A long pause while Mum got herself under control. ‘He’s artistic. When he’s upset, he stops talking. He wouldn’t say why he went to the fossicker’s hut, I knew this meant something…’ Mum’s words drifted off. ‘And he wasn’t the only person there that day.’

Charles stopped, obviously surprised. ‘Does the witness mea—?’

Mum’s eyes opened very wide. She poked the stand before her, hard, with her index finger. ‘Jack Laskin was there. Looking for his mother.’

What? No! There were gasps from the audience. Caleb stood.

Nina reminded him to sit.

Mum was going to do this? She couldn’t.

‘I have evidence,’ Mum said. She was obsessive and deluded about Caleb, but she’d never let that cause her to hurt someone else. Surely she wouldn’t hurt Jack?

Charles Scott turned to the magistrate.

‘You aren’t going to object to your own question, are you, Mr Scott?’ Nina asked.

Charles gripped his lapels. ‘I object strenuously to the witness’s answer.’

‘I’ll keep note of that.’

‘This evidence is too late—’ Charles continued.

‘It’s not late, it’s simply unexpected.’ The magistrate addressed Mum. ‘This is a committal hearing. The trial hasn’t even begun. Ms Wharton, you need to explain exactly what this evidence is.’

‘It’s a recent sketchbook belonging to Caleb.’

What? Maybe this, too, was his fault. He shouldn’t have left his sketchbooks anywhere near Mum. She misused everything.

‘Objection,’ Charles Scott said. ‘We already have his sketchbook from the time of the fires. Later ones aren’t useful to the court. They could easily have been made up, embroidered… sorry, sketched…’

‘Mr Anderson, you’ll agree these images aren’t the equivalent of photographs?’ Nina asked.

Mum leaned forwards. ‘I don’t have photographs—’ Of course she didn’t.

Nina raised her hand.

Mum closed her eyes. ‘—but I know what I saw with my own eyes. Shirley Laskin was missing that day. Jack was at the fossicker’s hut, looking for her there. Caleb drew this in his sketchbook. She was there with Caleb and with Jack and she’s lit fires before.’

That was it.

Caleb closed his eyes. But, though his lids hid the room, he couldn’t block the sounds. Mum, swearing to the truth of things she couldn’t know, a story she simply preferred. Protecting him no matter who else got hurt.

Again.

‘Objection!’ both lawyers cried simultaneously.

It wasn’t just him, Caleb realised. Jack would never forgive Mum for this. The new relationship, that should have compensated Mum for Dad cheating with Ivy, was dead.

Caleb opened his eyes, running a finger beneath each, wiping away tears. Furious with Mum – but aware it was to save him that she made this claim.