Arcadia by Di Morrissey

Author:Di Morrissey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Published: 2018-09-11T06:37:45+00:00

7

Lone Island, 2018

They were both crouching down on a patch of stubby dry grass, wrapped in jackets as the sun had yet to take the night-time crispness from the earth. It was a morning where in the sharp, fresh air a deep breath would catch in the lungs. Dan had described it as ‘one of those cut-glass clear mornings’, adding, ‘But it won’t last. The weather is unpredictable here.’

Jessica, wearing cotton gloves, was gently cutting samples of a grey–green grass that was growing in a small crevice beside the petroglyph, as Dan had directed. Sally was perched on a nearby rock, peering at her phone. ‘Dan, there’s only half a bar, does the reception get any better? The phone won’t work here,’ she called.

‘You’ll have to walk up the hill a bit more, Sally,’ he said. ‘See the two big rocks that look like an arch? There’s a spot beside them; face the north.’

‘Okay, I’ll give it a go. Thanks.’

When Sally was out of earshot, Jessica said, ‘Sal misses her family. She has a darling little girl, only four years old.’

‘That’s understandable. Did you both just set off on a road trip for fun, or are you serious about tracking down this family connection?’

‘We’re not sure if it’s actually a family connection . . .’ Jessica said, and hesitated.

‘Oh, I don’t want to pry, but I get the feeling there could be more to this. If Sally doesn’t mind, I’d like to pay a visit to the farm you mentioned at Shelter Bay. Seawinds, was it? From what you’ve described, they could be manufacturing or growing something of real interest. We heard a rumour about someone in that area doing interesting soil and plant experiments, which crosses into my field of plant physiology. But they haven’t been very forthcoming with their results, if they have any.’

‘I keep wondering why they are being so secretive,’ said Jessica. ‘The security for the shed seemed really tight.’

‘They might be protecting a possible money earner. Trying to register a patent and be the first to get it out on the market. Not everyone is as altruistic as my friend Sean.’

‘Well, the old lady who answered the door there didn’t seem to recognise Sally’s family name or Arcadia. On the other hand, although she ignored us when we mentioned the name Broadbent, her reaction made us think she seemed to know it. But she was pretty anxious to see us leave.’

‘You’d think a couple of women making inquiries about a family in the area wouldn’t be a threat,’ mused Dan.

‘Ooh, what’s this!’ Jessica’s attention was drawn to something in the crack in the old rock where she’d been carefully scraping away the soil around the wild grass’s roots.

‘Wait. Don’t pull it. Just gently brush around it. Hang on, let me photograph it. We need to record things in stages . . .’ Dan reached for his camera.

Jessica wriggled to one side as Dan leaned in, focusing the lens on the small protrusion, which was no larger than the top of a pencil.

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