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CHAPTER NINETEEN
LACEY HAD NEVER flown in a helicopter before. It was exhilarating, and she soaked up every second of the flight and the amazing scenery unfolding below her, despite the circumstances. A rich fabric of forests, deep ravines, soaring mountain precipices, waterfalls and lakes mesmerized her as she looked down through the window. She already knew Tasmania was a beautiful place but seeing it from above was something else indeed. She tried to find a way she might describe this to Sally-Ann when they got back to the station, because her colleague demanded to know everything; she’d always dreamed of a helicopter flight over the mountains. All those cliché words, like dramatic, diverse, and iconic were actually true, and Lacey couldn’t come up with any better description if she tried.
The pilot’s voice came through her headset, interrupting her sightseeing and reminding her to stop gawking and get back into work mode. “The spot I’m going to set you down is just up ahead.” He pointed toward a bald knoll in the distance. “You guys need to get ready to exit the aircraft as soon as I touch down. I’m not stopping, I’ll merely be hovering. The wind is picking up, and I won’t be able to hold it still for long.”
The pilot’s words didn’t instill Lacey with a lot of confidence, but when Nico laid his hand on her arm, she nodded that she was ready to go when he gave the word.
They’d been warned by Jake, the wilderness company owner that a change in the weather was forecast. A storm was brewing off the coast, washing away the unseasonably hot spell they’d just endured with an equally unseasonable cold front sweeping in from the northwest. But that was the Tasmania highlands, Jake had cheerfully told them. Expect four seasons in one day up there. Dark clouds were already gathering on the horizon, and the wind had become noticeably stronger, even as they waited at the airfield for the helicopter to pick them up.
Jake had also been kind enough to lend them most of the equipment they’d need to endure the wilderness for at least the next few days, a small backpack stuffed full of gear sitting at her feet. They were traveling light, and moving fast; they were supposed to be tracking down a killer, not playing tourist and stopping to gawk at every new vista. Jake had suggested they take him along as a guide, and Nico had seriously considered it. But then they discovered the helicopter they’d procured to take them up the mountain only had room for three people. Nico, herself, and the pilot. It was the only one capable of performing the delicate and difficult hover-landing on top of the hill rather than on a purpose-made helicopter pad.
She was surprised to learn there were at least five helicopter landing pads along the trail, situated at the main huts where most people overnighted. This not only allowed Parks and Wildlife to deliver services and supplies, but allowed the police rescue units to pull out injured hikers if necessary. There was even a helipad at Lake Windemere, but they weren’t going to use that drop-off-point. Nope. They were going to land on some isolated little barren hilltop, where there was no safe, purpose-made landing site. This was the reason they were using such a tiny helicopter, because it was maneuverable and could land just about anywhere. Or so the pilot had told her. Lacey gritted her teeth and pushed down the roiling sensation in her belly. Heights were not her friend. But she would deal with the fear the same way she dealt with most things. By facing it head-on and coming through the other side, hopefully unscathed.
Lacey had learnt a lot about this popular walking trail over the past few hours. The Overland Track was highly regulated, with only sixty walkers allowed on it every day. You had to book months in advance to secure a place. It was a one-way walk, beginning at Ronny Creek at the base of Cradle Mountain and finishing nearly fifty miles away at a place called Lake St Clair. It was possible to do the track in twenty-four hours if someone wanted to. But that was an extreme case, and most people stuck to the seven-day structure. There were also plenty of side-trips walkers could partake in to make the walk even longer and more protracted, usually up the top of a peak so you could get the best views.
Jake had confirmed that Teresa had taken her group through to the first official campsite, Waterfall Valley, and spent last night in the large communal hut there. Today they should be on their way to the next campsite, Lake Windemere, with a side trip to somewhere called Lake Will, where they were going to have lunch. Jake had tried numerous times to try and raise Teresa on the sat phone all morning, but so far, he’d only been able to leave messages. Teresa may turn her phone on when they stopped for lunch, he’d told them. But she may also not bother until her compulsory check-in at six pm tonight. At least they knew Teresa had been alive last night, which meant Sandra hadn’t yet caught up to her. Or was biding her time until she found an opportune moment. And they were working on the fact that no news was good news today. If anything had happened to Teresa this morning, a report was bound to have come in from one of the other hikers. But Lacey knew they were working against the clock. The longer Sandra was out there, the more chance she had to get her revenge. They needed to find Teresa and her group soon. By tonight at the latest.
“Get ready, I’m going in,” the pilot’s disembodied voice sounded in her ears. Lacey’s stomach lurched at the thought of jumping out of a helicopter into an unknown wilderness. Nico’s blue eyes met hers, his steady gaze calming some of the butterflies in her belly. She nodded that she was ready and grabbed hold of her backpack with one hand and prepared to undo her seat belt with the other. “Don’t forget to take off your headset,” Nico reminded her, tapping his own headset with a finger, then watched as she stripped it off and placed it on the seat beside her, following suit a few seconds later. The noise of the helicopter was almost unbearable without the headphones, but she watched with more than a little trepidation as the small helicopter got closer and closer to the ground, until the pilot signaled Nico, and he yanked open the side door. The fierce wind threatened to suck her out of the aircraft and she clung on to the handlebar with all her might.
Nico glanced back quickly; then he was leaning out of the helicopter. She saw that the landing skids hovered a few feet off the ground, and she watched him jump onto the rocky terrain, ducking away from the rotor blades, backpack held tightly in one hand. He turned and beckoned her down. Lacey had no time to think, had no choice but to jump out. So she did, bracing for impact, making sure she didn’t stumble and fall as she landed. The downdraft made it almost impossible to speak, blowing dirt and debris in the air, and Lacey covered her eyes. Nico grabbed her and they both hunkered down on the ground, waiting until the helicopter had lifted off again before standing.
“Let’s hope nobody spotted us,” Nico said gruffly, shouldering the backpack and turning to check his surroundings.
Lacey very much doubted they’d escaped the notice of everyone on the track. A helicopter—even a small one—landing on top of a rocky outcrop was bound to attract attention. The pilot, in consultation with Jake, had chosen this particular spot because it was less than two hours walk from Lake Windemere, and near the turnoff Teresa and her group would’ve taken to Lake Will for their lunchtime sojourn. It was also away from the main trail, which threaded down into a ravine by the side of a beautiful lake to their left, keeping curious eyes from hopefully seeing what they were up to. Unless someone was standing on top of that pimple-shaped peak over there—in which case they would’ve seen the whole thing—they’d hopefully remained unobserved. This was a clandestine mission. They were hoping to stay under the radar and away from Sandra Brown’s notice until they had her in their sights.
With no clear idea as to where exactly Sandra might be along the trail, another team was traversing from the beginning of the trailhead. Gorman and Tyrell had been chosen for this task, and they’d already started the trek an hour or so earlier. They were to sweep the trail right from the start to make sure she hadn’t doubled back, or perhaps wasn’t going as fast as everyone expected. While it was clear Sandra wasn’t an experienced hiker—she never did much of anything outdoors according to Taj—it seemed she’d kept herself extremely fit by using a personal trainer at a local gym. Nico had commented on how buff she’d looked back when they’d first interviewed her, so they knew she was physically up to the task. Another team, Lawson and Hickey, were on their way via helicopter to the next scheduled overnight stop, Pelion Hut, which had a proper landing pad, to make sure Sandra hadn’t somehow got ahead of Teresa and her group and was perhaps planning an ambush. Three teams all intent on finding one woman. Surely they could do this. Each team had a satellite phone in order to stay in touch.
“Lake Windemere is that way.” Nico pointed down the slope. “We should be able to join up with the trail if we head straight down,” he added. She shouldered her pack and slotted in behind him. His long-legged pace was fast, and she almost had to jog to keep up. Dressed in casual shorts, T-shirt, and hiking boots—courtesy of Jake—Lacey felt a chill breeze ripple over her bare arms as the sun disappeared behind the encroaching cloud bank and was glad of the thick fleece and rain jacket she had tucked in her bag. Glancing at the dark rain clouds, she decided they might well need their wet weather gear sooner rather than later.
A large pimple-shaped peak got steadily closer as they walked. Lacey decided it must be the peak they called Barn Bluff, and they were going to pass right by it on their way to Lake Windemere it seemed. It was the most prominent mountain for as far as Lacey could see, its low, scrubby, scree-filled foothills giving way to soaring rocky outcrops that reached stone fingers to the sky, bare and barren, where nothing grew. The view from up there would be spectacular, Lacey decided.
As they came down off the ridge, Lacey spotted a gray line weaving its way between the trees below them. It was a raised boardwalk marching off into the highland plateau beyond. They’d found the trail. Casting furtive glances below, Lacey could see no one else in either direction. They hurried down the last bit of the slope and their feet landed safely on the wooden walkway. They’d made it to the trail, hopefully undetected.
“Over the first hurdle,” Nico announced as his head swiveled exactly the same way Lacey’s had.
“Now we just need to find her,” Lacey replied. They were taking a bit of a gamble, because if Sandra saw them both, she might recognize them, even in their civilian clothes with caps pulled down low and sunglasses on. But Nico was determined to be the one to capture her. His reputation relied on getting this right. Not that he didn’t trust the rest of his team. But like most detectives worth their salt, he thought he was the best man for the job.
Nico increased their pace even more after they hit the boardwalk, an air of tension humming between them. They walked in silence, their crucial task keeping them moving at a brisk pace, the fatigue from lack of sleep fading with the adrenaline needed to keep going. A girl’s life may well be on the line, and she and Nico might be the only ones able to save her. At least the raised boardwalks made the hiking easier, as well as saving the fragile vegetation from hordes of trampling feet. Lacey had studied a map of the area while they were waiting for the helicopter, and she knew the turnoff to Lake Will should be coming up soon. It was now after midday, and Jake had assured them Teresa and her group would be heading in that direction, if they weren’t already at the lake, lazing around enjoying the scenery.
She was puffing hard by the time they reached the sign to Lake Will, and while Nico stopped to get his bearings, she took the opportunity to take a long drink from her water bottle. She’d also warmed up considerably, and the chilly wind was almost welcome against her hot skin. But the clouds were still gathering on the horizon. Lacey hoped, perhaps in vain, they might capture Sandra and this might be all over and done with before the storm hit. But the pilot had warned them that depending on how ferocious the storm became, a helicopter may not make it back into that terrain until the weather was more favorable. Meaning, they’d be stuck on the Overland Track for at least tonight, and maybe longer.
“What do you think?” Nico stared at the fork in the path. “Shall we follow them in?”
“Jake said they’d stop for lunch by the lake for at least an hour.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s only half past twelve. They’ve probably just arrived.” She wondered where he was going with his musings.
“But Jake also said they’d come back out this way to continue the trail to Windemere,” he said, pursing his lips.
“But what if they don’t? Or what if we miss them somehow?” Why was Nico second-guessing himself? Now, of all times?
As they talked it over, Lacey spotted two people farther ahead on the trail. “See those people up there?” She pointed to the tiny figures in the distance. The trail ran clear and straight for a good couple of miles from here. “We’ve been steadily gaining on those two for the last half an hour. But I haven’t seen anyone else ahead of them. I reckon if Teresa hadn’t turned off, we’d be able to see their group up ahead.” Jake assured them Teresa’s crowd would be the biggest on the trail today. There were other groups, mainly in twos or fours booked in to traverse the trail, and another guided tour of eight walkers was due to start tomorrow, but for now, Teresa’s bunch would be the biggest and most obvious.
“What if one of us stayed here, at the turnoff, just in case?” Nico pulled his sunglasses down his nose, his blue gaze meeting hers.
“No, Nico.” Lacey was adamant, because she knew who theone of us would be. It’d be her, and no way was she staying behind. “We need to stick to the plan.” She lowered her own sunglasses so she could look him directly in the eye.
She was eternally grateful that Nico had agreed she be the one to accompany him. She knew she’d pushed the boundaries of their relationship by asking. Because she knew he couldn’t refuse her anything right now, not while their relationship was still fragile. And she used that weakness to get what she wanted. She’d played on his insecurities. On his innate need to protect her at all costs. That was probably unfair of her, putting him in such a predicament, but her need to accompany him had outweighed any feelings of guilt. She’d been prepared to play her ace, if he hadn’t readily agreed—tell him that she felt unsafe alone at home while the mysterious person who’d broken into their house was still at large. Which wasn’t strictly true, because she was only mildly worried the man would come back, especially now Nico had more security installed. And there were other options for her to avoid being alone at home; she could go and stay with a friend, or a colleague. But she needed to be with Nico, because this was a dangerous op, and while she trusted him to look after himself, she couldn’t stand the idea of not knowing what was going on. He might claim that his overprotective nature was what drove him to keep her safe no matter what, but she also had a vested interest in his safety. She couldn’t bear to lose him, and the best way she knew to safeguard him was to be the one protecting his back.
He considered her for a few unnerving seconds, before he finally said, “Yes, you’re right. We need to stick together.”
