“Is Nev all right? Have you heard from your mates at the police station?” she asked.
“Where are you?”
“At the farm.”
Rainbow bent over to pet Gaia and Blair, whose tails wagged.
“Was she drunk?”
Ronnie hesitated. Information like that could be evidence. She might be called to testify. “I’m sure they’ll breathalyze her. Is he pressing charges?”
“Dunno. Nonna called me. Poor Peg. I thought Nev liked her. Why would she start a barney at Peg’s wedding reception? It’s not like her at all. Everything good between you and her? You’re two aren’t fighting, are you?”
“We’re good.”Best we’ve ever been. That’s my bezzie.
“What did Brad do?” Reg asked through the phone.
“Underage stuff.”
She heard her dad swear. “What? When? To who? How’d Nev find out?” The World Cup stadium was loud on his end. Maybe he didn’t know. Maybe he hadn’t known this whole time.
“We can talk about it when you get back. Focus on Mattie’s game. Enjoy it.”
“Wish I was there with you, Brum.”
“Grateful for you, Da. If I wanted to bail her out, who would I call?”
“Crikey, not Peg, eh?”
They chuckled. He screamed “Goal!!!” and hung up.
Next to her, Rainbow glanced up from scratching the dogs behind the ears. “The game started. Can you play it on your phone?”
“I don’t know how to do that,” she admitted.
“Can we watch it in the house?”
“Sure.”
“Here’s the plan,” Rainbow said. “We’ll order takeaway and watch the game on Nev’s telly. During commercial breaks you’ll tell me what happened. We’ll eat the choccies she keeps hidden in the dishwasher. Sound good?”
“Ripper.” Needless to say, Ronnie’s version of the story would be redacted for ten-year-old ears. Some things she could tell her now.
Stone House was locked.
“I have a better plan,” she said, improvising.
They made a bonfire, roasted snags and mallows, then watched stars come out.
Ronnie remembered she had drums in the truck. They drummed at the old ruins beside the wellhead where the barn would be. Mozzies buzzing. Spring night, cool damp air swirling in. Fireflies low along the bottom paddock, down in the scrub along the edge of the creek.
They howled at the moon with the dogs in the dark.
Gunni and Kazi materialized out of the mist, drawn to the fire like white-haired spirits. They drank and told stories and drummed late into the night. Time stood still in this other world, this world of fire and shadows.
In the morning Ronnie and Rainbow played tag in their pajamas, black T-shirts with the sleeves cut off, through their campsite down by the creek, passing time while they waited for news. Already that morning a customer had called inquiring about hay, but no call from Nev. Ronnie had that kicked ball feeling—she wouldn’t be able to think clearly again until she heard her friend’s voice and knew she was all right.
Rainbow started to roam further afield like a feral homeschooled child who had grown up off the grid. The girl showed her all the special places under the bushes where she would build forts and pens for the koalas, quolls and brush turkeys she thought she would catch.
