“Sam worries you?”
“I know the type of men Sam, Brandon and Sherlock are. They’re highly skilled and they’re protectors. There was no way they’d be intimidated if one of their own was threatened. The Stokes have shown that repeatedly, and thinking any of them are going to behave differently is dumb.”
At least someone from Stonefish realised that, but it appeared as if Lee was the only one who gave them any credit.
“The poachers actually worked for Clark, smuggling weapons.”
Nhiari gritted her teeth. “Couldn’t Clark just choose one thing?”
Lee chuckled. “Clark was always of the opinion to go big or go home. He took a cut from everything he did. He was an imbecile.”
Yes, he was. “Who brought Kurt up here?”
“Lucas. He has dossiers on everyone close to the Stokes, and he found out Kurt was the type of man who would do anything for money. Lucas paid him to cause trouble up here and see if he could force Gretchen to spy on the Stokes for him.”
But Gretchen had friends she could rely on.
“I’m assuming you caught Kurt,” Lee continued.
“Yes. Just before we came out here.” She shut her mouth with a snap, realising she’d offered information he hadn’t known for sure. But that led right up to this moment. “What now?”
“Lucas is getting impatient and sloppy. He sent his other son to Retribution Bay to find the treasure.”
Nhiari pulled out a notebook. “Name and description?”
Lee smiled with affection. “You don’t need to worry about him. He’s not much of a threat. He’d much rather be playing video games than spying.”
“How well do you know him?” Perhaps it was a silly question as they were cousins, but they might not have spent a lot of time together.
“I’ve known Andrew since he was born. He’s eight years younger than me, but the two of us would hang out at family gatherings, avoiding our parents as much as possible.”
That was sad, but at least Lee had someone he could talk to. “Where can I find him?”
“He’ll be on Sam’s boat for the next couple of weeks.”
Nhiari’s mind raced. How? The tour season had ended. Sam had mentioned something about being hired by the marine archaeologists who were studying the new shipwreck. “An archaeologist?”
“First-year student. Lucas made him take the course when the second ship was discovered. Andrew wasn’t happy about it. They should have arrived yesterday.” He moved over to the car and pulled out a couple of muesli bars, tossing Nhiari one. “Oliver Anderson is running the expedition.”
Nhiari’s head jerked up to stare at him. “Dot’s Oliver Anderson?”
Lee nodded.
Shit. Dot wouldn’t take that well. He’d broken her heart. Nhiari stood, wincing as she put pressure on her ankle. “I need to be there for her.”
“Dot will manage. Lindsay will make sure of it.”
He knew everything that was happening in the town. “Did you warn Lindsay?”
“Yes. Dot will be fine. Oliver was looking forward to seeing her again.”
“You’ve spoken to him?” How was that possible?
“I went down to Perth to meet with Lucas and he asked me to take photographs of the expedition launch dinner. I spoke to him then. Oliver’s a nice bloke.”
He was, right until he’d broken Dot’s heart. “He pretends to be.”
“Sometimes we can’t help the circumstances that are forced upon us, Nhiari.” His intense gaze seared her soul.
