Brooke tied her hair into a ponytail and began going through her wardrobe while Poppy headed down to the garden to Alastair’s man cave, as he called it. It was so dark that she couldn’t see her own hands in front of her; that was until the sensor light almost blinded her. It was so long ago when she’d last been down to the cabin, which she knew was rarely used by the family, apart from Alastair storing his old files and all their suitcases.

She used her phone to light up the lock on the door and was surprised to find it was made secure with a sturdy industrial padlock. She wondered for a moment if it had always been on there. ‘Damn!’ she said aloud. The cold air made her shiver, so she hurried back. She tried to think where her father would keep the key, and then she had a thought.

Her parents’ bedroom was a real no-go area. Neither she nor her sisters had ever been allowed in their room. She made her way back up the stairs and stood for a moment outside their door. It was as if she was entering a different house. Slowly, she turned the knob and pushed the door open. She didn’t really know what to expect, yet it all looked relatively normal. There was a large double bed, built-in wardrobes, and bedside cabinets. A sudden shudder shot through her like someone had walked over her grave. What did she really know about her parents? She knew the answer to that question, though – nothing.

She crept over to the nearest bedside cabinet and assumed it was her mother’s because it had antidepressants, a nail file, and a chick lit book inside the drawer.

The drawer to the other cabinet was full of stuff: there were keys, old phones, batteries, a small miniature bottle of whisky, a box of condoms, and a pen. She snatched the keys and left, remembering to close the door behind her, but forgetting to shut the drawers.

Grabbing her trendy oversized coat from the hallway, she chose to exit via the patio doors and hurried down to the end of the garden. She was in luck with the first key she tried and instantly she released the padlock. On entering the cabin, she used her phone again to search for the light switch.