Witch Is How Dreams Became Reality (A Witch P.I. Mystery Book 32)

by Adele Abbott

  “I’m back! Where do you want these?”

  “Just put them anywhere,” Pearl said. “We’ll put them in the fridge in a minute.”

  “I thought you’d have a queue of people waiting for this?”

  “The reserve milkman got here quicker than expected. He arrived not long after you’d left.”

  “Do you mean I carried all this lot for nothing?”

  “Don’t worry, it’ll all get used. At least you’re back in time for the cats’ debut.”

  I slumped into one of the seats. “I need a coffee.”

  Thirty minutes later, and the tearoom was considerably busier, as people arrived in time for the launch of the new cat café.

  “Ladies and gentlemen.” Pearl tapped on a cup with a teaspoon. “Thank you for coming here this morning. Amber and I are both very excited about our new venture. But enough from me, I know you’re keen to meet the feline stars of this show.” She gave Amber the signal to open the door to the back room where the cats had been waiting patiently.

  The small crowd applauded as the cats, of all shapes and sizes, made their way into the tearoom. Some of them weaved between the legs of the customers. Others jumped onto vacant chairs. And a few of the braver ones leapt onto people’s laps.

  “What do you think, Jill?” Amber came and joined me at my table.

  “I’m impressed. I didn’t think there would be so many of them.”

  Pearl came to join us. “I think we’re onto a winner this time.”

  It certainly seemed that way. At least it did until an elderly couple came through the door. Then everything happened so quickly it took me a moment to figure out what was going on.

  As soon as the door had opened, all the cats had headed for the exit.

  “Go after them!” Amber cried out.

  Pearl charged out of the door, and by the time Amber and I caught up with her, two streets away, she was doubled over, panting for breath.

  “Where are they?” Amber looked up and down the road.

  “I don’t know. When I came around this corner, they’d disappeared.”

  “Twenty cats can’t just disappear into thin air,” I said.

  “They just did.”

  By the time we got back to Cuppy C, the customers were already starting to leave, clearly disappointed by the feline exodus.

  “What are we going to do now?” Amber turned to her sister.

  “We’ll have to get some more cats. I’ll give Cat City a call.”

  I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the twins. For a few minutes there, I’d really thought they were onto something. Now, it was going to cost them a small fortune to replace the runaway cats.

  ***

  The people I’d interviewed on my previous visits to Longdale Prison had rarely been happy, but Laurence Forrest looked and sounded suicidal.

  “It’s bad enough that I’ve lost Alison.” He sobbed. “But for them to think I could do something like that, it’s—it’s just—” His words trailed away.

  “I’m going to be brutally honest, Laurence. Right now, things aren’t looking good for you.”

  “But I didn’t do it. I would never have hurt her. You have to believe me.”

  “It doesn’t matter what I believe. It’s what the jury believe that’s important, and right now the police have the murder weapon with your fingerprints on it. And then there’s the witness who has testified that you came home an hour earlier than you claimed to have done.”

  “I’ve explained to the police about the hammer.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “It does belong to me, so it’s hardly surprising that it has my fingerprints on it. But the thing is, it went missing a few weeks ago.”

  “Missing? What do you mean?”

  “It disappeared. I needed it to hang a picture, and I couldn’t find it anywhere.”

  “And yet it was used to kill your wife. How do you explain that?”

  “I can’t.”

  “And what about your neighbour who says you came home an hour earlier than you say you did? Is he mistaken?”

  “No, he’s lying. Old man Radford and I have never got along.”

  “Why is that?”

  “He’s a busybody who’s always sticking his nose in.”

  “Is that all?”

  “I reported that he was keeping a dog. They aren’t allowed under the terms of the lease. That’s why he’s doing this. Ask him!”

  “I will. Can we talk about Alison and your relationship now?”

  “I loved her. She loved me. That’s all there is to it.”

  “I heard you were having a few problems.”

  “Who told you that?”

  “That’s not important. Is it true?”

  “All couples have bad patches, don’t they?”

  “Did she ever threaten to leave you?”

  “No, neither of us would have done that to Adam.”

  “Did you mind Alison going out with her friends?”

  “Of course not. We both needed to have time away from one another occasionally.”

  “Can you think of anyone who would want to do this? To kill Alison and frame you?”

  “No. I’ve been racking my brain to try to make sense of this, but it makes none. We didn’t have any enemies. We didn’t owe money. There’s no reason for anyone to have done this.”

  I came away from the prison even more pessimistic than when I’d arrived. I had hoped that Laurence would give me something new to work with, but there had been precious little in what he’d told me that might help.

  His claim that the hammer had ‘disappeared’ a month before the murder was barely credible. And he’d dismissed out of hand the idea that the marriage was in trouble. Was he simply in denial or had things not been as bad as some of Alison’s friends had suggested?

  The one tiny glimmer of hope had been what Laurence had told me about the neighbour, Arthur Radford. Was it possible that Radford had lied to the police just to get back at Laurence for having reported his dog? It seemed a bit of a stretch, but then I had nothing else to work with. Another visit to our friend, Mr Radford, was definitely called for. If he was lying and I put enough pressure on him, maybe he’d withdraw his original statement.

  Chapter 18

  I’d heard back from Tiberius Dove at Candle Mail. He’d had his people walk Monty Featherstone’s route to try and establish where the postman had gone missing. Although he couldn’t pinpoint the precise address where Monty had disappeared, he knew it was on one of two streets. One of those was the road where Aunt Lucy lived. Maybe she would remember seeing the postman that day? It was a long shot, but I had nothing else to go on, so I magicked myself over to her house.

  “Jill? How lovely to see you.” She had Lil in one arm and Lily in the other.

  “It looks like you have your hands full there.”

  “I agreed to have both of them today because the twins are launching this cat café thing. Have you heard about it?”

  “I was actually in Cuppy C this morning for the launch.”

  “Please tell me it went okay.”

  “It didn’t begin well.”

  “Oh?”

  “But then it got better.”

  “That’s good.”

  “But then it got much worse.”

  “Oh dear. You’d better tell me what happened.”

  “When I got there, their milk delivery hadn’t arrived. Apparently, the milkman had gone AWOL.”

  “That explains it.”

  “Explains what?”

  “There was a milk van parked outside next door’s house for ages this morning. I was beginning to wonder what was going on, when another milkman turned up and drove it away. What happened next at Cuppy C? You said things got better.”

  “Yeah, the cats went down a treat.”

  “I sense a but coming.”

  “The customers seemed to really like the cats.”

  “I’m still waiting for that but.”

>   “But then the cats all ran away.”

  “What do you mean, ran away?”

  “As soon as someone came through the door, they bolted.”

  “All of them?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Where are they now?”

  “That’s anyone’s guess. Pearl chased after them, but they’d disappeared.”

  “Oh dear, those poor girls. How did they take it?”

  “They weren’t thrilled, as you might imagine. When I left, they were trying to get some more cats.”

  “Let me put these two down, and we’ll have a cup of tea.”

  “How’s Lester?” I asked once Aunt Lucy had put the little ones down for a nap, and we were seated at the kitchen table.

  “He’s driving me mad with his sleepwalking.”

  “Has he done it again?”

  “Yes, and by the time I caught up with him last night, he was in next door’s garden. I told him I thought he should see a doctor, but he refuses. You know what men are like.”

  “I certainly do. Anyway, the reason I came over was to ask you about your postman.”

  “The man who went missing?”

  “Yeah. Do you know him?”

  “By sight, but not by name.”

  “I’m trying to pinpoint where he disappeared. His employer has narrowed it down to this street or the next one. I don’t suppose you can remember if he made a delivery to you last Wednesday, can you?”

  “I know for sure that he didn’t.”

  “How can you be so certain?”

  “Because I was waiting for the new recipe book I’d ordered. I saw the postman through the window. He was next door at your grandmother’s house, but when I went out to meet him, he was nowhere to be seen. I assumed he hadn’t got any post for me, and that he must have carried on down the road. I was rather disappointed because I was really looking forward to getting that book.”

  “Has it arrived now?”

  “No, there’s still no sign of it. I contacted the supplier and they swear that it was posted at the beginning of last week.”

  ***

  Curiosity had got the better of me. I’d never won anything of any significance before, so I was dying to know what my lottery prize would be. I figured that if I called in at the council offices, they might be prepared to let me in on the secret if I promised not to tell anyone else.

  Their offices were located in Washbridge Town Hall, a huge building, which must have cost an arm and a leg to maintain. In the centre of the large entrance hall was a semi-circular desk, above which was a sign which read: I’m here to help you.

  The young man behind the desk looked as though he wanted to be anywhere but there. He certainly didn’t look very keen to help anyone.

  “Hi, I’m here about the lottery.”

  “If you’re after a ticket, I’m afraid you’re too late. There’ll be another draw next year, though.”

  “I have the winning ticket.”

  “Has it been validated?”

  “Err, no.”

  “Do you have it with you?”

  “I do.” I handed it to him.

  “You’re correct. You’ve won first prize. Congratulations.”

  “Thanks. I was hoping you might be able to tell me what I’d won.”

  “I can’t do that, I’m afraid. First prize is being kept under wraps until the day of the presentation.”

  “I understand that, but I thought you might be able to tell me, provided I agreed to keep it a secret.”

  “I’m very sorry, but I couldn’t tell you even if I wanted to.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t know what it is.”

  “Who does?”

  “As far as I’m aware, only the council leader, Raymond Hall.”

  “Could I have a word with him?”

  “He’s abroad on council business.”

  “When will he be back?”

  “Late on Friday evening. Just in time for the presentation ceremony on Saturday.”

  “Right. Thanks, anyway.”

  What a bummer. I hated surprises, but it looked as though I would just have to wait to find out what I’d won.

  As I came out, I saw a car transporter pull up at the barrier beside the council offices. On the back of it was a brand-new Jag.

  Maybe that was my prize. If so, then wow!

  The barrier lifted and the transporter disappeared into the underground car park, so I hurried over to the small cabin where the security guard was stationed.

  “Excuse me.”

  “Yes, love?”

  “The car that just came through?”

  “You mean the Jag?”

  “Yeah. Who’s it for?”

  “I could tell you.” He grinned. “But then I’d be forced to kill you.”

  “Does it happen to have anything to do with this Saturday?”

  “It might do. Might not.” He winked.

  Message received and understood. “Okay, thanks.”

  That confirmed it. I’d won a brand-new Jag! I always knew I would get lucky one day.

  Result!

  ***

  If it hadn’t been for Winky finding my lost lottery ticket, I wouldn’t be getting my new car on Saturday. I figured I owed him one.

  “Would you like some salmon, Winky?”

  He looked up from his brochure and gave me a quizzical look. “I’ve already had some.”

  “Would you like some more?”

  “What are you after?”

  “Nothing, I’m just being nice.”

  “Well don’t. It’s freaking me out.”

  “You’re not still thinking of going on that cruise, are you?”

  “I’m going to book it this weekend. I can’t wait: The lovely blue ocean and lots of sunshine. To say nothing of all the hotties that are bound to be on board.”

  “I still think it sounds dodgy.”

  “You worry too much.”

  Despite Winky’s confidence, I still harboured some doubts about the cruise. I wasn’t sure why, but it had triggered my something doesn’t smell right alarm. Any other time, I might have shrugged it off, and let him risk his money, but I felt like I owed him one, so I decided I’d check it out—just to put my mind at ease.

  Feline Cruises were based on a small industrial estate on the outskirts of Nottingham. I had assumed the enterprise would be run by felines, and that I’d have to transform myself into a cat in order to get inside their offices.

  When I arrived at the address on the brochure, there was no sign of Feline Cruises. Instead, what I found was an operation called Cruise Time, which from the outside, at least, looked like a regular travel agent. That confused me a little, but I decided to check it out anyway. First, though, I had to cast the ‘block’ spell, so if there were any sups inside, they wouldn’t realise I was a witch.

  “Good afternoon, madam.” The eager young witch was at my side as soon as I walked through the door. “Are you looking for anything in particular?”

  “Not really. Just somewhere hot.”

  “What kind of budget do you have?”

  “I thought maybe a couple of thousand.”

  “And will madam be travelling alone?”

  “Yes, it’s just me. Unless of course, I can bring my cat with me?”

  I’d hoped she might take the bait, but she just smiled and said, “It’s always hard to leave them behind isn’t it?”

  “None of your cruises allow pets, I don’t suppose?”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  “That’s a pity.” I started flicking through one of the brochures. “Someone could probably make a killing if they catered for pets, particularly cats, don’t you think?”

  Her smile had now disappeared, and she looked distinctly uncomfortable. “I’ll leave you to browse.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  Whilst pretending to study the brochures, I watched her walk over to the wizard who was seated at a desk at the back of the room. With her hand
cupped over her mouth, she began to whisper to him.

  Little did they know that I’d cast the ‘listen’ spell and could hear every word.

  “She can’t possibly know.”

  “But she keeps asking about taking her cat on a cruise.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything. She’s just a cat lover.”

  “She said someone could make a killing if they offered cruises for cats.”

  “I don’t think it’s anything to worry about, but you’d better keep an eye on her.”

  “What if she comes back tomorrow night?”

  “Don’t panic. She won’t.”

  Oh yes, she will.

  ***

  “What happens if Mrs V and Armi come around here while you’re gone?” Jack was putting up the cuckoo clock. “How am I supposed to explain that the carpet isn’t new?”

  “They won’t come tonight. And besides, I’m going to CASS so it’ll only seem like a matter of seconds to you before I’m back.”

  “How does that even work?”

  “We’ve had this conversation before, and the answer is still the same: I don’t know. I have to get going because the headmistress is expecting me.”

  “This always feels weird. I no sooner say goodbye to you than you’re back.”

  “Bye.”

  ***

  “Thanks for doing this, Jill.” Desdemona Nightowl was behind her desk. “I’m still not one-hundred percent convinced we have a ghost, but several children and a couple of teachers insist they’ve seen it—err—her, so now panic has set in.”

  “In that case, the sooner I get to the bottom of this the better.”

  “The children were told they had to be in their beds half-an-hour ago so that you don’t have them to contend with.”

  “Where shall I station myself?”

  “The reports all place the ghost in the corridors outside the dorms.”

  “Any particular one?”

  “Most of the sightings have been in and around Wrongacre dormitory.”

  “Okay. I’ll start there.”

  “Excellent. I’ll tell Miss Goodbody to keep you supplied with coffee, to help you stay awake.”