Read Online The Haunting of Tabitha Grey by Vanessa Curtis - Free Book Online

red after saying this but Sid doesn’t laugh, like Dad, or shudder, like Mum, or tell me to stop being daft.
    He just gives me this matter-of-fact look and speaks into his radio, telling Dawn he’ll be back in a moment to take a crowd of visitors down to the basement kitchens and might they do the
upstairs attics while they’re waiting.
    Then he comes back in and sits down on the sofa again.
    ‘Aye,’ he says. ‘Happen I have. Seen something, I mean. It was a while ago now.’
    Although I’ve gone all shivery and I don’t really want to hear what he’s about to say, another smaller part of me is really desperate to hear more so I nod but don’t say
anything.
    ‘It was when I came in early one morning to unlock,’ he says. ‘Quite unexpected, it was. One minute nobody there. The next she was there in front of me.’
    The radio crackles into life again. Dawn sounds like she’s going to blow a fuse. Sid gets up, wipes his brow with a big white handkerchief and gives me a wink.
    ‘We know who wears the trousers around here,’ he says.
    He pats me on the head like I’m about three and I don’t mind because it’s so good to know that I’m not actually going barking bonkers. ‘We’ll talk
again,’ he says. ‘I might be able to explain some stuff about the house if you’re interested.’
    ‘Yeah,’ I say. ‘Yeah, I am.’
    I’m frightened to death as well, but I don’t need to tell him cos I reckon he can see that.
    ‘Thanks for the tea,’ says Sid. ‘I’d better be off now.’
    I don’t know what makes me do it, but I reach up and plant a big kiss on his shiny cheek.
    ‘Ah, bless you, lass,’ he says. ‘Tell your dad I’m looking for him.’
    He disappears off down the corridor, jingling the bunch of keys.

 
Chapter Eight
    T he next day Dad bounds into the flat with something clasped behind his back.
    ‘This should cheer you up, Tabs,’ he says, coming over to where I’m lying on my stomach with my legs up in the air, texting Gemma. ‘Here – give me that.’
    He ignores my squawk of protest and whips my mobile phone off me.
    ‘Dad!’ I say. ‘I need my mobile like ALL the time! What if somebody texts me?’
    ‘I’m sure you’ll survive five minutes without it,’ says Dad. He slips my mobile phone into the pocket of his jeans and then instructs me to close my eyes.
    I’m not too keen on doing that at the moment. Every time I close my eyes at night I see a white moony face and hear the heavy thump of footsteps descending the manor staircase.
    ‘Go on,’ says Dad. ‘Just for a moment.’
    I half-close my eyes so that I can still see a blurry outline of Dad’s face. He puts something cold, small and smooth into my hands and I open my eyes right away and gasp.
    ‘Dad!’ I say. ‘I’ve always wanted one of these!’
    I slide my fingers over the tiny flat screen and it beeps into life.
    Dad has bought me an iPhone. It’s black and shiny and new. And perfect.
    ‘Thanks,’ I say, leaping up to throw my arms round his neck.
    ‘Hmm,’ mutters Mum who is mixing up a bowl of cereal and prunes behind me. She says it helps her stomach but I can’t see how. It looks disgusting. I’ve got a pile of
toast and Marmite next to me. ‘That must have cost a lot of money. I hope you’re going to look after it, Tabitha.’
    I pull a face at Dad and he sparkles back at me.
    ‘Got it off Kevin cheap,’ he says. ‘He’s put some stuff on it for you, Tabs. Not sure what.’
    Kevin is Dad’s best friend from college. They’ve always kept in touch. Nobody’s quite sure what Kevin does for a living but he’s always got loads of electrical equipment
to sell and half our flat is furnished with it.
    Mum sniffs.
    ‘Knock-off,’ she says. ‘That’s nice. Great example you’re setting our daughter.’
    Dad pulls a face behind her back and I smother a grin.
    Then Mum slopes back off to her bedroom to eat the muesli, and I spend the rest of the morning fiddling about with my new toy