by Olivia Swift
“Would you like to borrow it?”
“I really would,” Magda told her. “Thanks again.”
She watched Sam usher the woman out and turned to Rula and Katie.
“How kind of her,” she said.
“And Utric approved,” Rula added dryly. “I had forgotten about him in the upset of the day.”
“If he behaves himself, I don’t mind,” Magda answered and felt a slight wind lift the top of her hair. “Behave, I said,” she added firmly and smiled at herself talking to thin air.
Rula went to see how Mikey was progressing and he came back with her and said that he had locked up.
“Stock arriving first thing and I am sick of answering questions.”
“I agree,” Magda said. “If Rula and Katie want to go, I’ll just wait here for Sam.”
Mikey said that the climbers were arriving about ten in the morning and asked Rula if she would like a drink and something to eat. Rula avoided looking at Magda but collected her purse and jacket and the two of them left together.
“Hmm,” Katie said. “Definitely something starting up there.”
“Rula has always been choosy about who she goes out with. She must really like him,” said Magda.
“Oh, I do like a good romance,” Katie added and was putting on her own coat when Sam arrived, carrying quite a large book. “Like yours,” Katie added and waved goodbye.
“Like your what?” Sam queried, and Magda smiled and held out her arms for him.
“Our romance,” she said. “Thank the Lord we have each other.”
“And tools in the truck,” he added. “That door will have to be fixed before we can leave.”
“Heavens. I forgot about that,” she said and moved her hand over the door as he ran back to the truck and came back with a toolbox. Magda sat at a table and idly looked at the book that Mrs. Jarvis had sent. It was a set of stories and legends handed down from generation to generation, but it was accompanied by photographs of the castles, cliffs, lochs, and hills of northern Scotland.
“I’ll read this properly later,” Magda said. “It is a really interesting book, even though I have decided to leave the whisky truffles for the time being.”
“And the whisky has been stolen,” Sam added.
“There is that as well,” she sighed and closed the book. A slight wind ruffled the pages and opened it up again. Magda glanced down and saw that the picture was an artist’s impression of a Viking longboat tied up at a harbour wall.
“Behave, I said, Utric,” she said into the air, and Sam looked up.
“Is he around?” Magda nodded and said that he had better not frighten the cats anymore.
“Door fixed,” Sam said and tried it to make sure it worked.
“Pity you didn’t frighten off the robbers, Utric,” he said. “Keep an eye on things.”
They locked up and Magda drove her car with the huge truck following behind.
They found the cats sleepy and contented and no sign of any Viking activity. There was a parcel in the mailbox by the door and it contained the wedding invitations.
“I think that I’ll start the list after we have something to eat and we can start addressing envelopes,” Magda said. “It will be a pleasant change from robberies and ghosts.”
“Good idea,” Sam agreed, and they ate a simple meal and settled down. Sam took his tablet and said that he would write if she called out names. “Most of them will be in my address book and the printer can write the envelopes.”
Magda’s own close family had passed away but Branston’s dad was still alive and living in the area. Rula’s mom was definitely included and Sam’s own dad was a distance away, but he was pretty sure he would make it on the day. They added all the family they could think of and then the close friends and some whom they hadn’t seen for some time but had to be on the list.
“Wow! How many is that?” Magda asked, and he added them up and told her eighty-four.
“I think we can afford that at Michele’s and maybe a few more if we have forgotten anyone,” she answered. Sam tucked the tablet away and put his arm around her shoulders.
“Good job done. We can get them printed and sent out in the next few days.” He added that the extension job was finished and he would have a couple of days before seeing the next client. “When are you choosing a dress?”
“Hmm. It would be lovely to just have some time to relax instead, but I think I’ll have to look around next week,” Magda mused. He kissed the top of her head and told her to enjoy the peace and quiet. She reached over and turned the pages of the book from Mrs. Jarvis.
“This is a lovely book. The photos are wonderful,” she said. “There are some funny stories to do with ghouls and ghosts.”
“I guess that there is so much history along with murders, wars, and surviving in a time gone by, that there are bound to be some mysteries,” he answered, then closed the book and put it on the table. Crystal stalked over, knocked the book on the floor and put her paw directly onto a page.
“Oh, no. This is not my book. It has to go back to Mrs. Jarvis,” Magda cried and leaned down to reach for the book. When she stayed in that position and was obviously reading something, Sam asked what was so interesting.
She picked up the book and read out loud a legend about a famous Viking leader.
“It could be Utric,” she said, “but there would be lots over two hundred years of Vikings.”
“Crystal has lost interest,” Sam remarked and said that he would make the most of his two days off but would like to come and help in the café.
“I like having you around all the time,” Magda confessed. “Who would have thought that I would ever say that?”
“I might have dreamed about it,” he answered and pulled her close. Crystal came and pushed her way onto his knee. “Okay, Crystal. I love you as well.” They all spent some sleepy, comfortable time on the couch, and then Magda made herself get up to make some hot chocolate. She saw that the book was back on the floor and bent to pick it up. It was open at the same page about the Viking legend.
“I’ll need to read that properly,” she thought, and put the book where the cat could not reach it.
In the morning, she took the book along to the café. Sam had said that he would go to his office and take care of some paperwork and then he would come to the café. Magda smiled.
“Men, they do still like to look strong. But,” she added to the cats, “the room is empty as soon as he goes away—just don’t you tell him that.” She left them treats and collected what she needed for the day. Once in the café, she was deciding to make the pecan and marzipan truffles when she saw the police car parked at the end of the alleyway.
“Oh, no,” she thought. “What now.”
The detective followed her into the café as Rula and Katie arrived.
“Just an update,” the detective told them, “Your Mrs. Jarvis should be on the force. Her eagle eyes did the trick and we easily traced the driver. We followed up his known associates and, lo and behold, found a great many of the stolen items. We arrested four people and it looks like the case is solved.”
“Well, that is amazing. Good old Mrs. Jarvis,” Magda answered. “She will have to have free drinks for some time to come.”
“What about the things from the camping shop?” Rula asked, and he told her that quite a lot of it was recovered.
“We have the whisky bottles as well, but the pictures had mostly broken glass in the frames. I think they were too rough with them, but you will get them back in due course.” He said he would let them get on with their work and they thanked him for the update.
“Does Mrs. Jarvis know?” Katie asked as he left.
“Yes, my officer went to see her when I came here,” he said. “Wish all the cases were as easy as that one.”
Mikey came in to see if they had seen Rodriguez and to say that his booking was arriving in half an hour.
The book lying on the counter fluttered open.
> “Oh, no. Utric, just stay away,” Magda said. “We have had enough excitement.”
“This is open at a page about a Viking,” Katie said, and Magda saw, with a little flutter in her chest, that it was the same legend.
Chapter 13
“I hate to tell you. But Crystal opened it at the same page twice.”
“We should read it properly then,” Rula said without a flicker of surprise at hearing the cat had opened the book. “She always seems to be able to sense something unusual.” Mikey wanted to know what else the cat had told them about, and the girls all laughed and told him little stories about Crystal and her so-called psychic abilities.
“I still think most of it is coincidence,” Magda told him, “but I have to admit it is a bit unnerving.”
Sam arrived and joined the conversation. They told Mikey about Crystal knowing when the phone was about to ring, and how she swiped her paw across the tablet or cell and found pictures that seemed uncannily accurate at the time.
“Cats do have a certain air about them that makes you think they know things that you don’t,” Mikey admitted and told them that he had two very vocal Siamese who told him exactly who was in charge in the house. “I wish I could climb like they can,” he added.
“You are an excellent climber,” Magda told him.
“I can always see the risks,” he answered. “I think that is useful in dangerous situations.”
Rita was serving the two or three customers who had come into the café, and Katie was apologizing for their lack of selection due to the robberies. The customers were keen to hear all the details. Mikey’s four clients came to check in and use the wall.
They were all women in their twenties who had experience with climbing. He knew them and introduced them to the rest.
“We might as well get you moving,” he told them and took the four climbers out to the rear wall. Sam said he would come in case Mikey felt outnumbered and grinned at Magda as he went. She shook her head and went on making truffles.
“Pecan and marzipan,” she called after him, and he gave her a thumbs-up sign. There was a short space of time when the chocolate makers worked happily while Rula served the customers. Josh came in and started to help as well, and it looked as if normality had returned. Magda was telling Katie that she would pay for the stolen pictures and buy some new ones because the insurance would cover the cost.
“Can you bring some tomorrow?” she asked, and before Katie could reply, she heard Sam shout from outside. She and Rula both dropped what they were doing and ran to see what was wrong.
One of the women climbers was on the ground and dusting herself down and a second one was struggling to regain her foothold. Mikey climbed up and lent a hand. The other two girls were at the top.
“What happened?” Magda asked.
“That rotten Utric,” Sam told her quietly. “The wind that swept up was so strong that this lady, Karla, had to jump for it and her friend was left scrambling to stay put.”
The three women who had reached the top of the wall came down on the side ropes and asked if there were freak winds all the time.
Mikey shook his head and said that it had never happened before.
“I’ll give it another go,” Karla told him. She was a good climber and said that she felt fine. She tied her long, blonde hair back out of the way and took hold of the first places to start the climb.
“I’ll start farther along,” her friend Jeanette added, and they went toward the rock face. Jeanette had a woolen hat pulled over her curly hair. The others watched. Josh came around the corner and stood beside Magda. She looked at him with a question in her eyes, and he told her quietly that he could feel Utric and he knew he was upset.
“Sad, upset, unhappy. I can’t tell why.” Sam heard what was said as well, and they looked at Karla who was a good climber and now near the top of the wall. Her friend was to one side and ahead of her. Josh put his hand on his head and closed his eyes. The others felt the wind begin to swirl. It was gentle at first and then suddenly hit the wall with quite a force. Jeanette threw herself onto the top of the wall and lay down to reach a hand down for Karla.
There was nothing the girl could do but hang on to the fingerholds that she had found and lean in against the face of the rock as she would do in any storm. Mikey swarmed up the wall in a matter of seconds and hooked a rope onto her belt. He threw the other end up to Jeanette and braced his body to hold the client in place. The wind subsided as quickly as it had arisen and Karla slid down the ropes at the side.
“What the hell happened there?” she demanded as her friend gave her a hug and said they should go and get a drink. Karla shook her head and looked at Mikey. “This is not like you. Tell me what happened. It is very strange here. There is something not right.”
Mikey looked at Sam and Magda and held out his hands. Magda took the decision.
“You might not believe this, Karla, and I apologize. Please don’t spread it around, but we have a sort of poltergeist. He gets angry. He took it out on you. I’m sorry again. I don’t know why he picked on you.”
Karla looked from one to the other of them and then at her friend.
“My Lord. I’ve heard about that sort of thing but never actually thought it happened.”
Mikey nodded and said that Magda was telling the truth. “I think the wall will have to come down if it puts people in danger. Seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“That’s a shame. We need a practice wall just to keep in shape,” Jeanette said. “Should we try it again?”
“Really?” Magda exclaimed. Jeanette smiled and said she liked a challenge.
“I’ll come up with you and we’ll rope up,” Mikey said, and the girls nodded. The other two women said they would try as well, and Mikey started up the wall with Jeanette. Nothing happened. He went up with the other two girls, and although they were nervous no wind blew at all.
“Quite disappointed,” the other two girls admitted, and Karla said she would give it another try. As soon as she touched the first handholds, the breeze started to gently blow but they could feel it growing in force.
“It’s Karla,” Josh said. “He’s worried about her.”
“What?” Karla demanded. “How do you know that?”
Josh said that he could feel the feeling in his head that whoever was out there was worried about her.
“I just get these . . . sort of . . . feelings in my head. He’s sad, worried, and confused as well.”
Magda intervened and suggested they all come into the café and have hot drinks.
“Let’s talk in comfort.”
Sam and Rula added their voices and the whole party went inside. Sam pushed some tables together and Rula went for drinks.
Josh apologized for causing trouble, but Magda told him to stop worrying. He went back to work helping Rita and Katie. Magda came and sat at the table.
“Would you like the whole story?” she asked, and all four women nodded and said they were curious.
“And excited,” Jeanette added.
“You weren’t the one getting blown off the wall,” Karla told her. “It’s a bit freaky to think a ghost is worried about you.”
“I cannot believe,” Magda said, “how people just accept that we might have a ghost or a poltergeist. I worry away about not saying anything, and when I have to, nobody is bothered.”
“My aunt believes in ghosts and watches all those television programs,” Jeanette answered, “but my uncle is a scientist and tells her that he needs proof and evidence and it is all in her imagination.”
Rula added the information that the spirit, whoever he was, didn’t like certain things.
“Like the tartan of the folk with the distillery. I guess he thinks it should still all belong to him and his family.”
“The wind is warm and gentle when he’s happy and strong, and cold when he’s not,” Sam added, and Katie told them about Declan being able to see spirits sometimes.
“He saw him
and described him. That’s how we are pretty sure he’s a Viking,” Magda said and produced the drawings that Katie had done from his description.
“You are really good at this. I love those pictures,” Karla told her and touched her hand to her cheek.
“A warm breeze?” Sam asked, and she nodded.
“That was him?”
“I think,” Magda said quite loudly, “that I’ll get some Henderson tartan.” The cold breeze whipped around the room and subsided.
“Wow,” one of the other girls said. “I see what you mean.”
“I wish we could get him back to Scotland,” Magda said, “but can’t figure out how to do it.”
“What about the pages in the book?” Mikey suggested. “My cats would be insulted if I took no notice of what they showed me.”
Magda put the book on the table and looked around.
“Show me,” she demanded out of thin air, and to all their amazement, a breeze fluttered the pages and she looked at the one that was left open. “Same one,” she said.
“What does it say?” Jeanette asked, and Magda cast her eye over the story.
“A legend of the area says that the Vikings made many raids; one in particular was very strong, and his woman was almost as effective as he was. They could scale the cliffs and castle walls and open up defences to let the raiders inside.” She looked up with an expression of astonishment. “You don’t suppose that it could be Utric?”
“Fascinating,” Jeanette said. “I must have the bug from Aunt Carrie. I wish I could see him.”
Magda looked at the book again.
“These Vikings were very striking. They were tall and strong with long, blond hair. They arrived in longboats rowed by twenty men and were armed with axes, shields, and spears. The speed of their boats was something to behold and brought them upon the local people with that element of surprise so crucial to raiding parties.”