Page 1 of Lost In Kakadu

Chapter One

Abigail Mulholland no longer expected her husband to open the taxi door for her, but it was still disappointing when Spencer completely ignored her. She wriggled out the back seat, clutched her Jimmy Choo handbag under one arm and, juggling her five-inch heels on the broken pavement, raced into the airport terminal. The air-conditioning was instant relief from the sticky heat outside.

Through the windows, Spencer transferred the heavy suitcases from taxi to trolley with an agility that belied his age, and as the car drove away, he pushed the luggage toward the doorway. Her daughter, Krystal, slinked after him, oblivious to everything but her phone.

A halo of flies followed Spencer through the door, but he paused, swatting at the relentless insects to examine his reflection. It was an obsession he couldn’t resist. He stopped the instant he saw Abigail watching him and raced toward the lone check-in counter.

Abigail hooked her arm through her daughter’s elbow. “I’m going to miss you.”

“So don’t go.” Purple chewing gum danced around her tongue.

“Your father wants me to go with him.” Abigail’s heart wrenched as Krystal pulled back.

“Yeah,right?You begged him to take you.” Krystal’s eyes were a baffling mix of defiance and longing. “You’re going to hateevery minute.”

Somehow, Krystal’s spiteful rejections still stung. “Well, I think I’ll love it.” She forced a confident smile.

Krystal scowled, then skipped to her father and wrapped her arm around his waist. Spencer handed over his wallet and when Krystal removed a wad of cash, Abigail sighed.

Beyond the check-in desk, a small plane was on the tarmac. Her stomach lurched.

That can’t be our plane!

As she probed the tiny departures board for Kakadu, a sense of foreboding gripped her.

Oh God, itisour plane!

Abigail’s head swam. If only she hadn’t found that letter hidden in Spencer’s diary.

If only the secret note hadn’t driven her to insist on going on this trip.

What was I thinking?

Spencer appeared at her side, and she launched into him. “I can’t get on that plane. Look how small it is. It has propellers, for God’s sake.” She hated that she sounded almost hysterical.

He clicked his tongue. “It’s all part of the adventure. Besides, that’s not small. When I went to the Amazon, I boarded …”

Abigail tuned him out. The hidden note proved Spencer sometimes lied about his worldly adventures. Watching him now, blustering his bravado, she wondered how many times he’d manipulated his friends into covering for him.

She turned back to the plane and cringed at the quad-bladed propellers that hung off each wing. The plane’s long red nose resembled the tip of a rocket, and five small windows indicated a handful of passengers at best.

A burning sensation crawled up her neck as she imagined peering out like a trapped animal.

A gust of wind shoved the glass door of the boarding gate inward, and she stepped aside as hot air howled through the gap. Two men stood at the nose of the plane, their angry expressions and aggressive hand movements sure signs they were arguing. The door pushed open a little more, and their yelling drifted to her.

“Fix it … Bullshit ... I told you.”

She glanced around to see if anyone else was watching. But Spencer was gone, and the airport was practically empty. She felt so alone. Nothing new there, though. She moved closer to the door, resigned to curiosity.

“No, you don’t … The package is in … It’s buggered.”

Their hand movements became more aggressive. The argument escalated and looked like they were about to get physical.

Her heart thundered as the fight unfolded.

One man threw his hands in the air and marched away from the plane, straight toward Abigail. She jumped back when he thrust through the glass door. He stormed past her, cursing to himself with his yellow vest flapping wildly at his sides.

That can’t be good.She scanned the airport again for her husband.

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