The whine of the engine subsided but no-one exited the vehicle. Caruso nodded to Suze. Drawing her gun, she positioned herself with a line of sight to the driver.

‘Get out of the car.’

Now the child was bawling. Caruso prayed it was Bella in the back of the cab.

Slowly, slowly, the passenger door opened and Mel stepped out. She whipped her head from side to side, trying to identify the police in the trees. Finally, her eyes settled on Caruso.

‘Sergeant Caruso.’ Mel gave him a brittle smile. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Please ask everyone to get out of the car. Is Bella in there?’

‘No, no, I don’t know where she is,’ Mel gabbled. ‘It’s just my aunt and my son here.’

Deirdre appeared from the driver’s side and helped Sammy down from the high ute.

‘Hands on the side of the car,’ Caruso ordered. ‘Get them up where I can see them.’

Sammy stared at the three police officers and burst into tears.

‘I want Bella. Mummy, you said she’d be my sister.’

‘Be quiet, Sammy,’ Mel hissed.

‘Where’s Bella?’ Caruso asked as he handcuffed her. ‘Where are Dr and Mrs Parker?’

‘Some doctor.’ Mel spat into the dirt. ‘He doesn’t save lives.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘He killed my baby and he killed his own.’ Her voice was shrill. ‘He’ll kill Bella if you don’t lock him up. We were trying to save her!’

Caruso listened to Mel closely; she clearly believed what she was saying. He’d read the report into the deaths under Dr Parker’s care. It noted that Marty had followed procedure every time. Mel Wainwright was not named in the report.

‘Which baby did he kill?’

‘My daughter, Sarah Hayden.’

‘You weren’t listed as the mother, Mel.’

‘I wanted to keep her but they said I was too young. My perfect older sister took her because she couldn’t have kids.’ Tears leaked down Mel’s face. ‘They made me disappear with a plane ticket to India. I didn’t even know when Sarah died! It was Marty’s fault.’

Deirdre had been silent since she’d got out of the car.

‘Lexie insisted that Dr Parker wasn’t violent,’ Deirdre said, eyeing her niece. ‘What if I saw it wrong? Maybe Bella did climb that tree by herself. I should have been watching. I was in the bloody garden.’

‘He is dangerous,’ Mel shouted across the bonnet. ‘You know that.’

The older woman shook her head. ‘I’m not so sure.’

‘Where are they?’ Suze demanded.

‘Don’t tell them,’ Mel roared.

Deirdre spoke at the same time: ‘I think they’re in the chapel.’