‘There really wasn’t any other way for me to become a’—she drew scare quotes in the air—‘real person, legally. I honestly had no idea where I came from—no idea who my birth parents were, no last name—so we just said my birth parents had failed to register me when I was born. Filled out the forms, paid the fine and voila, I had my birth certificate.’

Judging by her expression, the potential gravity of admitting this to two police officers must have occurred to her a second after confessing. ‘We can’t be in any trouble, surely? I wouldn’t have been able to get a driver’s licence, or a job, or do my taxes, or vote—or anything—if I didn’t get one.’

Jake waved a dismissive hand in the air. ‘We won’t look into that. But we do want to know what happened in that home. Did you genuinely not know you came from Tasmania?’

‘I’d never even heard of Tasmania before coming here. Our school work was mostly religion and European history, not really anything about where we lived. I knew we were in Australia, but I didn’t really learn about the states until I started going to school here in Melbourne.’

‘Do you remember other children at the girls’ home?’

‘Melia and Lottie, of course, and some of the other girls who were there before.’

‘You never wanted to contact them?’

‘I missed them, specially Melia, and I’ve always wanted to know where they are and if they’re okay. But I had no way of finding them or contacting them.’ She shook her head like a dog shimmying after a swim again. ‘It’s so strange to think that I might be able to talk to them again.’

Jake picked up the small ceramic tumbler with Chinese patterning Lilith had placed in front of him and tested the contents. A rich jasmine green tea, surprisingly refreshing. ‘So you could remember how old you were?’

‘I remember candles on my cake when I turned fourteen, and Melia and Charlotte clapping when I blew them out. My birthday was fourteenth of March, the twelfth birthday in the year.’

‘The twelfth birthday?’

‘Our birthdays were all about a week apart, going from oldest to youngest. I know I was the twelfth birthday in the year because when I was little one of the oldest girls said she could remember the girl who had the first birthday in the year so we counted from there. There were twelve up to me, then Melia and Lottie at the end.’

‘So, as far as you know, there were fourteen girls living in the home at one point or another?’ Jake said.

She nodded. ‘But I could be wrong.’

‘Charlotte mentioned she thought they weren’t your real birthdays,’ Murphy added.

Lilith looked taken aback. ‘You know Lottie?’

‘She’s my adopted cousin.’ Murphy said.