‘Dave, you know as well as I do that there is danger in what he’s doing now. He’ll just have to be careful how he gets hold of the glass. You’ve got a secure drop-off and pick-up point for the pens, haven’t you? Get him to leave it there.’

‘Okay. Will do.’ Dave rang off and dialled Jack straightaway.

‘You right?’ he asked.

‘Shit, what was Zara doing there? I thought she was back in Barker.’

‘I thought she was too. Anyway, we got it wrong, but I think I’ve sorted it.’

‘How do you know?’

‘I keyholed her on the way out. Got her to come with me. Scared her a bit, then turned on the charm. She’s pretty switched on. Happily deleted all the photos of you and promised not to make contact with you or write anything about you in the paper.’

‘Once she understood the situation, I was sure she wouldn’t compromise my position,’ Jack said. ‘She’s straight down the line.’

‘Well, she’s all tucked in. Now, there’s something else. I need you to be extra careful around Crumbs. I don’t know what he’s mixed up in, but it’s something. Zara recognised him from a court case she was covering a while ago.’

Jack was silent, then said, ‘I told you there was something off about him. Shit! Was that the Hooper case?’

‘Yeah, anyway, I want you to try to lift something he’s touched so we can get fingerprints. A glass, maybe.’

‘Great idea. I had a thought last night—maybe he’s been an activist in another industry. I googled everything I could think of but couldn’t find anything on him.’

‘Good point. If you can get a fingerprint sample, then we can see what the database turns up.’

‘Sure.’

‘Any other plans?’

‘All’s quiet on the western front.’

‘Well, we’ll just have to sit it out and see what they plan next.’

CHAPTER 30

Chapter 30

Zara went straight to the office to type up her story and get it to Lachy before the deadline. She couldn’t stop going over in her head what had just happened. Jack was undercover!

It gave her a squirmy, anxious feeling, knowing someone was in danger. She desperately wanted to pick up the phone and call him, but the idea was laughable. There was no way she could do that.

‘Any goss?’ Lachy asked her as he walked by her desk.

‘Not a thing. The protestors got a bit rowdier than usual, but nothing crazy. Interviewed a couple of them afterwards and got some good quotes. I’d like to ring the abs manager, but the impression I got from him today was that he won’t be talking to anyone. They disrupted a truckload of stock arriving today, so he’s probably got a bit on his plate, making sure they catch up with the kill.’

‘You’ll still try?’