Please feel free to treat my home as your own. It’s to my eternal regret that I don’t get more time there, but it’s good to know it’s being put to good use.

I’m not sure if you’ll have time for sightseeing, and this time of year will be pretty cold, so the usual tourist things won’t be very attractive. There aren’t a lot of restaurant options, but there’s the pub which offers snacks during the day and bigger meals in the evenings and on weekends. Lafontaine has French cuisine, and Delaney’s Diner serves American-style food. I think you’ll like it; it’ll be like eating back home.

There’s no UberEats, but Delaney’s delivers between midday and five, Monday to Friday. Small-town New Zealand has a thing about being open later and on weekends, which is a bit of an inconvenience, but I’m sure you’ll work it all out.

Please email me directly if you have any issues.

Don’t be surprised if it snows down as far as the house. The road gets black ice on it this time of year, so be careful.

Kind Regards,

Richard Baker.

I nod as I read. The guy sounds decent enough. And his food recommendations leave my mouth watering. I load Google and search for “Delaney’s Diner”.

The website comes up.

I click on the online ordering tab. Pictures of food pop up, and I zoom in on the combo options. I’m sure they won’t look how they do on the website, but right now, I’d kill for a burger.

Selecting a combo with fries and a thickshake, and then adding another burger to it, I go to the page where I have to fill in my information.

I’m not ordering under my real name. The last thing I want is to bring attention to myself here. I like a quiet life.

What’s this guy’s name? Richard Baker. I type that in, retrieve the address from the earlier email Mindy sent me, and fill the rest of the form in before paying for it.

Delivery time is approximately thirty minutes.

I nod. That’s fair. My stomach grumbles at the thought of food.

It can’t arrive fast enough.

Six

Delaney

“Don’t fall over, but we have a delivery order,” Pania calls across the kitchen.

I sigh. We have a delivery option, but most locals come here to eat. I should probably get rid of it, but there aren’t a lot of places around here that offer the service. And any business is good business.

“I can take it. I’ve got to go and pick up Melly anyway.”

She nods. “I’ll get it cooked and ready to go.”

“Where am I going?”

“The Baker estate.”