Page 90 of The Christmas Highland Lodge

Jason Driscoll shot me a look from under his brows. ‘I spotted your details up on the cabin website. Then I contacted the local mountain rescue team here, hoping they could give me more information about Blake and he confirmed that the two of you worked together.’

Malcolm. It must have been him that this man spoke to.

Rob snapped his head to look at Jason Driscoll. ‘What were you doing?’

When Jason didn’t answer, Rob let out a sigh of resignation. ‘Don’t tell me you were lurking around the main street, hoping to see him.’

Him? They had to be talking about Blake.

My attention swivelled from one to the other. ‘I won’t let you intimate me, Mr Driscoll, or whatever your name is.’

I took another few steps backwards, hoping I wouldn’t stumble and fall over. I puffed out my chest and hoped I appeared more self-assured than I felt right now. ‘If you’re here to dig up dirt, then you’re asking the wrong person.’ I gripped my phone even tighter. ‘What is it about journalists like you? Why do you feel you have to trash people, when all they’re doing is trying to make a different life for themselves elsewhere?’

Jason Driscoll’s silvery brows knitted together like two warring caterpillars. ‘Sorry?’

I carried on, making sure I had moved even further away from the bottom of the porch steps. ‘Why don’t you just pack up your things and crawl back to wherever you came from? The people of Craig Brae won’t tell you anything. We are a tight-knit, loyal community here. Just because one bad apple snitched, doesn’t mean the rest of us will.’

Jason Driscoll looked bemused. He and the other man exchanged frowns.

Fired up, I carried on. ‘Yes, it is very likely someone from the local community here tipped you off, but people like that around here are very much in the minority.’

I folded my arms. ‘So I suggest that you and your reporter buddy here, or whoever he is, leave. You are wasting your time.’

Driscoll blinked at me from the porch. He turned to look at Rob who gave a perplexed shrug. Driscoll turned back to me. ‘Sorry. I don’t understand. Reporters?’

I pursed my lips. ‘Oh, please don’t insult my intelligence! Blake is the reason you’re here, sniffing around and asking dozens of questions, isn’t he?’

Driscoll nodded his head. ‘Yes. All right. I admit that we are here because of Blake.’

‘I knew it!’ I snapped. ‘So, what sort of article are you intending on writing about him, eh? Why can’t you people just give folks some peace?’

Rob looked perplexed. ‘Why would we be writing an article?’

‘Because you’re journalists?’

Jason shook his head. ‘I don’t know where you got that information from, Ms Grant, but I can assure you that neither of us are reporters.’

That’s right,’ added Rob. ‘We don’t know what you’re talking about.’

Confusion stole over me. I digested what Jason Driscoll said. Were they bluffing? It didn’t look or sound like they were. My eyes flitted from him to Rob. ‘Don’t give me that! You’re lying.’

‘It’s true,’ insisted the young blond man. ‘Neither of us is a journalist. You have our word.’

I gawped at both of them. What the hell was all this about then? ‘So what were you doing outside Christmas Crackers yesterday, Mr Driscoll? Why were you staring in the window and hanging around?’

Rob frowned at his partner. ‘Honestly, Jason, that wasn’t one of your better ideas. I told you not to go there.’

Jason Driscoll blew out a puff of frustrated air. It swayed and disappeared into the woodland chill. ‘Well, what was I supposed to do? We’re only staying here the one night and I got desperate.’ Jason shuffled from foot to foot. ‘We were visiting Rob’s elderly uncle at a residential home yesterday in Perth and booked in to a hotel there.’ He shot his partner a guilty glance. ‘I pretended to Rob that I needed to do some last-minute Christmas shopping, but I came to Craig Brae instead.’

What on earth was going on here? What were they talking about? Were they bluffing? Were they lying, just to get me into the cabin? ‘What do you mean? What are you talking about? Why all the questions you asked Kim about Blake?’

‘Blake,’ murmured Jason Driscoll, an odd expression traveling across his features. ‘Blake Dempster.’

‘What about him?’ I prickled. ‘You admitted Blake is the reason you’re both here.’

Jason looked agonised. He chewed his bottom lip. ‘Yes.’

‘But not for the reasons you think,’ insisted Rob over his partner’s shoulder.