‘Does Nathan have family coming? Or is it just the copper?’ I could only imagine what it must be like, watching mums and dads and grandmothers descend on all your fellow campers when your own parents haven’t shown up.

‘I believe so.’ Shaun checked one of his many lists. ‘An aunt. Flynn has ten guests coming. Sam has eight.’

‘What about Darren?’

Warren shot me a piercing look.

‘Two,’ said Shaun. ‘Mother and brother.’

I blinked. Brother? Krystal must have met someone, I thought.

‘You okay?’ Warren asked me.

‘Yeah.’ I was okay. I could manage. But it was going to be interesting.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so nervous about meeting a parent.

2009

2009

TWO POLICE OFFICERS paid me a visit on Monday night, after Aaron had failed to show up at school. Rick Waring was one of them. The other was a weathered, grey-haired boulder of a man who introduced himself as Sergeant Paul Ries. They hadn’t come about my father, they assured me. My father was fine.

‘It’s Krystal McCall,’ Ries said. ‘I believe you know her?’

‘Oh, God.’ My stomach seemed to do a somersault. ‘Is she hurt? Has something happened?’

‘We’d prefer not to discuss it on the doorstep.’

I was stupid. I let them in. It was the shock—I’d already jumped to the worst possible conclusion, thanks to that moment twenty years earlier when two policemen had come to my father’s house and told us my mother was dead.

‘Did Scott do it?’ I demanded, closing the door behind Rick Waring. ‘Did he attack her?’

‘Why would you think that, Ms Ayres?’ Ries’s muddy brown eyes were almost lost in a nest of wrinkles. His teeth were large and stained. He had a military haircut and fingers like beef sausages.

‘Well, he’s been stalking her, hasn’t he? These things often escalate.’ The words spilled out before I could stop them. It wasn’t until I’d finished speaking that I registered the emphasis he’d put on ‘Ms’.

A warning flare went off in my head.

‘So you think Krystal McCall is in danger?’ Ries spoke with forced friendliness as he lowered himself into a chair. By now all my alarms were sounding.

‘What’s going on?’ I asked.

‘We were wondering if you thought Krystal might be at risk if she stayed here in town.’

‘Why?’

Ries shrugged. ‘Just interested.’

I looked at the two of them. Ries was practically licking his chops, like a cat on a stake-out. Waring was still on his feet, scanning the room.

‘Okay.’ I folded my arms. ‘Tell me what’s happened.’

Ries studied me for a moment. ‘You don’t know?’

‘Of course not.’

The two cops exchanged glances. Then Ries said, ‘Your friend Krystal seems to have abducted her son.’

I blinked. Stared. Tried to absorb this astonishing news.