Page 19

‘You wonder?’ Sandra looked up at him, her forehead creased in a slight frown.

‘I wonder if I should go back and find them. Or is that intrusive? Clive’s probably walked along the Ghan railway to have a look. He told me he’s an engineering historian.’

‘Maybe so early on the first day, it would be intrusive. It’s not as though it’s one person by themselves.’

‘You’re right, and ultimately Andrew makes the call, and everyone holds their own responsibility for getting to each stop on time. Okay, we’ll just focus on our walk until we get to Wallaby Gap. Are you happy to wait while I take a couple of quick shots? Or’—he looked at her carefully— ‘would you rather keep walking alone?’

It was hard to read her expression behind the big sunglasses.

‘I’m happy to have some company. I’ll sit here and have another drink while you take your photos.’

‘Good. I won’t be long.’

Sandra chatted to him as he set up his tripod and unwrapped one of the new wide-angled lenses he’d bought from Phillip.

‘As different as it is in colour, this landscape reminds me of a Monet painting. How he used small dabs and strokes of paint as part of his technique,’ she said.

‘That was a well-known technique of the Impressionists,’ Graysen said as he clicked the lens onto his Nikon. ‘The Pointillism movement took it further. Are you familiar with the work of Georges Seurat?’ He straightened and looked at her, taken aback to see her surprise on her face. ‘What’s wrong?

Sandra’s lips spread in a wide smile, and it hit him what a pretty woman she was. Last night she’d looked elegant and aloof in her plain dress and gold jewellery. Today her cheeks held a natural pink glow. Her blonde hair had slipped from the ponytail she’d tied it back in, and she looked vibrant and alive.

‘Nothing,’ she said. ‘Nothing at all. It’s just a pleasure to have someone know what I’m talking about And, yes, I am familiar with Pointillism and Seurat, and Signac.’

Graysen crouched a little and squared the shot, adjusting the depth of the lens slightly. He quickly snapped off half a dozen shots of the valley landscape. ‘A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte is a great example of his work.’

As he packed up the tripod, Sandra stood, reached up and tightened the band on her hair. ‘One of my favourites.’

She waited until Graysen was packed up and they began to walk along the ridge together. ‘My girls always know to give me art books for birthdays and Christmas, but unfortunately none of them inherited my love of art. They take after their father,’ she said.

‘How many do you have?’

‘Books?’

‘No, girls,’ he said with a laugh.

‘I have three daughters and a stepson.’

‘A good-sized family.’

‘You?’

‘Just me, now. My wife and I were never blessed with kids.’ Graysen didn’t want to continue with the personal stuff. He pointed down as the path narrowed. ‘Look at that.’

Below them, the jagged cliffs of Euro Ridge plunged down a precipitous drop to the valley below. To the east, their conversation lulled as sweeping views of Alice Springs and the McDonnell Range took their attention.

Chapter 6

Wallaby Gap

An hour later, Andrew walked over to meet Graysen and Sandra as they entered the Wallaby Gap campsite. Sandra was pleased they’d arrived at the rest area; her heavy-duty hiking boots had held up well and her feet weren’t blistered, but her legs were aching from the steep climb up the ridge. Once they’d reached the top, she’d been fine. It had been pleasant talking to Graysen, but when they’d started down towards the campsite—just over a kilometre walk—they’d both focused on negotiating the decline.

‘Good timing, guys,’ Andrew said. ‘Jodie just called. She’s about ten minutes out with our lunch.’ He looked past them. ‘Are Clive and Jenny far behind?’

‘I haven’t seen them since just after we started out. They fell back before we got to the bridge. I couldn’t see them from Euro Ridge either,’ Graysen said.

Andrew didn’t look particularly worried. ‘They’ll be setting their own pace. As long as we’re away from here by one-thirty, we’re on schedule.’

Sandra walked over to a picnic table in the sun and sat opposite Cecily and Paul. Not her choice of company, but she needed to get off her feet for a while. She pulled out her water bottle and took a deep drink. When she’d finished, she put her head back and closed her eyes.