brutality, at least Marie had fought. This time she acquiesced without a word. Not only that, she’s shocked at her parents for letting them go. But they will do something now, surely. After years of holding the knowledge to herself, she is so relieved that she’s no longer alone with it.
‘Go after him, Charlie,’ Hester begs.
Charlie checks around the campsite, as though to see who might be watching, but the rain means most people are cowering inside.
‘Not my problem,’ he replies, and disappears through the door.
Hester stares at Desi, her face full of anguish.
‘Mum … do something,’ Desi pleads, thinking of Rebecca at home, unaware of what is hurtling her way.
But Hester bows her head, then goes to follow her husband.
‘Mum!’
Hester turns back. ‘What can I do, Desi?’
Desi moves closer. ‘Call someone. Call the police. If they go round there and see him drunk and in a rage, they might be able to stop him.’
And then a deep voice comes from the doorway. ‘Stay out of it, both of you. I mean it.’
Shocked, Desi turns to face her father. She can see Jackson behind him, his worried eyes flitting from Desi to his mother for guidance.
‘It’s none of our business, Desi,’ he says, before walking off again.
Desi is overcome with rage, racing after her father through the kitchen and into the living room.
‘Desi …’ her mother’s warning tone trails after her, but it sounds very far away.
‘Dad, it’s been going on for ages. He’ll hurt her. I’ve seen it. Rebecca sometimes has bruises too. Marcus as well, probably. Please … we have to help them.’
Her dad shows no surprise at what she’s saying, just flicks the television on and sits down in his armchair. ‘We will not get involved, do you hear me?’
Desi cannot believe it. She opens her mouth without thinking. ‘You disgust me,’ she says levelly, hands on hips, pinning him with a stare full of enmity.
She hears her mother’s intake of breath. At the doorway, Jackson begins to cry and Hester hurries him away.
As soon as they have gone, Charlie gets up and comes close to her, grips her by the arms, his fingers pincering her flesh. ‘You think you know everything, Desi, but you’re nothing but a stupid little girl, obsessed by playing mermaids with a bunch of dolphins. This is the real world. It’s about time you joined us, and stopped meddling in other people’s business. Find something useful to do with yourself, for Christ’s sake. You can start right now by getting out of my sight.’
19
Jackson
Sometimes Jackson wishes his father had never seen him go shore diving off Lovelock Bay. As soon as he found out, he had begun telling guests that his son was available to take them diving. Charlie’s biggest drawcard is a group of sea lions who often laze on an outcrop a little way further south, and occasionally shuffle into the water to investigate visitors. There are pictures of them frolicking underwater displayed on the walls of the shabby caravan office, and Charlie neglects to tell interested parties that this is a rarity. That Jackson, who always has a camera with him, had got lucky a few years ago. And if people are wary of sharks, Charlie takes great pleasure in outlining to them how the shallow reefs work. ‘No sharks’ll get past them,’ he’ll say. ‘Just lots of pretty fish out there – one of the best places on the coast, since it hasn’t been overfished like all the rest.’
Jackson has never interrupted to tell them that, actually, to see much at all you need to go to the outer reef by boat. Or that a shark is perfectly capable of navigating around the reef if it so chooses; in fact, he’d once seen a decent-sized tiger shark close to shore. He hates his father’s sour expression when contradicted, and, besides, he has never seen diving as a chore.
But today he has to drag himself to the beach, weighted down by all the things on his mind. It’s been twenty-four hours since he sent the email, and he hasn’t heard from Kate. Despite his best intentions, he had spent the better part of yesterday sleeping. He still needs to catch up with Maya and Desi. He has hardly seen his sister these last two years. He had only gone to the prison a few times, hating himself for always getting out of it, but finding it more disturbing to see her there, never knowing what to say. He had