‘My latest dare was to scratch “KUNDELA” into a cop car and take a photo. But then they said it had to be one of your cars: Badenhorst or Pakinga. Madison sends the tasks, but she reckons she’s getting them from Kundela – which is all bullshit – but when she starts “channelling Kundela” her voice changes and everything. And this Kundela tells us on the other side of the portal we’ll be kings and queens. But before that afterlife, you have to keep proving your worth.’

‘You know it’s bullshit, but you’re doing it anyway?’ said Murphy.

Carl bared his teeth. Murphy clamped the pressure point at the top of his trapezius – as always, shock and adrenaline were the best truth serum. Carl stammered, ‘Madison’s blackmailing me. The day they went missing, up on the trail, I was the one who knocked out Miss Ellis – that was the dare Madison had given me. Now she’s making me keep playing, else she’ll expose me.’

‘You’re the one who hit Eliza?’ said Gabriella.

‘Madison made me! She’s an animal. She’s got all those girls wrapped around her finger. Denni was convinced: she finished all ninety-nine of the tasks Kundela gave her, and then she killed herself on the mountain. Because that’s the way to get through the portal: the hundredth task. I bet that’s why Bree killed herself. I didn’t know what my sister was doing, but there’s no way that’s —’

A police car pulled up beside them, the siren giving a short whoop.

Murphy kept his gun against Carl’s chin. ‘Did Jasmine play the game?’

‘No. Bree said Jasmine didn’t know anything about it,’ said Carl.

Constable Cavanagh stepped out of the police car and Murphy pulled the gun away from Carl’s chin, although he kept a hold of him.

‘Con? Gabriella?’ said Cavanagh. ‘Someone reported a confrontation here. They found your Eliza – she was at the hospital with Wren. Except it was Monica, not Eliza. She was just driving Eliza’s car.’

‘That’s impossible, Monica was with us,’ said Con, turning to Murphy. He saw the realisation dawn in Murphy’s face, just as it occurred to him. ‘We’re idiots.’

Murphy loosened his grip and Carl scrambled away, sprinting off down the road.

‘We let her go,’ said Murphy.

‘That’s not all,’ said Cavanagh. ‘Someone saw Eliza and Madison in Tom’s Landcruiser, headed up to the Tiers. When they heard the report of people chasing Eliza, they called it in.’

Something occurred to Con. ‘Could Eliza know more about the Kundela Game than she told us?’

‘If she knows the Kundela Game is the reason Denni killed herself . . .’ said Gabriella.

‘Then she blames Madison for Denni’s death,’ said Con.

‘Where would she be taking Madison?’ said Gabriella.

‘The cliff from the video,’ said Con, while at the same time, Murphy said, ‘These so-called Sacred Cliffs.’