‘Sarah, you of all people must understand how it feels to lose a sister,’ I begin, pulling my eyes back to her. ‘I’ve made so many mistakes with Britt. I feel responsible for all of this. I need your help. Please, I need to bring her home safely.’

  With a soft sigh, she lowers herself onto the oversized cream couch and twirls her wedding band.

  ‘The police were here.’

  ‘They were?’

  ‘Looking for Jack. Not much happens in Wildling he doesn’t know about, so of course this was their first stop.’ She leans back against the sofa and stares into the fire. ‘He’s not here, though, so…’

  ‘Sarah, I found a journal. It belonged to Lilly. It said—’

  Before I can finish, Sarah scoffs, catching me off guard. She’s always been so polite, so graceful, that the coarse sound feels out of character coming from her.

  ‘That’s why you’re here?’ she asks. ‘Well, I’m sorry, Juniper, but I find it difficult to believe that someone like you, an intelligent woman with the tenacity to leave Wildling and move to Sydney to become a journalist, would believe anything a girl like Lilly Daniels wrote in a journal. You know what she was like, and that mother of hers, goodness.’ She touches her hand to her chest. ‘What happened is unfortunate, of course, but they were hardly upstanding citizens. You must know that.’

  ‘With all due respect, Sarah, that doesn’t mean she was a liar.’

  Sarah smooths an invisible crease in her linen pants. ‘You said Bryce might know where Britt is. Why would you think that? I don’t believe he even knows her apart from being your sister, of course.’

  I nod, scrambling for what to say next. Of course, she wants to protect her son, but I need to convince her that the best way to do that is by helping me.

  ‘You know how I feel about Bryce. I was going to marry him. You and Jack have felt like family to me my whole life, and I hate that I’m here, Sarah, I hate it, but Britt is my blood.’ I pause, then push on. ‘The journal said Lilly killed Hazel out in your paddocks. She was jealous of a relationship Hazel had with Bryce. It was an accident of sorts, but you’re right about her character. She was blackmailing your son, demanding money not to frame him. Maybe he just wanted it to all go away, to make sure you and Jack didn’t find out and think the worst of him. Britt read at least part of the journal. Maybe she confronted him, and he panicked, but we can make this right before it’s too late.’

  ‘She was an awful girl.’ Sarah stares across the room, her eyes fixed on the photos. ‘Just awful.’

  ‘After reading that journal, I couldn’t agree more. But we need to focus on Britt. If Bryce has anything to do with what's happened, he could be arrested. You don’t want that, do you?’ I follow her gaze over to the wall. ‘You know what it’s like to lose a sister. I can’t let that happen.’

  Sarah’s face hardens, her mouth tightening into a thin line. ‘You and Britt are so different. She was never like you, Juniper. It must have been difficult for her, watching you, beloved by the entire town. I imagine she was quite resentful. That’s what it’s like with sisters.’ She turns back, and I notice her eyes have changed. ‘Have you ever thought that perhaps Britt concocted this whole gone-missing drama just to punish you?’

  ‘No,’ I say, shaking my head. ‘She wouldn’t do that.’

  ‘Wouldn’t she? You’d be surprised how devious younger sisters can be.’

  ‘She wouldn’t go this far.’

  ‘When we were young, my sister Missy was a lot like you.’

  Frustration knots in my chest. I didn’t come here to reminisce about Missy. I need her help to find my sister. ‘I’d love to hear more about her someday, Sarah, I really would, but like I said—’

  ‘—and I was a lot like Britt,’ she continues, as if I’m not even in the room. ‘You wouldn’t think so now, of course, but it’s true. My father, oh, how he loved Missy. She was just perfect.’

  ‘Sarah—’

  ‘I’m telling you this, Juniper, because I was once the younger sister desperate for attention. Never good enough. Always overlooked. I would have done absolutely anything to be Missy, to feel what it was like. Everyone making a fuss, and saying my name as though I mattered. I’m sure that’s just what Britt is doing now. My Bryce wouldn’t hurt anyone. He doesn’t have it in him. It bothers Jack, you know, how weak he is, but he’s always been that way. Even as a boy, he’d never let go of my hand. I loved it, to tell you the truth. There’s no love comparable to that between a mother and her son. Especially a boy like Bryce. He always needed me, and that hasn’t changed, Juniper. I’m his mother. You need to understand that. So, I’m sorry you came all this way, but I really can’t help you.’

  Chapter Forty-Three

  TWO girls have already been found dead in or near Wildling National Park in the past week. Now that Britt has gone missing, it’s only a matter of time before the police call Daley, asking for a canine search and rescue team to go into the park and look for her. This way, we’re just being proactive. At least, that’s how I plan to spin it. Normally, police make the request. Until then, technically, we can’t participate in an investigation, but I’m hoping Daley will understand the gravity of the situation, especially after I explain what Juniper read in Lilly Daniels’ journal.

  When I pull up outside the station, Daley’s truck is parked in the lot, and the light is on inside. It’s almost nine o’clock at night. By now everyone else will have gone home, which is probably a good thing.

  My boots crunch on the icy ground as I walk around to the back of my vehicle and let Koda out. I grab our gear and head inside, bracing for Daley’s reaction. To my surprise, I find him in the control room, leaning over the table and checking off his pack items.

  ‘Daley?’

  He stops packing and looks up. ‘Thomas, you’re here. Good. You and Koda ready?’

  ‘Just like that?’ I ask, thrown by how easy it seems.

  ‘Jack called. The police went to Willow’s Crossing asking questions. He wants Britt located ASAP and without all the fuss. After Hazel was found on his property, he doesn’t want this turning into another circus. Quote, unquote. That means it's me and you kid, at least for now.’ He clears his throat, and I know there’s more. ‘He also mentioned you were out with Mimi and the Smith family doing some kind of ritual on his property line yesterday.’

  ‘Right…’ I say with a sigh. ‘What do you want to hear?’

  ‘What I want to hear, Thomas, is that you weren’t out on Willow’s Crossing uninvited looking for Hazel’s remains, and that it wasn’t you doing some kind of hoodoo with your grandmother.’

  ‘Daley…’ I trail off because I can’t lie to him.

  ‘Goddamn it, Thomas,’ he snaps. ‘What were you thinking?’

  ‘That Hazel was murdered and left to rot in Jack’s paddock, and maybe whoever did it also killed Lilly Daniels.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘I was wrong. Lilly killed Hazel. Then I think Bryce killed Lilly.’

  ‘Care to explain your theory?’

  ‘I will, Daley, but we need to get moving. If I’m right, every second Britt is alone with Bryce, she’s in danger.’

  ‘You really think the Stanton kid has it in him?’

  ‘You don’t?’

  He tilts his head, thoughtful. ‘Honestly? No, the kid’s a pussy. Spent half his life hanging off Sarah’s skirt in one way or another.’

  ‘It has to be him, Daley. Nothing else makes sense.’

  He huffs out a breath and gathers his gear. ‘If you say so, Thomas. Either way, let’s go find them.’

  THE night air is frigid as Daley and I jog beside Koda. Given Bryce’s inexperience and likely fragile emotional state, we’re banking on the fact he’ll try to repeat what worked with Lilly – killing her, then tossing her body into a ravine somewhere nearby.

  Starting at the boundary fence between Willow’s Crossing and the park, I give Koda a scrap of material from a jacket Britt left in the back of Juniper’s car. I hate running him at night. It’s dangerous navigating rough terrain in the dark, but waiting until morning could cost Britt her life.

  Our headlamps bob along the track as we run deeper into the park. Koda is out in front, bracketing, but not in scent.

  ‘Anything?’ Daley huffs, the past few years spent behind a desk catching up to him.

  ‘Not yet. When he picks it up, you’ll know.’

  Right on cue, Koda stops and lifts his nose. I raise a hand for Daley to wait. Three sharp barks and Koda pulls forward, but instead of tracking ground scent, his nose is to the air.

  ‘Something’s not right,’ I call back, as Daley and I chase after him. ‘He’s not tracking Britt.’

  ‘How can you tell?’

  ‘He’s air-scenting. Shit, Daley, this is about to get tricky.’

  At low elevations, the national park is full of trees and dense foliage. That means whenever the airflow hits a cluster of trees, it changes direction, forcing Koda to constantly reassess the scent trail.

  ‘Has he picked up Britt’s scent?’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ I shout. ‘If they'd come this way on foot, he’d be following ground scent.’

  ‘So, who are we chasing?’ Daley calls.

  ‘Not sure, but if I know Koda, we’ll find out soon enough.’

  As expected, Koda pulls ahead, then slows, nose to the wind. He drifts right, then left, sifting through invisible threads of scent until he finds the one he's looking for.

  For the next hour, we crisscross through the park, Koda looping, circling back, then surging forward in a different direction.

  ‘What’s… he… doing?’ Daley pants, almost spent.

  ‘It’s not like in the movies, Daley. He’s not Lassie. Sometimes it’s messy.’

  Suddenly, Koda stiffens, energy surging through the lead. He’s found the scent cone.

  ‘Almost there,’ I shout. ‘Not much further.’

  Branches whip my face as we push forward. Koda's bark is wild and frenzied. Whoever he’s tracking is only metres away.

  ‘Catch up!’ I yell. ‘Now!’

  The sound of Daley's laboured breathing grows closer until he’s beside me.

  ‘Not bad for an ageing desk jockey,’ I manage.

  ‘Can it, Thomas,’ he fires back. ‘I’ve got more hours in the field than you’ve had roast dinners.’

  Koda halts, staring into the darkness, barking and pulling so hard against his harness that I struggle to keep my footing. Whoever he's tracking is just beyond the tree line. Daley draws his gun.

  ‘NSW Parks and Wildlife,’ he calls. ‘Come out slowly. Hands where I can see them.’

  My hands tremble with nerves and adrenaline. Whoever emerges could be armed. It could be Bryce with Britt. Anything could be about to happen.

  ‘You’ve got until the count of three, then we’re sending the dog in,’ Daley warns.

  I snap my head to look at him, but he just shrugs, eyes trained forward. Koda knows the command for attack, but that’s something I keep to myself. We’ve never had cause to use it, but it’s important he knows when to protect himself and me should the situation ever arise.

  There’s movement behind one of the snow gums. Koda growls, straining at his harness.

  ‘Easy, mate,’ I tell him. ‘Easy.’

  ‘Slowly,’ Daley calls. ‘No sudden moves. My gun is drawn.’

  ‘Don’t shoot,’ a nervous voice pleads. ‘Please, it’s just me, Bryce Stanton.’

  ‘Are you alone?’

  ‘Yes, I’m alone.’ He steps out from behind the tree. ‘Don’t hurt me, please. I didn’t do anything.’

  Chapter Forty-Four

  DALEY steps forward, his gun trained on Bryce. ‘Hands where I can see them!’

  Bryce freezes, eyes wide, trembling as he slowly raises his arms.

  ‘Where’s Britt?’ Daley demands, taking a step closer. ‘What have you done with her?’

  I watch Bryce closely, trying to read him. His lips part, but only a shaky exhale escapes.

  ‘I… I don’t know where she is,’ he stammers, eyes darting between Daley and me. He shifts his weight, and I catch the faintest trace of mud on his shoes. Even from here, I can see that it matches the terrain we’ve been searching.

  Daley’s gun and torch are crossed, both aimed at Bryce. ‘Don’t make this harder than it has to be, kid.’

  ‘I… I don’t know where she is, I swear,’ Bryce insists. ‘I’ve been out here looking for her too. She might still be alive.’

  My skin prickles. ‘What do you mean, she might still be alive?’

  In the torchlight, Bryce looks like he’s about to cry. ‘It’s all my fault.’

  Despite Daley’s gun on him, Bryce drops to his knees and begins to sob. Around us, the bush falls silent, holding its breath. Daley lowers his weapon slightly, suspicion and confusion flickering across his face. ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Mum,’ Bryce manages. ‘Oh, God. What have I done?’

  As his body heaves, my mind races. We thought Bryce picked Lilly up from the station to stop her framing him for Hazel’s death, but what if he didn’t? What if he’d told his mother what happened, and she was the one who collected Lilly?

  ‘Bryce, tell us what happened,’ I try. ‘There’s still a chance we can find Britt alive.’

  He nods, wiping his face with his sleeve. ‘It all just happened,’ he says. ‘Mum and I were heading back from town, and we stopped to fill up. I pumped petrol, and she went in to put it on Dad’s account. Next thing I knew, through the window, I saw her and Britt fighting. I ran in, and it was chaos. They were both shouting and screaming. Mum was trying to drag her out of the shop. I finally figured out what was going on. Britt knew I got Lilly pregnant and jumped to the conclusion that I was the one who killed her. Mum said we had to bring her back to Willow’s Crossing. Make sure she kept her mouth shut. That’s what I thought we were doing.’

  ‘And then?’

  He shakes his head, staring out into the darkness. ‘Mum made me take her out to the barn. After that, she told me to go back into the house and stay there. I didn't want to because of Lilly, but—’

  ‘Wait. What do you mean because of Lilly?’

  Bryce closes his eyes. ‘She'd been hassling me. Demanding money or she’d say I killed Hazel. It was a quarter of a million dollars. Mum said she’d fix everything. I thought she meant by paying her off. I didn't know she was going to…’

  ‘Christ, Daley,’ I breathe. ‘It was Sarah who picked Lilly up from the station that day.’

  ‘But Britt’s different,' he continues. ‘She was almost family. I went back inside, and when Mum wasn’t gone long, I figured she’d just tied her up, you know, to make her sweat it for a while. I waited half an hour, then snuck back down to the barn to let her go. When she wasn’t there, I came out here because of where we put Lilly. I was hoping maybe Mum just left here out here or something. That she was still alive.’

  ‘It was you who put Lilly's body in the ravine?’

  'I mean, I didn't kill her,' he says with a shrug, 'but she as too heavy for Mum to carry.’

  Despite his initial crying, Bryce's reaction when he speaks about Lilly seems detached and emotionless, like she wasn’t even a real person.

  ‘Shit,’ I mutter, snapping back. ‘Juniper went to Willow’s Crossing to ask Sarah for help.’

  Bryce gasps. ‘Junie went to our place? No, no, no…’

  I pull out my phone, scroll to Juniper’s name, and hit call. After a few rings, it drops out. ‘No answer.’

  ‘Call your mother,’ Daley snaps at Bryce. ‘Now.’

  Beside me, Koda whines. ‘You’re okay, mate,’ I soothe, handing him his tug rope as a reward while Bryce dials.

  ‘Put it on speaker,’ Daley orders.

  The phone rings out, and Bryce shakes his head. ‘No answer from Mum either.’

  ‘Shit,’ Daley mutters. ‘Where’s Jack?’

  ‘He wasn’t home.’

  Daley and I exchange a look. A cold realisation settles in my gut that Britt and Juniper might already be dead.

  ‘Koda didn’t pick up Britt’s scent out here. Only yours,’ I tell Bryce. ‘That means she hasn’t been anywhere near here. Where else would your mother take her? Maybe Juniper, too?’

  He squeezes his eyes shut, shaking his head.

  ‘Think!’ Daley shouts. ‘Where would she take them?’

  ‘I… I don’t know.’

  ‘We can’t waste any more time,’ I snap. ‘Bryce, you have to tell the police everything you just told us.’

  ‘No!’ His head jerks up. ‘I can’t. Mum will go to jail. She was only trying to protect me.’

  ‘Bryce, she killed Lilly and kidnapped Britt. Probably Juniper now, too.’

  Daley tucks his gun and torch away, marches over, and hauls Bryce up by the elbow. ‘I’ve had enough. I’m calling the state police and taking you back to Willow’s Crossing.’

  ‘No, you can’t!’

  In one swift movement, Bryce pulls a pocketknife from his pocket and drives it into Daley’s side. He gasps and lets go. Bryce stares at him for a moment, the shock of what he's done obvious in his eyes. Then he turns and bolts into the bush, instantly swallowed up by the dark.

  I consider sending Koda after him, but he has a weapon. Instead, I drop to Daley’s side.

  ‘Move your arm,’ I tell him, pulling out my flashlight. ‘Let me see.’

  The wound is shallow. Not life threatening.

  ‘Little prick,’ Daley growls, pressing a hand to it. ‘He’s going to pay for that.’

  ‘Call it in,’ I tell him. ‘I’ll put an emergency dressing on this.’

  Daley radios the state police while I take a small medical kit out of my pack and press gauze against the wound. ‘Britt’s not out here,’ I say. ‘Koda would have picked up her scent.’

  ‘Then she’s in one of the buildings at Willow’s Crossing.’