Christ, the police communicated in a language of their own. Marty groaned and assessed the burn. He heard Lexie talking behind him.

‘Why did you search up on the ridge, Marty?’ She was pushing her hands against his back. Not too hard but with enough force to make her point. ‘Bella couldn’t get up there. Her legs are too little. She can’t climb that hill.’

Marty sighed. ‘I don’t know. I had an idea in my head that she’d be on top of the hill.’

‘Well, it was stupid. Bloody crazy.’ Lexie threw each word at him. ‘You should have been down here. Doing something useful.’

Marty could sense the people in the room watching and listening. His wife didn’t normally speak to him like that. She was right, though—Bella probably couldn’t even get to the lower part of the ridge, let alone up the hill.

‘I had to check up there. It was one of her favourite places.’ He spoke firmly and loudly, turning and taking her hands and holding them with the wet cloth. ‘Just like you wanted to check in the lean-to at home.’

Who was she to tell him that he wasn’t doing something useful in front of all these police and SES searchers? Lexie had left their daughter alone while she went to the shops. And she still hadn’t explained why.

ACT POLICING ONLINE NEWS

THURSDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER

MISSING CHILD

Seeking urgent public assistance to locate missing girl

ACT Policing is seeking urgent public assistance to locate a missing three-year-old girl.

Bella Parker was last seen in the Merrigang playgroup around 10.30 am. The playgroup is near the Merrigang shops, on the corner of Acacia Drive and Fig Street.

Bella is described as 100 cm tall, with dark brown hair in plaits and brown eyes. Her left arm is in a cast. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a white shirt and a pink coat.

If you think you may have seen Bella or have any information as to her whereabouts, please contact police urgently.

10 CARUSO

10

CARUSO

AS CARUSO AND SUZE PARKED IN FRONT OF TARA’S HOUSE, THEY SPOTTED a maroon hatchback in the driveway. Definitely maroon, not red. So far, the doorknocks hadn’t uncovered any information about the red hatchback. Two GDs had checked all the houses in the laneway which had security cameras—not one of the cameras was pointed at the road.

Inside the tiny house, the detectives had to squeeze between a giant TV, brand-new leather couches and a tripod floor lamp. The three-year-old daughter—Zoe, he remembered—was sprawled in a mini beanbag couch, playing a game on an iPad.

With her husband by her side, Tara was less flirty but she still touched Caruso on the arm and sought eye contact. She ignored Suze completely.

‘Any news?’ she asked breathlessly.