BooksBarbecue
Back The Last Guests
Chapters (54)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. PART ONE
  6. ONE
  7. TWO
  8. THREE
  9. FOUR
  10. DEADLY SAS RAID IN AFGHANISTAN UNDER SCRUTINY
  11. FIVE
  12. SIX
  13. SEVEN
  14. EIGHT
  15. NINE
  16. TEN
  17. ELEVEN
  18. TWELVE
  19. THIRTEEN
  20. FOURTEEN
  21. FIFTEEN
  22. SIXTEEN
  23. SEVENTEEN
  24. EIGHTEEN
  25. NINETEEN
  26. TWENTY
  27. PART TWO
  28. TWENTY-ONE
  29. TWENTY-TWO
  30. TWENTY-THREE
  31. TWENTY-FOUR
  32. TWENTY-FIVE
  33. TWENTY-SIX
  34. TWENTY-SEVEN
  35. TWENTY-EIGHT
  36. TWENTY-NINE
  37. DANIEL MOORE: ‘A SINGLE BLOKE, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY, A BIT OF A DUNCE BUT WITH A GOOD HEART,’ BEST FRIEND SAYS.
  38. THIRTY
  39. THIRTY-ONE
  40. THIRTY-TWO
  41. THIRTY-THREE
  42. THIRTY-FOUR
  43. THIRTY-FIVE
  44. BREAKING: POLICE CONFIRM DANIEL MOORE ACTED ALONE
  45. THIRTY-SIX
  46. THIRTY-SEVEN
  47. THIRTY-EIGHT
  48. THIRTY-NINE
  49. SECOND ARREST MADE IN WESTAY HIDDEN CAMERAS CASE
  50. EPILOGUE
  51. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  52. Discover More
  53. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  54. Also by J. P. Pomare

He’s frowning again. ‘I might go see Wiremu and Melissa. Give them a heads-up that we will have people staying.’ He scratches a blade of grass from his stubble.

I’d guess only about one in four houses around the lake are occupied year-round, the rest are holiday homes.

‘I’ll come,’ I say. The thought of being alone at the moment makes my stomach tighten. I have this feeling something is about to snap.

We set off together up the driveway towards the road.

Daniel is in Rotorua. He has my number and my wedding ring. I could always change my number, block him. I’ll have to explain the missing ring to Cain somehow though.

Wiremu and Melissa’s place is a big wooden house, angled out from the hill towards the lake. It’s not changed since I was a kid. When Cain knocks, I can hear someone coming towards the door.

‘Hello,’ Melissa says, leaning her brown sun-creased face out. ‘Cain, Lina, how are you both?’

Melissa has wild grey hair and a slightly lazy eye. ‘Hi, Melissa,’ Cain says. ‘We’re good, thanks. We just wanted to let you know that Lina and I are going to be renting our place out on WeStay, so you might see a few more strangers on the road.’

‘Oh,’ she says, frowning a little. ‘WeStay, right. Well, that’s fine. We’ll keep an eye out.’

‘Yeah, I’m sure there won’t be any issues but if you hear loud music or notice anything amiss, feel free to text or call us.’

‘No worries, Cain. I better make sure I have the right number for you both. Did you let anyone else in the community know?’

Cain scratches his stubble. ‘To be honest, I think they’re all far enough away that they won’t notice.’

She bites her lips. ‘Sure, well if anyone asks, we will let them know. It’s not like you’re the first around here to rent your place out to holidaymakers. Sue and Ian Cosgrove across the lake have their place listed while they’re in Greece.’

‘It’s good for the area. Brings tourists in,’ Cain says.

‘And we all know how much everyone loves tourists.’ A smile now to let us know there’s no meanness in it. ‘A bit more money pumping into the cafe and Buried Village doesn’t hurt I suppose. We don’t mind either way so long as they’re tidy and respectful.’