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‘Turned back? This is the only track. They couldn’t have. We would have passed them.’

Zed came over followed closely by Miska and Maggie. Sandy looked over at Graysen and frowned.

He gestured for her to stay where she was in the shade.

Andrew looked at Zed. ‘Can you tell us exactly what happened?’

‘About half an hour into the climb we—Miska and Maggie and I—came across them. Cecily was sitting on the ground and howling, Paul was swearing at her and poor P.D. was trying to keep the peace. She’d stepped on a loose rock and rolled her ankle, she said.’

‘She said?’

Zed pulled a face. ‘Miska and I had a look at it, and there was no sign of a sprain or swelling.’

‘We tried to tell them to stay there and wait, but Paul insisted on going.’ Maggie looked upset. ‘He told Cecily she was useless and he was over this fucking trek, and they were going home.’

‘P.D. said he’d help Paul until they got back to you, and that you could call for help.’

‘Why didn’t P.D. call me on his satellite phone?’

Zed shrugged. ‘I got the impression he thought you’d only be a few minutes away.’

Andrew ran his hand through his hair. ‘Well, where the bloody hell are they? They can’t simply have disappeared into thin air.’ He looked around and his eyes did a three-sixty sweep of the landscape. ‘Can you guys take my pack and get the morning tea supplies out of it, please? I’ll try and call P.D. and base and get some help out here.’

Andrew slipped the huge pack off his back and unzipped it. He reached down to the bottom and pulled out a square red phone with a thick antenna.

Andrew walked over to the edge of the drop and then looked up. ‘I’ll just climb up that knoll so I can get a clear signal to the Iridium satellite.’

Zed and Graysen carried the pack over to the shade where Zed had been lying.

‘Excuse me a minute, mate,’ Graysen said. ‘I’ll just let Sandy know what’s going on.’ He left Zed unpacking the supplies.

‘What’s wrong?’ Sandy stood as Graysen walked across to her.

‘Apparently P.D. and Paul were carrying Cecily back the way we came, but they appear to have gone missing. She said she’d hurt her ankle, but Zed and Miska seem to think there wasn’t much wrong with it.’

‘I suppose they’d know, being doctors.’

‘And you never know what Paul and Cecily would get up to, to get their own way. Anyway, come on over and have something to eat. You’re looking a lot better. You’ve got some colour back in your face.’

‘I just want water,’ Sandra said. ‘If there’s some fruit, I’ll get an apple for later. Would you like one?’

‘Yes, please.’

As Sandy walked across to the rest of the group, Andrew scrambled down the rocky cliff face and landed in front of Graysen. ‘Graysen, can I have a word please. In private.’

‘Did you see something from up there?’ he asked quietly as he followed Andrew along the trail until they were out of sight.

‘No, but, mate, I’m going out on a limb here. I know you’re who you say you are. You’ve got a rep as a nature photographer and I’ve seen your photos in magazines.’

‘So?’

‘So, I don’t trust anyone else on this trek. There’s something going on and I don’t know what it is.’ Perspiration ran down Andrew’s forehead and he brushed it out of his eyes impatiently.

‘Did you get onto P.D.?’

‘No, and that’s another problem. Someone’s taken the battery out of my phone. And I’m guessing the spare battery won’t be in the pack either. I’ll go and have a look now without making it obvious.’

‘If it’s not, what are you going to do?’