Chapters (58)
- COVER PAGE
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- DEDICATION
- Prologue
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Thirty-eight
- Thirty-nine
- Forty
- Forty-one
- Forty-two
- Forty-three
- Forty-four
- Forty-five
- Forty-six
- Forty-seven
- Forty-eight
- Forty-nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-one
- Fifty-two
- Fifty-three
- Acknowledgements
‘Doesn’t surprise me. It’s a twenty-five-year-old Toyota in suspect condition. According to the guys at Cessnock Airport, Lorrimer was friendly and easy-going but a bit of an adrenaline junkie. They didn’t know anyone he was close to, but that’s not surprising, they all work independently out of there.’ There was a pause. ‘I can’t shake the feeling that Lorrimer deliberately made it easy to pack up and disappear at a moment’s notice.’
‘I got that impression too,’ said Flowers, his footsteps ringing as he crossed a steel-grate bridge. ‘The family said he owed people money. Maybe he was still living in fear that they would find him.’
‘Maybe,’ said Ryder. ‘I’ve spoken to the water police.’
‘Oh yeah, what did they say?’
‘They were patrolling around Lemon Tree Passage yesterday, but they were looking for stolen lobster traps. It happens from time to time apparently.’
A beep alerted Flowers to an incoming call. ‘Hang on, Sarge. I have Collins on the other line.’ He hit hold and accepted the call. ‘Hello, Sergeant Collins?’
Collins launched straight into his reason for calling. ‘Yeah. There were two others arrested along with Art Lorrimer all those moons ago. I’ve photocopied the details. Are you in Khancoban today, or should I email these to you?’
‘I’m heading down there soon anyway so I may as well pick up the hard copies.’ Flowers checked his watch. ‘I’ll be there around one.’
‘Okay, well call me when you’re ten minutes away and I’ll let you know where I am.’
Flowers hung up and relayed the conversation to Ryder. ‘I’ll shoot down there now,’ he said. ‘Who knows, I might learn something more from a chat with Collins that I wouldn’t learn in an email.’
‘Good idea.’
They spoke for another few minutes before winding up the call and then Flowers headed back to his apartment, trying not to think about his conversation with Sergeant Collins. He hadn’t gone more than a block before his conscience forced him to be honest with himself.
I’m heading down there soon anyway, he’d said, the lie shooting from his mouth before his brain had engaged. Angry with himself, Flowers kicked a large clump of snow on the side of the road, watching as it exploded into tiny pieces.
He wanted to see Sterling. There was nothing more to it than that. And Sergeant Collins had given him the perfect excuse to drive to Khancoban.
Fourteen
Flowers pulled into the hotel carpark, immediately singling out Sterling’s four-wheel drive with the faded paintwork.
When he’d called Collins ten minutes out of town, the sergeant had told him he was having lunch at the hotel and invited him to join him.
Now that Flowers was here there was no turning back, despite the second thoughts swirling through his head.