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Stone nodded, even if it was getting harder to ignore the possibility that Lenora had a hand in it. He still believed in innocent until proven guilty—but he was just as keen to find the stolen stock.

‘And that means we have a clear motive. Malcolm is giving the property to Lenora’s younger brother, Jed, and you’ve said it’s Lenora’s hatchery work that put them on the map, and she’s not getting a reward…

’ Finn grabbed another map and ran his finger over an area.

‘This is us here. Romy, I’d like your drone to fly over Lenora and Griffin’s properties, here. ’

‘It’d be pretty dumb to keep the crocs stashed on their own properties like that, Bossman. If you’re thinking it’s Lenora, she’s a lot cleverer than that.’

‘I agree,’ said Amara.

‘You do?’ Stone arched his eyebrows at her.

‘I know it’s rare, but in this case, Stone might be right.’

‘Did everyone hear that? I should have taped that and turned it into my ringtone for you.’ He pulled out his phone. ‘Say it again, Duchess.’

‘Rack off.’ Amara pushed his phone away.

‘They’ve been playing us, all along.’ Finn scowled so ferociously that poor Romy stepped back. ‘You might be right about the thieves keeping that stolen cold stock close. That’s why our goal today is to scout potential holding locations. What was your theory on distance, Stone?’

‘Give or take a hundred k’s from Saltscale, tops. That’s as far as you’d risk hauling croc eggs by road.’ He circled the boundary on the map with his finger.

‘Guess whose property is well within that radius,’ said Craig.

Well, hell … Stone hated the idea of Lenora being involved with the theft, but he had to put that aside.

He had to think like a thief, which uncovered another clue.

‘I think Bastion and Lenora may be working on falsifying the records to create ID markers when those eggs hatch. They’re in charge of the paperwork for stock at Saltscale as it is. ’

‘Can they legally do that?’ Amara asked.

‘Lenora is a licenced crocodile farmer, authorised to engage in all aspects of the industry. That includes egg collection, incubation, breeding, and the farming of crocodiles for commercial purposes. Lenora is more qualified than her brother, Jed, and possibly even her own father. I know she went to uni to gain some formal qualifications to run that hatchery.’

‘Wait!’ Amara held her hand up, scrolling over her screen. ‘Bastion studied for a few years to become a veterinarian but never finished. At the same university Lenora went to.’

‘So Bastion would have the necessary skills, like that mystery techie who took the genetic samples from the rough stock?’

‘Yes, sir. Both Lenora and Bastion collect the DNA from the crocodiles as part of their duties in that hatchery.’

Finn narrowed his eyes, his voice deepening. ‘Constable, see about a warrant to collect DNA samples from all those who work in Saltscale’s hatchery.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘What about this Griffin?’ Finn asked. ‘What do you know about him, Stone?’

‘I’d only met him when you did. But I’m assuming, if he’s working as a pen-keeper, Malcolm or Lenora would have hooked him up with the correct licencing. He did tell Romy that he went pig hunting and was a dogsbody, and a station kid.’

‘Which is normal for any kid who grows up on a cattle station. I don’t know Griffin much, but I know his parents through the traps. They used to manage cattle stations,’ said Craig. ‘But if Lenora and Griffin are both licenced, why not collect their own eggs, like you do, Stone?’

‘Why bother, when they can take the best from Daddy’s farm as payback for all their hard work.’ Stone shrugged, keeping his emotions in check over the players in this game—especially Lenora. He kept hoping she hadn’t done it, that she hadn’t stooped that low.

‘So, what does Bastion get out of it, if he’s part of this team?’

‘Money. Like most crims want…’ Finn scowled over the map. ‘Craig, you know this land. Where do you suggest we search?’

‘I’d say they’d have them there…’ Craig tapped on the map. ‘Dixby Downs. It’s their neighbouring property, that’s deserted.’

Amara paused to peek over her tablet. ‘How can you have a deserted cattle station in the heart of cattle country?’

‘The overseer disappeared,’ explained Craig, pushing up the brim of his stockman’s hat. ‘They found his vehicle abandoned, with some blood inside, but no sign of him anywhere.’

‘Sounds like you know the place?’ Stone asked.

‘I did a few musters on Dixby Downs, back when they’d put in a ton of money on a few new outstations, before the overseer disappeared.

Rumour has it the overseer borrowed money from the wrong people, and well…

’ He paused to rub the back of his neck.

‘The family were so heartbroken, they shut the station down, and it’s been deserted ever since.

’ Craig then tapped on the map. ‘There are three outstations. Here, here, and here.’

‘But do they have the facilities to run a crocodile farm?’ Finn asked the team.

‘You saw how easy it was to set up the hatchery out at Craig’s place,’ replied Stone. ‘Those hatchlings would only need water, shelter, and power run by a generator. If Griffin and Lenora have only bought their property, I doubt they’d have any infrastructure. Do those outstations have sheds?’

Craig nodded. ‘Only one of them has a new shed. The other two have a covered structure, but they never finished the rebuilds. But all three outstations at Dixby Downs have bores to fill their tanks.’ Craig tapped on the map at the possible locations.

Stone tilted his head at the spot. ‘Well, hell, would you look at that?’

‘What?’ Romy tugged on Stone’s shirt as she leaned in closer.

‘That outstation sits right along the edge of both Griffin and Lenora’s property line. And well within that one-hour travel time from Saltscale.’

‘Romy, that’s where I want you to do a flyover first.’ Finn tapped on the map. ‘Stone, can you do a scout around too, undetected?’

‘Easy as. I’ll look for a place to use for surveillance, and I’ll give you a heads-up on road conditions.’ Already the adrenaline rush had begun. ‘Come on, Romy, let’s get our birds in the air.’

‘Stone?’ Finn motioned at him to step aside.

‘Go ahead, Romy, you can unpack your drone.’ Stone watched her walk away, as Finn’s heavy boot tread crunched closer behind him—a stark contrast to the soft footfalls of the hatchery staff.

It reminded him of the light walker Craig had tracked to the white lab coat.

Could Bastion be the mastermind behind this theft and also be involved in the rough stock theft, too?

‘I know what you’re going to say, Finn.’

‘Well, I’m going to say it anyway. Are you too close, if it is Lenora Rowntree in charge of the thefts?’

Stone sighed, sliding his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. ‘Even with the evidence pointing that way, I don’t want to believe it. But if it is, I’ll still do my job. Look, Malcolm may be a mongrel with his moods, but for Lenora to steal from her family, especially poor Celeste…’

Finn stepped in closer, his voice even lower. ‘Being who you are, I want you to look at it this way… If you worked your arse off for your father’s company and he gave it to some mail clerk who’d barely turned twenty-two, wouldn’t you be ticked off?’

Lenora’s brother, Jed, was twenty-two, nominated to be the next in charge of a multimillion-dollar family business. But he’d always known Lenora as a sweet kid who doted on her baby brother and took care of her mother.

Stone rubbed his closed eyelids, blocking out the world, while effectively shutting down any emotions.

‘I’d do everything I could to take it back in a hostile takeover.

Like I’ll do everything in my power to help recover that stolen stock as part of this team.

I may have had some differences with my old man, but I’d never steal from my family or my friends. ’ It was wrong on so many levels.

‘I know, that’s why you’re part of this team.’ Finn patted Stone’s shoulder, then gave a slight wink as he said, ‘Now get out there and do what I pay you to do.’

‘Yes, Bossman.’