Now Brooke understood why Poppy had come into her bedroom in such a state. Brooke looked at Poppy with fear in her eyes. She was vulnerable as it was, but with all these details about their cabin and what Poppy had found, it was sending her once more into a scary, crazy place where those mental visions of being attacked came back to haunt her again. ‘Oh my God! Poppy, don’t tell me anything more about the place. Let’s just go. This is so strange. I need to figure this out. I tell you what. Let’s go to Grandpa’s place. He’ll know what to do.’

‘Well, just grab a change of clothes and let’s go now. Mother will be home soon.’

They agreed to leave the suitcases in situ. Brooke pulled a small holdall from under her bed and threw a few bits in.

Poppy eyed up the sweatshirts. ‘Throw in one for me. They’re nice.’ She was surprised that Brooke had so many lovely clothes. ‘And that pair of jeans. You’ve got loads.’

Brooke did as she was told, and, within a few minutes, they were packed and ready to leave. They hurried down the stairs, but, as they reached the front door, they both stopped dead in their tracks. There, looking white-faced, stood their father. Brooke’s body language urged Poppy to do something.

‘Hello, girls. Where are you off to at this time of night?’

Poppy observed that their father didn’t even act surprised that Brooke was out of her room. In fact, he appeared washed out with a couldn’t-give-a shit attitude.

‘We’re just going to a friend’s slumber party. See you tomorrow.’

Alastair frowned and stared at the two girls. ‘It’s a bit late to go to a friend’s house, isn’t it?’ His expression changed to a knowing smirk that had Brooke shaking in her boots.

‘Hello! Dad, we’re not twelve years old, you know. And why would we be answering to you? Christ, when I was at uni, you never worried then.’

He slowly looked down at the holdall that was not zipped up and bulging with clothes. ‘A slumber party, eh?’

Poppy barged past him. ‘Yes, that’s right. See you later.’

Suddenly, he gripped her arm. ‘Not so fast. Where’s your mother?’

‘At her meeting. Let go of me, Dad. You’re hurting me.’

He released his grip and stepped aside, silently watching as they tried to slide past. Out of the corner of his eye, he recognized something poking out of Poppy’s back pocket that he knew she shouldn’t have. Instantly, he grabbed her arm again before she got through the front door, and roughly, he pulled her back inside. Brooke was horrified.

‘What the hell are you two up to?’ he growled, as he pulled the paper from her pocket and waved it in front of her face.