I sighed, my shoulders drooping. “So you think it’s RP?”
Liv looked at me and scrunched her forehead. “Who’s RP?”
I went to make a bubble of silence, then realised the one I’d made earlier was still up. I was so efficient that I deserved a pat on the back. It must also mean my magic was stronger than I thought. I wasn’t even feeling tired from holding a spell for ages, albeit a spell that didn’t use too much power. All my magic use over the past few weeks was paying off. “Regula Pythonissam. Will and I decided to shorthand their name. Then, if we forget to put up a bubble of silence, they likely won’t know we’re talking about them. Plus, it’s easier than saying their full name.”
“Hmm, I like it.”
Beren looked at Will. “What do you want to do now?”
“Get the note and envelope to the lab and have them analysed. Who knows; there may be a magical signature left on the envelope or DNA. I also think having a chat with Angelica wouldn’t hurt.”
I rubbed my forehead. Had my mother been friends with this person, or had she been investigating them? I stopped mid forehead rub. “Will, who do you think it is?”
“Someone in RP. Either Dana or her boyfriend, the one involved in the tea debacle. From what I could gather, he’s pretty high up in the food chain in the group—not that I was privy to much, but that’s the impression I got before they decided I wasn’t really there because I loved Dana.” He clenched his jaw, hardness glinting in his eyes.
It warmed my heart that he only felt anger when he thought about her, but due to current circumstances, I didn’t have time to soak in it and enjoy as if it were a deep, hot bubble bath. “Do you know who he really is?” I asked.
“He goes by two names: Achilles Pappas and Boss. Obviously, Boss is a nickname, but there’s practically no information on his other name. I doubt Achilles Pappas is his real name. When we did background checks after the tea incident, the information was too bland and sparse, as if it were planted. We just found the basics: birth certificate, schools, tax file number, parents’ address, but that was it. No place of work, no fixed address, no tax information. He doesn’t claim government benefits either.”
Why did none of that surprise me? “In other words, a slippery snake.”
Will nodded. “Other than doing more research and checking in with Angelica, there’s nothing more to do about this, Lily. As far as I’m concerned, nothing’s changed—we’ll still be extra careful with your safety and keep investigating your parents’ disappearance and RP. I don’t think you can be on your guard any more than you already are, plus, if you act as normally as possible, it will annoy the hell out of them, I bet.” His cheeky grin made me think that maybe everything would be okay.
More fool me.
Chapter 5
Tossing, turning, and nightmares were not conducive to having a restful night, but at least I was able to sleep in. When I finally dragged myself out of bed, it was eleven. As usual, Will, Liv, and Angelica were already at work. I magicked my clothes on, went downstairs with my laptop, and sat at the kitchen table, then magicked myself a coffee. The only things I had to do today were editing photos and waiting for James to call. Today would only turn out to be memorable in a good way if Mill had the baby and everyone was well.
It was pouring outside and a chilly five degrees Celsius. As much as I had a lot on my mind, it was a great day to be inside working. Within two hours, I’d finished the photo edits and emailed them to my client. That was one job out of the way, but now I had nothing to do. Until those funerals were done, I couldn’t interview anyone. Hmm, even though Mill wasn’t well, maybe she’d be up for a visitor. From what James said, she didn’t have a headache anymore. Plus, maybe he needed a break and would be happier leaving if someone else was with her.
I pulled out my phone and texted him. His reply came back in moments, and it was in the affirmative, plus it included the hospital coordinates, ward, and room number. Yes! I magicked my laptop up to my room and my coat to myself. After making my doorway, I pictured the coordinates James had sent and stepped through… into an occupied cubicle.
My eyes widened, as did those of the elderly lady sitting on the toilet. Oh, God. Her mouth dropped open. She stared at me. I stared at her. She stared. I stared. A trickle of wee echoed from her toilet, taking things from awkward and frightening to mortifying. And then she… well… blurted a trumpet noise, but not with a trumpet, or her mouth. Her eyes widened even further, as if she were surprised by it, and maybe she was. God knew, she wouldn’t be the only one.
I wanted to say sorry, but if I spoke, it would make me more concrete. Maybe if I just opened the door and left, she’d think I was a hallucination or something. Also, there was no way anyone would believe her. I gave her a quick half smile, turned, and let myself out.
How the hell had that happened? Bloody James. He must have gotten something wrong, or maybe the woman had ignored the Out of Order sign and used the wrong toilet. I hadn’t thought to check if the sign was still there because, well, I wasn’t hanging around a nanosecond longer than I had to.
I practically jogged down the sterile hallways, following signs until I reached the maternity ward. The woman guarding the nurses’ station asked me who I was looking for before I could sneak past. “I’m here to see Millicent Bianchi.”
“She’s in room 206, down that way.” She pointed to my right.
“Thanks.” The door was open, but I knocked anyway. “Hello.”
“Come on in.” James stood next to Mill’s bed, and another man, slightly older-looking than James, sat in one of the two chairs next to her bed. He had straight, side-parted sandy brown hair in a neat cut. He wore a blue shirt and houndstooth jacket. “This is Millicent’s cousin Daniel. Daniel, this is my sister, Lily.”
He stood and gave me a half bow. “Pleased to meet you, Lily. I’ve heard so much about you, and, yes, it’s all been good.” He gave a short laugh.
“Lovely to meet you, Daniel.” What a nice cousin he was, visiting Millicent even before the baby arrived. My sister-in-law had a moderately puffy face. Her usually prominent cheekbones were semi-hidden. I’d looked up pre-eclampsia, and swelling was a symptom, not to mention, pregnancy seemed to be a water-retentive kind of time.
I approached her bed. “How are you feeling?”
She sighed. “Tired and ready to get this baby out. Hospital is so boring. If it wasn’t for security issues, I’d get some work sent to me.”
Daniel smiled. “Anything exciting happening in spy land?”
James chuckled. “Never.” He winked.
“You guys are no fun. You never tell me anything.” Daniel frowned.
Mill shook her head. “It’s just a dangerous job and boring at times. You’re not missing out on anything, you know.”
Daniel slumped back in his chair. “I know. It’s just, accountancy is so booooring. Can you talk about any cases that are over and done with?”
“Only bits and pieces, but here’s not the place.” James turned to me. “I’m just going to grab some food. Are you okay here, or do you want to come?”
“I came to see my gorgeous sister-in-law, so I’ll stay here.” I smiled. “Off you go. Take a break; get some fresh air.”
James laughed. “What, you want me to enjoy the freezing rain outside? We’re not in Sydney, you know.”
“Oops, I forgot. Oh well, get some exercise by doing a few laps of the hallways.” I stuck my tongue out at him.
He laughed. “Yeah, sounds like fun.” He looked at Millicent. “Do you want anything?”
“Unless you can take this baby out right now, then no.”
“I’m afraid that’s beyond my skill level.” He bent and kissed her forehead, then turned and left. I sat on the chair on the other side of her bed.
Daniel leaned forward. “Are you sure you can’t tell me anything about your exciting job? You know I love your work stories.”
Millicent grabbed the controls on her bed and pressed a butto
n, lowering the backrest a bit, and settled into her pillow. “I’m too tired to talk about work, to be honest. How’s Erin?”
“She’s good. I finally bought her the new BMW she’s been after me for. We picked it up the week before Christmas.”
Millicent smiled. “You’ve been doing so well with the new job. Congratulations, and thanks for the generous gift.” She shook her head and grabbed a small, red velvet box that was on the tray table hovering across the middle of her bed. And when I say hovering, I mean it was attached to a metal bar that led to wheels on the floor. With witches, hovering could mean so much more.
She opened the box and lifted out a delicate rose-gold necklace with a heart-shaped pendant. “Isn’t it gorgeous, Lily?”
I leant closer. “It’s stunning. Can you open it and put pictures inside?”
Millicent opened it, demonstrating the functionality. “I’ve always wanted something like this. I just never got around to buying one.” She looked up at Daniel. “Thank Erin for me too. You’re both so generous.”
He grinned. “It’s our pleasure. You should have nice things, Mill. You’re awesome, and, as you know, you’re my favourite cousin.” He winked, and she laughed. How sweet that they were so close.
“Are you guys related on your mum or dad’s side?”
Millicent put the necklace back in the box. “My mum is his dad’s older sister. They also have an older brother, but he lives in Germany. His two kids are a bit younger. I think Elizabeth’s doing her last year of high school, actually.”
Daniel nodded. “Yep, and Elouise is in her first year of university. She’s studying engineering. We’re from a smart family. Geniuses, the lot of us.” He laughed, so I figured he was kind of joking yet proud.
“Impressive,” I said.
“I hear you and James are quite clever too, Lily. This baby is going to be an absolute genius, I bet, and a powerful you-know-what.” I guessed he meant witch. I had to hand it to the guy; he was the proudest cousin I’d ever met.
“I bet this baby is going to be the best baby ever born.” I grinned. “And it’s our job to spoil it.”
Millicent raised her brows. “It? Can’t you say him or her?” She laughed.
“Soon we’ll know what it is. Saying him or her is way too much work. You know I’m lazy at heart.” She shook her head, bemusement on her face.
Daniel stood. “I guess I’d better get back to work. It was so nice to see you, Mill. I’ll be back with Erin when the baby’s born.” He bent and kissed her cheek.
“Send her my love, and thanks again for the beautiful gift.”
“Will do.” He looked at me. “Lovely to meet you, Lily. I’m sure I’ll see you again.”
“I’m sure you will. Bye.”
“Bye, ladies.” He went into Millicent’s private bathroom, and there was a tiny hum of magic—likely his doorway. I got up, went over, and knocked on the bathroom door. There was no answer, so I opened it. Yep. He was gone.
Being the lazy person I was, I sat in the chair Daniel had been in because it was closer to where I was. As I sat, James came in. “How are my three favourite people?” He walked around to the other side of the bed and sat on the chair.
Millicent rubbed her belly. “We’re good.”
“Shame you can’t get three wishes when you do that.” I laughed.
“Ha, if only!”
James grabbed Mill’s hand. “Daniel’s gone?”
“Yes. He said he’ll come back with Erin to see the baby.”
“It was nice of them to get you such an expensive present. His career’s really taking off.”
“It seems to be. He works so hard, and he did well at uni. He deserves it.”
I didn’t mean to change the subject and all the gushing over her cousin, but I needed information, as all good aunties did. “Well, I’m just glad you’re okay. I’ve been so worried about you and the baby. Are you going to wait for it to happen naturally, or are they going to induce you? And if so, when?”
Millicent shrugged. “It’s a wait and see. While my blood pressure is being controlled with medication, we’ll wait, but if the pre-eclampsia ramps up again, we’ll induce. The baby’s pointing in the right direction at least. He or she just doesn’t want to come out yet.”
James smiled a proud husband-father smile. “The baby is clearly too comfortable in there. And who could blame it?”
“James, it?!” Millicent mock scolded.
“Ha, it’s not just me.” I smirked.
Millicent raised a brow. “Lazy talking obviously runs in the family. I hope it isn’t passed down to our little one.”
James shifted his gaze from Millicent to over my shoulder. I turned. A nurse pattered in on soft-soled shoes. If it wasn’t for James’s reaction, I would’ve surely had a heart attack when she appeared next to me. What type of shoes did nurses wear? Was there a brand out there called Ninja Soles? I bet their company tagline would be “The soul of a ninja in each pair. Ensures silence, no matter the surface.” It probably wasn’t good for the patients though. I bet the nurses killed a few due to the heart attacks had when someone is just there and you didn’t hear them coming. If I ran things, I’d make all nurses wear bells, like cats. Then there could be no sneaking, and, unlike clackety shoes, it would be a pleasant sound.
The nurse stood next to Millicent’s bed. “I’m Abby, your nurse for this shift. How are you feeling today, Mrs Bianchi?”
“Tired, but otherwise okay, thanks.”
“Great. I’m just going to take your blood pressure.” She turned to me. “Would you be able to move back for a minute?”
“Yes, sure.” I stood and dragged my chair back so the nurse could get in next to Millicent’s arm. She put the blood-pressure-machine cuff around her arm, turned the machine on, and waited while it buzzed and filled the cuff with air. After it worked out her blood pressure, the nurse did it one more time. Her poker face was almost as good as Angelica’s. That was one thing I hated in hospital—you could never gauge what they were thinking, and, of course, I always thought the worst.
Abby wrote the results on Millicent’s chart. “It’s stable. I’ll come back in a couple of hours.” She smiled and left. I was about to ask about Millicent’s cousin, but my phone rang.
Maybe Liv had gotten the funeral details, and I could start to plan when I’d make those interviews. I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Will’s name was on the screen. Please don’t be bad news. The sinking-fast sensation in my stomach was usually right, so I was pretty sure the universe was going to ignore my request. I answered the phone. “Hello, Will.”
“Hi. You’re not home.”
“Um, no. How did you know?”
“Because I’m there. I came to get you.”
“Get me for what?”
“There’s been another suicide at Dover.”
“Oh, crap. Okay, I’ll be back in a minute. I’ll just say goodbye to Mill and James.”
“Say hello for me.”
“Sure. Bye.” My head fell back, and I stared at the ceiling. After letting out a tremendous sigh, I stood. “Sorry, guys, but I have to go. There’s been another suicide at Dover.”
James’s brow furrowed. Millicent frowned and said, “Oh no. That’s so sad.”
“I know. Will’s going to take me there to help.”
James said the brotherliest thing he could, “Be careful, Lily.”
“I will. Oh, and Will says hello to both of you. If anything happens with the baby, let me know.” I bent and gave Millicent a quick hug. “See you later.” I went to Millicent’s bathroom, shut the door, and let my magic do the rest.
Chapter 6
Will held the large, black umbrella over my head. Sheeting rain angled towards my body and legs, but, thankfully, I was a witch, and I had a waterproof spell up. If any non-witches had been around, that would have been a no-no. Lucky for us, it seemed as if everyone else in the UK was sensible because no one else was out here braving the atrocious weather. A
gull soared overhead, its baleful cry a portent of things to come.
My camera was pointed towards the cliff and the churning grey-green ocean beyond. “Show me the woman who jumped off the cliff this morning.” There was no one standing there, but then a woman walked into frame. Crap. I fumbled with my camera and managed to flick it to video without missing too much.
She was thin, dressed in dark blue skinny jeans, black knee-high boots, and a gorgeous red coat. The crimson coat was a bright beacon on a dreary day, radiant against the leaden ocean and sky. The woman stepped closer to the edge, then took one step back. She turned and seemed to look straight at me as if begging for help. Unlike the others I’d photographed, fear emanated from her blue eyes, so palpable it was like getting punched in the gut. I drew in a sharp breath and zoomed in on her young face—she couldn’t have been more than early twenties.
A tear slid slowly down her face, stopping at her jaw, clinging desperately before being torn away by the wind. She turned back toward the sea. My heart raced.
“Nooooooo!” I started forward.
Will grabbed my arm as she stepped into the void.
I lowered the camera, dropped my head, and shut my eyes. The pressure of tears built behind my eyelids. Will worked his fingers under my chin and lifted my face gently. “What happened? Talk to me.”
“It was in video. She didn’t want to jump. I’m sure of it.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. Concern shone from his eyes and each deep groove in his forehead, which just made me cry in earnest. He enfolded me in his arms and tucked my head under his chin.
Rain thrummed against the umbrella. The brine-laced air reeked of sorrow and tasted like tears. Will’s voice was gentle. “Why don’t we head home.”
Witchbotched in Westerham Page 6