Mhanda van Engelen appeared in the foyer a few minutes later. Tall, with an athletic build and dark-blonde hair, she strode towards them with a vitality that suggested a serious love of exercise.

‘Hello,’ she said. ‘We can use the meeting room over here.’ She opened a door and invited them in. ‘Please take a seat.’ She put a bulky file and an iPad on the desk and sat down. ‘What would you like to know?’

Ryder introduced himself and Flowers again and then said, ‘We’re investigating the death of Arthur Lorrimer, Junior. He was killed recently in a plane crash in Khancoban.’

‘Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.’

‘You didn’t know?’ asked Flowers.

‘No, I’ve only just come back from leave.’

‘You’d be aware that the Lorrimers own White Winter Station,’ Ryder said.

‘Yes, though I’ve never dealt directly with the family—actually, I’ve never met them. They signed a consent form for the development company to lodge the application on their behalf. All my dealings have been with the company.’

‘What exactly is proposed for the land?’ asked Ryder.

Van Engelen rested her fingertips on the file but didn’t open it. ‘Well, the application is for the land to be subdivided into allotments of various sizes, including some larger ones to be used for agriculture.’

‘And that’s for the entire station?’ asked Flowers.

She nodded. ‘Including one small lot for the existing house and graveyard. There are terms and conditions that need to be put in place for those.’

‘So, where are you up to with all this?’ asked Ryder.

She looked down and tapped her fingertips on the file. ‘The re-zoning’s been approved and it’s moving towards the subdivision assessment. I can show you a copy of the proposed subdivision if you want, or it’s all on the council’s website.’

‘We’ve got the web address,’ said Ryder. ‘We’d like to talk more generally about it.’

‘Okay.’

‘How has the proposal been received?’ Ryder asked. ‘I can’t imagine it being popular with the community.’

She smiled. ‘There are always objections to every project, but particularly when farmland is being broken up into smaller portions.’

‘Have there been any nasty repercussions?’

Van Engelen shook her head. ‘Not at all. You’d be surprised how many people are in favour of it. Population growth is good for the area. In the past, employment was always the problem, but not so much these days with people being able to work from home. The regions are booming, and we have a greater demand from people wanting to use the land for a variety of purposes.’

‘Have the Lorrimers suffered any personal backlash?’ asked Flowers.

‘If they have, I’m not aware of it.’ She tipped her head to the side. ‘I mean, the owners of the neighbouring properties are never thrilled about these things, but they often end up indirectly benefiting from the improved infrastructure.’