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    Ursula watched Tony walk slowly around his car. She noticed for the first time how his thick dark hair was flecked with grey
     behind his ears. He was only thirty, but he walked like an old man, and Ursula quickly looked away in case he caught her staring
     at him. She longed to be able to make it all better, to tell him that she would take care of it, that he could leave and go
     back to his life. But he wasn’t her little boy any more: he was a man, a husband, a father.
    She turned as she heard a car crunch along the road behind them, then smiled in relief as she saw Jim’s ute. ‘It’s Dad, and
     Lisa.’
    Tony looked up and nodded. Jim and Lisa jumped out of the car and ran over to hug Tony, then her.
    ‘You OK, love?’ Jim whispered in her ear while he embraced her. Ursula looked up at her husband. His receding hair was grey
     and coarse now, the way Tony’s would be in years to come, but his eyes were the same deep brown as the day they’d met. Jack
     had the same eyes. Beautiful, big, bright eyes. She clung tighter to Jim, feeling the lean knots of his muscles through his
     thick flannel shirt, still hard from years of manual work. She blinked back her tears.
    ‘I’m all right. We just have to stay strong.’
    She glanced over to Tony and Lisa. Lisa’s long dark hair was loose, blowing in the breeze that swirled the sand around her
     grey peep-toe sandals and flared the skirt of her pink chiffon shift dress. She always looked so pretty in her own designs.
     Her dark eye make-up was smudged, though, and she dabbed at her nose with a tissue. Now she looked up at her big brother,
     who was at least a foot taller than her, and years older, and put her slender arm around his waist. Tony and Lisa had never
     been particularly close as kids – the five-year gap left them with little in common – but as adults they were good mates.
     Lisa had always treated Anna like an older sister; Ursula, too, had thought of Anna as family. But did she really know Anna
     as well as she’d thought? Ursula reached in her bag for her handkerchief. There was no time to think like that, not now.
    A policeman walked towards them from the bush track. ‘G’day. I’m Constable Brad Dixon, from Sutherland Police.’
    Tony stepped forward and offered his hand. ‘Tony Patton.’ His voice was strong and she felt a surge of pride. ‘This is my
     mum and dad, Ursula and Jim, and my sister, Lisa.’
    Constable Dixon shook hands with each of them. Her palms were clammy against his strong, cool grip. She stared at the freckles
     on his nose as he began to give them a run-down of the search. He was in his early twenties, even younger than Lisa; it didn’t
     seem right that such young kids had to deal with things like this.
    Tony interrupted him. ‘The car.’ He pointed towards it without looking. ‘Was Jack …? He wasn’t …?’
    She blinked hard and focused again on the conversation. She knew what Constable Dixon was going to say. She was sure Tony
     did too.
    ‘No. It was empty. There was no sign of damage, or a struggle, but of course we’re getting Forensics out to examine it. I’m
     sorry, but there was nothing to explain what happened.’
    Her last sliver of hope was snatched away by the salty wind. She closed her eyes, then dared to open them and look at Tony.
     He was pale. She clutched Lisa’s hand; her daughter was trembling.
    ‘I need to see it,’ Tony said, his voice firm.
    ‘Yes.’ Jim put his arm around Tony’s shoulders. ‘Let’s have a look. We might see something that isn’t obvious to the police.’
    Tony nodded. ‘I’m sure there’ll be something, something to prove … To find whoever did this.’
    Dixon furrowed his brow. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again and nodded before walking towards
     the car. They all followed him.
    Tony peered through the windows of the Corolla, ducking to see inside from every angle. She came up behind him and put her
     hand on his