by Adele Abbott
I glanced around. “Where are they?”
“Where are what?”
“The cats. I thought they’d be out here by now.”
“We’ve given up on the cat café idea,” Amber said. “It’s more trouble than it’s worth. At least we’re not out of pocket, though, because we got a full refund from Cat City. Thanks to you.”
“Does that mean this is on the house?”
The twins looked at one another, and then said with one voice, “No.”
“You two are so mean.”
“Guess where we were on Saturday,” Amber said, as she popped two slices of bread into the toaster.
“Weren’t you working here?”
“No, we treated ourselves to a day off. Mindy is quite capable of taking charge of this place for a day now.”
“Where did you go?”
“To Washbridge.”
“Really? You never mentioned you were coming over.”
“We wanted to surprise you. We were at the town hall for the prize giving.”
Oh bum! “I didn’t see you there.”
“We only just got there in time to see them announce the main prize-winner. You’d left before we had the chance to fight our way through the crowd to you.”
“I was feeling a bit peaky, so Jack and I shot off home.”
“In your new Jag?” Amber giggled. So did Pearl.
“That’s it, go on, have a laugh at my expense. You might as well. Everyone else has.”
“You did rather ask for it, Jill,” Amber said. “You were going around telling everyone about your new car.”
“I was deceived into believing I’d won it.”
“By who?”
“I really don’t want to talk about it.”
“Still, you did win a course of lessons at the clown school.” Pearl was practically in hysterics now.
“It’s a pity you’re scared of clowns, isn’t it?” Amber wiped a tear from her eye.
“I think that toast is burning.”
While Amber watched the counter, Pearl joined me at a window table.
“Did Aunt Lucy go with you to Washbridge on Saturday?” I took a bite of the charcoaled toast.
“No. Mum would have cramped our style.”
“I assume you spent most of the day shopping?”
“Naturally. While we were there, we dropped into Ever. We thought we might get free drinks and cakes.”
“Did you?”
“Of course not. Grandma wouldn’t even give us a discount.”
“What did you expect?”
“While we were in Ever we did have a brilliant idea.”
“Have you forgotten the cat café debacle already?”
“That wasn’t our fault. We were conned. And, anyway, this is something really simple but effective.” She beckoned Amber to come and join us. “I was just telling Jill about our visit to Ever.”
“Don’t you think it’s a brilliant idea, Jill?”
“Pearl hasn’t told me what it is yet, but the chances are that the answer is no.”
“Uniforms!” Amber beamed.
“Do you mean those horrible canary yellow things that Grandma makes the Everettes wear?”
“We wouldn’t want yellow, but they did make the staff look really smart.”
“Very professional,” Pearl said.
“So, you’re thinking of buying uniforms for your staff?”
“And for us of course. What do you think?”
“It’s certainly better than the conveyor belt idea. And the chocolate fountain. Won’t it be expensive, though?”
“It will be money well spent in our opinion.”
“Hmm.” Just then, I was distracted by the sight of a young man who’d taken a seat at a table across the room.
“Stop ogling the customers,” Amber said.
“I wasn’t. I was looking at his t-shirt.”
“Isn’t that your face on it?” Pearl raised her eyebrows.
“It looks like it.”
“Why on earth would anyone want a picture of you on their t-shirt?” Amber said.
“I’ll have you know that mine is the second best-selling witch merchandise at Candlefield Icons. Second only to Magna Mondale.”
“And you expected us to give you your breakfast for free? You must be coining it.”
“I wish. I haven’t received a penny.”
“You should complain,” Pearl said.
“I tried to, but when I visited Candlefield Icons, the owner wasn’t in. Apparently, he’s rarely there.”
“I know that store,” Amber said. “The guy who owns it often comes in here for a coffee.”
“Does he?” Pearl looked at her sister. This was obviously news to her.
“You know him. He’s that flashy guy with the chequered trousers.”
“The one with the hair and the brogues?”
“Yeah, that’s him.”
“I never did like him. He never smiles and he looks at you like you’re something he just found on the bottom of his shoe.”
“I heard him on the phone once. His name is Songspindle, or something like that.”
“It’s Sylvester Songspinner,” I said. “Would you do me a favour? Give me a call the next time he’s in here?”
***
Back at the office, Winky was sulking because I’d confiscated his toy car. It served him right for being so annoying.
My first clients of the week were a young brother and sister, called Adam and Katie Bell. If I hadn’t known, I would never have guessed they were siblings. She was tall and slim; he was shorter and bordering on plump.
“How can I help you?”
Each of them seemed to be waiting for the other to speak—eventually it was the young woman who took the lead.
“Our parents have gone missing.”
“Both of them?”
“That’s right. Our father’s name is Walter, and our mother’s is Jean.”
“When and how did they go missing?”
“They’d been on holiday in their caravan,” the young man piped up. “At the Cliffs Caravan Park near Filey.”
“Let me make sure I’ve understood this correctly. Did they disappear from the caravan park?”
“No, it was after they came back.” Katie hesitated. “At least, we think so.”
“The caravan made it back home, but they didn’t,” Adam said.
“Did this happen recently?”
“No.” Katie shook her head. “It’s just over a year ago now. The reason we’re here is because the police have scaled back their investigation.”
“They’ve shut it down, more like!” Adam snapped.
“Is there anything else you can tell me about the day they went missing?”
“There’s the burglary,” Katie said. “When I hadn’t heard from Mum and Dad, I went around to their house. The car and caravan were on the drive, so I assumed they must be home but they hadn’t heard my phone calls. When I let myself into the house, the living room had been ransacked.”
“Katie called me, and I went straight over there,” Adam said. “The police think that Mum and Dad must have disturbed burglars.”
“That’s a bit of a stretch, but if that is what happened, it still doesn’t explain your parents’ disappearance.”
“Unless the burglars forced them to go with them.”
“I suppose that’s possible. Did the police come up with any other theories?”
“They never came out and said it, but I got the distinct feeling that they thought Mum and Dad had chosen to disappear.” It was clear from her tone that Katie didn’t agree.
“There’s no way our parents would have done that,” Adam said. “They’d never do anything to worry us like this.”
“Do you have any theories as to what might have happened?”
“Not really.” Adam sighed. “But we’ve pretty much prepared ourselves for the worst now.”
“We just need to know where they are, what happened t
o them, and if necessary, make sure whoever is responsible is brought to justice.” Katie took her brother’s hand. “Don’t we?”
He nodded. “Do you think you’ll be able to help?”
“I hope so. I have a pretty good track record on missing person cases.”
***
My clients had not long since left when I received a call from Kathy, asking if I could pick Lizzie up from school. Kathy and Peter had already found themselves a cash buyer for their house, which meant they would be able to move into their new place by the end of the week, but only if everyone exchanged contracts today. She and Peter had to go to the solicitor to sign the paperwork, which meant she wouldn’t be able to collect Lizzie. Obviously, being the good sister that I am, I’d agreed. Fortunately, Mikey was staying late for sports practice, so I didn’t have to worry about him.
“Auntie Jill!” Lizzie came running across the playground and threw herself into my arms. “I didn’t know you were picking me up today. Where’s Mummy?”
“Your mummy and daddy have to sign some papers for your new house. Come on, my car is parked around the corner.”
All the way back to Kathy’s house, Lizzie talked my ears off about the school play.
“I’m a pixie called Wendy.”
“That’s great. Is Mikey in the play too?”
“No. He says plays are rubbish, but that’s only because he can’t act. I want to be an actress when I grow up. I’ll be on the TV and in movies.”
“Good for you.”
I was about to unlock the door when Lizzie grabbed my hand and dragged me around the back of the house.
“Come and see Flopsy the bunny.”
“I thought Mikey said his name is Jake.”
“Jake’s a stupid name. Look!”
“He really does have floppy ears, doesn’t he? They’re big too.”
“You’re no oil painting yourself, lady,” the rabbit said, somewhat indignantly.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Didn’t mean what, Auntie Jill?” Lizzie gave me a puzzled look.
“I—err—nothing. I was just talking to myself. Shall we go inside? I’m ready for a cup of tea.”
I brewed myself a cuppa, poured Lizzie some orange squash, and then helped myself to a piece of Victoria sponge.
What? It was the least I deserved for services rendered.
“Are you looking forward to living in your new house, Lizzie?”
“Yeah! My new bedroom is much bigger. It’s giant!”
“You have a big garden too.”
“Daddy said he’ll build a tree house for us. Mikey said he wanted his own because he didn’t want to share with a girl. Mummy said we’ll have to go to a new school too because this one will be too far away.”
“Are you okay with that?”
“Yeah, I don’t mind because Mummy said I’ll make lots of new friends.”
“That’ll be nice for you.”
“There’ll be more ghosts to talk to at the new house, too.”
“Oh? Have you seen them?”
“Yes, when we were looking around.”
“You’re not scared of them, are you?”
“No, of course I’m not. They’re all nice, but—” She frowned.
“But what?”
“They seemed scared.”
“Of you?”
“No.” She giggled. “Why would they be scared of me?”
“What were they scared of, then?”
“I don’t know. We had to leave before I could ask them.”
Kathy, Peter and Mikey arrived home about an hour later.
“Have you seen Jake, Auntie Jill?” Mikey came charging into the lounge where Lizzie had been showing me her dolls’ house, complete with Jack’s furniture.
“Yes, Lizzie showed him to me.”
“Auntie Jill was talking to the rabbit,” Lizzie said.
Kathy gave me a look.
“What? You’re supposed to talk to your pets. It’s good for them. I’m always talking to Winky.” More’s the pity. “How did you get on at the solicitors?”
“All done and dusted,” Peter said. “He said it was the quickest sale they’d ever processed.”
“When do the current owners move out?”
“They’ve already left.”
“Wow, they must have been keen.”
“We move in on Saturday.” Kathy couldn’t hide her excitement. “I can’t believe it’s actually going to happen.”
“If you need any help, just let me know, and I’ll send Jack around.”
“Where’s your car, Jill?” Peter said.
“It’s parked right outside your house. Didn’t you see it?”
“Oh right, sorry. I was looking for a Jag.” Both he and Kathy burst into laughter.
“Very funny. I expected better from you, Peter.”
“Sorry. It was Kathy’s idea for me to say it.”
“I should have known.”
***
Back home, I’d just climbed out of the car when I heard Bessie’s whistle. If I was quick, maybe I’d be able to get inside before Mr Hosey spotted me.
“Jill! Yoo hoo!”
Foiled again.
“Hello, Mr Hosey. I was just about to—”
“I have big news!”
“Are you moving house?”
“No? What made you ask that?”
“Err, nothing.” Just wishful thinking. “So what is this big news of yours?”
“It’s the Washbridge annual Model Train Rally on Saturday, and I’ve been invited to show Bessie in the main arena.”
“That’s—err—”
“A great honour? Yes, I know. I’ll have to spend all week getting her ready, but it’ll be worth it.”
“I’m really pleased for you, but I must get going.”
“Here.” He took a wad of tickets out of his waistcoat pocket and pressed them into my hand. “One of the perks of being invited to show Bessie is that I get lots of free tickets.”
“I’m not sure we’ll be able to make it.”
“Haven’t I seen some youngsters at your house?”
“That would be my nephew and niece.”
“You can bring them too. There’s enough tickets there for all of you.”
“Thanks.”
As soon as he’d driven away, I dropped the tickets into my bag. Go to a model railway rally? No, thanks because I actually have a life.
Chapter 3
Watching Britt and Kit limbering up in their back garden, ahead of their morning run, was so depressing. Especially as I barely had the energy to pour the milk over my cornflakes.
“What are these?” Jack called from the hall.
“I’ve no idea. I left my x-ray specs at the office.”
“These.” He walked into the kitchen, brandishing the tickets that Mr Hosey had given me.
“What were you doing in my bag?”
“Looking for my pen. The one my mother bought me. The one you promised to return the same day. Two weeks ago.”
“Whoops! Sorry about that. Did you find it?”
“Yes.” He was holding it as though it might be radioactive. “It’s covered in some kind of sticky gunk.”
“That’s probably jam. I put a donut in there yesterday.”
“You didn’t tell me we’d got free tickets for the model train rally.”
“Hosey gave them to me last night. I was going to bin them.”
“Why would you do that? It could be fun. I bet Mikey and Lizzie would enjoy it.”
“They won’t be able to go. Kathy and Peter are moving house this weekend.”
“Exactly. They’d probably appreciate it if we took the kids off their hands for a few hours, and this rally would be perfect.”
“Really? It’ll be full of train nerds like Mr Hosey.”
“I think it’ll be fun. We should check with Kathy to see what she thinks.”
“I’ll do it later today.” Unless, heaven fo
rbid, I happened to forget.
“That’s okay.” He took out his phone. “I’ll do it now.”
Needless to say, Kathy was all over the idea, so that was my Saturday ruined: Trains, kids and more trains.
Great!
“Jack, before you go to work, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“That sounds serious.”
“It is, kind of. I was going to tell you last night, but you were working late.”
“What’s up?”
“I had a visit from Daze yesterday. An official visit.”
“What did she want?”
“To give me a telling off, basically. She had a video of me in the cinema car park, turning that man into a rat.”
“What’s going to happen? She isn’t going to send you back to Candlefield, is she?”
“It’s okay, relax. Daze isn’t going to do anything this time, but she made it very clear that it mustn’t happen again, and that I had to get my act together.”
“I hope you’re going to take notice. I don’t want to lose you.”
“That’s never going to happen, but if you see me looking as though I’m about to do something similar again, you have to stop me.”
“As if you’d take any notice of anything I said.”
“Of course I would. In fact, as I recall, I only changed that man back from a rat because you insisted that I did.”
“You have to take this seriously, Jill.”
“I am. Mind you, Grandma reckons I shouldn’t take any notice of Daze.”
“Why would she say something like that?”
“She reckons she and I are too powerful to be held in Candlefield against our will. That’s why she’s so blatant with her magic over here. She doesn’t care.”
“It’s not worth the risk.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t intend to take her advice. And besides, Daze has been very good to me. I wouldn’t do anything to upset or embarrass her.”
“Come here.” He pulled me in for a kiss. “I couldn’t bear it if I lost you.”
“You don’t have to worry. I’m always going to be here, right by your side.”
“Even at the model train rally?”
“Yes, even there, but you’re definitely going to owe me one for this.”
As I stepped out of the door, I was confronted by two of the scariest things I’d ever seen. The tallest of them was blue, tubular with spiky bits. The shorter one was green and bobbly.