by Adele Abbott
“I see.” This woman was beginning to grow on me.
“Will you take the case?”
“I’ll be happy to, but I’m going to need a lot more information.”
“Of course. Why don’t you come and see me at the club’s HQ, and we can talk there?”
“Sounds good.”
She made to leave, but then turned back. “Just one question, Jill.”
“Sure.”
“Why do you have a tent in the middle of your office?”
“The tent? I—err—I’m going camping this weekend.”
Just then, Winky poked his head out of the tent.
“There’s a cat in there.” No doubt Alison was beginning to wonder if she’d made the right decision in hiring me.
“That’s Winky.”
“So-called on account of his one eye, I assume?”
“Correct.”
“I love cats. I have three of them: Bill, Ben and little—”
“Weed?”
“Bob. I named him after my uncle Robert.”
Chapter 3
“That tent has to go, Winky,” I said, once Alison had left. “I could have lost that case because of you.”
“Rubbish. She’s clearly a cat lover. You should dress in leather. It would suit you.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Sorry, I forgot that you prefer to buy your clothes from The House of Boring.”
“There’s nothing boring about my clothes.”
“If you say so.” He yawned. “I could be your personal shopper and give you a whole new look.”
“Not a chance. I’m going out now. Make sure that tent has gone by tomorrow morning.”
“I hope you told that young woman that you couldn’t take her case,” Mrs V said.
“I certainly did not. I need all the work I can get at the moment.”
“Are you sure you know what you’re getting into?”
“Don’t worry, Mrs V, I know what I’m doing.”
“Hmm?”
Another resounding vote of confidence.
Over the weekend, when I’d spoken to Kathy, she’d mentioned a new shop that had opened on the high street. According to her, the small ice cream parlour sold the best ice cream she’d ever tasted. High praise indeed and definitely worth checking out.
“Welcome to Scream High.” The preppy young woman practically bounced to the counter. “My name is Cherry Pop. What can I get for you?”
“I bet you hate that, don’t you?”
“What?”
“That they make you use that stupid name.”
“It’s my real name.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“It really is.” She began to well up. “People are always making fun of it. It isn’t fair.”
Now I felt terrible. “I was just kidding. It’s a lovely name. I really am sorry. Please don’t cry.”
“Gotcha!” She laughed.
“It’s not your real name?”
“Of course not. My name’s Toyah Smith.”
“You had me going there for a minute. My sister tells me you have the best ice cream in Washbridge.”
“Your sister is right. We have over fifty flavours to choose from.” She pointed to the glass fronted cabinet.
“What do you recommend?”
“That depends on which size you want. Single, double, quad or maxout.”
“How many flavours would I get with a maxout?”
“As many as the cone can hold. Usually nine or ten.”
“That’s a lot of ice cream.”
I know what you lot are thinking. Greedy Jill is going to go for the maxout. Shame on you.
“I’ll try the quad, please.”
“What flavours would you like?”
“Why don’t you choose for me?”
“Sure.”
And she did. Who would have thought that rhubarb delight, strawberry shock, mango mash and chocolate cherry would work together? But they did. It was absolutely delicious.
I was walking back up the high street, licking my ice cream when someone said, “Jill? It is you, isn’t it?”
The woman standing in front of me clearly knew me, but I didn’t have the first clue who she was.
“Hi?”
“This takes me back. You always did like your ice cream. How long has it been?”
“I—err—a long time.”
“It must be almost twenty years.”
“I guess so.” Twenty years? That must mean she was someone I was at school with.
“I wish I could stay and chat, Jill, but I have an eye test in five minutes. We must get together and catch up.”
“Absolutely.”
“Can I take your number?”
“Err, I guess so.”
We exchanged numbers and off she went, but I was still no wiser who she was.
***
After checking that she was free, I magicked myself over to Aunt Lucy’s house.
“Come in, Jill. I’m just sorting out my cork drawer. Could you pop the kettle on, and I’ll be with you in a couple of minutes?”
“Sure.”
Cork drawer?
By the time I’d poured out the tea, Aunt Lucy had joined me in the kitchen.
“I’m ready for this.” She took a sip. “I’ve been at that for over an hour.”
“Did you say your cork drawer?”
“Yes. Surely I’ve told you about my collection of corks?”
“No. I’m pretty sure I would have remembered.”
“I’ve collected them ever since I was a little girl. Would you like to see them?”
“Maybe another day. I need to get started on something Grandma asked me to look into.”
“The lido?”
“Yeah. I didn’t even realise there was one here in Candlefield.”
“The twins used to love going there when they were kids. It’s years since I was last there.”
There was a thudding on the stairs and moments later, Barry burst into the kitchen.
“Jill!” He began to run around the table, his tail wagging ten to the dozen. “I haven’t seen you for ages.”
“It hasn’t been all that long, Barry,” I said. “Calm down. You’re going to break something.”
“Can we go for a walk, Jill? Please! I love to go for a walk.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m working at the moment.”
“I have an idea,” Aunt Lucy said. “We could kill two birds with one stone.”
“That’s not a very nice thing to do.” Barry frowned. “You mustn’t kill little birds.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“You said you were going to kill two birds with one stone.”
“No, it’s just a—err—I promise I’m not going to hurt any birds.” Aunt Lucy turned to me. “I was thinking we could take Barry for a walk to the lido.”
“How far is it from here?”
“Not far. I really fancy a swim. That’s if you don’t mind watching Barry while I take a quick dip?”
“They won’t let me in there with him, will they?”
“I think so. They always used to allow dogs in the viewing area around the pool.”
“Okay, why not? After you’ve had your swim, you can bring Barry home, and I’ll do some sniffing around, to see what I can find out from the staff.”
After we’d finished our tea, the three of us set off. I had Barry by the lead, and he was pulling so hard I could barely keep a hold of him.
“Barry, settle down, will you?”
“I want to see the lido.”
“You don’t even know what it is.”
“I know, but it sounds fun.”
“What exactly did Grandma ask you to do, Jill?” Aunt Lucy said.
“She reckons they’re planning to close down the lido.”
“Why?”
“No one seems to know. Grandma suspects they may try and build houses on there.”
“That would be a terrible loss.
By the way, the twins told me that Martin is back.”
“He is.”
“You must tell him to come and see me.”
“I will, but I’m not sure if he’ll be able to make it because he’s only ever over here for a few minutes at a time.”
“Where has he been, and what’s he been up to all this time?”
“Keeping an eye on Braxmore.”
“What’s that evil monster up to now?”
“I have no idea.”
There was no way I was going to tell her about the threat hanging over Florence because there was no point in her worrying too.
The lido was next door to Candle Park. I’d never noticed it before because I’d always used the gate at the opposite end of the park.
“Is it all right if we bring the dog in?” I asked the man on the turnstile.
“Yes, but you must keep him on the lead and make sure he doesn’t go anywhere near the pool. Will you both be swimming today?”
“Only me,” Aunt Lucy said. “Jill’s just here to watch.”
“It’s four pounds for swimmers and two pounds-fifty for those watching.”
We paid our money and made our way inside.
“I’ll go and get changed, Jill, if you’re okay with Barry.”
“Sure.”
Aunt Lucy headed for the changing rooms, which were on the opposite side of the pool, and I found a sun lounger as far from the pool as possible.
“I want to go in the water.” Barry tugged on the lead.
“You can’t. You heard what the man said: Dogs aren’t allowed in the pool.”
“Not fair.”
“Those are the rules, I’m afraid. Here, eat these.” I gave him a few Barkies, which I’d put in my pocket, just in case. They seemed to take his mind off the pool.
Aunt Lucy appeared a few minutes later, wearing a multicoloured swimsuit.
“Wow, Aunt Lucy, I like your costume.”
“Thanks. I bought it last year while we were on holiday. I’d better go and test the water.”
She walked over to the pool’s edge, dipped in her toe, and then dived in.
“It’s lovely, Jill. You really should give it a try.”
“Maybe another day.” No chance.
Aunt Lucy was a much stronger swimmer than I’d expected. She was soon ploughing up and down the pool, length after length, without once stopping to rest. There was no way I could have managed that.
Fortunately, Barry had found himself a friend. The woman on the next sun lounger had a little poodle, and the two of them seemed to have hit it off. It was just as well because I didn’t want to have to pull him out of the swimming pool.
After half-an-hour or so, Aunt Lucy climbed out, and went to the changing rooms to get dressed.
“I feel so much better for that,” she said.
“I was very impressed with your technique. And your stamina.”
“Did I ever tell you that I used to swim for Candlefield in my youth?”
“No, I had no idea.”
“I won several medals for my backcrawl. I really should start to come here regularly. That’s assuming they don’t close the place down.”
“Would you be okay to take Barry now? I’m going to talk to the staff, to see what I can find out.”
“Of course. Come on, Barry, it’s time to go home.”
He wasn’t thrilled at having to say goodbye to his new friend, but he soon succumbed to the offer of a few more Barkies. When the two of them had left, I went over to have a word with the lifeguard who was seated at the deep end of the pool.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?” The young wizard had ginger hair and a tiny nose.
“You don’t happen to know who owns the lido, do you?”
“No, sorry. The manager might, though.”
“What’s his name?”
“Duggan. Doug Duggan.”
“And where would I find him?”
“His office is over there, behind the changing rooms, but I don’t think he’s in today. If not, you could try his assistant, Debbie Debbins. She normally uses Dougie’s office when he’s not here.”
“Okay, thanks.”
I walked around the pool, past the changing rooms, and came to a small office with the word Manager on the door.
When I knocked, a female voice shouted from inside, “Come in!”
The young witch behind the desk was wearing a tracksuit top over a swimming costume.
“Debbie Debbins?”
“That’s me.”
“I was actually hoping to talk to Doug Duggan, but I understand he’s not at work today.”
“That’s right. It’s his day off. Can I help?”
“I’m trying to find out the name of the owner of the lido.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know.”
“Surely you must know who pays your wages?”
“I can tell you the company name that appears on the wage slip if that helps.”
“That would be a start.”
“It’s Reptile Holdings. We used to get paid by a company called Candlefield Lido, but then last month it changed.”
“Do you know anything about Reptile Holdings? Anything at all?”
“No, sorry. When this place belonged to Candlefield Lido, the old guy who owned it used to pop in about once a month, but I haven’t seen him since the change of ownership.”
“Okay, thanks. Just one more question: I’ve heard rumours that the lido might be closing down. Is that true?”
“I honestly don’t know. We’ve heard the same rumour, but there hasn’t been an official announcement either way. It’s all a bit disconcerting because this is my livelihood.”
“If I leave you my number, would you ask Doug to give me a call?”
“Sure.”
I handed her my card.
“Jill Maxwell! I thought it was you. I’m a big fan.”
“Thanks.”
“I can’t wait to see Doug tomorrow. He’ll be green with envy when I tell him you were here.”
She really was a big fan because she seemed to know about every tournament that I’d ever taken part in, and she insisted on recounting them all in great detail. There was a danger that I would never get away, so I started to walk slowly backwards out of the office, towards the pool. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop Debbie who followed me outside.
“I couldn’t believe that time in the Levels tournament when—look out, Jill!”
The next thing I knew, I had tumbled backwards over something furry, and landed in the pool. When I surfaced, I found Barry and Aunt Lucy staring down at me.
“I’m really sorry, Jill,” Aunt Lucy said. “He got away from me.”
“You look funny.” Barry chuckled when I climbed out of the pool, soaking wet.
“You’d better come back with me.” Aunt Lucy had a straight face, but I was pretty sure that she was laughing inside. “I still have some of the twins’ clothes, you can change into those.”
***
After an awful day, I was looking forward to a nice, quiet evening, but it wasn’t to be.
“No, Mummy!” Florence said. “You did it wrong again.”
“No, I didn’t. I put my left foot in, just like you said.”
“It should have been your right foot that time. It’s left foot, then right foot, then right foot again.”
“Oh, okay.”
The two of us were in the bedroom, practising the incredibly complicated dance routine that Florence had devised. We’d been at it for almost an hour, and I still hadn’t mastered it.
“We’ll have to start again.” Florence was clearly exasperated by my feeble attempts to follow the steps.
“Okay, but it’ll soon be bedtime.”
“We have to get it right, Mummy, or we won’t win the competition.”
Just then, I heard a snorting sound coming from behind the door, which was partially open. In the full-length mirror mounted on the wall, I spotted Jack’s reflectio
n. I’d given him strict instructions not to come upstairs while we were practising, but he was crouching behind the door.
“I can see you, Jack.”
He stepped into the room. “Sorry, I was just on my way to the loo.”
“No, you weren’t. You were spying on us. How long have you been there?”
“Long enough to realise you don’t know your left foot from your right.”
“I’d like to see you do any better.”
“How’s it going, Florence?” he said.
“Mummy is rubbish. We’ve practised lots and lots, but she gets it wrong every time. She puts her left foot in when she should put it out. And her right foot out when it should be in. And then she always forgets to shake it all about.”
“I’m doing my best, Florence,” I said in my defence. “It’s only Monday. We’ve got lots of time until the competition.”
“It looks like you’re going to need it.” Jack grinned.
“I think you should go downstairs,” I snapped.
“Can’t I stay and watch?”
“Goodbye, Jack.”
“I might be able to give you a few tips.”
“Goodbye, Jack.”
I could hear him laughing all the way down the stairs. I’d get my own back on him. You see if I don’t.
“Are you ready to try again, Mummy?” Florence said.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
The only positive thing to come out of the dancing was that by the time we’d finished, Florence was exhausted. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was fast asleep.
When I came downstairs, Jack was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
“What’s tickling you? As if I didn’t know.”
“I was just thinking that you should definitely get your entry in for Strictly.”
Chapter 4
I’d promised to call in at Kathy’s house on my way to the office, so I decided to skip breakfast.
“We have to practise our dance again tonight, Mummy,” Florence said, as I kissed her goodbye.
“I shall look forward to it all day.”
“Don’t forget to swot up on which is your left foot, and which is your right,” Jack said, through a mouthful of muesli.
“You’ll get them both up your backside if you’re not careful.” I grabbed my bag. “I’ll see you both tonight.”