Chapters (58)
- COVER PAGE
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- DEDICATION
- Prologue
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Thirty-eight
- Thirty-nine
- Forty
- Forty-one
- Forty-two
- Forty-three
- Forty-four
- Forty-five
- Forty-six
- Forty-seven
- Forty-eight
- Forty-nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-one
- Fifty-two
- Fifty-three
- Acknowledgements
Flowers frowned. ‘For Cate?’
Ethan nodded. ‘Once the sale goes through, I want to take her home and introduce her to the family. I’d like her to see the station before all the work starts and it changes for good.’ Ethan dug his poles into the snow and turned his back to the wind. ‘I don’t think our family have shown enough respect for the people who established the property. I’d feel ashamed showing Cate the cemetery the way it is today.’
Twenty-nine
Eva hurried into the kitchen at the Golden Wattle Lodge, a folded blanket in her arms. ‘Take off that wet jacket, Mitch,’ she said, ‘and wrap this around you. I’ve warmed it up in the dryer.’
Ryder watched as Flowers did as Eva asked, relieved his partner had stopped shivering. It was a miracle he’d avoided hypothermia.
‘I think the Irish coffee is doing the trick,’ Flowers said.
‘Never fails,’ Eva said with a smile. ‘Jack’s building up the fire if you’d rather sit in the lounge. There’s no one out there at the moment.’
‘I’m good. Thanks, Eva.’ Flowers looked at Ryder across the table and picked up the tall, steaming glass.
Ryder waited until Eva had left the room. ‘So, Cate and Ethan Lorrimer?’
‘Yeah, that was a surprise. Almost worth freezing to death for.’
Ryder smiled. Despite Flowers’ battle with the elements, he looked healthy and alert, like one of those guys swimming laps in the ocean baths in the middle of winter.
‘So, how did they meet if this animosity still exists?’ asked Ryder.
‘I asked him that before I got in the car. They’re both members of the Hut Association. Ethan was one of the volunteers who turned up to repair Buchanan Hut after it was damaged in a bushfire.’
‘And no one knows about their relationship?’
‘According to them, no.’
Ryder frowned. ‘Okay, let’s run through what we know. Two years ago, Cate Buchanan and Ethan Lorrimer begin a relationship, and around the same time, the Lorrimers’ lawyer receives a form signed by the four siblings stating that they’ve agreed to sell White Winter Station. The form is to show they’re complying with the terms of the trust, but we suspect Art’s signature was forged.’
Flowers nodded.
‘Art finds out the property is on the market and gets a copy of the trust deed sent to Prudence Apin. Her understanding was that at no time did he agree to sell. So, if his signature turns out to be a forgery, she’s probably right.’
‘Unless he did agree and then changed his mind,’ put in Flowers.
‘Correct. With a head of steam, and the knowledge the others have broken the terms of the trust, he comes home to confront them. Someone knows exactly when he’s flying in because they drive the tractor onto the runway beforehand.’
‘We need that call log,’ said Flowers.