Before It Breaks

by Dave Warner

  ‘Guess what I heard just before we came out, been meaning to tell you.’

  Clement was at loss as to which of the many billion gigabytes of possibilities in the universe he should select, so he waited.

  ‘Wildlife boys trapped a great big croc in Jasper’s Creek. Mate, you are dead lucky.’

  Yes, thought Clement. I am.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I would very much like to thank Professor Ian Dadour of the Forensic Science Department, University of Western Australia, for his feedback on the forensic components of the book, Elli Roeder for checking the German perspective, and Bruce and Alison Brown for Kimberley consideration. A huge thank you is in order to my editor Georgia Richter for her detailed and insightful assistance from start to finish. I would like to thank all those at Fremantle Press who have helped in some way into getting this book up and about, with especial gratitude to Clive Newman. Clive was there for my first novel all those years ago and it was pleasing he could be involved in the early stages of this one before retiring. A very big thanks also to my network of family and friends in Perth—Jude, Muffy, Chris, Simone, Dette, Mable, Rob Mak, Johnny and Shevaun—who always keep the home fires burning.

  DAVE WARNER is the author of nine novels, including City of Light which won the West Australian Premier’s Award for Fiction. He is also the author of six non-fiction titles, and has written for feature film, stage, television, radio and newspapers. Dave Warner originally gained national recognition as a musician-songwriter. His nine albums include the gold album Mug’s Game. In 1992 he was the inaugural Rock’n’Roll of Renown inductee into West Australian Music’s Hall of Fame.

  www.davewarner.com.au

  First published 2015 by

  FREMANTLE PRESS

  25 Quarry Street, Fremantle 6160

  (PO Box 158, North Fremantle 6159)

  Western Australia

  www.fremantlepress.com.au

  Also available as a print book

  Copyright © Dave Warner, 2015

  The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

  This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Enquiries should be made to the publisher.

  Consultant editor Georgia Richter

  Cover design Ally Crimp

  Cover photograph ‘Cape Leveque Road’, Red Dirt Photography

  Printed by Everbest Printing Company, China

  National Library of Australia

  Cataloguing-in-Publication entry

  Warner, Dave, 1953-, author

  Before it breaks

  ISBN 9781925161205 (epub)

  Detective and mystery stories

  Broome (WA) — Fiction.

  A823.3

  Fremantle Press is supported by the State Government through the Department of Culture and the Arts.

  Publication of this title was assisted by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.