Читать книгу Forest Shadows - David Laing - Страница 16

Jars and Snook both turned their heads at the sound of muffled voices coming from outside the front door.

‘That’ll be your dad and Arnie,’ Jars said to Snook. ‘Good timing too; dinner’s just on ready.’

Jim, followed by Arnie, walked into the kitchen. The smell of cooking hung in the air. He smiled. The kids had been busy.

Shadow, who was still lying under the table, wagged his tail and rose to say hello. Snook, who was hurriedly setting the table, looked up. ‘How was the fishin’, Dad?’

‘Don’t ask.’

‘N-no, Snook, um, d-don’t ask,’ Arnie said, agreeing with his boss.

‘You’d better set an extra place,’ Snook’s dad said crossing over to the stove. He lifted the lid on a pot and sniffed. ‘Just checking that we’ve got enough for our guest.’ He replaced the lid and pointed towards the kitchen doorway.

Jars and Snook craned their necks to see around Arnie, who was blocking their view.

‘Hi, you two, long time no see.’ A smiling Reg Carter edged around Arnie and into the kitchen. Dressed in jeans, flannel shirt and duffle coat, he still looked the same as a year ago when they’d first met. He was a Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife ranger then, a job he’d since given up to pursue some higher calling. Something to do with research and law enforcement in New South Wales. And now, here he was, with his tousled, sandy hair and permanent grinning face. The kids liked Reg.

‘Reg!’ they both said at once hurrying over to him. Shadow liked him, too. He gave a short yip and scurried from beneath the table. When Reg was a ranger, Shadow had belonged to him, but when his new job meant an interstate posting, he’d thought it best that his dog be given another home. When he asked Jars to have Shadow, she’d jumped at the chance. And from the very first, they’d developed an instant bond, a friend-ship that even Reg found hard to believe.

‘We picked this reprobate up at the jetty,’ Snook’s dad said, clapping Reg on the back. ‘He rang us on the Harbour Board’s two-way radio to let us know he was in town. He’s going to spend the night with us.’

He took Reg’s coat and then hung it on the kitchen door handle. He pointed to a seat. ‘Sit yourself down; judging by the smell, dinner’ll be ready soon.’

Fetching another plate and cutlery from the cupboard, Snook couldn’t help asking, ‘How come you’re in Cray Bay, Reg? Are you on a secret mission or somethin’?’

Reg, still grinning, shook his head.

‘Then maybe, if you’re not doin’ anything, you could help me and Jars look for whatever made them queer lights?’

Snook’s dad gave him a playful cuff behind the ear. ‘What are you talking about now? Have you been away with the fairies again? Go sit at the table and try to keep that tongue of yours still. We’ve got more important things than queer lights to discuss.’

Wondering what that could be, Jars began to dish out the meal – lamb chops, mashed potatoes, peas and gravy. She also wondered what Reg was doing in Cray Bay. Probably something official, she thought. Something to do with his work. He was an important man now. And no wonder. Reg was extraor-dinary. He had degrees in biology, genetics and speleology – the study of plants, animals and caves. And because of his exceptional qualifications and talent, he’d been given some higher-up position on the mainland. What that was she didn’t know. But why had he suddenly come to Cray Bay? He’ll tell us soon enough, she supposed.