“We need to figure out how. Where is the treasure now?”
The others exchanged glances. They didn’t trust him yet, which he understood. “I can leave the room while you tell Nhiari.”
“Probably best if we talk about when it’s going to be moved,” Dot said. “The museum will take possession in two days.”
That’s right, they were taking it to Perth. That was plenty of time to come up with a plan. “Armoured guard?” Even if it was a portion of what Lucas expected, it would be worth millions.
“To a certain extent,” Brandon said.
Lee’s brain worked through the different options. So few people knew the truth of what had happened. “You three are accompanying it?”
None of the men said anything, and Dot sighed in exasperation. “We haven’t finalised the details yet. Oliver only confirmed the transport before you arrived.”
“Road, boat or air?” Lee asked.
Dot glanced at Nhiari again before she finally answered. “Road. Steven Hamilton stole a cannon from the new wreck and the museum wants to add it to their collection.”
“So you’ll hide the treasure on the transport.” A smart idea if few people knew they had found the treasure, but Lucas would examine everything out of the ordinary. “Lucas will know. He’s the sponsor for the expedition and is quite within his rights to call the museum for an update. He’ll hear the cannon has been found and is being moved on Saturday.”
“Which we can use to our advantage,” Brandon pointed out.
“What will Lucas do with the information?” Nhiari asked.
A good question. “He’ll want to be subtle and not want a fight. If he can detour the truck from the main road, he’ll get the treasure and leave Australia.”
“There are dozens of airstrips along the coast,” Nhiari pointed out. “Plus multiple places where he could meet his boat.”
So they had to make sure he knew where to meet the truck.
“Are we going to bring Rodney in on this?” Dot asked.
Nhiari scowled. “Where is he?”
“In town,” Dot said. “Going through all the evidence, probably building a case about why I should no longer have a job.”
“Does he need to be involved?” Oliver asked.
“Yes,” Dot replied. “If I keep this from him, and we can’t prove he’s working for Stonefish, it’s likely to be the nail in my coffin.”
“Should we call him out here?” Sam asked.
Nhiari cringed and then relaxed when Dot said, “Let’s build a reasonable plan first and then tell him.”
“First, I need to talk to Lucas,” Lee said.
“Will he tell you his plans?” Nhiari asked.
“He’ll have to. There isn’t anyone left up here to help him.” He waited for that to sink in. He was the last man standing.
“The van will arrive in Retribution Bay tomorrow evening,” Dot said. “We’ll load the cannon and the treasure first thing Saturday morning and the van will drive until it reaches Perth.”
“Two drivers?” Lee asked.
Dot nodded.
“Have you got a map?” Sherlock asked Brandon.
“Yeah, in Dad’s office.” He left the room and returned with a large map of Western Australia, which he spread across the table. “This is the route they’ll take.” He traced the Brand Highway.
