‘You can ask that when we go visit,’ replied Finn.‘It still doesn’t explain how they got a security uniform or why the cameras didn’t pick up anything.’
‘Well, I have a theory about their security cameras.’Stone tapped on the screen.‘Romy?Can you show them your shots of the back pens?’
Wow, Stone actually said her name so formally.‘What are we looking for?’
‘I’ll tell you… I saw it this morning over coffee.’
Romy fast-forwarded her footage, surprised that Stone got that far when he’d told her he was watching from the crocodile egg collecting phase.How many times did he watch her footage?
‘There, go right…’ Stone pointed at the screen.‘I want you to zoom in on that electricity pole.’
‘What am I looking at?’Again, with a few taps and a shift of the mouse, she zoomed in on the power pole.
‘Can everyone see that box?’Standing beside the wide screen, Stone played teacher, pointing at a compact metal box mounted just beneath the crossarm of the power pole.‘I’m guessing the thieves used technology to disable the alarms and cameras from this DIY cable box.It’s not on any of the other poles along their outer fence line, just this one.It’s subtle, I didn’t pick up on it at first, but—’
‘It’s just like the security box you put in at our place,’ said Craig.
‘What kind of security?’Finn narrowed those dark eyes at the big screen.
‘We can access all the cameras set up at our place using this app on our phones so Izzy and I can check them any time.It’s handy for our driveway to know who’s coming into the quarantine station, in case we’re working on the back block.Or to check on the stock while in town.’
‘Can you tape it?’
Stone nodded.‘If it was me, playing master thief, I’d tape the entire night before just to ensure the weather’s shadow patterns were consistent, such as the time of the moon’s rise and fall, and then let it replay through the phone app.’
Romy stared at Stone in awe.He was way more clued in than she’d realised.
Hold on, did Stone have the same system on at his house?He’d have to.Which would explain how casual he was about letting complete strangers stay in his house while he was away.
Oh, no, did he use it to watch her?
Noooo.She dropped her head, desperately trying to remember if she did anything embarrassing, like you do when home alone.
There was a knock at the door and she looked up to see Tanisha standing in the doorway, holding up two notes.‘Finn, sorry to bother you, but Porter said you might want these.’
‘What’s up, Tanisha?’Finn swivelled in his seat.
‘I’ve just received calls from two crocodile farms.The Mudlands Crocodile Park and Northern Tides Aquafarm.’
‘That’s the neighbours.’Stone shuffled the maps across the table to show the team how close the farms were along the one stretch of the river.‘Who happen to be Saltscale’s competition.’
‘Well, they just called and said someone has dumped some baby crocodiles into their yards.’Tanisha passed the messages to Finn.‘The poor babies had been hiding in their gardens and the staff don’t know how long they’ve been there.’
‘That explains why those thieves doubled back in that van with their haul,’ mumbled Craig behind his coffee.
‘Why didn’t they keep them, instead of calling us?’Amara asked, with Romy nodding, also keen to know more at this unexpected twist in the investigation.
‘And risk pests and diseases getting into their carefully quarantined cold stock?’Stone scowled at the map.‘I bet those thieves were trying to set up Saltscale’s competition as suspects, like they did with The Vegan.’
‘Stone, you’re our cold stock expert,’ Finn said, ‘What does Craig need to set up a quarantine area to secure those crocodiles at his station?’
Eighteen
The first stop in their two-vehicle convoy was at Saltscale Crocodile Farm, where the security guard, Doug, waved the Stock Squad through, to park by the hatchery.
‘You know, to really experience your first time in a police van, you could have ridden in the cage like most people do?’Stone smirked at Romy as he opened the passenger door for her.
‘And miss my chance at slapping your hands when you did the wrong thing?’
