Witch Oracle in Westerham

by Dionne Lister

  “Are you sure?” Beren’s brow was as wrinkled as Will’s usually was.

  I smiled. “Yep. Positive.”

  Imani cocked her head to the side. “Are you sure, or is this more of your little thing against our oracle friend?”

  “I swear it’s not. Can you tell the difference between different people’s you-know-what? Because if you can, think back to the dance competition, and then think about Liv’s birthday.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t. And how do you even prove it? We can’t just assume what you’re saying is right and act on it without some kind of proof.”

  Liv’s mum came through the door. “Dinner’s ready. Let’s adjourn to the dining room.” Well, that was the end of that conversation for the time being, but that sensation of having missed something was gone. I smiled to myself.

  Maybe we were getting somewhere after all.

  Chapter 8

  After dinner last night—where we all watched Liv push her favourite meal of roast pork with crackling around her plate and eat hardly any of it—I suggested we carry out a test to prove I could tell the difference between people’s magic. Thus, I was in Angelica’s living room, standing at the door to the hall, facing out. My eyes were shut under the blindfold Angelica insisted I wear. Will, Beren, Imani, Angelica, James, and Millicent were in attendance. It would be too much of a luck thing if there had only been two people for me to choose from.

  My scalp tingled as someone conjured a small spell. “Angelica.” Yep, definitely bossy and impatient. No one said anything. They weren’t going to tell me until the end how many I got right. The hairs on the back of my neck rose, and a pleasant shiver cascaded down my body. I grinned. “Will.” I’d know his magic anywhere. It had more of an effect on me than anyone else’s. Clean, honest, and strong power skimmed over my scalp. “James.”

  We continued for another ten minutes before Angelica finally said, “Okay. We’re done.”

  The blindfold disappeared, and I turned. Will was grinning like he was proud. Angelica and James regarded me with poker faces, before James’s broke and he smiled and nodded. Millicent, Beren, and Imani looked at me as if I’d grown a second head, but in an awed kind of way. Will stood and came to me. He wrapped strong arms around me. “You are amazing, but I knew that.”

  I grinned up at him. “Thank you. It’s nice to be appreciated.”

  “Well, dear, you got them all correct.” Angelica raised her brow.

  I dropped my arms from around Will. “Don’t you believe me? Do you think I cheated?” I put my hands on my hips, ready to defend my honour as my cheeks heated.

  “Knowing you, I don’t really think you cheated, but…” Her expression softened, and she allowed perplexion to show through.

  “But what?”

  She shifted her gaze to Will. “You two can talk to each other mind to mind. Maybe there was some of that going on?”

  He folded his arms. Angelica was great at offending people because she just didn’t care. She was going to air her thoughts no matter what. I sighed. She didn’t mean it personally—it was just her. “We can, but we haven’t been. In fact”—he turned to me—“we agreed not to unless it was an emergency. We have phones for that, and if anyone finds out what we can do, we’ve lost any advantage we might have in the future.” By anyone, he meant Dana and her group. Will had also explained to me that there was a possibility our mind-to-mind conversations could possibly be listened into, just like a normal phone conversation, and it was a lot of effort to shield them, so we just didn’t bother.

  “Right. Well, I want both of you blindfolded for the next bit.” I rolled my eyes. Not again. Why couldn’t they just believe me? “Both of you, turn around.”

  Will and I gave each other “the things we have to put up with” looks and turned. A blindfold appeared on my face, and I waited. Magic ruffled the hairs on my neck. Gentle, kind, but with an undercurrent of nervousness. “Millicent.” We continued for another five minutes.

  “Okay, dear.” The blindfold disappeared. I turned to face Angelica. “I’m satisfied you have the talent to tell one person’s magic from another. You’re racking up those talents. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Are you sure you won’t come and work for us?”

  “I practically work for you anyway, but no, I don’t want a full-time job as an agent. Once we get to the bottom of what happened to my parents, I’m taking a massive holiday. I’ve always wanted to travel around Europe and take photos. And I’m here for you when you’re desperate. Plus, Mill and James are surely going to need some babysitting soon.” I grinned at my brother, who returned it. “Sorry.” Guilt stomped one of those stiff yet vigorous Irish dances in my stomach, but it wasn’t enough to get me to change my mind. The stress of the last few months had been ridiculous. I couldn’t imagine what doing that job for a lifetime would do to me. I didn’t want to be in danger if I didn’t have to, and once the stupid snake group was taken care of, I would be able to live my life in peace. I was really, really, really looking forward to that day. The money they paid me as a “consultant” was great, but if I picked up more photography work, I’d easily make a living out of it.

  “I’d like to check in on Liv before I go to work. Can you update me on what we’re doing about this later?” Beren stood and ran a hand through his hair. I was planning on dropping in on her later too. We’d decided to tag team as much as we could because Liv wasn’t doing too well. I was going to pass by Costa and grab some supplies first.

  “Of course, dear. James will let you know. I’ll see you later.” Angelica gave her nephew a nod, and he made his doorway and left. She turned back to us. “So, at this stage, we can assume with reasonable confidence that Lily has singled out Owen the Oracle as a potential suspect in these unusual incidents. Unfortunately, that doesn’t give us enough of a reason to demand a list of his clients so we can follow up what’s been happening in their lives, or the lives of those closest to them. Any suggestions on motive?”

  “Maybe he hates non-witches?” I shrugged. As far as we could tell, none of the victims of the unusualness had been witches. “Unless that spell he’s using doesn’t work on witches?”

  “Could be.” Millicent, reclined in one of the Chesterfields, rubbed her belly. “But why would he do something to hurt his clientele? They’re the reason he has so much money and success. Maybe he’s linked to Regula Pythonissam somehow?”

  I’d considered that. They were always looking at ways of causing trouble, and they did hate non-witches… at least, that’s what we assumed. “Maybe he takes money to do stuff to people? Like, his fortune telling is a front for other services for hire?”

  Will shook his head. “I don’t think so. Besides, he’d be leaving himself too open to arrest—letting non-witches know he was a witch and could arrange for things to happen to people?”

  “He might just put himself out there as being a normal person who can get the job done, like an assassin.” I was clutching at straws, but brainstorming was like that—you had to crack a few eggs to make a cake, or was that an omelette? I much preferred cake…. In any case, I wasn’t afraid of being laughed at for stupid ideas—goodness knew I did enough stupid stuff on a regular basis to worry about that now.

  Angelica sat next to Millicent and smoothed her black knee-length skirt once she was comfortable. “Anything is possible. To that end, we have those interviews with the victims of the other incidents underway, but I’d like to set up… not quite a sting, but a chance to find out more.” She held her hand up, and small pieces of paper appeared in it. “These are tickets to Owen’s next show in London. It’s happening tonight. I’m sending Lily, James, Will, and Gus.”

  Huh? “Gus? As in, Gus the security guy?” Gus the guy who always managed to gross me out with his ew-filled conversations.

  She nodded. “He was rather excited to be included. Since he’s a non-witch, he’s perfect for what we need. I’ve gotten him one of the few spots to have a reading after the show. He’l
l be wired. I want you there, Lily, to make sure when Owen casts any spells, you can get another feel of his magic, reconfirm that’s the one we’re looking for. James and Will are going to be there to see who else is having readings. We’re going to keep an eye on all those people, tail them, see what happens in their lives. We’ll also be listening in on all the readings.”

  My mouth dropped open. “That can’t be legal. What if none of those people are actually in on whatever he’s doing, assuming he is the one doing it, and it isn’t all just a huge coincidence? What about people’s privacy? Kate’s friend could have set Liv up. Are you tailing her?”

  “In the interests of crime solving, it’s legal. We can pretty much do whatever we want if we feel we have reason. Now, I suggest you prepare for tonight. You’ll be leaving at 6:30 p.m. If Owen happens to see you, tell him you enjoyed his reading so much the other night that you just had to come.”

  Grrr, she’d ignored my question about Kate. “I don’t know about that. I… um, kind of had an altercation with him at a flower shop. He knows I don’t like him.”

  Her brows raised, then slammed down as she frowned. “What kind of altercation, dear?” Her voice was calm, too calm.

  “I just ranted at him a teeny bit.” I blew out a loud breath. “Well, he didn’t warn Liv about what would happen. If he’s such a good freaking fortune teller, why couldn’t he have warned her? And if what he does is all for show, how dare he mess with people like that? Get their hopes up. What if someone believes the thing they want most is going to happen and they wait a lifetime, always saying no to things that could have been good, only to die without getting what they wanted?” I folded my arms and thumped them onto my chest.

  “Well, wear a wig or something. Make sure you’re unrecognisable. Will was at that party too, wasn’t he?”

  “Yes,” he answered. “I’ll grow a beard. Lily and I will stay at a distance. He won’t notice us. And James—well, he wasn’t at Liv’s party, so if there’s anything we need to do close up, we’ll get him to do it. He can accompany Gus to his reading and wait outside the tent, or room, or whatever he’s going to use.”

  “Good. We’re settled on it then.” Angelica stood. “Gus will be wired, and to make sure Owen can’t read all of his thoughts, we’ve blocked all PIB memories. If he tries to access those, it will trigger run-of-the-mill security-guard ones. Gus’s cover is that he works security for a bank. We’ve already implanted the false memories, and Gus has experienced them, so to speak. So we’re good to go.”

  “Why couldn’t you just do that with Will’s memories when he went undercover?” It surely would’ve made things less risky with Piranha.

  Will shook his head. “It takes power to create those memories. If you put them in too strongly, you could end up embedding them permanently and erasing the other memories. Anything in someone’s brain must be handled with extreme care. These memories will fade after a couple of days, and the block will fade from his other memories. He can still access some of the real memories, of course, but that’s only because the block is gentle enough that it will fade after forty-eight hours.”

  “Right.” This stuff was complicated. At least for me. I was sure I’d be much happier if I just stopped asking questions.

  Will smiled. “Don’t worry about that stuff, Lily. That’s what we’re for. Just worry about what you need to do.”

  “Okay, boss.” I saluted.

  Angelica cleared her throat and gave me an “I beg your pardon” look. I grinned and shrugged. “Well, technically, he’s my boss on this case. He answers to James, who answers to you, and Will’s my direct report.”

  “Hmm, so you’re going to do what I say?” There was a distinctly mischievous twinkle shining from his eyes.

  “Maybe….” I laughed. “I’ll do my best.”

  He growled, which was kind of sexy, although I was sure he didn’t mean it to be. “I’ve heard that before.”

  “Okay, kids, enough. We have to get going.” James stood and took Millicent’s hand. We’ve got work to do.” He looked at Will. “I’ll meet you at my place. We’ll take my car to the next interview.” He looked back at me. “After Will gets you tonight, we’re going to travel to nearby toilets. And make sure your mind-shield is up.”

  “Yes, dear. You’re on the job tonight. Do what you’re told and be careful.”

  I sighed. Seriously, when were they going to stop treating me like I was ten? “I’ll be careful.”

  Angelica raised one sceptical brow. “Lily….” The warning in her voice was clear.

  I crossed the fingers of one hand, which she couldn’t see because they were covered by my folded arms. “And I’ll only do what I’m told.” The heat of everyone’s gazes was on me. It was like being at an Aussie beach in the middle of the day in the middle of summer—scorching and uncomfortable. I squinted and resisted the urge to put a shielding hand above my eyes—if only I had a large umbrella to hide behind. “I know you have lots of work to do, so I’ll see you all later. Have fun.” I grinned.

  James shook his head, and Millicent smirked. Angelica’s brow was still high, shining its displeasure down on me. Will gave me a quick kiss on the mouth. “See you later, troublemaker.” Hmm, catchy. I liked it.

  I waved as they all departed through magical doorways. Which left Imani and me sitting next to each other. She looked at me. “I’ll come with you to Costa and then to see Liv. I have to get back to work in a couple of hours, but I’m yours until then.” She grinned. As strong as my magic was, I was still under her added protection whenever I went out. Which, to be honest, made me feel safer. Too many things had happened for me to think I could look after myself against the snake group, and after what happened at Millicent’s….

  “We’d best get going then.” I stood. “We can take Angelica’s car.” Imani had travelled here, and since Angelica had travelled back to the PIB, her car was the answer.

  After gathering supplies at Costa, we hurried to Liv’s parents’—I wished she could come back home to us, but that wasn’t an option until she was cleared of the crime she didn’t commit. Her mum let us in and directed us to Liv’s childhood bedroom.

  “Isn’t Beren here?” I asked. I did not want to walk in on anything.

  “He just left. He had to go to work, so it was a quick visit. He’s coming back for dinner.”

  Okay, so the coast was clear. I still knocked before entering. A muffled and dejected “come in” was the response. Inside, Liv lay in bed, on top of the covers. She was in her favourite cat pyjamas, which had a big cat face on the front that said, “I’d spend all nine lives with you.” Her real cat, Eric, a black-and-white tabby, snuggled against her tummy. Liv’s hair was a knotted mess, and her eyes were red and puffy. But that wasn’t the worst of it.

  “Hey.” I handed the tray of coffees to Imani and sat on Liv’s bed, careful not to scare Eric, and gave her a gentle hug. Yes, hugging wasn’t my thing, but she clearly needed it, and that was one thing I could do. When I’d finished, I stood and made space for Imani to administer her hug. She handed me the coffees and the bag of muffins, then tended to Liv.

  While she did that, I debated whether to bring up my concerns or not. Sometimes hassling people about a clear problem only stressed them out more. But I needn’t have worried—Imani was on the case.

  Imani pinched Liv’s hip. “Are you fading away on us? Luckily, we brought supplies.” She nodded to the food in my hands. “Now sit up. You’re going to eat a double-chocolate muffin. And we won’t take no for an answer.” She stood and put her hands on her hips, waiting for Liv to resettle in a sitting position.

  Liv slowly complied, and Eric decided it was his cue to leave. I stared at the door long after he’d left. What if he was the only thing keeping her comforted? I looked back at Liv. “Do you want me to get Eric to come back?”

  She shook her head, or rather, moved it slightly from side to side, as if anything more would require too much effort. “When was the last time you a
te?” I asked.

  She shrugged. Imani and I looked at each other—my worry reflected in her concerned gaze. “Here.” I handed Liv a tea and muffin.

  “Thanks, but this will make a mess. I’ll eat them later.” She turned to put them on her bedside table.

  I shook my head. “Nope. You’ll eat it now. We can”—I waved my hand—“any crumbs away before we leave.”

  “I’m not hungry.” Her voice was so quiet that I almost couldn’t hear. Grr, if Kate wasn’t already dead, I’d kill her myself. Her and her stupid digs at Liv’s weight, and now Liv’s whole life was on a knife edge because of her and her evil friend.

  “Sorry, Liv, but we don’t care if you’re not hungry. You need to eat. You’re wasting away. At this rate, you’ll disappear by next week.” Imani’s firm tone was not one you disobeyed easily.

  “I ate last night. Honest. Ask my mother if you don’t believe me.”

  “I’ll be back.” I turned to leave.

  A loud sigh came from Liv. “All right. I just want you both to know: I hate you right now. Why can’t you just leave me and my depression in peace? Surely I have a right to dwell. My life has just gone down the toilet—a dirty, smelly prison toilet.”

  “I know how that feels. Before I met you, I was chucked in the PIB prison. I’m sure I’ve told you the story.” She looked at me like “so what?” “You’ll need your strength to deal with this. Plus, we’re going to get the charges dropped. You didn’t do anything wrong. Please just trust us.”

  “And tell me, Lily—did you feel like eating while you were locked up?” Some heat had returned to her voice. Even though it was anger directed at me, it was better than nothing. I bit down on my smile. We needed to get her fired up enough to fight this with us.

  “No, but that was just because the cell smelt really terrible. At least you’re not next to a toilet right now. I’d take full advantage if I were you.” I unleashed a fraction of my smile to soften my words. In the mood she was in, she was liable to miss that I was trying to cheer her up.