Previews Restless Echoes by Mai Griffin | Page 17

Restless Echoes noises hung in the still air. The day began to brighten slowly, and Polly was expecting Sarah to give up. She could see children moving inside the Fletcher property, but something more interesting must be happening because Sarah was holding her breath and her eyes seemed glued to an upper window. Eventually, Sarah relaxed, closed her eyes for a moment, and then said it was time to go. They drove back home in silence – Polly knew when not to ask questions and keep her thoughts to herself. On arrival, she was pleased to see her niece’s car parked on the far side of the driveway rather than anywhere near the double-garage door, which opened smoothly, responding to the remote control. Pat came to work every morning for a couple of hours since Polly had been persuaded to hand over the heavier chores, so coffee would be percolating, and they could settle quickly to chatting and planning. Once inside, she and Sarah went to change, and both reappeared within minutes. Sarah smiled gratefully, as she joined Polly at the kitchen table, and was given a buttered scone with her drink. “Well, I’m not sure what all that was about,” she said, “but it was a clever idea of yours. I’m glad we went. I saw nothing strange at first – until I realised that the dog I could see at the bedroom window was not a family pet.” Anticipating Polly’s query, she said the children were clearly oblivious to the huge animal between them and the outside world. She had no idea what her vision meant but perhaps all would become clear when they met Dave. The day passed without further incident... 16