Soon, they approached Cricket Willow in Shepherds Flat. The birthplace of the Australian cricket bat, its oval was an oasis nourished by purified sewage water. They pulled over moments later. Lunny was reluctant to drive his Monaro off-road, even across the privately owned paddock adjacent to their favourite fishing spot on the Jim Crow. So they took their gear and secured the car before hoofing the last 500 metres.
Lunny adjusted his grip on the esky and asked, ‘Have you ever regretted joining the cops?’
Surprised, Franklin glanced at his boss. ‘Nope. You?’
‘Mmm. If I’d been a boilermaker, as my dad wanted, I wouldn’t have baggage from cases like yesterday’s crash. Hard to switch off, isn’t it?’
Franklin nodded and they trudged a few metres, inspecting the creek for a deep pool and th
