He shrugged. ‘Call it paranoia of the job. We like to keep things quiet when we can. Could I ask you not to mention it to the tourists, then? You don’t know who might be doing what, and you’ve said you get repeat campers. One of them could be involved. Seriously. The people responsible would have to have someone on the ground for it to work. How else could they avoid both campers and rangers?’

Tilly said thoughtfully, ‘Yes, I see that. But campers? Nobody stays the whole season through, Connor. It’s a week, maybe ten days if they’ve a particular interest, like a twitcher desperate to see a Gouldian finch, for instance. They’re endangered now, so it’s rare to sight them. He might hang around hoping – but not for a month.’

‘No. But the thieves could time it. Work out when they mean to hit the place and send somebody in a day or two beforehand. Lots of tourists travel with two-way radios. They could have a channel and a code. They’d need to pick the breeding season for the bigger birds, but they could net the smaller ones or hunt the reptiles any time. At most they’d need a week, but probably only a few days.’

‘I suppose.’ It gave Tilly an uneasy feeling, but she had to acknowledge the possibilities inherent in his words. After all, Gerry had been in the camp, however briefly, though whether to lie low or to act as Connor had suggested it was impossible to say. She gave a little shiver. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever view any visitor in the same light again. They’ve always seemed so friendly, thrilled to be here, you know?’

‘And I’m sure most of them are dinkum tourists. Suspicion’s the curse of police work,’ he admitted ruefully.

‘I’m sure.’ She wondered what it would be like to see everybody as a possible suspect – as he had her, she reminded herself. But not without reason once the authorities’ belief that Gerry still lived was vindicated. In the light of that, the suspicion became less a terrible injustice and more an inevitable conclusion. Tidying the detritus of the meal into her esky, she stood up. ‘I’m ready.’

‘Let’s go then. We mightn’t get far and we’re not going to catch them up, but just finding their route will be helpful.’