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He stopped and shrugged. “I guess just those two things.”

“So they did come here?”

“They did. We showed them that all the animals had been accounted for, they were satisfied with the evidence and went on their way,” Davey said, stretching his arms. “It’s genuinely tragic that the boy died. I can completely see why people would be suspicious of us despite not knowing what goes on here. Yet, to my knowledge and Kelvin’s it genuinely wasn’t us. Kelvin even conducted his own investigation after the police.”

“Why?”

“Why do you think? You’re meant to be the detective!”

“I’m a biologist, not a detective!” Steph snapped. Even so, shebit her lip and looked at the ground. It was Davey’s turn to fold his arms; the look on his face suggested he was enjoying himself. Steph found this irritated her more than it should.

She pondered everything she had seen. It had been a long day and she was tired, but the way Davey had spoken made her feel like she was missing something obvious. Something stupidly obvious. A large bird of prey screeched overhead in the fading light, momentarily distracting Steph. Then a thought started to spread.

“He is worried that something is going on that he doesn’t know about because he is concerned about the DNA of the specimens getting out,” Steph said suddenly, still looking down, pawing the ground with her toe. “He is, from what little I have seen, a man who likes to be in control. The police coming around will have disturbed him. He was worried that it genuinely was one of his animals that got out, although not because he was worried about his enclosure but because he suspected someone let it out.”

Steph looked up. Davey clapped slowly.

“Well, more the black-market DNA thing,” Davey said, “but I suppose the other stuff fits too. Anyway, follow me.”

“Why?” Steph asked, straightening her back.

“Because I assume you want to know where you’re sleeping, don’t you?”

Steph watched Davey turn without waiting for an answer. He headed towards the entrance. Steph growled to herself, hoping an angry exhale would help her remain level-headed. She needed to keep her wits about her. Too much was going on.. The bird of prey screeched again in the distance.

Davey took her through the house to a corridor lined with oak doors. It still surprised Steph how large the inside of the house was compared with what she could see from the outside. Davey selected one of the doors and opened it, then made a sweeping gesture with his arm and waited. Steph walked past, making sureto hit him with her shoulder as she did so. She didn’t apologise and was satisfied to hear Davey tut and walk off.

Steph walked further into the room. It was nice. Modest in size but, with an ensuite, it was comfortable. Like elsewhere, there was a lot of wood finishing, making it feel cosy.

Steph intended to make use of this time to herself to write down what she had seen and gather her ideas, as well as trying to get her head around the fact she was suddenly employed – something her parents would be all too pleased about. Instead, she lay on the bed and promptly fell asleep.

THIRTEEN

When Steph awoke, she found a note under her door: an invitation to breakfast from Daniel. He seemed to have taken it upon himself to help Steph integrate into the house. He gave her another guided tour of the rooms used for living as well as the dining room which was attached to a large kitchen. There was the freedom to cook what you wanted with groceries delivered weekly. There had been a chef, but he had fallen out with Kelvin when he wouldn’t let him hunt one of the bison intended to feed the bears and the wolves. It didn’t help that he had killed one of the two moose. They were meant to breed. Daniel then admitted he hadn’t really come across the other moose for a while either.

It seemed crazy to Steph that such a place, which generated no money, could be kept up and running at such great expense. It was, in her mind, the ultimate vanity project. Not the worst. There had definitely been worse. However, it was the supreme.

Having eaten a small bowl of porridge and drunk half a coffee, Steph made a list of notes: a plan for the day. Then she scribbled half of it out. It would be impossible to do everything she wished. She supposed she should first consider her contract to Kelvin and, secondly, continue to conduct her own business.

The largest part of her, along with Daniel’s enthusiasm, wanted to focus on the hybrids, the animals brought back from the ever-distant past. But then she stopped and thought. She scrapped that idea. It was self-indulgent. It made sense first to get a grip on the environment. She needed to go walking.

Nobody had really explained to her what the rules were regarding walking amongst the wildlife. She had been given some key cards and codes by Davey, so she assumed that she was free to make her own choices, that there was a level of trust once the contract was signed. Kelvin had come to her after all. Sortof. After she’d come to him. Anyway, he had offered her the job without any application from her. She supposed he must trust her. Trust her enough anyway.

What Steph wanted to do was head out for a couple of days. Camp overnight. Make the most of her time before coming back, consider her findings and then plan further. Without a tent or a good enough knowledge of the hybrids – she had settled on calling them that in her head as she did not deem them genuine pre-historic relics – she thought it would be sensible to return to the house for the night after the walk. Camping could wait.

“Where do you think you’re going?” came Davey’s voice as Steph opened the front door, her backpack over one shoulder.

“Walking!” she replied.

Davey sighed, swore and then told her to wait two minutes.

It was thus that Steph found that she would have an unwanted companion on the walk.

“I don’t need you with me,” she said as they walked through the woodland that patched the land, noticing the tell-tale signs of wild boar on the ground.

“You do need me,” Davey replied. “Or Michael. Michael would have been better, to be honest, but he has the day off. He’s gone to Edinburgh to look at the castle or something. Whatever these Americans like to do when they’re over here.”

“What do I need you for?” Steph asked. “I know what I’m doing. I know what precautions to take and when to be sensible.”