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Back Dead Horse Gap Save as PDF
Chapters (58)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  3. DEDICATION
  4. Prologue
  5. One
  6. Two
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Seven
  12. Eight
  13. Nine
  14. Ten
  15. Eleven
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. Twenty-one
  26. Twenty-two
  27. Twenty-three
  28. Twenty-four
  29. Twenty-five
  30. Twenty-six
  31. Twenty-seven
  32. Twenty-eight
  33. Twenty-nine
  34. Thirty
  35. Thirty-one
  36. Thirty-two
  37. Thirty-three
  38. Thirty-four
  39. Thirty-five
  40. Thirty-six
  41. Thirty-seven
  42. Thirty-eight
  43. Thirty-nine
  44. Forty
  45. Forty-one
  46. Forty-two
  47. Forty-three
  48. Forty-four
  49. Forty-five
  50. Forty-six
  51. Forty-seven
  52. Forty-eight
  53. Forty-nine
  54. Fifty
  55. Fifty-one
  56. Fifty-two
  57. Fifty-three
  58. Acknowledgements

When they reached the hut, they carried the wood inside and stacked it on the floor. As Flowers straightened, he caught sight of a visitor’s book on the mantel. Taking it down, he turned the pages, reading some of the comments written by people who’d visited the hut, while Cate extinguished the fire and did a final check of the tinned food, blankets and other essentials in the cupboard.

She looked up as he put the book back in its place. ‘Many of the huts are more remote than this one,’ she said, ‘but they’re all public, and can be used by anyone who needs shelter. Often the mountaineering and skiing guides reserve a hut if they’ve taken a group into the back country.’

Flowers nodded. That would be people like Eva’s partner, Jack Walker.

‘But we mostly get tourists here because we’re so close to the road.’

‘Not that close,’ Flowers said, wiping his brow. ‘I’m going to sleep well tonight.’

She smiled but said no more.

Flowers went outside and slid his boots into the snowshoes again while Cate extinguished the lamp and closed the door. It was right on dusk by the time they got back to the cars.

‘Tell me something,’ she said as she stowed her skis in the back of the four-wheel drive. ‘Why are you so interested in this old feud anyway?’

Flowers didn’t answer. She was too smart not to have worked it out already.

She tipped her head to one side. ‘I mean, it all started here at Dead Horse Gap, but do you really believe it has something to do with the Lorrimer twin’s death in that plane crash?’

Flowers held her gaze as car headlights from the Alpine Way flashed across her face. ‘The Buchanan name keeps coming up,’ he said carefully. ‘And I’m always interested in history, especially if there’s bad blood going back.’

Eighteen

When Sterling arrived for her five o’clock to midnight shift at the hotel, she was surprised to see Heidi Lorrimer behind the bar.

‘I thought Heidi had another week off,’ she said to Elijah as she hung up her coat.

‘She called in earlier and asked if she could work. Luckily for me—we’re booked solid until nine.’

Heidi stuck her head around the corner. ‘Can I get anyone a coffee?’ she asked. ‘There’s a lull now. We mightn’t get a chance later.’

‘I’ll have one, thanks,’ Sterling said. She’d taken note of the two women perched on stools down the end of the bar, and the middle-aged couple chatting at a table. Otherwise, the place was empty.

Elijah shook his head. ‘Not for me, thanks Heidi.’

While Heidi went to make the coffee, Sterling walked through the dining room, checking that all the tables were set in readiness for the first sitting.