Thursday Evening
Slater residence, Bicester, England
Finished with dinner, and sitting beside Raven on the sofa, Scarlett felt suddenly relaxed and sleepy. Tim hadn’t replied to her message, but to be honest, it was what she’d been expecting. Now she’d eaten and changed into her pajamas, the world seemed a much friendlier place.
A car screeched around the corner and proceeded along the road towards them, coming to a halt right outside their house. Hoping it was someone visiting the neighbors, Scarlett increased the volume on the TV and relaxed. It was only when her phone vibrated and pinged that she started to suspect it might be Tim. Come out to the car. Sorry, can’t come in, just stopping by for a mo.
“It’s Tim,” Scarlett announced to Raven, getting to her feet. “Don’t think this will take long—would you mind if I put the TV on pause for a minute?”
Raven sighed and curled into a ball, tail on her nose. “Sure, why not?”
Scarlett put on her coat and scurried along the garden path, eyes darting around the road, praying for everyone to stay inside and keep away from their curtains.
Tim leaned across and opened the passenger door. “Darling, get in.”
He watched her make herself comfortable on the cold leather seat and said, “You look gorgeous in your pajamas.”
Scarlett looked at him, assuming he was taking the piss. After seeing no sign of regret or embarrassment at all on his face, she laughed. “Thank you.”
“So what was it you wanted to see me about, exactly?”
Scarlett was about to protest that as his girlfriend, she didn’t need a reason to see him, when she decided to bite her tongue. The last thing she needed was an argument to finish off an extremely tiresome day. So instead, she blurted it all out. From the woman in Costa to her conversation with Raven.
“Wow.” He looked at her for a silent moment, clearly worried about her. Then he shook his head, and suddenly was all business once more. “Sounds… intriguing. What would you like me to do about it?”
“Well, just so that we can see if the times match up, I was wondering if you could help me learn the time and date of death. Judging from the smell, he’d been dead for weeks, but I couldn’t get anything beyond that.”
“Smell?”
“There was this really terrible smell that was evident as soon as I set foot in the place. It got stronger and stronger the nearer we got to the flat, until we found the body and I discovered it was…”
“It was what?”
She heaved a breath. “Rotting flesh.”
“I see.”
“Honestly, you should have smelt it. It was absolutely disgusting. I hope I never have to smell anything like that again.”
Tim nodded.
“Well?”
“Well, what?”
“Can you do anything to help?”
“I’m not really sure...”
“Oh, come on. I need your help with this. Raven could be in trouble here. Please. Pretty please.”
He grimaced. “Darling, it’s not as simple as that.”
“You could help if you wanted to, just like you did before.”
Tim took a long, long breath. His eyes bounced to the clock on the dashboard, then to her face. “Scarlett I… let me think about it. Give me a moment, okay?”
Scarlett leaned back into her seat. “Okay.”
Right at that moment, a flurry of raindrops hit the windscreen. They petered out a tad, then came again, harder and faster, until it was positively pouring. Even though she was shivering, tired and emotionally exhausted after her ridiculously eventful day, Scarlett found herself wondering if this was finally the moment she needed to talk to Tim about her recent worries about his well-being.
Keeping her head perfectly still, angled upwards at the mirror just above the windscreen, she shifted her eyes sideways to glance at him. Like her, he was staring through the window, without flinching. This was obviously his work persona. She’d seen it at the base that night when they’d rescued Ronnie, but never before had he brought it home with him. It made her heart ache a little bit; to feel so far away from him, even though they were inches apart.
A car honked as it drove past and came to a halt outside a house a few doors along. A woman got out with three small children, who were laughing, larking about, and generally misbehaving by the looks of things. The woman pulled one of them up, shouted in his face and marched him up the garden path. By the time she’d knocked on the door, everything looked like it had been forgotten about.
Once they’d gone inside, Scarlett thought about what she’d just witnessed, imagined the cozy atmosphere within, and considered if there was a lesson to be learned from the exchange. After a few minutes of listening to the pouring rain, she concluded that people can be instinctive liars in certain situations.
She rubbed her shoulders and then her thighs, which were now like ice. Raven was going to be fed up. Hopefully, she would have unpaused the TV and not be sitting there twiddling her claws, waiting for Scarlett to return. She strained to look through the window to her house.
“Okay, I’ve thought it through,” Tim’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
Scarlett jumped.
He smiled. “You okay there?”
“Yes, you just gave me a fright, that’s all. Look at the rain, now.”
“The rain?”
“Yes, I’m not looking forward to going back in. I’m going to get soaked through. My slippers will be squelching.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“So, come on then, don’t keep me waiting. Do you think you can help me? Poor little me, with the soon to be squelching slippers?” She chuckled.
He sighed expansively. “My fear here is that, because it’s a civilian case, it’s out of my jurisdiction.”
“But you have access to some files. You could easily find out when Raven was brought in. That part isn’t even civilian, that’s your work exactly.”
“As I’ve already explained, it’s really not as simple as that.”
“I thought you knew people, though. Don’t you have a relationship with the ME?”
“Yes, I do and that’s why I can’t go prying. I don’t want to put our relationship in jeopardy.”
“You could persuade him. Show him my photo first, then tell him I have a problem and need his help. You know, lay it on thick.”
Tim guffawed. “He’ll see through that in no time.”
Scarlett laughed, despite her annoyance. “Not if you do it subtly.”
He frowned back. “Scarlett, darling, I don’t think any part of that was subtle.”
They both scowled at each other for a tad too long. After a moment, Scarlett caught the corner of Tim’s mouth twitching, and she had to laugh. Then they were both giggling, the tension broken. Suddenly the atmosphere was entirely different and she felt closer to Tim than she had for a good while.
Tim’s face had come alive again. “I love it when you laugh.”
“Me too… when you laugh, I mean. So… ?”
“Oh, okay,” Tim said, relenting. “Fine. Damn it all. I’m a fool to myself, honestly, I am.”
She took hold of his arm and pressed her face into his shoulder. “Thank you. I mean it. I’m not just trying to get you in trouble with work, I think this could be really important, and I care about making it right.”
He looked at her softly. “I know.” He took a breath. “So I’ll help under one condition.”
“Oh?”
“That you promise me that you won’t go getting yourself tied up in it all. Don’t go doing anything even remotely risky, okay?”
She smiled. “Okay, I promise.”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. You’re right. Getting myself involved in another investigation is the last thing I need right now.”
“Well, there you are then.”
Scarlett reached for the door handle. “Well, think I’ll—”
“Just hold your hor
ses a minute.”
“What now?”
“What if it turns out that Raven is involved?”
Scarlett’s face turned serious. “Oh, I err… we’ll just have to figure out a way of dealing with that, won’t we? I don’t know her all that well.”
“No, you don’t. And yet she’s living in your house.”
Scarlett ignored the knowing look he gave her. “No telling what she can do. But she doesn’t have her magic, not whilst she’s in cat form.”
“You’re absolutely sure of that are you?”
“Yes. I’m absolutely sure.”
Tim stretched and took a deep breath. “Well, in that case, my dear, I think our business is concluded for the night.”
“Okay.” She smiled. “You go and tend to your business now. And thank you. This means a lot, it really does.”
“I know, love.”
Fortunately, the rain had subsided a little by the time she stepped out of the car, but that didn’t stop Tim’s car from soaking her ankles as he sped off into the night. Halfway along the garden path, shaking her head, she turned to watch his red taillights all the way to the end of the street, where they turned and disappeared from view.
CHAPTER FIVE
Saturday
Aunt Tabitha’s Residence, Bicester, England
Scarlett looked through the kitchen window at her aunt’s vegetable plot and smiled.
She sighed to herself as she turned her attention back to the task in hand, pouring vinegar over the vegetables she had prepared and fastened the lid as tight as she could. After sliding the jar towards the others at the back of the worktop, she scooped up some more vegetables and repeated the process.
Standing back to examine her handiwork, she considered how it was often the simple things in life that gave her the most pleasure. Maybe someday, in the not too distant future, she’d be standing in her own kitchen, pickling vegetables with a daughter (or son) of her own to help her. There was a lot to sort out before she could think about making that little dream come true though. Perhaps too much.
Tabitha sealed the jar she was working on, pushed it to the back of the worktop below the cupboards, turned to face the window and walked across the kitchen. “How you doing with those?” she asked, shaking Scarlett out of her daydream.
“Oh, fine.” She glanced at the legion of completed jars by the wall.
Tabitha followed Scarlett’s gaze and beamed at her niece’s handiwork. “Oh, thank you very much. You’ve been a great help. I can’t stand to see all these uneaten, delicious vegetables go to waste.”
When Scarlett didn’t reply, she placed a hand on her shoulder. “You went quiet.”
“Did I? Hadn’t realized.”
“Yes, you had. There’s nothing bothering you, is there?”
“Oh, no, I was just thinking about when I was a kid. When I used to come here with my mom.”
Tabitha smiled. “Oh, those were the days. You’re not getting broody are you?”
“Well, no, not broody as such. I have far too much going on to think about having children of my own. But maybe someday in the future… I was thinking I might have a vegetable plot of my own.”
“Or this one, when I’m gone.”
“Oh auntie, don’t go saying that. You’ll be around for a long time yet.”
Tabitha returned her hand to Scarlett’s shoulder. “Well, I certainly hope so, dear.” Tabitha made the short journey across the kitchen to the opposite worktop, where she turned her back on her and continued with the pickling. Scarlett had no doubt her aunt had probably done some kind of spell to keep the pickles from spoiling.
For roughly ten minutes, Scarlett’s mind wandered whilst her aunt hummed some song from way back, sending them into a rhythmic harmony. Until the humming stopped.
She looked over her shoulder at her aunt, who was now filling up the jars in silence.
Still with her back to Scarlett, Tabitha broke their silence, “how’s your studying going?”
“Oh, err… ”
“Your studies, dear. The spells.”
“Oh, those studies.”
“Yes, those studies.”
Scarlett smiled. “Great.”
“You picking it up okay?”
She appreciated her aunt’s interest, but didn’t like being put on the spot like this. If she admitted she had self-doubts, it would spoil the atmosphere and a shadow would fall on an otherwise enjoyable morning. “Yes. Absolutely fine.”
Tabitha scooped up some more vegetables. “Good. From what I’ve seen so far, you’ll make a great witch. It’s just… ”
Scarlett frowned. “What?”
“Oh, it’s nothing, it’s just… be careful. Magic is about much more than cheap conjuring tricks. You need to treat it like you would a wild animal. It might be interesting, but it’s dangerous.”
Scarlett furrowed her brow. “I know that Aunt Tabitha…” Her voice faded. “What?”
“Black magic, dear. I’m talking about black magic.”
“What on Earth makes you think I’m interested in black magic?” Scarlett’s mind raced, trying desperately to come up with the answer before her aunt could reply. Tarquin. She’s been talking to Tarquin.
Tabitha pushed the jar across the worktop. “Oh, err, nothing. I was just saying, that’s all.”
Scarlett nodded, took another scoop of vegetables and spent the next few minutes working in silence as she replayed everything that had gone on in the bookstore.
“You, um, been talking to Tarquin, lately?”
Tabitha picked up the pace. “Tarquin? Yes, I was speaking to him just the other day. What makes you ask that?”
“Oh, nothing. It’s just I saw him on Thursday and, the way he was talking, he made it sound, well, he gave me the impression anyway, that you’d been seeing rather a lot of each other.”
Tabitha laughed. “Seeing a lot of each other? Oh, that’s ridiculous. We’ve only spoken to each other a few times since the breakout.”
“Really?” Scarlett laughed. “Are you sure about that?”
“Let me think… Oh yes, I did bump into him yesterday, come to think of it.” She placed a hand over her forehead and shook her head. “Poor short-term memory. Now that’s a sign I’m getting old if ever there was one.”
Scarlett smirked and turned around.
“So how often have you been seeing him?”
“Seeing him?” Tabitha laughed. “You make it sound like we’re sneaking around together like a couple of teenagers.”
“Spoke to him. I meant spoke to him.”
“Oh, well, I don’t know. Just enough to maintain our friendship. You know, now and then, like you and that girl you’re friendly with. What’s her name… Amanda?”
Scarlett laughed. “Aunt Tabitha, you’re being evasive. Sounds to me like things are starting to get serious.”
Tabitha took another scoop of vegetables, tipped them to the jar and picked up the spices. “Must get on with these,” she muttered, changing the subject. “They're cluttering up the place. They’ll start to smell when they turn.”
Scarlett shook her head and focused on the jar she was sealing. “Whatever you say, Auntie.”
They worked in silence for a few minutes until Tabitha started to hum again, recreating the cozy atmosphere of earlier. Scarlett considered her aunt’s relationship with the bookseller once more. Tabitha had definitely been evasive before, lending weight to her theory about Tarquin. And all that nonsense about forgetting she’d spoken to him… Just who did she think she was trying to kid with that one?
Both of them were clearly lonely and they obviously thought the world of each other. She tried to picture them together, walking the streets, hand in hand. However good they looked together though, she still couldn’t work out how she’d feel if or when they made an announcement.
Maybe she’d underestimated them, and Tarquin wouldn’t suddenly turn into uncle Tarquin and start treating her like a child. For that matter, the opposite
might turn out to be true. Instead of her becoming the baby of the group, she might find herself neglected. Tabitha would have someone else to dote over.
She glanced through the kitchen window and considered the possibility that this would be the last time she’d set eyes on the vegetable plot for a while. A blackbird swooped down and descended on the garden. Scarlett grinned at the irony. “Aunt Tabitha. Look! There’s a bird in the garden.”
“What?” Tabitha dashed outside to shoo the bird away.
“Just planted a whole new batch of seeds,” Tabitha said, closing the door. “Don’t want them being eaten before they’ve had time to grow.”
But Scarlett’s mind had already made the link to Raven. “You could do with a cat.”
Tabitha chuckled. “You’re not wrong there, dear. I’ve been thinking about it for some time.”
She couldn’t resist it, despite knowing that her aunt wouldn’t have a clue what she was talking about. “You could find yourself a young witch, not me, and cast a spell on her.” Scarlett laughed.
Tabitha turned around. “I told you to take it seriously.”
“Sorry, Aunt Tabitha. It was a joke, you see. Remember that cat, Raven? Well—”
“Of course I remember,” she shook her head. “Terrible situation.”
“Terrible? Why? What do you mean?”
“Someone turned her into a cat, possibly for their own gain. That, my dear, is an example of black magic and precisely the kind of thing I was talking about earlier.”
“But you got it wrong, she—”
Tabitha gave her a withering look. “No, buts, Scarlett. This is serious business. I mean it.”
Head down, she sighed. “Yes. I can see that.”
“Tarquin told me he caught you with your head in some books on Thursday, about the dark arts.”
“Yes, but I didn’t know that then,” Scarlett protested. “As soon as I pulled one from the shelf, I got this strange chill and Tarquin came marching in.”
“And what did he say?”
“Told me to put it down. So, I did, and I’d forgotten all about it until you brought the subject up, just now.”
Tabitha nodded approvingly. “Good to hear it.”
Scarlett’s eyes widened. “So, if those books were about black magic, then what was Tarquin doing with them to begin with? Oh, Aunt Tabitha, please be—”
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