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Contents ( 89)
  1. The Secret of Cold Hill
  2. Table of Contents
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. 63
  66. 64
  67. 65
  68. 66
  69. 67
  70. 68
  71. 69
  72. 70
  73. 71
  74. 72
  75. 73
  76. 74
  77. 75
  78. 76
  79. 77
  80. 78
  81. 79
  82. 80
  83. 81
  84. 82
  85. 83
  86. 84
  87. Acknowledgments
  88. About the Author
  89. The Cold Hill Ghost Stories

53

Wednesday 19 December

Jason snapped his bedside lamp back on. Emily was staring at the ceiling, bug-eyed with fear. ‘That is not floorboards settling,’ she said, in a low, shaking whisper.

He got out of bed.

‘Don’t go up. There’s someone there. Call the police.’

They heard it again.

Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.

Then a massive crash.

Emily screamed in terror. ‘Jason!’

Another crash.

She switched on her lamp, grabbed her phone.

‘Don’t!’ he urged. ‘I’ll go up.’

‘Are you fucking crazy or what?’ She stabbed out 999.

He heard a faint voice through the receiver. ‘Emergency, which service please?’

‘Police,’ she whispered.

‘Darling! No!’

‘There’s someone up there, for God’s sake!’

‘I’ll go.’

‘No!’

They heard the sound again.

Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.

Then a different, female voice through the phone speaker. ‘Sussex Police, how can I help you?’

‘We have an intruder upstairs, in our house,’ Emily said, her voice barely above a whisper.

‘Can you give me your name and address please, caller?’

‘Emily Danes. Our address is 47 Lakeview Drive, Cold Hill Park, Cold Hill, East Sussex. There’s someone upstairs.’

‘I’m dispatching a car to you. Stay on the line.’

‘Thank you,’ she whispered.

The sound was even louder now. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.

Emily held the phone up, briefly. ‘Can you hear them?’ she said.

‘That noise?’

‘Footsteps.’

‘Where are you, Emily?’ the call handler asked.

‘I’m in our bedroom, with my husband. He wants to go up – the sound is coming from his studio above us.’

‘The car will be with you in less than ten minutes, I’m tracking it. Tell your husband not to confront them, wait for the officers to arrive.’

‘Thank you,’ Emily said, and burst into tears. ‘Oh God, please hurry.’

They heard the sound again.

Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.

‘Oh Jesus,’ she said. ‘Please ask them to hurry.’

Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. The ceiling was shaking.

Jason jumped out of bed, went to the door and pulled on his dressing gown.

Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. The ceiling was shaking even more.

‘Don’t go up there!’ she implored.

‘Four minutes away,’ the call handler said. ‘Do you have any dogs in the house that the officers need to know about?’

‘No,’ she replied.

‘I’m going down to let them in,’ Jason said.

‘Be careful.’

Jason ran out of the room and downstairs to the front door. He flung it open and went out into the front garden into a howling gale. Blue flashing lights were approaching. He went out into the street, holding the front of his dressing gown shut with one hand, waving with the other.

The car pulled up in front of him and almost before its wheels had stopped turning two officers, one male and one female, jumped out and hurried over to him, tugging on their caps, each flashing a torch.

‘Is the intruder still on the premises, sir?’ the female one, petite and fair-haired and in her twenties, asked. Her colleague was short and burly, and a few years older. Both were bulked-out with stab vests and all their equipment.