‘Okay,’ Ryder said. ‘Now, we haven’t asked you this before, but can you tell us your whereabouts on the night Art flew into Khancoban? I don’t care who starts.’

‘Can I go first?’ Kristin raised her hand as if she were in class. ‘I need to check on the kids. I left them doing homework upstairs, but I bet they’re playing video games.’

‘Okay.’ Ryder put his phone in the middle of the table as everyone watched on. ‘Do we have your permission to record this?’

They all nodded, and Ryder asked Kristin where she was that night.

‘I was home with the children, where I’ve been for the past three weeks. I haven’t spent a night away from the property since I came back from Sydney the last time.’

‘Okay, thank you.’

‘Am I right to go now?’

Ryder nodded.

‘I was here too,’ Dan said when Kristen had left, ‘not in the house, but in one of the far paddocks. We had a heifer in labour. I’d only come in about ten minutes before you arrived to tell us about Art.’

‘I remember.’ Ryder nodded then looked at Ethan.

‘I couldn’t tell you if I slept in my truck that night or not. I could have come home late and left early before anyone was up. That happens a lot. I’ll have to check my roster.’

‘That would be helpful,’ said Ryder. ‘We’ll speak with your foreman or co-workers if necessary.’ Finally, Ryder looked at Heidi. ‘Where were you, Heidi, on the night your brother flew into Khancoban?’

‘I worked earlier in the night and then I was at my boyfriend’s place,’ she said.

‘You were there all night?’

‘Yes, I had the next day off. He lives on a property near Jindabyne.’

‘What’s your boyfriend’s name?’ asked Flowers.

Ryder didn’t miss the edge to his partner’s voice.

‘Rodney Garrett.’

Flowers slid his notepad and pen across the table to Heidi. ‘Write down his address and phone number, please. We’ll be talking to him too.’

The porch light was extinguished when they were halfway across the driveway, plunging them into darkness.

‘That’s a bit rude,’ muttered Flowers, digging in his pocket for the key. He pressed the button to unlock the car, the hedges surrounding the cemetery lit up in the brief flash of light.

‘Creepy,’ said Flowers when they were inside the car. He started the engine then hit the button to lock the doors, just to make Ryder chuckle.

Flowers put the car in gear and pulled away, the headlights drifting across the building as they circled the driveway. A lone figure stood at the window watching them depart. ‘Who was that?’ he asked.

‘I don’t know. I couldn’t tell.’