‘It’s nearly ready.’ Leanne came up to the counter. Working over fryers, she always looked hot and sweaty and familiar dark bags hung from her eyes. Leanne was probably only forty, but working that fish and chip shop had taken ten years from her life. That’s what Mum used to say anyway.
‘Okay, thanks.’
On the TV, they were showing two-day-old footage of the searchers up at the gorge. I saw Kevin’s ute in one shot.
Leanne wrapped the food in white paper and handed over the warm package. ‘How you feeling?’
‘Good now, thanks.’ I glanced back up at the TV. ‘I wonder if they’ll find him.’
Leanne leant across the counter. ‘Are you okay about all this?’
She was trying to psychoanalyse me. I could spot that deal a mile away. I frowned, juggling the warm packet in my arms. ‘Yes, I mean, no. Well, isn’t everyone worried?’
‘I’m praying for him,’ she said and rubbed my arm. ‘We’re all hoping for the best.’
‘Yeah, I guess we are.’ I made for the door and noticed the milkshake drinkers looking at me sideways, straws propped near lips in readiness, one eye on the TV. Suck, stare, suck, stare.
Leanne came around the counter and followed me to the doorway. ‘Kevin’s been over there a bit since it happened,’ she said, leaning against the doorframe with crossed arms and looking across to the pub.
‘Since Dylan went missing?’
‘No,’ Leanne frowned at me. ‘Since … your mother.’
‘Oh.’ I nodded. I didn’t know why I’d said that.
‘I guess he’s lonely.’
I shrugged. ‘Maybe.’
‘Oh, well.’ She smiled. ‘He’ll work it all out. He’s got a daughter to look after now.’
I nodded, not sure what to say. I resisted the urge to correct her about the ‘daughter’ thing. I was not Kevin’s daughter. I didn’t feel like his daughter and I’d bet Kingfisher Farm he didn’t feel like my dad.
Ten minutes later, there was no sign of my ‘father figure’. I waited outside at the wobbly table feeling embarrassed and angry at being made to sit there alone. The shop started filling up with cowboys and farmers and I could see why Leanne needed the extra help. She kept peering at me through the front window, so I got up, walked down the street to the ute and jumped in to wait for Kevin.
I opened the packet and ate a few chips. They were starting to get soggy. I leant my head back against the seat, closing my eyes.
‘Sunny.’ A loud tapping on the window made me jump. It was Zara Walker. ‘Open up,’ she said, winding the air with her finger.
I wound down the window.
‘Hi,’ she said brightly.
Behind Zara, I could see her mother getting out of a Landcruiser on the other side of the street. She looked dressed up. Nice jeans, expensive boots.
‘I texted you,’ Zara said. ‘Can I?’ she said, pointing to the driver’s seat.
‘Why not,’ I said, pressing my lips together, but she was already coming around the front of the vehicle. She opened the door and jumped into Kevin’s seat.
‘Mum’s just getting some tea,’ she said, slamming the door. ‘And I think she’s trying to get me a job there.’
‘A job? At Leanne’s?’
‘Yeah. Why?’
‘Nothing,’ I said, shaking my head a little. ‘Shouldn’t you be the one asking Leanne about a job?’
‘Na, Mum knows her. She wants me to understand what it’s like to have to work for my money. She doesn’t want me turning out all spoilt or something.’
‘We wouldn’t want that.’
She waved my comment away and swivelled to face me. ‘So, anyway, my text. Why didn’t you answer?’
‘Oh?’ I took my phone out of my shorts’ pocket. The text sat on the home screen. ‘Sorry, service is patchy out my way. This must’ve just come through.’ This was sort of true; I had to stand under the flame tree by the house to get service and most of the time I only checked my phone to see what Evie and Mia were up to. Apart from that I was only on Facebook because Mum had discovered it. We were still friends and I wasn’t going to be the one to delete her.
Zara rolled her eyes at my apparent digital inadequacies. ‘I heard about your visit to hospital. Nice shiner by the way.’
It’s true that news travelled fast in small towns. ‘Thanks.’
‘So, are you alright? Must’ve hurt.’
‘Yeah. I’m fine.’ I touched the bandage on my head. I’d since removed the gauze, which was a bit of overkill and made me look pretty pathetic.
‘So, what have you been up to? I’ve been totally bored. If it wasn’t for the search for Dylan there’d be nothing happening in this town.’
I felt like saying that it was nice of Dylan to provide some entertainment for her. But instead I pointed to my head. ‘Haven’t been up to much, actually.’
Zara laughed and we stared through the windscreen into the empty street. I thought about what I’d been doing: the minutes I’d spent with Matt at the creek and in his car as we bumped along the driveway back to my place. Talking to Matt I’d felt okay for a little while, normal even. I hadn’t realised until Zara asked me. ‘Actually, I walked to the creek today,’ I said.
‘Really? Should you be out and about with that?’ She pointed to my head.
‘Probably not. I threw up. But there was a guy there, Matthew Bright.’
‘Matthew Bright?’ She leant toward me, placing her hand on the seat.
‘You know him?’ I examined her shadowy face.
Her eyes caught the light from the street lamp. ‘I’ve seen him around. My dad’s mates with the guy who owns their place, Mick someone.’
‘Harrison.’
‘Yeah. Apparently Matthew got kicked out of Craigsville High for drugs.’
‘Oh?’
‘So now my mum says he’s “bad news”.’ She lifted her fingers and bent them into air quotes.
Suddenly telling her about Matt seemed like a terrible idea.
‘Did you talk to him?’ she said, facing me with her sparkling eyes. ‘What is
