I open my eyes and peer into the darkness. I want to believe it. I need to believe it. I quickly make another promise that if Mia gets me out of here, I’ll do whatever it takes to find justice for Lilly and Hazel, and for Britt. She lost her best friend. She deserves closure as well. To hell with everyone in Wildling hating me. The girls deserve to have someone held accountable for what happened to them. Not so I can save my job, but because it’s the right thing to do. Even if it was Bryce who killed them.

  Suddenly, a bark pierces the silence. Undeniable this time, I sit up straighter, my heart racing.

  ‘I’m here!’ I shout as loud as I can. ‘Help! I’m here!’

  Another bark. Closer. Then another.

  ‘I’m here!’ I call again. ‘Can you hear me?’

  ‘Juniper?’ a woman’s voice calls back. ‘It’s Mia. Stay put. Koda will find you.’

  ‘I’m over here!’ I call again, getting to my feet and waving my arms. ‘Over here!’

  The sound of Koda’s frenzied barking cuts through the darkness, and then I see it – a beam of light illuminating the surrounding bush.

  ‘Over here!’ I call again. ‘I’m here!’

  The sound of twigs and leaves crunching under their feet draws closer, and my heart swells.

  ‘Juniper,’ Mia says with a sigh, as their shapes emerge from the darkness. ‘Nice night for a walk.’

  Relief bursts out of me in a mix of laughter and tears. ‘Oh… my… God, Mia,’ I gush, throwing my arms around her. ‘Thank you. I... I don’t know how I got so lost.’

  She shrugs and smiles. ‘It happens, but we’re going to get you out of here.’

  Her movements are practised and precise as she slips off her backpack and grabs her radio. ‘Daley, we’ve got her. She looks good. I’ll give her some fluids, check her vitals, but I don’t think we need a medevac. Tell the ambos to meet us on the main trail. She should get checked out at Winton River just to be safe.’

  Mia wraps me in a silver thermal blanket like the ones I’ve seen on news stories about people rescued from the mountains, then pours a hot drink from a small metallic thermos. She is calm and methodical – the complete opposite of how she seemed when I saw her last.

  ‘Drink this and try to warm up,’ she tells me. ‘We’ll head back in five if you’re up to it.’

  She gives Koda his reward for saving my life, a chew rope that he grabs with obvious delight, and I watch in awe at her ability to control the situation. We're out here in the middle of a freezing, dark national park, and yet she is completely unfazed.

  ‘You’re amazing,’ I manage. ‘You saved my life.’

  ‘Koda’s the amazing one,’ she tells me with a warm smile. ‘Aren’t you, buddy? Hey?’

  She ruffles the fur around his neck, and it’s clear to see how much the dog means to her.

  ‘Mia, can I ask you something?’

  She straightens up and turns her attention back to me. ‘Sure, what is it?’

  I hesitate, considering my words, then decide there’s probably no use in trying to tiptoe around it. ‘I know you said otherwise, but were you and Koda the ones who found Hazel Smith’s body out on Willow’s Crossing?’

  She studies me for a moment and then crouches to put Koda’s chew rope back into her pack. ‘What makes you ask that?’

  ‘Just watching the two of you,’ I tell her. ‘I think maybe he gave you a sign there was something there, and you trusted him enough to go back and check.’

  ‘Let’s just get you back to base,’ she says. ‘It’s been a long afternoon.’

  ‘Those girls were killed, and their bodies discarded out in this cold. Whoever could do something like that isn’t human, Mia. He needs to be stopped. You know that.’

  She searches my face, clearly contemplating what to say next. ‘Juniper…’

  ‘You don’t have to say anything, but I know it was you and Koda who found Hazel. You’re invested in this too.’

  ‘More than you think,’ she says with a long sigh.

  ‘Then let me in. I came here to help Britt. I thought that was going to be by… actually, I don’t know what I was going to do, but maybe the best way I can help is by finally doing my job.’

  ‘You’d write about it?’

  ‘Once we’re sure what happened, yes.’

  Mia stares out into the bush, and I pull the blanket tighter around my shoulders.

  ‘We’d have to be one hundred per cent certain,’ she says eventually. ‘There’s no room for mistakes here.’

  I nod quickly. ‘Agreed.’

  ‘You’d be willing to take on Jack Stanton?’

  I think back to what Britt told me. Whether it was Jack himself or Bryce, it’s still taking on the Stantons. ‘I am,’ I tell her. ‘If he’s responsible.’

  ‘You think it was someone else?’

  ‘I think we have a lot to talk about,’ I tell her. ‘When I’m not half frozen to death.’

  Chapter Thirty

  DOWN by the river, the late afternoon air feels heavy and damp. Fog has laced through the trees, and soggy ground sucks at the soles of my boots.

  The thought of Jason and Will finding out what I’m about to do knots my shoulder blades. Will and I are already on tenterhooks, but how can I just pretend none of this is happening? And Jason. He’s already threatening to medicate me, but every night when I jolt awake, the stench of Hazel Smith’s decomposing body clogging my throat and Lilly’s dead eyes staring at me through the dark, I know that I have to make this right – no matter what.

  Juniper emerges from the tree line first, a notebook held tight against her chest like it might shield her somehow from what lies ahead. Behind her, Britt trails along, hands shoved deep into her pockets and a dark hoodie pulled up over her head.

  As I watch them heading toward me, Mimi’s words run through my mind.

  When the third arrow is drawn, it will begin.

  All three of us have a reason to be here, and all three of us have something to lose – but maybe together, we can find justice for Lilly and Hazel.

  ‘Hey, Koda,’ Juniper says, leaning down to scratch behind his ear when he trots over to meet her. ‘How are you, hey? How are you?’

  ‘Have you recovered from yesterday’s walk in the woods?’ I ask her.

  ‘It was a walk in the woods all right,’ she replies, rolling her eyes. ‘I don’t know how to thank you and Koda for coming to save my arse.’

  ‘You’re alive. That’s enough.’

  She nods and glances back at Britt, still making her way over. ‘She doesn’t trust me, not completely, but she’s here.’

  I nod and look past Juniper at Britt stalking toward us. I was so much like her at the same age. Rebellious, righteous, and completely raw.

  ‘So,’ I begin when Britt catches up, ‘we all have our theories on what happened to Lilly and Hazel. The best thing might be to put everything we know on the table and see where we end up.’

  Juniper nods. Britt kicks a stone and watches it roll almost to the waterline. Neither of them says anything.

  ‘Fine, I’ll start. I guess by now it’s no secret that Koda and I found Hazel’s body out on Willow’s Crossing. I also spoke to Herm. He didn’t know Lilly was pregnant, and I don’t think he was the father.’

  Juniper’s eyes widen, and she stares at Britt. ‘Lilly was pregnant?’

  ‘Yeah, like three months,’ Britt replies. ‘I knew about Herm, so I just assumed it was him. Now I’m not so sure.’

  ‘Wait,’ Juniper says. ‘Catch me up here. You knew what about Herm?’

  Britt glances at me, and I nod that it’s okay.

  ‘Herm was abusing Lilly… sexually,’ Britt begins. ‘It’s what he does.’

  Juniper’s mouth forms a silent O as she stares at her sister in disbelief. ‘What do you mean, it’s what he does?’

  ‘She means he’s done it before.’ I hesitate and then add, ‘To me, and maybe other girls as well.’

  ‘Oh, Mia…’ Juniper steps forward, but then stops short, clearly unsure of whether she should hug me or give me space.

  ‘It was a long time ago. I never said anything. I should have.’

  ‘Then, she was last seen getting into the Willow’s Crossing truck the day she died,’ Britt adds, returning the conversation to Lilly. ‘That can’t be a coincidence.’

  We all take a moment to think, the rush of the river behind us filling the silence.

  ‘I saw Bryce the other day,’ Juniper says eventually. ‘I thought he’d help me, but he was… weird.’

  ‘Weird how?’ I ask.

  She stares out toward the river for a moment. I follow her gaze and notice the water level is rising. Snowmelt from the mountains pushing against already swollen banks.

  ‘I don’t know… aggressive,’ she says. ‘He grabbed me by the arm.’

  ‘He grabbed you?’ Britt repeats, instantly standing up straighter.

  ‘It’s fine,’ she says with a wave of her hand. ‘I mean, it was scary, but he didn’t hurt me. It did get me thinking though.’

  I step in closer. ‘Tell us.’

  ‘Well, what if it wasn’t Jack driving the truck?’

  We stare at each other, no one wanting to be the first to say it out loud.

  ‘Shit,’ Britt says eventually, breaking the silence. ‘Can someone just say it? It was Bryce.’ She kicks at a stone with her foot and stares at us. ‘Look at what we’ve got. He was weird and aggressive to you in the park, Juniper. Luke said something about Lilly liking someone, so with this being Wildling, there’s every chance that was Bryce, right? On the day she died, Lilly said she was going to talk to the father and was seen getting into the Willow’s Crossing truck. Despite the bullshit Jack came up with, it seemed like he had no idea what I was talking about when I brought it up at dinner the other night. So, it had to be Bryce behind the wheel, not Jack. He must have flipped out about the baby and killed her. Now his dad and Herm are just protecting him. Typical freaking patriarchy.’

  We all exchange a glance. ‘But what about Hazel?’ I ask. ‘How does she fit into this?’

  ‘That part, I have no idea,’ Britt says. ‘Lilly didn’t know her. I never saw Bryce with her, or Herm, for that matter.’

  ‘Could there be two killers?’ Juniper asks.

  ‘I think you’ve been listening to too many true crime podcasts,’ Britt quips. ‘The idea that there’s even one murderer in Wildling is hard enough to believe.’

  ‘All right,’ I begin, my hands stretched out in front of me. ‘We all think it’s plausible that Bryce killed Lilly, and Jack and Herm are covering for him. What we don’t know is how Hazel fits into this.’

  ‘That, and we have no proof of anything,’ Britt adds.

  ‘I can’t write anything unless we find proof,’ Juniper says. ‘Trust me, I learned that lesson the hard way.’

  Britt pulls a cigarette out of her pocket and balances it between her lips.

  ‘Don’t even think about lighting that thing,’ Juniper tells her.

  ‘You’re not really supposed to smoke in the park,’ I add.

  Britt shoves it back into the front pocket of her hoodie and rolls her eyes.

  ‘The first thing we need to figure out is whether there was a connection between Lilly and Hazel that we don’t know about,’ I say. ‘Maybe that will tell us something.’

  ‘Hazel’s community won’t talk to anyone,’ Juniper says. ‘Every journalist from here to Timbuktu has tried. No one is willing to speak.’

  ‘I can go talk to Lilly’s mum, maybe look through her stuff,’ Britt suggests. ‘There might be something in her room.’

  Britt’s voice trails off, but my mind is already somewhere else. If Hazel’s parents won’t open up to outsiders, we need someone they trust. Mimi has always considered herself a custodian of the land, much like the First Nations community. Her love for the national park and its rivers, mountains, and valleys has made her the only person in Wildling ever able to walk both sides of the line.

  My jaw clenches. I hate the idea, but there’s no doubt in my mind. If we’re going to solve this, we need Mimi.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  TOWERING mountains loom over us, casting long shadows as Mimi, Koda, and I climb out of my LandCruiser.

  Mimi walks ahead, her gait steady as we move through the fringe of the national park. She moves like she belongs here, as though the bush might bend around her.

  In a clearing just up ahead, Hazel’s parents are waiting. They stand close together, heads bowed, bracing themselves against more than just the chill. Her mother’s dark eyes glisten, and her father’s shoulders sag as if the weight of their grief has bent him in half.

  ‘Hello,’ I manage, as Koda walks up and offers his head for them to pat. ‘I appreciate you both coming out here today.’

  They nod and look to each other for support. Seeing their pain makes me worry this was a bad idea. If I’ve brought them out here for nothing, then all I’m doing is making things worse.

  Mimi stops and turns to me, her eyes catching mine. ‘Still your tongue. Listen before you speak. The land always talks first.’

  I nod and press my lips together, the pressure in my chest making it hard to breathe. Hazel’s mother briefly rests her hand on Koda’s head before I call him back and he sits beside me, ears pricked, watching intently.

  ‘They’re here,’ Mimi says softly as we step into the clearing. ‘The spirits. I feel them.’

  Hazel’s mother breaks into sobs, her husband’s arms pulling her in tight. Tiny flakes of snow drift from the sky, dissolving against her skin like brief, fleeting touches.

  We're only metres from Jack’s property line. This is as close as I dared bring them to where I found Hazel. Jack would never allow this gathering on his land, but the boundary doesn’t change what happened here.

  ‘The mountains know. The air remembers,’ Mimi whispers as though she can read my mind.

  I look her over. She has dressed with care. Her usually wild hair is woven into two braids, and a shawl the colour of wattle leaf is wrapped around her shoulders. Her bare feet press into the earth, the sight of her naked toes sending goosebumps along the length of my arms. She closes her eyes, then tilts her head as if listening to something only she can hear.

  ‘You want to understand?’ she asks quietly. ‘You need to listen to what the spirits of the land are saying.’

  The wind stirs around us, carrying with it the faint scent of snow gum. Branches creak overhead, and the world narrows until Mimi’s voice is all I can hear.

  ‘Two young roos bounded across this earth,’ she begins, her tone low and steady, ‘joyful and full of life. But a dingo came upon them, envious and angry. Its strike was swift. Fatal.’

  The words crawl across my skin. My thoughts spin, threads tying themselves together. Hazel died first, before Lilly. Had Bryce been seeing both of them? Did they find out and turn against him? If Lilly and Hazel had threatened to tell Charlotte, or worse, Jack, could it have been enough to send him into a rage?

  …envious and angry. The strike was swift. Fatal.

  My pulse hammers. Maybe Lilly’s death wasn’t about the baby at all.

  ‘You shouldn’t be out here.’ Jack’s voice suddenly booms across the quiet landscape. ‘I don’t want you doing your voodoo bullshit so close to my boundary line.’

  He stands defiantly on his side of the fence, hands planted on his hips, legs spread and anchored to the ground.

  ‘You got no say about what we do out here,’ Mimi tells him. ‘This ain’t your land.’

  ‘Not yours either,’ he snaps. ‘The national park belongs to the government, and this land belongs to me.’

  ‘Call it what you want,’ Mimi tells him. ‘That will never be your land.’

  Jack laughs, his head tilting back. ‘Everything is my land, old woman. Even that shack you call a house. It’s only a matter of time.’

  Koda pulls forward, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

  ‘And don’t think you’re fooling anyone, Thomas,’ he says, turning his attention to me. ‘I know it was you who came sniffing around out here and called the police.’

  He has no proof, I remind myself. If he did, the state police would have been knocking on my door by now.

  ‘You stay away from her,’ Mimi warns. ‘She ain’t none of your concern.’

  Jack steps up to the fence and glares down at her. ‘Everything that happens in Wildling is my concern.’

  ‘While ever you stand on this land, you're bound by the will of the mountain,’ she tells him. ‘Everything out here has a balance. What’s taken must be returned. And you’ve taken more than your fair share.’

  He considers her, then tosses his head back and laughs. ‘Say whatever you want. People in this town might call you a witch, but your superstitions are just that – hocus-pocus bullshit.’

  ‘There's debts that need repaying,’ she tells him, her voice unwavering.

  Around us, a sudden wind blows in off the mountain. Icy and cold, it steals Jack’s hat, sending it tumbling off across the field.

  ‘They've whispered the truth into my ear,’ Mimi finishes. ‘And mark my words. The balance will be restored.’

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Britt

  I’M heading over to Lilly’s place to ask her mum about any connection with Hazel, even though I already know the answer – there wasn’t one. Lilly wasn’t the type of girl to have a bunch of friends. We had that in common. I was her person, and she was mine.

  Or was she?

  Before all this, I believed Lilly’s flaws made her perfect. The way she refused to be a good girl. The way she said whatever was on her mind. Her disregard of rules, expectations, and boundaries. Like her namesake flower, Lily of the Valley, she was impossible not to admire and maybe beautiful enough to hide the fact she was poison.

  When I get to Lilly’s, I knock on the door and step inside. The first thing I see is her mother, Trudi, perched on the edge of the couch. A narrow beam of light seeps in through drawn curtains, catching strands of her hair, the colour of decaying autumn leaves. Her foot jitters a restless rhythm against the floorboards, and the house smells of stale smoke and spilled beer. A stained coffee table slumps under the weight of ashtrays and empty bottles.