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Thank God for that. She offered him a swig from her water bottle and they set off down the boardwalk to the left, which soon gave way to a rocky path leading them through the low-growing button grass and heath-like shrubs over the alpine plateau. Soon, the lake became visible, and the trail dipped down through a shallow valley. The low heath gave way to a fringing of taller trees that ringed the lake, myrtle beech trees, mixing with taller snow gums, the forest trees marching off in an olive-green blur to the base of Barn Bluff, which reared up on the opposite side of the lake. The place was absolutely stunning. Pristine and beautiful. Lacey made a pact with herself to come back to this place one day soon. One day when she wasn’t on the hunt for an alleged killer. When she could truly appreciate the grandeur.
They made their way beneath the tree canopy until they came to the edge of the lake, where a flat grassy section and some scattered rustic wooden tables announced a designated picnic area. But to their dismay, the area was completely empty. Where were Teresa and her walking group? Had they come to the wrong area? They stopped to regroup and consider their options. Teresa definitely hadn’t come past them on their way in, so she and her tour group must be in here somewhere. Nico pulled out a map and spread it on one of the tables.
“Maybe we should split up now,” he said. “You go that way around the lake, and I’ll go this way.” He pointed to the right where a smaller trail wound around the edge of the water, looking as if it might head toward the base of Barn Bluff. Lacey eyed the left-hand path with circumspection. Maybe he was right this time. They must’ve gone on to find somewhere a little more secluded for lunch. Although this place was completely empty as far as she could see.
Almost the second the thought entered her head, a voice hailed them from behind. “Hello. Are you guys lost?” Lacey nearly jumped out of her skin. She whirled around to see a couple of hikers, a tall man with broad shoulders and a dark-blue T-shirt that did nothing to hide the muscle definition beneath, and a woman with blonde hair tied back from her face and inquisitive blue eyes. How the hell had that couple snuck up on them like that? They’d been so absorbed in the map; they needed to keep their wits about them better than that. She gave herself a mental shake.
“Hi.” Nico gave them his best winning smile. “No, we’re not lost, but thank you for asking.”
“No problem,” the man replied, “Just wanted to check.” He extended his hand to Nico, saying, “I’m Griff, and this is my wife, Mila.”
“Nice to meet you.” Nico shook Griff’s hand and then looked at Lacey. His hesitation was minute, no one else would’ve picked it up, but Lacey felt his indecision. “My name is Nico, and this is my girlfriend, Lacey.”
She was suddenly glad that she’d talked Nico into letting her come along. At least this was one thing they didn’t have to lie about. Their relationship. It made any other story they concocted seem more believable. Lacey shook Griff’s hand, then Mila’s, which was surprisingly firm. It made Lacey pause and take stock of this couple.
They were older, perhaps in their mid-forties. But they had a look about them. Something about the way they both carried themselves. Lacey recognized it as the same quality that surrounded Nico, and most likely herself, if she cared to think about it. A wariness blended with a military stance, shoulders back as if ready to react at a moment’s notice, and a hard gaze, observing everything and everyone in the world around them. These people had to have some kind of military background or served in some kind of law enforcement. She could just tell.
And if she identified this quality in them, could they also see it in herself and Nico? Like perceiving like? She shot Nico a glance from beneath the lowered brim of her cap, wondering if he was thinking the same as her.
“This is such a beautiful place, isn’t it?” Mila said on a sigh, turning to face the lake and breaking the tension surrounding them all.
Nico began to fold up the map on the table, so Lacey turned to stare in the same direction as the older woman. “Yes, it’s stunning. I’m so glad I got to see it,” she replied. Another thing she could say with absolute truth. It was a special place.
“We met up here on Cradle Mountain almost a year ago,” Mila said with a slightly faraway look in her eyes. “We were both caught in a snowstorm last Christmas Eve and had to shelter in Kitchen Hut together.”
“Wow,” Lacey responded. “That’s kind of a cool way to meet.”
Griff snorted. “She’s being modest. It wasn’t just any old snowstorm. If it hadn’t been for Mila, I would’ve died.” He slipped a hand around her waist. “She pulled me off a cliff face after I fell and then got me down to the hut in one piece in the middle of one of the biggest blizzards this region has ever seen.” He gave Mila such an endearing look, full of such deep affection, Lacey was almost jealous. This couple seemed like they had a special bond, forged it seemed in the pits of adversity on a snowy mountaintop.
“Anyway, we always said we’d come back and walk the Overland Track properly one day. So here we are,” Mila added.
“What a lovely story,” Lacey said, turning to look at the couple standing beside her. Such a good-looking couple. Fit, strong, healthy, and in the prime of their lives. There was something familiar about them, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Then it hit her like a baseball between the eyes. They reminded her of an older version of Nico and herself. Perhaps this would be them in ten years’ time. Still so much in love, and hopefully still fighting fit, still doing the thing they loved most—policing—while also living their best lives.
Lacey could feel Nico getting impatient behind her. They really needed to get moving. But something about this couple was compelling her to stay just a few moments more. Suddenly, she decided to ask a question. Nico may not like it, but something about this couple told Lacey she could trust them. Griff and Mila had just come from the direction of Barn Bluff. They might be able to help them narrow down where Teresa had taken her tour group.
“You didn’t happen to see a largish group while you were walking in this area, did you?”
Mila shot her a sharp look, but didn’t answer straight away.
“It’s just that they’re friends of ours and we’re hoping to catch up to them.” Nico added, and she was grateful to him for his quick thinking.
Griff spoke up from Mila’s other side. “Yeah, we did. It was a guided tour group. Is that the one you’re looking for?”
“Yes,” Lacey let out a relieved sigh. “Teresa, the guide, is a friend of ours,” she lied easily.
“Oh, right,” Mila said, but there was a thoughtfulness in her tone.
“Which way were they headed?” Nico asked, tucking his folded map into his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder.
“Up to the top of Barn Bluff,” Griff answered.
Nico shot Lacey a keen look. This wasn’t in the plan. Why had Teresa changed things?
“We passed them on the trail in the foothills. We were on our way down,” Griff went on, seeming not to notice their exchange. “We set off from Waterfall Hut early this morning, because we’d heard the view from there is spectacular, and we wanted to make sure we saw it with plenty of time to spare,” he explained. “But because we blew past Lake Will in an attempt to get to the top early, Mila wanted to come back this way and spend an hour having lunch by the lake.”
“Oh,” Lacey replied. “It’s just that we arranged to meet them here for lunch.” It wasn’t hard to sound confused. Because she was confused. Jake had assured them that Teresa didn’t usually veer from the plan unless it was prearranged beforehand.
Griff shrugged. “The guide, Teresa, said they were going to have lunch up there because one of the hikers, Simon I think, was desperate to see the view. Then they were going to follow the trail down to Lake Windemere. She was hoping to get to the next hut before this weather came in.”
