‘Flynn. What are you doing out of bed?’
He lifted his head and saw his mum and Lisa coming towards him, Charlie and Farrah bouncing around her. ‘It’s Prita. And Mac. Neither are answering their phones.’
‘What?’ Barb’s face blanched. His mother knew that wasn’t like Mac as well. Or Prita. She would never not answer her phone. She was the area’s doctor for Christ’s sake. He should have thought of that. Should have known.
The dogs were jumping around him, trying to get his attention, but he had no time for pats or ball games now.
The bastard had Prita. He had her and there was nothing he could do.
‘Flynn, stop it. Charlie, Farrah, sit.’ The dogs sat obediently as Barb took him by the shoulders, shaking him a little, making him come back from the panic he was letting get to him. ‘Have you called the police?’
‘Yes. Of course. They’re on their way to her house.’
‘Good.’
‘I have to get there.’
Barb shook him again. ‘What good will you be to her hopping around like this? Let’s just wait to hear back from the police, shall we?’
He stared at his mother, wondering what the hell had gotten into her that she could be so calm. ‘There’s someone after Prita and now she’s not answering her phone and neither is Mac. Aren’t you worried?’
‘Of course I am. I’m terrified.’
He blinked at her, noting her tight lips, the terror in her eyes. He pulled her into a hug. ‘I’m sorry, Mum.’
‘It’s okay. It’s okay. You’re right. We need to help find them.’
‘We can organise a search party. Do a kind of bush telegraph to see if anyone has seen her.’
He’d forgotten Lisa was there until she spoke. He let go of his mother and said, ‘Great idea.’
Barb nodded. ‘I’ll get the girls onto calling the bakery and the other businesses at Wilson’s Bend and see if anyone saw her.’
‘I’ll call Chandra. She said she was going to see him after she’d caught up with the insurance agent. If she’d seen him before she disappeared, then we’ll have more of a timeline.’
‘Do you have the insurance agent’s number? He might be able to tell you where she headed after she left him.’
‘Constable Bruce told me the insurance agent isn’t coming until later in the week. It wasn’t him.’
‘Hell.’ Barb’s mouth pulled tight as she rung her hands in front of her.
‘We’ll find them, Mum.’
‘Yes. Yes, we will.’ She nodded again then said to Lisa, ‘Let’s get making those calls.’
‘Flynn, where are you going?’
‘I’m going to the stables. I need to go to Wilson’s Bend to start looking around and help the police canvas the shops owners and neighbours, see if they saw anything. When Reid and Diarmuid get back, I’ll need them to come to Wilson’s Bend to help.’
‘Nat will want to do something.’
‘I’ll ask her to take care of the kids.’
‘Make sure she keeps this from Carter.’
‘Of course.’
‘And, Flynn? Call Cherry. She’s down at the cottage and won’t know what’s going on. It’s possible that Prita got called out to see to a patient and didn’t get a chance to call you?’ She sounded so hopeful, but he knew the hope was useless. Prita would have called him if she wasn’t going to be back when she said. Even so, he nodded. ‘I’ll call her,’ then turned to go.
He stopped at the soft touch of his mother’s hand on his arm.
‘Don’t push yourself. I know you love her but it’s not going to do anyone any good if you pass out.’
‘I can’t let anything happen to her, Mum. Or Mac.’
‘I know. We’ll find them.’ She kissed his cheek and then left with Lisa, the dogs more sedately following them, obviously picking up on the worry and fear.
He turned and limp-ran towards the stables, dialling Cherry as he went, hoping, even though he knew it was futile, that Cherry might know where she was.
Please, please let it be that simple. But Cherry hadn’t heard from her. Hope dying, he grabbed John from the stables to play driver and was in a ute moments later, speeding to Wilson’s Bend and the last place Prita had been.
He had to find her. He simply had to.
***
Prita’s head pounded. And something was pushing into her chest. She raised her head, wincing as pain lanced out from the back of her head in sickening waves. What had happened? She’d gone to meet with the insurance guy. He hadn’t been there when she and Mac had arrived, so she went to inspect the damage herself. She’d wandered around the back and in through the frame that had housed the back door. Mac had been in front of her as she walked through the ruin that was the back of the house. They were just near the stairs—which were surprisingly intact—when something fell from above them and hit Mac on the head. He went down. She’d rushed towards him when something hit her on the back of the head and she’d passed out.
Had something fallen from the roof?
Maybe. But then why wasn’t she lying on the floor.
She seemed to be sitting upright.
And what was constricting her chest and arms? She opened her eyes and looked down, colours shifting and moving and slowly turning into shapes. There was a rope around her. Why was there a rope around her? It seemed to be holding her to a chair. She tried to move but it was so tight. In fact, her arms below the rope were numb.
What the hell was going on? If a neighbour had found her after she’d been knocked out by a falling brick or piece of timber, they wouldn’t tie her to a chair.
‘Ah, you’re awake. About bloody time.’
She looked up, gaze slowly
