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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

The following morning, DC Beth Mayes sat at her desk in the office above Coleshaw Police Station, puzzled and concerned. She’d just filed her report on the arrest of another two members of the notorious Bates family for their involvement in a vicious armed robbery. With the criminals now safely in police custody and the report filed, Beth looked at the other matter awaiting her attention. It was worrying and strange.

Jan Hamlin, the tenant in Ivy Cottage, had reported intruders in her garden again. But last night, ignoring advice to stay indoors, she’d gone to investigate and had seen a van leaving Coleshaw Woods. She’d noted the registration number and had told the officer she believed the owner was somehow linked to the intruders coming onto her property. Uniform had run the registration number through the police computer and had identified the owner, but that was as far as they’d got last night. The matter had been passed to Beth and she was struggling to understand exactly what it meant.

Anne Long was the registered owner of the van – the same Anne Long, midwife, Beth had interviewed in connection with missing babies. While the previous enquiry was closed – there’d been a satisfactory explanation – whatever had Anne been doing in Coleshaw Woods late at night in the middle of winter? And on many other occasions, if Jan Hamlin was to be believed. According to Ms Hamlin, she’d heard Anne calling some creatures that were getting into the garden and terrorizing her. She’d refused to accept they could be foxes or badgers and was so distressed by what she’d seen that she’d given notice on her tenancy agreement and was ready to leave. When Matt had previously visited her he’d said she didn’t seem hysterical or given to flights of fantasy, and it seemed that something was getting into the garden. Perhaps there was a rational explanation for all of this, Beth thought, but what it could be escaped her.

She glanced at the office clock. It was 11.30 a.m. and she’d been working since 5 a.m., up since 4 a.m., for the raid on the Bates house. Time to go home, and on the way she’d stop off and visit Anne Long. Closing down her computer, Beth took her jacket from the back of her chair and crossed the near-empty office. There were only a few officers in on a Saturday.