by Adele Abbott
Oh bum!
“Dog? I don’t think so. Maybe it’s tar. They were re-laying the road outside.”
“Do I look stupid?”
I was so tempted!
“I’m a cat. I think I can tell the difference between the smell of a dog and tar. Have you been walking your cousins’ dog this morning?”
“No. I’ve been working on a case. I think you must be imagining it.”
“If you’re lying, I’ll soon find out.” He scowled. “My spies are everywhere.”
“What do you mean, spies?”
“Just what I said. Nothing happens around here that Winky doesn’t get to find out about.”
Spies? Pah! Just how gullible did he think I was?
A few minutes later, the room became chilly, and the colonel and Priscilla appeared in front of my desk. They didn’t look happy.
“Colonel? What’s wrong?”
“It’s the house.” He sighed.
“Don’t tell me the sale to Murray Murray has fallen through?”
“No. He was a cash buyer, so the sale went through very quickly.”
“What’s the matter, then?”
Priscilla jumped in. “The previous owner, the naked guy, told Murray Murray that he thought the house was haunted.”
“But that can’t have put him off, otherwise he wouldn’t have proceeded with the purchase.”
“He didn’t tell him until after the sale had been finalised. It seems that Murray Murray is afraid of ghosts, so he’s decided to get an exorcist in.”
“That sounds like bad news.”
“The worst,” the colonel said. “If he goes ahead, Cilla and I will be forced to go and live in Ghost Town. I can’t bear the prospect of having to spend the rest of our time together in that horrible place.”
“There must be something that can be done.” I thought about it for a moment. “Why don’t I try to get an audience with Murray Murray, to see if I can’t talk him out of the idea of an exorcism?”
“Would you, Jill?” The colonel managed a smile for the first time. “You’ve done so much for us already, but if you could help, it would be very much appreciated.”
***
I didn’t have far to travel in order to see Carol Pine’s mother, Lorraine Steel, who had reverted to her maiden name after the divorce. She lived alone in an ‘executive’ apartment block in Washbridge city centre. Lorraine Steel did not have the same haunted look as the Wests had had.
“Come through to the kitchen. I was just about to make a drink. Is coffee okay for you?”
“Thanks, yes.”
She was dressed as though she was on her way out to some kind of formal gathering, but I suspected she dressed like that most of the time.
“When Arthur asked if I’d see you, I agreed, obviously,” she said. “But I have to be honest, and tell you that after all this time, I fear the worst.”
“You think Carol might be dead?”
“I can come up with no other explanation why she wouldn’t have been in touch. I pray I’m wrong, obviously.”
We took our coffee through to the sitting room. The room was immaculate and looked as though it had just been given a spring clean. There were photographs on the walls and on the sideboard. I only managed a quick glance at them before I took a seat, but from what I could see, they were all of Lorraine and her daughter. There was no sign of Arthur Pine in any of them—not even those taken when Carol had been a young child. I couldn’t be sure whether Lorraine Steel had simply picked out the photographs that didn’t include her ex-husband, or if she’d actually removed him from them.
“Thank you for seeing me, Ms Steel.”
“Lorraine, please.”
“After the divorce, Carol stayed with her father. Isn’t that a little unusual?”
“I guess it is. The truth is, Carol had always been a daddy’s girl. Don’t get me wrong, she and I were close, but it wasn’t like the relationship she had with her father. I knew, given the choice, she’d choose to live with him, but I didn’t want her to have to make that decision. That’s why I agreed to let him have custody. Arthur and I may have fallen out of love, but I was never in any doubt that he was a great father.”
“When did you last see Carol?”
“It was a week before she disappeared. She came over here, and we had lunch together.”
“How did she seem?”
“Happier than I’d seen her for quite some time. She told me that she was seeing someone.”
“Did she say who?”
“No, she wouldn’t say.”
“Is that unusual?”
“Not really. She confided in her father, but rarely in me.”
We talked for some considerable time, and I was just about to leave when I noticed one particular photograph on the mantelpiece. It was the only one that included a man in the shot, but it wasn’t Arthur Pine. Lorraine must have seen me looking at it because she picked it up.
“The man in the photo?” I pointed. “Isn’t that Charles Grover?”
“Yes. Charles has been a family friend for many years. It was taken at Christmas, one year when Carol was still quite young. He’d popped over to drop off a present for her. He bought her something every Christmas, but that year he’d been snowed in for several days, so hadn’t been able to bring it around before. Do you see the teddy bear she’s holding? That was Charles’ present to her. She thought the world of that bear; she kept it for years. Now, what was it she called it? Oh, yes, I remember: Huggy Bear.”
I didn’t say anything to Lorraine Steel at the time, but as soon as she mentioned the name of the teddy bear, I immediately thought of the entries in Carol’s diary. After she had ended the relationship with Tony Moore, her diary entries had started to refer to an ‘HB’. Was it possible that ‘HB’ was Huggy Bear? Could that have been her nickname for Charles Grover? Had Carol been having an affair with him? It would have explained why she hadn’t wanted to tell her parents who she was seeing. They were unlikely to have approved of her having an affair with a married man—particularly not one who was much older than her, and who was a longstanding family friend. It was a longshot, and even if it was true, it still didn’t explain why Carol had disappeared, or what had happened to Kimberly.
I was clutching at straws, but when straws are all you have, what other choice is there? I needed to test my theory, and what better way than to try to ensnare Grover?
***
It was only mid-afternoon, but I didn’t relish the prospect of going back to the office where I’d be forced to listen to Winky moaning and groaning about the smell of dog. Then, I remembered what Jules had said about The Central. I wasn’t normally a big fan of malls because they were soulless places filled with the same chain store shops, but it occurred to me that there might be some opening offers to be had, and I was never averse to a bargain.
The building had been hidden from view behind boarding for months, so this was my first view of the new shopping centre. The sign read: ‘The Central’. Above the sign, over the main entrance, was an enormous plastic shark.
Huh? What was the significance of the shark?
“Welcome to The Central!” an over-enthusiastic young man, dressed in a red uniform, greeted everyone at the main doors.
“Hi. What’s the shark all about?”
“What shark?”
“The one above the entrance.”
“I didn’t know there was one.”
“It’s fifty feet tall.”
“I must have missed it.”
Sheesh.
“Maybe it’s meant to be Central Shark?” I laughed at my own joke.
“Sorry?” He gave me a puzzled look.
“Never mind.”
Just as I’d expected, the mall was full of the usual suspects—the same old chain stores I’d seen a thousand times. The place was positively heaving, and I was already beginning to think that going there had been a mistake.
“Jill!”
I turned arou
nd to find Kathy and Chloe, the temp who had been working at Ever.
“Kathy? How come you’re not at work?”
“Haven’t you heard? Ever has been shut down.”
“What? Why?”
“I don’t really know. Three men turned up, and demanded to see your grandmother. The next thing I knew, she told Chloe and me to get all of the customers out, and then to lock up and go home.”
“Didn’t she say why?”
“No. I tried to ask, but she just told me to get on with it.”
“Do you know who the men were?”
“No, they didn’t say. They didn’t look like trading standards, though. They were all wearing green uniforms—kind of military looking.”
“What was Grandma doing when you left?”
“She was in the back office having a shouting match with one of the men.”
“Could you hear what she was saying?”
“Not really. Something about a fee, I think.”
“A fee?”
Oh bum! It must have been ‘V’ not fee. Department V must have raided the shop.
“Do you want to come and have a coffee with Chloe and me?” Kathy said.
“No, thanks. I’m not planning on staying here long. Let me know if you hear from Grandma, would you?”
“Will do.”
Daze had warned that this would happen, but Grandma, as always, hadn’t listened. I considered going over to Ever, but what would I have done when I got there? There was nothing I could do. I’d just have to wait until I heard something from Grandma.
As I fought my way through the crowds, I came across a pop-up display stand with the name ‘Magical Skincare’ on the side. Jules had told me that Gilbert would be in the mall today. I spotted him, handing out free samples to passers-by. There were two other people: a young man and a young woman, doing the same thing.
In my experience, promotional staff are usually bubbly extroverts who want to talk your face off. Not these three. They were all stony-faced, and had the same glazed look in their eyes.
“Hi, Gilbert,” I called to him. “Jules said you’d be here.”
It took several seconds for him to register who I was.
“Hello, Jill.” He sounded almost robotic.
“Are you okay, Gilbert?”
“I’m fine, thanks. How are you?”
“Okay. How’s the promotion going?”
“Very well, thank you.”
“Good, well I’d better let you get on.”
“Bye, Jill.”
All very strange, but then maybe he was overwhelmed by the crowd in the mall.
Chapter 16
“I’m sure it’s your turn, Jack.” I said, as I finished my breakfast.
“No, it isn’t. I wasn’t born yesterday, Jill. I took Barry out for a walk after we’d had dinner, last night.”
“Oh, yeah, I remember now.” That man’s memory was annoyingly good. “Barry, come here, boy!”
Barry came bounding into the room. “Can we go for a walk, Jill? Can we? I love to walk. Can we?”
“Yes. We’re going for a walk.”
“You’re talking to the dog, again,” Jack said.
“They say it’s good to talk to your pets.”
“Not to have a conversation with them.” Jack gave me a peck on the lips. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Are we going to the park, Jill?” Barry said, as soon as we set off down the road.
“I’m not sure if there is one around here.”
“Yes, there is. We always go there.”
“That park isn’t around here.”
“Where’s it gone?”
“It hasn’t gone anywhere. We’ve moved.”
“Where?”
Just then, a woman with a Chihuahua came walking towards us. I pulled Barry to one side, and held onto his lead. I didn’t want him to eat the tiny dog.
“Have they been to the park?” Barry asked.
“I don’t know. Like I said, I’m not sure if there is one around here.”
“There used to be. We used to go there all the time.”
“That’s when we lived in the other world.”
“What’s a world?”
Oh boy! This was going to be hard work.
When we got a little further down the street, a cat appeared from one of the houses, and sat on the driveway, staring at us. Was that one of Winky’s spies? Of course, it wasn’t—I was being ridiculous. Winky didn’t have any spies—he’d been bluffing. We’d only gone a few hundred yards further when another cat appeared from under a hedge. It too stopped and watched us. They must be spies. Any minute now, they’d send word to Winky that Barry was living with me.
What? Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean there isn’t an army of cats spying on me.
I eventually found a stretch of wasteland where Barry could do his business. I daren’t let him off the lead because I was worried he would run off in search of the park, and I’d never see him again.
“Why doesn’t Jack talk to me?” Barry asked, as I stopped at the dog-poo bin, on our way back home.
“He can’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Why not? I speak clearly, don’t I?”
“It’s not that. It’s just that Jack is a human.”
“What’s a human?”
Give me strength!
I was glad to get Barry back into the house. He was full of questions that I wasn’t able to answer because he had no concept of the different worlds. I’d have to find a park in Smallwash soon otherwise he would drive me crackers.
I was about to set off for work when I spotted Mr Hosey’s train on its way down the street. Great! He would no doubt give me the hard-sell again, and try to get me to sponsor his stupid train. Well, he’d picked the wrong day for it. I had more pressing concerns, like Winky’s spy network.
“I’m sorry, Mr Hosey.” Best to get in first before he started his sales pitch. “But I’ve decided not to take you up on the offer to sponsor your train.”
“Just as well, Jill. I’m afraid you’ve missed the boat. Or should I say, missed the train?” He laughed. “Someone has already sponsored Bessie.”
“Hi, Jill.” Mr Ivers stuck his head out of one of the carriages. “I’m sorry, but it was me who beat you to it. I hope you’re not too disappointed?”
Only then, did I realise that the carriages and the engine had ads on the side for ‘Ivers’ Movie Newsletter’.
“You’re advertising on the train?”
“It was too good an offer to miss. Plus, I get free rides whenever I want them.”
“You snooze, you lose.” Mr Hosey sounded the whistle, and drove off into the distance.
There just weren’t words.
***
Curiosity had got the better of me. I wanted to know what was happening with Ever A Wool Moment. Had it been closed down for good? And, what about Grandma? Had she been arrested? Would she be prevented from coming to the human world ever again? I’d expected to hear something either from Daze, Aunt Lucy or even from Grandma herself. But there had been no word—nothing.
Once in Washbridge, I parked the car, but then instead of going straight to the office, I made my way down the high street to Ever. I fully expected to find it closed, and maybe even boarded up, but instead it appeared to be open for business as usual.
“You’re open?”
“My sister, the P.I. Nothing gets past you, does it?” Kathy was behind the counter, and looked half asleep.
“I thought the shop had been shut down?”
“It had, but I got a phone call last night from your grandmother, telling me to report for work today. She asked me to come in an hour early—Pete had to get the kids off to school.”
“What about Everlasting Wool and One-Size Needles?”
“What about them?”
“Are they still available?”
“Why wouldn’t they be?”
“No reason. What time is Grandma coming i
n, do you know?”
“She’s already here—upstairs, on the roof terrace. With a friend.” Kathy smirked. “A gentleman friend.”
“Really? Who is it?”
“No idea. She’s not likely to tell me, is she?”
“I’ll go up.”
“Are you sure? You might be interrupting something.”
“Ugh! Don’t.”
On my walk over to Ever, there had been a cool breeze, and an overcast sky. Up on the roof terrace, however, the sky was blue, and it was already hot. It was pretty much deserted up there except for the two sun loungers off to my right. On one of them was Grandma; on the other was a handsome, elderly man. They were both drinking cocktails.
“Jill?” Grandma had spotted me. “What are you doing here at this time of the morning?”
“Err—nothing—err—I don’t remember.” I didn’t want to ask about the shop closure in front of this stranger.
“I worry about you sometimes, young lady.” She turned to her companion. “Joseph, this is Jill Gooder, my granddaughter.”
The man stood up, and shook my hand. “Pleased to meet you, Jill. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you.”
“Not from me,” Grandma quipped.
“Take no notice of Mirabel.” He grinned. “She thinks the world of you.”
Really? Maybe he’d had one drink too many.
“Joseph and I go way back.” Grandma took a sip of her cocktail.
“We certainly do.” He got back onto the sun lounger. “How many years is it now?”
“Too many.” Grandma giggled. Yes, you heard me right. She giggled like a young school girl. I felt as though I’d been transported into a parallel universe. “Joseph is head of Department V. You may have heard of it?”
“Department—err—but didn’t they—that’s to say—weren’t they?”
“You’ll have to excuse my granddaughter, Joseph. She seems to have lost the power of speech. I believe what she is trying to say is that she thought Department V had closed down Ever A Wool Moment.”
Joseph laughed. “Just a misunderstanding. One of my people acted a little too impulsively. As soon as I heard about it, I had a word. It’s all sorted now. Mirabel was kind enough to forgive me.”