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‘Have you got cameras in all the rooms?’
    ‘On my wages? You must be joking.’
    Reg was intrigued. ‘So how come you can see the footage on this gizmo?’
    ‘The camera’s got a motion sensor and it streams real-time video direct to my handheld.’
    Tearing his eyes away from the screen, Reg thrust the device into his jacket pocket. ‘You do realize this is a very serious matter, don’t you?’ he said in a stern voice. ‘Not to mention highly illegal.’
    Charlie nodded. ‘Please don’t tell Mrs Fisher or I’ll lose my job. I know I shouldn’t have done it, but I just thought it would be a bit of a laugh. As soon as she’s gone down to breakfast, I’ll go in there and get rid of the camera, I promise.’
    Reg sucked in his breath. ‘Now let’s not do anything hasty, lad. I think we’d be better off waiting until the young lady’s checked out on Monday. After all, we wouldn’t want her walking in while you’re up there fiddling with the smoke detector or she might get suspicious.’ He patted his jacket pocket. ‘And, in the meantime, I’d better keep a hold of your equipment. We wouldn’t want it falling into the wrong hands now, would we?’
    ‘Erm, no, I guess not,’ said the bemused porter.
    Reg tapped the side of his nose. ‘And not a word about this to anyone. Let’s keep it between ourselves.’ He stepped out of the broom cupboard. ‘I’d better get on with my rounds. And you’d better get down to the laundry room. The fella in the Betjeman had a little accident last night. Something he ate disagreed with him apparently and his bed needs stripping. You’ll need to give everything a good boil wash, mind.’
    Charlie’s shoulders drooped at the thought of the unappetizing task that lay ahead. ‘Right you are.’ He watched as the older man lumbered down the corridor. Reg Cundy was a dirty old dog and no mistake.

4
    Dante was taking Jess for her usual early morning walk in Ashwicke’s sprawling grounds when, quite without warning, the heavens opened. When he left the house half an hour earlier, the sky had been bright and filled with cottony clouds. Unfamiliar with the vagaries of the British weather, he’d ventured outdoors without an umbrella. Big mistake: in another few minutes he’d be soaked to the skin. Sighing, Dante patted his hip and called to Jess, who was having great fun chasing wood pigeons. The second she heard his voice, the pointer wheeled round and came bounding across the lawn towards him. Dante smiled; it was only his third week at Ashwicke, but already he and Jess had formed a strong bond.
    Shoving his hands in his pockets, Dante started back to the house with Jess at his side. As he walked, head bowed against the driving rain, his thoughts turned to his old life back in Aspen. There, his days typically started with a breakfast of pancakes and strong black coffee, followed by a two-hour session on the ski slopes. Afterwards, he did chores or met a friend for lunch, before heading to the bar mid-afternoon to start his shift. He was never bored or at a loose end; in a bustling resort like Aspen, there was always something to do or someone to see. Indeed, it had often seemed to Dante that there weren’t enough hours in the day. Here in Loxwood,however, it was a different story. To fill the long hours he’d been doing odd jobs at the hotel – putting up shelves, fixing leaky taps and doing bits of painting and decorating. He was happy to help out, but it was mind-numbing stuff. It wouldn’t have been so bad if he and Juliet had been working side by side, but during the day they hardly saw each other. Juliet was either manning reception, chasing after staff, or holed up in her tiny office under the stairs, hunched over a spreadsheet. Evenings were better – but even then Juliet was on permanent call in case one of her guests needed a spare blanket or there was a problem with the hot water.
    By the time Dante arrived back at the house, he looked like something