‘You make the best Bircher muesli, Eva, thank you,’ he said, rinsing his bowl in the sink. ‘Have you heard from Jack?’

Ryder had grown to like Eva’s partner, despite his initial misgivings about the guy. As a hostage negotiator and back-country survival expert, Jack Walker’s skills were in high demand. Eva was often left to manage the lodge on her own.

‘I was speaking to him last night,’ Eva said. ‘They’re starting to wrap things up, so he should be home soon. He’s happy you’re coming and going, and that Vanessa is here for the season.’

‘I am too. Vanessa is good company for you, and I’d rather her be happy in her job, even though I miss her when I’m in Sydney.’

‘She never took to that sales job, did she?’

‘No. She told me she’d rather be skiing than talking all day.’

‘That’s Vanessa.’ Eva put down the rolling pin. ‘I meant to ask you if Mitch had found somewhere to stay.’

‘Yeah, he’s in a place down by the river.’

Eva frowned. ‘I thought he may not want to stay here because of what happened . . .’

Ryder shook his head. ‘I don’t think he remembers anything about the situation here, he had a pretty bad knock on the head.’ He smiled a little. ‘He’s probably dreading the thought of spending all day and night with me. We’d never get a break from the case.’

‘Well, I hope he knows he’s always welcome here,’ Eva said.

‘I’ll invite him over for dinner. That’ll be an offer he can’t refuse.’ Ryder shrugged on his heavy-duty police jacket. ‘Thanks, Eva.’

Just then his phone’s screen lit up with Benson’s name. With a quick wave, he hurried out of the kitchen. ‘Hello, Benson.’

‘Sorry, Sarge, I was on another call.’

‘Anything I need to worry about?’ Ryder asked, picturing Benson, Brown and O’Day working at their desks in Parramatta.

‘Nothing we can’t handle.’

‘Good.’ Ryder passed through the lobby where a young man was vacuuming. ‘Have you had a chance to look at the updated case notes on the plane crash?’ he asked.

‘I saw that Flowers had updated the file,’ said Benson, ‘but I haven’t read it yet. I’ll look at it now.’

The rush of freezing air caught Ryder’s breath as he pushed open the double wooden doors and stepped outside. In the clearing out the front, two young boys were having a snowball fight, their parents watching on from one of the picnic tables.

Ryder rounded the corner of the lodge where his four-wheel drive was parked at the top of the driveway. Shivering, he listened as Benson tapped away at the keys.