by Adele Abbott
“Winky was on the point of booking a cruise.”
“That’s your cat, isn’t it? How can he afford to go on a cruise?”
“That cat is loaded. If there’s a money-making scheme to be had, he’s all over it.”
“I hope he appreciates what you’ve done.”
“He doesn’t know yet.”
“Blaze and I will pay Mr Frostmore and his assistant a visit in the morning.”
“What about the cats he’s got there now? They’ll still be under his spell.”
“We’ll be able to sort that out.”
“Okay, thanks. I’d better get back to Jack.”
“Before you go, I have something to tell you. I was going to give you a call in the morning. We had a cyclopper brought in earlier today. He’d been stealing handbags in Washbridge, and tragically his actions have resulted in a woman’s death. I believe you already know all about this.”
“Who brought him in?”
“The head cyclopper.”
“Ned?”
“That’s him. He told me that it was you who’d brought the thief to his attention.”
“He tried to snatch Kathy’s bag. A big mistake that earned him a smack around the head.”
“No more than he deserved. He won’t be seeing the outside of a prison cell for a very long time.”
“By the way, Daze, I meant to ask, who on the Most Wanted list triggered the red alert you’ve been working on?”
“It’s a really nasty one. Two sirens who have been on our Most Wanted list for ages have apparently sneaked back into Candlefield. We have to catch them before they hurt someone.”
Sirens? Oh bum!
Chapter 22
“What’s wrong, Jill?” Daze took my arm. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
“You did say sirens, didn’t you?”
“Yes, why?”
“My Greek mythology isn’t the best, but aren’t they supposed to lure sailors to their deaths?”
“That’s right, but of course the reality is slightly different. It isn’t just sailors—it’s any man who happens to cross their paths.”
“And they do it by singing?”
“Yes, but I still don’t understand why you’ve turned so pale.”
“I hope I’m wrong about this, but I have a horrible feeling that I know where your sirens are. And if I’m right, Lester could be in a whole lot of trouble.”
“Lester? Your Aunt Lucy’s husband?”
“Yeah. He started sleepwalking recently, and every time it’s happened Aunt Lucy has found him headed towards the house next door.”
“I still don’t understand what that has to do with the sirens?”
“New neighbours moved into that house a few days ago: Two sisters, Aunt Lucy said. And get this, they’re always singing.”
“It’s still a bit of a stretch.”
“No, it isn’t. Over the last few days, the postman and the milkman have both gone missing, and as far as we can make out, they disappeared somewhere close to Aunt Lucy’s house.”
“We’d better get over there.”
“I’m right behind you.”
***
This was no time to stand on ceremony, so I charged into Aunt Lucy’s house, with Daze a few steps behind me.
“Jill? Daisy?” Aunt Lucy was alone on the sofa, watching TV. “Whatever is the matter?”
“Where’s Lester?” I screamed at her.
“He’s visiting a friend.”
“Are you sure? Did you see him go?”
“You’re scaring me, Jill. Please tell me what’s going on.”
“There’s no time. Stay here.”
I was headed for the door when Daze called me back. “Jill! Wait!”
“We have to get around there. They might have Lester.”
“Who might have him?” Aunt Lucy was understandably frantic now.
“We need something to put in our ears.” Daze turned to Aunt Lucy. “Do you have any cotton wool?”
“Yes, but I’m not doing anything until one of you tells me what’s going on.”
Reluctantly, because I was conscious that every second counted, I told Aunt Lucy of my suspicions: That I thought her neighbours were in fact sirens.
“Oh my goodness.” Clearly shaken, she leaned against the wall for support.
“The cotton wool, Aunt Lucy.”
“Sorry. I’ll go and get it.”
“Listen, Jill.” Daze took my arm. “This isn’t going to be easy. The sirens are extremely dangerous.”
“We’ll be alright once we have the cotton wool in our ears, won’t we?”
“I’m not sure if it will be enough. Their voices are an extremely powerful weapon.”
“What’s the plan, then?”
“I need you to go in first and try to distract them. Once you’ve done that, I’ll sneak up and throw the net over them.”
“Will that work? I thought you used the net to bring people back from the human world?”
“It sends them straight to prison here in Candlefield regardless of where they happen to be.”
“Okay, that sounds like a plan.”
“I want to come with you.” Aunt Lucy came hurrying down the stairs, cotton wool in hand.
“It’s far too dangerous.” Daze took a card out of her pocket. “We need you to stay here, and if we’re not back in fifteen minutes, call Blaze on this number and tell him what’s happened. He’ll know what to do.”
“Okay.” She tore the cotton wool in half and handed us both a piece.
I was about to put the cotton wool in my ears when Daze said, “I’ll use hand signals from now on.”
“Okay. Let’s do this.”
Once we were next-door, she made a number of hand gestures, which I interpreted to mean I should take the front door, and she’d go around the back. I gave her a thumbs up, and then waited for thirty seconds until I was sure she’d be in position.
How to get into the house? I could have used invisibility, but the whole point was to cause a distraction while Daze sneaked up on them.
Meanwhile, time was ticking by, so I knocked on the door.
What? Of course I had a plan. Of sorts.
Moments later, the door opened, and I came face to face with the two sisters.
One of them seemed to be mouthing something, and I was just about to ask her to speak up when I remembered the cotton wool in my ears.
“Pardon?” I pretended to scratch my ear while discreetly removing the cotton wool.
The woman had a face like thunder. “I said, can we help you?”
“Actually, I’m here to help you. Do you ever suffer from dry skin?”
“Sorry?”
“Dry skin? Is it a problem for you?”
“We don’t have time for any of this, and we never buy at the door.”
She was going to close the door in my face when her sister grabbed her by the arm. “Pea, wait. You know I’ve been having problems with my skin lately.”
“We don’t know who this woman is.”
“I represent—err—Candlefield Cosmetics. We sell a wide range of products suitable for all skin types.”
“Let her in, Pea. It can’t do any harm to take a look.”
“You’re always the same, Aggy. It’ll be rubbish like all the other stuff you’ve wasted money on.”
“Please.”
“Okay.” She stood to one side. “You’d better come in.”
As Aggy led the way across the hall, I took a good look around. I’m not sure what I expected to see, but the house was remarkable only for how ordinary it was.
“Hurry up!” Pea ushered me into the lounge. “We don’t have all day.”
“Sorry.”
“Okay, let’s see this wonder cream,” Aggy said.
“The cream?” Oh bum! “I don’t actually have it with me but look.” I held out my hands. “See? They used to be incredibly dry, but just look at them now.”
“What’s g
oing on?” Pea demanded. “Who are you really?”
“I told you. I’m from Candlefield Cosmetics.”
“You’re a liar!” Pea turned to her sister. “She must be a retriever.”
“No, I’m not. I’m—”
Both sisters began to advance towards me, and as they did, they began to sing.
The sound that came from their mouths was like nothing I’d ever experienced. I reached into my pocket for the cotton wool and stuffed it in my ears, but it made very little difference; the noise was unbearable. I backed slowly into the corner of the room and dropped onto my knees. The only thing that could save me now was magic, but my head was so scrambled by their singing that I couldn’t think straight. I was growing weaker by the second, and I wasn’t sure how much more I could stand. Consciousness slowly began to slip away.
The next thing I knew, someone was shaking me. It was Daze, and she appeared to be pointing to her ears.
“What?” I managed to get to my feet.
She gestured again to her ears, and this time I realised she was telling me to remove the cotton wool.
“Are you okay, Jill?”
“I think so. Did you get them?”
“Yeah, they should be behind bars by now. Dry skin cream? What were you thinking?”
“I honestly have no idea.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I am now. We should take a look around. You look down here; I’ll look upstairs.”
Once Daze had silenced the sirens, my head had quickly cleared, and I was now firing on all cylinders again. I checked all three bedrooms, but there was no sign of the postman or milkman. Same with the bathroom—nothing.
Daze was standing at the bottom of the stairs. “Anything up there?”
“No.”
I started down the stairs, but before I was halfway, a noise stopped me dead in my tracks.
“Did you hear that?”
Daze nodded. “I think it came from the loft.”
We both hurried back upstairs, and I pulled down the loft ladder.
“Be careful up there, Jill.”
I felt around in the dark until my hand brushed against the light cord.
“Have they gone?” said the mousy little man in a postman’s uniform, who was cowering at the far side of the loft space.
“Yes, it’s safe now.”
“Are you sure?” A second man appeared from behind a dusty set of drawers.
“I’m positive. Come on, I’ll help you to get down.”
Out on the street, the two men didn’t appear to be any the worse for their ordeal.
“You must be Monty.” I approached the mousy man. “I’ve met your wife, Felicity.”
“She must be worried sick. Do you have a phone that I can borrow to call her?”
“Of course.” I handed it to him, and then turned to the other man. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know your name.”
“It’s Sid. I can’t thank you enough for rescuing us. Another day or two and I reckon we’d have been goners.”
“I’m surprised they left you alive this long,” Daze said.
“From what we overheard, I think they intended to take us to their other sister who they’d left behind in the human world. I dread to think what they had planned for us once we got there. Could I borrow your phone?”
“Sure.” Daze handed it to him, and he called his wife to let her know he was safe.
Aunt Lucy came hurrying over to join us. “Was Lester in there?”
“No, there’s no sign of him,” I said. “We checked everywhere. I’m sure he’s okay. Why don’t you try calling him?”
“I have. A dozen times already, but it keeps going to voicemail. If anything has happened to—” She was interrupted by her phone ringing. “Lester? Why didn’t you pick up?” She was on the verge of tears. “I’ve been worried that’s why. Where are you? And you’re sure you’re alright? Okay. Yes, I’ll explain everything when I see you later.”
***
When I magicked myself back to the house, Jack was lying on the sofa watching TenPin TV.
“Did you find out if the cruises are legit?” he said.
“They weren’t. It’s a scam.”
I explained to him how the wizard had been using magic to make the punters think they were on a cruise ship when in fact they were locked away in an industrial unit in Nottingham.
“You have to hand it to the guy,” Jack said. “It was an ingenious plan.”
“It’s not the first time he’s done it either. According to Daze, he did the same thing a few years ago with dogs.”
“Winky definitely owes you one for saving his money.”
“That’s not the only thing I’ve done since I left you. I’ve also rescued a postman and a milkman.”
“How come?”
“Why don’t you pour me a nice glass of wine, and I’ll tell you all about it?”
And that’s what I did, over a glass of red and a box of chocolates.
No, I didn’t eat the whole box. Sheesh! Jack had at least two.
“Sirens?” He took a sip of wine. “I thought they were a Greek myth.”
“So did I, but I can assure you they’re very real. When they started to sing, I thought my head was going to explode.”
“From what you’ve said, it sounds as if Lester had a lucky escape.”
“He did. If Aunt Lucy wasn’t such a light sleeper, he could easily have ended up in their clutches.”
“What do you think they would have done to the two men you rescued?”
“Nothing good, that’s for sure. Their third sister is still somewhere in the human world. They’d planned to take their captives back to her.”
“Where do you reckon she is?”
“No idea. In a cave somewhere, probably. Then again, she could be living around the corner from us.”
“I won’t dare go to sleep now in case I sleepwalk.”
“Don’t worry. If you do, I’ll come to your rescue.”
“You? Don’t make me laugh. You’d sleep through an avalanche.”
Chapter 23
The next morning, I was on my way out to the car when Britt called me over.
“Morning, Jill. Tonight’s the big night. I’m so excited.”
“Right?”
“You haven’t forgotten, have you? Jack—err—sorry, I mean Robert Hymes is giving a reading for my poetry society.”
“Oh yeah. Of course.”
“You should join us too. Guests are always welcome, and there’s no pressure to become a member. Unless you want to of course.”
“I’d love to come, but wouldn’t you just know it, I already have a prior engagement. Is there any news on Lovely?”
Britt’s face fell, and I knew the answer even before she spoke. “Nothing. Kit says I should resign myself to the fact that I may never see her again.”
“I’m so sorry.” I considered asking if she’d like to adopt Winky, but that would have meant I’d have to live next-door to him, so I thought better of it.
***
Mrs V was busy knitting. “Morning, Jill.”
“Morning. I haven’t heard you mention Armi’s magician’s act for a day or two. Has he given up on it?”
“I wish. I long for the days when all he thought about was cuckoo clocks.”
“Is he still practising, then?”
“Every night, but I’ve refused point blank to take part. Once sawn, twice shy.”
“Someone I know has started doing magician shows for kids. He must be doing okay because he’s gone from working full-time to part-time in his other job.”
“I think Armi’s hoping to do shows for kids eventually, but from what I’ve seen of his act up to now, that’s not likely to happen for a long time.”
“How’s the house hunting going?”
“No luck so far, but we do have another property lined up to view. We’re going to see it tomorrow evening. While we’re out, I thought we might drop in on you to see
the cuckoo clock, if that’s convenient.”
“Of course. We’ll be pleased to see you. The clock is looking really good.”
“Armi always gets a kick out of seeing his clocks in-situ.”
Winky was on the sofa; he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and sunglasses.
“What on earth do you look like?” I laughed.
“I’m in holiday mood. It’s not long now until I set sail on the high seas.”
“About that, I have some bad news, I’m afraid.”
“I don’t want to hear it, Negative Nancy.”
“I’m afraid that you have to. It’s about the company behind Feline Cruises.”
“What about them?”
“They’re running a scam. There are no cruises; it’s all just an illusion.”
“How would you know?”
“I was concerned for you, so I went to check them out. They cast a spell on the unsuspecting feline passengers, and then lock them away in an industrial unit for the duration of the ‘cruise’.”
“I don’t believe you. You’re just saying that because you’re jealous because I’m going on a cruise and you can’t afford a weekend in Skegness.”
“I’m not jealous. I’m looking out for you.”
“Prove that it’s a scam.”
“Can’t you just take my word for it?”
“I want to see it with my own eyes.”
“Shouldn’t that be eye?”
“That’s a low blow, even for you.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean that. Give me your paw, and I’ll take you there, so you can see for yourself.”
Moments later, we landed outside Cruise Time, and it seemed we’d timed it just right.
“Jill?” Daze was clearly surprised to see me. “What are you doing here?”
“I wasn’t expecting to be here, but this one—” I gestured to Winky who was still recovering from the journey. “He doesn’t believe me about the scam.”
“You’d better take him over to the unit. Blaze is helping those cats on the current ‘cruise’.”
“What happened to Frostmore?”
“He and his assistant are behind bars in Candlefield.”