Grace Tobin - Deal with the Devil: The death of Matthew Leveson and the ten-year search for the truth

After Matt Leveson disappeared in September 2007, his parents Mark and Faye spent ten years searching bushland for his body. They also pursued Matts older boyfriend, Michael Atkins, who denied involvement with their sons disappearance. Atkins was a serial liar, but to expose his deceit and find Matts body, in late 2016 the Levesons made a deal with the devil: Atkins received immunity from prosecution in exchange for revealing where he had buried Matt. He claimed that Matt had died of a drug overdose and wasnt murdered.

Deal with the Devil is the story of the Leveson family from the journalist who was closest to them throughout the four-year police reinvestigation of Matts case. There is an unnerving insight into Atkins past from exclusive interviews with his ex-boyfriends, lovers and former friends. Above all, what emerges is a portrait of two parents bound by their public quest to achieve justice for their son.

The sound of cicadas is deafening. A mournful chorus pervades the still night air.

Its cool for late September, yet the sweat pours down his face as he struggles to carry his heavy, motionless bundle.

He places one foot in front of the other across an uneven forest floor, and stumbles as his foot catches on a prickly shrub. Keep going, youre almost there. Hes disorientated. Unnerved.

Guided only by the moonlight, he nears the edge of a freshly dug hole, two metres long and a metre down. He releases his grip on the load and it crashes to the ground. Straddling the pit, he catches his breath before heaving the bundle deep into its bush grave.

Grubby hands clutch the handle of a mattock that sends chunks of dirt and torn roots over the earthy opening.

Suddenly he freezes.

The hum of an engine whirrs in the distance. Fearful of piercing headlights, he drops to his stomach, heart racing, sweat dripping, blood pounding in his ears.

Get up, finish this. The nightmare is almost over.

Saturday 22 September 2007

9.15 am

It was just another Saturday morning for Matt Leveson.

The 20-year-old started his day like so many others that year. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror, fresh from the shower, and gazed at his reflection, turning his head from side to side. Most days he liked what he saw looking back at him: almond-shaped blue-green eyes framed by manicured brows, high cheekbones and a straight nose. Full lips that concealed startlingly white teeth. When he smiled his whole face lit up, top gums flashing and deep-set dimples puckering his cheeks. It was one of his most alluring features; the kind of smile you couldnt help but smile back at.

Matt was also starting to be known for his great physique. As a tubbier teen, hed always been conscious of his weight and body shape, but lately he was looking fitter than ever. Hed been hitting the gym hard, lifting weights, and exchanging meals for protein shakes. As his muscles bulked up, so too did his self-confidence.

But contemplating himself in the mirror that morning, his focus was fully on his hair, which he was pedantic about. Today, he decided, was a bad-hair day. The dingy bathroom he shared with his older boyfriend, Michael Atkins, was lit harshly by a fluorescent tube above the mirror that made his peroxide-bleached hair look more yellow than blond, reason enough to put his mood out of kilter. Smacking an expensive straightener down on the counter, he sent products skidding into the sink. The straightener beeped, signalling it was time to begin a well-practised routine. He ran fingers through his thick mane, catching tufts of hair between the two hot plates, then he worked a carefully portioned blob of gel through the front. His eyes searched the bench for a light-blue-and-yellow bottle of cologne: Calvin Kleins One Summer, a subtle citrus scent with hints of watermelon, flashy and playful.

Matt pulled on a pair of jeans and a neatly ironed shirt. Even though his employer, NRMA Insurance, didnt require him to wear a uniform, he still made an effort to dress well for every shift. After one last look in the mirror, he emerged from the bathroom into a dark hallway. There was no need for him to tiptoe around the small apartment that morning. His boyfriend had already left home even though it was Saturday. Mike, as an electrician, had needed to be at the job site by 7 am for a training course. Hed be home by the afternoon.

Scooping up his most prized possessions, a matching Louis Vuitton wallet and key ring, Matt checked the time on his red Samsung mobile and headed for the door, mindful of being punctual for his 10 am shift.

1 pm

In the air-conditioned offices of the NRMA call centre, Kerrieann Waud looked at her watch; it was well and truly time for lunch. She looked over the top of her computer screen to her young colleague Matt, who had a black headset on and was agreeing enthusiastically with a customer on the line. She made eye contact and mouthed the word lunch. He nodded in acknowledgement of their Saturday-lunch tradition.

Kerrieann reached for her handbag under the desk and pulled out some lipstick. At 47, the divorced mother took great pride in her appearance. Her lips were never without lippy usually the bright pink variety and her wispy blonde hair was always piled immaculately on top of her head, fastened with a butterfly clip or sparkly barrette.

Kerrieann and Matt had hit it off right from the moment they met, five months earlier at the companys new-employee training program. She found him playful, intelligent and well mannered, especially for a young man of only 20. He found her boisterous, funny and a bit of a mother hen. Their colleagues noticed the strong bond between the pair and, at first, many thought they may have actually been related. Kerrieann made a running joke of it, often referring to Matt as my son.

When Matt removed his headset, he leaned back against his chair in a dramatic stretch, arching his back and reaching his arms out over his head. He looked through the text messages on his phone. There was an SMS from his boyfriend Mike: im freezing the cold wind blowing through here! An no jumper! Finish hour an half! Cant wait! Not boss he came into work! Miss ya x x x

After flicking a quick text back Matt was ready to go, and Kerrieann leaped to her feet. But as they walked downstairs, she sensed that Matt was on edge. He wasnt at all talkative.

Kerrieann would later say that Matt wasnt himself in the weeks leading up to that day. Hed turned up to work a number of times visibly upset, and had confided in Kerrieann that he was having difficulties with Mike. In her opinion, these issues were mainly due to Mikes controlling nature and the couples age gap. Matt was 20, about to turn 21, and Mike claimed to be 34.

Kerrieann had first met Mike at her apartment. Shed promised to hem some pants for Matt and the couple had turned up together. The Eagles were blaring from her stereo in the lounge room, and as Kerrieann went to turn down the music she made a comment about how much she loved the band, a hit act in the 1970s. Mike told her he was also a big fan, and it dawned on Kerrieann that he was probably a lot older than he was making out. It was obvious to her that his hair was thinning, plus Matt had once told Kerrieann, as they read a Cleo magazine together in the lunchroom, that Mike had got botox in his forehead and around his eyes.