by EH Walter
Part of me was furious that he had let me go through all those stupid emotions and part of me was very, very grateful that he was a metre across the hallway from me.
He got out his new keys and unlocked the door. He went in and I passed him the bag.
"Thanks for your help."
"No problem."
"Well, goodbye then."
"Bye."
He smiled and closed the door.
I went back to my flat, unlocked it, went in and peeled off all my clothes that I was now far too hot in.
I had just thrown my coat on the sofa when there was a knock at the door.
Bob.
"Hello neighbour," he said, "I am new to the building and would like to know if you would care to join me for dinner this evening at my new flat."
"You daft bugger Bob!" I grabbed him in a hug and kissed his cheek.
"I'll take that as a yes then."
"Only if I can bring my troll."
"Oh yes, I couldn't leave Trevor out. He says he's going to keep up the culvert as a holiday home. Modernist, he called it."
After moving Bob into his new home it was time to go up to the offices and face Rose. I was not looking forward to this, I mean - who had been keeping her in biscuits for a month?
There was nothing unusual about the building, Reggie ignored me as always, but when I got to the PI door it looked different. I paused and stared at it. What was it? Then I realised that GA Mildred's drippy gold lettering was gone and replaced with professionally done letters.
Paranormal Investigations - no situation too strange it said, Partners M Fey, MLE Fey and R Windsor.
What? Who the feck was R Windsor? That hadn't been on there before.
Inside the plants were the same but the reception area had had an overhaul. Gone were the old, recycled pieces of furniture and in were sleek and smooth coordinating pieces. Heck, it made us look professional. There was even a proper reception desk and a flat screen computer. Rose was peering at the screen through her glasses which reflected the type. She was checking out plant pots on e-bay. My office was off to the right, as before, but now GA Mildred's old office to the left had undergone a re-vamp and R Windsor was in gold lettering on the door.
A shiny silver bell sat on the counter. I rang it. Rose looked up.
"Oh," she didn't look too surprised to see me, "he said you would be back."
"He?"
"The new partner."
"We have a new partner?"
"Well, it was that or go under. For a month we weren't able to access the accounts without your signature. Mildred had an offer too good to refuse."
"I have a business partner now?"
"Well, technically two, as you still have Mildred."
"Who is he?"
"Mr Windsor."
"I can figure that much out. Who is he?"
She shrugged and then said accusingly, "I don't know, but I can tell you he buys very good biscuits."
"Well that's alright then. Is he in?"
"He's never in. I haven't even met him."
"Never? Well he won't mind me nosing around his office then."
Rose looked as if she couldn't care less what I got up to. I went to Mr Windsor's door and tried it. Locked.
"Have you got the key?" I asked.
"Only Mr Windsor has the key."
Dammit.
"So I have a new mystery business partner who has a locked office?"
Rose mumbled and pressed to bid on a Grecian style pot.
"Great."
I thought I might as well see what had been done to my office so I went inside. Hmm, nothing. It was exactly the same as before, even down to the pot plant which was watered by the leaking ceiling. My office had not undergone any transformation other than to get a month older and mouldier.
I was distracted by my phone ringing. Jez. Taking a deep breath to calm my thudding heart I walked to the window to look out over the Hertfordshire hills as I answered it. Calming, pretty hills.
"Hello Jez." my voice said calmly, well done voice - it sounded much calmer than I felt.
"Hello Leo. You're a hard girl to get through to. I've been trying for a month."
"I was away." He'd been trying to get hold of me for a month and hadn't given up! I could have done a tap dance on the desk... had I been any good at dancing that is.
"That explains it then. How are you?"
"Okay and you? How's the show?"
"Almost over, we start on the film in Prague next week."
"So soon?"
"I was wondering whether you would be free for dinner before I go?"
"I most certainly can be."
"I'm free Sunday night if that's any good for you."
"I can do Sunday. Where shall we meet?"
"How about Waterloo station? Under the clock? We need to talk."
"We do."
"So... Sunday then?"
"Yes. See you Sunday."
My face felt like it hadn't smiled so much for a long time. He hadn't given up on me and now we had a date. No matter what I had promised to tell him I loved him - I owed it to myself and to him to do that in person. Over the phone I would never be able to see his reaction. Over the phone a person could lie too easily.
I was broken from my reverie by the ringing of my desk phone.
"Hello?"
"Mildred for you." Rose boomed and connected the call.
"Hello Leo." came GA Mildred's voice down the phone. She knew something had been up over the last six weeks, that's why she was calling.
"Hello Aunty."
"I was just wondering how things were. How are you?"
"Me? Not too bad considering." I felt the ring under my shirt. What would Jez make of that? I stopped looking out over the Hertfordshire hills and turned to the other window; my crazy city, my London.
"Anything strange been happening dear?"
Strange as in finding out you had a destiny as a Seer, a mediator between two worlds? Befriending a troll and a satyr? Finding out your father was a fallen angel who died twenty two years ago and was time travelling through your life to help you? Being threatened by fairies and almost killed by demons? Getting accidentally married in Highgate Cemetery?
"Strange," I looked out at the city in the distance, the sun was beginning to fade, a golden glint hitting the top of the Canary Wharf tower, "no Aunty, nothing at all unusual has been happening."
###
Thanks for reading throughout November. With Ofsted arriving mid-month I think this whole book was written in about twenty three days which is not bad for a first draft! I am loathe to say goodbye to Leo and her world, so if there is enough demand she will carry on having adventures in Paranormal Investigations 2: Will work for biscuits. Which incidentally I will do, or nice chocolates. Either really.
Thanks must go to all the supporters of myself and this book, I hope I don't forget anyone: everyone at EJS who has been reading along and chatting about it with me in the staffroom; Colleen and Ellie who made me feel I had something worth reading; Mary who gave me a thrill as PI went transatlantic; Karen who I made late for work; Michael for the fantastic cover which inspired how to do away with 'Bertha'; my brother; Benjamin for reading and reviewing; Sean for being the e publishing guru as always and whooping my word count; everyone who suggested silly names and ideas (the silliest coming from Robin Chuffmonkey Longley): Sian, Jackie, Anita, Katie Delaney, Katie Brown, Patrick, Will Dyson, Misti, Carl, Liam, Lee, Jamie, Kneller, Tarryn, Steve, Angela, Atilio, Bob (the non-satyr version), Kate, Rick, Gail and of course the greatest lobster of them all - Harold Parkinson (find him at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002696208609). Anyone I have forgotten, please forgive me - it's been one hell of a month.
Oh and fellow nanoers, I'm counting all of this in my word count!
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Leo Fey will return in:
Paranormal Investigations 2: Will Work For Biscuits.
It's Christmas time and things are getting odd... okay, odder. And how many mince pies can Leo eat before turning into one?