She didn’t, but if Rodney was involved, he would do what he could to discredit her.But she also didn’t want Oliver to appear on Stonefish’s radar, which he would if they saw him on camera.Unless he was already working with them.She closed her eyes for a moment, hating that she couldn’t trust him.“Stay here, please.”
He nodded.
Dot returned to the hidden camp and made a show of setting up, setting her backpack directly in front of the security camera so it was blocked.
Then she got to work.
“What is this place?”
Dot spun, hand moving to her gun before she recognised Oliver.He stood a little slouched, his head pressing against the netting as he glanced around.
“I told you to stay out.”
“I didn’t like having you out of my sight.”
She ignored the tug on her heart.He was here now.He might as well stay in the shade.Even if he was working for Stonefish, he knew she’d found the camp.Seeing inside didn’t make much difference.“A hideout of sorts.”She pointed to the patch of sand near the water.“Sit there while I process it.If you move, I’ll charge you with contaminating a crime scene.”
The mangroves reminded Dot she hadn’t investigated them.She was certain Stonefish had hidden the dinghy here, but how had they got through the trees?She took off her shoes and waded into the water to the mangroves.Fake.The trees covering the entrance were plastic and fibreglass.She lifted one, which required a bit of effort, but it cleared a section to make way to the ocean.About half a dozen were fake.Genius.The island was so remote that few people would come this way, but even if they did, no one would look twice at the mangroves.
She replaced it, took more photos, and waded back to shore.
“It’s a pretty complex set up.”Oliver sat on the sand, his knees pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped around them.The posture was casual, but also sexy, reminding her of the days they used to spend at the beach together.Setting up a sunshade, taking a picnic, and spending hours in the water where their hands would roam.Heading back to his or her place, showering off the saltwater, still not having their fill of each other.
She’d thought anything was possible in those days.
“Dot?”
Her mind struggled to remember what he’d said… complex setup.She nodded, pushing away the unwanted memories.He had that right.But hopefully Stonefish’s confidence at how well it was hidden had made them sloppy.
She needed a break.
She smiled and continued processing the scene.
Chapter 11
Oliver had so many questions, but he kept them to himself.Something big was at play here, something that had the potential to affect Dot’s career if he understood things correctly.Now wasn’t the time to talk about their relationship or demand answers.
He bit his tongue and settled on the sand to watch her work, his hand going to the ring at his neck.At one time he’d imagined giving the ring to Dot when he asked her to marry him.That had been back when he was sure they would work things out when he finished the expedition.
When it was clear they wouldn’t, he hadn’t been able to part with the ring.It was a token from his first expedition, and perhaps his sub-conscious had still associated it with Dot and refused to accept they were over.So it had become his good luck charm.
Dot was methodical, working one item at a time, fingerprinting everything, bagging the sleeping bag and then moving on to the boxes, which contained a drone and some kind of technical equipment.The camp was far too well set up for it to be somewhere a fisherman camped when he wanted to get away from it all.
The camouflaged netting added another layer of intrigue.This was the kind of thing he’d only seen in movies.
This spoke of organised crime, of drugs, which could come with a lot of violence.
But Dot was ignoring Rodney’s orders.
Sure, the man had been a toxic prick at the academy, but he called the shots in relation to drugs.
Didn’t he?
Unease hovered on Oliver’s skin.Just how much had Dot changed in the past ten years?“What do you do with all of this?”
Dot glanced at him, her brow furrowed.“We’ll store it at the station tonight and take it to Carnarvon tomorrow.They’ll process it or send it to Perth.”
Another difficulty of working in a remote town.They didn’t have the facilities they needed.
