by Adele Abbott
“Thank goodness. I couldn’t handle that pandemonium every day.”
“Where’s the boss?”
“On the sun terrace—topping up her tan.”
“Grandma!”
“Do you have to creep up on people like that?” I’d found her dozing on the sunbed.
“Sorry, I didn’t realise that you were asleep.” Snigger.
“I wasn’t asleep. I was planning my next marketing campaign.”
“Do you always snore when you’re—?”
“Did you want something?”
“Yes. Have I told you about Jack’s parents?”
“What about them?”
“They’re teetotal. They don’t approve of alcohol at all.”
“That’s fascinating, but why would I care?”
“I just thought it was interesting.”
“I worry about you sometimes, young lady. Now, if you don’t mind, I have more marketing to plan.”
“That’s not why I wanted to see you.”
“Hurry up, then. I don’t have all day.”
“It’s Jack’s parents’ golden wedding anniversary next weekend. You’re invited to the party.”
“A teetotal party? What’s the point of that?”
“There’ll be tea, coffee and soft drinks.”
“Whoopee! How exciting. I think I’ll pass.”
“Oh? Well, if you’re sure?”
“Is that it? Can I get back to work?”
“Yes, that’s it. Thanks, Grandma.”
Yay! Result!
***
My phone rang. It was Aunt Lucy.
“Jill. I have bad news about the anniversary party, I’m afraid.”
“Don’t tell me that you can’t go?”
“I’ll be there. Lester won’t be able to make it, though. It seems that the annual grim reaper convention is on the same day. He doesn’t feel that he can miss it. Needless to say, I’m not very impressed.”
“Don’t give him a hard time. He probably feels like he has to be there as he’s new to the job.”
“I suppose so. Anyway, I’m definitely coming. Have you spoken to the twins and Grandma yet?”
“The twins are coming, but no Alan or William.”
“No surprises there. I’m not sure why those two bothered to get married.”
“But the good news is that Grandma won’t be coming.”
“The teetotal thing worked, then?”
“Like a dream.”
“Great. I’m looking forward to it even more now that I know that.”
***
I was concerned about Megan, so I decided to pay a visit to the Washbridge offices of Love Bites.
“Hi?” The young female vampire behind reception looked surprised to see me.
“Hi. I wonder if I could talk to someone about your services?”
“I think you may have come to the wrong place. Love Bites is for vampires. You need Love Spell. I can give you their address, if you like?”
“No, thanks. I’m in the right place. I have two friends who have used your services to arrange dates. I’m just a little worried about them, and I was hoping to get some advice.”
“I see. You need to speak to Scarlet. She’s one of the owners.”
“Is she in?”
“Yes. I’ll just go and check if she has time to see you.”
“Thanks.”
A couple of minutes later, the receptionist reappeared. “Scarlet can spare you a few minutes. Through that door on the left.”
Scarlet was an appropriate name for the woman who greeted me. Her bright red lipstick complimented her red hair. Her scarlet dress matched her high-heeled shoes.
“Scarlet Rose.” She offered her hand. On her middle finger was a large ruby ring. “How can I help you?”
“I’m Jill Gooder. Two of my human friends have found matches through your agency.”
“Recently?”
“Yes. Both of them.”
“Luther, my accountant, met a lovely young woman named Maria. They seemed to get on well together, but Maria called it off because she found the temptation of human blood too much.”
“That happens a lot, as you can imagine. Particularly for those who have never spent time in the human world before.”
“Is there anything that can be done?”
Scarlet pulled open the drawer in her desk, and brought out a small cardboard box.
“Get Maria to try these patches.”
“How do they work?”
“Very much like nicotine patches for those trying to give up smoking. These give a small infusion of synthetic blood. They don’t work for everyone, but some vampires find it’s enough to stave off the desire to attack a human.”
“Thanks. How much do I owe you?”
“They’re on the house. If they work, Maria can pop back here any time to buy further supplies. You said you had two friends who you wanted to discuss?”
“I think you may have solved both problems in one go. Could I get another box of these patches? And this time, you must let me pay.”
Chapter 11
I’d arranged to meet with Gordon Rice, one of Douglas’ younger brothers. Gordon and Jordan were identical twins. I knew from what Amy Rice had told me that Gordon was divorced and now lived alone. If his home was anything to go by, the family business must have been doing well. He lived in an apartment in Wash Tower; they certainly didn’t come cheap.
“Come in.” He greeted me at the door, wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans.
“Nice place. Have you lived here long?”
“A couple of years—since Karen and I split up. Can I get you anything to drink?”
“No, thanks, I’m good.”
He led the way to the living room.
“Thank you for seeing me today.”
“No problem. I’m as eager as Amy to find out what happened to Doug.”
“Of course. The initial reports seem to suggest it may have been an accident.”
“I guess it’s possible. If he really did slip and bang his head.”
“You sound doubtful.”
“I just don’t understand what he was doing in there. Between the three of us, we work Monday to Saturday, but Sunday is our day off. On that particular day, though, Doug and I had arranged to go in to do some tidying up and routine maintenance. It’s something we do every six months or so.”
“Always you and Douglas?”
“Not necessarily. Our golden rule is that there are always two of us on duty. Doug, Jordan and I work a rota during the normal working week.”
“Jordan is your twin brother?”
“That’s right. As I said, there are always two of us in on each working day. When it comes to the maintenance, it’s whoever is free. This time around, it was supposed to be me and Doug.”
“But you weren’t there when it happened?”
“No. I got a call from Doug at the crack of dawn on the Sunday we were meant to be going in. It actually woke me up. He said he couldn’t make it, so I just turned over and went back to sleep. I figured we’d rearrange it for another weekend. It’s not as though it was urgent.”
“Did he say why he couldn’t make it?”
“No. I don’t think so, but I was still half asleep.”
“Didn’t you consider going in by yourself?”
“No. Like I said, we have a golden rule that there must always be two of us there.”
“In case one of you gets locked in the freezer?”
“That can’t happen. The door can be unlocked from the inside, and even if that somehow failed, there’s an alarm that can be triggered from in there.”
“Which would fit with the theory that it was an accident, I guess. If your brother fell and knocked himself unconscious, he would have been unable to unlock the door or set off the alarm.”
“But that still doesn’t explain why he told me that he wasn’t going in.”
“Maybe he changed his mind later?”
> “In that case, why didn’t he call me back? He would have called me.”
That same question was still buzzing around my head after I’d left Wash Tower. From what Gordon had said, it was obvious that the three brothers were very safety conscious. The ‘two-man’ system should have ensured that accidents like this could not happen, or at least should not have proven fatal. Why had Douglas Rice decided to go into work after telling his brother he couldn’t make it? Why risk working in the freezer alone?
I was beginning to smell a rat.
***
Back at my office, I was using my dad’s old magnifying glass to study the three files which the dean of Pixie Central College had given to me. Robbie and the two other ‘missing’ pixies were not studying the same subjects, so did not take the same classes. I was beginning to think there was no connection between them, but then I read the supplementary pages at the back of the files, which listed their extracurricular activities. All three of them were members of the Human World Society. That seemed to gel with what both Maddy and Lionel had told me about Robbie being fascinated with the human world. I would need to pay another visit to the college, to speak to the other members of that society.
There was someone else I needed to catch up with first, though.
“Colonel? Colonel? Are you there?”
There was no sign of him, but then my office door flew open.
“Are you okay, Jill?” Jules looked concerned. “I thought I heard you shouting.”
“I—err—I was just shouting at the cat. He was scratching my desk again.”
“Oh?” Jules glanced across at Winky who was curled up, fast asleep on the sofa. “Okay, then. As long as you’re alright.”
“I’m fine, thanks.”
I really would have to be more careful.
Just then, the temperature dropped, and the colonel’s ghost appeared.
“Did you call, Jill?”
“I did.”
“Sorry it took me a little while. I was ironing my trousers. I daren’t trust Cilla with them; she scorched the last pair.”
“I’ve spoken to my friend about the theft of your valuables, and she might be able to help, but she’ll need a full description of all the items that have been taken. Photos too if you have them.”
“No problem. Give me a day or so, and I’ll let you have all the details. The sooner we get rid of this scoundrel, the happier Cilla and I will be. Thanks, again, Jill.”
“What’s your game?” Winky had jumped off the sofa and was giving me the evil eye.
“What do you mean?”
“I heard you tell the pretty, young thing that—”
“Her name is Jules.”
“Whatever. I can’t be expected to remember everyone’s name. You told her that I’d been scratching your desk.”
“Sorry. It was all I could think of on the spur of the moment.”
“You can make up for it by giving us both some salmon.”
“Both?”
“Me and Lenny.” He pointed to the space next to him. “Who do you think?”
“Oh, right, sorry. I hadn’t realised your friend was here again.”
“Well he is, and we’re both starving. So, if you wouldn’t mind?”
“Okay.” I put out the two bowls of salmon, and then made a call to Pixie Central College.
“The Dean’s Office. Freda Fullglass speaking. How may I be of assistance?”
“Hi, my name is Jill Gooder. I came to see the dean earlier today. I wonder if I could have a quick word with him?”
“I’m sorry, Ms Gooder, but the dean has actually gone out. He won’t be back until the day after tomorrow. I’m his PA. If you tell me what it’s in connection with, I may be able to help.”
“I’ve been looking through the files that he gave me, and I was hoping to find more information about the Human World Society.”
“I won’t be of much help with that, I’m afraid. There are so many out-of-hours clubs that it’s hard to keep tabs on them all. What I can tell you though, is that they meet once a week, on Tuesdays at six pm.”
“That’s fine. I’ll drop by then.”
“Oh, and one more thing. The student who runs the club is called Barnaby Bandtime.”
“Okay. Thanks very much.”
I’d no sooner finished on the call than Mad walked through the door.
“Have you got a minute, Jill?”
“Sure. Come in.”
“How come you have two desks out there, but no receptionists?”
“The two-desk thing is a long story. Jules is supposed to be out there. Maybe she just nipped to the loo. What can I do for you?”
“I need a favour. Actually, it’s not for me. It’s for Mum. She asked if I’d come and see you.”
“How can I help?”
“I feel embarrassed to ask, but Mum will kill me if I don’t.”
“Go on.”
“She’s missing Nails really badly. Don’t ask me why. Anyway, I just happened to mention that you knew the guy who owns the bottle top shop on the high street. You do, don’t you?”
“Sort of. Norman and I have some history.”
“Mum wondered if you’d have a word with him to see if he knows of any cure for those with a bottle top addiction. I realise it’s a bit of a long shot.”
“It’s hardly in Norman’s interest to cure the addicts, is it? They’re boosting his profits.”
“That’s what I told her.”
“I’ll have a chat with him, but I don’t hold out much hope.”
“Thanks, Jill. You’re a diamond. Do you want to organise another training session to see if we can get you over to Ghost Town?”
“Not just yet. I still haven’t fully recovered from the last one.”
“Okay. Let me know when you’re ready.” She stood up.
“By the way, Mad. I’ve spoken to the colonel. He’s going to let me have a list of the stolen items in the next day or so.”
“Great. I’ll get straight on it once I’ve got that.” She started for the door, but then hesitated. “Why has your cat got two bowls of food? Don’t you think that’s overdoing it a bit?”
“They’re not both for him. One is for Lenny, the ghost cat.”
“What ghost cat?”
“Isn’t there a ghost cat standing next to Winky?”
“No. Just your one-eyed little beauty.”
“Right. My mistake.”
“Bye, Jill.”
Winky was shuffling nervously towards the sofa.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“It’s time for my nap.”
“You lied to me! You told me Lenny was here.”
“You must have misunderstood.”
“Come to think of it, I’ve only actually seen your ghostly friend once. How many other times have you got me to give you double the food, under false pretences?”
“I’m so tired.” He stretched and pretended to yawn. “I need to sleep.”
And with that, the lying little so-and-so disappeared under the sofa.
***
On my way back home, I made a detour via Wash Point. I wanted to see the area of river from where Brendan Bowlings had gone missing. I had a distant memory of coming to the river with my mum and dad when I was a child—for a picnic, I think. I picked up the river a couple of miles outside of Washbridge city centre, and followed it downstream. Wash Point was about a mile and a half from the main road. En route, I came across numerous fishermen. Without exception, they were all very friendly. Several of them knew Brendan Bowlings—although none of them had seen him on the day that he went missing. My discussion with an old guy named Albert Mannings was typical.
“Brendan? Course I know him.” He took a puff on his pipe. “Good fisherman is Brendan. Not as good as me, of course.” He laughed.
I was standing downwind of Albert, and struggling to see him through the cloud of smoke belching from his pipe.
“You didn’t see him on
the day he went missing, though?”
“No. I was at the bowls that day.”
“Ten pin?”
“Nah. That’s not real bowling. I play crown green bowls for Washbridge Mavericks. It was the semi-final that day. We lost, but we were cheated.”
“I don’t suppose you have any idea what might have become of Brendan?”
“I reckon he must have found himself a bit on the side, and done a runner.”
“What makes you say that?”
“That’s what usually happens, isn’t it? That’s why my Blanche threw me out.”
“You were seeing someone else?”
“Yeah. Blanche found out, and gave me my marching orders.”
“So, you’re with your other—err—lady friend, now?”
“Nah. She went off with someone else. I’m all on my own now.” He grinned. “Do you fancy coming for a drink with me?”
“Thanks, but I’m with someone.” I began to edge away. “Thanks for your help.”
A few minutes later, I reached the fence, which had effectively cut off a stretch of the river.
“It should never have been allowed!” A fisherman, who had set up only a few metres away, shouted. “One of the best stretches of fishing is inside there.” He pointed to the eight-foot high fence which was topped with razor wire. “Someone on the council got a backhander; that’s what I think.”
“Do you know who the factory belongs to?”
“No idea. There’s no name on the building anywhere. It’s a liberty, if you ask me. And this thing is no compensation.” He pointed to the footbridge. “They built two of them.”
I crossed the river using the newly built footbridge. Once on the other side, I followed the fence for a twenty metres or so. At that point, it took a ninety degree turn, back towards the main building. Beyond that point access to the river was restored, so I crossed over again using the second footbridge. Through the fence, I could see the factory building, which was of a red brick construction. There was no name on the building, and as far as I could see, not a single window.
Very strange. Very strange indeed.
Chapter 12
The next morning, Jack was eating muesli for breakfast.