“But there wasn’t even a trace of him. It was like the universe had opened up a hole and dragged Lockie down into it.When the family had finally returned home after a month in Sydney there was nothing anyone could… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“In all his years as a cop he had never felt this helpless, as though he had one hand tied behind his back. He had always been able to sort everything out. People came to him the same way they… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“He said I was a dirty boy,’ whispered Lockie. ‘I was a dirty boy and that was why he did stuff to me, because… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“And then to win the prize had been incredible. She felt like she was being seen, actually being seen, for the first time in… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Tina thought about the idea of how much a person could take. People only survived because they turned the real into the surreal. If it was outside your comprehension you didn’t have to deal with it, to feel it.If you woke up each morning and thought that it had all been a bad dream, then you fell into the darkness… — Nicole Trope Copy Share
“Lockie got lost.’ ‘Yeah, he did.’ ‘But you found him.’ ‘I think we kind of found each other.” — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Tina wondered how long it had taken Lockie to give up on his parents. How long had he shouted and screamed and hoped for… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“The police up in the city had endless files filled with people who were so malevolent it was almost impossible to believe they were real. People for whom children were toys. When they were broken they were simply replaced.The internet helped these people connect. Helped them find the pictures to feed the habit, and then it helped them find what… — Nicole Trope Copy Share
“Tina and her mother were in the process of healing; they had to heal and soon they would be healed. But Tina knew that was a load of shit. Tim’s death wasn’t some broken bone that could be fixed. Nothing could fix that. It pissed her right off the way everyone expected her to regenerate her heart the way she… — Nicole Trope Copy Share
“Tina knew she could have taken the man a tree that grew its own money and he would say, ‘Not much call for money… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Sarah put the man and the other dead children out of her head. Later, perhaps, she would watch Lockie out in the garden and cry for all the mothers who would not see their children again. Later she would weep for the sadness of their loss and the joy of her own luck, but now she only had eyes for… — Nicole Trope Copy Share
“That’s what Lockie was—a little boy.It could do your head in if you thought too much about the cruelty that one person could inflict on another. It was best not to think about it, but here in front of Tina stood an example of the worst cruelty in the world.There was a large bump on one of his ribs. Tina… — Nicole Trope Copy Share
“She could not remember the casual Sarah who needed her morning latte before she did anything else. She had willingly given that Sarah up,… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Kids didn’t just disappear unless someone made them disappear.‘Relax, mate,’ the head of security said. ‘We’ve never lost one yet.’ Lots of kids wandered off at the Easter Show, he told them. They were always found, usually somewhere near the food.Doug had tried to relax, to stay calm, but he could feel the panic building inside him.The place was too… — Nicole Trope Copy Share
