Jake kept his voice low and steady. ‘Jamie Taylor? I’m Detective Jake Hunter. Your mum asked me to come and find you. Would you like to go and see her?’

A flash of silver and the fragile arms of a pre-pubescent child clung to his leg. Jake leaned over and gathered the boy to him, lifting him up on to his chest. The arms shifted to wrap tightly around his neck.

‘Are you okay?’

A small head nodded against his jacket. Jake was elated to find the boy unharmed.

‘Can you tell me why you were hiding, Jamie?’

Something unintelligible was mumbled into his chest.

‘What?’

The boy turned his head just enough to whisper, ‘Monster.’

*

Jake carried Jamie out of the vineyard and across the abandoned orchard, but he made sure the boy was walking on his own again by the time they entered the campground. He didn’t want to embarrass the kid or worry the parents.

The reunion was sadly predictable. James Taylor reached down, grabbed his son by the shoulders and began shaking him, ‘Where have you been? How could you put your mother through this?’

Diane Taylor pushed her husband aside and wrenched Jamie into her arms, clutching him to her ribcage. ‘It doesn’t matter now,’ she said. ‘Are you all right? Are you okay, love?’

The boy shrugged off both parents and said he was fine, then looked at his feet, uncomfortable as the centre of attention.

‘We’ll have the paramedics check him over …’ Jake began.

Diane Taylor inhaled.

‘Just a precaution, Mrs Taylor.’

Constable Murphy seemed uncertain. ‘Jamie. A lot of people came out to search for you today. Didn’t you hear them calling?’

The young boy stared at the ground.

‘Jamie?’

‘Yes.’

‘So if you could hear them calling, why didn’t you answer?’

Jamie looked up just long enough to flick his eyes toward Jake. ‘I was hiding from the monster.’

Evelyn Kelly bent over in front of Jamie, a tiny cross on a fine, gold chain around her neck dangling in front of his face. ‘Now Jamie, you’re a big boy. You know there’s no such thing as monsters.’

Jamie was adamant. ‘There is a monster in the vineyard and it was after me.’

‘Why would a monster chase you?’ his father scoffed.

Ignoring everyone else, Jamie looked up into Jake’s eyes and said, ‘Because I found a dead lady. The monster must have hurt her and didn’t want anyone to know.’

Ridicule and condescension swirled around the boy. His father threatened punishment for telling tales and the counsellor tsked. None of them seemed concerned with what Jamie might have seen.

Jake glanced at Murphy, indicating the constable should follow his lead.

‘Let’s not worry about any of that right now,’ he said brusquely, silencing the adults. ‘Jamie, let’s get you and your parents to the paramedics and make certain you’re all right.’

‘But …’

Jake patted Jamie reassuringly on the shoulder. ‘Even if you feel fine, your mum’s a bit shaken, okay? She’ll feel a lot better once you’ve been checked out. And we’ll get you some bikkies.’