‘Yes, once, but we didn’t talk about it again.’

‘So, why did you go to her place and not to work?’

Silence.

Ryder changed tack. ‘How did you get to Ida’s place?’

‘By car,’ she said, her cuffed hands rattling in her lap.

‘Your car wasn’t parked on the street,’ said Ryder. ‘Who drove you?’

‘A friend.’

‘What’s your friend’s name?’

Nothing.

‘When I was at White Winter Station investigating the death of your brother, you said you were at your boyfriend’s place the night your brother flew into Khancoban.’

She nodded.

‘Could you speak aloud for the benefit of the recording, please?’

‘Yes, I was there that night.’

‘Is Rodney Garrett your boyfriend?’

She hesitated. ‘You could say that.’

‘Did he drive you to Ida Stevenson’s residence?’

‘Yeah, he was waiting for me in the car.’

Ryder paused so Flowers could come in. They’d worked together for so long now that their questioning style was in sync.

‘Garrett didn’t wait,’ said Flowers. ‘The neighbours saw his car speed away from the scene as soon as Collins arrived.’

Heidi stilled, then slumped in the chair, one eye completely closed.

‘You know there’s a warrant out for his arrest,’ said Flowers. ‘Why didn’t you or Garrett answer our calls? He’s yet to turn up at Jindabyne police station.’

Again, Heidi remained silent.

‘Why did you bring a syringe with you?’ Ryder asked.

She swallowed, licked her lips, said nothing.

‘It’s been confirmed there was a fatal dose of crystal meth in the syringe you took to Ida Stevenson’s place. Did you prepare that syringe with the intention of injecting Ida Stevenson?’

Heidi was staring at the table, her chest rising and falling from her rapid breathing. ‘You don’t understand,’ she said eventually. ‘You couldn’t.’

‘I want to understand, Heidi,’ Ryder said.

‘I want protection,’ she said suddenly.

Ryder leaned back in his chair and exchanged glances with Flowers.

‘What sort of protection are you talking about?’ Ryder asked.

She looked up and stared at Ryder with her blood-reddened eye. ‘I’ve got information, first-hand information about the murder of Scruffy Freidman, and the important members of the drug syndicate.’

Ryder almost caught his breath. Finally, they were getting somewhere.

Beside him, he sensed Flowers’ tension. Ryder turned and looked towards the viewing room. He could only imagine Sterling’s reaction.

He turned back to Heidi, who had followed his line of sight to the window. Ryder leaned forward and clasped his hands together on the table, bringing her attention back to him.

‘We don’t give protection for just any information. It has to be material we don’t have, and admissible in court. It also has to lead to a prosecution of a criminal activity for us to even consider it.’