MULLER: Marley Thompson.
No-one even noticed he was missing until he didn't turn up
for his mum's birthday dinner in town on Saturday night.
Senior Sergeant Emma James, Jay Swan.
He should be playing footy.
What's he doing out at that station?
Someone's with him.
TONY: Bloody Reese Dale. I thought he'd cleared out.
I sacked him last Thursday.
She says she's your daughter.
But since you said you didn't have any kids...
Put out your hand.
I thought you'd stopped. I have.
Well, it doesn't look like it.
This is trafficable quantity of crystal meth.
That's not mine. Reese and Marley, they're the dealers.
EMMA: I've already talked to Shevorne. She doesn't know Reese.
That's funny. Since she's his girlfriend.
MULLER: There are four Dale families in Dubbo,
and one even has a Reese,
but he's not a backpacker and he's not missing.
Looks like some sort of collision.
Quad bike, trail bike.
Look at this.
NEWSREADER: (ON TV) In other news, two teenagers are missing
from a cattle station in the remote North-West.
Police are treating the matter as suspicious.
♪ Go down to the gates of the garden
♪ Wait for the dawn to come
♪ Believe ♪ Believe
♪ That we will be pardoned
♪ Let the morning break
♪ Mm-hmm-hmm
♪ Let the morning break
♪ Mm-hmm-hmm
♪ Let the morning break
♪ Mm-hmm-hmm
♪ Let the morning break
♪ Mm-hmm-hmm
♪ Mm-hmm-hmm. ♪
(ELECTRONIC LOCK BUZZES)
(DOOR UNLOCKS)
(GUNFIRE)
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
Are you for real? Let go.
Ow! Let it go.
OK.
Jesus.
Give me your phone. No!
Give me your phone, Crystal!
Jesus! Have you heard of privacy?!
This is not a game.
Oh! Bloody stupid.
No responsibility whatsoever.
Pack your bags. Your mother's coming to get you this afternoon.
I don't want to go.
I don't care. You're going.
(GRUNTS ANGRILY)
(CHUCKLES)
(GASPS)
(DOOR CLOSES)
Please don't.
We need to know Marley's blood type.
Oh, no. It's OK, bub. It's OK.
We don't know anything. Not for sure.
It might not be him. It...
It could be that other kid's, right?
I don't know what it is.
A, A-negative. I can't remember.
I rang Marley's football club in Melbourne.
Mum's right. It's A-negative.
(OVER RADIO) Pathology will get back to us today
about the blood sample from the crossroads.
Thanks. Oh, one more thing.
They asked if he'd changed his mind.
About what?
Apparently, he bailed at the end of the season.
He wasn't going back to play footy in the city.
Hmm.
Oh, um, could you grab the purple one, please?
Thank you.
Uh, could you also tell me where the police station is?
Wouldn't know.
G'day, sis.
What are you doing here?
When did you get out?
I heard the news. Have you found him?
Come here. OK.
(IN BACKGROUND) He's family. CEDRIC: He's a paedophile!
No, he's not.
You're the only one in town who thinks he didn't do it.
He's here to help. What, 'cause I'm doing nothing?
I'm out there every day
and every night driving around looking for Marley.
Huh?
He hasn't seen him in years.
He's my brother, your uncle, and he's staying here.
I'm going out for a walk. I'm not calling him 'uncle'.
Definitely male.
And what's the blood type?
Are you sure?
Thanks, Ray.
It's not Marley. It's not his blood type.
So, what are we thinking? A hit-and-run?
Maybe the driver didn't realise they hit anyone.
Yeah, but then we would've found the body and the bike.
Somebody has cleaned up the whole site.
Hidden in the body, dumped the bike.
Detective...
..where are you going?
Can I have a word?
Sharma, go to Kerry and tell her it's not her son's blood.
SHARMA: On it, boss.
You do good work, Jay.
You've got good instincts.
But I think it's best you go back home.
You asked for a detective.
Yeah. I just didn't know it was going to be you.
So you think you can do this yourself?
Well, I may as well.
You never tell me where you're going.
You went off and spoke to Shevorne without talking to me first.
Yeah, and I found out that Reese is her boyfriend,
which you didn't know.
Well, that may be, but if you'd had the respect to consult me,
I could've told you that girl has a very troubled past.
She's the 13-year-old Marley's uncle raped.
Just 'cause you're Aboriginal
doesn't mean you know Aboriginal people in this town.
Some people need to be handled sensitively.
I know how to do my job.
The way you do your job gets people killed.
You shot six bikies.
Muller thinks you're a hero.
I think you're a cowboy.
The only way you could've got yourself into a situation like that
is 'cause you didn't call for backup.
Well, I won't work with someone like that.
I'm not leaving till I find that kid.
Which one? There are two missing boys, Jay.
You only see the Aboriginal one.
I'm not leaving.
Try to get rid of me.
Call the boss.
(KNOCK AT DOOR)
What? Sorry, boss.
There's a girl here to see you.
Ugh. Who is she?
Reese's girlfriend. She's here from Queensland.
Arrived on the overnight bus.
Hello. Hi.
Georgia Kennedy.
I won't waste your time. I know how this works.
Your missing person, Reese Dale, is my boyfriend.
His real name is Simon Lancaster.
He was last seen here, right? Whoa.
Stop. Give me your phone.
(SNORTS)
OK. Let's start from the beginning.
(DOG BARKS)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
When did you last see Simon? It was two years ago.
Did you report him missing? Of course.
You got a copy of that report?
Queensland Police haven't exactly been helpful.
It took days for them to take me seriously.
They thought he'd just run off with someone else.
Until they found he hadn't used his bank account or his phone
since that day.
Does Simon have any medical issues?
Depression. Anxiety.
I've been through it all with the Queensland detectives. No.
And... if he had committed suicide,
then why hasn't anyone found his body?
What about drugs?
He didn't take them. He didn't deal them.
We were happy.
He wouldn't have just driven away from that.
But if Simon is Reese, he did drive away.
Came all the way across here, changed his name.
Why wouldn't he have contacted you?
I don't know.
I need to get out there, see where he was living.
No, stop.
We need to do this our way.
OK?
So, before we do anything else, we need to know Simon's blood type.
Why?
What's happened?
Is there blood? Blood type.
I don't know.
Right.
OK.
So, should we tell her Reese is dead?
Why would we do that? We don't know for sure he is.
It's an awful lot of blood.
Not necessarily his.
Well, it might be.
So, where's the body?
Well, somewhere.
Well, do you want me to get rid of her, then?
No, Muller.
I want you to take an official statement about the boyfriend.
Any identifying birthmarks.
You know the drill, don't you? Yeah.
Oh, and, Muller?
Be nice.
I'm going to go and question my brother.
You can either come with me or you can go off
and do whatever it is you do when you go off by yourself.
SHEVORNE: Are you ready, bub? AVA: Yeah.
OK.
Almost done. One more shoe.
Got everything? Yep.
Go toilet? Yep.
(LAUGHS)
OK. Let's go.
(CATTLE LOW)
(DOGS BARK)
MAN: Come on! (WHISTLES)
(MEN SHOUT INDISTINCTLY)
Em, we've got to make up our minds on this, really.
I got another call from Keith last night.
I think we're running out of options.
Who knows?
Yeah, well, talking about it is not going to kill you, is it?
It's a bit...
Family stuff.
Anyway, what do you want? I'm in the middle of work.
You've got two missing boys on your property.
Yeah, and I've got a station to run.
You know, the world can't stop
'cause two stupid kids decided to go walkabout.
Walkabout - that's very funny.
Oh, don't start.
Look, can we hurry this up?
Yeah. We're looking for a missing vehicle.
Either a quad bike or a motorbike.
You got anything missing or stolen?
No. Why?
Because we think the boys ended up at the crossroads
near Black Springs.
We found blood on the road. Shit.
Whose is it? Well, it's not Marley's.
That's 30 kay from their ute. How did they even get there?
That's what we're trying to find out.
Well, there's nothing missing from our place.
I'm sure of that.
Is he licensed?
Yeah, and the gun's registered.
So I wouldn't go down that track.
What's he doing with it?
Steer broke his leg, so $2,000 worth of steak for dinner.
I've got to get back to work.
You right for this lot, Erroll?
ERROLL: Yeah, mate. OK.
How many rifles have you got on the property?
It's a working station, mate.
Where do you keep them?
Are you serious?
That's Mick Jubarula. Taught me to ride.
And that's my great-grandfather, Bill Ballantyne.
His grandad was a head stockman for my great-grandad.
It's all one big family.
Hey, Linda?
Linda, you got a minute? You about?
What's this? Uh, water test samples.
What for? Always do them.
Test the salt content in the bore water.
Anyway, I thought time was of the essence -
missing kids, blood...
Hey, Linda. Hi.
Yes. Hey.
Do you know where the keys to the gun safe are?
Yeah, sure.
They are...
..right here.
Why didn't I think of that? (CHUCKLES)
Thank you.
Linda, do you have a licence? Christ, no.
Can you see me shooting a croc?
You need a licence to access the gun safe.
Oh. I thought we were doing everything right.
We've got a firearms logbook.
We'll go through it later.
So, how many rifles do you have? 10.
And how many do you have checked out?
Just the one Ken took out.
There's another one missing.
Let's take a look in here.
OK, that rifle was last put back on... Friday night.
So, someone took it out the day the boys went missing?
Mm-hm. Who?
Marley.
There was no rifle in the ute.
I thought you didn't touch anything.
And remember, you're on bail. We didn't.
There's a rack behind the seat. That's where it would have been.
Why would you even notice?
'Cause I knew Marley took one that day.
I was filling out timesheets in the office, Marley came in.
Got a .223 from the safe.
He knew where the keys were kept?
Everyone knows. We just get them when we want them.
What, is this about the fight?
What fight?
Reese and Tony, yeah,
they were going at it about something
a couple of days before.
Then Reese got sacked.
Over what?
I don't know.
Maybe about the pay. It's always late.
That's nothing. The pay was two days late.
And the guns?
Come on, Em, eh?
I mean, sometimes after work, the boys shoot a few roos.
Who's it going to hurt?
So, this happened a lot?
It's not a big deal.
Reese and Marley, they went spotlighting all the time.
That's not a big deal...
..till the boys go missing with a rifle
that you let them have...
..illegally.
(SIGHS)
KEITH: Oi.
Keith Groves. Big boss man now, huh?
You're not supposed to be here.
Yeah, well, I'm a free man.
You got a lot of nerve turning up here, Larry.
After what you did to this town?
Any decent bloke would leave us in peace.
Well, my nephew is missing.
Oh, yeah, we're all concerned about Marley.
But he disowned you - along with the rest of the town.
You see, no-one likes a paedophile.
You're at the bottom of the rung.
Lower than a cockroach.
So, you listen to me.
If you so much as touch a child in this town,
this mob will string you up.
Yeah, go on. Take in the sights.
Have a look at the river.
Say hello to your home town, and then say goodbye.
AVA: Mummy, look what I found.
That's beautiful, bub. Let's go.
Shevorne.
This your daughter?
This is Ava.
Hey, Ava. How you going? My name's Jay.
Hi.
Isn't she in care?
I've got her two days a week, and every second weekend.
But soon you'll be with Mummy all the time, won't you, bubby?
Mm-hm. (CHUCKLES)
Not in school? No. She's got a cough.
I'm taking her to the doctor, so...
Oh, I just wanted to ask you some questions about Reese's job.
I don't want to miss this appointment.
Oh, it'll only take a minute. Please?
Did he say anything about trouble on the Ballantyne property,
or with his boss?
Oh, complained about never getting paid on time.
That's it?
Something about the water. I don't know.
Water?
Yeah.
You should ask Keith or Auntie Dot.
Their corporation is buying the place.
I've got to go.
Uh-huh.
See you, Ava. Bye. (COUGHS)
Shevorne, one more question.
What do you know about Reese's real identity?
I don't know anything about that.
He was always Reese to me.
So he lied to you, too.
(KNOCK AT DOOR)
Can I help you?
JAY: Is Keith about?
Yeah.
I'm Jay Swan. I'm a detective.
I know who you are.
You found our boy yet?
You're Auntie Dot. Mm-hm.
You know Marley well.
He's a good kid.
Good family.
They've been through a bit.
Was he mixed up in anything?
Drugs or bad friends?
When he was younger.
Stolen cars. But that was years ago.
There's another kid with him.
He's a backpacker.
Reese Dale.
You know anything about him?
No.
So, who could tell me about Marley and where his head's at?
Try his girlfriend. Jaz?
Yeah, no luck there.
Keith Groves.
He's been the chair for 10 years.
He does a bit for the community, eh?
Does a bit for himself.
Drives a flash car.
Lords it over everybody.
Bit of a misogynist, but... he gets stuff done.
There's a four-year gap.
What happened to the bloke before him?
He die?
He may as well have.
Larry went to jail.
Marley's uncle?
He fooled us all.
He's getting out of jail this week.
Better not come back here, then.
Is that all?
Yeah, that's all.
KEITH: Yeah, sure. (KNOCKS AT DOOR)
Oh, Detective Swan.
G'day.
Oh, you know Chris here.
Anything on the boys?
Still following a few leads. Mm.
Oh, have a seat. Have a seat.
I just wanted to know more about the Ballantyne Station sale.
Well, that's exactly what we're talking about here.
I mean, Chris here has been organising the...
Oh, the infrastructure. ..infrastructure side of it all.
Emma didn't say anything about selling the property.
Yeah, well, that's a sticking point, really.
I mean, we'd offered them a substantial amount of money,
hoping that would get some signatures happening.
What's so special about the place?
Well, what else, if you come from out this way, mate?
The water. Yeah.
There's a massive aquifer underneath that property.
I mean, that way, we don't have to pay the government for water rights.
Then we'd be able to buy all our land back in no time.
(DOOR OPENS)
Has anyone seen Detective Swan?
No, but I've got this.
Missing persons report from Queensland.
The day Simon disappeared, emptied his bank account.
And that's not all.
♪ Way down in the water
♪ Way down in a hole
♪ Way down in the water
♪ Far away from any soul
(WATER HISSES)
♪ I'm coming back from the fire
♪ Crawling back from the shame
♪ Coming back from the fire And I burn you down, burn you down
♪ Way down in the water
♪ Far away from any soul. ♪
(DOOR CLOSES)
What?
Simon's missing person report.
Is there a particular reason
you didn't want us to see a copy of that?
Like the fact that at the time he disappeared,
Simon was a registered child sex offender
and you were the victim?
Is that why you're looking for him? Some kind of revenge?
No.
What, then? And don't lie this time.
I'm not a victim.
He is not a perpetrator. It's all... wrong.
We started dating at school.
We sent each other pictures.
My parents found them, they went crazy.
They got him charged. Sexting.
We hadn't even had sex.
But technically, I was underage.
He was two years older.
They made me testify. Mm.
He only got community service.
Wasn't the conviction that did us in.
It was that stupid register.
A couple of texts and photos
and he's the same as some dirty paedo
that's had sex with five-year-olds?
He's 18 and he's on it for the next 15 years.
It was so hard.
He'd get a job, they'd find out, he'd get sacked.
And the night he disappeared?
Exactly like I said - he rang me and then he never came home.
Georgia, what do you think really happened to him?
I thought he must've killed himself.
But then I saw the news.
I just want to...
..tell him I'm sorry.
I started it all.
I sent the first photo.
(DOOR OPENS)
Buy her a ticket home. She can't help us.
All her information is two years old.
That would explain why Simon Lancaster changed his name.
Couldn't get a legitimate job,
so he started his own - ice trafficking.
Yeah. A new town, new slate, then drags Marley into it. Great.
Have you got anything to report? No.
SHARMA: Boss?
You wanted to know about Larry's Dime visitors?
Well, he only had one,
just a week before the boys went missing.
Marley.
Just got a link to the footage.
It's out there? My computer.
(PHONE RINGS)
How long does it go on for? 45 minutes.
Patterson Police.
They talked for 45 minutes,
then a week later, Marley disappears.
Where? Are you sure?
Maybe you're right. Maybe it is connected.
(HANGS UP PHONE)
Why would Larry be talking to Marley about anything?
You could ask him yourself.
Larry Dime's back in town.
What are you doing back in town?
Maybe I wanted to see my family.
Yeah? Yeah.
So, who's the coconut cop? (SNORTS)
Detective Swan... Detective?
Locking up your own people, eh?
Selling out to the whitefella.
That's worse than being a paedo.
Listen, Larry, you can call me all the names you want,
but I'm here to find Marley.
Why did your nephew visit you in jail?
Yeah, we know about that. What did you two talk about?
Nothing.
We're trying to find him.
Where is he, then?
You tell us.
I don't help dogs.
Get in the car.
What happened? Nothing.
Oh, and, Larry?
If you remember anything else from Marley's visit the other week,
please let us know.
Marley, what?
What was that?
Hand grenade.
Now we can watch it go off.
My Marley?
What's she talking about, Larry? Did you see him?
Is Larry the father of Shevorne's daughter?
No, no. She was born two years after Larry went to jail.
So, Shevorne was 15 when she got pregnant.
Don't use that tone.
What tone?
Oh, like you know what sort of girl Shevorne is.
Yeah, she went off the rails for a while. Who wouldn't?
I mean, she had a massive trauma.
She pulled herself back together,
and she's nearly got back full custody of her daughter as well.
So, you don't know who the father is?
That's Shevorne's business.
So you don't know.
(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)
Here! Don't forget your shit!
Eh? Where is he? Eh?
(SHOUTS INDISTINCTLY) Hey!
Oi, oi, oi! Hey!
Break it up. Break it up.
Sorry, Larry. It's all good, sis.
I'll go to Two Mile. Detective Swan will take you.
I'll walk. It's not optional.
Come on, Larry.
He's all yours.
What?
Why are we here?
(SIGHS)
Just want to use the boardroom. Oh, OK.
Sit down, Larry.
Your photo used to be up here on this wall.
Used to be right here.
This place was on its knees before I took it on.
And now Keith Groves... he's taking all the credit.
Larry Dime, the community man.
Chairperson.
A righteous man makes the perfect predator, eh?
And now you're back.
And there's your nephew Marley who's missing...
..with his white mate, who's dating Shevorne -
the girl that you raped, beat, and left for dead.
You see, there's this nasty little circle,
and I keep going around it.
And I keep coming back to Marley visiting you in jail
a week before he went missing.
Somehow, Larry, you're right in the middle of that circle.
And I want to know how.
Them white cops,
did they tell you you're one of the good ones?
Not really.
I tend to piss people off.
Maybe you are a real black man,
and this is an appeal to the righteous man.
Maybe.
Well, that man is dead.
You told me that he wasn't coming back to this town.
Well, he's here because of Marley,
so the sooner we find Reese and Marley, the sooner he goes.
Well, I already told that black cop that I don't know anything.
Detective Swan? He spoke to you today?
What about?
Don't you lot talk to each other?
I don't know what.
Something about the station, trouble out there.
Ballantyne Station?
Yeah.
I've got to work.
Shevorne...
..you used to hang around with Reese and Marley, yeah?
Did Marley ever talk about Larry?
Did he ever mention visiting him in jail?
No. He wouldn't.
Did he? Mm. A week ago.
Well, I don't know why he would do that. That's just crazy.
Mm.
If there's anything you know about Marley and Larry
and you're not telling me... What, are you calling me a liar?
Shevorne, you looked me right in the eye
and you told me you barely knew who Reese was.
And then I find out he's your boyfriend.
If that's not the definition of lying, I don't know what is.
Yeah?
Well, you lied to me as well, because you told me
that the man who raped me wasn't coming back to this town.
(WILLIS EARL BEAL'S 'NOBODY KNOWS' PLAYS)
(KNOCKS AT DOOR)
Jay!
(KNOCKS AT DOOR)
Are you looking for that detective?
Yeah. You seen him? Not lately.
You OK? You got someone to look after you?
I did have. Don't really know where he is.
(LAUGHS)
That's the story of my life.
I hope you find him, eh?
(SIGHS)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(MUSIC PLAYS IN BACKGROUND)
MAN: Two more.
Thank you.
What will it be?
Uh, just a glass of house wine, thanks.
(SIGHS)
Any word from Detective Swan?
Nup.
(SIGHS)
Your table number. (COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYS IN BACKGROUND)
Wow. This place is jumping.
Best roast in town, they say.
I don't think Detective Swan is going to change.
Yeah, but it's not a question of skill.
Yep. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I understand.
Yep. OK. Yeah, same to you.
OK. Bye.
Shit.
I'm going on my break.
(VEHICLE APPROACHES)
(ENGINE REVS)
LARRY: What do you want?!
Come and get me! I'm right here!
(ENGINE REVS)
MAN: Fuck off, paedo!
Come on, you dogs!
(MAN SHOUTS INDISTINCTLY)
Fuck off! No-one wants you here!
Come here, you dogs!
Yeah, piss off!
Hey, I've seen you before.
I don't think so. Yeah.
You're that girlfriend of that missing boy.
How come you're not out there searching?
What?
Well, if it was me, I'd be out there looking for him.
(SNORTS)
Unless you know something.
About where he really is.
Do you?
My shift's over.
G'day, Katie.
Hi, Sarge. How are you this evening?
Would you like the special for your dinner?
What is it? Roast pork.
Again? Surprise!
Not really. (LAUGHS)
OK, thanks.
There you go. Pleasure.
Detective Swan.
Crystal, you remember Sergeant Emma James.
Yeah.
I wasn't sure where you were.
Well, I'm having dinner with my daughter.
Here, Sarge. Oh, no. I'm not...
(SIGHS) Thanks.
Do you mind?
(SIGHS)
Anything from Larry?
Find out anything else?
No.
See anyone else?
No.
What did you do all day?
Listen, Emma, if you've got a problem with me...
..then call your boss.
I did.
Seems you're a popular boy.
And it looks like you'll be with us for just a bit longer.
That's great.
You like it here?
It's better than back home.
Crystal, your mother's coming to get you.
Dad, I could stay here and get a job.
No, you can't do that.
Oh, well, there's actually quite a bit of work around at the minute.
Yeah. 'Cause the rodeo starts tomorrow.
Plenty of jobs there. Oh, yeah?
Yeah, yeah. They always need help at the bar.
I could line her up with Shevorne, if you want.
That'd be great. Yeah?
Dad, I can stay here with you now.
Wow.
Here we all are.
Mum? There's my sweet daughter.
Yeah, come on. Don't let me interrupt you.
You mob keep on talking about whatever you were talking about.
Mum, I'm getting a job at the rodeo. Really?
Well, looks like I'm staying around, then.
Someone's got to look after our daughter.
Mary, don't be like that.
Like what?
What?
What am I being, Jay?
So, who got you the job, anyway?
Mary, this is Senior Sergeant Emma James.
Nice to meet you. Hi.
SENIOR Sergeant?
(LAUGHS) Shit. Look out.
No, it's good.
It's good to see a woman in charge, eh?
Someone's got to keep these fellas in line.
(CHUCKLES)
How has this one been treating you?
He's been...
..helpful.
(LAUGHS)
(FOOTSTEPS, CREAKING)
(CLATTERING)
(RATTLING)
(FOOTSTEPS, CREAKING)
(LIGHT SWITCH CLICKS)
(PHONE RINGS) Sorry.
Shevorne?
Shevorne, are you OK?
I'm on my way. Detective.
I've got to go. Yeah.
Yeah, course you do.
(SCUFFLING) SHEVORNE: What are you doing here?!
Get out! Get off me!
Get out of my house!
(WHIMPERS) Stop!
No!
MAN: I want to be rich, my girl by my side.
I think that's Two Mile.
Ice. Or what's left of it.
Where did they go?
Don't know. Don't care.
JAY: So, your brother, he's extremely helpful, isn't he?
Your family's squeaky clean, are they?
MARY: Do you really want to be alone?
No, I don't. Nor do I.
JAZ: Brayden Cooper?
He's coming for you, slut.
No, no! No, no!
Captions by Red Bee Media
Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation