‘Alright,’ Finn said, wrapping his hand around the steaming mug of coffee, which was better than his mud.‘Talk to me.What’s wrong?’
Lydia took a slow sip of coffee, like she was buying time, her eyes darting to Taryn.
‘Don’t worry about the Fed, I’ll end up telling her anyway.’Which was true.And it wasn’t the first time he’d worked with a partner, it’d just been a while.‘So, shoot.’
‘Red’s been on edge all week… Today was the worst, on account of a truck that didn’t show up this morning.’She glanced between Finn and Taryn.‘Tooley was the driver.He’s a regular, who is very reliable.He runs the route from Tinderflats Station, like he’s done for over a year, and normally arrives before first light.But today, he didn’t.’
‘How do you know it’s missing?’Taryn asked.
‘The paperwork was lodged in advance, and Tooley radioed Brodie to have the yards prepped to unload that truck.Only, Tooley never arrived.’Lydia paused, tapping the side of her mug.‘And out here, when a triple-deck of cattle doesn’t turn up, people take notice.We’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars of stock.I always send out a few stockmen to check the truck didn’t get bogged, or worse.’She looked directly at Finn.‘But this truck… It’sgonegone.And I haven’t been able to reach Tooley on the radio, or on the phone, all day.’
Finn and Taryn exchanged a look.
The bush telegraph hadn’t caught up yet.Which meant no one knew the Stock Squad had pulled the truck over and arrested Tooley at dawn.
Did that mean Lydia was here for confirmation?Or she already knew and was waiting for Finn to say something he couldn’t.
Finn leaned back, toying with the handle of his coffee mug.‘You know I can’t comment on active cases, Lydia.’
Lydia gave a small nod, the kind that said she’d expected that answer.
‘What did Red do?’
‘Red has been circling the stockyards all day.Hassling poor Brodie with demands, in such a foul mood—and now this.Red’s gotten…’ Lydia exhaled, long and tired.‘…worse.’
‘How bad?’His voice dipped lower.He wanted names.Times.Heads to smack.
But then, he felt it.
A soft pressure against his leg.
Barely there.Yet, it surprisingly grounded him.
It was Taryn.
She didn’t say a word as she sipped from her mug.Didn’t look at him.Just that gentle pressure of her leg against his as a reminder to stay calm, and to listen first.
Lydia’s fingers trembled as she fiddled with the handle of her mug.‘At home, Red’s been walking around at night like he’s checking for ghosts.Then I found him flicking through loading dockets in my office—ones that had nothing to do with him.And then he had a go at me when I asked what he was doing.’
Finn’s jaw clenched.‘He’d better not—’
Again, there was that gentle press against his leg, but this time Taryn leaned over and placed a hand on Lydia’s.Only for Lydia to grip it like a lifeline.
‘What was it about?’Taryn asked gently.
‘Red said the numbers don’t match.That there’s stock unaccounted for.’Lydia paused.‘He’s right.But he’s blaming Brodie.Mocking him for his writing again.Saying he scrawls like a child and calling that poor boy useless.’
A protective fire built inside Finn over a kid who’d already been through hell and didn’t need this.‘Do you think Red is going to use Brodie as a patsy for the missing stock, and put it down to clerical error?’
‘I hope not.Brodie’s just a boy.It’s not his fault what his parents did to him.’Lydia’s voice wavered.‘He’s come so far.Izzy’s been helping him, giving him tricks and tips to improve his reading and writing—and he’s trying so hard.He really is… I don’t want Red pushing him.Brodie doesn’t need to carry the weight of that.’
And Finn was just another selfish bastard who’d added to that pressure, too.
Idiot.
Taryn squeezed Lydia’s hand again.‘Hey, you shouldn’t have to carry it on your own, either.’
Lydia shared a soft look of someone who’d played their part of being strong for everyone else and was tired.‘Some days, I wish I could build Brodie a flat at home.I’d happily let him take the guest room, if Red would only agree.Because he’s…’ she trailed off.‘Brodie is like a son to me, and I’d do anything for that boy.’
