Campbell glanced at O’Brien, then back to Jake. ‘If they didn’t take any of my vines, and it wasn’t Max, then I have no idea who it was.’

‘Dad!’

‘I know you want me gone as soon as possible.’

‘Somewhere safe. So things like this don’t happen.’

‘You didn’t hear or see anything, Max?’ Jake asked.

‘The first I heard of it was you shouting to see if anyone else was in the house. Why were you there?’

‘I wanted to ask you about the back roads behind the estate. I’ve been trying to determine how someone might be able to drive in and out for access to the vineyard without being seen on the main road. From satellite images it looks as though it’s possible on fire trails?’

Max smiled. ‘That takes me back! Yes, there are dirt tracks through the bush that allow you to get to and from town and most of the other farms in the area.’

‘Why do you say, “takes you back”?’

He smiled again. ‘Teenage trysts.’

‘So the backroads are common knowledge?’

‘Everyone at high school was using them.’

That was something, at least. A thorough canvassing of everyone who had travelled the road to and from the campground on Friday night and early morning hadn’t identified any unaccounted vehicles. Perhaps this was how Ava’s killer had transported her body to the vineyard.

Jake returned to questioning Max’s father. ‘With Ms O’Brien being found on your property, we need to look into whether there’s any relationship between what happened to her and what’s happened to you.’

‘You think whoever did that to Ava also attacked Mason?’ O’Brien said.

Was that panic in his voice? ‘We can’t rule it out,’ Jake said. ‘Please tell me again, Mr Campbell, what was your relationship with Ava?’

‘I told you, I didn’t have one. The church paid me to rent them the cottage, and she used it. End of story.’

‘The St John of God group, to be exact?’

‘That sounds right.’

‘So if we look back through your financial records we’ll find regular deposits from them into one of your accounts during the years the girls’ home was in operation?’

‘Of course.’ Campbell looked down at his coffee. ‘Just ask my accountant.’

‘You have an accountant?’ his son asked.

‘Course I do.’

‘He’s not a very good one, then,’ Max said.

‘When you made the agreement with the church, you weren’t concerned about the noise?’ Jake asked.

Campbell looked puzzled ‘What noise?’

‘The sound of lots of little children running around, playing.’

‘No, he … ah … they promised the children would be quiet.’

‘Who?’

‘Look, it was the Christian thing to do. I don’t understand why you’re here. Shouldn’t Kelly be the one to do this?’

‘Who first approached you to rent the cottage?’

‘One of the brothers. Don’t remember his name, so no point in asking.’

Jake’s intuition suggested he may have touched a nerve, but given Mason’s ornery nature it was difficult to say for sure.