Wendy frowned and stared at him for a moment, then turned to Suzie and told her to shut up. Surprisingly, Suzie went quiet—she must have sensed something weighty in her mum’s voice. ‘Come in,’ Wendy said to Leon. ‘Don’t look at the mess.’

Leon followed her down the hallway, which was wall-to-wall junk. The kitchen was a shambles: dirty dishes, overflowing bin, filthy windows, used pots on the stove.

‘We had a hard weekend,’ Wendy said. ‘Shane went on a bender.’ As if this explained everything. ‘He’s not home yet. He’s got a long way to drive. The new logging site is miles away.’

She put the kettle on and gave Suzie a bag of chips while Leon talked. He recounted everything Max had told him: the stealing, the cigarettes, the bruises, the escaped dog and the beer. Wendy listened, pale-faced and tense. Her lips compressed when he mentioned Jaden. ‘That explains a lot,’ she said. ‘Where’s Max now?’

‘At my place. He’s waiting for us.’

‘Let’s go then.’ She grabbed Suzie’s hand and led the way out the front door.

But Max wasn’t in the yard; the back doorstep was empty. Leon checked inside the house, but Max wasn’t there.

Wendy’s face was haggard when Leon told her the boy was gone. ‘I’ll phone some friends and find out if anyone’s seen him,’ she said. ‘Then we’ll call the police.’

The irony wasn’t lost on Leon. The policeman’s son was the bully.

34

34

Miki was wiping the counter when she saw Max run past. He was puffing and red-faced, possibly crying. Was someone chasing him?

She hurried to the door and leaned out into the street. There he was, dashing down past the visitor centre, veering left at the bottom of the hill.

‘What are you doing?’ Kurt barked from the back of the shop.

‘Max just ran past and he looked upset. I’m going to see if I can catch him.’

‘No, you won’t. Stay here.’

For the first time, Miki ignored his command and took off down the hill. At the T-intersection beyond the last shops, she peered anxiously along the road towards the forest. No sign of Max. Maybe he’d taken a side street.

Then she saw him: a small figure stumbling along the verge. Where was he going? It was wild out here and he needed to be home. Since mid-afternoon the weather had been building, clouds muscling against the horizon, the sky darkening.

She hastened back to the shop where Kurt was waiting in the doorway, steel-faced, arms folded. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’

‘Max is in trouble. I should let his family know that I’ve seen him.’

Kurt scowled. ‘It’s none of our business. Let them sort it themselves.’