She nods at the largest bouncer, who surveys the room, arms folded over his wide girth. “They’re hoping to see some more. A proper catfight, you know? Rip each other’s clothes off and that.”

Heather walks out the exit with her leather jacket on, looking distraught.

“I think she’s been fired,” I say.

“Serves her right, the silly cow,” Saskia says.

I look around. The others have all gone. Now it’s just me and her.

CHAPTER 47

PRESENT DAY

“It was me,” Curtis says. “I’m the one who invited you here.”

Once again, the floorboards shift beneath my toes, only this time it’s as though the ice under the building has cracked and the whole place is caving in.

I have to get out of here. Pain rips through my knee as I whirl to the door, but it’s nothing compared to the pain I feel inside.

“Mum’s never gotten over Saskia’s disappearance,” Curtis says quietly. “She’s had three breakdowns so far.”

I unlock the door. I’m bare from the waist up but I don’t care.

“The day we got the legal declaration of Saskia’s death, Mum tried to kill herself.”

My hand hesitates on the doorknob. That was just two weeks ago. No wonder Curtis is struggling.

“This was a last resort. One final attempt to find out the truth. Because she’ll do it again.”

Slowly I turn.

Curtis looks almost as broken as he did when the Mountain Rescue called off the search for his sister. “If we found a body, it would give Mum some closure. We could, you know”—his voice cracks—“bury her. Or at least learn what happened to her. It’s the not knowing that’s the worst. Mum imagines all this terrible stuff, like someone kidnapped her or something, when it was probably an accident. I thought maybe I could bring her a little peace of mind. But I never intended this.”

I look for my top but can’t see it, so I fold my arms across my chest. “So what did you intend?”

“A fun weekend. A chance to catch up and talk about old times.” He peels a duvet off the bed and drapes it over me. “Here, have this or you’ll freeze.”

I hug it around me, the fabric smooth and cold against my bare breasts.

“The plan was to get you all drunk and see if I could get some answers. Or even a clue. A reason. Anything. I sensed back then that there were things you weren’t telling me, but after so much time had passed, I thought you might be ready to talk.” He rubs his bare biceps. “Maybe I’d learn something and maybe I wouldn’t, but at least I would have tried. Want to sit?”

I shake my head. All the lies he told me. I feel sick.