She couldn’t do that to her. Who knew what was going to happen with Violet next? If Heather wasn’t serious about turning things around, then Violet might eventually be taken away by social services. Andrea would continue up the coast and wear the consequences, no matter what they were. It was worth it to give Violet this experience.

Andrea glanced up in the rear-view mirror at Violet. She couldn’t tell if she looked happy or not. ‘Everything okay?’ Andrea called.

She saw Violet nod.

‘Honey,’ Andrea said, still having to raise her voice to be heard over the wind. ‘Do you know your mum’s mobile number?’

Violet looked nervous. ‘Why?’ she asked.

‘I just thought . . . maybe I should try and call her, you know, explain about all of this.’

‘But you left her a note.’

‘I know I did. But it would be better if I had her permission.’

Violet shook her head. ‘I don’t know it,’ she said.

‘What was that?’ Andrea called. Violet’s voice had been whipped away by the wind.

‘I said I DON’T KNOW IT!’

Andrea was surprised. She’d never heard Violet raise her voice.

‘Okay,’ said Andrea, ‘It’s no problem. No big deal.’

She looked in the rear-view mirror again and could see that Violet was embarrassed by her own outburst. She was biting her fingernails furiously and Andrea wondered what that was all about.

*

Mimi

Elliot continued screaming for the first twenty minutes of the journey and it felt like twenty hours. Or twenty bloody days. And somehow, miraculously, James had fallen asleep — as though her sister’s screams were some kind of soothing lullaby. Mimi wished the sound of a baby screaming had that effect on her. Instead, she was on edge and had a throbbing headache. When Elliot finally gave up and went to sleep herself, Mimi thought the silence would be like heaven. But instead it felt suffocating, as if there was tension in the air between herself and Pete, even though there was absolutely no reason for it. Everything was fine between them.

Maybe it was because of the way Callie had sniped at her before they left the servo.

‘Hey, do you mind if we pull over and swap when we take the exit?’ Pete said, breaking the silence.

‘Why?’ Mimi asked. ‘We’ll almost be there by the time we leave the freeway.’

‘I know, but I’m bloody tired and sometimes it’s that last stretch of a trip where you really get weary.’