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    But trying to get the others to focus on our plans was impossible. They were tired, downbeat and shell-shocked. So I suggested it was time we went upstairs and unpacked.
    Nicole and I made for the master bedroom which was big and bright, with a king-size bed, a dresser, and two stand-alone wardrobes with full-length mirrored doors. The room overlooked the front of the house with a view of the moor. There was also an en-suite bath and shower room which was fully tiled and had two wash basins.
    The kids managed to decide which of the remaining rooms they were going to have without arguing over it. Nicole had much more stuff than I did so when my case was empty I slid it under the bed and went to check on the kids. Michael was lying on his bed reading acomic he’d brought with him. His room was already a mess with his belongings spread around like debris from a hurricane.
    Tina was still putting her clothes away, neatly folded or on hangers. Jeans and blouses in the wardrobe; T-shirts and sweaters in the drawers. She took after her mother in that she liked things to be organized . I was the exact opposite, even in the office, which frustrated and sometimes infuriated the other lawyers in the practice.
    ‘Are you feeling better?’ I asked her.
    ‘I’ve stopped shaking at least,’ she said with a smile that did not quite reach her eyes.
    ‘Well try to forget about what happened. I guarantee no more animals will be getting into this house. And that includes snakes.’
    ‘I’ll hold you to that, Pops.’
    I put my arm around her. ‘I love you so much, sweetheart. And I really want you to have a good time here.’
    ‘I’ll try,’ she said. ‘But I still think we should have gone to Florida.’
    Tina had clearly been rattled by what had happened but I hoped that she wouldn’t let it bother her for long. Although she was strong willed and assertive, she was also at that vulnerable age when behavioural problems can be triggered by traumatic events.
    I left Tina to it and strolled around upstairs getting acquainted with our temporary home. It seemed like a good, solid property with fresh paint on the walls along with a collection of impressive watercolour paintings depicting scenes from the forest. The house was also spotlessly clean – which was probably why I noticed the large stain on the beige carpet in what was now the spare bedroom. I hadn’t seen it before because I’d been otherwise engaged, but now I could see it clearly. It was circular in shape and about two feet across. It looked to me as though someone had spent a lot of time trying to get the stain out with carpet cleaner.
    On closer inspection I saw that it had a reddish tint to it. So I wondered if perhaps a previous guest had spilled a drink or had even had some kind of accident which had resulted in him or her bleeding profusely onto the carpet. It was a shame because the carpet looked brand new along with the pine furniture in the room. It seemed that Mr Slade had gone to a lot of trouble to make the place comfortable and cosy.
    After unpacking, Nicole suggested that we should all try to get some shut-eye so we could make the most of the evening. It sounded good to me because by this time my brain and body were aching from jet lag. Earlier I had intended to make mad, passionate love to my wife. But nothing could have been further from my mind when we finally slipped between the sheets. I could not stop thinking about the weird things that had happened to us today. The dead snake, the open doors and that awful, rancid smell. What a way to start a vacation.

9
    I managed to sleep for about two hours. It was Michael who woke me by coming into the bedroom to tell us he was hungry. It never ceased to amaze me how often he said that – and how much he actually ate during the course of a day. It was a mystery why he was still as skinny as a garden hose.
    Nicole was already awake so she was the one who