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sticky cobweb. Ellie tried to push the thoughts away, but it was impossible after the call she’d just taken from Panos Sordina.
    He’d been friendly.
Way too friendly
.
    ‘Sold up? No, in fact Susan and I are moving back there for my retirement. She’s already living there.’ The hearty laugh and the booming voice had seemed overdone to Ellie.
    ‘And you’re doing some work there?’
    Dead silence.
    ‘Why would you think that?’
    ‘I saw a couple of trucks turn off there this afternoon.’
    ‘Oh yes. Ah, I’m putting another dam in. I’m going to get the farm back up and running.’
    She didn’t believe a word. That was no new dam she’d seen from the air. ‘So it’s nothing to do with exploration? Didn’t look like a dam when I flew over there.’
    His bluff and blustering response filled her with even more unease.
    ‘Exploration? A ridiculous idea, wherever did you hear that?’
    ‘I’ve just got back from seeing Mum in the Daintree. Before I left she gave me some papers that suggested the South Alligator area is being explored for coal seam gas.’
    ‘Absolute rot. Fairy stories. One of those silly alliance groups stirring up trouble, I’d say.’
    ‘What she gave me to read made me think her fairy stories are not so silly after all, Panos.’ She’d flicked through the folder in her room and been surprised to see several photos of Panos with another man in a suit. There were newspaper clippings as well.
    ‘Look, all sorts of misinformation gets published on social media these days.’ He let out an exaggerated sigh. ‘One of the difficult things a man in my position has to deal with. Say hello to your mum for me, Ellie. And tell her not to worry herself.’
    ‘I will. Thank you.’
    Ellie disconnected. It was obvious that he was lying but she wasn’t going to mention it to anyone else yet,
especially
Mum.
    Until she checked it out more, anyway. She’d search the back issues of the local paper, and ask Bill Jarragah if he’d heard anything.
    For now a quiet drink with her colleagues would take her mind off it. She crossed the lawn to the courtyard where the tables spilled onto the grass facing the west, overlooking the water and positioned to get the best view of the setting sun.
    The sunset river cruise would have docked down at the wharf and the bar would soon fill as the tourists arrived for their pre-dinner drinks, ready to relax and compare their crocodile photos. Every afternoon at Makowa Lodge in the winter season was the same; the crowd with their cameras, vying for the best position as the sun set. The smoke from the burn-off of the savannah woodlands generated a spectacular show as it fired the sky to a molten gold. Photographing crocodiles was forgotten for a short while as the cameras pointed to the west.
    ‘Ellie! Over here.’ A group of her workmates, all wearing the signature Makowa Lodge khaki shirt, were sitting in the corner of the bar area. Ellie grinned as Heather Jarragah uncrossed her long legs and stood up. ‘Welcome home! We weren’t expecting you back at work till tomorrow.’
    At the sight of her best friend’s large brown eyes and dark hair, she felt herself relax. The two had known each other since primary school – introduced by Dad and Bill – and Heather’s family had welcomed Ellie into the Aboriginal community at Black Jungle Springs as though she had been one of their own.
    ‘Hey, Heather.’ Ellie looped her arm through Heather’s. ‘You’re right. I wasn’t rostered on but I got a call from Jock to take the chopper up when I was on the way back from Darwin. Missing tourists. So what happened to Mike?’
    ‘He was out on a job a couple of weeks ago when his ex-missus turned up after his blood.’ Heather flashed a big smile. ‘And she sure got it. Before he landed his bird, she trashed his room and then carried all his gear to the back of the compound. He didn’t realise the smoke enhancing the sunset his passengers were snapping was from a