THIRTY-ONE
Thirty-one
The days following were a blur of elation and painstaking excavation.
On closer inspection, the rose was found to be an older variety, one lesser known and rare to be found in gardens nowadays, called a Scots Rose. It had been brought to Australia from Scotland and the UK in the early 1800s to beautify colonial gardens, and it could not have ended up here accidentally. The reason for its position soon became obvious once the GPR machine uncovered a grave-shaped area beside it.
There had probably never been a headstone or marker, but either someone had planted the rose bush by the grave or it had somehow grown from a flower left on it—Damian wasn’t sure. But, despite the fact they had no solid evidence that this was even Catherine’s grave, he knew in his heart that it was.
Lottie had been cooking dinner when her phone rang, and she was surprised to see it was Damian. He never called this late. Her heart picked up speed as she answered, worried. ‘Damian? Are you okay?’
‘I think we found her.’
At first, she didn’t know what he was talking about, still sure he was calling to tell her something was wrong, but it only lasted a split-second. ‘Catherine? You found Catherine?’
‘It’s got to be her,’ he said, and she could hear the grin in his voice, finding a matching one spreading across her own face.
He went on to tell her how he literally stumbled upon it, and although she’d continued listening to his story, her mind had latched on to the bit he’d glossed over.
‘Did you hurt yourself?’
‘Not really. I’ve got a bit of a sore ankle, nothing serious.’
‘Did you get it looked at?’
‘It’s just a sprain,’ he brushed it off lightly.
‘I’m coming up,’ she said, suddenly deciding now was as good a time as any.
‘You’re more than welcome to come up, but if it’s because you’re worried about my ankle, I mean it, I’m fine.’
‘Well, it’d be pretty cool to see what you’ve found too,’ she admitted. ‘And I’ve missed you.’
‘I miss you too.’ His tone lowered, making her stomach do a little flip-flop. ‘I really want you up here with me, but maybe give it a couple of days. I probably should be resting it for a bit and I want to be able to walk on it to show you the dig site.’
She knew it. He wasn’t telling her the whole truth about his fall. She was ready to hike that damn mountain immediately except common sense reminded her that all sorts of creepy crawlies came out at night, not to mention that it was cold.
‘Okay,’ she agreed, reluctantly, after he promised to organise to meet her in a few days’ time.
Now that the day was here, Lottie was experiencing a range of feelings. She was eager to see Damian after three weeks, and she was also excited by the prospect of watching an actual, real-life archaeological dig. And she was very, very cold.
She pulled her coat around her more firmly and braced herself against the chill as she waited for the four-wheel drive that was coming to pick her up from where she’d parked the car. At least this time she wouldn’t have to trek, since a track had been made in order to transport equipment to the campsite for the film and excavation crew. Damian had warned her that the track was narrow, steep and definitely not suited for the likes of her little car.
Finally, a vehicle came into view, crawling over the steep inclines and around treacherous bends.
When it pulled to a stop, Damian opened the passenger door and slowly got out of the car to greet her.
‘Are you okay?’ she asked, worried by the tightness of his face.
‘I’m fine.’
‘Yeah, well, your idea of fine and mine seem to be two different things,’ she replied. ‘I wanted to make sure you were really okay.’
‘It’s just a sprain,’ he assured her before introducing her to the tall, skinny man who climbed from the driver’s seat. ‘This is Ben.’
‘Hi Ben,’ Lottie said.
‘Apparently you’ve got some supplies for the camp?’ Ben asked after they had exchanged some brief small talk.
‘Oh, yes, in the boot.’ Lottie went to the back of her car and helped unload a number of grocery bags and a parcel she’d been asked to collect from the post office. Once they were loaded, she locked her car and left it in the same clearing they’d parked in the first time they’d hiked up here.
It was a white-knuckle drive back to the campsite, and Lottie almost preferred walking. As far as tracks went, it was crude and barely passable in places, but they eventually made it and Lottie was just glad it was over.
There were a few people around the camp, some sifting through buckets of dirt, others recording information and photographing unrecognisable items, and a few carrying supplies to a large tent that had tables and cooktops set up inside, presumably for preparing meals for the workers. The rest of the crew, so Damian informed her, were out working at the gravesite. The tedious preparation work was still being done to get ready for unearthing the actual grave, so progress had been slow.
Everyone seemed young and fun and energetic. Damian had told her that since the discovery of the cave the mood around the camp had been rejuvenated, and now, with the discovery of the grave, excitement was building.
Damian showed her to his tent and she dropped her duffle bag to the floor, realising how small the accommodation was going to be. As she turned back to face him, Damian pulled her close and she melted into his kiss, feeling the familiar slow burn of need unfolding low in her stomach. She’d never tire of being loved by this man, she thought blissfully, as they dispensed unnecessary clothing and sank to the surprisingly comfortable mattress and sleeping bag beneath.
‘I missed you,’ he said later as she lay in the crook of his shoulder, breathing in the scent she’d missed so much.
‘I could tell,’ she murmured lazily.
‘Does that mean you missed me too?’
‘Terribly,’ she said, leaning up on her elbow to kiss him.
‘I’m sorry everything’s taking so long. That’s just the way it goes, unfortunately. Stuff like this can’t be rushed.’
‘I know,’ she said, holding back a sigh. She did know and she hated that she sounded like a whining girlfriend. But now they’d found what they’d been looking for, everything would finally get back on track. The end was in sight and that was enough to make the last few lonely weeks worth it.
‘I can’t wait to see what you’ve found,’ she admitted.
‘Then let’s go take a look,’ he said.
‘Are you sure your ankle is up to it?’ she asked, realising she hadn’t given it much thought a few moments earlier.
‘Yeah, I’ve been managing to hobble about on it, and as much as I’d rather stay in here with you for the rest of the day, I think my absence would eventually be noticed and people would come looking for me.’
That possibility alone was enough to get her up and dressing.
When they were both respectable once more, Damian took her by the hand and they headed slowly along the track.
They found Mike, shooting a piece to the camera, at the site. He seemed just as charismatic in person as he was on television. When he’d finished, he came over and greeted her warmly. ‘How about our man here?’ he asked, slapping Damian on the shoulder like a proud dad. ‘He’s our lucky charm.’
She saw Damian wince, but didn’t think this was from his ankle, which made her a little curious.
‘No idea how he managed to find not one but two of the biggest finds of the project. And just in the nick of time too.’
‘Deadlines are a big motivator,’ Damian said, smiling quickly.
‘Well, we’re close to the big reveal. Guess we’ll find out what’s in there soon enough. I better get back. Good to see you up here, Lottie. This bloke needs someone to keep him out of trouble.’
‘He’s something, isn’t he,’ Lottie said after Mike walked away. He was probably the closest thing to a celebrity Lottie had ever met.
‘Yeah,’ Damian said, and she looked at him, seeing he looked a little distracted.
‘Is everything okay?’
‘Yeah, why?’
‘You just seem a little, I don’t know … off? Are you worried that it won’t be Catherine?’
‘No. Well, I mean … it’s possible, I suppose, but it seems to fit entirely with our theory … so much so that it doesn’t make sense that it wouldn’t be her.’
‘How did you come to find the cave? It seems a little bit out of the way?’
‘Just a fluke. I wandered off the track and just … found it.’
When she didn’t comment further, he looked over at her and shook his head. ‘You wouldn’t believe it if I told you,’ he said, sounding uncomfortable.
It wasn’t that she wouldn’t believe it; it was more that he sounded as though he didn’t believe it.
‘Believe what?’
‘Nothing.’ He shook his head and smiled. ‘It’s just been a series of very strange coincidences.’
‘Well, however it happened, I guess we should just be grateful.’
‘We’ve got something,’ Mike shouted.