It’d dropped across the fence, breaking the top wire but the next one had held so most of the tree remained supported. ‘It happened around here,’ said Winston. ‘If it was this paddock, this’ll be it,’ confirmed Nathan. ‘There’s no other trees down that I know of, and I’d done a circuit right ’round this one, looking for wood just beforehand. Well, only a couple of hours before at the most.’ ‘Where was she?’ Lord Brown asked Winston. ‘On the other side. I’d put down my torch to try’n find some rope in my bag, and I heard her scream. I grabbed the torch, yelled “Āmiria” then ran around the tree in time to see some guy holding her but he bolted when he saw me.’ Lord Brown stood at the exact spot of the attempted abduction. He eased to one knee and bent over to get nearer the ground, then shone his torch in an ever widening semi-circle although completely unsure of what he expected to find. A fine grit covered the dead pasture. He scraped at it. It was like a grey talcum powder.
