Mauve stood quietly in the kitchen, her hands trembling as she picked up the bowl of chorizo and bean stew she’d prepared with her money.

She needed peace to return to the house.

She needed her babies to come back home.

Most importantly, she needed Tad to be in a good mood so she could talk about going to the police again.

He had forbidden it when she first mentioned it. He even made her call off the policemen who were called when Cathy went missing in Maleny. She hoped his favourite stew would turn him back to the loving man she had always known.

She needed his support to...