Keeping a grip on her panic, Steph left the boathouse the way she had got in, only this time wrapping her phone in a cloth and plastic bag so she could pass it under the roller door quickly and place it on the boardwalk before she swam underneath. This way her phone would be in the water for even less time. Once she was out of the boathouse, she ran as fast as she could back round the lake, through the trees and towards the main centre of the resort. It was only when she reached the swimming pool that she slowed down to a jog, hoping once again not to attract any attention. It was dark and no one would notice she was wet; all she had to do was make it through the house and to her room without anyone seeing her.

Fortunately the way was clear, and it was not without a great deal of relief that Steph closed her bedroom door and locked it. She slumped down on the floor, catching her breath, and took her phone from her pocket. She unwrapped it from the protective layers and was relieved to see it was still working.

With her legs bent up, she rested her elbows on her knees and held her head in her hands as she took time to process what she had just discovered. As much as she wanted there to be some other explanation or some way that Harry wasn’t involved, she couldn’t find one. She had to be careful now; she was in more danger than she had thought. This wasn’t just about Elizabeth’s death, it was also about drug-dealing and blackmail. She began shivering and knew she needed to get out of the wet clothes and take a hot shower.

As the water pummelled her bare skin, she felt the blind panic from earlier clearing. She had to think straight and work out what she was going to do next. Was there anyone she could trust? Was her mother really involved more deeply than she thought she might have been? What if Wendy had known about the drug-dealing? Had she been on the Sinclair payroll? God, it sounded like a bloody gangster movie – she could hardly believe she was seriously considering this as a plausible explanation.

As Steph stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her body and another around her hair, there was a sudden and loud banging on her door.

‘Steph? You in there? It’s me, Harry.’

Steph froze for the second time that night at the sound of his voice.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Conmere, Wednesday, 15 May, 10.30 p.m.

Harry was certain Steph was in her room – he’d heard the shower running just a little while ago. He thumped on the door with the heel of his hand. ‘Steph! Open the door.’