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Back The Orchardist's Daughter Save as PDF
Chapters (57)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. PRAISE
  3. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  4. DEDICATION
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. PART I SEEDS
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. PART II GERMINATION
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. PART III GROWTH
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. PART IV UNDERSTOREY
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. 36
  46. 37
  47. 38
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. EPILOGUE
  57. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Then the driver’s side door opened, and Kurt stepped out slowly with his hands in the air like a criminal.

Fergus was yelling at him to turn around and put his hands on the roof of the car. Max thought Kurt wouldn’t do it—his lip had curled, and his eyes were hard and shiny like bullets. But he obeyed. Fergus locked handcuffs around Kurt’s wrists. That’s when Max’s legs went all wobbly; he wanted Fergus to drop the handcuff keys down the drain so Kurt’s hands could never be free again. Not after what he’d done to Miki.

Fergus and Ken hauled Kurt up the street to the police car and pushed him inside. Miki swayed out of Leon’s Toyota and stood on the footpath, hands hanging by her sides. Max couldn’t tell if she was happy or sad about the police getting Kurt. Maybe she didn’t know how she felt about it yet because her home was burning. Max wanted to go up and hold her hand, but he felt awkward—she didn’t look like her normal self with her face all bruised. Then he felt bad, because he knew she would do it for him.

He put his hands in his pockets and walked over and stood beside her. She didn’t seem to realise he was there, so he slipped his hand out of his pocket and took hold of hers. Her fingers were cold and limp, like the blood had stopped flowing into them, even though the fire was pumping out heat. He squeezed her hand and she looked down at him, her bloodshot eye like something from a horror movie.

All the while, Toby and the other firemen were pouring water and white foam onto the shop, and the flames were flicking and writhing like they were never going to stop.

45

45

Toby was rolling out hay for his cows in the early evening. It had been a big day and he needed a beer, but the cows were cold and hungry and they wouldn’t wait. He was tired. Things had been crazy since he was called to the fire station this morning. So much had happened. Kurt chasing Leon with a rifle. The police special operations group flying in by helicopter, followed by a ground crew. Kurt being caught in the main street.

While all this was going on, Toby had spent an hour fighting the fire in Kurt’s shop, then he’d joined the search to find Leon. By then, Search and Rescue had taken over, and another helicopter and handlers with dogs had been mobilised. Volunteers were needed for a search line, so Toby had put his hand up, along with many other people from town. He’d looked around at them all and been proud. They were a motley crew—but together they were a supportive and close-knit community.