Hours later, Clare still hadn’t returned. Faye, who’d cleaned up the mess made by the baboons and lugged all the boxes to the cabin where she could lock the door and windows, had given herself a deadline: if the girl wasn’t back by three o’clock, she’d head out on the trail to look for her. It was one thing to give Clare her space, but another to be left to worry for so long.

She wondered if she’d find the young woman close by. Perhaps she was at the stream, behaving like a sulky teenager who couldn’t get her way. Faye thought about Clare’s obvious annoyance when she had appeared at the cabin the previous day. She’d wanted to be left alone. But then, after they’d had such an enjoyable evening, Faye had imagined Clare had reconsidered her attitude. Obviously not.

It worried her that Clare hadn’t eaten all day. She would, she decided, put some food in her backpack just in case, when she found her, Clare agreed to eat. But what? What would the young woman be most likely to accept? Faye had noticed Clare’s daypack under her bed in the cabin. Would it be rude to open it and look at what hiking snacks she’d packed for herself? If there was anything there, she’d know what the girl would be most inclined to eat. It wasn’t really snooping if the intentions were honourable, was it?

She peered out the window to check that Clare wasn’t approaching and picked up the bag. It contained a water bottle; space blanket; beanie; small canvas bag holding tweezers, matches, plasters, headache tablets and lip-ice; thick notebook with pencil attached to it with string; small packet of peanuts and raisins; an apple; and two energy bars. The bars were similar to those Faye had packed for herself and Derek. Faye also had nuts and oranges, the latter of which would hopefully be an acceptable exchange for Clare’s apple.

Pleased with her ingenuity, she was about to close Clare’s bag when curiosity got the better of her conscience. She glanced out the window again and, again seeing no one, took the notebook out of the bag and opened it.

It was a day-by-day account of the food Clare had eaten, calories in brackets alongside each item and the total consumption each day. Daily exercise undertaken was also recorded. Faye grimaced. Poor kid. Was this what it was like to be anorexic? Obsessive control and monitoring? Clare had included additional notes here and there.

“Butter on Provita today. First time in two years!”

“Upped weekly intake by an average of 165 calories per day. Getting there.”

“Felt lightheaded on run. Need to add protein to morning meal. Look into shake.”

“Department tea party. Managed okay.”