This part made a little more sense. It laid out the blueprints to some kind of facility, measured and drawn in exquisite detail. A report on the building stated that it had closed down a few months ago for private use. There was a comprehensive analysis of its usefulness for an unnamed client, including the fact that it was miles away from prying eyes, which apparently made it perfect for their needs. Needs which were seemingly undisclosed in the report.
‘Kate,’ he said, beckoning her over. He held out the papers. ‘Do you know what this is?’
She studied the blueprint for a moment, then nodded. ‘It’s a concrete plant. Belongs to Rafael Constructions. I’ve delivered letters to some of the workers there a few times, back when I had a short stint at Jameson Post as a courier. Haven’t been there in over a year. It’s in the middle of nowhere.’
‘Do you know how to get there?’
She nodded again. ‘I think so.’
‘Something’s going on there. I can’t work it out. Take a look at this.’
He handed over the first cluster of notes. Kate flicked the pages over, eyes narrowed, concentrating hard. When she reached the end she let out an exasperated sigh and passed them back.
‘Absolutely no idea,’ she said. ‘But it looks dangerous.’
‘You know what I’m about to say.’
‘King, you’re in no shape to just barge in there.’
He rose off the bed and shook the pages in her face. ‘Did you read what I just did? This is big. I have a feeling a lot of people are going to die if I don’t try to do something about it.’
‘And did you hear what we just talked about?’ Kate said, raising her voice. ‘How long are you going to keep putting your life on the line? You quit the Force to get away from all this shit. How much more are you going to take? They already could have killed you, you said it yourself.. I don’t think this is something we can just waltz in and stop.’
King fetched the keys to Billy’s sedan off the table, his head pounding, his brow sweaty. ‘I have to try.’
‘Jason!’
‘You want me to leave? After I’ve found out that an old friend is in on this?’
‘I want us to leave.’
‘I’m sorry, Kate,’ he said. ‘Not happening. I’ve had plenty of chances to walk away. Now I can’t.’
‘You can. You’re the only one stopping yourself.’
‘Not after what I’ve learnt.’
They stood facing each other for what felt like an hour, when in reality it could not have been more than a minute.
‘Well, what am I supposed to do?’ she said.
‘Get as far away from me as possible. Like I’ve been telling you this whole time.’
‘I’m coming with you.’
He paused. ‘That is the complete opposite of what I just said.’
‘If you’re not going to leave, then I’m not. I’ll see it out.’
‘It’s your choice, Kate. I won’t stop you, but I can’t promise that you’ll be fine either. I don’t even know if I’ll be alive at the end of the day.’
She shrugged. ‘That makes two of us, I guess.’
King gripped her hand as they made their way back to the car. He unlocked it and they climbed in. A strange smell permeated the vehicle. The combination of lead and smoke and blood and destroyed mechanics. He started it up. The battered engine took a moment, but it chugged to life soon enough and settled into a steady rhythm.
‘Possibly the most reliable car in human history,’ he muttered. He pressed three fingers against his temple, wincing through a particularly vicious wave of nausea. The concussion, rearing its ugly head. Then he sucked it up and touched his foot to the accelerator.
They drove through the empty streets of Hurst, which turned out to be very similar to all the other small towns King had seen during his travels through Australia. They left a crowded main road that acted as the bustling heart of the area, complete with an array of local businesses. As the buildings grew distant and the trees wrapped around them once again, the feeling of seclusion crept back in. It seemed no-one spent time on the roads between towns.
The drive to the concrete plant took longer than expected. Winding roads cut through the forest like a knife through butter, making the scenery identical no matter which way they travelled. They headed in the direction of Jameson. Kate peered out the window, strangely silent.
‘You okay?’ he asked her.
‘I’ve never thought about dying this much before. I don’t know how to feel.’
‘It’s a strange feeling. And nothing I say will help you suppress it. Trust me, I’ve been feeling that emotion for years.’
‘You haven’t become numb to it?’
‘You can’t. But I’ve dealt with it so much that it feels normal. Which isn’t healthy.’
Kate flicked her eyes ahead, then pointed to the left where it branched off to a dusty side road. ‘Down there.’
This rutted track took them through farmland, where great swathes of the forest had been carved out to make way for pastures. Long, low farmhouses dotted the landscape, surrounded by paddocks of mixed grasses and endless rows of fence posts. A few were topped with barbed wire, which had rusted from the elements long ago. Sheep, cows and horses covered many of the paddocks.
‘I lived with a family here when I first flew over,’ Kate said. ‘I helped them out around the farm, all day every day, until I could get on my feet. They were lovely people.’
‘Sometimes I wish I’d gone down a route like this,’ King said. ‘Open skies, long days of labour, full meals. I wouldn’t have had to fear for my life every single day.’
‘But a lot of innocent people would have died. You wouldn’t have been there to save them. You’ve lived a good life, even if it wasn’t pleasant.’
‘Have I?’
In the distance they heard the rumble of a tractor sweeping over its paddock. King took a moment to let the serenity of the setting wash over him. Down the track, the top of the concrete plant rose out of the forest.
They were close.
When the pastures ended the trees swallowed them up once more. This section seemed to be a little more remote than the others. The trunks were clustered closer together. The moss winding around the trunks grew thicker. The weeds covering the forest floor stood higher. It felt like no-one had set foot in these parts for years.
‘Long to go?’ he asked Kate, slightly unnerved by the change of setting.
’Not far now,’ she said. ‘I told you it was in the middle of nowhere.’
Finally the track led into another clearing, indistinguishable from all the others King had seen during his time in Australian woodland. This one had been set on a slope which descended ever so slightly in the opposite direction. The majority of the space was taken up by the concrete plant, broken up into two sections. The main facility was an enormous warehouse, constructed of steel. Behind it lay the concrete plant itself. Six massive cement bins towered over the warehouse, clustered close together. They were all connected to a belt conveyor that descended into the main building, bringing all the structures together into an amalgamation of industrial prowess.
Already, the effects of neglect were beginning to set into the plant. It seemed the freezing weather had started taking a toll on the outer surfaces of the plant. Machinery left out in the open had been worn down by the elements, the dormant cement bins had rusted and the whole place had a feel of dilapidation about it.
They got out of the car and crossed the open stretch of ground. No sounds of activity came from the plant. It appeared deserted. King took the lead as they approached a small door at the front of the warehouse. He made sure to be cautious. Aware of all his surroundings. Ready for an ambush. No-one would sneak up on him this time.