Free Killer Ute by Rosanne Hawke Page B

it.
    Mei finally speaks up. ‘So because we have to be careful, you won’t be able to take me back to the jetty, will you?’
    Felicity sighs. ‘I’m really sorry, Mei, we’ll get you back home soon, but right now the police think it’s best we lie low and don’t give that guy any leads to follow. There’s no way to get you down to the jetty to meet up with your father now, not without being seen.’
    She glares at Dev. ‘If we ride bikes around the countryside, it won’t take him long to work out where we live, if he hasn’t already.’
    I’m surprised Dev doesn’t argue back. ‘Okay,’ is all he says.
    Felicity looks around at us, her glare gone. ‘We’ll leave at 5am.’
    Max brings in the apple cake and custard he’s made. I wink at Mei. Camping could be okay. The park will be close to the beach. Maybe we’ll be able to go snorkelling. Mei’s frown isn’t totally gone but her eyes crinkle up over her spoon at me. I love the way they do that.

18
    We’re packed before sunrise. Mei goes with Felicity in her jeep; Felicity’s got a trailer with the tents in it and a Jet Ski. ‘Just for emergencies,’ she says when she catches me looking. It took Felicity a long time to convince Dev the bike could give us away and to leave it in the farm shed. I bet she doesn’t want a repeat of the day we roared off and lost them.
    The sky hasn’t started to lighten much yet, but it’s dark blue rather than black. I find myself looking down every side road we pass, but I can’t see any rogue utes. I see a fox chasing a rabbit though. Man, do I know what that rabbit feels like. In one way, I feel safe with Dev and Felicity but in another way, I don’t. Why haven’t the police caught the ute guy yet? Why do we have to hide? I can’t help wondering what will happen if Dev and Felicity aren’t capable of protecting Mei and me.
    Felicity drives into the park. It’s thick scrub and twisted mangroves with lots of dark places to hide. She ignores all the public camping areas and keeps going. The park is huge, maybe fifty kays long. Eventually Felicity stops in a remote part overhung with branches. It has no toilet block or anything.
    â€˜Why have we stopped?’ I ask.
    Felicity looks at me like she’s checking how much I can take. ‘This is where we’re staying.’
    I look around. ‘But nothing’s here.’
    â€˜That’s the plan.’ Felicity turns to the trailer and pulls out the tent bags.
    â€˜No toilet?’ That’s Mei.
    â€˜We’ll dig one,’ Felicity says and hauls out the shovel. Dev takes it and disappears behind some bushes.
    I’m quiet as Mei and I help Felicity take more stuff out of the jeep: a camp stove, gas bottle, fold-up table, a few chairs, blow-up mattresses, huge water bottles. Guess no one will find us out here so Felicity was right. It could be fun out in the bush, like when I was a little kid and lived on the farm: Grandad and I used to camp in the scrub at Easter time.
    Felicity pulls a tent out of its bag and I help her peg stakes through the loops and into the ground. We’re onto the third tent by the time Dev comes back. ‘I’ve left the shovel there for when you do your business.’
    Mei colours up so I add, ‘You throw some dirt in afterwards.’
    Felicity smiles. It’s like the pressure is off now that she has us in the park where she thinks it’s easier to keep us safe. She hands Mei the rubber mallet for banging the pegs in. Mei does a good job so I start pumping up the air mattresses instead.
    â€˜When can we go down to the beach?’ I can hear breakers on rocks. I look up and see Felicity’s smile disappear.
    â€˜Not yet, I’m afraid,’ she says. ‘We don’t want anyone to catch on we’re here. A fisherman might sail past and talk about what he saw in