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Back The Cottage Save as PDF
Chapters (82)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. ONE
  4. TWO
  5. THREE
  6. FOUR
  7. FIVE
  8. SIX
  9. SEVEN
  10. EIGHT
  11. NINE
  12. TEN
  13. ELEVEN
  14. TWELVE
  15. THIRTEEN
  16. FOURTEEN
  17. FIFTEEN
  18. SIXTEEN
  19. SEVENTEEN
  20. EIGHTEEN
  21. NINETEEN
  22. TWENTY
  23. TWENTY-ONE
  24. TWENTY-TWO
  25. TWENTY-THREE
  26. TWENTY-FOUR
  27. TWENTY-FIVE
  28. TWENTY-SIX
  29. TWENTY-SEVEN
  30. TWENTY-EIGHT
  31. TWENTY-NINE
  32. THIRTY
  33. THIRTY-ONE
  34. THIRTY-TWO
  35. THIRTY-THREE
  36. THIRTY-FOUR
  37. THIRTY-FIVE
  38. THIRTY-SIX
  39. THIRTY-SEVEN
  40. THIRTY-EIGHT
  41. THIRTY-NINE
  42. FORTY
  43. FORTY-ONE
  44. FORTY-TWO
  45. FORTY-THREE
  46. FORTY-FOUR
  47. FORTY-FIVE
  48. FORTY-SIX
  49. FORTY-SEVEN
  50. FORTY-EIGHT
  51. FORTY-NINE
  52. FIFTY
  53. FIFTY-ONE
  54. FIFTY-TWO
  55. FIFTY-THREE
  56. FIFTY-FOUR
  57. FIFTY-FIVE
  58. FIFTY-SIX
  59. FIFTY-SEVEN
  60. FIFTY-EIGHT
  61. FIFTY-NINE
  62. SIXTY
  63. SIXTY-ONE
  64. SIXTY-TWO
  65. SIXTY-THREE
  66. SIXTY-FOUR
  67. SIXTY-FIVE
  68. SIXTY-SIX
  69. SIXTY-SEVEN
  70. SIXTY-EIGHT
  71. SIXTY-NINE
  72. SEVENTY
  73. SEVENTY-ONE
  74. SEVENTY-TWO
  75. SEVENTY-THREE
  76. SEVENTY-FOUR
  77. Suggested topics for reading-group discussion
  78. Keep Reading …
  79. Lisa Stone also writes under the name of Cathy Glass.Don’t miss her latest book …
  80. About the Author
  81. Books by Lisa Stone
  82. About the Publisher

Chris and Camile had both said that whatever was coming into the garden was probably hungry and looking for food. So the obvious way forward, Jan decided, was to entice them into the garden with food and then take a photograph. But what did they eat? She had no idea. Were they carnivore, herbivore or omnivore? She’d leave out a selection of what she had. If they didn’t take the bait this time, then she’d buy other foods – but not live prey. With a shudder, Jan wondered if they’d been trying to hunt Tinder, but dismissed that idea as they would have got him by now if that was their intention. They’d had plenty of opportunities.

Jan hadn’t heard them on Sunday night and neither had Tinder. If they had come into the garden, they must have been very quiet. But then last night, as she’d been watching a film, she’d heard a noise outside the living-room window. Tinder had immediately pricked up his ears and shot off the sofa, a sure sign there was something out there. But by the time she’d opened the back door they’d gone. Tonight would be different, though. She was going to summon all her courage and stay downstairs, all night if necessary, to get the photograph she needed.

At seven o’clock Jan let Tinder out for his evening run. It was still quiet in the garden. He returned straight away after doing his business. Jan then gathered together a selection of food, including some fruit, and put on her jacket. She wouldn’t switch on the motion-sensor light as it might scare them off. Taking the torch from its hook in the hall and, making sure Tinder didn’t follow her, Jan went outside. She began arranging little piles of food on the patio, right outside the living-room window. As she worked, she listened out, but there was nothing to suggest they were close by.

Returning indoors, Jan switched off all the lights, opened the living-room curtains and then lay on the sofa where she couldn’t be seen from outside. She had brought down her duvet, and her phone, with the camera engaged, was ready beside her. Thankfully it was a calm night with no wind or rain so there was nothing that could put them off or spoil the photograph.