‘Oh yes, Art and I broke up years ago.’ She looked at Ryder and then back to Flowers. ‘I’ve bumped into him a couple of times at the shops, that’s all. I don’t know if he was in another relationship.’

‘The airport had his older brother, Daniel, listed as his next of kin. Do you know Dan?’ asked Flowers.

Dawn shook her head. ‘I never met any of Art’s family.’

‘You’ve never been to their property in Tooma?’

She shook her head again. ‘In all the time we were together, Art didn’t go home once.’

‘You must have thought that was strange?’

Dawn had a habit of wrinkling her nose when she was about to answer in the negative. ‘He told me early on he was the black sheep of the family, that he didn’t enjoy country life.’

‘Did Art do drugs?’ Ryder asked.

Dawn’s eyes widened and she glanced over her shoulder towards the back of the house. ‘I moved back in with Mum after Art and I broke up. She doesn’t know about that.’

The hairs on the back of Flowers’ neck stood up. ‘So, he was involved in drugs? In the drug trade?’

‘I wouldn’t go that far. We used to smoke a bit of weed together. I haven’t touched it since then.’ She smiled at the furry bundle in her arms. ‘I’ve got better things to do with my time.’

‘What about hard drugs?’ Ryder asked. ‘Coke and meth?’

‘God, no! We used to have a joint on the nights when Art didn’t have to fly the next day. How would he have done his job if he was using that stuff?’

‘Would you have known?’ Flowers asked.

Dawn was silent for a few seconds, thinking about the question. ‘I’m fairly sure I would have.’

‘Where did he buy the weed?’ Ryder asked.

‘I don’t know. He always had it on him though.’

‘Did he own a boat when you lived together?’ Flowers asked.

‘Yes, he loved fishing.’

‘Would he often bring home a catch?’ asked Ryder.

‘Most of the time.’

Flowers leaned forward. ‘Can you tell us what he was like? We’re trying to get an idea of his personality.’

‘The other pilots used to call him “cowboy” because he was a bit of a thrillseeker.’ Dawn smiled and visibly relaxed. ‘But the Art I knew was laidback and calm, which I think are good traits if you’re a pilot. He never worried about money and that used to annoy the hell out of me. I was always trying to save, and Art would spend every dollar he had.’

‘So, he wasn’t thinking about his future?’

‘No, Art lived in the moment. He once said something about family money. I assumed he meant a trust fund. He didn’t spend any of it on me, that’s for sure.’