‘That’s really good info, Zara. I’ll look into that. It would be great to know why they suddenly started to target Barker. Thanks.’

She nodded. ‘You know I’m back and forth between Adelaide and Barker, don’t you?’

‘Yeah, Kim told me about the arrangement. I think that’s great for your mum.’

‘Don’t think I should leave her alone at the moment. I thought she’d be okay, but she didn’t sound it today.’

‘What about you? How are you?’

Zara thought for a moment. ‘I keep very busy,’ she answered.

‘You haven’t let yourself think about it very much then?’

‘Not even that, I just need to be busy.’

‘Can I give you a little word of advice?’

Zara smiled ruefully and slid her computer away. ‘I think you’re going to whether I want it or not.’

‘It would be better to try to deal with your grief. I left something for way too long and it ate away at me for years. Finally, after Kim telling me over and over that I needed to face it head on, I did and I had no idea how much it was weighing me down.’ He smiled. ‘Anyway, I’m a middle-aged man, what would I know … but maybe have a think about it, hey?’

Zara nodded. ‘Sure. And keep me in the loop with what’s going on with this story, okay?’

‘That I will. Right, you head out. I’ll follow in a while.’

Back at the hotel, he rang Steve, his boss, and asked him about the case. ‘Do you know anything?’

‘Look, I remember it vaguely, but not the details.’

‘The journalist who covered the case told me this Crumbs bloke is the same guy who was at the trial. She said he was there every day and she couldn’t link him to either of the families. I think it’s strange he’s turned up in another VFA protest. It also came to light he’s got a cloudy eye. Now, that’s something Jack hasn’t mentioned.’

‘Are you sure this is the bloke that Jack is talking to?’

‘Same fella.’

‘Well, if he’s never mentioned that eye, how can we be sure it’s the same man?’

‘I’ve got photos of him from Jack and it’s the same guy. He wears dark sunglasses all of the time.’

‘And we still don’t know who he is?’

‘Nope. I’m not liking these coincidences.’

‘No.’ Silence. ‘Well, we’re just going to have to work out who he is. Maybe Jack could get him a drink and snatch the glass. We could run his fingerprints and see if we get a match.’

‘We could try, just so long as it doesn’t put Jack in any danger.’