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Chase jumped as Jane grabbed her shoulders. “Don’t creep up on me like that, you’ll give me a bloody heart attack.” She clutched her chest.

“What’s that doing here?” Jane pointed at the limousine.

“It’s for me.” She still couldn’t believe it.

Obviously Jane couldn’t either. “For you?”

“Yes, he says he’s here to take me to see the house I’ve won.”

“The house?” As if suddenly remembering the letter, Jane frowned. “You’re joking, right?”

“I’m not, but someone is.” She hesitated. “Oh I don’t know. It’s freaking me out.”

“But what if it is true?”

“How can it be? Besides, he could be anyone. I can’t go on my own, but he said something about not having instructions for me to bring a friend ... You will come, won’t you?”

“Are you joking, of course I’ll come. It’s the weekend, so I don’t have to work.”

Chase sighed with relief.

“But if it’s your prize, you can bring who you goddamn like.”

Drake walked back toward the house and Jane put her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest as though steeling herself for an argument.

“Sorry about that, Miss Black. You can bring whomever you like. I just had to check. You understand.” He shrugged.

“Damn right she can bring whom she likes,” Jane mumbled, relaxing her stance a little.

“Thanks. I understand. We’ll be ready in a minute.” Chase grabbed Jane’s arm and steered her away. She was only too aware that Jane’s bosom was on display beneath the almost diaphanous nightdress, and that Drake’s eyes kept wandering.

“Remember to pack your bags,” Drake called after them.

“Bags?”

“You’re expected to stay at the house. Didn’t the letter explain? Don’t worry, the house is fully furnished.”

Chase looked at Jane and raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Are you okay with that?”

“I haven’t got to get up to go to work tomorrow, and you certainly haven’t.” She turned to Drake. “Are they laying on free food and drink?”

“I imagine so.”

“Well that’s all we need to know.”

Chase sighed. A party was the last thing she needed at the moment. She didn’t know whether the queasy feeling in her stomach was still caused by the drink or by the uneasy sensation that settled over her like a dark cloud.

Sitting in the back of the spacious limousine, Chase felt like a rock star. The vehicle had more mod cons than her house. There was a television and
DVD
player, a games machine, and the all important drink cabinet that Jane helped herself to, the hangover dismissed in favour of free alcohol. Drake had put up a screen between them, making it appear they were cocooned within the back of the vehicle. The illusion of seclusion was made more apparent because no one could see through the blackened windows.

Chase lay down on the seat, her hands over her face.

“Get some of this down you, girl,” Jane said, pouring herself another glass of wine. “This will have you feeling fine in no time. Hair of the dog.”

Chase peeked out from behind her fingers. “Hair? I think you’re drinking the whole damn mutt. The way I’m feeling, it wouldn’t stay down.”

While Chase tried to recover, Jane rang her girlfriend, Gina on her mobile phone. Chase got the impression that Gina was not too happy about Jane going away with another girl, and if she was in her place, she supposed she would feel the same.

It was another half an hour before Chase finally sat up. She grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the drink cabinet, hoping it would stay down long enough to quench her thirst.

“You don’t get to travel in one of these every day,” Jane said, stretching out on the seat opposite. “I wish Gina could see this. Damn what we could do together in a car like this. I’m horny just thinking about it.”

“Don’t you ever think about anything else?” Chase asked, shaking her head in mock disgust.

“Sex is a beautiful thing.
P’raps
you aren’t doing it right, sugar.” She winked and licked her lips.

Chase laughed. “You’re incorrigible, and I don’t just mean your mind.” While Chase had opted for denim jeans and jacket, Jane had squeezed into a tight red dress.

“If I knew what it meant, I might agree with you.”

“Do you know where we are?”

“Haven’t got a clue.”

“That wouldn’t be the first time.” Ignoring Jane’s indignant scowl, she leaned forward and knocked on the window that shut them off from the driver.

The partition slid silently down. “How long before we get there?” She could see Drake’s steely eyes watching her in the rear-view mirror and a shiver ran down her spine.

“We’ll be at the airfield in about another ten minutes.”

“
Airfield
?” Chase and Jane said in unison.

“Yes, due to the weather, we can only reach
Paradise
by helicopter.”

“The weather?” Chase frowned.

“There’s been a band of low lying fog surrounding the village. It’s too thick to drive through.”

“But we can fly through it?”

“Not through it, over it. Don’t worry, just settle back and enjoy the trip.”

The partition slid back up before Chase could ask any further questions. “Helicopter! I feel sick enough now, never mind flying.” She collapsed back in her seat, her mind a whirl of confusion. If it was a joke, it was a damn expensive one and she couldn’t see anyone going to this much trouble to wind her up. That only left one option: that it was real, and that she really had won a cottage. Her stomach lurched in sickly anticipation.

“I’ve always wanted to fly in a helicopter. Gina will be green with envy. This is the life.”

“Well I’m a little green around the gills myself, but it isn’t through envy.” Leaning forward, she motioned for Jane to come closer. “Don’t you think this is strange,” she whispered, glancing at the front of the car.

“You’ve got to learn to relax.”

But Chase couldn’t relax. Something didn’t feel right. “So do you really think I’ve won a house?”

Jane shrugged. “I don’t know. But if you haven’t, I wish someone would play tricks like this on me.”

Chase sat back, deep in thought.

Eventually the car came to a stop at the entrance to a small airfield. Barbed wire topped the high fences surrounding the area and two armed guards were on gate duty. Chase saw one of the guards try to peer through the rear window before the other guard waved them through.
 

Beyond the runway she could see large, empty hangers, but as they turned toward the hanger furthest away, she saw the sleek, black helicopter with its blackened windows. The limousine came to a smooth stop forty feet away from the helicopter and Chase heard Drake exit the car before the rear door opened. As she stepped out onto the tarmac, a cold gust of wind ruffled her short hair and even though dressed for the weather, she shivered. Jane stepped out behind her, glass of wine still in hand as though she travelled like this all the time. She was lapping it up and Chase wished she could too, but she was still too nervous and wary to relax and enjoy it.

“Ladies, if you make your way to the helicopter, I’ll bring your bags,” Drake said, taking his cap off and throwing it in the car before taking their luggage out of the boot of the limousine.

Looking around, Chase tried to spot a sign advertising where they were, but she couldn’t see anything. There didn’t appear to be anything with writing on. What looked like a signpost had been painted over with black paint. The acrid smell of diesel filled the air, making her stomach curdle again. Walking arm in arm with Jane toward the helicopter, she expected someone to jump out and shout ‘surprise!’

“Boys and their toys,” Jane mumbled, slurring her words slightly under the influence of fresh alcohol.

The helicopter door was open and Chase climbed into the spacious rear. A pilot and co-pilot sat at the controls. Neither of them acknowledged Chase or Jane. Moments later, they fired up the engines and the rotors started to rotate.

“All settled?” Drake asked above the roar of the engines as he entered the helicopter and secured the door.

Chase nodded, feeling her stomach lurch as the helicopter left the ground. She felt quite disorientated as the nose dipped down, the ground starting to blur beneath them as they increased speed. The ride was like an uncomfortable roller coaster as they pitched and yawed across the countryside. Even Jane remained quiet, looking queasy.

With no idea how long the flight would take, she tried to sleep but couldn’t get comfortable and she kept fidgeting. Eventually she heard Drake shout, “Almost there.”

Chase opened her eyes and stared in awe at the carpet of fog obscuring the land. She could see that they were in a valley, the hills in the distance trapping the fog in a natural bottleneck. As they skimmed over the fog, an occasional tree jutted out like a strange island in a seething white sea. In the distance she could make out a hill rising from the fog like a lighthouse in a storm. The closer they got, the more she could make out. Houses became discernible, dotted across the hillside. The buildings were interspersed by trees, tall Poplars, Noble firs and Scots pine that looked like bonsai trees in an oriental setting. Most of the houses appeared old, late sixteenth, early seventeenth century, which made Chase wonder which had come first, the houses or the trees. She didn’t realise her mouth was open until Drake spoke.

“Beautiful, isn’t it.”

“Beautiful, it’s ...” Chase was lost for words. “
Paradise
.”

“And you’ve won one of those!” Jane squealed and shook her head. “Damn, why don’t I enter competitions?”

Chase didn’t say anything, too afraid that if she did, the illusion would fade and she would wake up.

The helicopter descended into a field, causing an impromptu crop circle.

“Mind your heads when we exit. Keep low and run for the lane over there.” As he opened the door, Drake pointed out a lane that snaked into the village.

Chase and Jane did as they were told and ran from beneath the rotors to stand marvelling at the village. From a lower perspective it looked even more beautiful. Many of the houses were black and white beamed structures, half hidden by the majestic trees that stood guard like proud soldiers. Chase hardly noticed the helicopter engine noise increase as it took off, banking to return the way it had come. She was too awe-struck. As the noise and draft receded, the smell of fresh pine invaded the air. Chase inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, savouring the moment and the fresh smell. She no longer felt sick; too awed to feel ill.

“Follow me,” Drake barked, striding off along the lane, a holdall slung over his shoulder and Chase’s suitcase and Jane’s overnight bag in each hand making his muscles bulge.

The fir trees lining the lane were gnarled and old. Sunlight danced through the needle foliage, stabbing the ground with flickering hypodermic shadows.

Chase saw movement from the corner of her eye and she caught sight of the grey bushy tail of a squirrel racing around the trunk of a tree. Turning to face back the way they had come, she found it surreal to see a wall of fog not two hundred feet away. It felt as though
Paradise
was cocooned from the outside world by a protective barrier, keeping civilisation and all of its problems away.