‘You’re right. I don’t. But I do know what he’s like when he’s flying, and he’s the best, Sal. You have nothing to worry about.’
‘I hope you’re right.’
‘Of course I’m right. Why don’t you lot all go and have pancakes at the pub since you’re up. My treat,’ he said. ‘I’ll go check on Charlie. You kids like pancakes?’
‘We love pancakes!’ said Harry.
‘Awesome.’
The R22 was gone when Hux arrived at the airstrip, so he went into the donger and fiddled around with Phaedra’s CB radio system until he found the right channel.
‘This is Yindi Creek Choppers calling Romeo Charlie 22. You there, mate?’
A squawk answered him, and then, ‘Yeah, mate.’
Charlie sounded as good as Hux had heard him in weeks. ‘Nice day for a flight. You all good?’
‘All good, Hux. ETA Longreach ten minutes, then we’ll head out to this bull when the vet’s on board.’
‘Roger that. See you later.’
‘Romeo Charlie 22 out.’
Huh. Charlie was fine. He was more than fine. Hux looked at his watch and saw that the police station was finally open. He’d done as much as he could with his murder board, and it was time to hand over what he knew to the police. But he’d have time to swing by the pub first to let Sal know she could stop crying, Maybe pick up a pancake for his troubles.
CHAPTER
38
Acting Senior Constable Petra Clifford was not at her desk when Hux headed into the Yindi Creek Police Station, but he tracked her down out the back. The bonnet of the police cruiser was up and she was frowning down into the engine.
‘Need a hand?’ he said.
‘You know anything about coolant systems?’
‘My engine skills are limited to the Robinson helicopter maintenance manual and changing a spark plug in a lawnmower. If you see Regina in town you should get her to come have a look. She’s a whizz at that sort of thing.’
‘Your sister? The one who runs Gunn Station?’
‘That’s right. The oldest. Number One, in fact, is her nickname in the family. I’m the fifth of six kids, but since I’m the only boy, they call me by name. Mostly. Sometimes they call me idiot or moron, but I take it as a term of affection. The girls all get a number as their nickname.’
‘Cute,’ she said. Her tone saidI have better things to do than listen to this drivel.
He switched to the topic he’d come to see her about. ‘You know that reckless boasting I was going on with, saying Gavin Gunn was going to find Dodgy Dave, or find out his real identity?’
‘Yes, I remember. “Fearless crime writer solves mystery while witless police stand by doing fuck all”,’ she said dryly like she was reading a newspaper heading.
He grinned. Maybe Petra Clifford was good character inspiration material after all. ‘It wasn’t that bad, was it?’
‘Depends who you’re asking.’
‘Look,’ he said, thinking an olive branch might be in order. ‘I’ve found out some stuff that I think might be of use. The bakery’s open. Why don’t I buy you a coffee and tell you, and you can see if there’s room for any of it in your investigation.’
She eyed him, lips pursed, for a moment. ‘Throw in a Vegemite scroll and it’s a deal.’
She dropped the bolt on the bonnet and walked with him down the street. Despite the early hour, the heat was oppressive. Clifford cleared her throat. ‘You know, I’ve been going over the Jessica Huxtable file again.’
He looked at her. ‘And?’
