Colder Than Ice Part 18

On her way to the mess hut, she watched Rob, Michela, and Sarah as they carried Finlayson. Catching Michela's glance in her direction, she waved as her thoughts returned to the interaction in the hut and Michela's rea.s.suring touch. She shook her head to bring herself back to the present and entered the mess hut. She retrieved her camera and a cup of the brew made fresh that morning, and returned to her apple.

Allison photographed the doc.u.ment's jacket. It was made of cardboard, encasing its contents on all sides bar one. "Hmm, a good way to protect the contents." She tilted the open side toward her and the book slid out, its cover obviously once brilliant deep green leather. "Now that is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship."

Only the gold monogrammed letters of ERF and the gold border that formed a boundary to the diary broke the green leather. She lifted the book and a small waterproof pouch fell from the back of the casing.

"SO, WHAT DID I tell you?" Sarah smugly said as she and Michela removed the stiff sleeping bag from Finlayson.

"I still think you're making things up. She wasn't thinking. If it had been you in my place, she'd have done the same thing," Michela replied.

"You can say what you want, Dr. DeGra.s.se, but I think you know she likes you." Sarah dodged Michela's soft punch. "Do this like last time?"

Michela nodded. "Let me get comfortable." She leaned against the wall of the container. "Whenever you're ready."

"It's a male who looks to be a lot older than the other male, but this could be due to the exposure of Finlayson's skin to the extremes over the pa.s.sing years. Anyway, if we take that into account, my rough guess is that he's about the same agea"late thirties to early forties. I'm going down through the layers here and he seems to be wearing a h.e.l.l of a lot more clothing than Ross was. Mind you, if he's died from the same thing then there probably wasn't that much body fat to keep him warm. I'm unb.u.t.toning his shirt and cutting through his undershirt." Sarah sucked in a breath. "s.h.i.t, it looks as if he may have suffered broken ribs at some stage. His chest is tightly bound. Are you getting all this, Michela?"

"Yes, yes, give me a minute," Michela replied as she furiously wrote.

ALLISON PHOTOGRAPHED THE front and back of the pouch and set her camera on the table. She took a long sip of her coffee, allowing the contents to warm her insides.

She set the cup down, took up a pair of long-nosed tweezers, and carefully unfolded the waterproof covering to reveal two photographs, one on top of the other. She put them beside each other, picked up her camera, and photographed them before studying them more closely.

The first photograph was of a woman in a flowing dress of the 1890's, accompanied by a small child dressed in a pinafore. From the extensive research Allison had undertaken on Finlayson, she knew this could only be a picture of Finlayson's wife Charlotte, and their son Robert. She smiled at the family portrait of father, mother, and son in the second photograph. Finlayson stood proudly behind the seated Charlotte, the smiling child on her lap.

She carefully picked up the family portrait, turned it over, and struggled to read the inscription on its back. She turned on the high-resolution lamp, hoping the light would make her reading that much easier.

SARAH TAPPED THE floor as she waited for Michela to catch up. "Are you ready yet?" Michela nodded. "As I was saying, it seems he's suffered some sort of rib damage as his ribs are tightly bound. I'm going to cut through the gauze to see if I can see what the source of the injury is." She cut through the icy material and pulled it back.

Michela, nose in her notes, heard Sarah gasp. "What's wrong?"

Sarah looked down at the seated Michela. "Take a look."

Michela put the notepad on the floor, went to Sarah's side and looked at Finlayson's body. She blinked twice. "Oh s.h.i.t, what do we do now?"

THE HIGH-RESOLUTION lamp allowed Allison to see the fine copperplate inscription written all those years ago. My darling Elizabeth may this memory of a happy day tide you through the cold days ahead. My love and thoughts will always be with you. All my love, Charlotte.

Thinking she'd read it wrong, she scrubbed her eyes and read the inscription again. Her mouth open, she turned the photograph over to reveal the family portrait. "Son of a..." she said out loud. "ERF doesn't stand for Eric Robert Finlayson, the E stands for Elizabeth. Finlayson was a woman!" She put the photograph down, hurled herself through the door, and half-ran, half-slid the distance to the makeshift morgue.

She burst through the door of the morgue and found Sarah and Michela intently studying the body. They turned around and shielded the body from Allison.

Allison struggled to get her words out and breathe at the same time. "You're not going to believe this. I've got the most amazing news."

Sarah smiled, her arms crossed. "I bet our news is better than yours. We've found the first female expeditioner on the Continent and it's Finlayson." Sarah pointed over her shoulder with her thumb to the body. "This makes the Conner-Boyd expedition of 1928 not the first time a female set foot on Antarctica."

Allison laughed, her breath coming a little easier. "You may have found the first female expeditioner, but I can do better than that. Eric's name is actually Elizabeth. And by the looks of the photos that fell out of his, I mean her diary, she was married to a womana"she's gay."

"Just because she was living with a woman, doesn't mean she was gay. It could've been a Boston marriage," Michela said.

Allison tilted her head. "What's that?"

"By most modern-day accounts they were intense friendships formed between women who had no interest in marrying, in the more conventional sense that is. As far as we know, they were as.e.xual relationships, but very strong, loving friendships all the same. This could have been the sort of relationship Charlotte and Elizabeth shared." Michela turned to Sarah for confirmation.

"Or, they could be gay, and she was more comfortable dressing as a man rather than a woman. I mean, have you ever heard of a Boston marriage resulting in actual marriage? And heaven knows, it can't have been that easy to be a woman in the late 1800's and one who was an explorer to boot!a Sarah replied.

"Either way, how do think we should break this news to the rest of the group?" Allison asked, not receiving any great comfort from the concerned look on both Sarah and Michela's faces.

"Let's do it after dinner. People tend to be a lot more relaxed on a full stomach, and something tells me this news isn't going to go down all that well," Michela ventured.

"What about Di and Rick?" Sarah asked. "They're going to be keen to know what you've found in the diary."

Allison waved her hand. "Leave them to me."

ALLISON CAST HER eyes around the table in the mess hut. "Today, while I was reading the Finlayson diary a small waterproof pouch fell out. It contained two photographs, one had an inscription on the back. It's this inscription that leads me to believe that Eric Finlayson isn't Eric at all, he's Elizabeth."

There was a stunned silence as Dianne, Rick, and Rob absorbed Allison's revelation.

"Garbage," Rick replied. "You must have read it wrong."

Sarah folded her arms. "She did no such thing. I conducted the same investigation on Finlayson as I did on Ross. Trust me when I tell you Finlayson is definitely a woman."

Confused, Dianne turned to Allison. "But in the reading material you gave to me on Finlayson, you said he was married and had a child. How can that be?"

Allison shrugged. "I don't know how to explain the child, but I can tell you that these two women were in a stable relationship of some sort or another."

Dianne looked at Sarah, and then back to Allison. "That's disgusting."

Rick stood and pushed his chair away from the table. "You're d.a.m.n right it is." He wheeled on Sarah. "So, a d.a.m.ned d.y.k.e was the first to establish a base in Antarctica. You must be pretty happy about that. b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l, you're all over the d.a.m.n place." He angrily jabbed his finger at Sarah. "You and your b.l.o.o.d.y perverted lifestyle, you don't deserve to be here."

Rob strode toward Rick. "That's it. I've about had it with you, mate. You've had this coming for a long time. No one and I mean no one offends my friends."

Michela stepped between them. "Hang on, Rob." She turned to Rick. "And, Rick, you hang on a minute, too. If you're pointing fingers then you better point one at me as well."

The implication of her words hung in the air. Dianne cast a baleful eye at her. "I should have known. I always had a funny feeling when I was changing in the same hut as you and now I know why."

Michela quickly glanced at Allison, before she turned her steely-eyed gaze on Dianne, who defiantly stood beside Rick. "Ms. Peterson, you've got to be joking." Michela cast a disdainful look the length of Dianne's body. "Please credit me with some taste."

"You're b.l.o.o.d.y sick, you know that. You're a b.l.o.o.d.y pervert just like her!" Rick bellowed.

Allison held up her hands. "Please, just stop it. We've discovered a world first. This will make the dig a household name and establish us for future expeditions. Now's not the time for name callinga""

Rick pointed at Michela. "Why are you bothering defending that d.a.m.n d.y.k.e? If she was looking at Di's body, what makes you think you're all that safe?"

Disgusted, Allison rolled her eyes. "Oh for heaven's sake, you uptight p.r.i.c.k, get a life."

Rob burst out laughing.

"Hang on a minute, Alli," Rick said, "or have I got it all wrong? Do you like what that d.a.m.n psychologist d.y.k.e puts out?"

"That's it!" Rob hit Rick squarely on the jaw.

Sarah knelt beside an unconscious Rick, while trying to push away a hysterical Dianne. "s.h.i.t, mate, you dropped him like a bag of spuds." She arranged him in the coma position and stood. "You know, you really ought to be more careful."

"Yeah," Rob said. "And he really ought to learn some b.l.o.o.d.y manners."

Chapter Ten.

My Darling Charlotte, It has been over two months since I last made an entry in my diary, and it is only now through sheer will that I do so. The second expedition that left in such good spirits has failed to return. Their original journey was to be no more than twenty days duration. I knew them to be an exuberant band and didn't really expect to see them before the twenty-five day mark. This day came and went, as did many others. Without the dogs, sleds or ability to man a search party, I can only a.s.sume the worsta"they have perished also. I thought I had reached my lowest ebb.

The three of us that remained tried our best to maintain each other's spirits, dutifully keeping our diaries so as to have at least something to show for our time here. However, the worse was yet to come. The day came when our ship was to rendezvous with us and yet it did not appear. We waited in vain for one week and then two but still there was no sign of it. I can only a.s.sume that it too has been lost and now we are trapped. Trapped with our food dwindling and no possible means of escaping the continent we so proudly set out to conquer.

Where have I led my men? What have I done?

ERF.

Antarcticaa"2010 MICHELA CHUCKLED AS Sarah attempted to divide her time between the overflowing pot on the stove and preparing the dinner rolls. "Need help with that?"

Sarah turned the gas down on the stove. "Aargh! I can't believe you let me loose in a kitchen."

"Yeah it does look a little out of control."

Sarah laughed. "Hah, no more so that what it's been like here over the past few days. Alli's not talking to Rick at all and I can barely get a word out of Di. I swear, meals around here are like pulling teeth. It's a wonder they're getting any work done on the dig."

"I know what you mean. I think we better have a team meeting after dinner, if we survive it, that is." Sarah threw the spoon as Michela rushed out the door.

"Everyone's a b.l.o.o.d.y critic," Sarah yelled.

"EVERYONE'S BEEN WALKING around on eggsh.e.l.ls these past few days. I'm not pointing any fingers here. I'm as much to blame as anyone else. But we've got very little time left to finish the cataloguing of the site and then commence our pack up." Michela consulted her notes. "By my estimate we've two more days of digging and cataloguing. After that we have to start packing or we'll miss our window to get home."

Allison, Dianne, and Rob all spoke at once.

"We've got so much to do inside the hut." Allison's voice cut through, silencing the others. "Not to mention trying to identify where the photographer's hut might lie. For all we know this camp may be right on top of it."

Michela nodded. "I understand and that's why we need to work together these last few days to get as much done as possible. I know there are some here who'll be more than happy to see the last of some of us. But, for the moment, we're a team, relying on each other to get as much done as possible. Now, we can do that or we can all retire to our huts and sulk until it's time to pack up." She scanned the faces in front of her. "What's it going to be?"

Rick pointed to Rob. "Is he going to be able to keep his fists to himself?"

Rob cracked his fingers and made a pretence of picking his nails before staring at Rick. "Depends. Are you going to give me a reason to use them?"

"That's enough, the two of you. There'll be no more of that while I'm in charge."

Sarah held up her hand. "Look, to allow you three to focus on the dig, I'll pick up the slops task as well as cooking."

Michela shook her head. "I know how much you hate cooking. How about I do that and you do the slops?"

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. "Sounds fine by me."

Michela looked around the team. "Okay, then let's get on with it."

AS SHE CATALOGUED, Allison's mind wandered, as it had done over the past week, to Rick's words: Do you like what that d.a.m.ned psychologist d.y.k.e puts out? She'd been shocked into silence and was grateful if not a little regretful of Rob's physical defense of her. It wasn't until later, in the silence of her own counsel, that she'd managed to give the matter more thought.

How do I really feel? There was something about Michela that drove her crazy and yet drew her at the same time. That morning in the hut, when they'd returned from trying to find Ewan, she was sure Michela meant to kiss her. She'd waited, surprisingly eager for Michela's intimate touch. Even now, the thought evoked feelings she'd never felt before. But, with Sarah's knock on the door, the spell had been broken. Maddi was waiting for a report. Of course she'd be more interested in reporting to her than anything else.

Since the incident in the hut, Michela had been polite, going out of her way to give Allison s.p.a.ce. But the more Michela gave, the closer Allison realized she wanted to get and yet she was unsure how to do so. When Michela prepared for bed, she'd secretly watch her undress, marveling at Michela's toned but powerful body. Now, within days, the dig would be over, they would travel back to Wills Station, and return home. Michela would slip from her life, returning to her own job on the other side of the world. So how do you feel about that? Yes, but how does a straight woman, broach such a subject without looking completely hypocritical?

DIANNE HELD UP one side of the wooden barrier as Rob hammered the other side to one of the posts of the existing hut. "Are you sure this will keep out the snow?"

"I suppose you won't know until you're down here next, but it can only help. When we first got here there was no door and the whole place was full of snow and ice. At least next time you mightn't have so much to dig." He shifted his weight so he could hammer the other side of the door. "So, when do you think you guys will be back?" Just so I can be forewarned and make sure we never run into each other again.

Dianne shrugged. "I don't know. It depends on whether father decides it's worthwhile to finance another expedition and that'll depend on what we have to report. Somehow I don't think he's going to be all that happy."

"I don't get it. You've collected a heap of stuff from the site."

Dianne shuffled from one foot to the other. "My father is, well, a little conservative. While he'll be excited by the find and the circ.u.mstances around the discovery, who we discovered may set him back a bit."

Rob bent down and hammered the final nail in the door. "What, you mean because Eric's actually Elizabeth and Elizabeth was living with a woman and child as husband and wife?"

Dianne nervously laughed. "Something like that. You have to admit it's a little odd."

Rob straightened and silently observed Dianne. "That's where I think you and I won't ever agree. I see nothing odd about it. Who gives a toss whether it's a man and woman, a man and man or a woman and woman? What's the issue if there's love involved?" He shook his head and, muttering, walked away.

"HEY WHERE ARE you off to big boy?" Sarah called as she crossed the camp from toilet cleaning duty.

Rob held up a blade. "I was going to oil this before I pack it. If I can sea prep the equipment here, it means I don't have to worry about it when I get to Wills Station. And if that's the case, then you and I can have a couple of very quiet or very loud drinks together."

Sarah slapped Rob's back. "Isn't that the truth. Do you want to finish that and head for the mess hut? Michela said she had some news. I'll go and let Di know."

"WE HAVE A little bit of good news," Michela said to the group gathered in the mess hut. "I've been on the radio to Maddi this morning and she's organized two opportunity lifts with the Chinook that delivered some of our stores here."

Rick rested a booted foot on the edge of the table. "So what exactly does that mean?"

"The Chinook has a lift capacity of about sixteen thousand pounds. It means we'll be able to completely transport the camp, excepting the bare minimum, back to Wills Station without having to rely on surface transport. This will give you more time to ensure your artifacts are ready for sea travel," Michela replied.

Rob reached for a couple of biscuits in the middle of the table. "So what's to move, boss, and what's not to move?"

"The first move will be an under slung load of the mess hut and most of what's contained in it. The second move will be all stores and accommodations with the exception of the two apples. Stores that we can't put in the spare s.p.a.ce of the mess hut will be placed inside the Chinook, along with the artifacts." Michela turned to Allison.

"Alli, I've spoken with Maddi and she tells me they've a small refrigerated container that'll be capable of carrying Finlayson for the move back to base and the duration of the sea journey. That way we can free up the sno-trak's storage container for when we need to start packing away the remainder of the camp. Is that okay with you?"

Allison nodded. "That should be fine, but I don't think I could get back up in one of those helos so soon. Who's going to look after the artifacts?"

Michela turned to Rick and Dianne. "That's where you two come in. There'll be plenty of s.p.a.ce so you two can go back to base to act as an advance party. The rest of us will break down the camp, before I confirm it's clear of any human waste or rubbish. Rob, Alli, Sarah, and myself will be responsible for that."

Rick nodded. "Sounds like a plan. When do we start dismantling that solar generator thing? I'd like to know when my last hot meal is."