Amy called, “I’ll tell Darcy. Be careful.”
He nodded, not sure how he felt about the way his heart swelled at the worry on her face. Then she ran towards the house and he accelerated southwest towards the windmill, keeping his lights off. Whoever was out there would hear him, but maybe not realise it wasn’t a car on the main road.
The two-way radio in the ute crackled to life. “What the hell are you doing?” Darcy sounded pissed off.
Brandon debated not answering but he didn’t want Darcy to come after him. He grabbed the receiver. “Someone’s at the windmill. I’m trying to catch them. Stay there until I contact you.”
No answer and he hoped Darcy would listen to him. The road was bumpy, forcing him to slow. The windmill loomed in the darkness, a light shining at its base. The intruder was still there.
The light moved, bouncing away.
He’d been heard. The road smoothed and Brandon accelerated, switching on the headlights and pushing the rattling ute as fast as it would go. As he reached the clearing, he spotted a man in a helmet mounting a motorbike. Not someone he recognised, though it was difficult to make out the face with the helmet on, even with the headlights shining on him.
Brandon braked hard, pulling up in front of the bike. He grabbed the rifle and leapt out, pointing the gun at the intruder. The engine roared to life and the back wheel skidded out as the man accelerated away. Brandon aimed for the back tyre and shot. The dust made it difficult to see if he hit it, but the man flinched.
Jumping back into the ute, he followed the bike along the track leading out to the main road. He reached for the radio. “I’m pursuing the intruder. Go check what damage he did.”
“Be careful,” Darcy answered.
Brandon wasn’t letting the rider get away. He wished he had his pistol with him so he could continue shooting at the man—not to kill, but to stop him. The man rode straight towards an open gate. The bitumen road was up ahead. Brandon should be able to keep up with him there.
The ute’s engine coughed and he glanced down at the display. Shit. The temperature gauge was climbing rapidly. Darcy had mentioned something about the ute needing replacement. It couldn’t fail him now.
Steam or smoke came from under the hood and he swore out loud. If he kept going he was likely to damage the ute irreparablyandlose the intruder.
He slowed, watching the motorbike turn onto the bitumen and race out of sight. He slammed his hand on the steering wheel and grabbed the radio. “Ute’s overheated. I’ve lost him.”
Matt answered a moment later. “Let it cool for ten minutes and it should be right. There’s more radiator fluid in the tray.”
Brandon turned the ute around and parked inside the fence line. He popped the hood and opened it, letting the steam waft into the air.
So close. He closed his eyes and pictured the man. About his height but slimmer, wiry. The jeans and checked shirt could belong to any farmer in the area, or indeed any local. He frowned. Was their saboteur a local? The idea was concerning.
Brandon wandered over to the gate and closed it. Glancing along the fence he noticed the wires were loose. Following the line, he found someone had cut right through the wire fence a hundred metres from the gate. Both sides curled away from each other, leaving plenty of gap for a bike to get through. Why? He’d left the gate open, unless they wanted to cause more damage… or make it seem as if the intruder wasn’t familiar with the land.
Something to think about.
Brandon checked the back of the ute and discovered fencing materials in the tray and a torch. Matt must have left it in there after he’d fixed the fence the other day. He checked the heat coming from the engine. Still some time to wait, so he hefted the equipment from the back and went to fix the fence.
Finally the engine was cool enough for him to crawl back to the windmill. Darcy and Matt were both there, shining torches around the base and Darcy’s ute was parked nearby.
“What did he damage?” Brandon asked.
Darcy stormed over to him, grabbing him by the front of the shirt. “What the hell, Bran?”
Brandon wouldn’t apologise. Until he discovered who he was facing, he didn’t want his family near this. “There wasn’t time to fetch you.” Brandon shrugged him off, ignoring his brother’s fury.
“Bullshit. I was in the kitchen. I came outside as soon as I heard the ute.”
“Sorry. Has anything been tampered with?”
Darcy swore and shoved past him. “The pipe between the bore and tank has been cut. Looks like you interrupted him before he could finish. I’ll need to weld it.”
Brandon walked over to check the damage. A definite line had been cut into the metal pipe and water seeped out.
Matt strode over. “Tank’s fine, and seal is still on the bore.”
Good. Damage to the windmill would have been serious, would mean moving the sheep to another location where they could get water. He gazed into the dark bush. “We can’t monitor everything out here.”
