For a moment, Murphy’s face filled with panic. But he recovered quickly and said, ‘No idea what you’re talking about.’
Finn pushed one of the photos we’d printed off towards Murphy. ‘See?’ He smiled. ‘Wanda even drew a nice red circle around you, so you couldn’t miss yourself. Wasn’t that nice of her?’
He scratched his groin and sniffed. ‘Nice. Right. Look, you have me in a photo taking photos of those girls, sure. But you’ve also got those girls taking photos of the Call of the Wild. Do you know those crazy witches use magical zoom lenses so they can even get pics of the guys inside their houses?’
‘This isn’t about them, Murphy,’ I said.
He sniffed again. Whatever he was trying to sniff back did not sound pleasant. ‘Maybe not. But I’ll make it about them if it comes down to it. You try and do me for stalking, I’ll make sure that those girls get done for stalking, too.’
I glanced at Finn. He didn’t seem remotely bothered by Murphy’s responses, but I had to admit that I was a little uneasy. In Barbara’s collection, I’d seen photos of the inside of Jasper’s house, clearly taken with a magical lens. I doubted Jasper would ever pursue a young fan in the courts, but I did not doubt that Murphy would go to the press and make a big stink. The sort of stink that would take the focus off him, and put it onto us.
‘Tell me why you were taking photos of the girls,’ Finn persisted.
Murphy crossed his arms. ‘Aren’t I entitled to legal representation?’
‘If we charge you,’ said Finn. ‘At the moment all we’re doing is questioning you. Now, tell me why you were taking photos of the She-Wolves.’
Murphy remained silent.
I pushed a copy of one of his bank statements towards him. In amongst all of the murk contained in those statements, I’d found two deposits that interested me. And just like with the photos, I’d been nice enough to draw big red circles around them. ‘There were two incredibly large deposits made into your account in recent days, Murphy. One hundred golden rounds each time. Now, that’s quite a bit more than you earn. Where did the money come from?’
‘None of your business.’ He gave us a self-satisfied smirk. ‘And it’ll stay none of your business, too. You don’t have a hope in Hades of finding out where that money came from. So if you’re not actually charging me with anything, then I suggest you let me go.’
‘You can suggest all you want,’ said Finn. ‘Doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. We can hold you for up to twenty-four hours before we have to charge you. Which gives you quite a while to go.’ He stood up. ‘Wanda and I are off home for our dinners, now. Enjoy your stay, Murphy. We’ll come back and speak to you again in the morning – y’know, once we’ve found out where that money came from.’
7. Pish to Prophecies
Max phoned me to say he’d be home if I wanted to have dinner with him and Emily before the gig. So I did what any grown-up witch would do – I flew home to my mammy instead.
I took the broom my father made me, making the journey far longer than it would have been on my wizard broom or by finger-click. There was nothing like flying to sort my head out – usually. But the longer I tried to think over the details of Caitlyn’s murder, the more troubled I became.
Sure, Murphy was a sleaze. He was also a slimeball, a scumbag and a creep. He had motive and opportunity – he was obsessed with Caitlyn and he had access to Mack’s car. I could almost get on board with a scenario where he killed Caitlyn and was hoping to get away with it by setting Mack up. But then what about the massive deposits into his bank account? And more importantly, what about Pebbles?
I was happy that Pebbles had passed on with Caitlyn, really I was. Having known so many familiars, I knew that he was exactly where he would want to be. But why now, after all this time, had the rules changed?
I thought about what Gretel had said about my first murder case. Then, only one familiar (a smelly but loveable rat called Dudley) had come to me, even though more than one person had been murdered. I really hoped we didn’t have another serial killer on our hands.
After what felt like only a few minutes, I saw the lights of Wayfarers’ Rest, my childhood home. I dipped my broom down, still no closer to the truth. I was troubled when I took off, and I was just as uneasy when I landed.
‘It’s good to see you, love,’ my mother said, as I propped my broom next to the back door and entered the kitchen.
I sank into a chair by the wood-burning stove. As soon as I was seated, Mischief, my mother’s familiar, left his cat-bed and sprang up onto my lap. ‘I heard you had your first day off in a month,’ I told my mother as I happily stroked the cat. ‘So I figured I’d come and ruin it for you.’
She grinned. ‘Well, it’s a good thing I made an extra-large casserole then, isn’t it?’ She tapped her nose. ‘And piles of mashed potato. It’s almost as though I knew you’d be here.’
‘Where’s Dad?’
She nodded her head to the kitchen window. ‘In his shed, making brooms. Where else? But he’ll be in for dinner. Christine won’t, though. She’s in a meeting with Berry Materialization, finalising things for the new headquarters. They’re nearly finished up, so you’ll be able to move out of Eile Street soon.’ She sat in the chair across from me, and Mischief leapt from my lap to hers. Talk about a fickle feline.
‘I’m surprised by how quick they’re getting through it, to be honest.’ She frowned. ‘And how little they’re charging. If it were my money, I’d have paid the extra to use anyone but them. But it’s the public’s money, so I had to spend it wisely. Well, I hope it’s wisely. I have an inspector going over every inch of the building, each and every day.’
I could see the stress on her face as she spoke. My mother never wanted to be Minister for Magical Law. When the new Wayfarer force came about, she was supposed to be our Commissioner. But when Agatha, the acting Minister for Magical Law, was murdered, my mother ran in her place. She won the election by a larger margin than anyone expected, and I still sometimes had to pinch myself about the outcome.
People voted for her because they wanted change, and there had been a lot of it. On the same day as the election took place, there had been a referendum too. Wizards, weredogs, dayturning vampires and unempowered witches were finally granted equal rights. It meant they now had voices in the government. It meant that they were free to go where they liked.
But as well as giving the supernaturals known as others a voice, it had made their detractors a lot more vocal, too. New hate groups were springing up day after day, and I could see that my mother was exhausted by it all. And seeing as Christine had taken the role of Commissioner in my mother’s stead, I imagined she was pretty tired, too.
‘So did you do anything nice today?’ I asked, deciding to be positive.
She broke out into laughter. ‘Oh, I did, most certainly. I slept until four this afternoon. Then I had a cup of tea and a slice of chocolate cake. And then a second slice of cake, because the first one was lonely. After that, I got an inkling you might pay a visit, so I cooked that lovely casserole I told you about. And I might have even had time to bake an apple tart for dessert.’
I licked my lips to stem the drool. One day I’d be able to cook like my mother. But until that day came, I’d quite happily settle for eating everything she made.
‘I think Christine was trying to get in touch with you earlier on, but you were out.’ She shook her head, her eyes filled with sadness. ‘You were working on that poor young girl’s murder, no doubt. I got Finn’s report about it this afternoon.’
I gave her a slow, sad nod. ‘Yeah. Hopefully we’ll solve it quickly. So what did Christine want?’
My mother cleared her throat and looked away. ‘Well, she just wanted to let you know that her department are looking into the murder, too.’
As well as being Commissioner, Christine was heading up the Crime Prevention division. She was an expert with a scrying bowl, and she was in the process of hiring as many psychics and empaths as she could get
her hands on. The division was already proving its worth – just a few days ago, they had tracked down the headquarters of one of the many new hate groups, and prevented Wentforth’s College for Wizards from being destroyed in an Inferno spell.
But Christine’s skills weren’t limited to predicting the future. She was sometimes able to capture images from crimes that already occurred, and her gift had helped solve countless murders. Because of that, Major Crimes worked closely with Christine and her merry band of psychics on an almost-daily basis. So it wasn’t surprising that she could have information for us now. What was unusual, though, was the evasive expression on my mother’s face.
‘I already know Christine’s lot are working on this.’ I narrowed my eyes. ‘Finn and I are heading over there tomorrow. But I get the feeling that’s not the only thing Christine wants to talk to me about.’
My mother continued to avoid my eyes. ‘Well, she might have wanted to talk to you about the other little matter.’
I groaned. The other little matter, as my mother so vaguely put it, was how we were referring to the prophecy. Which prophecy, you ask? Oh, just that insignificant little thing that said I was as powerful as the original Wayfarer. It was because of that prophecy that my very-ex boyfriend wanted to hypnotise me and force me to marry him and have a super-vamp-witch-hybrid child. Hey, if I’m going to attract a nutter, then you can bet I’ll attract the nuttiest of nutters. Why do things by halves?
I doubted the prophecy just as much as I doubted the sanity of Gabriel and his father. And seeing as none of my coven had ever heard of such a prophecy, I wasn’t going to stop doubting it anytime soon.
‘Pish to prophecies,’ I grumbled. ‘I told all of you – it’s nothing. Christine’s got enough on her plate without looking for evidence of this too.’
My mother shifted in her chair, still not looking me in the eye. ‘That’s up to Christine to decide. She wants to look into this, and I happen to agree with her. I remember when you were born, how strong the urge to call you Wanda was, after the original Wayfarer. I remember watching you grow up, and knowing you were special.’
‘Oh, Mam!’ I heaved out a sigh. ‘Gabriel’s dad was crazy. He probably made the whole thing up himself. And even if he didn’t, it’s not going to change a thing. I know you think I’m special – but that’s just because you’re my mammy. Mothers are supposed to think their kids are awesome – even if they are just clumsy chocolate guzzlers like me.’
She looked like she was about to disagree, but the oven timer beeped, and she got up to check the food. ‘No Max again?’ she asked as she opened the oven door. ‘I haven’t seen him for ages.’
Mischief had done his lap-hopping again when my mother rose, so I concentrated on stroking his furry coat. ‘He em … he’s having dinner with Emily. He invited me, but I missed you so I came here instead.’
I’m not sure why I had to add the whole he invited me thing. Maybe because I was trying to convince myself that he really did want to spend time with me. But the truth was, when I told him I had other plans for dinner, he’d sounded relieved.
My mother heaved the casserole up onto the counter. Once again, some drool-staunching was necessary. It smelled and looked amazing. ‘I’m happy for him and Emily,’ she said. ‘But I must admit I’m surprised to see them get so hot and heavy all of a sudden. He didn’t seem the slightest bit interested in her when they started going out. I always thought he was just trying to think of a way to let her down gently.’
I threw another log into the stove, poking it for far longer than I needed to. I thought exactly the same as my mother for months. I thought it because Max said it. ‘I guess … I guess maybe the vote last February changed his mind,’ I said. ‘Maybe he was just holding back how he felt when it was illegal for him to date a witch.’
‘Maybe.’ My mother looked unconvinced. ‘But either way, tell him to get himself over here for dinner this weekend. We miss him.’
‘Talking about Max?’
I turned at the sound of my father’s voice. He gave me a big grin and held his arms out, so of course I had no choice but to go in for a hug. When I finally pulled away he nodded to the chessboard on a side-table. He and Max often played together – although it was far less often, lately. ‘Well, tell your Max that if he doesn’t come and make a move soon, I’m going to declare myself the winner.’
8. The Law of Attraction
Dinner with my parents was just as comforting as I hoped it would be. I know you’re supposed to want to get as far away from them as possible when you’re twenty-one. But I’d spent enough time away from the magical world, and also gone through far too many years without my father. I had a lot of time to make up for.
With that in mind, I stayed long enough to eat two helpings of casserole and three slices of apple tart. I know – I’m a selfless, wonderful daughter.
When I finally went home, I travelled by finger-click. Partially because a witch broom would never get me home in time for the gig, but mostly because I wasn’t sure if it would bear my after-dinner weight.
Max and Emily were curled up on the couch when I arrived, and Wolfie was snoozing in front of the fire. Every couple of seconds he let out a little whimper in his sleep, and his body started to shake. Usually when he moved in his sleep he’d wake up and tell us he’d been dreaming of running, or chasing birds. This time, I doubted his dreams were so pleasant.
Jasper had asked us if we’d keep Wolfie until the murder was solved. I hoped for Wolfie’s sake that it would be soon, because I knew he loved Jasper just as much as he loved Max.
We had promised to bring Wolfie to the gig tonight, so Jasper could explain things properly. I wondered if it was the best idea, but that was up to Wolfie.
None of them seemed to notice me, so I headed straight upstairs to get ready. As I passed by Melissa’s open door, though, I paused in my tracks.
There were clothes flying all around the room, and Melissa was nowhere in sight.
I rapped on the door. ‘Melissa?’
I thought I heard an odd mumble, but nothing definite. I picked up my phone and dialled her number. It started ringing immediately, somewhere in the middle of all of those clothes. I rushed to the pile, my heart thudding with worry. Melissa might not be a superfan when it came to the Call of the Wild, but what if someone knew that two of the members had a thing for her, and had decided to take revenge?
As I tried to move the first item – a gorgeous green dress – I could barely lift the thing. It wasn’t that it was heavy, it was that it simply didn’t want to move. But if Melissa was in there, then it didn’t matter how difficult it was. I painstakingly peeled away skirts and tops. I was less than halfway through the pile when Princess, Melissa’s familiar, jumped into my arms.
‘Princess! Is Melissa in there?’
The cat shivered. ‘I don’t know. I’ve been looking for her for almost an hour. I got lost between a lace blouse and a woolly jumper.’
‘Okay.’ I nodded decisively. ‘I’m going to have to do something else about this lot.’ I searched my mind, trying to think of an incantation.
‘This pile of clothing must move right now
Fly into the wardrobe each shirt, top and gown.’
The clothing moved swiftly, dancing into the wardrobe and hanging itself up. As soon as it was cleared, Melissa looked up at me from her place on the floor, red-faced. There was a bottle of water on her bedside table, and I passed it to her.
‘What in Hecate’s name happened?’ I asked as she gulped down the water. ‘Did someone do this to you?’
She shook her head, a look of embarrassment on her face. ‘I did it to myself. But I don’t understand what went wrong.’ She drained the bottle of water and stood up, grabbing a magazine from her dresser. ‘I did everything it said in the article.’
I looked at the magazine. The article was called, ‘Find Your Best Outfit Yet!’
With this simple spell, you’ll attract the perfect outfit for your body sh
ape and colouring. Do it in your favourite shop or in your bedroom at home, and whatever outfit will look best on you will be magically attracted to your body.
Directions: Wave your wand (or finger if you’re more advanced) in a figure of eight movement and say, ‘I am now a magnet for fashion
Soon to be perfectly dressed
The outfit which I do attract
Shall make me look my best.’
Within a matter of seconds, you will have attracted an outfit that will make you look amazing.
‘Ah,’ I said as I finished reading. ‘Well, there’s where you have your problem.’
Melissa looked none the wiser, so I explained. ‘You made yourself a magnet for outfits that would make you look your best. That’s why the clothes were so hard to get off you.’
She still seemed flummoxed. ‘Yes, but I was supposed to attract one outfit. Not everything I own.’
‘Oh dear.’ I shook my head. ‘You’re totally oblivious, aren’t you? Melissa, the spell was supposed to attract the outfit that would look best on you. But everything you own looks best on you. Because … well, you’re ridiculously gorgeous. I know, I know – it’s a terrible affliction to have to live with, but you’ll just have to cope.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘You moron. The spell just went wrong, that’s all. Even so … I don’t know why I’m bothering. Wanda, I know that you know that I have a thing for Mack. I’ve tried to hide it, even from myself. Because let’s face it – who in their right mind would want to go out with a rock star? They’d be constantly on the road, with girls throwing themselves at them all the time. It would be a total and utter nightmare.’ She sighed. ‘But no matter what I do, I can’t get him out of my head. Which is dumb, seeing as we’ve barely even spoken. So I told myself that tonight, I was just going to go for it. Have a chat with him. See if there’s actually anything there. But now … well, now he’s got a body in his boot.’ She looked at me, tears brimming in her big green eyes. ‘I’ve avoided calling you for an update all day long but … how’s it looking?’
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