Chapter 27
‘I won’t go.’ Sophie overturned her bowl with a sweep of her arm. ‘I hate you, I want Poppi.’
‘Sophie . . .’ The girl ran from the room, the geese chasing after her. He looked around the kitchen. At the dishes piled high in the sink. At the grimy benches and poo-stained linoleum floor. At the cracked cereal bowl and spilled milk.
In the fortnight since Max’s disappearance, Sophie’s attitude to school had taken a turn for the worse. In fact she’d only gone for two days. Two lousy days. He couldn’t blame her. Everyone knew kids could be cruel, and in this case that was an understatement. It wasn’t just that she was the new kid. The problem had always been Sophie herself. She came across as brittle and defensive, even at home. I’ll get you before you get me was her game plan. In
