Page 73 of Rough Stock

‘Porter’s in there. Mention food and he’ll control Stone,’ said Finn.

The door shut with a heavy click of the security lock, leaving Craig and Finn alone at the back of the police station, with a clear view of the local airstrip.

‘What’s up?’ Craig hooked his thumbs through the belt loops of his jeans, with no annoying crutches to bother him anymore. He stood before Finn, their shadows stretched over the concrete outlining their wide-brimmed hats.

‘They extradited Renzo to New South Wales last night.’

‘Izzy said Renzo is due for court tomorrow.’ Craig and Izzy had been told that the Northern Territory Police had cut a deal with the New South Wales Police to combine the kidnapping charges with the murder charges on Renzo’s matter. Word was Renzo was grateful to leave the Territory, the heat was killing him.

Finn paused to wipe his hand over his mouth. ‘Renzo won’t be making it to court.’

‘Don’t tell me he cut a deal or something? That prick kidnapped my wife.’

‘He’s dead.’

Craig’s eyes flared wide. ‘How?’

‘There was an accident with the prison transport. Four prisoners died in the collision.’

‘When did you find out?’

‘Five minutes before Drew’s plane landed. I just got the call from Detective Alistair Mancini.’

‘Izzy’s friend?’

Finn gave a curt nod. ‘The reason Alistair called me was he wasn’t sure about telling Izzy. He didn’t want to trigger her in any way. I didn’t realise Izzy has… irregularities.’

‘She’s not crazy.’ Craig’s hands curled into fists, as the heated protectiveness over his wife burred up his chest.

But Finn patted Craig’s shoulder. ‘It’s not like that. I had a sister just like her.’

‘Had?’

‘She suicided. School bullying.’ Finn remained completely expressionless.

Yet Craig sucked in air. ‘I’m so sorry.’ Fully aware of how much Izzy used to get bullied not just at school but by her parents, too.

‘That’s why I’m talking to you about this quietly. I’ll let you decide what to tell Izzy…’ Finn then stepped in closer with his voice low. ‘Also, Dane got stabbed in a prison brawl last night, too, and he died in the ICU this morning.’

Craig stepped back, his jaw dropping. ‘Are you saying the two people we arrested over Izzy’s kidnapping are dead?’

Finn said nothing, the silence all too loud.

‘Do we have anything else on the case?’

‘Well, we’ve got DNA from the medical gloves found at the crime scene, but the database didn’t return a match. Unfortunately, we couldn’t lift any prints off the cryogenic canisters we recovered. And it’s too late to press Dane for any more information. All we know is that six other cryogenic canisters were taken the night before we found Dane and Renzo. I also just learned that genetic material could last for decades in those canisters, as long as the nitrogen levels are maintained… which means they could be anywhere.’ Finn rubbed his neck and glanced back at the empty airfield, where the endless outback stretched beyond the curve of the horizon.

‘Did Dane know anything—besides stealing stock and caring for them as a stockman?’

Finn shook his head. ‘Dane said if he wasn’t forced to babysit Renzo, he would have left the same night as the tech’s visit—who was in and out in a few hours the night after they’d stolen that stock. Dane swears the tech had to be a vet or something.’

‘Why?’

‘Even though Dane refused to give a description, he did say that the tech was kind to the animals. He was so gentle that no harm came to them, but he knew what he was doing. As to who hired the tech, and who took those canisters where, who knows?’ Finn shrugged. ‘Sadly, Renzo never spoke a word during the interrogations. We’re lucky Dane spoke so freely with Izzy when she was in that cage.’

‘But Dane must have known too much if he’s been…’

‘I agree. I’m not giving up. I have questions that need to be answered, and I’m sure you have too.’

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