‘Dammit.’Malcolm shook his head as if the fight had leached right out of him.‘If you need anything, ask my kids, while I do damage control.’Malcolm stared down Lenora as he crossed to the other side of the room and snatched up the phone.
‘Don’t worry, Lenora.We’ll do everything we can to get them back.’Stone patted her shoulder.
‘Stone, over here…’ Finn motioned him into a huddle by the windows.‘You know these people, anything they don’t want to share?’
Stone shrugged, keeping his voice low.‘I’ve known Celeste and Malcolm for a while.Celeste is a friend, and young Jed and Lenora have been crocodile collecting with me a few times.No skeletons that I know of, other than what is already town gossip, which is mostly about Malcolm being a hard-arse.’
‘Malcolm’s moods are like suffering from a bad day every day,’ mumbled Craig.‘But you always got along with him?’
‘Crocodile wrangler’s privileges, Malcolm called it.’Which basically meant, if he ever tried that crap on Stone, the grouch would’ve copped one in the mouth—and Stone would’ve taken his business to the competition.
‘How do you transport that many crocodiles?’Amara asked the team.
‘Stone, this is your field of expertise.’Finn nodded at him.‘Think like a thief.How would they do it?’
‘Well, hell…’ Stone thoughtfully rubbed his jaw for a moment.‘The eggs would need to be kept in portable incubation units.Which aren’t easy to come by as they’d need to be temperature controlled with lots of protective padding for safe transport, so they’ll remain stable enough to not shake them up and drown the embryos.So I’m guessing they didn’t pack them here for long-term travel, but they’d have to pack them enough to get them past the corrugations on the roads to get out of here.’
‘And do the long-term packing offsite somewhere?’Finn asked.
Stone shrugged again.‘If this was my heist, and seeing as how they were selective in what they took, they’d need to keep the stock separated.But these creatures need to remain stable.The eggs especially.Before hatching they’re at their most vulnerable, with a very particular list of specific needs to survive.They’d need insulated, well-padded egg containers.Something that has temperature and humidity control, like medical-grade transport cases.’
‘But it’s not impossible.You could build something?’
‘Sure.You could use large ice coolers and rig up some battery powered contraption for consistent temperatures and humidity, which would be the main concern, because a big change in temperature could cause the entire lot to spoil.Crocodile eggs are tricky, they’re not like bird eggs.And they wouldn’t keep them in there for long.An hour max.’
‘Why not?’
‘They’d suffocate or dehydrate if they hatched during transport.’
‘Which fits your theory on stashing them somewhere to do the packing offsite.So somewhere not too far?’Finn stroked his jaw in thought.
‘I’d search within a drive-time radius of an hour, at most.’Stone nodded.‘They wouldn’t go far, not with the risk of losing those eggs during transport.If they were smart, they’d wait until they hatched.Hatchlings would be easier to haul.’
‘How would you transport hatchlings?’
‘You’d need large tanks, or tubs with holes in the side for airflow.Again, they’d need to keep the heat and humidity up.’
‘How big a carrier would they need for that kind of haul?’
‘A van would be enough.’
‘Damn…’ Finn muttered to Amara.‘Constable, put out a broadcast—any vans or enclosed trucks on main roads.I want them stopped and contents checked.’
‘Heat and humidity will be the big giveaway,’ said Stone.‘They need the heat if they’re going down south, so that van will be like sitting in a sauna, with a distinct smell of an aquarium store on a bad day.Look for large plastic tubs with airholes in them.’
‘Got it.’Amara began looking for a way out.‘I’ll need to use the radio in the car, sir.’
‘I’ll take you.’Jed held up his hand like he was in school.
‘Craig, Stone, you two go with Lenora and see if you can find any tracks.I’ll talk to the owners about the security.Constable, after you put out the broadcast, I’d like you to dust for fingerprints and take photos of the crime scene and whatever Craig and Stone find.I’ll get a list of staff names, their work shifts, and the architectural plans on this place.We good?’
‘Yes, sir.’Even though Amara was probably itching to salute, she settled for a short sharp nod.Spinning on her sheep farmer’s shoes, she marched for the door, with Jed racing after her.
Meanwhile, Stone and Craig sauntered along like the odd couple.They weren’t cops, but they had skills.
‘Um, Stone?’Romy waved at him from the far side of the room.
Oops.He’d forgotten about her.‘Come on, shortcake.The tour is just beginning.’
