‘Through there’s the cinema and games room.’ Fin pointed to a door at the opposite end. ‘Fifty-two-inch plasma, Playstation, Xbox, you name it.’

‘Scrabble?’ Matty enquired, poker-faced.

Fin grinned. ‘Naturally.’

‘Uh . . . where’s the kitchen?’ Clover asked, noticing the chalet was set up for all play and no work.

‘Ah-ha.’ Fin walked over to the library wall to their right and pushed lightly against a book. With a faint click, a jib door opened to reveal a bright and beautiful ode to stainless steel, with long, pristine workstations and super-scaled Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances. Beautifully arranged fruit was visible in glass-fronted chillers and there was an industrial juicer in the corner.

‘Kit takes his smoothies pretty seriously,’ Fin said, seeing Clover’s amazement at the size of a metre-wide bowl beside it, piled high with oranges.

‘Everything here’s so . . . extra,’ Matty murmured, stepping back into the living space again.

‘To match the scenery,’ Fin shrugged. ‘The light’s beginning to go now but you can see the view’s pretty sensational over the lake.’

‘D’you know what?’ Johnny turned to face them. ‘Maybe we don’t even need to interview Kit. Let’s just film this place! It’ll be a hit just doing that. Talk’s cheap, we all know that.’

Clover gave him a smile and a look. ‘What time will they be back, do you know?’

‘They didn’t say, but Ari did ask that I have dinner ready for you for seven, if that suits?’

‘Yes, fantastic,’ Clover said, relieved to have a short reprieve before the formal introductions. ‘Thanks.’

‘As I said, Carlotta will be back on duty at seven. I’ll leave you to unpack and settle in. Everything’s pretty self-explanatory but let me know if you have any queries. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.’

‘Uh . . . which book do we press to open the door?’ Matty asked, with a thoroughly bemused expression.

Fin chuckled again. ‘I know. It’s a bit nuts. Here.’ He showed them a small run of burgundy leather folios on a shelf at eye height. ‘They’re dummy books. Just press anywhere on these spines and it’ll activate the panel.’

‘Do you never worry about getting locked in?’ Matty asked.

‘No. I dream of it!’

‘Uh, Fin?’ Clover asked, as he went to go back into the kitchen behind the library.

‘Yuh-huh?’

‘. . . Where’s Kit’s bedroom?’

Fin pointed upstairs. ‘Up there. He’s got the master suite and his brother Beau is in the other one. But I can’t take you up there, I’m afraid. Strictly off limits.’

Clover smiled. ‘Of course, yes. That’s fine. I was just wondering.’

Fin disappeared back into his shiny refuge, the door closing automatically behind him. Clover followed the others downstairs again; they were beginning to babble with excitement, but her mind was already on other things.