Lake Mungo Page #5

that I noticed something.

There was a second figure,

not Matthew in the hallway...

...but someone else,

squatting in the dark...

...in Alice's room.

At first I thought

it was Alice...

...then I realized

it was our neighbor.

Brett Toohey.

What was this man

doing in my house...

...in my daughter's room,

six months after her death?

When I found Alice's safe...

...I realized exactly why

he'd been there.

He was looking for the tape.

That's it.

-Did you smoke?

-Yeah.

Getting nice and cozy

with Alice.

Alice began babysitting

for the Tooheys in 2002...

...and she continued for

the next two and a half years.

The Tooheys boys

were five and nine.

I literally could just

not believe my eyes.

It just made me feel

so sad.

As far as I'm concerned...

...the Tooheys were

complicit in Allie's death.

I believe if it hadn't

been for them...

...she would've reached

out to us.

Wouldn't

have felt guilty.

She wouldn't have felt

the burden of that.

She wouldn't

have been isolated.

How do you feel

towards Brett now?

lf he was around the corner

l'd throttle him.

He seemed like a nice guy.

He was nice.

We'd speak.

He was never mean.

He had a pool

at his place.

We used to swim there

sometimes.

Yeah, in summer.

You could go to his place

and swim there.

I was really bewildered

about what happened.

It took a lot to believe it.

l had no idea

that Alice would...

Be with somebody.

l know.

A complete surprise.

We never thought

she'd do something like that.

Why do you think

Alice had the tape?

She didn't want them

to have it.

Why is that?

Didn't trust them

anymore, l think.

He must've been really

desperate to get the tape.

From the moment

they'd heard...

...of Alice's death,

they must've been living...

...in constant fear

of being found out.

l'm glad he couldn't find it.

l'm glad he knows

it's not over.

Had a lot of dealings with the

Palmers during this time...

...as part of the investigating

team trying to locate...

...Brett and Marissa Toohey.

Initially,

we were optimistic...

...that they would be found

and charges laid...

...but unfortunately,

the case dried up...

...so investigation stalled.

The police advised us...

...that even if

the Tooheys were caught...

...they'd get off on

a suspended sentence...

...by claiming the sex

was consensual.

A claim supported

by the video.

Did you know about Alice's

involvement with Brett?

No. No one did.

Obviously l didn't.

We wouldn't have gone out

if l had any idea. No.

l thought we were

pretty good.

It left so many

unanswered questions.

Why was she involved

with him?

When did

the relationship begin?

Was he in love with her?.

I just don't know.

The Tooheys sold

their house and moved...

...six months

after Alice died.

Alice kept secrets.

She kept the fact

she kept secrets a secret.

lt does change the way

you see somebody...

...when you realize they did

hide things from you a bit.

I think I knew one Alice,

her mum knew another...

...and there was another one

that none of us knew.

I found Ray's business card

taped to Alice's diary...

...on the page

marked 1 2th July, 2005.

Why'd you come

to see me, Alice?

Can you interpret dreams?

Sometimes.

How do you feel when

you wake up from them?

They scare me a bit.

Alice came to see me

She called me on the radio

a few times...

...and then we made

the appointment.

Take a deep breath,

close your eyes.

Imagine you're standing

outside your house.

Tell me what you see.

-Okay?

-Yeah.

I want you to go inside

the front door.

Go into the house.

Tell me what you see...

...where you are.

Ray, why didn't you tell June

you'd met Alice before?

It was not a case

of hiding something.

I was honoring Alice's

request for confidentiality...

...but it was damned if you do,

damned if you don't.

The living room

is straight ahead.

Then you go to the right...

...and my room is in

the back part of the house...

...as you go

towards the kitchen.

Do you see anything

unusual or different?

No.

No, we didn't feel

we could trust Ray anymore...

...for whatever reasons

he may've had...

...of keeping that

information to himself.

lt still felt like a betrayal.

I wanted to help June

and the family.

I think they wanted me

to help them.

I wouldn't have been able

to do it had they known.

There was a bit of resentment.

Mathew wouldn't

even speak to me.

What l think hurt them

more than anything...

...was what they saw

as my failure...

...to see Alice's

imminent passing.

Looking back,

it's kind of strange...

...that someone would be

as close to us as he was.

I think he needed us

as much as we needed him.

Alice came to see me

because she was upset.

She was a very

troubled person.

''I had a dream last night.

I was cold and wet.

I felt heavy...

...like I'd been drugged.

When I woke up,

the sensations didn't go.

I was feeling sick

and confused...

...and I was starting

to get scared.

I needed to see Mum,

to talk to her.

I stumbled to her room

and as I stood there...

...over the bed

watching them...

...I was overcome

with this intense sadness.

Then the sadness turned

to fear.

l just stood there

paralyzed with fear...

...and l saw there's nothing

that they could do for me.

l'd never felt

so utterly alone.

Everything felt wrong.

My body...

...the way things looked,

then l realized...

...there was something

wrong with me.

I started to cry,

standing there at the bed. ''

Lake Mungo is in Southwestern,

New South Wales...

...and that was the location

of the school camp...

...that Alice went on from

August 2nd to 5th, 2005.

When she came home...

...she said she'd had

a good time.

I particularly remember it.

She came home without

her mobile phone...

...which we'd bought her

a month previously...

...and her favorite

bracelet and watch.

Other than that,

you know...

...she didn't really talk

about it much.

Wait up, guys!

Kate didn't show me

until a year after...

...she got back from camp

the stuff she'd taken.

Why did you decide

to tell June?

lf we didn't tell June...

...it'd be like we were

hiding something.

So, l don't know why.

l don't know why but...

...why not?

Jason told us about

the film footage...

...that the girls had

taken at Lake Mungo.

The girls were looking

so happy...

...but she looked

quite forlorn.

I was worried.

l was convinced that something

had happened to her.

Kate's phone footage

was taken later that night...

...once the girls had

spread out.

Anytime. Anywhere.

It's like Africa.

Like the desert.

There was an image

of Alice...

...very hard to decipher

at the bottom of the frame...

...kneeling under a tree.

It was only after viewing

the clip several times...

...that we realized

what she was doing.

She was burying something.

Did you know what

would've happened...

...that night with Alice?

No.

l knew she'd lost her phone.

l knew she was upset...

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