The Shiver Stone (5 page)

‘No.'

‘Did you hear me on Radio Pembrokeshire, then? Talking to David Baker on the
Breakfast Show
?'

‘No, I didn't. Sorry.'

I sighed.

He was eager to tell me the rest of his story. ‘I don't know how Mum contacted him. She told me a few days ago we were going to a place called Carreg, in Pembrokeshire, to see my dad. Then he goes and runs off again. I don't care. I don't even know him. But Mum's really upset.'

‘Candyfloss!' I shouted.

‘What?'

‘He bought candyfloss. Said it was for someone special. That must have been you. He seemed happy, excited.'

Jago turned slowly towards me. ‘So you don't think it was us he ran away from.'

‘No. I think it was Skinny Beard.'

‘Who?'

‘He saw this man and he took off. Now this guy is looking for him. He said his name was Kemble Sykes – weird name.' So is Jago Pepper I thought, but I didn't say it.

‘And this … Kemble, he's after my dad?'

‘Yeah.' I yawned and glanced at the clock. ‘It's three in the morning. I'm going back to bed.'

‘Carys?'

‘What?'

‘That woman, Linette, you should be nicer to her.'

I was instantly angry. ‘What's it got to do with you?'

‘She loves you.'

‘And what would you know about it?' I stormed off to my room.

CHAPTER

5

‘Having her feet eaten by fish,' I said.

It was late the next morning and Dad had just asked where Linette was.

‘What?'

I dipped the brush into the bottle of varnish and painted my big toenail yellow.

‘What?' he repeated.

‘It's her day off so she's gone for a fish pedicure at a beauty salon in Narberth. You stick your feet in a tank of water and these little fishes nibble away the dead skin. Gross.'

‘If I'd known that's what she wanted I could have thrown her off the boat into a shoal of mackerel.'

I looked up, surprised. ‘That's exactly what she said you'd say.'

Dad laughed and took a long swallow of his coffee. ‘That woman knows me too well.'

Tia was asleep on the carpet making little snoring noises.

I painted the next toenail purple.

‘I'm shattered. Been up all night. I'm off to bed.' Dad rubbed the bald spot on his head and looked around. ‘Where's the boy?'

‘Linette dropped him off at the hospital to see his mum. She's picking him up on the way back from her foot thing. They should be back soon.'

Just as I said that, we heard a key in the door and Linette came in with Jago. Dad gave her a hug. ‘How's your mum?' he said to Jago.

Jago shrugged and looked away.

‘Better, I think. Still looks a bit pale though,' Linette answered for him. She nodded at me. ‘Madam here wouldn't come with us. Wanted to stay with the dog.' She saw what I was doing. ‘Is that my nail polish, Carys?'

‘No,' I lied.

‘How many times do I have to tell you to leave my stuff alone!'

Dad closed his eyes and groaned. ‘If you two are going to kick off again, I'm for my bed.'

He disappeared and Linette stormed into the kitchen. We could hear her banging pots and pans around.

‘Thought we could go see if my dad is back yet,' Jago said.

‘We'll take Tia.' I wiggled my toes in the air to dry the nail polish.

‘Purple and yellow nails – looks like you've got foot fungus.' Jago screwed up his nose.

‘Oh, thanks.'

‘S'okay.' He smiled. I noticed his straight white teeth again and, embarrassed, ran my tongue across the metal wires covering mine.

He noticed. ‘Lots of kids have those. It's almost a fashion accessory where I come from. The tin grin is in.'

That made me smile and for once I didn't close my lips to hide my brace.

It was hot and Tia panted up the hill, her tiny pink tongue lolling out of her mouth.

On the pavement there were several long stone tubs of flowers. Tia peed by every other one. The noise of cars and tourists faded as we made our way along the lane to Tristan's hut.

There was no answer to our knocks and, when we went inside, everything looked the same. I found a saucer and poured cold water into it for Tia. She lapped it up noisily.

Disappointed, Jago flopped onto the sofa. ‘I don't get it. Do you think he knows what happened to my mum?'

I shrugged. Tia was sniffing at something she'd found on the floor.

I bent down and picked up an orange tic tac. You know when you read in a book sometimes, ‘The hairs on the back on my neck stood up'? That's what happened right then. There was this crawly feeling between my shoulder blades and I spun round half expecting Skinny Beard to be standing right behind me.

‘He's been in here.'

‘My dad?'

‘No, the guy who's after him.' I showed Jago the sweet in my palm.

He looked puzzled.

‘He eats orange tic tacs all the time.'

‘My dad does?'

‘No! Kemble Sykes. He's been in here looking for your dad. He must really want to find him. Look, there's no point hanging around. Let's drop Tia home and go to the beach for the afternoon. We can try again later.'

Halfway down the lane, Tia looked up at the window of the guesthouse called Seaview and growled. A curtain twitched and someone peered down at us.

I punched Jago's arm and pointed up. ‘There, there he is. That's the man, the one after your dad.'

But the figure pulled back into the room before Jago saw him.

‘I don't think it's a coincidence him staying right there, so close to your dad's place, do you? He's definitely stalking him.'

Before Jago could answer, Tia gave a sharp bark and jerked at the lead so hard it pulled out of my hand. She hurtled up the long path to Hug Howells' house with the lead trailing. I chased after her, calling her name, but she completely ignored me. When she reached the door, she scrabbled frantically to be let in.

Panting, I reached her just as the door opened a few inches and the enormous Hug Howells, her face red and angry, stood barring the way.

‘Get that damn dog off my property!' she shouted.

‘But I…'

‘You heard me. It's nothing but a nuisance. Bad enough I have to put up with that sculptor bloke, not paying his rent, parking his motorbike in front of my garage.'

I grabbed Tia's lead and took a few steps back.

I didn't know Hug Howells well, but she'd always seemed like a nice person before. She made honey from her bees. ‘Hug's Happy Honey' was in all the local shops – bright yellow jars with a cartoon of a cross-eyed bee on the label. Linette sold them in the Crab's Claw.

She was still ranting about Tia. ‘Bringing that yappy little pest here, making a racket. Get off my property, will you!'

‘She's not a pest,' I shouted at the closing door. I hauled Tia back down the path. She was still tugging, trying to get to Hug's house.

Jago was waiting at the gate. ‘What was all that about?'

‘Seems Hug hates dogs.' I didn't say it sounded like she hated Tristan too.

‘Hug? That's her name?'

‘She was called Caress when she was born. But Dad said she got so big and strong when she was a kid everyone said she was more like a Bear Hug than a Caress. Hug stuck.'

‘Nasty piece of work.' Jago frowned.

I nodded but it didn't feel right. Dad told me that, when Mum went, Hug left a jar of honey on our doorstep every week for months and months.

‘Come on. Let's drop Tia home for a while and go to the beach.'

‘What about the Shiver Stone? You said we could go there. I'd rather do that. I'm not much of a swimmer.'

‘We can do that later. It's not going anywhere. Let's get to the beach first while it's still hot. I'll teach you to dive off the cliff.'

‘Cliff? Okay, I'll get my hammer, it's in my backpack in the caravan,' he said.

I looked at him like he'd gone mad. He explained on the way home.

‘Geology?'

‘Yes.'

‘Like rocks and stuff?'

‘Yes. Carreg has got some unique folding.'

I had no idea what ‘folding' was and he drivelled on about something called anthracite and ammonoids. ‘The Shiver Stone is probably…'

I was losing interest fast. ‘Don't you get into trouble at school having your hair so long?' I said to change the subject.

‘What? No. I mean I don't go to school. Mum home schools me.'

‘Cool,' I said.

‘Not always.'

We made our way through the usual press of holidaymakers. It took a while – everyone wanted to pat Tia and say how cute she was. We were close to the caravan site that Jago and his mum had booked into.

But, to get there, we had to go through one of the Troll Holes. And I hated them.

The Troll Holes are really three tunnels between Carreg and Wiseman's Bridge. They were dug out of the cliff ages ago to move trucks of coal. There's loads of old mine workings around here. The tunnels are dark and damp and when I was only four, a ten-year-old neighbour thought it would be funny to scare the hell out of me. I can remember even now what he said…

‘They're Troll Holes, Carys. Trolls are huge ugly things with claws and sharp teeth. They're invisible. They hide in the Troll Holes until small kids come in and then they grab them and eat them.'

Dad said I had nightmares for weeks. And now, stupid as it is, they still scare me. I always run through as fast as I can. That's okay in the short one but in the longer ones you can't see the light at the end and I've slipped over more than once. I hate them. I always go around the beach way if the tide is out, but I didn't want Jago to know that.

He wanted to go through the tunnels – thought they were cool. He rabbited on about the rock formation. He was so busy trying to tell me how metamorphic rocks were created, he didn't see me hesitate before I plunged in.

I picked up Tia and cuddled her to give me courage. Jago's voice echoed off the cold stone. I held my breath and counted slowly to distract myself.

At last we were out in the bright sunshine of Coppet Hall Beach.

‘I've done a lot of research on this place,' Jago said. ‘Did you know that Coppet Hall comes from the words Coal Pit Hall?'

‘Course I did,' I said.

I didn't. And, I thought maybe I should do a bit of research on Carreg. It was annoying having a stranger tell you things about your own home.

Jago's caravan was nice. The curtains were half closed, so it was cool and shaded inside. It had everything: little shower room, fridge, microwave, and a TV. They hadn't had time to use it and their stuff was still packed. Jago rummaged through a blue backpack and pulled out a small hammer, goggles and some other bits and pieces.

He arranged them neatly on the floor, naming them as he did. ‘Rock pick, collection bag…'

I think he was trying to impress me. He didn't.

‘Come on. Get your swimming costume and let's get to the beach.'

I'd slipped Tia off the lead and looked in the cupboards for a saucer or something to give her a drink of water.

It was a while before I noticed that she wasn't in the caravan anymore. The door was open and Tia was gone.

I panicked. Raced outside into the heat and blinding light of the day.

‘Tia! Tia! Here, girl. Tia!'

The caravan site was almost deserted; everyone was at the beach. I saw a couple with two small children trailing buckets and spades and ran towards them.