‘I’m sorry I don’t come into your shop,’ Geraldine was saying. She patted her bulging waistline. ‘Trying to watch my weight.’ She opened a laptop on her desk and typed on the keyboard. ‘There’s a scientist in Hobart working on that disease,’ she said. ‘His name’s Dale, and he’s been asking whether anyone has seen devils around town. How would you feel about talking to him?’

‘Perhaps he could find them himself,’ Miki suggested. Kurt wouldn’t want her talking to strangers.

Geraldine shook her head. ‘I’m sure he’d want to speak to you. He’d want to hear about everything you’ve seen, especially about the devils that disappeared. Why don’t I find out when he’s going to be here again? He might make a special trip.’

Miki pretended to look through the postcards while Geraldine was typing. She wanted to leave, but that would be rude. She shouldn’t have come here. Things were getting out of control.

‘There you go.’ Geraldine smiled. ‘I’ve sent him an email.’

Miki’s knees felt weak, so she put a hand on the counter to steady herself. Geraldine’s book was there; Miki’s eyes were drawn to the cover: The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton. ‘How is your book?’ she asked.

‘It’s very good. It won the Booker, you know.’

‘The Booker?’

‘The international prize for fiction.’

‘Of course.’ Miki tried to hide her embarrassment.

‘You like reading?’ Geraldine asked.

‘I love it.’

Geraldine’s smile widened. ‘That’s great. I do too. What books do you read?’

‘I like classics,’ Miki said, feeling safer.

‘Me too.’ Geraldine’s face lit up. ‘How wonderful. We can talk to each other about books—there’s not much opportunity for that around here.’

Miki pointed to The Luminaries. ‘Your book is almost as big as the Bible.’

‘The Bible is an enormous book,’ Geraldine agreed.

‘I’ve read most of it,’ Miki said.

‘Really?’ The older woman’s eyebrows lifted so high they were lost beneath her fringe. ‘That’s an achievement.’

‘It’s the only book we had growing up.’

Geraldine tutted. ‘People should grow up in a house full of books. Do you have many now?’

‘Only a few, but I read them over and over.’

‘You should join the library,’ Geraldine said. ‘You can borrow ten books at a time, and if they don’t have what you want you can put in a request and they’ll bring it across from another library.’

‘I don’t think that will work for me.’ Miki knew Kurt wouldn’t approve.

Geraldine frowned. ‘What books do you have?’

‘Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Tess of the D’Urbervilles.’