I couldn’t take her back to the cabin because it would be impossible to talk there without Frankie listening in. There was only one solution.
‘Nikki, can you wait here? I’m going to walk Frankie back to our cabin. Then I’ll be right back.’
‘Sure.’
‘Frankie, come on.’
She trotted beside me. ‘What are you doing? What’s going on?’
‘I think Nikki might know something about Greg. Everyone knows everyone around here. That’s what they keep telling me. Maybe she’ll even come to the police with us.’
‘What, and you don’t want me there when you talk to her?’
‘Frankie . . .’
‘Fine. Whatever.’
We reached the cabin. ‘You’ll be safe here,’ I said. ‘Greg and the twins are by the bonfire. I’ll keep an eye on them. Lock the doors and windows and wait for me. I won’t be long. I promise.’
I hurried back along the path.
As I approached the spot where I’d left Nikki, I heard a whoop of excitement from down by the bonfire. They were about to light it. Greg was standing there with a flaming torch in his hand, a large crowd gathered before him. With the flames illuminating his face he looked very different. Powerful. Sinister. I could just about make out Buddy and Darlene among the throng.
‘Let’s find somewhere to talk,’ I said when I reached Nikki. The smile she’d worn in front of Frankie had vanished.
Now, she looked afraid, staring at the ground. People jostled us, continuing to flow down towards where the bonfire was lit. The air smelled of smoke and cooking flesh. A flake of ash landed on Nikki’s face and she wiped it away with the back of her hand. It left behind a grey mark, like she’d been kissed by Death.
I took a step closer to her. I could feel heat coming off her body. ‘Nikki, do you really like me?’
‘What?’
‘I asked if you really like me. Because I like you and I need you to help me before . . . before somebody else dies. You said it yourself. My daughter and I are in danger. It’s even worse now. Buddy and Darlene saw Frankie and me looking at them. They know we’ve figured out that Greg is their father. They also think that Ryan might have photos of them.’
‘Oh God.’
‘I need you to tell me what you know about Greg.’
‘What kind of thing?’ She had gone completely pale, her eyes darting about. I thought she might throw up.
‘Like, could he have been involved in the murders.’
I could see the conflict raging behind her eyes. Then, before she could reply, a great cheer came from down by the lake. The bonfire was ablaze. Flames danced and licked at the air and smoke poured towards the stars, blotting out a section of the sky. Greg stood before the fire, a silhouette, his arms raised. He appeared to be making a speech, though I couldn’t make out what he was saying.
‘Okay,’ she said.
‘Thank you.’
‘But first . . . first, I’m going to need a drink.’
Chapter 31
Frankie sat on her bed beside her packed suitcase. It was quiet here, the voices and music from the bonfire muted.
She was worried about Ryan. She hadn’t seen him at the tent or anywhere around the resort. And her dad had said Ryan hadn’t answered when he’d knocked on the Butlers’ cabin door.
Was he in the cabin now, hiding? Too afraid to come out?
She desperately wanted to tell him what she’d found out, about Greg being the twins’ dad. She also wanted to make sure he was okay. Surely it would be better if they were together. It would be safer.
Her dad was taking ages. What exactly did he want to talk to that Nikki woman – who he clearly fancied – about, that she wasn’t allowed to overhear? Yet again, he was treating her like a little girl. He and her mum had been exactly the same when they were going through their break-up, always hiding away, talking in low voices, not asking her what she thought.
She made a decision.
She was going to go and get Ryan. Buddy, Darlene and Greg were by the bonfire. Her dad had said he’d keep an eye on them. Her urge to check that Ryan was okay overrode her fear.
She took a knife from the block in the kitchen – just in case – then grabbed the keys and locked the door behind her. The band had started up again and smoke rose above the tree line. The lights were out in all the cabins. Everyone else was down by the lake, having fun. But Frankie didn’t care about that. All she cared about was the following, which she could see playing out before her like a movie she’d seen before: finding Ryan and telling him everything; waiting at the cabin with Ryan till her dad came back; then getting the hell out of there.