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Jason looked over at his brother. It was good to see him smiling after the shit year he’d had. “Thanks for coming with me. It’s fun doing this together.”
“A good way to remember the old man too,” said Kevin smiling at his older brother.
They drove on in silence, each lost in their memories. Things had been so different when their dad had been alive. For starters, they would have spent the night in five-star accommodation rather than an Airbnb in Bodmin. Dad always saw to it that their New Year’s break was just the right mix of sport and luxury.
“What do you think Spanner’s doing for New Years?”
Kevin chuckled at their nick name for their evil stepmother. “Probably sleeping off a champagne hangover after working her way through Dad’s collection of Bollinger.”
“I reckon the wine cellar’s already been drunk dry. Not that it will be a problem for her to replace it.”
Jason sighed and watched as the town turned to rolling countryside outside the car window. He hoped today’s shoot would be worth it. It couldn’t compare to the shoots of their youth, but it had good reviews for a bargain basement option. He watched the tense muscles in Kevin’s neck twitch as he drove. Jason would do anything to help his big brother, and that included watching him like a hawk to make sure he didn’t do anything stupid.
Jason had seen the fear in their host’s eyes as Kevin had tried to win her round with his stupid jokes. He wanted to tell her about the Kevin he knew, kind-hearted, generous, confident, attractive. But he saw his brother through her eyes, and knew she’d never believe him. Kevin was a husk of the man he’d once been. It was scary how you’re ever only one run of bad luck away from handsome hero to feared middle-aged creep.
Kevin was so closed off these days, only Jason saw the man behind the mis-placed humour and hard outer shell. He knew Kevin still cried himself to sleep over the loss of his family. Jason couldn’t imagine the humiliation of losing your entire family to your supposed best friend. It had done more than rip away Kevin’s self-respect, it had broken him. Coming on the back of their dad’s death, Jason wouldn’t put it past Kevin to do something stupid.
Perhaps a day surrounded by guns was a bad idea. But Jason knew Kevin’s respect for the sport and was ninety-nine percent sure he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize its reputation.
“Have you got any New Year’s resolutions?” Jason asked his brother.
“Get myself out of that shit bedsit and start living again.”
“Wow.”
“What? Too ambitious?”
“No, not at all. I just can’t remember the last time I heard you sound so positive.”
“New Year, fresh start, and all that bollocks. I’ve spent too long letting life happen around me, it’s time I took a bit of control.”
Kevin pulled the car into the driveway of the shooting lodge, both brothers feeling that today was a turning point in their fortunes.
*
Kate woke early needing a wee. The ice cream tub was full from the night before and she had no other suitable containers to use. She heard the creak of a floorboard as the guests crept downstairs, heard them pottering around the kitchen and finally, just as she was sure she’d wet herself, heard them leave.
“Thank God,” said Kate, unlocking her bedroom door and rushing outside to the loo. Relief washed over her as she emptied her bladder. How crazy had she been to have peed in a plastic tub last night? Hadn’t Bob once called her brave? Yet she was too scared of her guests to even go out to the bathroom.
Kate finished up and rushed back into the warmth of the house. She made herself a coffee and wandered upstairs to see how the guests had left their rooms. To her surprise the rooms were spotless. Both the bed and sofa bed’s bedding had been stripped and neatly folded. Any crockery they used had been washed and replaced, leaving her to wonder if they’d really been there at all.
Beside the bed in the double room sat a large bunch of flowers and a card. Kate pulled the card from the envelope and read the message inside.
Thank you so much for our stay. We understand the thought of two men with guns is less than appealing and apologise if we made you feel uncomfortable in any way. This trip is an important one for us, and we had struggled to find anyone who would accommodate us. We wish you a healthy and happy New Year. Kind regards, Kevin and Jason.
The sayingnever judge a book by its coverfelt very real all of a sudden. Kate thought back to when she first met Bob, who must be a similar age to her guests. Hadn’t she thought him a bit pompous? A bit old? Both had proved far from the truth. What was going on with Bob? Kate went down to the living room and took out her list of New Year’s resolutions.
5) Find out what is wrong with Bob.
She would start on that resolution this morning, whether he wanted her to or not.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
IT WASN’T DIFFICULTto find out where Bob lived. Kate sat with a map of the town in front of her piecing together the clues he’d dropped over the course of their conversations. She narrowed it down to two possible streets. It wouldn’t take long to spot his car and identify the exact house. Kate prayed he wouldn’t take it as an invasion of privacy. Her intentions were good, she knew something was wrong and was determined to help.
The rain began hammering down as Kate took the last bite of her toast. She pulled her new waterproofs and wellies from her bag and tried them on. She looked ridiculous but at least she’d be dry.
Whether down to the rain, or hangovers from the night before, Bodmin was deserted. Rain splashed in fat dollops against her waterproofs, running down the road in rivers and bubbling up through drains. It was hard to see a meter ahead due to the fast-moving grey curtain in front of her eyes. Ice cold water stung her face as it torpedoed into her skin and Kate pulled her hood tighter around her.
