‘This is Bruny Island back at the turn of the last century,’ Grandpa said. ‘And this is my great-great-grandfather, William Walker.’ He pointed to a bearded man just visible behind the broad trunk. The man’s face was shadowed by a rough-looking felt hat, but Leon could see the nose was Walker, no mistaking it. Grandpa licked his index finger and flicked through the pages. ‘I thought you might like to take the book home and read it. Lots of history in here—your mum says you’re into that. There’s a chapter on Bruny Island and one on bushfires. You might discover something interesting, if you read between the lines.’ He turned to the chapter on fires and tapped the page.

What was the old man talking about, Leon wondered. Some sort of secret? ‘All right, I’ll read that chapter,’ he said.

‘If you have any questions, you can ask later,’ Grandpa added. He had become twitchy and restless.

‘Is there something in that book about you?’ Leon asked.

Grandpa wouldn’t meet Leon’s eyes. Instead, he leaned down to Rosie and she sidled in for a pat. ‘I used to have a dog like this,’ he said. ‘A blue heeler called Fred. He was hit on the Adventure Bay road. You wouldn’t credit it. One car an hour back then, and the bloody dog gets killed. Best dog I ever had. And I’ve had a few over the years. You sure this one isn’t yours? Dogs are good company.’

‘No, I have to take her home now. Her owner will be wondering where she is.’

‘Go on with you then.’ Grandpa closed the book and handed it to Leon.

By the time Leon pulled up at home, it was after six-thirty. He fastened the cone around Rosie’s neck then let her out of the car, and she dragged him through the yard, whining excitedly as he knocked at her front door. He heard rapid footsteps in the hall, then the door burst open and Max was there. His face lit up when he saw the dog.

‘Hey, Mum,’ he yelled. ‘It’s Rosie. And she’s wearing the weirdest thing on her head.’ He dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around the dog’s neck, staring at the stitches.

Leon caught the look of surprise and annoyance in Wendy’s eyes as she ambled down the hall. ‘What happened?’ she asked.

‘I found Rosie on the road in the forest with a cut in her side, so I took her to the vet.’

Wendy frowned. ‘Why didn’t you come here first?’

‘I did, but no one was home.’

She looked at the dog and the kid.

‘She has tons of stitches,’ Max said. ‘Twenty-two.’

Leon could sense Wendy’s question hanging in the air. ‘I fixed things up with the vet,’ he mumbled. ‘Least I could do.’

‘What’s this thing on her head?’ Max asked.