We’re eating lamb chops outside on the verandah. Felicity loves eating outside. I’ve picked my chops clean already, just starting on the mint peas. Felicity’s also made mashed parsnip using parsnips from the vegie garden. She’s joking about not having to go into town to buy food. ‘We can kill a sheep and we have enough vegies, herbs too.’ Mei looks horrified at the idea of killing a sheep. How does she think the lamb chops got on her plate? ‘Joel.’ Felicity’s laying her knife and fork down; they clatter slightly on the plate and lie still together. ‘Can you remember anything else about that ute?’ Max cuts in before I can answer. ‘Tell us everything you saw.’ ‘I already have.’ ‘Again,’ Felicity says, ‘please, just in case.’ ‘It was grey – huge. The wheels weren’t the originals, I’m sure, because the ute was so high off the ground. It looked bigger than a Ford F100—’ ‘You think it was a Ford?’ Max has a notebook out, and is reaching for his pen.
