Brendan prepared himself for the white van conversation that would inevitably come up. Last year, a girl had been walking home from school when a white van pulled up and the driver asked her to get in. Allegedly. Harlow was known for her ‘wild imagination and storytelling’. Then Freddie said a white van had slowed down next to him, and he’d run as fast as he could. Merrigang was in shock: it was supposed to be a safe, friendly village. That white van turned out to be a house painter, pulling into a job. Eventually, the hysteria died down, the parents stopped driving their children to school every day, kids rode bikes and walked once again.

Even though no white van had been mentioned in Bella’s disappearance, the kids would make the connection. And they’d be scared. He’d do some quiet, reassuring activities this morning; story time on the mat and some cheerful songs.

In the staffroom, Brendan found his favourite mug in the dishwasher and made himself an instant coffee. Tasted like shit. Should have walked and got a proper coffee at the bakery on the way. But the shops were full of coppers. He spotted the Canberra Times on the table, the front page had a gigantic photo of Bella. He did a double take, half smirked and studied the picture closely. He read through the article—no, it didn’t mention his name. Should he show the other teachers or not? The principal wouldn’t want any links to her teachers and the school; she preferred to keep a low profile. Maybe he’d tell Jeff later on. Claire would recognise the photo; she’d been there that day. He turned over the page and saw more photos of Bella and her family … Oh fuck, no way. Another teacher walked into the staffroom and Brendan quickly flipped to the sports pages.

As Brendan led his class inside to hang their schoolbags on hooks, Chloe sidled up to him, holding her lunch order in a brown paper bag. He frowned at the bag—Chloe’s mother always made her lunch except for the one day a month when she was on canteen duty.

‘Mr Parrish, do you know where the girl has gone?’ Chloe asked.