Chapter 6

“So,” said Abby. “We need a couple of Federal Law Enforcement officers and even a lawyer of two to accompany me to the mine and find out who closed it ... and why.”

Judge Wren said, “I can do that.” She was on the phone ... there’s one at her desk. One of the improvements to the Court house. “I hate having this here,” she said, “The damn thing interrupts my naps.”

“Hello Reece, Jenny here, send me a couple of Australian Federal Police, please.”

“Why, yes ... high crimes and misdemeanors.”

“Someone in the government has shut down one of the mines in NSW and the Queen wants to know why.” She winked at Abby and Alice Li.

“Yes Reece, might even be treason.”

“Make ‘em young and NO ‘Australians for Australia.’”

“They will be escorting a couple of cute girls.” Another wink.

“Thank you, Reece.”

She disconnected and smiled.

“Two hours, You might want to go home and dress to impress,” she said, “You know ... skimpies and thin. Young adult clothes.”

“The Queen?”

“She hasn’t called yet ... but she will,” Judge Wren said. “Thirty percent is 30 percent ... and money is money. I hear it’s expensive being queen.”

That’s the truth ... for sure. Rumor has it that 70 million a year is the average expense for keeping Royal property up to snuff.

“If you want attorneys ... you’ll have to do that yourself. I don’t see why you’d need ‘em. The Federal cops are the highest law enforcement there is in Australia,” Jenny said. “They’ll arrest everybody and let the courts decide.”

We went home and I dressed for work ... Alice dressed to impress. Skimpies weren’t in my modus operandi. I had been prevented from doing my job for a week and I needed to see what was happening at the ‘summer cottage.’

No lawyers ... yet. We’ll see what is necessary when we get there.

We met the police at Jenny’s office. They were young but armed to the teeth. Jenny explained. When everybody understood ... me too ... we were off. We went in a police Land Rover. A marked vehicle.

Bowen’s were pleased as punch that ‘someone was going to get to the bottom of things.’ They had been prevented from their daily routine by ‘writ.’

The sign at the bottom of the hill read, NO TRESPASSING. BY ORDER OF THE FEDERAL POLICE. We stopped and the cops radioed in.

“No ... we had nothing to do with that,” was the return message.

Up the hill we went. At the top were more signs that read the same as the first one.

By the ‘cottage’ were a several men ... when we came over the hill ... it’s a marked vehicle we’re in ... the men loaded up in what looked like private vehicles and fled. They couldn’t go over Bowen’s ridge ... we were there. The only other way out was down the creek.

“Want to chase them down?”

“Nope ... the river will collect them ... it’s going to rain.” Alice said.

And it did ... a torrent. Not a drop fell on us. But half a mile downstream came an overwhelming abundance of rain. Our men called in ... explained and suggested a road block. Well ... can’t very well call it a stream block.

The police were arresting wet and bedraggled men for a week. On the sweep up the stream-bed they found and impounded half a dozen expensive 4 wheel drive trucks and SUVs ... rather worse for wear.

Bowen was happy, he collected 1% for the use of his road. 1% of the mine was more than he made farming.

The mine employees were happy, they were employees again.

The Queen was pleased, 30% is 30% ... and every little bit helps.

Alice was happy, she was back to reading in the library. Graduation was coming up and she was ready to move on. Charles Sturt had accepted her AP credits and she’d be a second year student in Marine Biology.

Abby wasn’t happy ... David was gone, Myndee was nowhere to be found, Janna Li showed up at the end of the week ... and she still didn’t know WHO instigated the mess. The State kept postponing the trial. “Ongoing investigation,” they said.

“What’s next?” She asked.