‘Does it flood here?’
Stone nodded.‘In the height of the wet season, it’s like having an inland sea at the back door.It’s the best time to be here.’
‘How do you fuel up your helicopter when it’s flooded?Or now?’When she didn’t see any roads, except the covered boardwalk they were whizzing over.
‘A truck comes through with a load of avgas to fill my storage tanks, long before the wet season arrives.It’s like having my own petrol station.’
That had to cost a fortune.She’d seen the fuel prices climbing higher the further Julian drove them inland from Darwin, every servo stop was a reminder that nothing came cheap out here.And yet Stone stocked AVGAS like he owned a private petrol station, like thatwas perfectlynormal for crocodile-wrangling helicopter pilots in Elsie Creek to do.
Stone guided them around a sweeping bend, where the boardwalk opened to a panoramic view.‘That’s one of my billabongs.’
The billabong glistened like a massive mirror under the sun.Scattered groups of wild lotus flowers, tall reeds and assorted wading water birds sent ripples across the surface, where surrounding grasses were tall enough for wallabies to hide themselves while watching them zoom past.
‘Do you ever drive out there?’
‘I do.It’s a good spot to do some birdwatching, if that’s your thing.I’m halfway through building a bird viewing platform out there, too.I get paid to take the occasional birdwatchers to some remote billabongs.I just drop them off and they don’t speak.Ever.To not spook the birds away.They’re the best kind of tourist.’
‘Why do you have a tourist licence, if you don’t like talking to tourists.’
He peered at her over his shoulder.‘I talk to you, don’t I?’
The cheeky sod.
‘And it helps pay for the chicken feed to keep the boys happy.’
‘You mean the crocodiles.’
‘Shortcake, if you haven’t noticed, this is a boys’ club filled with all the good kind of boys’ toys.’
She felt his chuckle from the way his shirt shifted as she held his hips, downwind to enjoy his musky and scrumptiously spicy deodorant.
Stone slowed down as they headed into a huge hangar covered in solar panels.Inside the shaded area it was a lot bigger than she’d imagined.
‘Everything is so deceptive in this place.’She shook her head in awe.
‘What do you mean?’He parked the scooter on the side and plugged it to charge alongside a matching scooter.Nearby stood a few sorts of motorbikes, and an ATV.Talk about boys’ toys.All that was missing was some sort of speedboat.
Stone pushed open the large hangar doors, allowing the sunlight to stream inside to reveal his helicopter sitting on the outdoor helipad, but it also revealed a plane parked on the far side of the hangar.
‘Is that a seaplane?’Where was the airstrip?
‘It’s more of a swamp rat.’
‘Because you do rivers, and you said this place becomes an inland sea.’Did this stretch of parched dirt truly become an inland sea, deep enough for a seaplane to take off?
‘Look at you, shortcake, working out all the answers by yourself.’Stone loaded her drone case securely into the helicopter.
‘Where are we going today?’
‘We’ll visit the playpen for one of the boss’s morning meetings.If that’s okay?’
‘All good.I can amuse myself in the hallway.All I need is a nearby power point to work on my laptop.’
‘Why?When you’ll be doing the presentation.’
‘Nooo…’ She shook her head, as Stone went through his checks on the helicopter.‘I don’t do that.Directors and producers do the pitches.’
‘No pitch.Just skill.’He said it so casually, while checking on the fuel.‘We’ll need you to pause, or print, and zoom in on your footage, when Finn and Amara ask questions.And they will ask questions.’
