“Odette Gaulin!” the commentator shouts.

Oh shit. That was bad timing. Or maybe good timing, because it saved me from having to answer.

“What?” Odette says.

“I’ll tell you later,” I say.

“Tell me what?”

She looks worried now. I shouldn’t have said anything. “Go.”

She turns reluctantly and checks her bindings. Shakes her head like she’s trying to clear it. And drops in.

“Massive Tail Grab!” the commentator shouts as she lands her first hit. “And she stomps it!”

Speeding across to the opposite wall, Odette launches upward and flips upside down.

And catches the lip of the pipe. With her face.

A gasp bursts out of me and most of the spectators, but the worst is yet to come. Her body is still directly above her head and tipping in the wrong direction.

It’s sickening to watch. I can see what’s going to happen but I can’t do a thing except sit there, fingers clenching into fists, as her pale neck bends backward to an impossible degree. Until her body does a terrible sort of flip-flop and slithers down the wall to the pipe floor.

“Oooh! Horror slam for Odette Gaulin!” the commentator shouts.

CHAPTER 55

PRESENT DAY

Curtis enters the restaurant with a banana in either hand. “Will this do you for now?”

I put my finger to my lips. He sees the stag’s head and frowns. Silently I show him how the thin cable runs down the wall between the wooden panels, across the top of the mantel shelf, then down to a power socket above the skirting board.

“Is it a camera?” Ridiculous that I feel the need to whisper. If someone was watching us, they’ll have seen me lift it.

“Probably.”

“Would it have sound, too?”

“Could well do.” Curtis grips the wooden plaque, clearly tempted to rip the thing from the wall, though in the end he leaves it hanging there and tugs me over to the doorway.

I lean in close. “A normal security camera wouldn’t be hidden like that.”

“No.”

“Do you think there’s more?”

He closes his eyes. “Could be all over the place. They could watch it from their laptop, or a phone or whatever.”

“But why?”

“I don’t have an answer for that yet. But I’m guessing that’s why they turned the power back on. The battery probably only lasts a few hours.” He picks up his snowboard. “Come on. Sooner we get this search over with, the sooner we can get out of here.”

“Shouldn’t we warn Brent?”

Curtis bites his lip.

“He needs to know.” Even if Curtis doesn’t trust Brent, I do. I think.

Curtis hands me the bananas. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.” Snowboard under his arm, he jogs off.