Warning: This case deals with child abuse and links to the stories of the enforced immigration of children to Australia.

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Lucien and Alice stood looking at the small body on the table. A boy, about eight years old. Still as he was found, dirty face, unkempt hair, old, hand knitted jumper with holes at the elbows and frayed edges, shorts, patched and obviously made from a pair of long trousers. No socks and shoes with holes in the soles and string for laces. He looked to be asleep, an angel with a dirty face.

Very gently, as if they were trying not to wake him, they undressed him. Under his jumper was a shirt, torn and with some buttons missing. The rest of his clothes were removed and examined and they were left with a slightly undernourished child with healed and healing scars on his back, delivered by someone with a thin flexible stick, and bruising that indicated he had been subjected to horrible abuse.

Lucien balled his hands into fists, Alice paled and turned her back, using the edge of the sink to hold her upright. She may be Amelia's godmother, but she wasn't the maternal type, but this, this made her feel sick and brought back dreadful memories of her own childhood, that she never spoke of.

They both took some minutes before they could continue and when they did so it was with undeniable tenderness. There was no apparent cause of death, his injuries, though severe and life changing were not fatal. Lucien opened the boy's mouth and shone his small torch inside.

'Tweezers, please,' he held out his hand, a gesture that usually got an acerbic remark about not being his slave, but this time she just silently passed him the instrument. He reached in and retrieved the object that had caught his attention, a feather. He held it up to the light and sighed.

'From a pillow.' It was a simple statement, but the only answer.

'Poor little bugger.' Lucien murmured.

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Cleaned as gently as if they were bathing Amelia, wrapped in a clean sheet and placed in the morgue drawer, the child was now a murder case to be solved. They both signed the autopsy report and took it up to Matthew.

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Matthew looked up as Lucien approached his desk. He looked grey, behind him Alice looked close to tears. He knew it was a child that they had examined, what could be so bad that they looked like they needed a large whisky? Lucien handed him the report, he didn't drop it on the desk and loudly declare his findings, he handed it to him,

'Find the bastard.' He almost snarled, turned on his heel and the two doctors left the office. Matthew watched them go and slowly opened the folder. Bill and Charlie could have sworn the boss went pale as he read down the sheet that stated the boy had been beaten, abused and finally suffocated with a feather pillow. They had no way of knowing who the boy was, no one had reported a missing child, he had been found by the side of the road by a man walking his dog early that morning.

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Drs Blake and Harvey sat looking out over Lake Wendouree, sharing his seldom used flask.

'Why?' Alice turned, now a little more composed but embarrassed at her emotional response to the case, 'why, Lucien?'

'Who?' Lucien took the last drop from the flask, 'who was he, where did he come from?'

'Where did they find him?'

'Out past Mount Helen,' Lucien stared ahead, 'Jean's pregnant.' He didn't know why he told her, just felt she should know.

'Is she?' Alice smiled, 'Congratulations.'

'Thank you.' Lucien leant forward, elbows in his knees, 'congratulations on your not so secret engagement to Matthew.'

'How did you know?' She looked down at her bare hands.

'You took your ring off when you put your lab coat on yesterday,' he turned and smiled, 'I noticed you slip it into your purse. The stones caught the light.'

'Thank you.' She sighed, 'thank you for not saying anything.'

'It's for you two to announce, not me,' he patted her hand, 'but can I tease him, in private, of course?'

'If you understand you have to take the consequences.' She smiled, 'you can tell Jean though, but not Mattie and Charlie.'

'Fairs fair, if you keep quiet about our baby.'

'Deal.'

Sharing good news seemed to help them focus on the case with less emotion, though they both knew they would find it difficult over the coming days.

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Matthew and Charlie went to look at the place the child had been found. It was not a heavily populated area, a couple of farms, nothing much. The body had been found in a ditch. If the man's dog hadn't decided to run off he would never have been found. He could have come from anywhere, but the farms would be the best place to start.

Both farms were large expanses of sheep and cattle.

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A young woman was hanging washing out at the first farm. She waved happily as the two officers got out of the car and greeted them with a smile.

'Good morning, officers,' she called, brightly, wiping her hands on her apron. She reminded Charlie of Jean, a younger version. 'What can I do for you?'

'Hello,' Matthew introduced them, 'we're investigating the death of a young lad, found out near here.'

'Oh dear.' Instantly her face fell, 'I'm Jane Bennett, by the way. We only took over the farm a couple of months ago, we've met the neighbours once, grumpy sod, and we have no children. There's just me and my husband, Craig.'

'Do you mind if we have a look round, as we're here?' Matthew asked, pleasantly.

'Not at all.' She smiled a genuine 'good to have company smile', 'tell you what, I'll put the kettle on, Craig'll be back soon.'

Charlie and Matthew wandered in and out of the outhouses, sheds and lean-to's. The farm was fairly run down, but the young couple seemed to be starting to fix up the most important parts, the shearing shed for one. There was no sign of any other inhabitants,

'Bit lonely.' Charlie mused, turning over a few planks of wood.

'Speak to Jean about that.' Matthew stood staring our across the landscape, 'she knows about running a farm, out of the way.'

'Yeah.'

'Hello,' Matthew shielded his eyes from the sun, 'I'll take a guess that this is Craig.' A man on a horse came over. He dismounted and approached them, hand extended.

'Mornin',' he grinned, 'Craig Bennett.'

'Senior Sergeant Davies,' Charlie smiled, 'this is Superintendant Lawson, Ballarat Police.'

'What can I do for you fellas?' Craig seemed most amiable. 'Don't think I've been caught speeding on old Fred, here.' He laughed.

'Wish it was that simple...' Matthew was about to elaborate when Jane Bennett called that there was tea on the table.

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The kitchen was clean but basic, Jane obviously took pride in her housekeeping. The tea pot stood in the middle of the table with a jug of milk and four mugs, a plate of fruitcake, which looked homemade and four plates, that did not match the mugs.

Matthew told Craig why they were there as they drank the hot tea and ate, the rather good, fruitcake, that was, as they suspected, homemade.

Jane offered to cut some off for them to take home, Charlie thanked her, politely, but had to tell her that his landlady made a pretty decent fruit cake and he didn't want to upset Jean Blake.

'That wouldn't be anything to do with Dr Blake, would it?' Jane asked.

'Yes, why?'

'Well, we need a GP and someone suggested Dr Blake, and someone suggested he was a bit...'

'He's the police surgeon too, so occasionally an appointment might be rearranged,' Matthew grinned, 'but he's an excellent doctor.'

'Well, in that case...' she smiled. 'Sounds like the one for us.'

'I'm sorry to get back to the matter in hand, but are there any children at the other farm?' Matthew could quite happily sit there all day, eating cake and drinking tea.

'Gosh, well, I couldn't say for sure,' Jane looked at Craig, 'you're out there more than me, love.'

'Lot of shouting,' Craig thought for a while, 'religious stuff. I haven't seen any kids though, that doesn't mean to say there aren't any. When we went to introduce ourselves he was very rude 'cos we're not catholic.'

'What that's got to do with anything I don't know.' Jane huffed.

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'Well, Davies,' Matthew sighed, as they pulled away and headed to the next farm, 'ready to prove yourself as a good catholic?'

'Give it my best shot, sir,' Charlie grinned, 'though it's been a while since I went to confession.'

'Got a lot to confess, Senior Sergeant?' Matthew grinned.

Charlie blushed.

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The next farm was bigger, if the buildings were anything to go by, the fencing was solid and the gates almost forbidding.

Charlie got out and opened the gates to be greeted with a loud shout and the sound of a shotgun being discharged. He jumped and shouted,

'Hey! Put that down!' Neither he or Matthew were armed, they'd only gone to look at the site. The gun man kept advancing, menacingly, and Charlie thought his end had come.

'Police! Put the gun down!' Charlie repeated.

Matthew pulled the car up next to Charlie who got in, gratefully.

'Bloody hell, Boss.' He gasped as they watched the man continue towards them now aiming at the car. Matthew did a quick reverse through the gates.

He stopped the car and they waited.

The man stopped, still brandishing the gun, then moved forward to close the gates.

'Now what?' Charlie watched. Matthew opened the door, slowly.

'Boss!' Charlie hissed.

'We came here to talk, Davies,' Superintendant Lawson said, 'I intend to do just that.'

'Morning!' Matthew held up his hand in greeting, 'mind if I have a word?'

'What do you want?' The man growled.

'Investigating a death.' Matthew stayed by the car, the door between him and the gunman. 'Little lad.'

'Children are sinful!' He yelled, 'born of sin!'

'Er, yeah,' Matthew could see this wasn't going to be easy, 'but you see, I am wondering if there are any children around here, any children missing.'

The man waved his shotgun again discharging it into the ground in front of the superintendant, so Matthew decided discretion was the better part of valour and got back into the car, driving off rather more quickly than usual.

'Boss?' Charlie finally spoke, 'I know it seems stupid, but I think we need to look further at that guy and the farm. Those buildings were a bit too nice to house livestock and, did you notice, a cross set into the end of each block?'

'Actually, Davies, I'll believe you on the observation front, but I was more interested in living.' Matthew let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding. He thought he might have to 'sin' with Alice later, just to prove he was still alive!

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Matthew and Charlie sat discussing the incident at the farm with the rest of the men and Lucien and Alice.

'Rather than go in mob handed,' Matthew reasoned with the rest of the team who wanted to go and tell this mad man how they felt about him threatening the boss. 'I want you to find out all you can about the farm, the people who live there, any complaints, anything at all. I'm going to see Father Emery.'

'Matthew?' Lucien was surprised, why Father Emery?

'The Bennett's said that they had not been welcomed because they are not Catholics,' his friend turned, 'I'm wondering if the priest knows them or of them.'

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Father Emery was horrified the Superintendant had been threatened by this man. He knew him, but only by reputation. A hard line religious man. He didn't attend mass, had his own priest, apparently. Father Emery had cause for concern but the Bishop has not seen fit to reply to any of his letters.

'So you have no idea what goes on there?' Matthew thought it was strange.

'Sorry, no.'

Matthew didn't know if he believed him or not.

'Father,' he sighed, 'a body was brought in early today, the body of a child, a boy aged about eight. He was found out by the farm. There is nothing else out there but those two farms. We've spoken to Mr and Mrs Bennett and eliminated them from our enquiries, but all I got from the other farm was threats.'

'Superintendant,' Father Emery inhaled deeply, 'I'll see what I can find out, but I'm not sure I'll get very far.'

'I would appreciate it, Father.' Matthew stood up and extended his hand, 'I don't like having dead children in the morgue.'

'No, I quite understand.'

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With no further information forthcoming they all decided to leave it for the day. Lucien was already at home, finishing surgery with Mattie when Charlie returned. Lucien had told his wife and the nurse what had happened and that both men were very shaken. When she heard to door open, Mattie went into the hall and waited for him to hang his cap on the peg. When he turned she walked, quite slowly up to him and looked into his blue eyes.

'Charlie?' She touched his arm, gently.

He looked almost through her then blinked the fog away before wrapping his arms round her and holding her so tight she could barely breathe. She kissed him softly and he deepened the kiss, crushing her lips.

'You ok?' She finally managed to ask.

'I am now.' He almost smiled and bent down to kiss her again.

'Charlie,' she whispered, 'do you want to talk about it?'

'I thought I was done for,' the moved through to the sun room, where they could be alone. They sat on the wicker seat and Mattie held his hands. 'I mean, I've been in a gun fight before, had a bullet nick me, but that shotgun,' he turned to her, 'Mattie, there'd have been nothing left.'

'Oh Charlie,' she wiped the single tear that rolled down his cheek.

'I've never been so bloody scared in my entire life.' They leant close together.

'You wouldn't be human if you weren't.' Mattie kissed his cheek, where the tear had rolled, 'and that's why you are such a good copper, and a good and kind man.'

'I am sure that the farm has something to do with our lad in the morgue,' Charlie straightened his back, 'and I'm blowed if I'm going to let him get away with it.'

Mattie smiled, 'That's my boy.' She nestled close to him.

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Jean caught Lucien as he was about to wander through the sun room.

'Mattie and Charlie are in there.' She whispered.

'Oh.' He looked confused.

'Lucien Blake, you're hopeless.' She chided him, 'Charlie had the fright of his life today, leave Mattie to settle him down.'

'Er...yes.' He smiled, 'so if they're busy in there...'

'I need to get dinner finished, you can feed Amelia.' She shoved a bowl of pureed something at him and propelled him towards their daughter, sitting in her high chair at the table, not very patiently.

He stuck his bottom lip out but was instantly gladdened by the cheeky pat to his backside he got from his wife. Promise of later caresses, he hoped.

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Matthew looked around his house. He'd gone home and had his dinner, alone. Alice and he lived separately, coming together for dinners and adult activities, but neither was sure if they wanted to live together before they married, which could be anytime within the century. On matters of the heart they were dreadfully indecisive.

'Bugger!' He grunted to himself and grabbed his car keys. This case was already threatening to overwhelm him and he knew Alice was just as saddened by it. After his brush with the mad man at the farm earlier, like Charlie he needed something to assure him he hadn't died.

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Alice had had a glorious soak in the bath and was sitting trying to read with a whisky. She wondered if Matthew would be over, he'd looked as if there was a grey, thundery cloud over his head, after the trip out to the farm and she knew it had rattled him. Revolvers and pistols were bad enough, but a shotgun. She knew what devastation that could wreak on the human body.

She was just musing on the events of the day when there was a knock at the door. She instinctively knew it was her lover, and not for the first time wondered whether she should give him a key. She put her book down and went to let him in.

He shot through the door, grabbed her and pulled her into a strong embrace and passionate kiss.

'Good evening to you, too, Superintendant.' She finally greeted him, with a sultry smile.

Matthew picked her up and carried her to the bedroom depositing her on the bed none to gently, before trying to undo the buttons of his shirt with shaking hands. Alice knelt up and put her hands on his shoulders,

'Matthew,' she spoke gently, 'Matthew, slow down, it's alright.' She started to kiss him, and undo the buttons he was in danger of ripping off. She slowly pushed the shirt over his shoulders and off his arms, all the while soothing him with little kisses.

She felt him start to relax as she undressed him to his shorts then she scuttled up the bed so he could join her.

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She curled up next to him, pink and satisfied from their lovemaking that could have been a frantic, desperate coupling but she had turned it into a heady reaffirming of their love.

'I thought that was going to be then end.' He gulped. 'That I was going to die at the hands of a religious fanatic with a shotgun.'

'I can assure you, dear Superintendant,' she kissed his shoulder, the nearest bit of him to her lips, 'you are very much alive.'

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Three women consoled their men that night, Mattie lay next to Charlie in his single bed. Her small warm body cuddled into him and the light kisses she bestowed on his chest, neck and lips reassured him that he too lived. He gave in to her loving and found his hands lifting her nightdress as his tongue tasted the sherry she had drunk. Her skin was soft, her nipples pert under his thumbs. She moved her hands down to his hardness,

'Mattie,' he gasped, 'I...'

'Shh...it's alright, I've dealt with that.' It had been the most difficult conversation she had ever had with Lucien, when she went to ask him to provide her with a diaphragm. She had been embarrassed but had answered his questions honestly and assured him she understood what she was doing. He'd agreed, and hadn't asked who the lucky man was, though he knew.

They made love slowly almost reverently, building to a release that left Charlie in no doubt that whatever happened he was loved by a rather remarkable young lady.

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Jean climbed into their bed and leant over to kiss Lucien. He snaked his arm round her and pulled her down to him, deepening the kiss, twining his fingers of one hand through her hair and running the other hand up inside her pyjama top.

Jean smoothed her hands over his chest, the muscles ripped under her palms as she broke the kiss to smile at him.

'God, you're beautiful,' he whispered and rolled her over onto her back. She giggled as he undid her top and pushed it open to admire her breasts and stomach. She wriggled out of the sleeves as he moved down the bed and swiftly pulled her bottoms off.

'Lucien!' She laughed, as he kissed her belly, whispering to the baby in there, how he loved it, how he would keep it safe. Jean knew that after the day he'd had he needed to do this, and as he did so she shivered in anticipation. His fingers started to work her and he moved back up to kiss her open mouth and slide his tongue over hers.

She started to buck under him and pushed his pyjama bottoms over his arousal, grabbing his buttocks and pulling him towards her. She grunted her demand for him and he entered her rather more roughly than he usually did. She squeaked but held him as he set up a frantic rhythm until they released together and she couldn't help but cry out.

He rolled off her and pulled her to him, so she could rest her head on his chest soothed by his steady heartbeat.

'Jean,'

'Hmm?'

'I'll do my best.'

'What are you talking about?' She lifted her head to look at him, her brows knitted together.

'To keep you all safe.'

'I know you will,' she kissed his cheek, 'you always do.'

'I love you.'

'Love you too.' She drifted off to sleep.

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Although I know where this story is going, I'm finding it a little difficult to put into words, so, please, bear with me.