Page 50 of A Very Happy Thanksgiving
“You’re here to meet us with the key, right?”
“No, we’re not.”
“But the booking confirmation said?—”
“We have the place this week.”
Jez took a step toward the smaller building. “Oh, maybe we’re in one of the others.”
Marc and Serena didn’t move. Heath had very quietly told them not to, and they took the hint.
“No!” Frank blocked Jez’s way. “This is one property, and we booked the whole of it.”
“Then how did— Oh hell, we got scammed?”
“Or do we have the wrong place?” Emmy raised her eyes to the heavens. “Please, say we have the wrong place.”
“You have the wrong place,” KD told her.
“No, we don’t.” Jez let annoyance creep into her tone. “We used satnav, and the pictures match the website.”
Frank tried to smooth things over. “I’m sure there’s been a misunderstanding. Perhaps a technical glitch?”
“If there has, we’d better not get charged for this.”
Emmy began thumbing through her phone. “We have a booking confirmation; see? Today is November tenth.”
“There has to be some mis—” Frank peered at the screen. “Oh, I do see. That’s very odd. They must have double-booked the place.”
“Really?”
“We’ve been here for three weeks already.”
“So? Maybe you should have left yesterday, huh?”
“We’re here for another week. If you just call Couch2Castle, I’m sure they’ll help you find another place to stay.”
“My phone lost signal miles away. And why should we do all the work? Where’s your booking confirmation?”
Jez faked a yawn. “I’m too tired to drive anywhere else today.”
Frank glanced at KD, and she shrugged. “Why don’t you come inside and have a cup of coffee while we get this ironed out? We have a satellite hotspot you can use.”
“I guess we could do that.”
KD broke away and headed for Marc while Frank led the way toward the stilt house. She didn’t have a weapon. Once Jez and Emmy had neutralised Frank and anyone else in the building, Heath could handle KD. Then everyone could finally go home.
It’s almost over.
That was when I heard the cough.
CHAPTER 19
Phae
The cough came from behind me, a little to the right.
And it was followed by a harsh, “Diam!”
