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tried to make it sound like I was saving him the trouble of coming into the kitchen rather than hiding our food from him. I went to the cupboard and measured out two mugs full of rice, poured them into a sandwich bag and tied a knot in the top. I brought the bag out to Mick.
    ‘Oh, man, you’re a lifesaver.’
    ‘No worries.’
    Max watched as I handed the bag to Mick. It was a pathetic amount of rice. Max didn’t say anything but there was a question in his eyes. When Mick was gone he looked at me like I was thick.
    ‘Why did you do that? We don’t have enough!’
    ‘We do have enough. They’ve run out.’
    ‘What’s the point of rationing it and going fucking hungry if you’re going to give it away?
    ‘Oi! Don’t swear.’
    ‘It’s not fair, Fin. I’m not going with less tonight. That’s come out of yours.’
    ‘Whatever, Max.’
    Later on, I drew Mick wading through chest-high water with a beanie pulled down over his ears. He held the little bag of rice in one hand.

Nine
    The police came back. Rather, one of them came back. The CSI wannabe, no Constable Lund. I thought it was a bit weird that he was on his own as I assumed they travelled in pairs, like Jehovah’s Witnesses. He asked if he could come inside and, because of the cop shows on TV, I thought he was going to tell me they had found Dad’s car wrapped around a tree. It wasn’t supposed to be like that – he was the parent, I was the irresponsible teenager.
    I asked him to take his shoes off and he took his hat off too, making me feel certain he was going to give us bad news.
    ‘It’s okay,’ said CSI. ‘You look worried. I just came to give you an update.’
    I exhaled.
    ‘I think we’ve located your dad. There’s a Greg Heath staying at a refuge they’ve set up on the highway. Sorry it’s taken so long.’
    I smiled. It almost hurt my face, it had been that long since I had actually smiled. ‘Max!’ I called in the direction of the living room. ‘Hey, Max! They’ve found Dad!’
    ‘Might have,’ said the cop. ‘We haven’t confirmed it’s him.’
    I didn’t let myself hear that. I led CSI into the house. Max practically jumped up off the couch.
    ‘When’s he coming home?’ he asked.
    ‘Again, I have to confirm it’s him,’ said CSI. ‘But soon, hopefully, buddy.’ He walked casually around the place, sort of like he was looking for something. I thought he was just making sure we weren’t living in complete squalor.
    ‘There’s thousands of people displaced by the snow,’ he went on. ‘And with all the phones down and the power out, relaying information is a nightmare. The army has been working to clear the roads so we can transport people and get them home, but rather than easing off, the snow’s just getting worse. As I’m sure you’ve noticed.’
    ‘Um, yeah.’
    His eyes wandered in the direction of the kitchen. ‘Where’s your food? You got enough?’
    ‘We’re good.’
    ‘Got it somewhere dry? You haven’t stuck the box out the back have you? Someone’ll nick it.’
    ‘No, it’s safe.’
    He went into the kitchen and began opening cupboards.
    ‘Hey, you don’t have to do that,’ I said. ‘It’s safe. It’s taken care of.’
    ‘As long as you’ve got the rice somewhere nice and dry. You don’t want it getting damp. Where is it?’ He opened the corner cupboard, the pantry. ‘You’ve got a bit here. Stock up early did you?’
    ‘Yeah.’ I walked over and closed the cupboard. He looked at me and our eyes stayed locked for a moment. ‘It’s fine. It’s dry.’
    ‘So you’ll let us know about Dad?’ said Max.
    CSI kept his eyes on me, taking a minute before he turned to Max with a big smile.
    ‘Absolutely. I’ll be back to check up on you guys.’
    I walked to the front door and opened it.
    ‘I’ll leave you guys to it.’
    ‘Thanks,’ Max said. ‘’Cause we’re really busy, totally snowed under.’ He started cracking up.
    CSI gave a short laugh, then cleared his