Flowers nodded and gave them a brief rundown of how the accident had occurred. ‘The Transport Safety Bureau will do their own investigation, but we need to find out how a tractor came to be on the runway.’

‘Of course.’ Lorrimer looked at Kristin then. ‘I assume if Art did have a significant other, she’ll want to take care of the funeral arrangements. Otherwise, we’ll do it.’

Kristin nodded silently.

Flowers had the impression something unspoken had passed between them. He took his notepad and pen from his pocket. ‘If I could get Ethan and Heidi’s phone numbers, that would be great.’ Dan Lorrimer might be estranged from his youngest brother, but that didn’t mean the other siblings hadn’t kept in touch.

Lorrimer fished his mobile from his jeans’ pocket and scrolled through until he found the numbers. After jotting them down, Flowers asked if Ethan and Heidi also worked on the property.

‘No, I’m the only one who works here full-time now, and Kristin takes care of the house. Our two children are at school.’

‘And Ethan and Heidi, where do they work?’ Ryder asked.

Lorrimer pocketed his phone. ‘Ethan’s contracted to work on the bushfire salvage operation. I think they’re cleaning up around Batlow at the moment. Heidi does bar work, in Khancoban.’

Flowers scribbled down the information, his mind racing. ‘Which hotel?’

‘The Ramshead Tavern.’

Flowers wrote it down, though the name was already familiar to him.

‘Thank you. You should call your brother and sister after we leave,’ he said, hoisting himself up from the pile of cushions. ‘People have started posting about the crash online. There’s a chance they already know.’

Four

‘I can book you a room at the Golden Wattle,’ Ryder said, watching as Flowers mopped up the gravy on his plate with the last of their damper.

When they’d arrived back at the Tooma Hotel the place had been full of lycra-clad cyclists, but the group had left en masse ten minutes ago and the bar was empty again save for himself and Flowers and an elderly woman sitting by the window.

‘Would you like me to?’ Ryder asked again. ‘The lodge isn’t full.’

‘What’s the internet speed like?’

‘It’s not great.’

‘No thanks, Sarge, I’ll find something else.’

‘Okay.’ He wondered if the internet speed was really the issue, or if Flowers preferred to have the evenings to himself, which Ryder could understand. ‘I wouldn’t recommend you staying in Khancoban though, it’s too close to Sterling. Thredbo’s a better option.’

Flowers frowned. ‘Thredbo it is then,’ he said quietly.

Ryder picked up his coffee cup. ‘It’s just that it’s safer to maintain some distance from a squad member who’s undercover.’

‘Yeah, I get that. How was she today?’