his fears about Kate.

Hank Mendelsohn had asked
to be present when Walter was shown the photograph. He and Jean
were patiently seated in Letterfield
’
s
office when Kate and Walter arrived. Letterefield made hasty
introductions but before he could show the Florida photo, Kate
removed the Landscan III from her carry bag.

‘This is the computer I
spoke of,
’
Walter said to his
boss.

Jean inched forward, her
curiosity piqued.
‘
Mr Letterfield told us
you said you had a way to track the hunters.
’

‘Yes. And this is
it.
’

‘They killed my son,
Kate,
’
Jean said, and for a moment it was
as though there was no one else in the room and time had frozen.
These two women from different generations and different countries
empathised with each other
’
s pain.
‘
And I know you lost your brother to
them.
’

The older woman embraced
the younger one and then the moment passed and Kate said,
‘
We
’
re going to get
them, Jean.
’
She placed the unit on
Letterfield
’
s desk, clicked open the lid
and keyed in the start up codes.

‘So just how does all this
work?
’
asked Hank.

‘This is the prototype for
an advanced tracking system, designed for commercial
use.
’

They grouped around as the map
appeared on the screen. Kate explained how the micro tracking pad
worked.

A blip on the screen showed the
movement of the boat.

‘But that shows the boat
as being on land.
’
Letterfield was
confused.
‘
And it
’
s over the border into Queensland.
’

‘They
’
ve covered a hell of a lot of ground since
yesterday,
’
Walter said.

‘The tracker is on a
section of the deck that Walter believes was removable,
’
Kate told Letterfield,
‘
and which would
’
ve since been
loaded onto a truck.
’

‘It
’
s a purpose-built boat,
’
Walter
confirmed.
‘
It uses hydraulic systems,
and harnesses, to catch the crocs. The same gear could lift the
removable section of the deck onto a truck.
’

‘And it would
appear,
’
Hank said,
‘
that they
’
re headed directly for
the east coast.
’

Walter and Kate verified
that the boat in the Everglades photo had the same deck as the one
they
’
d encountered.

Letterfield called the Federal
Police.

Nervously, Kate made the
promised phone call to Adam. She expected he
’
d be furious. Once on the phone, her hyperactivity went
into overdrive. At lightning speed she told Adam about the Landscan
III. Adam asked a couple of questions but for the most part he just
listened, overwhelmed by her manic energy. He did manage, after a
while, to say,
‘
Kate, I wish you had
thought to phone me…
’

She said that she would explain
in full later.

‘I
’
ll fly over there in the morning,
’
Adam said.

‘There
’
s no need. I
’
m fine, and
I
’
ll be back in Northern Rocks in a day
or so
’

After the call, Adam
slammed the phone in an uncharacteristic display of frustration. An
image flashed in his mind: his sister, alone and buffeted by wind,
moments before being swept into the sea. The one thing most likely
to stress Adam was when someone close to him simply
wasn
’
t there, without warning, without
explanation…why couldn
’
t Kate have
understood that? But no, she had to do it all her own way. Adam had
avoided close relationships for just that reason, letting his guard
down for the first time…and what had happened? The girl
he
’
d fallen in love with had gone
missing, without warning, without explanation.

And it seemed, without
caring.

Despite the early start and the
long day so far, Adam was energised. The late afternoon saw him
meet with Westmeyer and Donnelly at the Institute.

Adam sensed
Westmeyer
’
s upbeat welcome was an act by
a seasoned performer. Donnelly, as usual, was cool and tight
lipped.

It was left to Tony Collosimo to
take Adam on a tour of the premises. Adam had met the security
officer previously and remembered him as capable and pragmatic, a
man whose eyes took in more than he let on.

Collosimo had spent the
earlier part of the day keeping tabs on Melanie Cail. He liked the
idea of catching her red handed at something - anything- that
exposed her as the saboteur. He
’
d
followed her as she
’
d gone to a meeting
back at The Express. After a brief stop at her apartment, which had
now been bugged, he
’
d followed her back
to the Institute. Then he
’
d instructed
his security team to play tag, keeping her within sight at all
times.

Although
he
’
d been there a few times before, Adam
had, in fact, seen very little of the Institute.

It appeared laid back on the
surface, nestled as it was in picturesque surrounds, but the
Institute was actually heavily guarded. A lightweight steel fence
encircled the grounds. At strategic points around the perimeter
there were sensors and closed circuit television cameras. None of
this was obvious to the casual eye. On the interior there was easy
access to many of the general offices and labs. However, smart keys
were required for entry to the labs, storerooms and executive
offices.

The ground floor had a spacious,
open feel, with its generous entry lobby and reception/security
desks. A mezzanine strip with indoor plants and slanted skylights
added to the sense of space. The second and third levels had a
closed-in feel, with narrow corridors, cluttered offices and dozens
of labs of varying sizes. Some of these had easy walk-through
access. Others, deeper within the complex, had security doors that
slid back with a sharp hiss when activated by the insertion of a
card.

Despite the differences in size
and access, Adam found the labs similar: crammed workbenches and
computer terminals against an expanse of chrome and glass in
neutral shades. Tungsten light bulbs gave an impression of natural
daylight.

On the first level, they
encountered James Reardon. He was surrounded by screens and hard
drives.