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Chapters (60)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. Acknowledgements
  59. About the author
  60. Copyright

Chandler went to shut the door. ‘Look, you have to go. We – I – have to get things back to normal tomorrow. The kids have school, Sarah has First Confession in a few days. I have to prepare for my ex-wife trying to steal my kids.’ Not a subtle blow but it felt good.

Mitch threw his hands in the air. ‘Ah, come on. It’s nothing personal.’

‘Nothing personal?’ spluttered Chandler, glancing over his shoulder in case his mum was prowling. ‘How . . . when . . . did you two decide to drag the kids – my kids— into this?’

Mitch shook his head, his upper torso following suit a second later in a long, inebriated swing. ‘She had the idea a long time before we got together.’

‘Just leave, Mitch. You’re drunk.’

Mitch fought back. ‘You want to know why? ’Cause there’s nothing else to do ’round here. Those kids’ll do the same – have nothing to do but become a bogan like you.’

Chandler glared at Mitch. ‘Call me what you want. At least I’m not just out for the publicity like some media whore.’

‘Christ, Chandler, join this century. Publicity’s everywhere. PR is king. Quotas and press releases. Charts for charges and charges for column inches. I have to fight for a budget and to get it, things have to either work well, or have gone to complete shit. I prefer the former.’ He narrowed his eyes, clinging to the buttress for support.

‘Are you jealous?’

‘Jealous?’

‘Yeah, that I’m with Teri. Maybe you haven’t moved on. Pickings might be slim around here but surely there’s someone desperate enough.’

Mitch chuckled at his joke but Chandler had had enough and stepped out the door to confront him.

‘Get out of here Mitch, before—’

‘Before what?’ said Mitch, pushing himself away from the pillar and finding the world a little rocky without the support.

‘Before something happens we both regret,’ said Chandler.

Deciding he’d had enough, Mitch stepped off the porch on to the dry, scorched garden.

‘I regret coming down to deal with this shit,’ he said, ‘but I will deal with it.’ Turning quickly, he stumbled on down the lawn and into the darkness.

Yet another dangerous character loose in town.

33

2002

Eighteen days in the search was shut down, forced upon them with the forecast worsening for the next few weeks, the temperature gauge cranking into the mid-to-high forties. Weather that made it unsafe to be out there with a limited supply of fresh water. So Bill and the heads from Perth took the decision from Chandler’s hands.