Unknown by Unknown Page B

half of Champion Holdings,' she ventured.
    He nodded distantly then shook his head as if to dismiss the notion. 'I have to do what's right.'
    Yes, she thought, he would always do what was right, even if it killed him. She felt a surge of compassion for Ben who was prepared to give up everything for a cause he believed to be just. She couldn't fault him for having a conscience but she wished he wouldn't let it rule him so rigidly.
    With a sigh of frustration, she turned her full attention back to the road. From the Carpentaria Highway, they had joined the Stuart Highway at Daly Waters. From here it was a straight drive north along 'the track' as the road was known, a stretch of bitumen which reached from horizon to horizon in an almost ruler-straight line.
    They had decided to stop for lunch at Katherine, the first sizeable town on their route. A few miles south, they passed the turn-off to Mataranka. It would be good to stop there, Keri thought nostalgically. Years ago, she had swum in Mataranka's famous thermal pool. Set among lush palm and date trees, the pool seemed to be empty until her touch started the crystal-clear waters rippling. It was a long time since she had swum there. She couldn't imagine doing it now, among strangers who would notice what she preferred to keep hidden.
    She cast a sidelong glance at Robyn who had dozed off. In sleep, her involuntary movements were stilled and she looked tranquil. She was still too thin but she looked much better than she had when Keri first arrived. The sight of her friend dozing made Keri smile. She couldn't be sorry she had agreed to stay when she saw the good her presence was doing.
    The next landmark was Elsey Station, made famous by Mrs Aeneas Gunn in her book, We of the Never-Never. At Katherine, Keri bought barbecued chicken which they washed down with a flask of coffee supplied by Jessie that morning. They freshened up at a petrol station, where Keri had her car checked over. She didn't want to risk a breakdown between there and Darwin.
    By mid-afternoon, they were pulling into the capital city. 'We made good time, don't you think?' Keri asked Robyn, who was now wide awake and interested in her surroundings. She nodded vigorously and gestured with her hands.
    Keri interpreted the typing movement. 'Yes, we brought your portable keyboard. It will be the first thing I unpack.'
    Her flat was in Mitchell Street, only minutes from the city centre, so they were soon making themselves comfortable there, drinking tea and stretching their cramped muscles. With access to her keyboard, Robyn relaxed, knowing she could communicate with Keri again. 'This trip was a good idea,' Keri said. 'If I'd stayed away much longer, I'd have had to send for some more clothes anyway.'
    At the mention of clothes, Robyn reached for her portable keyboard. 'Party dress?' she wrote, adding several question marks.
    'I know. I intend to buy one,' Keri said and laughed. Robyn's question marks were the equivalent of anyone else's nagging. 'You wouldn't let me go back without one. What are you planning to wear, anyway?'
    'Sexy black silk pyjamas,' came the typed response and Robyn chuckled wickedly.
    Keri's eyes gleamed. 'I see. When did you arrange to have them made?'
    Robyn's hands danced over the keyboard. 'Mail order. Collect from boutique tomorrow.'
    'I can't wait to see them,' Keri said. She studied the business card Robyn handed to her. It belonged to an exclusive fashion boutique in Smith Street. 'I might find something there for myself,' she speculated.
    After they had washed away the dust of travel, both figuratively and literally, for the Northern Territory's infamous 'bulldust' got into every pore, Keri drove Robyn to the hospital. 'I'll be back for the evening visiting-hours then I'll collect you tomorrow to drive home,' she assured her friend.
    Robyn rolled her eyes in mock resignation then she reached for her keyboard which Keri had set up on the nightstand. 'Did you see that new intern?