‘Morning, everyone. Did you all sleep soundly?’
‘Good thanks, Laura,’ said Lewis.
‘I hope you all got a sheet explaining what’s happening today. I asked to have them delivered to your rooms early this morning so you wouldn’t have time to confer with each other or try and work out the route we’ll expect you to take. Apologies again for keeping you in the dark, for confiscating your phones and for banning tablets but we couldn’t have you searching online for everything ahead of today and tomorrow, especially as this part involves logic, map-reading and intelligence.
‘Rules me out, then,’ said Oscar with a nervous giggle.
‘It’s going to be a busy couple of days. I’ll read through the game rules with you and make sure you’re all clear on them.
‘As you’ve now discovered, this challenge is a car-rally scavenger hunt. Anyone ever done a scavenger hunt similar to this before? No? It’s huge fun. Roxanne is going to hand out the vital packs of information that will help you solve clues and get you around the route. There’s also a map and, of course, you’ll get to drive your fabulous vehicles.’ She paused to allow Roxanne to pass the packs to the contestants. Donald, once again in his kilt, was looking less rambunctious than the day before. Nicola wasn’t next to him but had chosen instead to sit near Oscar.
‘It’s actually quite simple. On top of each pack is a red envelope. Don’t open it yet. It contains the clue to your first destination and to a treasure you need to collect along the way. You can use the packs of information to help you decipher the clues. The answers are in there somewhere.’
She stopped to check everyone understood and once satisfied continued, ‘When you decipher the clue and reach the first destination, you’ll discover one of us waiting there. We’ll then ask you a question relevant to the destination. For example, if you had worked out you needed to go to Paris, I would greet you there and I might ask you, “What did Gustave Eiffel build?” No, Oscar, you’re not going to drive to Paris,’ she added, seeing his mouth flap open.
‘Mind-reader,’ he retorted.
‘Tell us the answer and we will hand over the clues to your next destination and the treasure you will need to collect en route, and so on, until you reach the final destination. If you don’t guess the answer, you pass it. You’ll still receive your clues but you’ll have a point deducted from your final score. Please, no swearing, no cheating and no heated arguments. Actually, you can have heated arguments. In fact, it’ll be more entertaining if you do argue.’
‘We’ll be bloody hilarious then,’ mumbled Donald, earning a cold stare from Nicola.
Jim spoke up. ‘Let me get this right. We’re given clues to a destination and to a treasure we have to find along the way. Once we have worked out both clues, we head to the destination, collecting our treasure as we go. We meet you. You ask us a question about the destination in order to receive the next set of clues. If we don’t know the answer we can pass on it, incurring a penalty point.’
‘You got it, Jim. Are the rest of you clear on the rules?’
The others nodded.
‘Who gets to drive? Same as yesterday?’
‘You decide which one of you is going to drive. Once you have figured out your destination, you need to plan your route using the map.’
Jim nodded his head in approval. ‘Maps. The old-fashioned way,’ he murmured.
‘Your partner needs to read the file to find out as many facts as he or she can about each destination. It’s been laid out in easy-to-read sections for you.’
‘What if we all arrive at the first destination at the same time?’
‘It’s unlikely, especially as you have to pick up a treasure on your way to the destination. Also, you’ll be starting from different locations equidistant to the first endpoint. We’ll go with you to the starting points and will tell you when you can open your first envelope. First team to each location wins three points while the second to arrive wins one point. These points will tally up at the end of the day. The team that reaches the final destination the quickest will win an extra three points and the other team will win one point. They will also be added to your final scores.’
Jim scratched his ear thoughtfully. ‘So, the first team to a destination wins three points and the fastest around the entire circuit wins three points?’
‘Correct. You receive one point for every item or treasure you find on the hunt too. It might be an actual item or you might be asked to photograph a monument, a statue, a building or something different. You can use the phone in the glove box for this purpose too. It has a camera.’ She checked that everyone understood the brief.
‘Teams have been issued with a picnic in the boot of the car. We’re allowing you one hour for your lunch. You can take the hour whenever you want. It will not be docked from your final time.’ Laura scanned the faces of the group. Satisfied there were no other questions, she continued. ‘Finally, there’s a huge surprise at one of the checkpoints. You’ll know what it is when you get there,’ she announced, a smirk spreading on her face.
‘Today, it’s all about finding your way around the region, answering questions about what you discover and having an enjoyable time. By the way, there’s to be no speeding to get to the destinations. You must stick to speed limits. Remember, we have cameras in your cars and we shall be watching your every move.’
The room was filled with exuberance as contestants wriggled on seats, eager to get going.
‘After breakfast, please come back here to let Mattie check you over and wait for the tech guys to check your microphone packs are working. Once we’re ready, Jim and Oscar, you’ll head off with Roxanne to your starting point. Donald and Nicola, you’ll be with Nina and Lewis and Bryony, you’re with me.’
The contestants bustled out of the room, chattering loudly. Biggie picked up on the excitement and scuttled beside his master, his claws pitter-pattering on the tiles.