‘We need to wait for your parents —’ started Con.

‘I don’t know when they’ll be back. And honestly, detectives, I have quite a bit to do. Can we just get to the point?’ She sighed. ‘Sorry, that was rude again. I don’t have the energy to be polite right now. Can you just ask what you want to know?’

‘So long as you understand that these are not formal questions. You don’t have to talk to us without your parents.’

Madison nodded impatiently.

‘You and Jasmine had a fight. Can you tell us what you were fighting over?’ said Gabriella.

‘No.’

Gabriella gave a weird sound that was half grunt, half indignant snort.

‘Madison, this is important,’ said Con.

‘I can’t tell you.’

‘I don’t think you understand —’

Madison interrupted him. ‘How would you feel knowing that you’d hit one of your friends, told them you hated them, and then a few hours later they were missing? I don’t want to talk about it. You said I didn’t have to answer your questions.’

‘Alright,’ said Con. ‘Just a few more casual questions. How long did it take you to catch up with the other group when Miss Ellis sent you ahead?’

‘I don’t know, fifteen minutes? I was dragging my feet – I kept trying to decide whether I should go back and apologise, or go back and punch Jasmine again.’ Tears appeared in her eyes. ‘Maybe it would’ve been better if I had. Maybe I could’ve stopped whatever happened . . .’ She wiped her nose with her knuckle.

‘Or you could’ve been caught up in it too, remember. Whatever it is,’ said Con. ‘Did you see anything, when you left the others? Anything weird on the trail, anything out of place? No matter how small.’ He thought of the bear that Georgia had thought she’d seen. ‘Or big.’

‘No. Nothing at all. Not even the sound of footsteps.’

‘What do you mean by that?’ said Gabriella.

‘It’s part of the Hungry Man legend. They say you hear his footsteps in the bush beside you, and that if you look at him . . . he takes you.’

‘Interesting,’ said Gabriella.

‘But you heard nothing, saw no one,’ said Con.

‘No one,’ agreed Madison. ‘But we know someone else was up there, right? Someone hit Miss Ellis. What has she been saying?’

‘Were any of the four girls acting strangely?’ said Con.

‘We were all pretty heated . . . and then Bree lost it, of course.’ She took the time to wipe her nose properly with a tissue, then realised Con and Gabriella were waiting for her to keep speaking. ‘What?’

‘Why was Bree angry?’ said Gabriella.