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That’s when I spot something that gives me pause. A footprint in the sand outside the door. It’s clearly defined – a modern running shoe print. It doesn’t match mine, a pattern I know intimately. And for it to not be blown away, it has to be fresh.
There’s someone else here.
My heart pounds in my ears as I rush back to Mariam.
But someone has beaten me to it.
Runner 501 is kneeling over her slumped form. And in his hands he holds a knife.
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Stella
The night passes fitfully. Pete, Mac and I set up camp in the administration tent, but I don’t sleep much. A couple of hours at most. At four a.m. I’ve had enough of trying, so I leaf through Jason’s notebook, using the documents on his laptop to decode his shorthand, keen to scour for any details that might help us. Jason has a lot of the information but not all of it. I’m not mentioned at all. It’s not that surprising; my presence in Ibiza had been a secret, the ‘Boones expert’ (what a joke that turned out to be) imparting insider knowledge. So he doesn’t know Yasmin’s connection to me either. That she was my half-sister.
There’s more centred around Glenn’s death. Jason had been apparently hot on the trail of the story as soon as it had been announced. He’d done more work than the police by the looks of it. Talking to neighbours, gathering CCTV footage, talking to car rental agents, parking attendants – anyone he could think of.
I haven’t spoken much to Pete about that time. After we rekindled our relationship, I avoided asking too much about Adrienne and what she had gone through. He was happy to avoid that topic, and so was I. I never expected to fall in love with Pete. Never thought I’d want to get married. Have kids of my own. But Pete showed me how different life could be with a man who could be trusted.Relied upon. Whether he will still want that life when he finds out what I’ve hidden from him, I have no idea.
Towards the back of the notebook, a few pages have been torn out. I run my fingers along the edges. Who did this? Jason? One of the volunteers? Curious.
I flip again and something else is circled in red.BOONESHOUNDS.
Seeing those words makes me grimace.
‘What is it?’ asks Pete.
I turn the page round to face him. ‘These nutjobs. Boones obsessives.’
‘Oh. The superfans?’
‘Superfans – that makes them sound benevolent. The guys in that forum are like a cult. They worship my dad and what he’s trying to do.’ I scan the page. ‘Looks like the message boards went a bit mad when Hot & Sandy was announced. All this speculation about whether it’s his ultimate race.’
‘Damn. Do you think it is?’ Pete asks, his eyes wide.
‘What the fuck is an ultimate race?’ Mac asks, coming over to join us. ‘I’m not the Booneshound – that was Jason’s domain.’
Pete jumps in to answer. ‘There have always been rumours that one day Boones would plan an ultimate race. More than just running. Something that would really put human endurance and capability to the test.’
‘And what would that entail?’
‘That’s the thing – we don’t know. It could be anything. Additional obstacles. Maybe a brain task, like code-breaking. Whatever the diabolical mind of Boones couldcome up with. He’s a genius.’ He glances at me. ‘A horrible father. But an incredible race director.’
I roll my eyes. ‘Are you kidding me? He’s a man. An ordinary one at that. All he had was an idea for a race in his backyard, which happened to be a big dark forest. It got out of hand from there.’
Pete shrugs, conceding to me. ‘No one else could do what he does, that’s certain. I don’t like the idea of Blixt taking over. The Ampersands shouldn’t be corporate.’
‘Who would take over then?’ Mac asks. He dares a sidelong glance at me, but I wave my hands in front of my face.
‘No way. If he dies –’ My mouth suddenly feels dry. This is way too real.
‘Don’t think like that,’ says Pete. ‘Here’s a thing I don’t understand, though. Why would Matthew shoot Boones? I thought Adri was the one he wants revenge on.’
My throat tightens. ‘My dad was always perceptive. Maybe he was on to him.’ I think about what my dad said.I tried to tell him to stop.
I should have tried harder.
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