White-hot sparks shot up out of the trench and bounced erratically, followed by a cloud of grey dust as the cutting disk worked its way through the concrete slab. Jim, a skinny contractor, rushed to hose water into the cut and stem the issue. Only half the factory was being revamped, with a morning shift still operating the other half of the factory. Grit is the enemy of working machinery, and the production manager would be none too happy to have a thin layer of concrete dust over everything.

Conrad watched out the office window. He was supposed to be here helping with machine installation and setup, but the old floor was only just coming out and the new slab wasn't even poured yet. The machine itself was weeks away, held up in shipping. Even so the company was paying him to be on-site overnight, reworking parts and servicing the remaining machines. Mostly though he suspected it was just to retain his services. After all, he had a reputation for being a worthwhile investment.

Getting up slowly and putting down his book, Conrad walked out onto the factory floor and hailed Jim with a wave.

"Take a break, mate." He gestured to the lunch room. "I'll take over for a bit."

Jim looked to Darren behind the cutter and, upon getting the nod from his companion, held out the hose.

"You sure?"

"Sure!" Conrad smiled, taking the hose. "I'm not doing much else anyway."

For the last week, Conrad had spent most of his time cleaning up the workshop and maintaining tools. He had learned a long time ago that everything worked better with the right lubrication; that included people. Rocking up to a worksite with three days worth of growth on your face and a somewhat worn-in work jacket was the go. Helping out at the right time and simple recognition of someone's hard work was often enough to get that person onside without having to grease a palm. Of course, a bribe was never out of the realm of possibilities either, as long as you were getting something for your money.

When he wasn't making himself look good on site, Conrad had been doing a bit of his own digging. The subcontractors weren't the usual type Conrad would have expected. At first, he had figured it was a manager giving a kickback to some friend, but the whole job was not typical. The rearrangement and the new floor - the whole thing seemed barely necessary. He was used to seeing companies make mistakes and do things without the proper forethought, but this had almost too much thought put in. Darren had carefully measured out the floor space and placed a small X as a marker at a seemingly random spot. Now they had cut around it as if there was power or something under that portion that they didn't want to hit.

So Conrad dug a little, first through publicly available building records. Like much of the area it wasn't that old. This extension was tacked onto the original structure and was less than fifteen years old from as much as he could tell. He avoided asking questions outright when Tim the manager arrived at six am, but he did manage to find out that Darren and Jim were also the ones doing the concreting. It was unusual that the guys laying the concrete would be the same ones pulling the old slab out. Normally, you would use specialists at each stage. The machinery had to be hired, and it was as if this wasn't their normal job. There was something under there, and whatever it was it wasn't meant to be dug up easily or quickly.

Conrad had been hired by Tim in the hopes he would help make the installation smoother and as quick as possible. Of course Conrad had jumped at easy work: anything to keep the bills paid. He hated dipping into his savings between jobs. Not to say he wasn't working all the time, it just wasn't always through usual channels. Work kept him moving around, which suited him fine. Even out here in southern Australia there were plenty of things to keep his interest for at least a while. He never understood how people stayed in one spot, built a life and lived and died without traveling. His father had been like that, and Conrad suspected that was why he got itchy feet and had left home young, finding work around the world.

His old man had also instilled Conrad with a good work ethic from a young age. He had taken him out on the road in a truck and got him to roll and stow ropes as soon as he was big enough to lift them. Later, Conrad had learnt how to tie down the loads and do basic maintenance, like check tire pressures. It wasn't a great childhood, but it made him grow up faster than other kids. By high school he could strip and reassemble a car engine, a skill that carried over to many jobs. The long trips also made him observant. God knows there's nothing else to do when you're trapped in passenger seat, except to look out the window and listen to your father's idea of what a good education should be.

When Jim returned, Conrad casually excused himself, handed the hose back and headed for the break room. From there, he could disappear around the side without notice and exit via the front of the property. The night was beautiful, with clear skies allowing for a full view of the stars. Conrad was glad that he could switch his sleeping pattern with minimal difficulties. He enjoyed the slower pace out here and the emptiness after most of the factories closed for the day, leaving the area free for feral cats and the occasional fox to roam in the quietness.

Conrad resisted the childish urge to run a stick along the chain link fence. There weren't a great many guard dogs in the area, but he didn't want to risk drawing unwanted attention. He walked to the end of the street and took a left, a right, then another left, in a zig zag route away from the business. It was a warmer night, the bitter cold of winter giving way to more temperate days. In a few months the heat would ramp up and scorch the land, killing anything not lovingly watered. Some businesses had nice manicured gardenscapes and professional signs; mostly though it was corrugated iron sheds and tall fences with barbed wire. Similarly, the yards were a mix of tidy and organised or junkyard-style chaos with unused stuff piled wherever there was space.

Up ahead on the road was a parked dark coloured sedan. Conrad flicked his phone light upon approach. The driver tapped the brake in response, lighting the roadside red. With a glance over his shoulder, Conrad moved up the passenger side and got in.

"Conrad." The South Australian police detective's voice was low and serious. "What's it look like in there at the moment?"

"They are almost done with cutting the concrete. I expect they will start to move the first of the slabs tonight," Conrad informed Detective Mark Reding as he pulled the door closed before continuing. "There's no way the guys can move enough slabs to get to the marked spot tonight. I expect they'll move what they can and prepare for doing it during tomorrow's shift."

"We appreciate your assistance with this."

"For sure." Conrad cut short his rehearsed appreciation talk. "I don't suppose you could let me in on what... or who is buried under that floor?"

"Sorry." Mark said, keeping it professional. "I can't say, not while it's an active investigation. We are still gathering evidence."

"I figured as much," Conrad conceded. "I guess I'll find out afterwards."

"We are ready to move on your call. If you feel any sense that it might be dangerous, you call right away. Otherwise let us know when they are close and we can move then. Better to call us in early. We would rather secure the scene before they disturb it."

"You seem pretty confident that I'm right though" Conrad said..

"Your safety is a priority," Mark said, while ignoring the comment. "At this stage we see nothing to suggest you might come to harm. But you're the one in there. If you don't feel comfortable, you make that call."

"Hopefully it will all be over tomorrow."

"We do appreciate your help with this," Mark assured Conrad again as he exited the vehicle onto the street again. It was time to make the walk back before he was missed.

Conrad had a suspicion that he knew who was buried not thirty meters from where he sat in the office. As he expected, the concreters took their time removing the cut blocks using a grab attachment on their backhoe. Conrad was careful not to pay them too much attention as they worked, instead keeping busy in the workshop or with his head in a machine.

Mark Reding read the file again, checking details. If the new worker hadn't noticed something strange and had the forethought to report it, then in all likelihood this case would have stayed cold. Rosa Anne had gone missing fifteen years ago under suspicious circumstances. She had left her local pub with Jim Gower. He had been questioned at the time and was still a person of interest in the case. Mark had long suspected Jim had something to do with her disappearance, but with no further evidence he had nothing to go on. The case had been cold for over a decade until Conrad had rang the tip line with what he described as suspicious behavior and two names.

The behavior was nothing that out of the ordinary, but the name Jim Gower brought up an immediate alert on Mark's radar. The other name, Darren Sands, had several domestics associated with his record but bore no relation except that he was digging up a slab with the main suspect in a missing persons case. If Conrad was right and there was something buried under the factory, then this raised more questions. If Jim had disposed of Anne's body while pouring a floor, how then were they able to dig her up again and why? Something didn't add up. Mark had enough evidence for a search warrant of the factory but not to dig up the whole floor. Luckily for him, it was already in the process of being removed and, if Conrad was right, then they wouldn't have to search too hard.

The following night, a creeping feeling that it was time to go came over Conrad as the excavator work slowed and a digging bucket attachment was dropped to the side ready for a quick change over. He didn't really want to be here when the police arrived, knowing that would mean his detention as a course of procedure. Instead he asked if the guys wanted pizza, keeping it cool, which was hard given his heart was beating with adrenalin and Jim was clearly sketching out. When Conrad had walked over, the contractor's conversation had died conspicuously and they both seemed on edge. Darren had at first said no to pizza, but then in afterthought asked for a custom-made and fished a red twenty out of a worn, leather wallet. Then he had practically insisted Jim get one too, despite Jim's claim he wasn't hungry, and added another twenty to the first one. Conrad took the forty bucks casually and pretended to call the twenty-four hour pizza shop as he walked away. He didn't even make it to the end of the street in his cheap Holden runabout when three police cars shot past and into the driveway.

It was mid-morning by the time Mark called to confirm that a body had been found and that they required an official statement from Conrad. This was followed shortly by a call from Tim the manager. He apologized for the situation profusely and informed him that work was canceled until further notice. He was quick to add that Conrad would still be paid until such a time as they could work out what was happening. He apologized several more times for the whole situation, and lamented before insisting Conrad had done the right thing. Half expecting more calls, Conrad had taken to napping on the couch while the news played in the background.

Later that night, Conrad discreetly sold the trunk full of tools he had pilfered before calling the police. He hadn't been intending to steal from the job, but the opportunity had been too good to resist. He took things that weren't used often or were kept only as spares and wouldn't be missed for weeks - possibly longer given the shut down. Even if the missing tools were noticed, there were two scapegoats who would automatically take the blame. It was only a few hundred dollars, but Conrad had built a nice little nest egg from such stunts. That, and the larger jobs that weren't exactly on anyone's books.

The next three days went smoothly. With nothing new coming Conrad's way, he had taken to resetting his sleeping pattern slowly and resting up. While enjoying an all-day breakfast at the local cafe on a warm lazy Friday, Conrad opened the paper to a story about a body found under a factory floor. At first he was eager for details. This was the news he had been waiting for; but that changed when he saw his name linked to the case.

Local worker Conrad Williams reported strange activity which led to the police discovering a body believed to be missing woman Rosa Anne. Three people have been arrested in relation to the suspected murder, including two contract concreters and the business owner.

He was supposed to be anonymous. It was better that way and he had been pleased when Crime Stoppers had given him a confidential code number with his initial tip off. He didn't mind the police knowing his identity, but he had reservations about being mentioned in an online article for anyone to read. Conrad was starting to think it might be a good time to take some time off and hike the Flinders Ranges for a few weeks; maybe do some bird watching. Still, at least he had a name for the body now. Rosa Anne had a two hundred thousand dollar reward for information leading to an arrest. Not bad for a few weeks work, although he suspected that the trial and court system would slow up that payment.

He was just reaching for the phone to enquire about both the reward and how his name made it into a paper, when the phone rang in his hand. Slightly startled, he answered the call.

"Hello." Conrad kept it simple, not knowing who was on the other side.

"Is this Conrad Williams?" the feminine voice asked in a professional manner.

"Possibly." Conrad smiled. "Who wants to know."

"My name is Amanda Lewis. You were recommended to me by someone." She got straight to business. "You're quite a difficult person to find."

"I'm like most things." Conrad was intrigued. "You just have to know where to look."

"I have a job for you. Are you free in the next few days to discuss some details?" The woman pushed as if he had already accepted.

"Right now I'm on vacation," Conrad lied.

"Interesting vacation you seem to be having." Conrad could hear her flicking a paper as she replied. "Could you possibly continue your vacation in France for a little bit? I will pay for a return ticket and accommodation... if that is your preference."

Conrad had to suppress a shudder at the thought of flying.

"I suppose I could," He mused with intrigue.

"Excellent." Amanda said. "I hope to see you soon. I'll contact you later with the flight details."

And with that she was gone without a goodbye, leaving Conrad staring at the number on the phone until the screen went blank.

He had been planning to move on soon, but he hadn't planned to leave Australia yet, it was a big place. Still, it wasn't everyday that someone rang you with a mystery job offer. It looked like he was going to have to get straight back to digging - first into Amanda Lewis. He wasn't about to accept a job without having some background, and he had to be prepared to find his own way in France if things didn't work out. Either way, it looked like the Flinders Ranges would have to wait.