BooksBarbecue
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

‘No. Some foetuses can survive at that stage, but not many. Mr and Mrs Jennings’s baby couldn’t, even if it had been born in hospital. It wasn’t properly formed. It’s all in my report.’

‘I see. So it couldn’t have cried?’

‘No. It might have made a sound, but not a proper cry like a full-term viable baby does. No one would have attempted to resuscitate it, not even in hospital.’

‘I understand. I believe you disposed of the body?’

‘Yes, at the parents’ request. It was cremated at the hospital. Is that everything now?’ Anne asked. ‘Only I’m on my way to see a mum who’s in active labour.’

‘Yes, thank you.’

‘And you won’t have to visit Mr and Mrs Jennings again? I believe it’s the second time you’ve been, and they’re very upset. They have enough to cope with at present.’

‘There won’t be any need for me to see them again,’ Beth confirmed and, winding up the conversation, she said goodbye.

‘It was a late miscarriage,’ Beth told Matt. ‘Which explains why it’s not on any of the registers. You don’t have to register until twenty-four weeks. It was a foetus and not fully formed.’

‘That also explains why the parents didn’t want to see or hold it,’ Matt said, grimacing. ‘I wouldn’t have wanted to, would you?’

‘Probably not. I’ll just complete and file my report and then we can go and arrest Mr Bates.’

THIRTEEN

On Tuesday evening, after Jan had finished her dinner, she settled on the sofa with her laptop and a mug of tea. She was feeling positive and determined to write the first page of her novel. A Difficult Romance. At least she had a title now! No excuses. The night-time visits had stopped, and Tinder was peacefully asleep at the other end of the sofa, eyes closed and ears relaxed.

Jan had spent most of Sunday afternoon in the garden boarding up the hole in the hedge, using what she’d found in Camile’s shed – pieces of wood, wire netting and a roll of twine. Doubtless it was a makeshift job by Chris’s standards, but it had held when she’d tested it. She’d wedged strips of wood across the hole, then covered it with wire netting, securing it with twine to the hedge. It had worked. Whatever had been getting in wasn’t any longer. She and Tinder had enjoyed an uninterrupted and peaceful Sunday and Monday evening. Her confidence received another small boost.