She snorted.“Nice way to greet an old friend.”
“You’ve been under a lot of stress.”
She gathered her notes together and put them in a backpack.“Let’s go get coffee and we can talk.”
He raised his eyebrows.“Coffee that bad here?”
“Yeah.”She walked out and called to the others.“Just ducking out to get coffee.Everyone want the usual?”They nodded and she left with Ryan.“Are Hannah and Felix with you?”
“Yeah.They’re back at the park.I don’t want them involved in the police stuff.Where’s Nhiari?”
She exhaled, but it felt good to have someone she could talk to.“It’s a long story.As far as everyone knows, Nhiari has been kidnapped by someone working for Stonefish.”
Ryan stopped walking.“What?”
Dot waved away his concern.“She’s fine.We just can’t tell anyone else that.”
“You don’t trust your staff?”
“I think at least one of them has to be involved.”
Ryan swore.“That’s rough.What can I do to help?”
She hesitated.“Did you get an answer to your enquiries about who owns the treasure?”
Ryan laughed.“That depends on who you ask.State says they do, federal says it’s theirs, and the museum says it belongs to the people and should be displayed behind glass.”He shook his head.“Then, of course, the Netherlands will see it as theirs because it came from a Dutch ship.”
Dot groaned.“So they were no help.”She clenched her hands into fists.“The Stokes really need the money, but it will probably be months or years before this is settled.”
“Where’s the treasure now?”
“Hidden.”
Ryan raised his eyebrows.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you.The less you know, the safer you and your family are.”
He nodded, not arguing the point.“So what’s new?”
“Do you remember Rodney Taylor from the academy?”
Ryan groaned.“Pompous prick who would throw you under a bus if it meant he got ahead.”
Dot nodded.“He’s with Organised Crime now.We discovered a large haul of drugs.He’s still up here, so be on the lookout so you can avoid him.”
“He was an entitled prick back at the academy.”Ryan shook his head.“The way he treated you and Nhiari, they should have failed him on the spot.I guess he hasn’t improved?”
“No.”She smiled, appreciating his defence of her both then and now.She dealt with insults and derision because of her gender and height, but Nhiari copped it for being indigenous, and the taunts had been far worse than those Dot had had to endure.
“So talk me through what’s happened since the treasure was uncovered.”
“Two boys were kidnapped, a woman was taken at gunpoint, Nhiari became a hostage, and we arrested two people for the crimes.”
“This reminds me of the situation in Blackbridge last year.Any ideas who is behind it?”
“Someone else in town must be either in charge, or high on the ladder,” Dot said.“Kurt was in town for weeks without being seen.”
“Has anyone talked?”
