Into the Fog

by Sandi Wallace

  Ness jammed a fist to her mouth. Sam wanted to hug her, but her job was to blend into the furniture and take detailed notes, while Jules ascertained whether the parents possessed helpful information…or were culpable.

  The detective stared at Duane. ‘How’s your relationship with the children?’

  He said, ‘I love them like they’re my own.’

  Sam held down the eyebrow that wanted to lift. He wasn’t going to admit that Hannah had a hard time accepting him as her stepfather? It was going to look pretty bad for him if he didn’t – the whole team knew. Earlier today, Kat had told them it was the reason she’d nominated the Savages for the camp.

  Jules kept her gaze steady.

  Eventually, Duane confessed, ‘Hannah and I get along, but she’s never given up hope that her real dad will come home.’

  Ness squeezed her lips together.

  ‘Riley and Cooper are happy for me to adopt them after we’re married.’ Duane patted Ness’s hand and her fingers curled. ‘Cooper’s never met his father and I’m as good as it gets in his world. Riley’s easy-going and never been a problem in that respect.’

  Jules pounced. ‘Not in that respect, but how’s he been a problem?’

  Duane’s eyes shrunk. ‘I didn’t mean anything by it…he’s never been a problem.’

  ‘And the other kids?’

  ‘Look, they’re good kids and we’re wasting time. Can’t we move on?’

  Jules bobbed her head. ‘Any of them experiencing trouble at school? With teachers? Bullies? So-called friends?’

  The parents answered no to each query.

  ‘Are they into social networking or doodahing on mobile phones?’

  ‘No and no!’ Ness threw up her hands. ‘None of them has a mobile or goes online except for the school intranet. And no, to what you’re about to ask: Hanny doesn’t have a boyfriend.’

  Jules answered mildly, ‘Right. Goodo.’ She puffed her lips. ‘Let’s go over everyone you know in this neck of the woods.’

  ‘We don’t know anyone who lives around here or even in Melbourne. Our families,’ Ness tipped her nose at Duane, ‘all live roundabout Daylesford, Gisborne, Ballarat and further away. Same for our friends.’

  ‘But what about the kids? Have one of their friends moved out this way?’

  Ness sniffed and shrugged. Sam thought it meant she was frustrated, but also recognised she couldn’t know everything about her children or they wouldn’t be missing now.

  More shrieks were followed by silence from the kitchen. Sam wondered what was up.

  It appeared to distract Jules too, but she quickly recovered. ‘And Rick – the children’s father?’

  ‘What about him? He’s out of the picture…well and truly.’

  ‘Where’s he living?’

  Ness huffed a sigh. ‘I’d be the last to know.’ The mother rubbed at her eyes.

  ‘He doesn’t keep in touch with the kids? Pay maintenance?’

  ‘Huh. That’s funny. I don’t think he remembers he has kids.’ Ness seemed exhausted by the conversation.

  Sam had to sit forward to hear Jules’s next words. ‘Is there a possibility that at least Hannah and her father have kept in touch – it sounds as though they were close? Perhaps all three kids have reconnected with their dad?’

  Red bloomed on Duane’s cheeks and he rose. ‘For all intents and purposes, I’m their father.’ He stabbed a finger at his chest.

  Shocked by Duane’s uncharacteristic outburst, Sam’s pen slid, drawing a line on her page.

  Jules lifted a palm. ‘I understand, Duane, but I need –’

  ‘To ask your questions. I know, I know! But I need to do something more constructive than sit and talk. If all I can do is drive around and look for them or put up our posters, it’s better than this.’

  Sam rapidly caught up her notes, while Duane searched his pockets and extracted a bunch of keys.

  ‘Can you get someone to move your car, Detective? I’m done here.’

  He moved off before Jules agreed, giving her keys to Sam. Ness followed her fiancé mutely.

  ‘They’ll need this.’ Jules thrust a wad of posters and sticky tape at Sam who checked Duane’s hands. He’d only grabbed two staplers.

  Poor man.

  She trailed behind, inquisitive although uncomfortable intruding on the parents’ grief.

  Georgie shadowed the trio, drawn by Ness’s anguish and Duane’s show of strength. What they’d be able to achieve in the atrocious conditions was negligible, but any action might give them a sense of hope and usefulness for a little while.

  Which was more than she could claim. She wasn’t doing enough—none of them were—and her lack of ideas was maddening.

  Maybe she should offer to drive Ness and Duane? But she didn’t have much to offer as a chauffeur being unfamiliar with the area. She also doubted they’d welcome anyone along.

  As Duane and Ness reached the foyer, Franklin, Elke and the kids emerged through the front room. Georgie’s stomach dropped; something was about to make things a whole lot worse.

  Franklin pushed through the stunned-silent throng, cursing that just a minute either way could’ve avoided this.

  He ignored everyone except Ness, zeroing in on her, mutely asking her to trust him. She dragged her chin up and met his gaze. Shock punched him in the gut – the grief and defeat in her eyes was haunting.

  As he told her about the arrival of the other parents, his nerves jittered. One wrong reaction could be disastrous. He was no psych expert. He’d seen and dealt with more shit than the average person thanks to his job, but that meant jack in this scenario.

  Ness was falling apart.

  Georgie watched Franklin talk to Ness and then slip outside, pulling the door behind him.

  Sara and Anna whispered among themselves but everyone else waited, edgy and mute. Ness clutched Duane’s elbow and her skin seemed to shrink over her facial bones.

  Georgie imagined herself in the mother’s shoes. She guessed dread would be overwhelming. Underneath the constant fear that her children wouldn’t come home safely would be the worry that other people’s sympathy might undo her. If they tiptoed around her, it would be just as horrible. She would hate fake optimism and promises, but would feel like killing anyone who voiced anything pessimistic. She’d crave solitude, while wanting the world to stop and find her kids.

  It would be the worst time of her life, with the unbearable possibly yet to come.

  Chapter 20

  Tom’s mum, Robyn, hung onto her son and scuffed the toe of her sneaker on the floor, while the other parents greeted Ness and Duane. They wore sympathetic faces, made the right noises, but Georgie noticed their lack of eye contact, particularly as they explained why they needed to take their kids home. Ten minutes later, they were gone, along with Sara, Anna, Nicole and Noah.

  Cowards.

  Georgie watched Robyn. She seemed about to say something, then changed her mind, perhaps working out how to break the news that they were leaving too.

  But when she said, ‘I can’t imagine how you’re feeling,’ her voice was wobbly, genuine.

  Ness nodded, with a pinch then softening between her brows.

  ‘We’ll stay and help. Any way we can.’

  I didn’t see that coming.

  Ness’s face crumpled. A tear slid down her cheek and into the side of her mouth. Duane wrapped an arm around her shoulders and nodded to Tom’s mum.

  His jaw worked for a few moments, making his beard bob. He turned to Sam. ‘The detective’s car –?’

  Sam shifted the unmarked Commodore, then helped Ness and Duane load fliers, sticky tape and staplers into their Subaru, using their bodies as shields against the driving rain. She stood aside as they buckled up inside the car and Duane cranked the engine.

  Then Ness and Duane jumped back out, went to the boot and took out a handful of posters. Sam watched them tape these to the inside of their rear windscreen and back windows. When they finally pulled out of
the cramped space and drove down the winding driveway, spotlights from the house illuminated the faces of Hannah, Riley and Cooper.

  Sam rubbed her arms. It did nothing for the deep chill to her bones.

  ‘Mr Belfrage! Please, can I talk to you?’ The housekeeper’s voice grated on Franklin’s stretched nerves.

  He watched Elke speak with her boss, her arms in constant motion. Belfrage nodded repeatedly, while he shot glares in the direction of the back room.

  Franklin strained, picking up fragments of their conversation: ‘can’t all stay’…‘quite’…‘not enough beds’…‘I will tell them’…‘do my best’…‘leave it with me.’

  They moved further into the kitchen, out of Franklin’s range, but a minute later Belfrage returned to the makeshift command post. He addressed Manthorp but his voice carried clearly.

  ‘As you are aware, I have offered you continued use of my home as your headquarters for the search and so forth…for the time being. Mrs Agterop is agreeable to do her best to assist with catering, but it’s out of the question that she be burdened too greatly.’ He lifted his chin into the air. ‘You will have to organise your own accommodation.’

  It’s after six, dark out with shitty weather and suddenly we have to find billets.

  Seb had fallen into a heap after his interview with Pickett and they let him go – he needed the support of his family. But Franklin’s five mates from home, plus him, Duane, Ness, Tom and his mum, were all sticking around. Presumably, Manthorp and her offsiders lived locally enough to commute, so that meant they needed ten beds, eleven if Bernie’s wife stayed in her liaison role.

  If Bernie could put up Duane and Ness at his place, that would drop the number back to eight beds. But what if they didn’t find the kids soon? The longer they were missing, the more specialists and suits would swarm on this place.

  What’s going to happen then?

  Franklin frowned. Technically their accommodation beyond tonight was irrelevant – they were supposed to be gone after the search. But there had to be a way around it.

  Belfrage cut into his thoughts. ‘Now, I have crucial business to attend to and will be returning to Melbourne.’ He waved, muttering something about an overcrowded house.

  He was so concerned about his pregnant housekeeper that he was leaving her to it?

  And his business was more important than the well-being of three young children who’d been guests in his home?

  Georgie climbed up to the mezzanine to check on Kat and Josh, but found her friend alone. Apparently, Josh had weirded out as Katz put it, saying he didn’t like Duane, didn’t trust him, then went AWOL.

  ‘But –’ Georgie broke off, taken aback. ‘He really thinks Duane is behind this?’

  Kat shrugged. She tried to hide it but Georgie saw she was hurting. In just over twenty-four hours, she and Josh had started something, three kids had disappeared and her new boyfriend was acting strangely. Too much to deal with.

  ‘Yeah well, anyway.’ Kat shrugged again. ‘So, Twitter and stuff’s gone off. Our Facebook page’s gone viral. We’ve already had thousands of shares.’ She waved. ‘Private pages, Victoria and Federal police, Australian Missing and Endangered Children, Australian Missing Persons Register, Australian Crime News, radio stations, newspapers, stuff like that.’

  She added, ‘And some weirdo ones,’ then shivered.

  Georgie searched for something that’d cheer up her friend. ‘Well, they say there’s no such thing as bad publicity.’

  Kat’s forehead creased, highlighting her resemblance to her dad. They both did it when they were angry or anxious and Georgie kicked herself.

  Bloody stupid thing to say.

  Sam was talking with Jules when Lunny rushed in. She stopped mid-sentence when he announced, ‘Righto, we’ve had a breakthrough. Small, but something.’

  Everyone clustered around him.

  ‘Mr Agterop has accounted for his movements.’ The sarge rattled off a summary of storm-related activities. ‘That doesn’t help us overly. But he did give us something useful.’

  Sam inhaled and held the breath.

  ‘Allegedly, Hannah tried to do a runner around three…three-thirty yesterday afternoon. Agterop saw her make her way out of the summerhouse and he followed her.’

  Sam’s breath huffed out.

  Creep.

  Lunny was drowned out by a barrage of questions.

  He yelled over the top. ‘Apparently, he thought it was odd that she’d go for a walk—almost a jog—in the weather conditions. He said she’d pulled up her hoodie, throwing around quick glances, then took off in a sprint. But he intercepted her and took her back to the summerhouse.’

  Georgie joined the back of the huddle around Lunny, remembering Agterop entering the summerhouse. He’d gestured to her as Hannah had skirted past, shooting him attitude behind his back, before dropping into one of the armchairs.

  Agterop had seemed to expect something from Georgie. At the time, she’d thought he wanted her to make sure Hanny sat properly in the chair.

  Maybe he meant: keep an eye on her.

  People spoke over each other again.

  Lunny raised his hand, silencing them. ‘If what Agterop claims is true, in all likelihood, Hannah had planned her actions.’ He paused. ‘She would’ve left earlier in the afternoon but for Agterop’s intervention.’ He stopped again, pointing a finger in the air. ‘And, she would’ve left without her brothers.’

  Manthorp interrupted. ‘Thanks, Tim.’ She addressed her offsider, Pickett, who’d come in after Lunny. ‘Dean, don’t take your eyes off the boys all together, but with this new information, we can afford to concentrate largely on Hannah.’

  Pickett pointed out, ‘We still don’t how long she intended to be away. Was it meant to be a slip-out-and-back-in job, without anyone noticing? Or is this a runaway affair? Crucially, we don’t know if she was meeting someone and if so, how they reacted to her little brothers in tow.’

  ‘And where they are now.’ The violent edge to Franklin’s tone cut through Georgie. Her hands balled into fists. Her left one throbbed. She welcomed the pain.

  Lunny spoke again. ‘Agterop agreed to cooperate with a search. We’d better make it swift and thorough, because I doubt he’ll oblige us for long. We’ll need all hands on deck.’

  Georgie nodded, keen to be included.

  Manthorp rubbed her face, drawing out the tension, then nodded. ‘Yep, but I’m lead, you Daylesford lot are support. And, Shorty? I want you to stay behind to check on progress with buses, taxis and neighbours.’

  The uniformed cop nodded.

  ‘The parents still driving around out there?’

  As if in answer to her question, rain pelted the glass harder.

  ‘Let’s hope they don’t go missing too.’ Worry clouded the detective’s eyes, but she shut it down, adding, ‘Bernie still around?’

  Franklin said, ‘He took Tom and his mum over to a friend’s place. We’ll give them some tasks tomorrow.’ He puffed his chest as if daring the detective to object. ‘Bernie’ll come back for Duane and Ness when they return and take them to his place. We’ll need someone to help support his wife if this continues.’

  Manthorp hesitated, then bobbed her chin. ‘Dean?’

  Pickett stood up and stared at his boss.

  ‘See where Franklin got earlier, then finish the interview with the housekeeper. And while we’re at the caretaker’s place, do some digging into both Agterops. And check his story. It’s going to be virtually impossible to verify the times he reckons he was patrolling the property and repairing the sensor light – although you might be able to tell if it has been recently repaired. Get some uniforms onto canvassing neighbours where he said he got stuck with a tree down across the road.’

  Pickett said, ‘Done.’

  Manthorp continued. ‘I also want you to look at Patrick Belfrage. He doesn’t come across as warm and fuzzy.’

  Georgie considered that a gross understatement.


  The detective narrowed her eyes. ‘So why would he open his home, full of expensive furnishings, to a bunch of misfit kids from the country?’

  Misfit seemed harsh, yet somewhat true – the children had been selected for the camp because of their differing troubles back home.

  Manthorp hadn’t finished. ‘Why would the man then absent himself – even after our kids disappeared? Where is his wife? Does she really exist? Is her absence connected?’

  Chapter 21

  ‘Finally,’ Manthorp wound up her instructions, ‘remember we must search any space where a child might fit. If it’s vaguely possible they might hide there—or be put there—we need to eliminate it. Toilet, washing machine, cupboards, under stairs, oven, fridge… Got it?’

  She took a deep breath. ‘Right, let’s go.’ She lifted her hand to signal the start of their search and did a double-take. ‘Hello. What’re you doing here, missy?’

  Franklin followed her gaze to his daughter lurking behind Sam. His head steamed.

  Oh no! You’re not coming. Manthorp’s just painted the picture. We’re looking for the kids – dead or alive.

  ‘Helping.’ Kat held up gloved hands. ‘I’m going to join up when I finish school…be a detective like my dad.’

  Manthorp pulled an apologetic face that turned into a frown as she answered her mobile. Then pinball-machine style around the room, everybody’s phone alerted.

  Franklin’s vibrated two seconds after Manthorp’s. His heart thumped. The blocked number gave him nothing. It could be a spammer or someone with a break in the case. He couldn’t rule out that they could also be the bearer of the worst news. With the eruption of phones in the room, chances were something big had happened.

  He took the call. ‘John Franklin.’