Page 57 of 36 Hours

‘There are a few ways to get to them,’ Kim said, trying to figure out the quickest route to the Four Stones. She and Barney had spent many hours exploring the four-hundred-acre site but had very rarely hiked to the top as it was often busy with dog walkers, which didn’t please either her or Barney.

‘Turn left here,’ she said. Of the three car parks, the St Kenelm’s Pass Lane was the closest, but the hike was up a fairly steep hill, approximately one kilometre long.

‘Shit,’ Kim said as they pulled into the car park. Three other cars were there.

‘Bloody dog walkers,’ Bryant said to lighten the mood.

A bit strange given that it was almost nine and the pathways weren’t lit.

‘You ready?’ she asked as they got out of the car.

‘One sec,’ he said, taking out his phone.

He snapped a photo of each number plate. It was a sensible move that she should have thought of herself. Her own focus was on the time it was going to take them to get to the top.

They were eight minutes to the deadline. After that, it was fair game.

One kilometre up a steep hill to get to the box and the next clue.

There was no way in hell they were going to make it on time.

FORTY-FOUR

8.58P.M.

Penn couldn’t throw off the mortification he felt at his own poor performance.

Not only had he failed to get his head around the clue, but he had also allowed himself to become too focussed on Hiccup and what the poor guy was going through. On top of that he’d had a meltdown in front of the boss and been benched like a naughty kid being put in time out.

He hadn’t rested, but he had taken the time in the Bowl to get his head straight and remove it from his ass.

And all the while, his colleague was growing more and more fatigued from carrying his weight today.

Despite the boss’s instructions to remain put, he had decided that Stacey needed the rest more than he did. Now, he could see she was managing to get a catnap in the Bowl.

‘Jeez, there are times I’m glad I work alone,’ Frost said.

‘Yeah, your colleagues probably agree,’ Penn replied.

‘Funny,’ she said before leaving her desk.

She grabbed his mug on the way past, so he knew she hadn’t taken offence.

He was about to turn back to the list of volunteers when his phone buzzed an alarm. It was 9.01 and he needed to check the boards on the Seekers site.

He clicked into the main puzzle board and there it was, a brand-new post giving the clue.

‘Damn it,’ Penn muttered. He’d never been up to the Four Stones, but a quick look on Google Maps had told him it was quite the hike, and the boss probably wasn’t even there yet.

More importantly, there were now almost seven people actively watching the puzzle.

This thing was getting more and more attention, and that was exactly what this sicko desired.

FORTY-FIVE

9.05P.M.

‘What the hell?’ Kim cried as they reached the top of the hill.