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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

‘You do and you will explain. At the station. About exactly why you used a suspect as bait.’

Mitch was attempting to be forceful but Chandler was in no mood to obey.

‘I need to know where my children are, Mitch. He said they would be in trouble if he didn’t return.’

‘Probably a lie.’

‘He abducted them from my parents’ house. From Teri. Roughed my dad up. That was no lie,’ said Chandler. ‘We need to get planes in the air. Search for someplace out here that he could have been hiding them.’

‘I give the orders, Chandler.’

‘Well give the fucking order, then.’

51

Back at Chandler’s car, Heath had been uncuffed. He responded to the news of Gabriel’s death with a rant that included threats to press charges against Chandler, the state and the police.

Chandler tried to ignore him as he and Mitch, each on a radio, tried to organize a ground search immediately and an air search at first light.

As Chandler diverted manpower from the roadblocks on the highways to the new search, Heath continued to rant that he was going to sue them all. Chandler shoved a finger in his ear to listen for the response from the Staties, running close to the edge of his patience.

Just then, Mitch dropped his radio and turned to Heath. ‘Why don’t you make your way out of town, Mr Barwell?’

‘Oh, now you want me to go,’ laughed Heath, entirely without humour.

‘Go, then come back with a lawyer and we’ll talk,’ said Mitch, calm and assured. ‘Until then, leave us to our business. We have two kids to search for.’

‘I’m not going to forget this.’

‘I’m not asking you to forget,’ said Mitch, ‘I’m asking you to fuck off.’

Within the hour twenty-four people were recruited to the search team: Mitch’s crew, including the still aggrieved Roper and Flo, Nick, Tanya, Jim and Luka, breaking into pairs and setting off into the outback in a desperate scramble to find Chandler’s kids.

Chandler went too, quickly pulling away from Nick who had been assigned as his partner, crashing through the undergrowth, crying out every few steps for his kids. He shone his torch over the ground but in this terrain it was useless, the long shadows creating a false impression of the layout of the earth, full of darkness and little light, the bushes creating shadows that in his mind were Sarah and Jasper.

His voice soon grew hoarse as he fought with the realization that they could be anywhere out here or in town where a smaller team, bolstered with the help of eager locals, was scouring every dive and dump for any sign of his children.