She looked back out across the water, the compulsion to take more photographs having now vanished. Steph sat down on the ground, her eyeline level with the top of the bushes and brush which bordered the edge of the path. It was so lovely to feel the warmth of the sun on her face, feel the gentle breeze on her skin, to listen to the birds chirping around her and the water lapping at the edge of the lake. She closed her eyes and tilted her face up to the sun. It was absolute bliss.

It was after a few minutes that she became aware of the sound of a car engine somewhere in the distance. The lake must be closer to a road than she imagined. It took a few seconds for her to realise the lake wasn’t anywhere near a road.

From her position on higher ground, she could see a car making its way along the edge of the water, heading towards a small boathouse she hadn’t noticed before. It was too far away to see what type of car of it was, but it looked like a silver-coloured 4x4. Steph lifted her camera and looked through the lens, adjusting the focus to zoom in on the vehicle. Dominic was driving, and a man she didn’t recognise was in the passenger seat. More out of habit than a conscious decision, Steph clicked the button on her camera and took several shots. She lowered the camera and followed the car with her naked eye; it was still heading for the boathouse, slowing down and then pulling up alongside it.

Steph raised her camera once more and again zoomed in. She could see Dominic’s face clearly, as if he were standing right in front of her. He climbed out of the car and looked around, before closing the door. He said something to his companion, who was also out of the car, and the two men went to the boot. Steph couldn’t see what they were doing but she kept the camera fixed on the activity. She didn’t know why, but something told her this was no ordinary visit to the boathouse.

Dominic now walked over to the boathouse and disappeared around the corner, reappearing a few seconds later as he pinned open the door. Steph shuffled onto her knees to get a better position and, still looking through her camera, watched as Dominic and the man began ferrying several large boxes from the rear of the car into the timber construction. Judging by the way they were carrying the boxes, the contents were relatively heavy but not so much so that they couldn’t manage a box each. They moved quickly and within five minutes Dominic was closing the door and making his way back to the driver’s side of the car.