There was a pause in the conversation, and then Ethan spoke.

‘I’ll admit, we were pretty confident that when the time came for another conversation with him, that we’d be able to talk him around, and that he’d understand. The developer was threatening to withdraw his offer, but it was an opportunity that the family couldn’t pass up.’

Dan nodded. ‘We were under intense pressure, so I signed for him, and sent it back to Jeremy.’

‘Then you two signed the contract with Temple Developments?’ said Flowers.

‘Yes,’ said Ethan, ‘but that’s perfectly fine. We’re both directors of the company.’

Dan rested his elbows on the table and clasped his hands. ‘Look, we were never going to do anything but liquidate the property and make it easier for everyone to take their share and live their separate lives.’

Ethan stared at Ryder. ‘Surely you don’t seriously suspect any of us of murdering our brother?’

‘Nothing’s been discounted,’ said Ryder. ‘It’s a line of enquiry that’s part of the ongoing investigation into your brother’s death.’

Dan turned to his lawyer. ‘Jeremy, are there any repercussions from what you now know?’

The lawyer, who’d been silent the whole time, stroked his beard and contemplated Dan’s question. ‘There doesn’t appear to be financial loss to anyone arising from your actions. The money is still there, but your suitability to continue as directors of the company could be brought into doubt should a complaint be made by an interested party.’

Ryder pushed back his chair and stood up. Beside him, Flowers was pocketing his notepad and pen. ‘Well, that’s a civil matter, it doesn’t involve us.’ Ryder leaned over and picked up his phone, switching off the recording. ‘Thank you,’ he said with a nod at the other men.

When they reached the car, Flowers stopped and looked at Ryder across the bonnet. ‘What interested party is Thomas talking about? Only the family is involved in this.’

Ryder looked back towards the building on the corner. ‘Exactly. Nothing is going to happen there.’

Thirty-five

Sterling locked the Forrester, straightened her work clothes and walked towards the entrance to the Khancoban police station. Before leaving home, she’d phoned ahead to make sure Sergeant Collins was in.

She pushed open the door and stepped into the waiting room. Though tiny compared to the Parramatta station where she normally worked, a wave of something akin to homesickness washed over her at the familiar working environment.

Sergeant Collins stood behind the counter directly in front of her, an imperceptible crackle of voices coming from the police radio.

‘Here you are,’ he said. ‘Come through.’ He led the way down a short hallway then stopped to let her go ahead of him into a room on the right. ‘Take a seat,’ he said, coming around the desk and sitting down heavily.