The grizzly office manager with that morning's razor cuts adding to his facial unattractiveness entered the general office of Farm Accounting Services Ltd and snapped, "I want two volunteers to go overnight to Mt Diamond Station on Friday β overtime will be paid."
Dapper and genial Tony Charleston put up his hand; his mother wanted him to water-blast the outside of their house on Saturday, so this job offered a convenient reprieve. He was selected immediately.
Two females also had their hands raised: the promiscuous big-busted red-head Gloria Childs, who fancied a night away with Tony and mousy-hair Meg Williamson who wanted to gain experience interfacing with clients in their environment.
The nasty manager, Craig Duncan, thought he'd deprive Charleston of a bit of nookie so selected Meg.
At 10.22 on Friday morning as the company's single-engine aircraft took off from the White Diamond Station airstrip for its return journey, Tony and Meg were in a 4WD truck being taken to the homestead.
"Do you know details of White Diamond, Tony?" asked Meg, ignoring their semi-illiterate driver.
"Yeah, 448,000 acres and approximately 165,000 breeding ewes.
"Kingston Tuson was a pilot in the Air Force before coming home on his father's death and his wife Olive is the daughter of a millionaire property developer in Melbourne.
"You were told by Craig that their farm administrator Dave Higgins has done a runner. Well, he qualified a couple of years ahead of me and probably is in Bali now lying on the beach with a couple of hot chicks in each arm."
Meg's eyes widened at that last piece of information.
"Mr Duncan said drawings of $118,000 appear to be unaccounted for. Do you think we'll be good enough to find them?"
"Probably in a couple of hours if he's confined his fiddling to the one financial year and not bothered to be too sophisticated, knowing he'd be gone before the audit was done.
"It was only because Mrs Tuson wanted to go to England to see their two children at boarding schools did they find the cash account was well into overdraft. Higgins cleaned out eighteen thou from the cash account and Olive Tuson thinks another $100,000 has gone. If she thinks that in a quick scan we will probably find as much as $250,000 has been skimmed off."
"That much?"
"Yeah, perhaps even more."
"My goodness. Oh, by the way, what do I call the Tusons?"
"Listen to how they introduce themselves. They know me so it's first names. I'll just say you are Meg Williamson; if they use their first names, use them."
"Right, where will we sleep?"
"Well, if Gloria had come she'd slept with me, simply because she fancies me. You'll have a guest room next to me."
Meg, who's been increasing in confidence, turned crimson and fell silent.
The joint-property owners came out to meet the two investigating accountants.
"Hullo Tony," called Mrs Kingston.
"Good morning, Olive; hi Kingston. This is a new person on our staff, honors graduate Meg Williamson, who'll be assisting me."
"Hullo, Meg," said Mrs Tuson. "I'm Olive Tuson and this is my husband Kingston. Welcome to White Diamond."
"Good morning, Mrs Tuson. Oh, what a wonderfully colorful garden you have despite the prolonged drought. You've done wonders."
"Well, at least there is someone noticing that improvements are continuing around the homestead," Olive said, wrinkling her noses at her husband. Turning to the nondescript Meg she smiled, "Call me Olive, dear."
Just before 2:00 the two auditors, who'd worked through lunch eating mutton sandwiches with coffee, went out on to the porch were Olive was reading.
"You look as if you've had success."
"Yes, but unfortunately its all bad news β a criminal offence has been committed."
"How much?"
Tony looked apprehensive and Olive smiled, leaning down and picking up a radio handset.
"Kingston is out with the men docking lambs β I'll call him."
With communication established, Olive took the details and relayed them to Kingston. It ended with Kingston saying he'd fly to Wyalla Crossing on Monday to consult his lawyer about approaching the Police.
"It's the old story βtrusting but you become too trusting," sighed Olive. "Well, you two have more than twenty-four hours to fill in. Can you ride, Meg?"
"Yes, I love it."
Olive used the radio to call a jackaroo (farmhand) and ordered two horses to be saddled and brought to the front of the homestead.
"Put on a light long-sleeved shirt on and wear trousers, Meg," said Olive. "I'll get hats for you both."
Meg heard Olive giving instructions to Tony.
They both mounted and set off.
"What was Olive saying to you?"
"To ride out to Diamond Hill which is that peak ahead of us five miles away, and when we return have the sun straight ahead of us and we won't miss the homestead and outbuildings. It's easy to get lost out here."
They rode to the top of the hill and saw an outcrop of very white rocks.
"Diamond Hill and white rocks β of course, White Diamond, the name of the station," said Meg, as they then sat to drink from their water bottles.
"Clever girl," Tony said smiling. Meg flushed, wondering why Tony was staring.
Meg was wearing a dark brown shirt. They were both sweating in the heat and she had two particularly dense perspiration marks under her breasts. Until that moment Tony had not been particularly aware of her physique as mousy Meg did not flaunt herself, quite the reverse actually.
"What?" she asked, as the stare continued.
Tony shrugged and turned to look at the horizon.