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  The camera switched to a reporter holding a microphone in the face of a man dressed in a suit. ‘Don McKinnon is head of security at Cairns Airport. Mr McKinnon, can you please tell us of the current state of affairs?’

  ‘We are waiting for the arrival of a snake handler to assist in the recapture. Meanwhile all departures have been delayed while the terminal is cleared.’

  The reporter held the microphone closer to the man. ‘Why is such a drastic action necessary?’

  The head of security loosened his collar with one finger. ‘This is an extremely dangerous situation. We believe at least one of the snakes is a taipan.’

  ‘Do you have any idea how they got into the terminal?’

  The man’s face closed and his stare was unwavering. ‘From the luggage carousel. An investigation is underway. At the moment we are unsure whether there is more than one snake but there have been unconfirmed sightings in the terminal. We will not put passengers at risk.’

  The scene cut back to the studio and the face of the newswoman now filled the screen.

  ‘Oxyuranus scutellatus is a local species, known commonly as the coastal taipan. The coastal taipan is considered to be the fourth deadliest land snake in the world. While their diet normally consists of small mammals, their venom is highly toxic. It is a highly aggressive reptile and will actively defend itself when cornered. The venom of one taipan is strong enough to kill up to twelve thousand guinea pigs.’

  Emma gasped and put her hand to her throat as she struggled to catch her breath. ‘Oh, my god.’ The memory of her close encounter with the taipan in the yard last night crossed her mind.

  Jeremy’s face creased with concern. ‘Emma, what’s wrong? You’re as white as a sheet.’

  ‘I’ve got to call Wilma.’

  George picked up the remote and turned the television down. ‘He said you went up there to see her today.’ He jerked his head towards Jeremy. ‘I thought I told you not to go out there.’

  Emma glared at him and pursed her lips. ‘And since when have you been my boss?’

  George shook his head. ‘I told you it’s not safe. If you go again, make sure you tell me. I’ll come with you.’

  ‘Would either of you like to tell me what’s going on?’ Jeremy stood and pushed the chair back against the wall. ‘For a start, George, you’re getting too agitated . . . and . . . Em, ah, Doctor Porter . . . you look like you’re about to pass out at any minute. Why do you need to call Wilma?’

  Emma gestured to the now quiet television. ‘I think I know where those snakes came from. But how the heck did they get to Cairns airport?’

  She turned to George. ‘You are going to tell me exactly how you are involved in all this.’

  Chapter 14

  Friday evening

  Dalrymple Hospital

  George sat up in the bed with his arms folded across his chest. He’d refused to wear the sling any longer.

  ‘Okay. Those guys that hit me. I think it was because they thought I saw what they were doing.’

  Emma reached for the remote and switched the television off. ‘What exactly were they doing?’

  He shook his head. ‘I didn’t see them or their stash, and all I heard after he hit me was that they didn’t want me to find their “cargo”. I thought it was a funny thing to call a stash and I was too crook to go looking for it when I came to.’

  ‘George, you’ve got to stop breaking the law before you really get hurt.’

  ‘What do you call this? It hasn’t been a walk in the park, let me tell you that.’

  ‘You were right about the snakes at Wilma’s house.’

  George’s expression was smug. ‘You’ll listen to me next time then.’

  ‘Wilma said her snakes have been stolen.’ She folded her arms and looked down. ‘Do you think it’s too much of a coincidence that all of her snakes go missing—including a taipan—and then there’s a news report about snakes escaping from the luggage hold at the airport?’

  ‘And you think there’s a connection between this and the guys who attacked George?’ Jeremy’s voice was thoughtful.

  ‘There has to be. And that’s not all. When I was at the base of Thornton Peak today—’

  ‘Jesus, did you go down there by yourself?’ George butted in.

  Emma ignored him. ‘I saw some plastic pipes near where the cockatoos nest.’

  Jeremy frowned. ‘Too coincidental. I saw a program recently and it showed how they smuggle birds out to South East Asia. They use PVC pipes with air holes in them and then they X-ray the birds after they are sedated.’

  ‘Why do they X-ray them?’ George asked.

  ‘It makes them sterile and the collectors can’t breed them. There’s huge penalties for smuggling Australian wildlife. It’s a multibillion dollar business.’

  Indignation filled Emma. ‘And not only that, it has the potential to devastate our native fauna.’ She pulled out her phone. ‘Look at what I saw today.’

  George and Jeremy watched the performance of the cockatoo in silence.

  ‘Amazing. First time I’ve ever seen that and I’ve lived here all my life. You were bloody lucky to see that, Doctor Em.’ George’s eyes were wide. The bruising had faded to yellow through the week.

  ‘So who do we report this to?’ Emma spoke her thoughts aloud.

  ‘No one yet. You don’t know who you can trust.’ George was adamant. ‘I’ve got my suspicions. Just promise you won’t say anything to anyone just yet.’

  ‘We’ll talk about it tomorrow when I take you home.’

  George held his arm up. ‘I’m ready to go now.’

  ‘It’s too late to sort your discharge tonight and I’m going to the club for dinner; I’ll be back for you first thing in the morning. I’ll take you back to the village straight after I’ve seen my other patients.’ Emma stood by his bed with Jeremy.

  ‘You’d better, because I’ll hitch home if you break your promise.’ He threw her a filthy look.

  ‘I’ll be here. I promise.’ Emma touched his arm briefly before she turned away. Jeremy walked out to the corridor behind her. As soon as they were out of George’s sight and earshot, he turned to look down at her.

  ‘So what’s going on? Do you think George knows something about it? He wouldn’t be more involved than he’s letting on, would he?’

  Emma looked at him for a moment before shaking her head. The soft light from the corridor shadowed his face.

  ‘Wilma was frightened. I tried to get her to come back into town but she wouldn’t come with me.’

  ‘What are you going to do? Call the police?’

  ‘I’ve already been to the station and it was a waste of time.’ She lowered her voice. ‘I mentioned George’s assault too. Wilma didn’t want them involved but now there’s a chance of getting them back . . .’ Emma bit her lip; she really was unsure of what to do. Wilma had been adamant. ‘I should let her know. She’s still got a collection of snakes—’ Emma gave in to the shiver that ran down her back ‘—and if these people go looking again, I’m scared that she’ll get herself into trouble.’

  Jeremy’s voice was low. ‘Do you want me to go back out there with you tonight?’

  Emma flashed him a grateful smile. ‘Thanks for offering but it’s too late to go back out there now. I’ll give her a call.’

  Jeremy waited with her at the nurses’ station as she pulled up the contacts list on her phone.

  ‘Wilma? It’s Emma.’ She let out a sigh of relief as the phone picked up on the first ring. Conscious of Jeremy watching her, she turned away as she explained what she’d just seen on the television news. ‘I’ve also mentioned it to Sergeant Smith. Informally. Just so they can keep an eye on your place.’

  ‘I don’t really want anyone out here.’ Wilma sounded as though she was struggling for breath. ‘I don’t trust them.’

  ‘All right. But I’m coming back out again on Saturday morning to check on you. You don’t sound well.’

  ‘I’m all right.
Just angry.’

  She reassured Wilma. ‘Just make sure you keep your door locked. If you feel unwell through the night, you make sure you call me. Anytime. Okay?’

  ‘I will.’

  Emma shook her head as the call was cut off, and let out a deep sigh.

  ‘Is everything okay?’

  ‘Not really. But there’s not a lot I can do tonight, is there?’

  Emma froze as Jeremy reached over and touched her shoulder.

  ‘She’s not another one of your causes, is she, Em? If Wilma is a patient, you need to keep perspective.’

  She stepped back as anger unfurled in her chest. ‘And what exactly do you mean by that?’

  He lifted his hands up. ‘I don’t mean anything by it. I just know how you used to take on board more than you could handle at uni.’

  Her voice was deathly quiet as the anger burned bright and hot. ‘More than I could handle?’

  ‘You know what I mean. The demonstrations, the marches, “Save the Whales”. Remember?’

  ‘Oh, I remember. And I guess you do too.’ Her voice was quiet as she turned on him. ‘Do you know how bloody selfish you sound? It looks like you’re still the same. You didn’t care about anything that mattered then, and you obviously still don’t. Why the hell are you even here? Why couldn’t you just have stayed down in Sydney?’

  The tightening of his lips into a straight line should have warned her.

  ‘So that’s why you took off without a word? Because I didn’t care about anything that mattered?’ His eyes bored into hers. ‘Not even you?’

  ‘That’s about it. As your mother so kindly told me, you were much more suited to Polly. Your new girlfriend.’

  ‘What?’ Jeremy’s eyebrows lowered in a frown.

  The door to the office opened and Jenny walked in.

  ‘Thank you, Doctor Langford. That was very helpful.’ Emma kept her voice calm as she reached across to the desk and picked up her car keys. ‘Bye, Jenny.’

  She closed the door behind her without looking back.

  Chapter 15

  Friday night

  Dalrymple Sports Club

  ‘Settled in? Or is it too soon to ask?’ Jeff Gray, the local vet had taken the seat beside Jeremy and introduced himself. A huge T-bone steak covered in chips and gravy looked as though it was about to slide off his plate. Jeremy smiled before he answered, aware of Emma sitting across the table from them.

  ‘It’s going well. I feel like I’m home already.’ Jeremy was still reeling from Emma’s parting shot. He intended taking it up with her as soon as he got the opportunity. She was already sitting at the table when he finished ordering his meal and collecting a beer from the bar. He lifted it to his mouth, appreciating the cool liquid as it slid down his throat.

  ‘My wife Cissy tells me you’re staying at the pub,’ Jeff commented as he picked up his knife and fork.

  ‘Cissy who works in the office at the hospital?’

  Jeff nodded as he cut into his steak. ‘That’s right. You’ll soon work out all the connections. Dalrymple’s a small town.’

  ‘I will. And yes I’m bunking at the pub for a while.’

  ‘Food’s great there. I wouldn’t be in a hurry to move out and batch for myself if I was you.’

  ‘To be honest, I haven’t had a chance to even think about looking at rentals.’ Jeremy put his glass down and glanced over to Emma. She was deep in conversation with one of the nurses he recognised from the hospital. She laughed as he watched, and bitterness rose as he wondered why she had walked away from their conversation. He wanted to know why she was so angry and what she’d meant by the comment about his mother and Polly.

  ‘When you’re ready, give me a call, and I’ll show you around. I know this town well,’ Jeff said.

  ‘Thanks, I’ll do that. Much appreciated.’

  Jeff concentrated on his meal and Jeremy looked around at the activity in the small club. He yearned for the contentment that the people around them seem to have in their lives. Laughter filled the noisy room and the atmosphere was alive. Dress ranged from the cane cutters in shorts and navy blue shirts at the far end of the bar, to the group of young girls at the table beside them, dressed to the nines in strappy dresses and high heels, as they sipped on cocktails decorated with paper umbrellas.

  The bistro in the back of the small sports club was humming with the noise of Friday night patrons. An elderly woman in a white bowling uniform—hat and all—was sitting next to the door selling tickets for a meat raffle, and two men in Salvation Army uniforms were moving from table to table collecting money in a wooden box. It was a completely different world to the trendy Sydney watering hole in The Rocks where he’d wound down on a Friday night when he wasn’t on call at St Vincent’s. When the buzzers vibrated on the table to say meals were ready, Jeremy bit back a grin, thinking of what his mother’s reaction would be if someone asked her to pick up her own meal and cutlery. He doubted if she’d ever set foot in a club like this in her life. Three long tables had been pushed together for the large group of people who made up the ‘young professionals’ group. A much larger crowd than he’d expected; as well as Jeff he’d already been introduced to the new solicitor and the bank manager. People were still streaming in and coming to the table after they ordered their meals.

  He glanced across at Emma. She had changed into a dress, and had left her hair loose. Her lips were shiny with gloss. She looked preoccupied, glancing around the club for someone.

  She suddenly pushed her chair back and stood. ‘Troy.’ Jeremy looked toward the door as she waved to a man who was at the door buying raffle tickets. ‘We’re over here.’

  The tall, solidly built man in a khaki shirt waved back and then headed for the counter just as the policeman who’d been bothering Emma on Sunday strolled through the door. Looked like every young professional in town had turned up tonight.

  Emma sat back down and looked across at Jeremy. He took the opportunity to speak to her while he could. ‘I want to finish our conversation later.’

  ‘Fine.’

  Jeff turned his attention back to Jeremy before he could ask Emma when they could talk. The guy in the khaki shirt crossed to the table.

  ‘Hi, I’m Troy Greaves.’

  ‘Jeremy Langford.’ He rose and shook Troy’s hand.

  ‘You can take over the crown as the newbie in town,’ Troy said with a smile.

  Jeremy sat down as Troy took the vacant seat across from him, on Emma’s left. A niggle of surprise ran through him when Troy brushed his lips across her cheek. He shouldn’t be surprised. Why should he assume that Emma was single?

  Troy raised his beer. ‘So, Jeremy, welcome to Dalrymple.’

  ‘Thanks. How long have you been here?’

  ‘Transferred up here a few months ago,’ Troy said. ‘I’m managing the Rainforest Tourist Centre for National Parks and Wildlife. Love being in the wilderness.’

  ‘It’s a great spot.’

  Troy looked curiously from Emma to Jeremy. He’d obviously sensed the mood between them when he’d crossed to the table.

  Cissy’s interruption put paid to any further conversation. ‘Jeremy, I hear you were quite a hit at the hospital last weekend. Arrived shirtless. They’ve already got you on the list for the fundraising calendar.’

  ‘Completely unintentional, I can assure you. It was a medical emergency.’ He grinned back at Cissy.

  ‘What about you, Troy?’ Cissy leaned forward past Emma. ‘Are you in for the tug-of-war fundraiser too? We need another man for the RFS team.’

  Troy shot Emma a lazy smile and Jeremy’s eyes narrowed as a soft pink flush tinged her cheeks.

  ‘But I’m not in the RFS. Does that break the rules?’

  ‘We’ll join you up. We need all the men we can get. The hospital team will probably get Jeremy so our team needs someone to match him.’ Cissy’s eyes lit up wickedly. ‘We could make it a shirtless tug-of-war this year and take photos and sell postcards as well as a cal
endar? What do you think, Em?’

  Jeremy watched as Emma glanced from him to Troy and back again. ‘Anything that helps us raise money on Rainbow Day is welcome.’

  ‘What’s this Rainbow Day?’ Jeremy asked. ‘I’ve heard it mentioned a few times this week.’

  ‘Rainbow Day raises money for Dalrymple Gorge preservation,’ Emma explained. ‘We work with Parks and Wildlife staff—’ she turned a high wattage smile on Troy and a strange feeling settled in Jeremy’s chest ‘—it’s like a fair. Everyone gets involved. It starts off as a market day, and we catch all the tourists and grey nomads driving through town on the Saturday morning. Stalls, jumping castles, face painting and heaps of activities. The money goes towards paths and bridges so the public can see the gorge without damaging the environment or disturbing the habitats of the native animals.’

  Jeremy took a deep breath as she bestowed on him the sweetest smile he’d seen on her face since he’d arrived in town. It hit him like a sucker punch and the funny feeling moved down into his stomach.

  ‘You will go in the tug-of-war, won’t you? You’re one of the few men on the hospital staff at the moment. Well, okay, technically not the hospital, but you’re with the regional health service. We won’t split hairs.’ She leaned back in her chair and kept her eyes on him. Jeremy knew she was flirting with him to get him to join but he didn’t care. While she looked at him like that, he’d go in any event she asked him to. He remembered the team sports they had been in together at uni. They’d played volleyball in a social club and competitive hockey; he was sure she was remembering too.

  ‘You’d better show me where to sign up.’

  Emma propped her chin in her hands as she looked away from him to Troy.

  ‘Why rainbow?’ Jeremy asked.

  Emma shrugged and looked to the others for help. ‘I can’t remember. Can anyone else?’

  No one came up with an answer and Emma laughed. ‘We’ll have to go back through the minutes if you really want to know.’