4308.264 · September 20, 1988 AD
The Man Who Carries Ghosts
Violet doesn't know why her feet carry her to the police station. She only knows she can't stay away. Inside, Detective Barry Glasson barks orders and paces like a man chasing something he cannot see. When Mandy arrives, drawn by the same invisible thread, the two friends watch her father unravel in real time. "Sally's not the first to disappear like this." His words hang in the stale air. Violet already knows. She's been counting the names.
"Every case leaves its mark. The hard part is working out how much of yourself you're willing to lose in the process."
The Broken Hill Police Station smells of cold coffee and quiet desperation. Typewriters clatter. Phones ring unanswered. Officers move with the grim efficiency of people who know they're losing a race against time. And at the centre of it all stands Barry Glasson—Mandy's father, the town's senior detective, a man being hollowed out by a case that refuses to yield.
Violet watches from a bench near the entrance, absorbing every word she shouldn't hear. Inconsistent witness. No sign of foul play yet. We can't let it happen again. The phrases circle like carrion birds over something dying.
When Mandy arrives, pale and worn, they sit together in silence that says more than conversation could. Violet finally speaks the theory she's been building: Emily Sullivan. Sally Harlow. Two women, two centuries, the same vanishing point. The Girl Guides camp is next week. Silverton is waiting.
Barry catches them before they leave. His warning is clear. The Outback doesn't forgive mistakes.
But Violet has already made her choice. Some patterns demand to be followed—even into the places that swallow the curious whole.
