They all stared into the scrabbled hole for a long time. Ludlow was the first to look up.
‘I’d like to see his car now.’
Nathan offered to drive the sergeant and Bub didn’t argue. He looked relieved to be staying behind with Steve, who wanted to draw samples and get them in the coolbox before they were completely worthless.
Nathan climbed through the fence with Ludlow and Xander and they got into his Land Cruiser. It felt better for once, being back on his own side of the fence. The unnatural sight of Cameron laid out on the land he loved had upset the balance of the place somehow, as though there was a pollutant in the air.
Nathan’s hands were not quite steady on the steering wheel as he tried to remember that last time he had seen Cam, back in June or whenever. Cam had probably been smiling, because he usually was. Nathan flexed his hands one at a time. He could only picture the face under the tarp. He was already wishing he’d looked away. As he started the car and pulled away from the grave, he realised Ludlow was saying something.
‘Sorry?’
‘I was asking if you and your brother deliberately bought land next to each other?’
‘Oh. No. Burley Downs Station was our dad’s, so me, Cam and Bub grew up there. Then I got given some land on this side of the fence when I – ah – when I was married –’ In the rear-view mirror he could see Xander was looking out of the window, pretending not to listen. ‘That was about twenty years ago. Our dad died around then and eventually Cam took over Burley Downs.’
‘So Cameron owned it?’
‘He runs it. And he has a majority stake now.’
‘Oh yeah?’
‘Yeah, but you don’t have to look so interested. It’s been like that for years. We all got a third when Dad died, so it was nice and fair. I sold half of mine to Cam pretty soon afterwards, and he manages the place. Organises all the daily running and does most of the long-term planning. Bub has a third and I’ve still got a sixth.’
Ludlow made a note. ‘And how big is Burley Downs?’
‘Three and a half thousand square kilometres, with about three thousand Herefords.’
‘And the family looks after all that themselves?’
Something felt very strange about the way Ludlow was speaking. It was only when Nathan opened his mouth to reply that it hit him. The man was speaking to him completely normally. Nothing overt, or implied, or threatening or, very occasionally, concerned. Nathan wondered how soon Steve would fill him in. Probably in the ambulance on the drive back to town. The story was decent small talk filler, and wasn’t like it was confidential. If anything, it was entrenched in local lore now, from what Nathan could tell.
Ludlow shifted in his seat and Nathan realised he was still waiting for a reply.
‘They hire in help when they need it, like I said. Mustering, you always need it, but there are contract firms so you can call up and book the teams. It’s pretty much all done by helicopter and motorbike now. Cam’d get in contractors when he needed help with engineering stuff or laying fences or whatever. But day-to-day stuff is mostly the family. Especially when it’s quiet. Like, there’s nothing happening now because the markets and meat plants are all closed for Christmas.’
‘You don’t need help milking all those cows?’
In the mirror, Nathan saw Xander bite back a smile. ‘It’s beef around here, not dairy.’
‘So, what, your fridges are full of steak?’
‘And long-life milk. But, no, it’s not the same as with cattle on farms. Properties this size, the cattle mostly wander. Drink from the bores, graze, get rounded up when it’s their time.’ They were almost wild in a lot of ways. Some of them barely saw a human from birth to slaughter.
‘And how big is your place?’
‘About seven hundred square kilometres.’
‘A fair bit smaller than Burley Downs.’
‘Yep.’
‘Why is that?’
Nathan hesitated. Xander had gone back to staring out of the window. ‘Long story. Messy divorce is the short version.’
Ludlow seemed to accept that without question, for once, and Nathan wondered if there was a similar explanation for the cop finding himself stationed fifteen hundred kilometres from Brisbane.
‘Who else lives at your place?’ Ludlow said.
