by Adele Abbott
Aunt Lucy winked at me. “Good thing I voted for the opposition then.”
Chapter 20
By the time I arrived at the Scoots’ house, I was exhausted. The election had been an absolute nightmare, and Grandma wasn’t likely to let me forget about it for some time to come. And the worst part? It was Aunt Lucy’s vote which had lost Grandma the election. If she ever found out, she’d go ballistic. If I was a really horrible person, I would tell her, so as to deflect the blame away from me. What? Of course I wasn’t going to. Probably not, anyway.
Palm Close looked normal enough, but it was quite dark because one of the street lights wasn’t working. The Scoots had given me a key, so I let myself in and flicked on the light switch.
Nothing!
The power was out. It was dark and very cold. Fan—tas—tic! I found a pillow and blanket in the linen cupboard, then made my way into the living room where I settled down on the sofa. I wasn’t nearly as cold once I was snuggled under the blanket. The house was remarkably quiet, and I soon felt my eyes closing. It had been a long, tiring day.
I woke with a start. It was three in the morning; I’d been asleep for several hours. But what had woken me? I heard a noise. It sounded like someone was moving around at the back of the house. I peeled back the blanket, climbed off the sofa, and made my way slowly towards the hallway. If it was a ghost, what was I supposed to do? What if it wasn’t a ghost? What if it was criminals who were hell bent on getting the residents out of their homes? Why was I so worried? I was a witch! A level three witch! I knew plenty of spells; I could handle a few criminals or ghosts.
I heard another sound; this time from the kitchen. I crept forward and pushed open the door. I’m not sure who jumped the most: me or the woman on the other side of the door.
“Jill?” a familiar voice said.
“Mad?” I gasped. “What are you doing here?”
Madeline Lane was an old school friend of mine. Her nickname was Mad Lane.
“Never mind what I’m doing here,” she said. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m a private investigator, remember? The people who live in this property hired me to find out what’s going on in their house; they think it’s haunted. Are you the one who’s been scaring the residents out of their houses?”
“Is that really what you think of me? Wow! It’s nice to know you hold me in such high regard.”
“What am I supposed to think? Why else would you be here in the middle of the night?”
“It’s complicated.”
“That’s all right, I’ve got all night.”
“I know this is going to sound weird,” Mad said. “But I’m actually a ghost hunter.”
I laughed. “No, seriously, what are you doing here?”
“It’s true. That’s what I do. The librarian gig is just a cover. I moved back to Washbridge to hunt down ghosts.”
“What do you mean ‘hunt down ghosts’?”
“Exactly that, but before I get into it, there’s something else I should tell you.”
“Go on.”
“I know you’re a witch.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” I laughed.
“You don’t have to pretend with me, Jill. I know you’re not supposed to tell humans, but I have special dispensation. I’m not exactly human myself.”
“O—kay. So what are you then?”
“I’m what’s known as a ‘parahuman’.”
“And what exactly is a parahuman?”
“It’s someone who is essentially human, but who has extreme paranormal sensitivity. The bottom line is that I can see ghosts. I’ve always been able to. Don’t you remember when we were kids, and people used to think I was weird?”
“Wasn’t that because of the way you dressed?”
“That was part of it, I suppose. But I’ve always been able to see ghosts; I see them all the time. When I was a kid, I had no idea that other people couldn’t see them; I just assumed everyone could. As I got older, I realised that it was just me, so I learned to keep quiet about it.”
“How on earth did you get into ghost hunting?”
“I only recently started in the job. Before this, I was working in London. I had a lot of part-time jobs: bar work, waitressing, that kind of thing. I’ve never held down a job for more than six months—I usually ended up getting sacked because I didn’t know when to keep my mouth shut. You know what I used to be like at school.”
I did. Mad was always getting into trouble for shooting her mouth off—with the teachers, and with her parents.
“I drifted from one job to another,” she continued. “On the same day as I lost my last job, I also discovered that my boyfriend was seeing my best friend.”
“That must have stung.”
“No kidding. I was at a pretty low ebb. I had no job, no money, and no boyfriend. And then, out of the blue, a ghost offered me a job. And yes, I know how weird that sounds. I’m so used to being around ghosts that I barely notice them, but when this one offered me a well-paid job, I didn’t see that I had anything to lose. Mind you, I wasn’t told exactly what the job would entail until much later. Before I started in the job, I had to go on a training course in GT.”
“Gin and tonic?”
“You’ve got booze on the brain. No, it’s the place where all the ghosts hang out. I can’t remember its proper, official name; it’s silly and posh-sounding, but everyone refers to it as Ghost Town—hence ‘GT’. In the same way as you are able to move between the human world and the supernatural world, I can do a similar thing between the human world and GT.”
“What’s it like there?”
“Pretty much like the human world, except that everyone there is a ghost, apart from me and a few other ghost hunters.”
“Are there many of you?”
“Not many. I’ve probably met another dozen or so.”
“I still don’t know why you came back to Washbridge.”
“Not through choice.” She grinned. “This is the last place I wanted to live. If you remember, I couldn’t wait to get away from here when I left school. The ghost who recruited me didn’t tell me I’d have to come back here. If he had, I probably would have turned down the job. But by the time I found out, I’d already gone through all the training. So here I am, back to my roots.”
“Why do they want you to be based in Washbridge of all places?”
“It’s a hotspot for supernaturals—”
“Sups, please.”
“Sorry, I’m not up on all the terminology yet. Anyway, it’s not just sups, it’s ghosts too. There’s some kind of bridge between Washbridge and the paranormal world. So I’m stuck here—which is just dandy.”
“I can’t get over how different you look compared to when you came to my office.”
“You mean my ‘librarian look’.” She laughed.
When I’d known Mad at school, she’d been quite the ‘wild child’. But when I’d seen her again recently, for the first time in years, she’d been wearing a woollen suit, her hair had been in a neat bun, and she’d told me she was working as a librarian. Now here she was, looking just like she used to: in cut off denim shorts, a low-cut vest top and hair which looked like she’d been pulled through a hedge backwards. This was more like the Mad I used to know.
“And, you’re working as a librarian?”
“Yeah. What a joke! Again, not my idea. The powers-that-be decided all ghost hunters need a cover: librarians, civil servants, tax inspectors—”
Tax inspectors? Could Betty be a ghost hunter? Nah.
“So by day I’m a librarian but by night I’m a ghost hunter.”
“And that’s why you’re here now?”
“Yeah. It’s my job to capture ghosts who are up to no good in the human world.”
“So a bit like a Rogue Retriever then?”
“A what?”
“It’s something we have in the sup world. They have the job of bringing back rogue supernaturals from the human world. I
occasionally work with one of them. She goes by the name of Daze.”
“Yeah, that pretty much sounds like what I do, but with ghosts. This is only my third assignment. The intel I have is that there are a couple of ghosts who’ve been employed to scare the residents away from this street. As far as we can make out, the humans behind the scam are buying the vacant properties. Once they have possession of all of the houses in the street, we believe they’re going to have them demolished, and build a shopping mall on the site. They can only go ahead with the development if they can obtain possession of all the properties.”
“How did humans contract with ghosts in the first place?”
“They didn’t. Not directly, at least. As far as I can make out, this scam was arranged via a third party—a parahuman.”
“You mean someone with the same powers as you?”
“That’s right. Not all parahumans are ghost hunters. Some make a living working with the ‘bad’ guys. Whichever parahuman arranged this probably has connections with the criminal fraternity in Washbridge. I doubt the people who are trying to buy up the properties know or care what methods are being used to drive the residents out. They certainly won’t know it’s ghosts.”
“Have you actually seen the ghosts yet?” I said.
“No, I’d only just arrived when you came through the door, and made me jump.”
“Sorry about that.”
“That’s okay. It’s a good thing I didn’t have Albert with me, though.”
“Albert? Wasn’t he that fierce dog you had when you were a kid?”
“Albert isn’t fierce.” She laughed.
“How can you still have the same dog after all these years?”
“He’s a ghost.”
“You have a ghost dog?”
“Yeah. That’s another reason I took the job. I was undecided, but then they told me that Albert was waiting for me in GT. He’s been there ever since he died.”
“Have you been reunited with him?”
“Yeah. I’ll eventually be able to bring him with me to Washbridge when I’m working on a job, but it’ll take him a while to adjust because he’s lived in GT for such a long time. It was fantastic to see him again after all this time. He hasn’t changed.”
“You mean he still bites people’s heads off?”
“Given the chance, yeah.” She laughed.
Chapter 21
“Here, take these.” Mad passed me a pair of what looked like sunglasses.
“What are they?”
“Ghostvision glasses.”
“They’re what?” I laughed.
“You’re going to need them. Remember, I can see ghosts, but you can’t.”
“I can see my mother’s ghost.”
“That’s because she’s attached herself to you. You won’t be able to see other ghosts unless you wear these.”
“They’re not very attractive. Do you have them in other styles?”
“Just put them on.”
I put on the silly glasses—it wasn’t a great look. “What now?”
“Now we wait.”
“What do we do when the ghosts turn up?”
“We don’t do anything. You leave it to me.”
I didn’t argue. I had enough on my plate being a witch. I didn’t want to have to deal with capturing ghosts.
“So, what’s it like to be a witch?”
“It’s pretty weird to be honest. I didn’t even know I was one until recently when my birth mother died.”
“That must have been pretty strange. I know I’m new to this job, but I’ve always been able to see ghosts, so it’s not like it’s that big a deal. I assume nobody knows you’re a witch?”
“I’m not allowed to tell anyone—not even my sister.”
“Why don’t you show me some magic?” She laughed. “Do you have a wand?”
“No, I do not have a wand. What would you like me to show you?”
“I don’t know—impress me.”
“Okay then, what about—”
We both heard a noise coming from upstairs.
“Sounds like they’re here.” Mad stood up. “Stay behind me.”
We both crept up the stairs. The noise was coming from the front bedroom, and it was getting louder. When we reached the landing, Mad turned to me, and indicated that we’d go in on three. She counted down using her fingers, then kicked open the door. Inside, there was a green glow coming from the far side of the room, and I could see two figures. Out of curiosity I looked over the top of the glasses. Without the aid of ghostvision, I couldn’t see them at all.
The two ghosts looked startled.
“Okay, guys, the game’s up,” Mad shouted.
“You can see us?” one of the ghosts said.
“Of course I can see you. How else would I know you’re so ugly?”
“She’s a hunter!” the second ghost said. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Too late for that, boys.” From somewhere, Mad produced a lasso which she threw over them. They immediately disappeared in a puff of smoke.
“Where did they go?” I gasped.
“They’re back in GT.”
This really was similar to what Daze did.
“So what happens now?”
“I file a report and they get thrown in jail. Job done.”
“So the hauntings are over?”
“Yeah. This job really is a breeze. Pays well too. Look, I have to go, Jill. The paperwork is actually more difficult than catching the ghosts.”
“I don’t suppose I could come with you to GT, could I?”
“Sorry. GT is a no-go area for humans or supernaturals—err—sorry—I mean sups. But I imagine we’ll bump into each other again.”
“I hope so. It was nice to see the old Mad again.”
“It’s nice to be the old Mad again. I’m not keen on the librarian. I’ll see you around, Jill. Bye.”
“Bye, Mad.”
And with that she was gone. Mission accomplished.
***
When I arrived at the office the next morning, Mrs V held out a parcel.
“It’s for him.” She gestured to my office.
I didn’t need to ask who ‘him’ was. Sure enough the parcel was addressed to Winky, care-of my office.
“That must be the fur restorer.” Winky snatched it from my hand, and tore open the package to reveal a jar of white ointment.
While he was struggling to remove the lid, I picked up the box and read the label.
“Have you seen the possible side-effects?”
“They always put that sort of thing on the label. It’s just to cover themselves. It’s nothing to worry about. After all, it’s only fur restorer.”
“Yeah, but there are some pretty scary—”
“Shush! Can’t you see I’m busy?”
I watched as he tried to reach the miniscule bald spot.
“It’s no use—I can’t reach it. You’ll have to do it.”
“I’m not touching your bottom!”
“It’s not on my bottom, it’s on my back.”
“I’m not sure I want to get that stuff on my fingers. I don’t want to end up with hairy fingers.”
“Here, use these.” He passed me a pair of surgical rubber gloves.
“Where did you get those from?”
“I bought them yesterday. Just in case.”
I put on the gloves, opened the jar and took a scoop of the gooey, white ointment.
“Are you sure about this, Winky? It smells horrible.”
“Just get on with it!”
“Turn around then.” I did it as quickly as possible, and then threw away the gloves. I just hoped it did the job.
The Scoots arrived just before lunchtime. It was great to have good news for them.
“I’m very pleased to tell you that you can move back into your house. You won’t have any more problems.”
“Did you find out what was happening?” Mr Scoot said.
“Just as we
suspected, someone was trying to get the residents out of their houses, so they could raze the whole street to the ground, and build a shopping mall.”
“What about the ghosts?” Mrs Scoot still looked worried.
“There never were any. It was just some elaborate hoax set up by the people wanting to buy the properties.”
“That’s terrible,” Mrs Scoot said. “Why would anyone do such a thing?”
“There are some horrible people in this world, I’m afraid.”
“You’re absolutely sure we can move back in, and we won’t be disturbed again?”
“You have my word. And what’s more, your old neighbours will be moving back in too.”
“How?”
“I had a quiet word with the criminals behind this scam, and suggested that they offer the houses back to the people they’d driven out. At a discount, of course.”
“And they agreed?” said Mr Scoot.
“They did, once they realised that the game was up, and I threatened to take it to the police and the press.”
“Thank you so much, Jill. You don’t know how much this means to us.”
“My pleasure.” I started to walk them to the door.
“I play darts myself,” Mr Scoot said, somewhat out of the blue.
“Darts?”
“Obviously not to your standard.” He smiled.
I must have looked puzzled because he pointed at the trophy which Winky had put in the corner of the office.
“Oh, that thing? That isn’t—err. I didn’t—err.” I spotted Winky out of the corner of my eye. He was grinning from ear to ear. “It’s something I won ages ago. I don’t play anymore.”
“Still, something to be proud of?”
“Absolutely.”
“Your trophy could do with a polish,” Winky said, after they’d left.
“Oh shut up. Go tidy your eye patches.”
***
I called in at Cuppy C with the intention of helping out for a couple of hours, but when I got there, the cake shop and tea room were both quiet. Instead, I helped myself to a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin.
“How’s Grandma?” I said.
“Need you ask?” Amber pulled a face.