The burst of anger evaporated and the tears came again.

‘Bella will be so scared. She’s always with me.’

But I had left her. And now she was gone.

Marty and I stayed by the dressing-up box as Sergeant Caruso made calls and spoke to a female detective. Yes, he’d find Bella for us. He would. What had Julia said? Any moment now.

After a few minutes he returned to where we stood.

‘We need to check your home,’ Caruso told Marty.

‘We were just there,’ Marty explained. ‘She hasn’t found her way home.’

‘Thank you, sir, but we need to follow our procedures and do a police check. In fact, it would be best to have someone at the house, in case Bella turns up there.’

‘No.’ I shook my head. ‘I need to be out there searching.’

Waiting in our empty house while the minutes ticked away—I couldn’t do it.

‘Can we get someone to stay there for us, Lexie?’ Marty asked me.

Our list of friends and acquaintances in this town was small. Everyone I relied on was here in this room, apart from Mel. Earlier, the first policeman, the young one in the uniform, had asked: ‘Could a family member have come by to collect Bella and surprise her? A friend? A relative? Your husband?’

‘NO, NO, NO!’ I’d yelled at him. I’d wanted him to stop talking so I could get outside and search. ‘We have no family in Canberra. And my husband is at work. He’s always at work.’

‘I’ll ring Mel,’ I said. ‘Maybe she can meet the police at the house and stay there for a few hours.’

‘Good.’ Caruso nodded. ‘Also, the dog team will be here shortly. They’ll need a piece of clothing with Bella’s scent on it.’

Caruso walked away to make more calls and I went back to the lounge chair. I held up Dora and stared into her wide eyes. Dora, where could Bella be? Please help the police find her. You’re so good at finding things with your map and your backpack.

I was asking a doll to find my daughter.

Marty walked me to my car, still parked where I’d left it this morning, to find something of Bella’s for the sniffer dogs. Folded on the back seat was a jumper from the day before. Pink and purple stripes—a present from Phoebe last Christmas. I need to ring Phoebe and tell her what’s going on. No, by the time it was morning in London and Phoebe was awake, Bella would be back with us safe and sound. And there was no point in worrying Dad; he’d just become even more agitated and confused. The sniffer dogs will find her.

‘I want to go and look for her on the ridge,’ Marty said as we stood by the car. ‘Will you come?’