Page 84 of The Christmas Highland Lodge

I narrowed my eyes, confused. ‘Right. Ok. Sorry, Kim, but I’m getting a bit lost. You said you thought this was a bit odd?’ At that moment, I was struggling to understand what was strange about any of it.

Now it was Kim’s turn to nod her peroxide elfin hair. ‘Yes. I mean no, not the paying of the rental upfront. It was all the questions he started asking afterwards.’

‘Like what?’

Kim held me to the chair with her wide doll-like pale-blue eyes. ‘As soon as I had confirmed the booking, he began reeling off a whole list of questions about Blake; what time does he start work; what time does he tend to finish; does Blake work with us full-time; how long has Blake worked here; does he live locally…’

I pulled a confused expression. ‘Why all the interest in Blake?’

‘Exactly. When I asked him why he was so interested in him, he mumbled something about being keen on hiking, but he didn’t sound convincing.’

I turned this over in my mind.

I screwed up my eyes in thought. Who on earth could be so interested in Blake? And if so, why? ‘Kim, what’s the name this booking has been made under?’

Kim pulled up the electronic reservations screen on her PC. ‘It’s been made under the name of Jason Driscoll.’

That name didn’t mean anything to me.

I shuffled further forward in my chair. ‘And did you say he reserved the cabin for two?’

‘Yep.’

‘And you took the name of the other guest too?’

‘Of course.’ Kim squinted at the bright screen. ‘The other man’s name is Rob Tait.’ She hesitated. ‘Do you know either of them?’

‘No. I don’t recognise either name.’

I sat back in my chair. What was with all the questions this Jason Driscoll had been asking Kim about Blake? What relevance was it whether he lived locally and how long he had worked here? Why would a guest, keen to get away to the cabins for a short break, be so interested in things like that? The more I thought about it, the odder it seemed.

‘Lottie. Lottie? Are you ok? Lottie?’

I blinked over at Kim, as though I’d just emerged from hibernation into the bright sun. I pushed out a smile. ‘This Jason Driscoll, he’ll just be some nosey bugger. Probably after a hefty discount, trying to give you the impression that he knows Blake or has met him before.’

Kim frowned. She didn’t look convinced, but didn’t argue.

I gathered up my bag. I would ring Blake now and give him a heads-up. Might it be something to do with his past? Although, I had to acknowledge I didn’t know anything about his background.

Perhaps my imagination was playing tricks on me, but something was telling me that there was more to this reservation and phone call than an innocent set of questions.

Chapter Twenty-One

I hurried out of Rowan Moore House.

The winter sun was spilling through the tangled knots of trees in the garden.

I unlocked my car door and sank into the driver seat. I dumped my bag on the passenger side and retrieved my mobile.

I would ring Blake now.

My stomach squirmed while I pulled up my list of contacts and dialled his mobile number first. I knew I had to get what I was about to say straight in my own head. I couldn’t just unleash, ‘Hi there. How are you? Oh, by the way, someone has rocked up to the cabins and been asking lots of questions about you.’

I need not have worried. While my head was racing, forming what I was going to say, Blake’s voicemail kicked in.

I listened to his deep Scottish rumble, inviting me to leave a message, but I hung up. I didn’t want to sound deranged, rabbiting on like I was relaying the plot of a Martin Scorsese movie. It would be much better to actually speak to him.

I would try Rock Solid Ramblings next. I rang the number but had no success there either.