The Bucket of Blood, by Plum Sykes

Boxing Day spent at a remote country hotel takes a sinister turn

‘THAT’S WEIRD,’ said Jess. ‘It’s not on Google Maps. I keep typing in The Bucket of Holly, Slaughterford, and it’s just coming up with that wheel of doom thingy then “not found”.’ ‘Try Waze,’ said Luke.

‘Darling, obvs, I did Waze first. It’s not on Waze either.’ ‘Everything’s on Waze.’ He sounded exasperated. ‘Look, let’s just get ourselves to the village and I’m sure someone will know where the hotel is. It’s going to be lovely when we get there.’

Jess tried typing in ‘Boutique hotel’. Zero. She put her phone away and gazed out of the car window. The sun was almost gone, and the countryside was silhouetted against the sky. How romantic, she mused to herself. This trip was exactly what she’d hoped for: a heavenly, crisp, cold, Boxing Day night spent with her boyfriend in a dreamy little hotel in the Cotswolds.

Half an hour later, a smile crept across Jess’s face as they pulled into the charming village of Slaughterford. She gazed longingly at a grand Georgian rectory as they drove past. She imagined cosy scenes inside stone-fronted cottages, now lit with Christmas lights. She couldn’t wait to get to the hotel and the cream tea it had promised on its gorgeous website. Jess would be forever grateful to her old school friend Char who’d nominated her for Radio H-P. She got such good links from that website: since everything on it was recommended by Sloaney people like Char, Jess knew that most of the recommendations were safe. Tripadvisor it was not, thank God. The car soon exited the village.

‘Where’s the hotel?’ said Luke.

They hadn’t seen The Bucket of Holly along the way. ‘Shall we just ask someone?’ Jess inquired, looking out at the lane, but there wasn’t a soul in sight.

Luke sighed. He swerved suddenly and pulled up the car. He picked up his iphone and said to it, ‘Siri, where’s The Bucket of Holly?’

‘I’m having trouble connecting to the internet,’ came the familiar flat tone.

‘Well, it’s very romantic, not having Wi-fi,’ Luke declared happily, tossing the device on to the back seat. ‘Mmmm… I guess.’

Jess was unsure. Something felt odd suddenly. It was getting darker. The phone not working. Maybe she’d have a gin and tonic instead of a cup of tea when she got to the hotel. That would make her feel miles better. The hotel was bound to have Hendrick’s.

Just then there was a thump on the back window. Jess jumped. She craned her head around and looked behind her. She couldn’t see much now it was so dark.

Suddenly a man’s face appeared in Luke’s window. Jess could make out shadowy hollows under the man’s hooded eyes.