Sterling looked around to see if anyone had noticed, but the room had all but emptied out. In the kitchen, she heated her spaghetti bolognaise in the microwave before carrying it out the back where they ate their meals. How frustrating that just when she’d started making progress with Heidi, Garrett had shown up. And it appeared he was more than the old school mate there to support the Lorrimers as Sergeant Collins had thought.

Sterling ate half her pasta then pushed the plate aside. She wasn’t afraid of Garrett, but she should remember to behave more like a woman on a working holiday and less like a cop.

‘Where’s Heidi?’ she asked Elijah when she returned to the bar.

He looked up from the drinks he was mixing. ‘She asked me if she could go early. They had a quick drink and left.’

‘I get a bad vibe from that guy.’

‘Elijah shrugged. We’ve only exchanged a few words here and there.’

Sterling frowned. ‘She was planning on having dinner and working through to the end of her shift. What do you think of him?’

Elijah picked up the drinks. ‘Honestly, Ida, I haven’t spoken to him long enough to know.’

The next two hours crawled by, and when the clock finally struck midnight, Sterling was out the door. In the carpark, she listened for the hushed tones of underage drinkers lurking in the darkness, but all was quiet save for an eerie wind moaning around the snowy peaks of the main range.

She began her counter surveillance but quickly abandoned it. The roads were clear of cars, the houses she passed ghostly shapes in the fog.

Stifling a yawn, she pulled into the carport. A shower, a cup of tea and a chat with Mitch awaited her, then the oblivion of sleep. Switching on her phone light, she climbed out and locked the car. Maybe she’d write an online review and suggest a sensor light be installed.

Sterling was halfway to the door when a bird took flight from the shrubbery so fast it brushed her cheek. She froze, listening to rustles coming from the bushes that were too loud to be birds. Heart hammering, she swung her torch towards the sound, the light falling on a huge spider hanging from an intricate web strung between the branches.

A low growl had the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. She angled the beam downwards, illuminating the bared teeth, flat skull, and beady eyes of a dog. She took a step towards the door then stopped as the dog snarled, its body crouched in an attack position. Careful not to make any sudden movements, she took another step towards the door, the key in her hand poised to slide into the lock. The dog was shielded by darkness now, and it took every ounce of her self-control not to rush as she slid the key inside the barrel.