Cold Echo by CJ Carver

Author:CJ Carver [Carver, CJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloodhound Books - crime, thriller and mystery
Published: 2019-09-22T22:00:00+00:00

26

Harry strode back to the living room to see the dog standing by the front door, ears pricked, its concentration fixed on whatever it had sensed outside. A low growl rumbled in the dog’s throat. Going to the windows, Harry pulled back the curtain a fraction, as Chris had done. They looked out.

Nobody was there. Nobody on the doorstep. Nobody, as far as Harry could see, in the front garden, but the dog continued growling.

It was dark, with no moon, but a faint light came from the streetlights and Harry scanned the area carefully, from the shrubs nearby to the path running along the front of the row of cottages. Then he studied the garden boundary, but it was difficult to make anything out and he intensified his concentration. As he let his gaze drift past a rhododendron, his breathing stopped. There was a man in the garden.

‘What is it?’ Chris called softly.

Harry didn’t answer her. If the man hadn’t moved at that precise moment, Harry would never have spotted him.

‘What’s wrong?’ Chris insisted.

Harry let the curtain drop and moved away from the window. He said quietly, ‘There’s a man in your garden. Could it be a neighbour or a friend?’

Nick bolted upright. ‘What man? Who is it?’

Harry could hear the terror in his voice.

‘Keep quiet.’ Harry looked questioningly at Chris.

‘Nobody should be in the garden.’ Chris’s cheeks had lost colour but she wasn’t panicking. ‘Could someone have followed you here?’

‘I think that’s extremely doubtful,’ Harry said, ‘because nobody knew I was coming. Nobody.’

‘Except for Tilly,’ remarked Nick.

‘And she didn’t know exactly where you were. Just that you took a train to Chichester, and you’d have to pull her fingernails out to even get that information.’

Nick gave a ghost of a smile. ‘She’s all right, is Tilly.’

‘Yes,’ Harry agreed. ‘She’s OK.’

‘In that case…’ Chris looked at the dog, still growling. ‘Shall I let Mogga out? He’ll soon see whoever it is off. He won’t bite them, but he’ll scare the living daylights out of them. He thinks it’s a great game.’

‘Good idea.’

Chris slipped back the bolt and turned a Chubb key. Then she unhooked the chain and cracked open the door. The dog pushed his nose through the gap, his growl increasing into a roar. His hackles stood up along his spine and his rear legs were bunched under him, eager to run.

‘Are you ready, Mogga?’ Chris hissed.

The dog tensed, quivering with anticipation.

‘Go! Go!’ she urged and at the same time yanked open the door. The dog exploded outside, tearing down the garden, barking hysterically.

Chris quickly shut the door and bolted it. ‘He’ll be back when he’s chased whoever it is off. I’ll give Mogga five minutes and he’ll be at the back door, begging for a biscuit.’

Harry looked for the man but couldn’t see him. He could hear Mogga’s barking, however, increasing in hysteria. Nerves taut, he kept watch at the window.

‘Is he still there?’ asked Nick.

‘Not that I can see.’

Chris moved back to the kitchen, Harry guessed to get the dog a biscuit.

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