Page 28 of Stockman's Sandstorm

‘I also asked you for that list about the troughs.’

‘I’m getting there.’ He was lucky they only had a few troughs to check, because they didn’t have that many cattle. Then he caught a plume of dust rising on the corner of the camera lens. He steered the drone around to discover it was a four-wheel drive coming down the track. ‘Hey, Ryder, we’ve got a car coming.’

‘Who?’

‘No one I know.’

‘I’ll check the cameras are working.’ Ryder’s heavy boot tread moved to the porch table where Dex was throwing back a beer as he rocked in his chair, while Cap sorted out water buckets for the dogs. ‘Cap, it’s testing time for Sarge. We’ve got an incoming car.’

The thick dog chain rattled and clanged as it hit the cement, with the lethal-looking shepherd whining with eagerness to be free.

‘Where’s Mason?’ Cap asked.

Ash shrugged. Harper was right, he was avoiding Mason. But every time he saw the boy an invisible weight crushed his shoulders, making it hard to breathe. Only twenty-four days to go.

Sarge leaped off the verandah and started barking. He was a mean-looking dog with a deep bark.

‘We can presume the boy is with the nanny.’ Ryder picked up his tablet and tapped on the screen. ‘It’s a driver only. Not a cop.’

‘It’s got some government emblem on the sides.’ Ash focused on the small screen in the centre of his handheld controls. He steered his drone to follow the car down their driveway that was as long and straight as an airstrip, filled with deep pockets of bulldust and jagged rivets washed out from the wet season.

‘Hey, can that grader fix the driveway?’ He remembered how Harper’s car had struggled when she’d first arrived. He’d made sure she had her fancy car parked in the shed to protect it from the sun, right next to his ute.

‘The grader would level that driveway like butter. But one job at a time, brother.’ Dex leaned in closer to Ryder, watching his tablet, while Cap watched over his dogs, especially Sarge, who stood in a tough stance in the centre, bristling with muscles. ‘Can you tell what department the car is from?’

‘Nah.’ Ash worked the drone’s dials to zoom in for a closer look. ‘It’s got government plates, too.’

‘Take that drone higher and see if there are any other cars in the area,’ commanded Ryder, sounding like an army sergeant. Ryder had never said what his rank was, or ever talked about his time in the military. He didn’t talk much about anything other than work, rarely sleeping. But without Ryder, they’d never have this place.

‘Will do, boss.’ Ash grinned, pulling back the dials and increased the speed on the drone and it powered over the property. He could hear it now, the bee-like sound growing louder as the drone gave him a superb view of the entire homestead. ‘No way! Did you know there’s a massive vegetable garden at the back of the caretaker’s cottage? And a pizza oven and an outdoor TV.’

‘VISITORS!’ Charlie’s voice carried over from the long shed that stretched out from behind the caretaker’s cottage. The place was deceiving, with that corrugated fence running along two sides.

‘We know, Charlie.’ Ryder waved to the elderly caretaker. ‘Charlie is going to give himself a heart attack if he keeps running like that.’

‘Hey, I found the kid.’ Ash smiled at the image projected through the goggles. ‘He’s with Harper and Bree …’ He sighed at the sight of Harper, in her summer dress, shading her eyes as she pointed at the drone, saying something to Bree. Harper was so pretty with her dark hair shimmering like water. Zooming in on the camera lens he panned over her figure.

Then something caught his eye.

‘Oh, no. Bree just pulled out a rifle with a scope.’ He steered the drone out of there fast, while ripping off his goggles to shout from the corner of the verandah. ‘Don’t shoot the drone, Bree! It’s mine.’

Dex chuckled. ‘I’d really like that woman if she didn’t scare me so much.’

Between the barking dogs, the drone’s noisy whirl, it was chaos when the troop carrier arrived.

Cap approached the vehicle, holding on to Sarge’s collar. ‘Can I help you, mate?’

‘I’m a government courier with a delivery for the owners of Elsie Creek Station.’ He held out a large manila envelope.

Ash zoomed the drone’s camera towards the back of the vehicle to find it full of open office crates holding assorted manila envelopes.

‘That’d be me.’ Cap took the envelope.

‘Have a nice day.’ The courier turned the vehicle around and headed back the way it came.

‘What is it?’ Dex asked as Cap ripped open the envelope.

‘You should lock that front gate.’ Charlie huffed and puffed, dragging his boots up the porch.

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