Steph slid down the wall and dangled her legs over the edge of the boardwalk and into the water. She had to forcibly quell the yelp which wanted to escape at the shock of the coldness. Slowly she lowered herself into the water. She was hip-deep before she made contact with the muddy bed of the lake. She felt her shoes sink a little way into the squelchy mud but fortunately no further than an inch or so. She was beyond the point of return. She could hear Harry’s footsteps getting closer. Her phone was in the zipped breast pocket of her jacket and there was no way of avoiding its getting wet.

With just a second’s hesitation, Steph took in a big gulp of air and submerged herself fully under the water. She kept her eyes closed and allowed her hands to find the way as they groped for the bottom of the roller door before she propelled herself underneath. The gap was just big enough for her to swim under. She was conscious of making ripples and splashes in her wake, and pushed her feet into the lake bed. Two or three seconds later she was inside the boathouse. She stood up but stayed perfectly still so as not to cause any more disturbance to the water. Very carefully she unzipped her breast pocket and took out her phone. She dared not check it and was grateful she’d put it on silent before she’d left her room. Her torch was in her other hand. She had no idea if that would still work.

She listened carefully to the sound of Harry’s booted feet on the boardwalk. She knew he wouldn’t be able to see her from the first window, as she was too far back in the building and the one behind her was blacked out. If he had keys and came in through the front doors it would give her time to swim out and maybe hide along the bank.

Harry’s footsteps came to a halt at the end of the boardwalk.

‘For Christ’s sake,’ she heard him mutter. For a long time he didn’t move and she could only imagine he was standing there, scanning the water looking for her. Then, with another curse, he marched back along the boardwalk. She could hear the car door slam and the engine start up. She waited until she was certain the car had moved off, and even then she didn’t move. She wanted to hear it disappear into the distance.