‘Sure. I need to be quick. I want to get out there searching and help find the poor girl.’

Tara flipped through the takeaway menus—Indian, Chinese, Thai, pizza, pasta. Maybe Indian, Josh’s fave. She’d have to drive to Woden for it but an Indian meal would keep him going for a long night. Onion bhaji, butter chicken, rice, naan bread. Her stomach cramped as she read the dishes.

‘Josh, actually, I can’t face food. What if I cook you bacon and eggs?’

The smell of bacon frying reminded her of mornings after—back in the old days, BC: before children. A huge night out at the trendiest bars, cocktails to start, wine later. Getting to bed after midnight and sleeping in until midday. And then a fry-up to manage the hangover. Three of the Gong Gals were still doing it every weekend—no partners, no kids and no responsibilities. In their last post, they’d been lounging in plush sofas at a swanky bar, a chandelier glowing above them, the band behind and espresso martinis in their hands.

While she envied the martinis, she didn’t want to be single again. Despite the lack of sleep and the monotony of child rearing, she loved Josh and her little family. Tara’s stomach cramped again. Oh God, what if something happened to Josh out there tonight? Or if someone came for her and the kids while he was out searching for Bella?

‘Don’t go.’ She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tight. ‘Stay here with us.’

Josh rested his head against hers. ‘I wish I could.’

‘I needed you today.’ She pulled back to see his eyes. ‘I rang and you weren’t at work.’

‘What time? Did you ring the mobile?’

‘I rang your mobile, then your direct line, and then I spoke to someone in your team. They said you’d gone out.’

‘Getting lunch probably.’

‘It was three thirty.’

‘I don’t know.’ Josh shrugged. ‘I had a couple of meetings. Or maybe I was in the loo doing my afternoon poo.’

‘Yuk.’ She pushed him away. ‘Don’t tell me about your daily dumps.’

She didn’t need to keep track of yet another person’s pooing habits. She’d been slack about toilet training. Zoe still wore a nappy to bed and would take it off each morning and leave it on the carpet, dribbling shit everywhere.

‘But you didn’t call me back,’ Tara whined.

‘Sorry, busy afternoon. But I’m here for you now, babe.’

Yeah, for five minutes. Before he was off to search for Bella.

‘I’m scared.’ She said it so softly that her husband didn’t hear.

SATURDAY

27 LEXIE

27

LEXIE