Page 77 of Whispers of Sweetwater

Eventually, they reached a patch of flattened grass nearer the spot Jack had circled on the mud map, close enough to see and hear without being spotted. They crouched low behind a pile of discarded wire mesh and Logan reached into his back pocket, pulling out a slim digital recorder. He clicked it on and aimed it, the red light blinking softly.

‘We’ve got them,’ he whispered.

Trev and Joe were out by an old, rusted trough, joined now by Len. He was wide-eyed, frantic, his movements jerky and uncertain. Trev paced like a caged dog, while Joe lingered on the edge, visibly rattled. The scene already stank of desperation. Len kicked violently at the dirt, then said something too low to hear. Trev grabbed his arm, trying to calm him. Joe stepped back, glancing around like he could feel the walls closing in. Then another vehicle crested the ridge. An old four-wheel drive, its body dusty.

Hayden stiffened, recognition flashing across his face as he read the number plate. ‘That’s Craig’s car,’ he murmured.

‘You sure?’ Logan’s voice was hushed.

‘One hundred percent.’

The vehicle rolled to a stop. A long pause. Then the driver’s door opened. Craig stepped out, and to Hayden’s shock, Sharon emerged from the passenger side. He watched as Craig moved close beside her, his hand resting briefly on the small of her back. The ease between them wasn’t professional, it was personal. Intimate. Repulsive.

Hayden’s eyes narrowed. ‘Jesus,’ he muttered. ‘That explains a lot.’

Even from a distance, her presence hit like a slap – cool, poised, dangerous. She wore a white blouse over jeans, sunglasses perched like armour. Her low boot heels bit into the dirt with every step.

He and Logan crouched lower still, the heat and tension closing in like a vice.

‘Boys.’ Sharon’s voice carried, sharp and commanding. ‘You three were supposed to keep this clean. I told you to make sure the box was buried nice and deep. Now it looks like it’s been dug up, and not by us. If anyone’s found it, we’re not just in trouble, we’re done. Prison, headlines, the whole bloody town turning on us. For all our sakes, it better have been a bloody feral pig rooting through the dirt.’

Len’s wrinkled face was pale, with sweat slicking his temples. ‘We did what you said. No one’s been near it until …’ He paused, swore. ‘… until people started sniffing around again.’

Craig crossed his arms. ‘I told you we should’ve torched the whole site. You idiots left loose ends everywhere.’

Joe’s voice cracked. ‘Jack threatened to go public. Said if we didn’t let him walk away clean, he’d blow the whole thing wide open. Names, dates, everything. We told him fine, then let him think he was in the clear. Next thing I know, he’s wrapped around a gum tree. Don’t tell me that’s a coincidence.’

‘Yeah?’ Sharon snapped, rounding on Joe. ‘So, you thought letting him walk was smart? That he’d just disappear quietly? Now he’s dead and you’re all pointing fingers like you didn’t know how this was going to end.’

Len stepped forwards with his fists clenched. ‘You all owe me. I’m the one who messed with his brakes. Me. I did what none of you had the guts to. And don’t pretend you didn’t know.’

Trev flinched. ‘You were only meant to scare him, Len.’

‘There’s no scaring someone like Jack,’ Len hissed. ‘He was going to blow the whole thing open. So I bloody stopped him.’

Sharon froze. ‘You didn’t tell me that.’

‘I didn’t think I had to,’ Len said, voice hoarse. ‘You wanted him quiet. He’s quiet. For good.’

Craig looked like he might vomit. ‘We’re all going down if we’re not smart here, and not just for selling illegal weapons and drugging racehorses, but for possible murder now, too.’

Sharon lifted her hands, palms out, trying to steady the moment. ‘All right. Enough. Panicking’s not going to fix anything. We keep our heads, we keep our story straight, and we make damn sure no one else gets curious. Got it?’

Nobody answered her.

She exhaled sharply, then smirked. ‘Don’t worry, boys, I’ve got Hayden wrapped around my little finger. The man’s so riddled with guilt, he wouldn’t suspect a thing if I told him I was grieving over Jack every night. He feels sorry for me. That’s leverage. And I intend to keep using it.’

Trev gave a nervous laugh. ‘We’ve been doing the same to Molly. Scaring her, mostly. Texts. Strange noises at night. Nothing to hurt her, just enough to keep her quiet. Same with that new vet, Brianna. We figured if she spooked easy, she’d back off.’

Logan steadied his recorder, every line hitting harder than the last. He caught Hayden’s eye, then shifted slightly and pulled out his phone.

‘I called it in to my team at Huntingvale station late last night,’ he whispered. ‘They’re staged and ready to move as soon as I give the word.’

Hayden leant in, keeping his voice low. ‘Smart thinking. We’ll have them boxed in from both sides if this goes sideways.’

For several tense minutes, the group of five continued bickering. There were accusations flying, voices rising, fear thickening in the heat. Sharon tried to wrangle control, but Len kept snapping, Joe was pale with panic, and Craig’s hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Trev kept glancing towards the horizon, like he was expecting someone to appear. Then there was the crack of tyres on gravel and a sudden rush of movement from the ridge. Uniformed officers emerged from the cane in swift, synchronised formation, some on foot, others flanking from vehicles rolling in fast.

‘Police! Hands where we can see them!’