Page 78 of The Lucky Winners

Dev holds up his screen to show them the screenshot I sent him. The two detectives pore over it for a moment.

Parsons flicks back a couple of pages in her notebook. ‘You reported some vandalism a week ago, is that right?’

‘Yes, and someone threw a brick through the glass panel next to the door before we even moved in,’ Dev adds.

Parsons makes a note. ‘Going back to your disagreement with Miss Fielder, who was present in the room at that point?’

‘All of us,’ I say, discomfort making my skin crawl when I recall how everyone witnessed my meltdown.

‘Her fiancé, Jack, was there?’

‘Yes. All of us.’

‘And what did Jack have to say about it?’ Parsons says.

‘He defended Sarah,’ Dev supplies. ‘Said she was just taking a photo because she loved the room we were in.’

‘And then?’ Parsons keeps me on task.

I meet her eyes and keep my voice level. ‘Then Sarah rushed out of the house and into the rain and that was it.’

‘That was it?’ Parsons repeats.

‘Merri means that was the last we heard from her,’ Dev says quietly.

Parsons jots something down in her notebook, glancing up with a focused look. ‘And how did the other guests react when Sarah left your house?’

‘They were … confused,’ I admit. ‘Simon seemed concerned about Sarah. Jack was pleading with her not to leave until the rain had stopped but she wouldn’t listen.’

‘When did the others leave?’ Parsons asks.

‘Not long after Sarah ran out,’ Dev answers. ‘Jack went after Sarah first, but he didn’t catch up with her. He came back to grab his jacket, then took off again. Simon and Tilda looked uncomfortable and left.’

Parsons nods slowly. ‘Did you or your husband leave the property at any point during the evening or after Sarah went?’

‘We were just trying to make sense of it all,’ I say. Then, ‘I ran after her to explain but when I realized she was heading for the lake I came straight back here.’

Parsons flips to a fresh page, her pen scratching against it. ‘Do you have any external cameras on the property? CCTV?’

My stomach tightens. Dev says, ‘No. We talked about getting some after the vandalism but we haven’t got round to it yet.’

Parsons doesn’t comment, just makes another note. ‘Any neighbours with CCTV? Doorbell cameras?’

Dev shakes his head. ‘Nobody is close enough to us up here.’

‘I’ll have someone check. Nearby house cameras might have caught a car, or a person running past,’ Parsons says briskly. ‘And what about inside the house? Any security cameras or footage from that night?’

‘Nothing,’ I admit, as a wave of regret hits me. We should’ve done something about security sooner.

Parsons glances up, fixing me with a steady gaze. ‘You mentioned Sarah taking a photo. Did you see what she was photographing, or have any idea what might have caught her attention?’

I exchange a look with Dev, remembering the sharp, guilty expression on Sarah’s face when I caught her. ‘She said she just liked the room,’ I say.

Parsons studies me for a moment longer, then turns to Dev. ‘You said earlier that there were tensions in Sarah and Jack’s relationship. Can you elaborate on that?’

Dev shifts uncomfortably. ‘Jack did mention they’d been arguing. Financial stuff, mostly. He thought she wanted something different out of life – wasn’t sure they were on the same page any more. But it didn’t sound as if it was anything too serious. I didn’t think much of it at the time.’

Parsons makes another note, lips pressed into a thin line. ‘All right. We’ll be speaking to Jack and the others again, and we’ll update you if we find anything. In the meantime, if you think of something – anything at all that might help – let us know straight away.’