Lily searches for her friend in the staff block at 10 a.m. She’s been hard at work for three hours already, changing beds and scouring toilets for today’s new arrivals. The hotel is so warm, a trickle of sweat runs down her backbone, but she’s got no complaints. Her job at the Star Castle has freed her from the misery of her past, providing a living wage and new friends. There’s a smile on the girl’s face when she trots down the corridor. Sabine should be back from her swim by now; there will be time for coffee and gossip before her break ends.
The girl’s movements are tentative when she taps on her friend’s door. It’s still hard to believe that Sabine has singled her out. The older girl is beautiful and popular, yet she’s chosen Lily as her closest ally. Maybe it’s because they’re both outsiders. Lily moved to St Mary’s from Plymouth five years ago, and Sabine is a Latvian student, only here for the summer. When she knocks again, the door swings open, taking her by surprise. Her friend always keeps it locked, even though no one would steal anything here. Sabine says old habits die hard – burglaries happen often in her part of Riga.
Lily is puzzled by what she sees. It doesn’t look like her friend slept in her room last night, the bed neatly made. Her uniform has been thrown across the back of a chair, her shoes abandoned in the corner. Sabine promised to meet her here, and she’s never let her down before. Maybe her mysterious new boyfriend is to blame. Lily is about to leave when she spots a scrap of paper on the floor, the bright red words catching her eye. Someone must have left it for Sabine, but who would invite her to meet him at the lighthouse at midnight?
A ripple of shock runs through her when she reads the cryptic message again – the handwriting is familiar. She drops the note into her pocket in case anyone visits the room before Sabine returns. The management are obsessed by maintaining the hotel’s excellent reputation; they frown on staff keeping late hours, particularly if their work suffers. Lily is about to leave when she spots her friend’s bright pink phone, flashing with messages. One of the numbers on the screen belongs to Lily’s brother. It looks like Harry has been lying through his teeth. He put the note under Sabine’s door and sent her three texts yesterday. Her friend is probably with him now, planning to bunk off work. Anger makes her shove the phone into her pocket so she can hand it to Sabine this afternoon when her shift ends. There’s still no sign of her friend, the corridor empty. Lily’s heart is beating too fast when she pulls the door shut and hurries back to her room.