‘They lock them up, you know. Lock the kids in a hot, gutted kombi for the day with no food or water if they misbehave. What do you think about that?’

‘That’s fucked, obviously. But it doesn’t answer my questions. If we did manage to get him out of there, people will ask where he came from, and he’ll tell them. And since the cops are in cahoots with these guys – Wait, is Doyle in on this place?’

‘Well he mentioned Eumundi, so he knows about it. But it’s possible Finn is a suspect somehow. As for the rest, we’ll sort it out once the boy’s here. The main thing is to get him out. I want him with us for Christmas.’

‘Which is the day after tomorrow.’

‘Yes.’

‘Two days, Dad.’

‘That’s why we need to go today. And he’ll live here, in this house. He’ll have a proper family, and he’ll eat normal food, wear normal clothes and go to school.’

‘Dad, seriously. A boy from your fiancée we’d never heard of, who lives on a drug farm cult commune whatever-the-hell place run by cops? When are you going to tell Abby? Tell me you’re planning to talk to her.’

‘She’ll be fine.’

‘Are you kidding me?’

The woman in the house next door is hosing her driveway, chasing leaves and wattle flowers into the gutter. The smell of cold water on hot bricks wafts up to me. From inside the house I hear a squeal of ‘Muuum’. It sounds like Joanne.

‘Abby’s going back to uni in February. Mark works full time. You can’t drop a kidnapped child into their life. Who’s going to take care of him?’

‘Abby will. She already has three, one more won’t sink the boat.’

‘Right, women’s work, kids and kitchens.’

‘Well it bloody is. I’m not having this conversation with you, too. Raising kids is what women do well. I’ll pay for whatever he needs. And between you and Mark and me he’ll have men around to teach him things.’

‘I’m not going to be here, Dad. And why do you think any kid would come with us and wait until we’re back here to ask what’s going on? And that nobody will come after him? Like, his dad? Or the police?’

‘I’m not a fool. I’ve thought this through. But you don’t need to know any more right now.’

I suspect he’s trying to be profound or mysterious but I don’t want any surprises if I agree to go with him. And despite everything, I’m considering it. ‘I reckon I do, Dad. For starters, how would you get him to leave the commune with you?’

‘Right.’ He moves closer to me. ‘We’ll need to be quiet and not raise any alarms. I’ll take a rag and some chloroform. We’ll carry him back to the car. And once we’re –’

‘You’re going to drug him?’

‘It’s the kindest way.’

‘You’re going to drug a child and kidnap him?’

‘That’s enough,’ he bellows. ‘Enough. You’re twisting my words, making this sound – After what I’ve told you, you know this is the right thing to do. That child needs me, and I’m going to fetch him. And you.’ He points a shaking finger at me. ‘You are coming with me.’