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| "Laura's Nightmare" Copyright Francis Blow, 1989. |
| CHAPTER 4 |
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| As soon as she was able, Laura went for a driving permit. |
| She had studied as hard for the verbal test as she had for school exams, and passed with a hundred percent. Next were the driving lessons. |
| Her ability to fly a plane, combined with her singular experience behind the wheel of a car at Dubbo, gave Laura the confidence to make a good start on her lessons. It came as no surprise to her driving instructor when Laura passed the practical test, shortly after her seventeenth birthday. |
| Intermixed with the driving lessons, were several tours to organise. Those tours which were held on weekends, Laura took herself, as guide, but, because of her studies, she was not allowed to take more time off school. Tours during weekdays were more difficult to co-ordinate, though some groups had their own guides, while others were shared by Jem, Marcus and Simone. |
| Laura and Marcus found little time to be alone together, though weekend tours gave them time to get to know each other better. |
| Laura's evenings were normally spent studying, with one night devoted to karate training, as she was trying to advance to her brown belt. Once in a while, Laura managed to squeeze a night off out of her schedule, and she and Marcus went out to movies, dinner or just had time to relax together in front of the TV. |
| Laura's swimming practice was reduced to rare moments in their pool, and to those times on weekends when she took a group to a large enough swimming hole or a beach. Her running, at least, continued, with her jogging to school and back nearly every day. As for her flying practice, Laura reduced her sessions to once a month, after she passed the stringent flying tests. |
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| "I think it's time to get a car for the business," Laura told her parents. "I have a good credit rating with the bank, and enough deposit for a new car." |
| John rubbed his chin, considering. "Does it have to be new? And what kind of car would you get?" |
| "Won't second hand look unprofessional? I thought a mini bus would be good, since my weekend tours usually take less than six people from the backpacker hotel." |
| "Good idea about the van. As for professional, why not get something two to three years old? If you get it signwritten, you'll have a good, almost new car and save a few thousand dollars." |
| With her father accompanying her, Laura went car hunting. |
| First she tried the car yards, more to see what kind of vehicle would suit her, and settled on two makes of van. Next, was searching the newspaper classifieds, visiting private sellers and seeing what was offered. |
| Once she settled on a mini bus that passed a mechanic's inspection, Laura left a deposit and went to her bank for a personal loan. A few days later, Laura was the proud owner of a seven seater van, bright red, except for signs on the sides and back that proclaimed "L. Shell Concepts, Tours & Promotions". The best part about the car, as far as Gran was concerned, was that it was tax deductable. Laura did not care about the details, she was pleased to have her own transport. |
| With her increased mobility, Laura could organise tours into areas well away from public transport. It was on one such tour that things went drastically wrong. |
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| Laura picked up five young tourists from a backpackers hotel, which was something she did at least once a month. She was driving to one of her favourite, remote locations, and was on a narrow, dirt road bordered by drainage ditches. The nearest traffic was at least five kilometres away, or so Laura thought. |
| A flash of movement in her mirrors almost distracted Laura from negotiating a curve in the road. She registered the fact another car was coming from behind, but kept most of her attention on the rutted road. |
| A shockingly loud bang was followed by Laura losing control of the van, her passengers screamed, trees flashed past and the minibus came to a sudden stop, nose first in a ditch. Laura was too stunned to do much at first, then she turned off the engine, and asked if anyone was hurt. |
| Before she finished speaking, doors were pulled open, and guns were pointed at Laura and her passengers. |
| "No sudden moves! Pass out all your valuables. Wallets, jewellery, cameras. Your backpacks too. You! Outside!" |
| Laura found herself dragged halfway out, and tangled in her seatbelt. She was backhanded by her attacker, who ordered her to get out. Fumbling with the belt release, Laura fought back tears of pain. |
| A rough hand grabbed her hair, and was pushing her down, when Laura's karate training took over. Her elbow slammed backwards, and she felt her attacker's rib snap, just before she spun around to land two hard punches into his masked face. |
| Laura did not hear the shouts and screams around her, as she concentrated on getting the sawn-off shotgun away from the staggering man. Beside her, the door window exploded in a roar of noise, glass spraying everywhere, and someone yelled: "You idiot! You nearly hit Joe. Get around the side and cover her!" |
| With no where to go, Laura found herself surrounded by men with guns, while her first assailant stumbled away, clutching his injured chest. One man came close to Laura and pressed the barrel of his automatic pistol against the middle of Laura's stomach. |
| "One twitch, girl. Just one sound, and your guts will be decorating the landscape. Lie down, on your face, hands behind your back." |
| While here wrists were being cruely bound, Laura saw that her passengers were being searched and systematically robbed. Her own pockets were emptied by offensive hands, then a heavy kick to her side left her gagging and nearly insensible. |
| Laura could not recall how long she lay gasping for breath, her face pressed against the dirt, but it was probably only seconds before she heard a car accelerate away, showering her van in gravel. |
| The backpackers, who had not been tied, rolled Laura onto her side, and cut away the bindngs from her wrists. Once she was able to take stock of the situation, Laura saw she was the only person who had been beaten, but, unfortunately, her car was stuck in the ditch, and the front right tyre had been hit by the same blast that destroyed the door. |
| "You sit," the eldest backpacker told her. A Swede, he spoke broken English, but took charge of the others. "You rest. We fix car." |
| When Laura saw what they were doing, she got up and added her strength to theirs, pushing and levering the mini bus back onto the roadway. Then the Swedish man changed the damaged tyre. |
| By then, Laura was fit to drive, and she took them all to a service station, where she rang the police and her mother. |
| Carla arrived at the same time an ambulance got there, and managed to supervise Laura's examination. |
| Unlike her first assailant, Laura had no broken bones, though there were shallow scratches along her back, where shotgun pellets or flying glass had grazed past her. Laura's wrists were encircled with bleeding welts, and a bruise was darkening her stomach and side. |
| The police were not able to get much more from Laura than they had from the other victims, though she was able to estimate, from their voices, that both the men who had been close to her were in their late thirties or early fourties. There was a good description of the car the thieves drove, including the number plate, but none of their faces, and the only name mentioned was "Joe", the man whose ribs Laura broke. |
| "They got all the money, Mum. I'll have to get money out of the bank to repay all the people. And the car's a mess." |
| The shock of what happened set in, and Laura was sobbing against her mother's shoulder. |
| "Don't worry about the car, Baby. It's insured, and no one was badly hurt. A few scratches and bruises will heal in no time. Everything's fine now. Hush, Baby, hush." |
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| To avoid the reporters, Laura slept over at Jem's house for the week. |
| She did not miss any school, and she refunded all the money to the backpackers. Her car, however, was first taken by the police, to examine it for evidence, before it was released back to Laura's father, so it could be repaired. The insurance company was sympathetic, but could do nothing about the stolen money and property. |
| When two of the backpackers demanded Laura pay for new cameras and other stolen equipment, her father put his foot down. |
| "Read the agreement. It has the standard clause about lost or stolen property being your own responsibility. Laura was not even obliged to refund your camping fees." |
| Financially, the robbery was a heavy setback. Two other tour bookings were cancelled, Laura had to pay for part of the car repairs and she made sure she upgraded her insurance for the business. On the other hand, Laura was able to put more time into study than she planned, and, soon enough, bookings started once more. |
| She was doing so well at school, that when she was asked to start a tour on a Thursday night and go through until the following Sunday, Laura managed to coax her parents into agreeing to her having the Friday off. |
| The van was as good as new, when she drove it to collect one load of tourists from two hotels, and Jem used her own mother's car to get a married couple from another hotel. |
| Their two cars were parked beside a small marina, where a pair of yachts were berthed. While some of the crew loaded the luggage, Laura told the passengers what to expect from their weekend afloat, and Jem took photos. |
| Laura and Jem got out of paying for their berths by agreeing to be cooks for the two yachts. Laura took the smaller yacht, because it had the worst berth. |
| The cook's bunk was literally in the galley; a fold-down shelf less than a metre wide supported a thin mattress, it could be reached by climbing half way up the galley's access ladder. There was almost not enough space to put the contents of her overnight bag, though Laura had allowed for that, by packing one swimsuit and three crushproof dresses, as well as toiletries, pyjamas and a spray jacket. |
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| As soon as everyone was settled aboard, the yachts set off, using desiel engines, until they were out of the sheltering cove, and could set sail. The two girls were already preparing the evening meal, with each catering for nine people. As the days were very warm, and the nights balmy, the menu was cold chicken and salad dinners, to be followed by fruit salad and icecream. |
| Once the individual dinners were stored in the ample cold lockers, Laura and Jem brought out cameras and started taking snaps of the passengers, either relaxing or helping the skippers pilot the yachts. |
| Fortunately for the girls, the crew were experienced in entertaining tourists with stories and histories of their vessels, as well as the waters they were sailing. |
| At one point, as had been prearranged, the two yachts sailed within a few metres of each other, so photos could be taken across the foaming water, though the sound of wind and waves made conversation between vessels almost impossible. |
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| Once the yachts were moored on the sheltered side of a small island, the meal was served with champaign. It was well received; coffee and port were offered after desert. |
| Laura slipped below, while passengers and crew relaxed, so she could change into her swimming costume. The combined shower and toilet, or as the crew called it, "the head", was severly cramped, and Laura shuddered at the thought of trying to shower there. A nice long swim in the sea would be all the wash she needed. |
| While the others looked on, accompanied by an anonymous wolf whistle, Laura dove into the deep, calm water, and struck out for the island. She knew the island was popular with local sailors, and there were probably other boats moored nearby, but she did not care, pretending she was the first person to set foot on the tiny, white beach. |
| Apart from the scuttling crabs, Laura's footprints were the only things marking the virgin sand, as she walked the seven metres from the water to the verdant jungle of fig trees and thick shrubs. |
| There was a narrow animal trail, leading towards the cliff, and, with cool leaves brushing her on both sides. Laura followed its twisting climb, to the top. |
| Laura expected a clearing. Instead, she found a gnarled and stunted banyan, clinging to a lichen covered boulder. There was barely enough room to squeeze between the knotted trunk, on one side, and a long fall on the other, but, holding on with one hand to a branch, and her bare feet dangling, Laura sat, surveying the horizon and the two yachts, more than fourty metres below her. |
| Playful breezes lifted the long, wet hair from her shoulders, and Laura felt totally at peace. |
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| Laura's watch was with her clothes, so she was unsure how long she stayed enjoying the solitude, when the blare of a horn sounded from one of the yachts. |
| The sun was nearing the horizon, as Laura took to the descending path, and many times walked in deep shadow. She ran across the beach and launched herself through the water, closing the distance to the smaller yacht in short time. |
| One of the crew tossed Laura her towel, and winked at her, so she was reasonably certain where the whistle came from, earlier. |
| Her hands dry, Laura took up her camera, and used the sunset to compose romantic photos of the two couples in her care. She protested her wet costume would soak the passengers' clothes, when they wanted photos taken which included Laura, but the nice sailor took the camera from her, and Laura had to sit with each couple. |
| "My name's Barry," the sailor said, handing the camera back. |
| When Laura introduced herself, he nodded, grinning. "I know. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." |
| Laura felt herself blush from chest to hairline, and put up her free hand to hide her face. Barry laughed, a friendly chuckle. |
| "I didn't mean to embarass you, Laura. It's the simple truth. I don't suppose you've got a boyfriend?" |
| "As a matter of fact, I do. And you're a fast worker, Barry." Laura countered. |
| He sighed, and began talking. |
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| Somehow, Laura found herself sitting with Barry, leaning against the mast, and acting as if they had known each other for years. |
| It was after midnight, the yacht in darkness, except for mooring lights, when they went to their cabins. Working by touch, Laura changed into cotton pyjamas, and climbed onto her hard, narrow bunk, thinking she would have a terrible night's sleep, with the yacht's constant rocking. |
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| It was quite a surprise for her, when Laura came instantly, refreshingly awake. |
| The skipper was shaking her shoulder. |
| "It's seven o'clock, lass, and the crew will want breakfast. Just get the coffee on. They'll take care of the rest, while you get yourself ready to serve the passengers." |
| She smiled and wished him good morning, before making sure the head was empty, so she could change into her swim suit, over which she pulled a pale green dress. She tied her hair back with a green ribbon, and started work for the day, setting out cereal, fruit, together with the tea and coffee, and putting toast under the gas griller. |
| Laura had the galley tidied up within fifteen minutes of the last straggler, at nine o'clock, and reported to the skipper, "All ship shape and ready for the high seas, Captain, Sir!" |
| Her snappy salute brought a gap-toothed grin to his face. |
| "No wonder young Barry's not got his mind on the job, lass. I wish the the crew woke as bright eyed and bushytailed as you. Well, it's past time we were under way. Let's hope we get fair winds, to carry us to our next port of call." |
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| The rest of the weekend was just as enjoyable for Laura, who secretly felt she had the most fun of everyone, including the passengers. Despite his early come-on, Barry's attentions to Laura never got past the friendly stage. Laura liked him, but she was not interested in getting rid of Marcus yet. |
| On Sunday morning, before they were due to weigh anchor for the return trip, the two yachts were manoeuvred together, so there could be group photos, and Jem asked Laura "Did you have any trouble with the local squid population?" |
| "Squid? No. What do you mean?" Laura gave a quzzical glance at her friend. |
| Jem indicated one of the crew on her yacht. "Him. I swear he's got eight arms. It got so bad, I had to threaten to hit him with the tripod. What about that guy who's been hanging around you?" |
| Before Laura could reply, it was time to go back to her yacht, and they were under way. The marina came in sight late that morning, and Laura noticed Jem madly taking photos of their destination, so she snapped a few herself. |
| As she was focusing for one photo, Laura saw a figure moving quickly away from the buildings. |
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| "Stand by the stern line, Laura!" The skipper called, as he gave orders to the rest of the crew. |
| Laura waited, rope in hand, as the yacht came in close to the dock. |
| Barry was at the front, and he jumped ashore, to tie his rope. The yacht's speed was judged so finely by the skipper, there was the slightest bump, and Laura skipped over onto the wooden planks, so she could secure her line. |
| When the passengers were ashore, laughing and claiming that the dock was swaying, Laura agreed. After their time aboard, they would all have to get their "land legs" back. |
| Laura was supervising the passengers and luggage, when Jem came back from putting her camera equipment in her parents' car. |
| "We've got a problem, Laura," Jem whispered. "Someone's been fiddling with your van." |
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| "Look at the bottom, there on the side," Jem pointed. She and Laura were alone, studying Jem's car. |
| Greasy fingerprints on the red paint, and marks in the dirt indicated somebody had been crawling under the mini bus. |
| Jem took Laura's hand and pulled her away. "Maybe I'm overly suspicious, but I thought I saw someone running away from here as we were coming in." |
| "Me too," Laura agreed. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" |
| "Car bomb?" The two girls studied each other. |
| Laura came to a decision. "You go call for four taxis, and I'll tell the passengers the van's broken down. When they've gone, we'll call the police." |
| Laura gave Jem the number of the taxi company with which she had an account, then apologised to the passengers. |
| An hour and a half later, the police and fire brigade arrived. |
| A mirror and light, attatched to a pole, allowed them to examine under the mini bus. |
| "Better get the bomb squad," the officer with the pole told his collegue. "There's some kind of package there. You two girls better leave. Give me the keys to the van, and I'll see it gets left at Gosford police station." |
| As Jem drove them away in the other car, Laura could not help wondering if there would be anything left of her mini bus to pick up. She said a silent prayer for the policemen then, and again, later that day, at church. |
