“You listen to Penelope, Brandon.” Amy’s voice was low. They probably didn’t want Lara to hear. “I will divorce you if you don’t.”
Brandon winced and ran a hand through his hair. “Shit.”
“Surely you don’t mind if we eat all the cake you packed, Ames,” Sam replied. “It’s hot out here. You can make another one when you get back.”
“Eat everything in the esky, as long as that’s all you do.”
Sam reset his watch.
“Do you think she’s serious?” Brandon asked.
“I’ll do it.” He’d been planning to anyway. “You can drag me to safety if it goes bang.”
“Amy will be mad either way,” he said.
“What are our choices? Dot doesn’t have the skills or expertise to deal with this.”
Brandon swore again. “Yeah, you’re right.”
Sam took his phone from his pocket and they approached the uncovered plastic. Lara hadn’t uncovered much. “How long do you think it’s been buried?”
“Not long. Anything this shallow would have been dug up by dingoes if it was organic, and the plastic isn’t faded.”
“The plaque’s a good marker.” He took some photos.
“The only reason to booby-trap it is to hurt us,” Brandon said. “We’re the only ones who would dig it up accidentally.”
Sam wouldn’t put it past Stonefish. They would be getting frustrated as the branches of their business were being revealed. “So, what do you want to do? Dot will have to call the bomb squad in, and that will take hours.”
They both studied the piece of plastic. They needed to uncover the package to see how big it was but shifting the sand might trigger the trap if there was one. Sam took stock of their equipment again. The rope and esky would give them enough distance. He got to work, explaining his theory to Brandon as he emptied the esky and tied the rope to its handle. Then, using the multi-tool, he cut the lid of the cake tin, straightening it out to create a shovel and stuck it to one edge of the esky.
“Best we can do,” Brandon agreed. “Use the esky lid as a shield.”
Sam tested his knot and then placed the esky on one side of the plastic, being careful not to apply too much pressure. Then he let out the rope to give him a safe distance before he dragged the esky over the plastic, which picked up the sand as it went.
A makeshift scoop.
He did several passes, each pass clearing more of the sand from on top of the package. His watch beeped. Sam sighed, wishing he hadn’t promised Penelope he’d call. “You back at the house yet?”
“Not far,” Penelope answered. “You enjoying the cake?”
“It’s delicious,” Sam lied. “Washing it down with an ice-cold bottle of water. Incredible how these insulated bottles hold in the cold.”
“I’ll radio when we’ve called Dot.”
Brandon laughed. “She didn’t believe you. We’re both going to be in the doghouse tonight.”
He was happy Penelope cared enough to be worried. The esky had uncovered the plastic to give the dimensions of the package, over a metre long and at least half a metre wide. He kept his distance from the hole, but took several photos, zooming in to examine the package for any wires or triggers.
Brandon stood behind him while they studied the photos. “It looks clear.”
Perhaps he’d overreacted. He could hook the plastic and drag it open to see what was inside. “Let’s eat the cake now while I rig up a fishing rod.” Penelope’s survival kit had a few different sized fishing hooks.
“Sounds good.” Brandon spread out the picnic blanket and Sam dug out the hook and line.
“What’s the latest with Georgie’s court case?”
“Could be a year before she goes to court,” Brandon answered. “There was a preliminary hearing where the court heard about the kidnapping and that she shot the guy in self-defence. The judge seems to think Lee will be caught and be able to provide evidence.”
