Chapters (82)
- Cover
- Dedication
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
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She had Ruby’s full attention now. ‘I promised Camile, the owner of the cottage, that I would cut the grass, and when I was in the back garden I found track marks coming through the gap in the hedge. It was like a walkway through from the woods into the garden. Lots of prints, so I knew it had been going on for some time, and there could be more than one of them. I continued cutting the grass, but I had this really strong feeling that I was being watched the whole time and kept turning to check behind me.’
‘You’re giving me the creeps now,’ Ruby said, instinctively glancing behind her towards the garden.
‘There’s a motion-sensor light on the patio,’ Jan continued. ‘Chris told me it was broken, but when I checked, it had been switched off. Camile said to save electricity – the cottage is on a meter. I switched it on and once it was dark I sat where you are, hoping to see whatever it was that was coming to the window.’
‘And it didn’t come?’ Ruby said.
‘It did, but it must have known the light was on – a small red light flashes when it’s working. It avoided the sensor and came to the back door instead. I knew then it was too intelligent for a woodland animal. It seemed to know what I was doing. I let Tinder out and he chased it. I followed him but it had gone through the hole in the hedge. Then I heard a noise behind me and I spun round just in time to see a shadowy figure run down the sideway and disappear over the gate. I don’t know what I saw, but Chris found Tinder in the village and brought him back at midnight.’
‘Did you tell him what had happened?’
‘No. It seemed ridiculous.’
‘So was that the end of it then?’
‘No. I blocked up the hole in the hedge, which kept them out for a couple of nights. But then the next night one came right up to the window. It was dark – I’d switched off the sensor light to save electricity – but it made eye-contact like a person would. I was terrified and phoned Chris. He came straight over and went down the garden. It was pitch dark but the wood I’d used for blocking up the hedge was scattered all over the lawn. Whatever it was had removed it all. I was grateful to Chris for coming and he stayed for a drink. It was then he asked me out.’
‘And the rest is history, as they say,’ Ruby said, finishing her glass of wine.