Any idea that I might be able to sleep in the following morning is dashed by Joanne banging on the bedroom doors at eight o’clock and then poking her head into the room to announce breakfast will be ready in half an hour.
‘Is she serious?’ groans Andrea, snuggling further into her bed. ‘I was hoping I’d have a nice gentle wake-up call, breakfast in bed, even.’
I laugh. ‘Oh, she’s serious all right. I think she wants to head off on this hike at about ten.’
Andrea pulls the duvet back down. ‘I suppose I’d better show willing.’
I swing my feet out of bed and perch on the edge of the mattress. ‘Are you going to show the others what you found last night?’
‘I guess so. It must be part of the game. Although, I don’t know what the significance is.’
I reach over and pick up the dollar bill that Andrea found in her washbag. ‘It’s definitely meant for you, no mistake. I was wondering last night if that wedding ring Zoe found was put there by Joanne as part of the game. It could be a clue.’
‘Yeah, I thought that too. But again, I’ve no idea what the significance is. And if both Zoe and I have had something left for us, that means you’ve got something coming to you.’
‘I’m a bit nervous now,’ I say with a laugh. ‘I’m going to be on edge the whole day, waiting for something to turn up.’
I get up and make my way to the bathroom. As I stand under the shower, I let my mind drift to the game and the clues so far. Something is nagging at the back of my mind and I can’t quite put my finger on it. Something to do with the wedding ring.
It isn’t until I have finished showering and am brushing my teeth that it suddenly comes to me.
My character card, Diana, Princess of Wales, the wedding ring and the out-of-place photograph of Diana and Charles must all be connected. My card said I was an adulteress. The wedding ring signifies the marriage, the photograph is the out-of-place thing in the house.
I spit the toothpaste down the sink and rinse my mouth while musing over the US dollar bill Andrea has been left. Obviously something to do with money. I think back to yesterday where we discovered that Andrea’s character had committed a crime but not a violent one. Was bank robbing a non-violent crime? Was she a famous bank robber? Bonnie and Clyde come to mind straight away. I’ll have to look at my notebook to check. Then I will look around the house for another clue.
I can’t help grinning to myself. I quite like this game now. Of course, I won’t be able to tell Andrea. No. I’ll have to keep this to myself.
Ten minutes later, I’m downstairs with the others, tucking into a cooked breakfast Joanne has been kind enough to prepare. ‘This is really good of you,’ I say, trying to get the new day off to a fresh start. ‘I wouldn’t normally eat this at home, but somehow it’s different when I’m away. I can always manage a full English.’
‘I’m exactly the same,’ says Zoe.
‘We need to have our energy levels high for today’s hike,’ says Joanne.
‘Notice she didn’t say walk,’ says Andrea, raising an eyebrow. ‘The word hike is slightly unsettling me.’
‘You’ll love it,’ says Joanne. ‘It really is a beautiful walk, and the waterfall and vantage point at the end is well worth the effort. I’ve prepared a packed lunch for each of us. If you can all carry your own, that will save one of us carrying too much.’
‘Before we head off, I have something to tell you,’ says Andrea. She puts her knife and fork together, pushing the plate away. She leans back so she can get her hand in the front pocket of her trousers and produces the money she’d found the night before. She puts it on the table.
‘What’s that?’ says Zoe, picking up the note.
‘That was in my washbag last night.’ Andrea looks over at Joanne.
‘Don’t look at me,’ says our hostess.
‘Too late,’ I say with a laugh. ‘You most definitely got the look.’
‘Anyway, as I say, it was in my washbag. I definitely didn’t bring it with me, so I can only assume it’s part of the game,’ says Andrea.
‘What does it mean?’ asks Zoe, inspecting both sides of the note.
‘We haven’t worked that bit out yet,’ says Andrea. ‘Feel free to share any ideas.’
Zoe frowns. ‘Sorry, I don’t have any. I don’t think I’m going to win this game. I have no idea what’s going on.’
‘All will become clear,’ says Joanne. ‘Keep playing.’
‘Can we ask our next three questions?’ I ask. ‘That will give me something to think about today.’
Ten minutes and nine questions later, we can add some more details to our notebooks.
‘To summarise,’ I say. ‘Zoe, we now know these things about your criminal activities. You acted alone. You went to prison but you are now out. You were in the newspapers. It was to do with a bank and it was in the last twenty years.’
‘Aha, I think I know who you might be,’ says Andrea, a satisfied look on her face. ‘All I need now is to find a clue around this place.’
‘Remember, don’t say anything until tomorrow evening,’ says Joanne.
Andrea mimes zipping her mouth closed and sits back with folded arms.
‘OK, Miss Clever-Clogs,’ says Zoe. ‘Let’s ask Carys her questions. I’ll go first.’
‘Fire away,’ I say.
Five minutes later, Zoe is studying her notebook. ‘This is hard. I can’t think who you might be. You were in the public eye. You were very popular. You were not a TV celebrity. You were not a singer. You married someone famous. Wait a minute … I think I know who you are. Damn it, I want to ask another question but I can’t.’
‘What about you Andrea? You any the wiser?’ I ask.
‘Possibly.’ Andrea taps her notebook with her pencil.
‘We need to get off on our walk soon. Are you going to ask Andrea any questions?’ says Joanne.
‘I’ll ask first,’ says Zoe. ‘Andrea, we know from yesterday you are a criminal, so my first question today is, are you a murderer?’
Andrea nods. ‘Yes.’
‘Question two. Were you caught for your crime?’
‘She must have been,’ I say. ‘We wouldn’t know about it otherwise.’
‘But you’ve asked the question and can’t change your mind now,’ says Andrea. ‘And the answer is yes.’
‘Knickers,’ huffs Zoe. ‘I didn’t think of that. OK, last question from me. Did you hang for your crime?’
A stilled silence swamps the room. Joanne throws me a sideways look and then exchanges one with Andrea. Of all the questions Zoe could have asked, she had to mention hanging. It seems like minutes but in fact it is only a couple of seconds. I realise everyone is waiting for my reaction. I swallow, fake a smile and urge Andrea to answer the question.
‘Oh, God, sorry,’ says Zoe, her hand flying to her throat. ‘I didn’t mean …’
I wave her apologies away and give her a reassuring smile. ‘Don’t be silly. It’s fine. Honestly. So, Andrea, yes or no?’ I’m not sure who I’m trying to convince the most that I’m fine, them or me. I will Andrea to answer the question so we can move on.
‘Yes. I did,’ says Andrea.
‘My questions,’ I say. I want to get this over with as soon as possible. The air in the room is thick and oppressive. Indoors is where the demons lurk. I need fresh air. I need space. Open space. I concentrate on asking my questions. ‘Did you live in the UK?’
‘Yes.’
‘Was it in the north?’
‘Yes.’
‘Manchester?’ I’ve no idea why it would be Manchester, I just want to get my questions over with.
‘No.’
‘That’s that all done,’ I say. The claustrophobia won’t go away. The walls of the dining room have moved in several metres. The windows are smaller and the doorway is disappearing like something from Alice in Wonderland. I get up abruptly. The scraping of the chair legs on the floor is amplified by the small surroundings, the noise claws at my eardrums. I need to get out before the door gets any smaller and the walls squash the air from me.
I fumble with the door handle on my first attempt, but manage to stagger out into the hallway. Not bothering to grab my coat, I make for the front door. The fresh cold air of the Scottish countryside hits me full in the face, knocking the breath back down my throat. I gulp. Stand tall. Gulp again. I take a deep controlled breath in, hold for the count of three and then release slowly. I repeat this several times.
‘Carys! You OK?’ It’s Andrea.
Before I can turn, I can feel the weight of my jacket being rested on my shoulders. ‘Put your coat on, it’s cold out here this morning and you’re shivering.’
I hadn’t noticed, but now that I’m more in control I can feel the difference in my body temperature. I glance over my shoulder and Joanne and Zoe are standing in the doorway, concern etching their faces.
‘I’m OK,’ I call. I give a smile and then turn to Andrea. ‘Sorry about that. Had a funny turn.’
‘I didn’t think you had those any more.’
‘From time to time. Certain things can trigger them off.’ I zip up the jacket.
‘I’m guessing it was the …’ Andrea’s voice trails off.
I nod. ‘Yeah, it was that bit. Took me by surprise, that’s all. Forget about it. I feel a bit of an idiot.’
‘Don’t be daft. No one thinks that. It was insensitive of Joanne to include a character who’d … well, you know.’
‘I’m sure it wasn’t intentional,’ I say, noting my voice lacks conviction.