From behind the lounge room curtains Patricia Hawkins watched the police car pull into the driveway. She sat and clutched her trembling hands to her chest. Please let it be good news. Even though Detective Pavardy hadn't held much hope, she had.

The doorbell rang but she couldn't move. Please... please let my son be alive. The bell ringer kept their finger on the button a little longer. Patricia breathed in and out. Her body trembled as it rang again.

"You gonna get that?" Richard stood wiping his hands on a towel and stared at his wife. "Patricia! What is it?" He dropped the towel and knelt in front of her. The bell rang again.

"It's the police," she whispered. "I'm scared, Richard."

He drew her towards him and cradled her head against his shoulder. "Hey... come on now. We've talked about this and all the possibilities. We're ready, honey. That body wasn't Beau so we have hope he's still alive. Now we need closure."

Someone hammered on the door. "Anyone home!"

"Yes!" Richard yelled over his shoulder, "Give us a minute!" He lifted Patricia's face with his hands and kissed her forehead. "We need closure."

She nodded and gulped back a sob. "I'm okay now. Let them in."

"Richard."

"Detective."

"Can I come in? It's about Beau."

"Sure... Patricia's in the lounge. She's a little stressed."

Detective Glen Pavardy followed the direction of Richard Hawkins' hand. He saw tension on the man's face and was relieved that for once he'd have good news to impart. Nine times out of ten these visits to worried relatives didn't bring him any joy and this family had been through more than most. "Patricia." He nodded his hello. Yes, they were worried all right. Glen patted the woman's trembling hand and smiled at her. "Can I sit down?"

The couple sat on the couch in unison and stared across at him.

"There's good and bad news. The good news is we've found Beau."

"Oh my God! He's dead, isn't he? You've found another body," Patricia cried and let out a mournful wail.

Glen jumped to his feet, knelt before her and gripped her hand. "No! No! That's the good news. He's alive."

She whimpered and burst into tears. The noise rang through the house and triggered panic in Josh. He opened his bedroom door, bolted down the hall and skidded to a halt in the lounge doorway to see the policeman on his knees in front of his mother. She was crying. His father was crying. There could only be one reason. "It's Beau. Is he dead?"

They turned to look at him. His mother's face brightened. She shook her head and laughed, "No J... he's alive!"

"What the hell!" Josh flew across the room and embraced both parents. Tears in his eyes. "Holy fuck! He's alive."

Glen Pavardy sat back in the armchair and let the family have a moment. When they turned to face him, he grinned. "He's been holed up on a property outside of Cooktown in Far North Queensland." He leaned forward and clasped his hands together. "Look, I've known about this possible sighting for a few days. No one could get out to him to check it was him so, I didn't want to say anything without it being confirmed but they've got him now. It's a positive ID and he's admitted to the local authorities that he is Beau."

"What do you mean no one could get to him?"

"They get torrential rain up that way. Tropics. It's cyclone season and the place where he's been living gets cut off from civilisation for a few months every year."

Richard cleared his throat. "So, he's all right? Not hurt?"

"Yeah. He's in town now and in one piece but, look... ah...there's... ah..." Glen scratched the back of his head.

"Is it drugs? Has he been on the drugs again?"

"No. At least drugs haven't been mentioned." Pavardy didn't know how to say it so dove straight in. "The thing is. He's being held for questioning concerning the rape and abduction of one of the local girls."

"What?" Richard's mouth dropped open in shock.

Josh sprang to his feet. "No way! There is no way my brother would do something like that."

Glen tilted his head and shrugged. "Beau's mixed with some bad characters over the last two years, the dead man we found, Cory Shevlin, for one. Beau worked for him. Roughed people up on Shevlin's say so." Glen ran his hand through his hair. "It tells me Beau has an aggressive side and I hate to say it but Shevlin was known to rape."

"No! Fucking! Way! Not! Beau!" Josh threw his hands up in disbelief.

Glen changed tact. "What about the effects of drugs? Do you think it could be possible if he was using again?"

"We don't know why Beau hurt people for this Shevlin," Richard said. "Maybe he was forced to because of the drugs. Maybe Shevlin had something over him but the Beau we know, the real Beau would never hurt anyone unless there was a good reason and he would never hurt a woman." Richard looked straight into Glen's eye. "I know what I'm saying is true and I will stand by it until the day I die."

"Can we go to him?" Patricia pleaded, "He'd tell me. I'm his mother. He'd tell me the truth."

Glen said, "Look, there's no proof yet. The girl says he didn't. She won't let the local doctor take a look at her." He shook his head. "Thing is. Beau says he did."

"What? That's insane. Why would he say that if she says he didn't?"

The detective shrugged. "That does have the local officers confused. She's been missing eight weeks or more and he's been flooded in. She was with him the whole time. Two witnesses say he beat them because they tried to stop him from taking her."

Glen looked at Beau Hawkins' parents. "He returned her to her father this morning. The girl is in a bad way. The officers arrived at the father's house soon after he brought her home. Her father was punching him. She was on the ground." Glen paused and added, "Sergeant Hadley says she has a lot of bruising and swelling but she still says he didn't touch her."

"Then he didn't. If she's saying he didn't, he didn't! Beau wouldn't do that. I can't understand why he'd say he did unless he's protecting someone," Richard said.

"Okay." Glen nodded. The next question would upset them but it had to be asked. "Look, don't take this wrong but I have to ask. Do you think he has a split personality, an aggressive one that you don't know about? After all..." He paused, and then said, "There was Cody."

"He didn't hurt Cody on purpose! It was an accident! That's been proven!"

"Yes, but he was Cody's beneficiary."

"Fuck! Josh held his finger out to the police officer. "If either of them was aggressive it was Cody! Not Beau!"

Richard made Josh sit on the couch. "It's okay J." He gripped Josh's forearm.

"Detective. I understand you need to look at every angle but we've already been through this. Cody's death was an accident. The coroner's report backs up Beau's story and we believe our son. He's not aggressive. Cody's death has destroyed him in more ways than you will ever know. He's even tried to take his own life. The drugs, the alcohol. Everything. That's not the real Beau. Not our Beau. All that stems from his grief and despair. He blames himself. I can guarantee he would never hurt another living thing on purpose. If this girl says he didn't and he's saying he did there'll be a good reason."

"All right." Glen stood and held out his hand. "I'm sorry I upset you but I had to ask."

Richard shook his hand and then Glen turned to Josh. "I'm sorry, son." When he turned to Patricia he smiled. "I'm glad he's alive, Patricia."

She nodded and wiped away her tears. "Thank you. Thank you for all your hard work. When can we go to him?"

Glen tore a page from his notebook and scrawled on the bottom. "That's the sergeant's name and number. Give him a ring because he'll be able to tell you better than me how best to handle that side of it."

So Cody was Beau's brother. Hmm.... more secrets to come.

Image taken from The Post Newspaper.