Toni climbed the steps of the Anzac memorial and saw Rob reading the list of names carved on the obelisk. He seemed engrossed in the directory of loss. He smiled when she greeted him and pointed to a name. Lt William Hamilton. "That's my great grand dad."
Toni places her hand on Rob's shoulder. "Really?"
"No, not really." And, clearly not understanding his joke might have pissed her off, he said, "Nice little library they've got here."
"And?"
"I went online to check out the shareholders of Artmor, the company that owns Artemis's policy. Nothing strange there – she and her husband are recorded as shareholders. But, if you ever want to feel the pulse of a town, have a look at the petitions table at the public library."
"What did it tell you?" she asked, practising the nurture of a bright child.
"Lots," he said and walked down the steps ahead of her towards the car. "The most interesting thing was the proposal for a huge property development out on the Washburn land. It sounds awful. It's called 'Onion Park'. I assume that's got something to do with the Italian settlers who used to run market gardens around the outskirts of town. Fifty luxury lifestyle units. But there can't possibly be fifty people in Exmouth who could afford that sort of thing."
"Do you think this property development could have anything to do with Artemis's death?" Toni said.
"I said 'interesting' which isn't the same as 'relevant'. But who knows? We can ask her bereaved partner on Thursday." Rob looked at the sky. "Weather doesn't look too good."