The blanket, their pillows and the first-aid kit had been thrown into the dirt beside the petrol pumps. Katie was clambering over their seats searching for something. Snivelling, and not bothering to wipe the tears from her eyes, she had tipped over the floor mats and emptied the glove box. The pages of her colouring books were torn and scattered across the upholstery.
‘What in blazes are you doing?’ Dettie shouted, wrenched her from the car.
Katie squirmed. ‘I’ve got to find it!’ she shrieked. Strands of wet hair clung to her cheeks.
‘And you’re just going to pull the car apart?’
‘Wait. Wait, what’s the matter?’ Jon stepped between them, kneeling. ‘What have you lost, sweetie?’ He lifted Dettie’s hand gently from Katie’s neck.
‘Her—her han—ky—’ Katie could barely speak through her juddering breaths. ‘Her hanky—it’s gone.’
Dettie rolled her eyes and wandered away.
‘Whose hanky, lovey?’ Jon asked softly.
‘Mummy’s,’ she choked. ‘Mummy’s hanky. She gave it to me.’
Dettie was gathering up their things from the ground and dusting them off. ‘We don’t have time for this silliness,’ she said. ‘We have to get going.’
Katie noticed the tiny smile curling at the edge of her aunt’s lips and her expression hardened to a glare. ‘Where’s Mummy’s hanky?’ she hissed.
Dettie waited a moment, shaking out a blanket before turning. ‘What?’ she said. ‘I don’t know why you’re asking me.’ She folded the square into a tight bundle and placed it back in the car. ‘I can’t be taking care of all your things, girl. If you can’t look after them—’
‘Where is it?’
‘All right now.’ Jon’s hands were raised, palms open, to both of them. ‘We can’t have lost it. It must be in the car somewhere.’
‘Well, there’s no time to be hunting for it now.’ Dettie tossed a handful of colouring-book pages into the bin.
Katie’s fists were shaking. ‘You don’t care! You’re happy it’s gone!’
The shopkeeper, Sam realised, had appeared in the station doorway to see what all the noise was about. She leant against the frame, one hand parting the streamers and shielding the sun from her eyes.
‘We are driving across the Nullarbor desert, young lady.’ Dettie pointed towards the horizon, her teeth clenched. ‘It’s long. It’s unpleasant. It’s going to be stressful for at least another entire day. We have got more important things to worry about than some silly bit of cloth.’
‘We can have a look though, love,’ Jon soothed. ‘It’ll just take a minute.’ He lowered his voice. ‘I’m sure it’s about. Somewhere. And if it’ll calm her down.’
Dettie crossed her arms and squeezed her elbows. ‘Fine! Fine,’ she said. ‘You want to waste your time, go ahead. But don’t expect me to help.’
So as Dettie stood aside, strumming her fingers on her handbag and continually examining her watch, they searched the car. Sam checked beneath the front seats and through the paper bag they used for their garbage. Jon flapped out the other blanket, and Katie ran her hands along the creases of the seats. They hunted through the boot and Katie even ran back inside to the sink where Dettie had helped her clean up. Finally, slumped on the back seat, his legs dangling out of the door, Jon blew out a long breath.
‘Nowhere,’ he said and looked up at Dettie. She was still fixed in place, tapping the hard leather of her handbag. ‘Unless,’ he nodded at her, ‘what if? Maybe it fell in your handbag, love.’
Dettie laughed. ‘Oh, I don’t think so.’
Raising himself from the car, Jon edged closer to her. ‘Probably not, love, I’m sure,’ he whispered. ‘But to put her at ease.’
‘No, no, no.’ She clutched her strap to her chest. ‘No. I’m not having children—and some stranger we picked up on the side of the road!—ferreting through my belongings.’ She kicked backwards and started to pace. ‘Anyway,’ she said, ‘I’ve looked. I looked before. It’s not there.’
‘You’re sure?’
‘I tell you, it’s not there!’
‘You took my shirt to wash.’ Katie was pointing at her across the bonnet. ‘You were holding it. With my hanky.’
‘So now I took it!’ Dettie voice was cracking. ‘Stole it, did I?’ She slipped the bag from her shoulder, stomped to the back of the car, and tossed it into the boot. ‘This is ridiculous. I am fed up with being blamed for everything on this trip.’ She slammed the lid down. ‘Now we are getting in this car, and we are driving to Perth, and I am not going to hear any more nonsense from anyone.’
She rounded the vehicle, dropped into the driver’s seat and wrenched the door shut.
Katie stepped up to the passenger side window and sucked in a deep breath. ‘You’re bollocks!’ she yelled, her eyes squeezed shut.
Dettie’s grip fell from the steering wheel. She nodded slowly, and when her mouth closed, a sick smile crept over her face. She blinked, kept nodding, and turned to stare at Jon. ‘Oh, I see,’ she said.
‘Come on.’ Jon led Katie away from the window. ‘Let’s all calm down now, eh? I bet it’ll turn up,’ he said. ‘Just when we’re not looking for it. That’s how it always goes.’
After watching the commotion in front of him for so long, Sam was suddenly surprised by the sight of a large red tractor that had turned off the road and into the station. There was an old man in overalls driving, bouncing in his seat, and as he pulled it to a stop beside the furthest pump, he waved. Jon noticed, and shot him a quick nod.
Dettie fussed with the mirrors and jangled her keys.
‘It’s a hot one out today.’ The old man whistled as he climbed down from the tractor.
Jon agreed, and popped open the back door for Sam to get inside.
‘In a hurry, I see,’ the old man said as the dirt crackled under his boots. ‘Fair enough. I don’t want to keep you.’ He smiled. ‘Just wanted to warn: if you’re heading anywhere west, be careful. Those fires are getting pretty bad out there. News reckon it’s the worst in a generation.’
‘Scary stuff,’ Jon said, hoisting his boot up into the doorframe.
‘Too right, mate. Already lost some fireys, they say.’
The car roared to life and Dettie revved the motor. Jon called out a thank you and slid in beside Sam on the back seat.
Dettie stretched over to open the front passenger door, but Katie ignored her and leapt into the back with Sam and Jon.
‘What is this?’ Dettie snapped. ‘What? Am I diseased now?’
Jon sat forward. ‘No, love. Sorry. I should have jumped up front.’ He leant across Sam to open the door, but Katie grabbed his arm and hugged it tightly.
Dettie huffed. ‘Oh, forget it.’ She stomped on the accelerator. The car’s wheels spat dust across the old man’s legs as he scampered away, and they skidded out of the station, swerving onto the road, heading west.