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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

Jan added salt and pepper to the frothy egg mixture and tipped it into the hot frying pan. The fat splattered. As the omelette set, she grated cheese for the filling. She was about to chop some tomatoes when the doorbell rang. Tinder woke and looked at her from his rug in the living room. Perhaps it was the postman. He came in his van to the cottage if there was any mail. Sometimes he rang the bell as he pushed the letters through the letterbox to let her know they had arrived. But it was a bit late for him. He usually came in the morning.

Jan removed the pan from the heat and went into the hall. There was no mail lying on the mat. She opened the front door. There was no one outside. No car or mail van either. Strange. She looked around. The lane was deserted as far as she could see in both directions. Then she saw it and her heart missed a beat. Positioned on the doorstep was the ball of twine Tinder had found in the wood and she’d thrown towards the back garden. She was sure it was the same one. It looked identical. It hadn’t been here when she’d arrived back. She stared at it in disbelief, then looked up and down the lane again. Kicking it off the step, Jan quickly closed the door.

How had it got there and why? Had Chris and Anne found it and brought it back? No. That seemed ridiculous. The chance of them finding it in the woods was tiny and why would they go to all the trouble of returning it? Assuming they knew it had come from Camile’s shed.

But the alternative – that someone she didn’t know had brought it back – was even more worrying. It would mean that they had been watching her in the woods – following her – had seen her pick up the twine throw it, and, knowing it had come from the shed, had brought it back. Was someone watching her and playing games to frighten her? If so, they were succeeding.

Calm down, she told herself, don’t do anything rash. Going into the living room, she picked up her phone and texted Chris.

Did you leave a ball of twine on the doorstep of the cottage?

He’d probably think she was even more neurotic than he already did. But she needed to eliminate him.

A minute later came his reply. No, I didn’t! Are you OK?

I’m fine, she replied testily.

But she wasn’t. Far from it.