Wrapping Up

by A. A. Albright

  ‘Sure we can.’ I grinned. ‘We can watch the movie all about the cupcake shop owner who loves the sexy weredog – sorry, I meant human. Stick it on.’

  By the time the movie was half-way through, even the mice seemed to have cheered up. It was both funny and schmaltzy, but it also gave me a crazy craving for cupcakes. I was just about to pause the movie and raid the kitchen for baked goods, when the doorbell rang.

  ‘It’s Gabriel,’ said Max, still sitting down.

  ‘How do you know it’s Gabriel? You can’t see the door from here.’

  ‘Trust me. It’s Gabriel. The ring had a moody tone to it.’

  I wasn’t going to debate the tone of the doorbell. It played one tune only, a simple ding-dong that always sounded pretty innocuous to me. ‘You know, you and Gabriel keep telling me that the two of you are fine now, but neither of you act like you’re fine. I mean, what’s it even about, anyway? It can’t still be because he blew up when we were investigating the Benny and the Jeffs case, can it? I told you why he was so sensitive that night. His mother killed herself. He believed Benny and the Jeffs committed suicide, and so he got upset. It’s a sore subject for him.’

  Max began to stroke the mice. Although the three of them seemed to be enjoying it, I doubted he was doing it for their benefit. He just didn’t want to meet my eyes. ‘I know. We’ve sorted it. And I’m sorry about his mam and everything, but I just don’t think we’re going to be best mates, me and him. I keep remembering how much I hated his stupid white teeth the first time I saw them.’

  ‘Y’know, you have really white teeth, too,’ I pointed out. ‘In fact, it was one of the first things I noticed about you. Well, that and the stationery obsession.’

  ‘It’s not an obsession. It just makes sense to keep enough pens about the place. And my teeth are white because I brush them. And eat lots of healthy food. I don’t bleach them.’

  ‘Neither does he. He uses glamours. Temporary glamours. For his TV show only.’

  ‘You’d know better than me,’ Max grumbled. ‘You’re the one swapping spit with him all the time.’

  ‘Swapping spit!’ I gaped at him. ‘We don’t swap spit. That sounds so icky.’

  The doorbell rang again.

  ‘Winnie called kissing swapping spit,’ said Big Ears. ‘It’s a popular phrase.’

  ‘And to be fair to Max,’ Curly added as Max threw some more popcorn their way, ‘it does sound like a moody doorbell ring.’

  ‘Very moody,’ Dumpling said, stuffing the largest kernel into his mouth.

  I stood up and made my way into the hall. ‘You’re only agreeing with Max because he’s bribing you with snacks,’ I called over my shoulder.

  As I pulled the door open, Gabriel was standing there, with a pot of flowers in one hand, and a box of chocolates in the other.

  ‘Hey.’ He gave me a sheepish grin. ‘Sorry for ringing twice. I just wasn’t sure you heard the first time.’

  I cleared my throat. ‘I ... I heard it the first time. I was just distracted. Sorry for taking so long to answer. Come in. What’s with the pressies? It’s not Winter Solstice till the day after tomorrow.’

  He passed me the flowers, and I took a deep sniff. They were poinsettias, in a red and silver pot, and they somehow managed to smell exactly like Gabriel’s cologne. That stuff clung to everything – lucky it was so nice.

  ‘Doesn’t have to be Winter Solstice for me to give you a present, does it?’

  He followed me into the living room, while I kept my nose in the flowers. I could have taken him to the kitchen, but he and Max would never make things up if I kept them apart. And at the most wonderful time of year, people should kiss and make up. Or swap spit and make up if you want to be disgusting about it.

  ‘We’re watching a really great movie,’ I said as I patted the seat next to me. ‘Well, some of us are watching. The three mice are listening. And eating. But judging by the way things are going, I reckon the couple are just about to bump into each other under the mistletoe.’

  Gabriel settled back, and I took the popcorn bowl from Max and passed it to him. ‘Max would like to know if you fancy some popcorn.’

  ‘Oh. Yeah. Thanks, Max. I brought some chocolate for Wanda, but you can have some too. It’s dairy free.’

  I opened the box and passed it to Max. ‘That was really nice of Gabriel. Wasn’t it, Max?’

  ‘Sure. Great.’ Max pushed the box away. ‘But I can’t do savoury and sweet at the same time. Makes me sick. I think it’s kind of icky.’

  ‘Funny,’ I said. ‘Because you just had a bowl of ice cream before you started on your popcorn. Can’t think of many things sweeter than ice cream.’

  ‘Yeah?’ Max said. ‘I can think of lots of things.’

  ‘Like what?’ I asked. ‘Name one thing.’

  Max sat forward, rising to the challenge with an almighty glint in his eyes. ‘Sugar. Honey. Maple syrup. Shall I go on?’

  He looked like he might, too, but Gabriel spoke up then. ‘Your tree is ... em ... very festive,’ he said loudly.

  I looked over at the tree and smiled. Max and I had decorated it a few days’ earlier. It had more baubles and lights than I’d ever seen on one tree, and Max was still thinking of buying more.

  ‘I put the star on top,’ I said. ‘Well, I had to stand on the stepladder, and Max had to hold it steady because it’s got a rickety leg.’

  ‘Oh, I could take a look at it,’ Gabriel offered. ‘I know a bunch of spells to even things out.’

  ‘I’ve already fixed it,’ said Max. ‘As soon as Wanda got up on it and I saw it wobble, I fixed it. It only needed a new rubbery bit on one of the feet, and I bought one in a good old-fashioned hardware store. No magic needed. But thanks for your not-at-all patronising offer.’

  ‘Shush!’ Dizzy turned his head and glared at us. ‘What is with you three? The male lead just wiped some flour off the female lead’s nose!’

  Max, Gabriel and I went silent. Dizzy was right. What was with us? I mean, sure, Gabriel and Max had their unfathomable issues, but I wasn’t exactly helping things. Yeah, I wanted them to get along, but forcing them together seemed to be having the opposite effect.

  ‘Come on,’ I whispered, pulling Gabriel up. ‘We can chat in the kitchen. I think your flowers will look great on the table.’

  As we walked through, I saw Gabriel gazing in wonder at the many decorations we passed on the way. When we got to the kitchen, I took a snowman-shaped candle from the centre of the table and stuck it up on a shelf, putting the flowers in its place. ‘Ah. That looks nice. Can I get you a drink?’

  ‘Sure. A beer would be great if you have it.’

  I grabbed a beer from the fridge and poured myself an orange juice. ‘So have you got your robes ready for the Masked Ball?’

  Gabriel nodded. ‘I got us a little something, too – so we could tell each other apart.’

  He slid a brooch across the table. It was a jewelled holly sprig, fashioned from emeralds and rubies. ‘I have a ring with the same design,’ he said. ‘I know it’s a bit blingtastic, but there’s no way we won’t be able to spot each other with this stuff on. Even from the other side of the community hall.’

  I picked it up in wonder. Blingtastic was right. It must have cost a fortune. But even though it was loaded with precious stones, I actually liked it. And we would definitely have no problem recognising each other at the Masked Ball once those rubies glinted under the light.

  A thrill of excitement rose up my spine. This would be my first Masked Ball ever. For the past few years I had journeyed home early on Winter Solstice to have a meal with my family, but I always ran off before the rest of the celebrations took place. This would be the first time I fully celebrated the holiday since childhood – and back then, I was far too young for the likes of the Masked Ball.

  All over Ireland, witches celebrated the Winter Solstice by setting old enmities aside and looking forward to brighter days to come. And one of the ways in which we did
that, was by dressing up in golden robes and sticking a golden mask on our faces so that we would be completely unrecognisable – because it’s difficult to argue with someone when you don’t know who they are.

  The celebration in Riddler’s Cove began in the market square, where we lit an enormous bonfire. Witches hadn’t offered sacrifices for a very long time (at least the ones who didn’t want to end up in Witchfield) so it was a purely ceremonial fire, representing burning the crone so that the maiden could return and bring longer days with her. After the fire, we went to the Masked Ball and danced and drank into the next day.

  I loved the idea of putting coven differences aside, even if it was for only one night. In reality, though, most witches added little flourishes so that they could tell their coven and friends apart. Flourishes like the holly brooch, and Gabriel’s matching ring.

  ‘Lassie’s selling them on her stall,’ he said. ‘She’s so talented. The queues for her stuff stretch a mile long these days.’

  I smiled. Lassie was Max’s cousin, and her talent was doubtless. Knowing that the brooch was made by her, it seemed even more special. ‘It’s perfect. Thank you. Now I won’t have to worry about who I’m kissing under the mistletoe.’

  ‘Good.’ He sipped at his beer. ‘I’m glad you like it. So, my dad was telling me about you and Finn interviewing him today.’

  I suppressed a groan. I was wondering when he was going to get around to this. ‘Yeah. Well, you know, we were just doing our job.’

  ‘Oh, I know.’ He took my hand in his. ‘My dad told me you tried your best, but that Finn took over the whole thing. I should have known you’d try to go easy on him. I mean, me and my dad are Wayfairs in everything but name. We’re on the same side as you. Listen, I was thinking I could be your partner on the investigation. So you don’t have to have Finn wrecking your head the way he did today.’

  ‘Oh.’ I found myself blinking. ‘That’s ... that’s a really nice offer. But you said you couldn’t do any Wayfair work for the next while. You’ve got loads of TV station parties over the holidays, you said.’

  ‘Sure I have. But this is way more important than networking. I mean, I didn’t know Winnie very well, but by all accounts, everyone loved her. A murder this close to the Winter Solstice is really bringing people down, but if we could solve it quickly, that might go some way to making everyone feel safe to celebrate.’

  I wanted nothing more than to make people feel safe. But getting Gabriel involved was not the way to achieve that aim. I fixed my eyes on the brooch. ‘Sorry, but you can’t work on this case. It wouldn’t be appropriate.’

  I could hear his finger, drumming erratically against his beer bottle. I risked a glance, and wished I hadn’t. His face was filled with anger, and he stood up and glared at me. ‘You still think my dad is a suspect. Don’t you? Good goddess, Wanda, I thought you were better than that!’

  Okay, so now I’d gone from blinking to nervous fluttering. Even my heart was fluttering in my chest, and not in the my boyfriend’s so dreamy way. More in the my boyfriend’s being far shoutier than I ever expected him to be sort of way.

  A shadow fell over the table, and I looked up to see Max standing in the doorway, his arms folded. ‘Everything okay in here?’

  Gabriel’s face turned purple. ‘Everything’s fine. You can leave us alone, there’s a good boy.’

  ‘Whoa!’ I stood up. ‘Do not speak to Max like that.’

  Gabriel snorted. ‘Oh, right. Because Max is never in the wrong. Wanda, this is between you and me, so can we leave your shadow out of it just this once? If you’re treating my father as a suspect, then I have the right to know.’

  My heart was still fluttering nervously, and I really didn’t like the feeling. I really didn’t like Gabriel either, just then. ‘Actually, you don’t have the right to know anything. You took yourself off Wayfair duty for the next two weeks. Even if you were on duty, you wouldn’t be able to work on a case that involves your father, and I would not be able to talk to you about it. You know why, so stop trying to make me talk about it.’

  ‘That’s bullcrap. Christine spoke to me about it earlier on.’

  ‘I seriously doubt she told you anything more than where I was. How many times do I have to tell you things are changing? We’re making new rules, rules that I happen to respect. Rules that I’m not going to ignore just because you ask me to.’

  ‘Just tell me why you’re talking to him. Is it because he wanted that woman’s house? It is, isn’t it? That’s not a big deal, Wanda. Wanting to buy some property doesn’t make him a murderer.’

  Max stepped out of the doorway. Weredogs and werewolves were always keen to stress how different they were, but at times like this, all I could see were the similarities. A low growl was sounding in Max’s throat, and he looked taller than usual. ‘It’s getting late, Gabriel,’ he said. ‘I think it’s time you went home.’

  ‘What?’ Gabriel spluttered. ‘You’re laying down the law now, are you? I think you’ll find this is Wanda’s place just as much as yours, and I’m not leaving unless she tells me to.’

  With my chest fluttering more than ever, I looked at the floor. ‘It is my place, too. And I agree with Max. It’s late, Gabriel. Go home. We can talk about this tomorrow.’

  6. Glamorous Gretel

  After a night spent tossing, turning, and deleting text messages from Gabriel, I felt too ill to eat. I did manage to do a good impression of a zombie, though. After bumbling my way through showering and dressing, I fixed breakfast for Dizzy and the mice, popped those three little critters into my coat pocket, and made my way to Riddler’s Cove to meet up with Finn.

  He was waiting outside Caulfield’s Cakes, and he’d saved a seat for me.

  ‘Sorry it’s outside,’ he said as I sat down. ‘There wasn’t a spare table anywhere else.’

  I peered in through the windows. He was right. Caulfield’s was thronged. But they had braziers burning outside, so it wasn’t too chilly. And my warmth spells were getting better, too, so I could easily heat myself up if needed.

  He had already ordered a pot of tea and a plate of assorted pastries. As he pushed the plate my way, I said, ‘No thanks. Not hungry.’

  Finn’s eyes rounded. ‘Yeah, right. Since when do you lose your appetite?’

  ‘I didn’t sleep too well,’ I said. ‘But don’t worry about it. You managed to get in touch with the gamekeeper last night?’

  Finn sighed. ‘After a dozen phone calls he finally got back to me. He agreed to meet me in an incredibly small smoking shed on the Godbody estate.’

  ‘Smoking shed?’ I wrinkled my nose. ‘Like, a shed where people smoke cigarettes?’

  ‘No, not like a shed where people smoke cigarettes,’ he informed me with a laugh. ‘A shed where people smoke fish or meat or whatever. In this case, it was salmon. And I gotta tell you, it’s a stench that sticks. I had to shampoo my hair four times this morning, and I can still smell it.’

  I leaned across and had a polite sniff. ‘Well, seeing as I’m a bit miffed I didn’t get to go along, I’d like to tell you that you smell like fish. But you just smell like coconut. Lassie really likes coconut, as it happens. Although I suppose you had no idea about that when you bought your shampoo.’

  ‘No,’ he said, his ears turning pink. ‘No idea whatsoever. Anyway, I know I should have brought you along, but it was three in the morning, so I figured at least one of us might as well get some sleep. If I’d known you were tossing and turning, I would have happily put you out of your misery – so that you, too, could have shampooed your hair four times. Speaking of hair ...’ He took a closer look at me. ‘Why is yours tied back in three ponytails?’

  ‘Oh, good goddess.’ I reached to my hair and began to rearrange it. ‘Well, that’s what happens when Wanda doesn’t sleep. She makes a mess of her hair and speaks about herself in the third person. Anyway, was the late night liaison in the smoking shed worth it?’

  Finn shook his head. ‘It was a big stink
ing waste of time. He said he knows nothing, he saw nothing, and then he said he wanted to get back to smoking his salmon.’

  ‘Huh. You know what, though? I think even a pointless interview with a gamekeeper would have been preferable to lying awake listening to three mice snoring.’

  Big Ears poked a head out of my pocket. ‘Hey! We’re blind, not deaf.’

  I pulled a large piece of cinnamon pastry from the plate. ‘Sorry. Peace offering.’

  He took the pastry and disappeared back inside my pocket. Judging by the speed with which he moved, I doubted he’d ever been offended at all. Clever little critter.

  ‘Hey, wasn’t Gretel supposed to be meeting us here?’ I asked.

  Just as I spoke, a woman stood up from the table next to ours, and came to join us. She had long blonde hair, a fur coat and a lot of gold jewellery. She pulled off her designer sunglasses, and winked.

  ‘Oh my stars!’ I gawped at her. ‘No matter how many times I’ve seen you do that, I still can’t get used to it.’

  Finn smiled at her and poured her a cup of tea. ‘I’ve been seeing it a lot longer than Wanda has, and I’m still in shock. You’re the queen of glamours, Gretel.’

  ‘Yeah, well I suppose even I have to be good at something,’ she grumbled, pulling the pastries towards her. As she nibbled on a croissant, she added, ‘I’ll change to a new glamour before ... y’know. For now, there’s something else I need to tell you about. You know how I was at that robbery yesterday?’

  I nodded. ‘The Licensing, Records and Registry Department. Finn said they got off with a lot of money.’

  ‘They did. But they got off with more than that.’ She turned on her phone and pulled up a photo of an enormous, wide-drawered filing cabinet. ‘Finn told me about Winnie’s murder, so I decided to check on properties registered to Mr Godbody while I was there. This empty drawer you’re looking at? This used to contain maps and records of everything he owns.’ She pulled up another photo. ‘And this drawer shows the info on Winnie’s house. Everything’s still there, but it looks like someone’s been taking a nose at it recently. Not dusty enough.’