By six o’clock that evening, Nina was sitting in an interview room at the Moree Police Station. The air was stale and warm and smelled faintly of perspiration. Her mind was in a whirl. Detective Inspector Reed had asked her so many questions about the day Max disappeared, often getting her to repeat things or clarify her answers. He’d warned her to try not to anticipate where the questions were going, but she couldn’t help herself. What if she was somehow hurting Dad’s case? The Detective Inspector took copious notes as well as recording the interview. Every sound was magnified: the scratching pen, the rustling papers, the throb of blood in her ears.
Mum went in next. Afterwards they sat together, waiting for news. It seemed like forever before Dad and his lawyer came into the room. All the colour had drained from Dad’s usually ruddy face. ‘I’ve been charged,’ he said.
‘Charged?’ said Mum. ‘What do you mean, charged? Charged with what?’
Dad sank down on the chair beside her and buried his head in his hands.
‘Manslaughter, Ellen,’ said Frank. ‘Manslaughter, and assault causing grievous bodily harm. The autopsy on Max Bonelli showed that he’d drowned after suffering blunt force trauma to the head.’
‘But who’s to say Jim’s involved?’ said Mum. ‘Max was drunk, wasn’t he? He might have fallen and hit his head? Anything might have happened.’
‘That’s precisely why the charge wasn’t a more serious one, like murder. And Jim can claim self-defence.’
‘I keep telling people,’ said Dad. ‘I got the worst of that fight, though I’m ashamed to say it. As far as I know, bloody Max Bonelli was fit as a fiddle when he took off in that rusted tinny of his.’
Mum put a calming hand on his arm. ‘Have they found his boat?’
Frank shook his head. ‘The police case is largely circumstantial. Our problem is that Jim seems to be the last person to have seen Max alive. He admits that they fought, and he has a clear motive. The hostility between Jim and Max is longstanding and common knowledge, I’m afraid. Shame that your husband was so forthcoming with the police during his earlier interviews. You really should have called me then.’
‘I’m in the room,’ muttered Dad. ‘You don’t have to talk about me like I’m not here.’
Nina went to sit beside her father. She gave him a swift hug, but he shrugged her away. The room began to spin. She leaned back against the wall to steady herself and closed her eyes.
‘Jim didn’t do this,’ said Mum. ‘Can he come home?’
‘Indeed he can, but he’ll have to report to the police station daily.’
‘That’s a four-hundred-kilometre round trip.’
‘Why don’t you two find somewhere to stay here in Moree,’ Frank suggested. ‘We’ve got a lot of work to do in the next few weeks.’
‘We could stay with my cousin,’ said Ellen. Nina could see her mum’s mind working overtime, trying to organise things. By comparison, Dad just looked dazed. ‘We’ll drive home tonight and pick up what we need, organise Kevin to run the store,’ she said. ‘We could be back first thing tomorrow morning. Would that do?’
Frank nodded. ‘Senior Sergeant Bradshaw has granted bail on Jim’s own undertaking. With manslaughter there’s generally a presumption against it, but frankly, Ellen, I’m not surprised your husband’s been released. He has substantial standing in the community. Nobody sees Jim as a threat, and there’s no danger of his interfering with witnesses because, as far as we know, there aren’t any.’
A police officer came over with an air of apology and handed Frank a piece of paper. ‘Can I get anyone a coffee?’ She received no response and left them again. How surreal. Everybody so nice, so friendly, as if they were dealing with nothing more than a traffic offence.
Frank showed Dad the sheet of paper. ‘The next thing is to sign and date the bail bond.’
Her father took up a pen and stared at the form blankly. ‘What day is it?’
‘The thirteenth of April.’ Frank pointed something out to Dad. ‘That’s the date of your appearance at Moree courthouse. See? The committal mention is three weeks away. It also lists the reporting conditions. Failure to abide by any of them means bail will be revoked. Failure to appear at court is a jailable offence and will mean your security is forfeit. Understand?’
Her father nodded assent and then her mother. But Nina didn’t understand. She didn’t understand any of it.