Murder under the Microscope 2012
Lament in the Luck Country – Case notes
Introduction
Years before the murder took place, the bankrupt owner of Candy Downs Station (Laura) heard
about the successful trials of a highly productive exotic grass in the Northern Territory. Seizing the
chance to make her property profitable, Laura called a colleague (Lawrence) in Darwin, and asked
him to sell off her furniture and paintings and buy some of this seed to enhance her pasture. At the
same time Laura negotiated to buy a painting from Mick, a local man and truck driver, with the
leftover money.
On his way back from Darwin with Mick and the seeds in the truck, Lawrence asked if he could see
the painting. It was a masterpiece. Telling Mick he was buying it for Laura, Lawrence bought it on the
spot.
Falling out
On the drive into the station, Lawrence skidded crossing a creek and spilt the seed into a creek bed.
When Laura asked Lawrence about the seed. Lawrence told her that Mick had taken it for his own
use when they stopped off at his property. Lawrence also told Laura that he was unable to see her
promised painting as Mick had sold it for twice the sum she had been prepared to pay. Furious,
Laura vowed never to deal with, or speak to, Mick again. This was the reaction that Lawrence had
banked on.
Mick was initially puzzled that Laura never spoke to him. This turned to anger when he realised that
it also seemed highly unlikely that she would ever put his painting on exhibition. Meanwhile, the
grass seed was already sprouting along the creek-lines on Candy Downs station.
Exotic grass
A year later, Laura hired Tom, a young local, to manage the station. After five years the property
returned a profit. Tom knew this was due to the exotic grass. Highly productive and heavy seeding it
had rapidly invaded areas of native grass and could sustain a great deal more cattle than native
grasses. Tom also assumed Laura knew but he never discussed it as the seed was now on the State’s
prohibited list. Instead he instituted a twice yearly back burning regime to make sure it didn’t stray
into other properties.
But the imported grass thrived on more frequent fires. It supported bigger, more intense fires and
then recovered more quickly, sealing the fate of the native grasses and adjacent woodlands that
stood in its path. Eventually this ‘ecosystem transformer’ reached Calicut Gorge, home of a rare
colony of small marsupials. If the change of ecosystem had made things hard for the colony, the
increased fire regime made things impossible. The males only live a year while the babies are nest
bound for the first two months. So a fire in October effectively robs the colony of any males. With
both their habitat and breeding cycle destroyed the marsupials quickly perished through starvation,
predators and fire.
Mick returns
By now Mick was 60 and blind from glaucoma. Sensing that his death was near, Mick wanted to visit
Calicut Gorge and the marsupial colony one last time. Without Laura’s knowledge Mick and his son
Surrey travelled into the Gorge. Both men knew the colony had gone but only Mick realised the
devastation of the area and he was struck dumb by the knowledge.
The next day Mick had a heart attack. Frantic with worry, Surrey remembered that his friend, Dave
Bookham had a brother who was an Investigator with an environmental organisation. He sent Dave
a text message and the next day reported the crime to Catchment HQ.
Solution
Victim: Northern Quoll – Dasyurus hallucatus
Villain: Gamba Grass – Andropogon gayanus
Crime site: Pentecost River, Kununurra, WA
Copy, Pasted from the official website of Murder Under The Microscope.
