Page 37 of Clear Skies (Stormcloud Station)

Pushing away the confusing residue of lust and attraction from her mind, she fastened her bra, pulled on a clean T-shirt and a pair of denim shorts, then slipped her feet into her sneakers. She opened the door with one hand, while pulling her hair into a ponytail with the other. She probably looked terrible, and needed a shower, but at least she wasn’t wearing the clothes she’d slept in.

“Thanks for waiting,” she said, following Dale’s broad shoulders down the hallway. It was getting lighter outside, the first streaks of pale indigo painting the horizon before the sun rose. She loved this time of morning, when the air was cooler, before the heat of the day descended. Wazza’s dark form strode across the area between the staff quarters and the lodge right in front of them. She could tell it was Wazza, because he had his eternal hat on his head. He stopped and held the door open for them, giving Dale a nod of greeting, and shooting her a surprised smile.

“Didn’t know you were coming back,” he said, bringing up the rear.

“Neither did I,” she answered cryptically. There was no time for any more conversation, as they entered the kitchen and found everyone else milling around.

Skylar was bustling around as usual, pulling a tray of bacon out of the oven, and flipping fried eggs out of a skillet and piling them on a large plate. Bindi was buttering a pile of toast, and Sally was setting out plates and cutlery for everyone. Seeing Sally jolted her mind to the overheard conversation tonight. The diminutive woman showed no signs of fatigue from her late-night phone call. Her hair was done neatly in the same bun she always wore, her black skirt and charcoal shirt perfectly ironed. She looked ready to start the day, with no sign that she was planning on leaving.

Steve leaned against the countertop, deep in conversation with Alek, his hands painting a picture of something in the air. Alek glanced her way, a look of confusion flashing across his features before he returned to his intense conversation with Steve. Daisy studied Alek for a second. Dale had mentioned that Alek was a bit of a ladies’ man. He’d certainly looked her up and down the first time they’d met, but she’d shut him down with a glare that told him she wasn’t in the least interested. Had he ever shown an interest in Karri? She needed to remember to ask Dale later.

Daniella had taken a seat on one of the barstools that lined the rear of the countertop and was rapidly tapping away on her iPad.

Neither Daniella nor Steve looked shocked to see Daisy, so she assumed Dale had already warned them she was back. On the return drive last night, Dale had tried to convince her she should let him tell his mum and Steve the full story regarding River. But she’d balked at the idea. It was bad enough that Dale knew. The idea of anyone else finding out made her feel sick. So, they’d settled on a convoluted version of the truth. They’d tell everyone that River—Ryan—had suddenly been called home by a family emergency. That he could be gone for up to a week, and Dale had suggested she stay at the station, so she didn’t have to be all alone. She felt like a bit of a fraud. And she also felt people would think her weak, afraid of staying out in the bush by herself. Dale had brushed those fears aside, telling her few women he knew—especially ones brought up in the city—would ever agree to stay in that rundown outstation in the first place. Let alone stay as a woman on their own.

Everyone was talking quietly between themselves, the buzz of conversation filling the kitchen. Daisy stood and listened, not taking part in any of the discussions. Dale went over to talk to Steve and Alek about where they when they were going to move the cattle out of the high paddock. Daisy tuned out that exchange.

“I need you to find some more documents for me,” Daisy heard Daniella say to Sally over her shoulder.

“What? Why?” Sally’s face took on a pinched air of concern.

“I’ve just had another email from Mr and Mrs Peterson,” Daniella said with an impatient wave of her hand. “They’re saying we overcharged them for their stay back in October. That’s two people now, who say we’ve got the invoicing wrong. Perhaps we need to take a look at our financial software. Could there be a glitch in it somewhere?”

Sally moved closer to Daniella, so she could peer down at the iPad on the countertop, and Daisy could no longer hear what the two women were saying.

Dale didn’t seem to have noticed the tense conversation between his mother and the receptionist, continuing his chat about the right concentration for a salt lick, of all things.

“Don’t let the food get cold,” Skylar announced.

“I don’t need to be told twice,” Wazza said with a grin. He snagged a plate and began piling food onto it. Steve and Alek moved toward the middle countertop, jostling Wazza in a friendly bid to be the first to the food. Daniella looked up, but went straight back to tapping away, with Sally looking unsure whether she should grab some food, or continue to hover by her boss’s side.

Dale came over and nudged Daisy with his shoulder and indicated with his chin that she go ahead of him. Daisy didn’t need to be told twice, either. Her stomach had been grumbling ever since Dale mentioned Skylar cooking breakfast. She piled grilled tomatoes and tiny little sausages with two fried eggs onto her plate. Dale dragged two of the barstools next to the wall near the rear door. She took one, and began shoveling food in, watching Dale as she ate. Watching the way he and Skylar traded insults in an easy banter and the way he leaned in to whisper something in his mother’s ear. He cared about these people, and he wasn’t afraid to show it. She’d experienced the same thing last night in his arms. The memory caused a sharp pain of longing to shoot through her.

“Right,” Steve said through a mouthful of food. “Let’s get this meeting started.”

Dale took the seat next to her, giving her a quick wink of solidarity. His shoulder touched hers as he raised his fork to his mouth. The top of her arm flooded with warmth.

“I wanted to hold a bit of a debriefing session. I should’ve done this days ago, and I apologize. But we’ve been caught up in this whirlwind, and it’s put us on edge. From today onwards, I hope we can all be on the same page. We need to be consistent in what we tell the guests. And we need to be telling them the truth, not rumors we’ve heard from other members out in the community.” Steve turned his gaze toward Sally. She met his gaze, head held high, but Daisy could see a slight red tinge climbing her neck. Steve didn’t enlighten them any further, but Daisy guessed that perhaps Sally had been talking about Karri’s rumored boyfriend over at Koongarra. Daisy stared at the other woman. Sally couldn’t possibly know the truth—that River was Karri’s secret lover—but the fact the woman was spreading innuendo and half-truths made Daisy decidedly uneasy. What could Sally possibly gain from that kind of gossip?

Steve began to speak again, and Daisy swapped her focus back to him, leaving that unanswered question for later. “The death of a trusted friend and employee is never a good thing. Most of us are feeling grief, a deep sense of loss, as well as terrible confusion.”

Steve had hit the nail on the head with his sentiments. But this wasn’t what she wanted to know. She needed some cold, hard facts. Did they have any suspects? Were the police widening the search? She knew they’d interviewed some of the Indigenous people over at the community. Karri’s family especially. Had they become part of the suspect pool? Or were the cops still focused on people who were at the station at the time of the death?

She jiggled her knee, impatient for him to get on with it.

There was a loud knock at the back door. Steve turned a quizzical gaze towards Daniella, as if to say who would be knocking at this time of the morning? For the short time Daisy had spent here, she knew that the guests always came in the front entrance. The rear door was more for staff.

“I’ll get it.” Dale handed Daisy his plate, and went to open the door. There was a brief exchange and then Senior Sergeant Robinson strode into the room, Senior Constable King hot on his heels. Both of them looked terribly sombre, and Daisy’s heart leapt into her mouth at the sight of them.

“Morning, Nate,” Daniella said, looking as cool and unruffled as ever at having two severe-looking policemen arrive at her breakfast meeting. “What can we do for you on this fine—”

“We have a warrant for the arrest of Warwick Nobles. We have evidence that points to him as the main suspect in the murder of Karri Grainer.” The senior sergeant cut her off gruffly. “Everyone remain where you are, please.”

Daniella’s hands flew to her mouth.

Daisy did the same to stop her gasp of shock. Her gaze fluttered around the room, landing on the man they’d come to arrest. He was leaning up against the wall while he ate. The look on Wazza’s face would’ve been comical, if the situation wasn’t so serious. His mouth was open, a fork full of bacon stalled halfway up from the plate.

Dale took a step forward, and King raised a hand in warning.

Ever so slowly, Wazza placed his plate and cutlery on the countertop next to him.

“What’s this all about?” he asked, keeping his face open and friendly.

Robinson approached him, King only a step behind. “Warwick Nobles, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say could be held against you…” the rest of the senior sergeant’s words blurred in Daisy’s ears.

What the hell? They were arresting Wazza for murder?

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