Volume I - Episode 89 Where: Melbourne, Australia When: 21 days after E-Day, 7:22 am I opened my front door, took a deep breath, and looked down. Four days had passed since the toy donkey had turned up on my doorstep. But, once again, there was nothing. What the hell did it mean? Why had Jessica left the toy on my doorstep and then stopped all contact? Was it a sign? A message? Why didn't she leave a note, or some other way for me to contact her? What was I supposed to do? Was the donkey even from her at all? Given our history, it seemed too much of a coincidence for it to have been left there by anybody else. Nobody knew that detail of the Michael/Jessica story but us. So then...what? Had something happened to her? Had she left Melbourne? Was she in trouble? Was she lying in a ditch somewhere, dying or dead? If only the phones worked. If only her address was listed in the phone book. She had once told me she lived in Balsdon, but I had no idea of the address or even the street. How many streets could there be Balsdon? A thousand? And how many houses? Forty thousand? Fifty thousand? Even as I contemplated the numbers, I realised that my mind was already made up. My course was set. A small burst of adrenaline ran down my spine. "Well, this should keep me busy," I said. No matter where she was, or what condition she was in, I resolved myself to finding Jessica Bell. Because let's face it: if I could find the girl's necklace, I could find the girl. First published: Sunday, 3 June 2012