The Shiver Stone by Sharon Tregenza Page A

discussion about how we could make a lovely little family and we could all get on if we tried, couldn’t we?
    I waited until he stuttered his way through the news about the house they were buying. How lovely it was, near the sea still, closer to the Shiver Stone, and with a garden. He told me my room would be much bigger and I could decorate it any way I wanted.
    â€˜So, what do you think, Carys, eh?’
    â€˜I think I could eat a slice of that birthday cake,’ I said.
    â€˜No, I mean about the house? About us being a family. About you, Linette and me living together?’
    I waited a second or two, pretending to be thinking it over. Dad swallowed nervously.
    When I thought he was just about to explode with nerves, I said, ‘All right.’
    Dad’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He sat there staring at me.
    â€˜Piece of cake?’ I said.
    Dad knocked over the chair in his hurry to get up.
    Linette, who had obviously been listening behind the door, came back in, raised her hand in the air. I high fived it. We grinned.
    Dad was hysterically happy, so I decided now would be a good time to ask if I could sneak Tia back in. He only hesitated for a minute.
    â€˜Don’t let Mrs Jenkins catch you,’ he said.
    I couldn’t get down to the shed fast enough.
    I opened the door to be greeted by the forest smell of clean wood and sawdust. I popped my head around the corner, waiting for the squeaks and squeals of pleasure.
    There were no squeaks and squeals – there was no noise at all, because there was no Tia.
    Her box was empty, her lead still attached to the wall. She couldn’t get out. At first I just stood there in disbelief. She couldn’t get out. The door was shut tight and anyway I’d tied some string to her lead just in case.
    I circled Dad’s workbench, tossed aside planks of wood, rummaged through pots of glue. I ran outside, shouting her name, and ran back inside the shed again.
    I looked under her box, unfolded the blanket, even shook the stuffed teddy. And all the time I knew – she was gone and not of her own free will. Someone had taken her.
    I took the steps back up to the flat two at a time.
    â€˜She’s gone,’ I howled. ‘Someone’s stolen Tia.’
    Dad and Linette hurried out after me. They went through the same process that I’d done: checking under, over, in and out of everything in the shed.
    â€˜Stop that wailing, Carys,’ Dad said, sharply. ‘We’ll find her. She can’t have gone far.’
    â€˜Don’t you get it? She hasn’t run off, someone’s taken her. Tia could be miles away by now. She could be…’ I remembered something. ‘They tried in the middle of the night. While I was in here, I heard the door. They were going to kidnap her then.’
    Too late I realised my mistake.
    â€˜You were in here last night? You slept in the shed?’ Dad’s voice was low with disbelief and his eyes bored into me.
    Now I was for it. Dad would ground me for sure and I’d never find Tia.
    Linette darted a look at me and then grabbed Dad’s mobile out of his pocket. ‘I’ll call the police,’ she said.
    â€˜No, wait a minute.’ Dad put his hand up to stop her but Linette was already outside the shed and dialing.
    â€˜Get the car, Dai. Try in the village, maybe someone has seen her,’ she whispered to Dad. She made a shooing motion with her hand. ‘Go on, quick.’
    He looked confused, but started back upstairs to get his car keys.
    I went through the whole crazy search again, even peering under Dad’s unfinished birdhouses. Tia was a tiny dog but even she couldn’t hide in a shed this small.
    Linette’s voice was firm on the phone. ‘No! She couldn’t have got out by herself. This is serious.’
    â€˜Maybe it was my dad taking her back home,’ said a voice. Jago was outside, peering in, and looking as panicky as I