by Adele Abbott
“I know the one you mean. It’s the only grave in that section that is well maintained. Someone leaves fresh flowers there all the time, and they’re always black and purple.”
“Do you know whose grave it is?”
“I don’t, I’m afraid. It was already there when I started work at the graveyard.”
“How long have you worked there?”
“It’s just coming up to my centenary.”
“Right. Well, thanks for your time, anyway.”
“Hold on a minute. My father had this job before me. I still have all of his journals. You might find something in there.”
“Did he use the journals to record details of the people he’d buried?”
“They’re not official records if that’s what you mean. They’re personal journals in which he recorded anything of interest to him. He was always fascinated by the people who were buried in The Shadows. I can’t imagine why. Still, it might be worth a look.”
“Could I borrow them?”
“You haven’t told me why you’re so interested in that particular grave.”
“Just curiosity, really. I’ve always been interested in Candlefield history. When I saw the blank headstone, my curiosity was piqued.”
“Okay. You can borrow the journals, provided you take care of them.”
“Of course. You have my word.”
***
When Rufus had mentioned the journals, I certainly hadn’t anticipated there would be twenty-five of them. They came in three large cardboard boxes, which weighed a ton and were covered in dust.
After magicking myself and the boxes back to Washbridge, I put them in the boot of the car and drove home. Normally, I would have taken the boxes up to the spare bedroom, but with the twins expected the next day, I figured it would be best if I left them in the car.
I intended to visit the casino that night, so I was hoping to grab a few hours’ sleep in the afternoon. At least now that Mr Ivers had moved out, I didn’t have to worry about being disturbed by one of his hot tub parties.
I curled up in bed and was soon fast asleep.
What the—?
I checked my phone to find that I’d been asleep for less than an hour. Something had woken me, but what? Maybe I’d just had a bad dream?
I’d no sooner put my head back on the pillow than I heard the most awful noise.
Great! Just great!
I jumped out of bed, walked across the landing, and looked out of the front window. Mr and Mrs Normal were standing on their front garden, holding the most enormous horns. The instruments were at least ten feet long with the bell section resting on the lawn in front of them. They were taking it in turns to blow them.
You have got to be kidding me.
I threw on some clothes, and went outside. As soon as Norm spotted me, he tooted his horn and waved.
“Hi, Jill,” Naomi shouted.
I walked across the road to get a closer look at these instruments of aural torture.
“Those are very big,” I said, stating the obvious.
“They’re alphorns,” Norm said, proudly. “We’re not very good on them yet.”
You think? “Did you have to import them from Switzerland?”
“Goodness no.” He laughed. “We picked them up at a car boot sale in Wolverhampton.”
“Really?”
“We know they’re rather loud. That’s why we’re only going to play them in the daytime. We wouldn’t want to disturb anyone’s sleep.”
“That’s very considerate. Actually, I was just—”
“Of course you can have a go,” Norm said. “Be our guest.”
“Err, no. Thanks, anyway, but I have a sore throat; I think I may be coming down with a cold. I wouldn’t want to pass it on to you.”
“Maybe another time?”
“Yeah, maybe.”
As I walked back across the road, I was serenaded by a cacophony of tuneless horns.
Chapter 13
Thankfully, the alphorn duo ran out of breath twenty minutes later, so I was able to grab a little more sleep. I had hoped that Jack would be back in time to make dinner, but whilst I’d been in bed, he’d sent me a text saying that he had to work late. Undeterred, I resorted to one of my emergency microwave meals, which when cooked looked nothing like the picture on the packet. Having managed to eat only half of it, I was pretty sure the cardboard packaging would have tasted better.
When I left the house at nine o’clock, Jack still wasn’t home.
Rather than resorting to invisibility to get into the casino, I used the ‘block’ spell, which would prevent any other sup realising I was a witch. I was in luck because the doorman on duty wasn’t the same one who had turned me away on my previous visit. This time, I breezed past him, no questions asked.
Inside, it was nothing like I’d imagined it would be. I’d expected to find rows and rows of slot machines, and for the place to be filled with noise and flashing lights. In fact, there were very few slot machines; I counted no more than a dozen. The lighting was subdued, the furnishings tasteful, and the noise levels generally low except for the crowd around the craps tables. The casino was split-level, with a bar and craps tables occupying the lower level. On the upper level were the card tables and roulette.
The drinks were remarkably cheap, but I figured that was a deliberate policy. Happy customers were more likely to stay longer, and in most cases, the longer they stayed, the more money they would lose.
“Lime and soda, please. No ice.”
“Coming right up.” The young barman was a human. “I don’t think I’ve seen you here before, have I?”
“It’s my first time. I thought I might try the craps table.”
“Here’s hoping the dice roll for you.” He passed me the drink.
“Didn’t you used to have two large dice on the front of the building?”
“We did, but there was a tragic accident a few months ago. A lightning strike brought them down, and a man was killed.”
“How terrible. I didn’t hear about that.”
The mix of customers reflected the casino’s policy of turning most sups away. I estimated it was ninety-five percent humans to five percent sups. And those five percent were all witches and wizards. The only other sups present, a few vampires and werewolves, were all on the staff.
If I’d understood Kirk Sparks’ cryptic notes correctly, he’d concluded that sups were the big winners in the casino. With that in mind, I joined the small crowd gathered around the craps table. Although the precise rules of that particular game were beyond me, it was easy enough to tell if someone was a winner or a loser. For the first twenty minutes, a procession of humans took their turn as the ‘shooter’. Their fortunes were mixed, but generally they came away as losers or small winners.
The first sup to pick up the dice was a witch, who looked remarkably bored. Even her celebrations when she won, which she did big time, seemed rather subdued. Everyone around the table was cheering her on, much more excited at her ‘good fortune’ than she appeared to be. Although it was quite obvious to me that she was using magic to affect the outcome of the dice, the humans present had no idea that anything untoward was taking place.
I wasn’t too familiar with the rules of the card games, so I headed next to one of the roulette tables. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of punters gathered around the table were humans, but I did spot one wizard. Over the next hour, the chips flowed back and forth. There were several small winners, but far more losers. The biggest winner was the wizard, who used magic to influence the roulette wheel. Just like the witch, he showed little or no emotion.
Over the course of my visit, I drifted between the various tables, and witnessed a similar pattern each time. The characters changed: witches and wizards came and went, but they were always the big winners.
By three o’clock in the morning, I could barely keep my eyes open, so I called it a day. My visit had served to confirm Kirk’s own conclusions: Most sups were
turned away from the casino, but a few witches and wizards were allowed inside, and they always turned out to be big winners. But what did that mean? Who were the ‘chosen’ few? And why did the owners turn a blind eye while they used magic to win?
***
Jack, AKA sleeping beauty, was dead to the world when I arrived home, so I slid into bed beside him, and was fast asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
“Jill! Quick! Wake up!” Jack was hopping around the bedroom, trying to put his trousers on.
“What’s up? Where’s the fire?”
“Kathy and Lizzie are outside. Peter has just dropped them off.”
“What time is it?” I grabbed my phone from the bedside cabinet. “Eleven? Why didn’t you wake me earlier?”
“I was asleep too. I didn’t get in until after midnight.”
“You’ll have to go downstairs and let them in. I need time to come around.”
“You don’t have time. You’ve got to clear the spare bedroom.”
“What?” My brain was still in neutral.
“You were supposed to shrink the furniture last night, remember?”
“Oh yeah. I forgot all about that.”
“You’ll have to do it now while I stall Kathy and Lizzie.”
“Great.” I crawled out of bed, and tried to find my clothes. “Don’t let them come upstairs, whatever you do.”
“Okay, but you’ll have to be quick.” Still minus one sock, Jack disappeared out of the bedroom.
I should have sorted out the spare room before I went to the casino, but all was not lost. It would only take me a few minutes to shrink the furniture, gather it all together and put it into the shoe box.
As I walked across the landing, I heard Jack welcoming Kathy and Lizzie. Once inside the spare bedroom, I closed the door behind me before casting the ‘shrink’ spell. I had to be careful as I walked around the room, collecting the tiny furniture, because if I trod on anything, I’d never hear the end of it from Jack.
Five minutes later, I’d got all the furniture in the shoe box. I intended to hide it at the bottom of my wardrobe, and cover it with a few jumpers.
Once again, Jack had been panicking over nothing.
“Kathy? Lizzie?”
I’d stepped out of the spare bedroom just as the two of them reached the top of the stairs.
“Morning, Jill,” Kathy said. “Lizzie is bursting for a pee, aren’t you, pumpkin? Off you go.”
Lizzie didn’t answer; she just rushed towards the bathroom.
“What’s that?” Kathy was staring at the shoe box.
Oh bum!
“It’s err—”
“Did you buy those for Lizzie?”
“I—err—”
“That’s a really lovely thing to do.” Before I could stop her, she’d taken the box from me. “These are great. Where did you get them from?”
“I—err—”
“Lizzie is going to love them. I didn’t realise you knew she had a dolls’ house.”
Just then, the toilet flushed, and Lizzie came to join us.
“Hi, Auntie Jill. I’m sorry I didn’t say hello before, but I needed the loo.”
“Look what your Auntie Jill has got for you.” Kathy held out the box.
Lizzie’s face lit up. “Thank you, Auntie Jill. “Can I take them home with me?”
“Well, I—err—”
“Of course you can,” Kathy said. “Auntie Jill bought them for your dolls’ house, didn’t you, Auntie Jill?”
Before I could speak, Jack came upstairs to join us.
“Look what I’ve got, Uncle Jack.” Lizzie held up the box.
Jack’s face was a picture. “Err, where did you get those from?”
“We bought them for Lizzie,” I said. “Don’t you remember?”
“Oh yes.” If looks could kill, I’d have been stone dead. “I’d forgotten about that.”
“Kathy, would you mind helping yourself to a cup of tea or coffee? Jack and I were still in bed when you arrived. We need to take a shower.”
“No problem.” She winked at me. “You newlyweds.”
Jack closed the bedroom door behind him. “Are you insane? You’ve just given Lizzie my furniture.”
“It’s your fault.”
“How is it my fault?”
“You were supposed to keep them occupied downstairs while I shrank the furniture and hid it.”
“Lizzie was bursting to go to the loo. What was I supposed to do?”
“You should have told her to hold it.”
“What are we going to do about my furniture?”
“What can we do? Do you want to tell Lizzie she can’t have it?”
“This would never have happened if you’d cleared the spare bedroom last night like you said you would.”
“I was working until three this morning.”
Jack and I showered and dressed, and then went downstairs.
“Look, Auntie Jill.” Lizzie had arranged the furniture across the lounge floor. “Mummy says it’s the best she’s ever seen.”
I could feel Jack’s eyes burning into the back of my head. “It’s very nice, but to be honest, I was in two minds when I bought it. The shop had some more modern stuff. Maybe I should take this lot back and get it swapped?”
“No.” Lizzie looked horrified. “I like these.”
“The attention to detail is amazing.” Kathy picked up the small bedside cabinet. “Some of the drawers even have things inside them. Look, there’s a tiny teddy bear in this one.”
“That’s Kidney,” Jack said.
I shot him a look.
“Sorry?” Kathy seemed puzzled by Jack’s contribution.
“Err, I think Jack meant the bear was a funny shape, didn’t you?” He just glared at me. “It’s kind of kidney-shaped.”
As we would be having dinner with the twins that evening, Jack volunteered to make sandwiches for lunch. While Kathy and Lizzie were preoccupied, I went through to the kitchen to see if I could make the peace.
He was buttering the bread, so I came up behind him, and put my arms around his waist. “I’m really sorry. Do you forgive me?”
“You admit that it was your fault, then?”
“Well, I—err.”
He turned to face me. “Jill?”
“Yes, it was my fault. I should have done it earlier in the week. I’ll try to figure out a way to persuade Lizzie not to take the furniture home with her.”
“You can’t do that now. You’ve seen how much she loves it. And besides, it was only rotting away in the spare bedroom.”
“But we were going to swap it with my furniture at some point.”
“You were never going to let me have my stuff out. You hate it.”
“Only because it’s ugly.”
“No, it isn’t, but that doesn’t matter now. If it makes Lizzie happy, I’m cool with it.”
I gave him a kiss. “Have I ever told you that you’re the bestest husband in the whole wide world?”
“Only when you want something.” He kissed me this time. “There is just one thing I need you to do, though?”
“Anything. Just name it.”
“I don’t want to lose Kidney.”
“Leave it with me. I’ll see what I can do.”
After lunch, Kathy and I were in the kitchen. Jack was in the lounge, playing dolls’ house with Lizzie—something he seemed to enjoy way too much.
“Thanks, Jill.” Kathy gave me a hug.
“Put me down.”
“I’m lucky to have such a lovely sister.”
“Have you been at the wine?”
“That was an awesome thing you did, buying the dolls’ furniture for Lizzie. She’s been down in the dumps most of the week because of that stupid dream business.”
“Is she still on with that?”
“Yeah. It’s got to the point where I dread the mornings. She still insists she can’t dream. Hopefully, the dolls’ furniture will take her mind off it. By t
he way, I hope you’ve got plenty of cake in because from what I remember, the twins have a sweet tooth.”
“I haven’t had the chance. I’ve been so busy at work; I was working undercover until three this morning.”
“Why don’t I nip out and get some? Where’s the nearest shop?”
“The corner shop is just down the road. Why don’t you ask Jack to show you?”
While Jack and Kathy went in search of cake, I got down on the lounge floor with Lizzie who was still enthralled by her new toys.
“Having fun?”
“Yes, thanks, Auntie Jill. I like the bed best.”
“It’s a bit too creaky for my liking.”
“How do you know?”
“Oh? I—err—it just looks like it would be. Your mummy told me you’ve been a little upset about your dreams.”
“A bit.”
“Everyone has periods when they can’t remember them.”
“That’s what Mummy said, but it’s happened to other kids at school too.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, lots of them. Donna was crying about it in class yesterday.”
When Jack and Kathy got back, they were weighed down with bags.
“Just how many cakes did you two buy?”
“We’ve got biscuits too.” Kathy put the bags onto the kitchen table. “There are some very weird people in your neighbourhood.”
“Oh?”
“The guy in the shop was walking around on stilts.”
“The stilts are new. He used to stand on a box.”
“And then there was the guy in the train.”
“Mr Hosey? Don’t you remember? He was the one who took me to the hotel when we got married.”
“He was having the weirdest conversation with Jack. How’s Lizzie?”
“She’s fine.”
Kathy went through to the lounge, leaving Jack and me to unpack the bags.
“What was Hosey talking about?” I said.
“You might well ask,” he snapped.
“What’s wrong?”
“He seems to be under the impression that I have a thing for camouflage.”