said Matt. “I’m sure it was just a rat you heard moving around up there, darling.” Philly and Meg had waited in the kitchen whilst Matt and Puck went to the attic. Some of the guests had come from their room on hearing Philly scream, but soon went back in bed. The girls sat at the table with hot drinks, having only just calmed their shattered nerves. “Just a rat?” said Philly, shuddering. “I’m not sure that’s very comforting. It was huge.” She did not ask Matt how a rat could possibly manage to grab a set of keys and unlock the door. She knew from listening to his phone call that he had been interested in the attic, and still did not know whether to trust him. Whilst Philly and Meg had been alone in the kitchen, Philly had said, “Maybe Matt just went downstairs for a minute and didn’t realise we were up there.” “But someone else was in there too,” said Meg. “We heard them, didn’t we?” “Do you think he might have an accomplice?” Philly seriously wondered if things could get worse.
