Page 85 of Down the Track

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She was looking up at him, her face serious, her brown eyes narrowed slightly as she was facing east. Lit by the rising sun the way she was, he could see that she didn’t look totally the same as the Jo he’d fallen in love with. There were some lines on her forehead that were new and a few more fanning out from her eyes, and she looked way more tired now after what was probably a crappy sleep than she had when she was younger.

He felt a little vicious, suddenly, about the passing of time. Thewastingof time. And he was as guilty as anyone of wasting bloody time, especially as someone who had reason to know that time should never be wasted.

Lifeshould never be wasted. Because what you think you have spanning out ahead of you in a golden glow sunset could just as easily turn into an abandoned ute with a broken headlight and no future at all.

‘Hux?’

‘Er, sorry. I was wool gathering. I think, when you’ve given up hunting dinosaurs, you could think about a career in detective fiction. You’re a natural.’

A dimple popped in and out on her cheek, like she had almost smiled but then had remembered that everything was awkward between them and he’d driven her off to her swag the night before with a bunch of questions that she hadn’t wanted to answer.

‘My battery’s flat on my laptop,’ he said, ‘and I’ve got a powerbank with me but I’ll save that for my phone. Soon as I’m back in Yindi Creek, I’ll see if I can find what bottle this belongs to.’

‘Could have been dropped by anyone.’

He cocked his head. ‘Not quite anyone. The police who were out here. Dodgy Dave or his friend, if he had a friend. The guy who’s running sheep on Corley—and he may have an employee.’

‘There was an SES team here that day we were chuffed off.’

He shrugged. ‘Yeah, from Hughendon. Four or five of them. It’s still not a big cohort.’

‘Who do you think Dave’s friend might have been?’

‘That’s just my working theory. He came out here with just a duffel bag for company. My thinking is that he must have intended to meet someone.’

‘I assume the police have interviewed anyone who lives hereabouts. If anyone does, that is.’

‘I might ask the Cracknells what they’ve heard. I’ll go see them this arvo when I’m back in town.’

She cleared her throat. ‘Um … as it happens, they’re coming out here today. I called them just before and said I’d meet them up at the homestead. They’re going to show me how to drive down to the dig site after I collect the car.’

Excellent! Two birds, one stone. He could check out the homestead and ask Ethel and Dot for their nephew’s contact details and—

Crap. He had an effing online meeting with the production team at noon. And three trillion emails and messages to respond to.

‘Maybe you can do something for me,’ he said.

She looked warier than before, if possible. ‘Like what?’

‘Have a look around the homestead with the girls. See if they think anyone has been in the house or outbuildings, if anything is out of place, that sort of thing. And ask them if they’ll give me their nephew’s number.’

‘I won’t know what to look for.’

He smiled. ‘I think you just proved you’re the most observant person on the planet. Just think of the house as a dig site and see what impressions you get.’

‘I guess I can do that.’ She looked at her watch. ‘I better go fire up the frying pan. Luke will get heatstroke if I let him stay in that swag any longer, so I’d better lure him out with some bacon and eggs. There’s plenty there if you’re hungry.’

‘Thanks. I’m headed up to the top of the jump-up to have a look around, so I might be a while, but I’d be keen for bacon and eggs. Then I’ll need to get going, so if you’re headed out I can do a flyover to make sure you get to the four-wheel drive safely. I can’t take you both in the air, sorry. Two passenger rule.’

Possum yipped.

‘Two pax plus annoying pet,’ he amended.

‘Thanks. That sounds … very kind.’

That was him, he thought, as he continued up the slope. Very kind. The phrase no bloke wanted to hear.

TYSON: [mockingly] Relax, Hux, you’re very handsome. Very buff. Very awesome. And very freaking needy if you think you need to hear any of this guff. Mate, get agrip.