Be Careful What You Hear Read Free Page A

the
matter?’
    ‘It’s probably
nothing, but last night, I was looking out of our bedroom window,
at the back, and I thought I might have seen someone in your back
garden.’ He looked embarrassed at saying it, as if even then he was
doubting himself.
    ‘You saw
someone?’
    ‘Well, maybe,
yes, I think so. I saw something . A figure, possibly.
In your back garden. It was dark, I couldn’t really see. I only
looked out of the window to see the full moon, and do a bit of star
gazing.’
    ‘You could tell
it was a person though?’ He meant well, but his hesitation was
frustrating. You don’t tell someone you’ve seen an intruder in
their back garden without being sure.
    ‘Yes, I think
so. I’m as sure as I can be. Moving around, near to your back patio
area.’
    I shuddered at
the thought. ‘What time would it have been?’
    ‘Nine
thirty.’
    It was when
James and I had been upstairs, lying on the bed.
    Grace was
trying to wriggle away from me, but I managed to bring her back
under control. ‘Did you see what they did?’
    ‘No, I don’t
know. I lost them in the dark. That’s one reason why I wanted to
come around – so you can check if anything is missing from the
back. They might have been after valuables in your shed. Maybe that
lawn mower of yours. Sorry, I nearly called the police, but I
wasn’t sure whether I’d just imagined it.’
    I knew how he
felt. ‘Thanks for letting me know. I’ll take a look.’
    I said my
goodbyes to Max and took Grace through to the back of the house.
From the patio doors I couldn’t see that anything had been
disturbed. The shed was closed and padlocked. The plants in their
pots, dotted around the garden, were still arranged as normal.
    ‘He probably
just imagined it,’ I said to Grace, who was reaching out for the
glass of the door. I did a final sweep of the back. The garden was
accessible via the side gate. But the gate too was locked. The only
other way in was from a neighbouring property – and that seemed an
unlikely route in. I shrugged off the possibility that someone had
been prowling around our property, and got ready to go and meet
Sophie. But I would tell James when he got home, just in case.
     
    ***
     
    Sophie was
already seated in Allemandi’s , a lovely locally owned
independent café on the high street. It had been around for
decades, and was still thriving in spite of the competition from
the big coffee chains that had muscled in during the past few
years. It did the most wonderful cakes, and the owners, third
generation Italians, were masters in the art of coffee making.
    I nodded a
hello to Carl behind the counter as I negotiated the tables and
chairs to where Sophie was sitting. She’d already ordered a latte
and lovely looking slice of coffee and walnut cake.
    ‘I’ll get
that,’ Sophie said, jumping up and lifting a chair out of my path.
‘Sorry, I should have sat nearer to the door. I made a beeline for
the heater.’
    It was a cold
and frosty morning, and Allemandi’s did have its cold spots,
so I didn’t disagree with her choice of table.
    ‘Aw, she’s
looking beautiful, as usual,’ Sophie said, admiring a sleeping
Grace as she pulled back the cover of her pram. ‘She’s growing so
quickly. She’ll be in the pushchair before you know it.’
    ‘Hopefully not
too soon,’ I said, ordering a coffee and pastry at the table from
Carl. ‘I want this time to go on for a while yet.’
    Sophie smiled.
She was looking great, sporting her recently cropped hair that she
now wore in a blonde bob. It took a few years off her, and I must
admit it made me slightly envious because I felt older than my
years, even though I had recently treated myself to a hair makeover
that had replaced the increasing grey with brown. Sophie was also
much more fashionable than me, always wearing the latest styles,
while I was content to keep my wardrobe fairly static. The
fashionable jacket and handmade skirt that she was wearing was
brand new, while my