She went back to the window, parted the blinds and peeked out. When she turned back I saw that her face had gone white. She seemed terrified.
I got up from the chair. ‘What are you talking about? Are you saying we’re in danger from Buddy and Darlene?’
She looked like she was about to cry. She fumbled with her bag, taking the cigarettes out again. ‘I can’t say any more. No one can know.’
‘No one can know what?’
She shook her head. She had pulled a cigarette from the packet and was holding it close to her lips. Her hand trembled.
‘I have to go,’ she said. ‘But please, Tom, you should go. Take Frankie home.’
She opened the front door and went to leave. I caught her arm.
‘Has someone threatened Frankie?’ I said. ‘Threatened me?’
‘Let go of me. That hurts.’
She pulled her arm away and I shrank back as she ran down the steps, feeling bad for hurting her, for grabbing hold of her. But I was desperate. If my daughter was in danger . . . Had I been stupid? Underestimated Buddy and Darlene?
Oh God. Frankie. I needed to find her.
Nikki had already vanished from sight. Trying not to panic, I headed down towards the lake.
The resort was a hubbub of activity, with pretty much all the staff building a campfire and preparing for the barbecue, which was taking place on the lake shore close to where the picnic tables were. People in red Hollow Falls polo shirts rushed around. There was a man who appeared to be in charge, barking orders at his underlings. I assumed he was the chef. He rushed over to yell at a young woman who was struggling to carry a large cooler. She dropped it, the lid opened and a lobster fell out on to the ground.
There was no sign of Greg. Hiding in his office, I expected, while everyone else did the work.
I was about to head along the shoreline when I spotted David. I hurried over to him. He seemed excited, shifting from foot to foot. He was handing out flyers to passers-by. He gave one to me. It was handwritten.
Tonight! 9pm at the Archery Ground. A Big Surprise you won’t want to miss! Spread the word.
It was seven thirty now. ‘Have you seen Ryan and Frankie?’ I asked.
‘Oh, are they friends again? That’s cool.’
‘So you haven’t seen them?’
‘No. Why, what’s up?’ He handed out two more flyers.
I shook my head. I didn’t have time to explain. I didn’t even know what I’d say. But before heading away I said, ‘What’s the big surprise?’
He grinned. ‘Oh, it’s something special for our fans.’
‘It’s related to the murders?’
He winked at me.
I didn’t have time for his teasing. Where would Frankie and Ryan have gone? I knew they sometimes hung out at the playground, and headed in that direction. They weren’t there. I was pretty sure they wouldn’t go into Penance, not after Frankie’s scare last night. I ran back towards the ice cream kiosk, which was where I’d last seen them, and spoke to the young woman behind the counter.
‘I’m looking for my daughter,’ I said. ‘Have you seen her?’
I described her and Ryan.
‘I think I saw them heading that way,’ she said. She pointed to the path that snaked around the lake towards a wall of pines.
‘Thank you.’
I jogged in that direction, though there were so many people around that I had to keep slowing or stopping.
I deeply regretted coming somewhere that had no phone signal. How easy it would be if I could phone Frankie right now – except she had lost her phone, hadn’t she?
My heart was beating hard and my mouth felt dry. Nikki had said ‘bad things happen here’， but I knew she wasn’t just worried about the history of this place. To be that jittery, to tell me to pack up and leave, she must have known something concrete. Something that meant Frankie was in danger.
The path ahead of me cleared, and I ran towards the trees.
Chapter 27
Frankie and Ryan ran up the slope, back the way they had come. The ground seemed rockier and hillier this time, and when they reached the top, Ryan stopped where the path split into three.
‘Right,’ Frankie said.
‘Are you sure?’
Now, scared and on the cusp of panic, she was doubtful. Scarred by her recent experience in the woods near Penance, Frankie had no confidence in any of their decisions. She turned to look back at the lake, shimmering in the near distance. If the lake had matched her mood, its surface would be churning, mist rising from it. The water would be black.