“Try again,” Dot said.“Your prints would have dissolved by now if that were the case.”
Colin glanced up, his gaze flicking to Martin and then back to her.Martin opened his mouth and Dot barked, “I’m waiting, Colin.”She glared at Martin, daring him to speak, and he clenched his jaw tight.Good.
“Last week.Lee’s a psychopath.Nhiari’s probably already dead.He’s been making me check the barrels every week.”
Dot leaned back, surprised.“Do they get deliveries that frequently?”
“It’s only been about once a month, but I still have to check.It’s like he didn’t know when they were due in, or just enjoyed me doing his bidding.”
“I thought you said he gave you the drugs.”
Colin paled.“No.He took them from me—from the barrels.”
Could Dot get hold of Nhiari and confirm Colin’s story?She didn’t like how he constantly looked at Martin for validation, but it could be because he was worried about Martin’s reaction.“What did you do with the drugs when you removed them from the barrels?”
“Left them in the hide-out you found today.”
Dot made a note, but her pen paused as realisation struck.Colin shouldn’t have known they’d found the hide-out.Rodney said he hadn’t told Colin, and she hadn’t said what she’d been doing out there.She glanced up.“What hide-out?”
Sweat beaded on his forehead.“Ah…” Again he glanced at Martin.
“Colin, answer the question.What hide-out?”
“The, ah, one on the island you were at today.”
“How did you know where I was today?”
“There’s this thing called fleet tracker, maybe you’ve heard of it,” Martin said.
She really wanted to gag the man.
“Yeah,” Colin agreed.“When you said you were having engine troubles, I checked where you were.I figured you must have found the hide-out because you were gone so long.”
Damn it.It was a reasonable explanation.“How many barrels are there?”
The change of tack made Colin blink.“Ah, a couple.”
“A figure, Colin.You must know if you put them down.”
“Six,” he answered.
Which left five unaccounted for.“Are they still there?”
“As far as I know.I didn’t want to risk checking them with those maritime archaeologists in the area.”
“Do you know anything about the missing cannon?”
Colin shook his head.“No.I wouldn’t do something like that.”
As if stealing a historical artefact was worse than bringing drugs into the country.Some people had twisted morals.
A knock on the door and Pierre poked his head in.“Sorry to interrupt.We had a call from Sam.They’ve found another barrel out by the wreck site.”He frowned as he saw Colin seated where a suspect normally sat.
“Tell him I’ll be out shortly.”She hesitated and then sighed.“And call Rodney.”He’d be out of mobile range until he got closer to Carnarvon, which gave her a couple of hours head start.She turned back to Colin, disappointment heavy in her gut.“Colin Lipscombe, you’re under arrest for aiding and abetting the importation of drugs into Australia.”
***
Pierre wasn’t able to contact Rodney before Dot headed back to the wreck site.She gave Martin instructions to find him when he arrived in Carnarvon with Colin, who would be remanded in custody there.Which left Dot with just Pierre to cover anything that came up in the meantime.
