by Adele Abbott
“Nothing to forgive, Joseph. Cheers.” She raised her glass.
“Cheers.”
Unbelievable. No wonder Grandma hadn’t been worried when I mentioned Department V to her. She had the big boss in her pocket.
“Was there something else, Jill?” Grandma gave me a pointed look.
“Err—no. I’d best get to the office.”
“Nice to have met you, Jill,” Joseph called after me.
***
“Your grandmother has no heart!” Mrs V said, as soon as I walked through the door. She was red in the face, and obviously very annoyed.
“What’s she done?”
“You may well ask. I got a phone call from her last night. I thought she was going to ask me to go in for an additional day—she often does. But she said she wouldn’t be needing my services any longer.”
“What? Why?”
“She’s taken on that temp, Chloe, full time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pleased for Chloe—she’s really nice, and I know she wanted a full-time job. But your grandmother could at least have had the courtesy to tell me face to face, and maybe give me more notice.”
“I’m really sorry, Mrs V. I’d offer to have a word, but we both know that wouldn’t do any good.”
“Armi was with me last night when I took the call. He reckons we should both retire and travel the world.”
“I’d be sorry to see you go, but that sounds like a great idea.”
“Not to me it doesn’t. I love Armi, but I wouldn’t want to be with him twenty-four seven. I like my ‘me’ time, and I still enjoy working here. I’m not ready to retire yet. In fact, I’m thinking of finding some voluntary work that I can do on the days when I’m not in the office.”
“Good for you, Mrs V.”
I felt a little trepidation when I went through to my office. Had Winky’s spies reported back to him? Did he know about Barry?
My worst fears were realised when I saw him on the sofa with some kind of handheld radio to his ear.
“Delta, Charlie, Foxtrot. Copy that. Over and out.”
I took a seat at my desk, and tried to figure out what I would say when he confronted me about Barry.
“What’s up with you?” he asked.
“Nothing, why?”
“You’ve got a weird look on your face.”
“Who were you talking to on that radio thing?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Look, if it’s about Barry, I can explain.”
“Who’s Barry?”
Was this some kind of double-bluff? Maybe he didn’t know about Barry, after all? How was I meant to play this?
“Barry? He’s—err—a—err—canary.”
“You’re making even less sense than you usually do, and I wouldn’t have believed that was possible. What is it you feel you have to explain about a canary?”
“I’ve been looking after one for a friend. I thought you might have been jealous.”
“Of a canary?”
“Sorry. It was silly of me. So, who were you talking to?”
“If you must know, it was Peggy.”
“I thought you and she were history? The last time I saw her, she slapped you across the face.”
“That’s all behind us now. I made her see that she was the only one for me, and that Bella and I were a thing of the past.”
“You grovelled, in other words?”
“Big time, but it did the trick.”
“I still don’t get the radios?”
“When Peggy realised that the flags had once belonged to Bella, she refused to use them. She doesn’t have access to a smartphone, but her human is something of an amateur radio buff. Hence the new form of communication.”
“So, ‘Delta, Charlie, Foxtrot’, is that your call sign?”
“Nah. That’s just something I’ve heard them say on TV.”
“Roger that.”
“What?”
“Never mind.”
***
I’d promised the colonel that I would speak to Murray Murray to try to talk him out of the exorcism. I figured it would be best to do that face to face, so I took a drive over to the colonel’s old house, in the hope that I might catch the ‘pop sensation’ there.
When I arrived, there were no vehicles on the forecourt, so I wasn’t optimistic, but I rang the doorbell—just in case.
“The service entrance is at the rear.” The elderly man who answered the door was dressed in a butler’s uniform. He was wearing rimless glasses, and looking down his huge nose at me.
“I’m a friend of Murray Murray’s.”
“No one is supposed to know he lives here.”
“Like I said, I’m a friend. Can I speak to him, please?”
“Mr Murray isn’t here.”
“Where is he?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
“When will he be back?”
“I’m not at—”
“Liberty to say? I get it. What’s your name?”
“Blathers.”
“I take it you’re employed by Murray Murray, Blathers?”
“Not exactly. I’m employed by Elite Butlers. Mr Murray has secured my services through them.”
“I see.” I took out a card, and handed it to him. “Would you ask him to give me a call as soon as possible?”
“Certainly, madam.” He somehow managed to make the word sound like an insult.
Chapter 17
Since seeing the photograph of Carol Pine with the teddy bear, I had turned my attention to Charles Grover or ‘Huggy Bear’, as Carol may have known him. I had no evidence to connect him to the disappearance of the two women, but I had nothing to lose by seeing if he would take the bait.
“Mr Grover, do you have a minute, please?”
“Jill?” He looked up from his computer screen. “I’m rather busy. Is it urgent?”
“I just wanted to ask you about this document. Do you want me to file it under ‘A’ or ‘S’?”
“You really shouldn’t trouble me with this kind of stuff. Elsie can help you with that.”
“I’m sorry.” I turned on the waterworks. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
He stood up, came around his desk, and put an arm around my shoulder. “Don’t get upset. I didn’t mean to snap.”
“It isn’t you, Mr Grover. It’s—” I turned up the waterworks.
“Have a seat. Would you like a glass of water?”
“No, I’ll be okay in a minute.”
My talents were wasted. Where were the Hollywood talent scouts when you needed them?
He retook his seat opposite me. “Would you like to talk about it?”
“I’m just being silly.”
“Of course you’re not. Sometimes it can help to talk.”
“My boyfriend has dumped me for someone else.”
“More fool him, then. Don’t worry about it—you’ll soon find someone else. Plenty more fish in the sea, and all that.”
“I won’t. No one will want me now.”
“That’s just silly. Look, why don’t you allow me to take you out for dinner?”
“You wouldn’t want to be seen with me.”
I was laying it on nice and thick.
“Of course I would. How about we go to a fancy restaurant this Saturday night?”
“That would be nice.” I wiped away my tears, and forced a smile.
“That’s agreed then. Saturday, it is. Now go and wash your face and get yourself a drink.”
“Thank you, Mr Grover.”
“No problem, and please call me Charles.”
Result!
After I came out of Grover’s office, I did as he suggested, and went to the loo to wash my face.
“Are you alright, Jill?” Elsie appeared at my side.
“I’m fine.”
“It looked like you were crying in Mr Grover’s office? Are you having a problem with the work?”
“No, nothing like that. Just boy
friend troubles. Silly really.”
“You shouldn’t trouble Mr Grover with that sort of thing. He’s a very busy man.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I just broke down. He was very understanding.”
“He’s a good man.”
“He’s asked me out for dinner.”
“Dinner? When?”
“This Saturday. Isn’t that kind of him?”
“Very.”
For the rest of the afternoon, Elsie seemed uncharacteristically cold towards me. Normally, when she made herself a drink, she would ask if I wanted one, but not today. And twice, she snapped at me when I asked her questions. By the end of my shift, I was pleased to be done with Grover Import/Export for the day.
“Jill!” Elsie called after me.
“I have to rush, Elsie. I’m on the bus today.” I’d actually parked my car a short distance from the office, and told everyone it was in for repair.
“I know. Tony told me. Look, I’m sorry if I’ve been a little short with you this afternoon. It’s just that I have rather a lot on my plate.”
“That’s okay. I understand.”
“Let me make it up to you. Why don’t you come home with me for a cup of tea and cake? Then, afterwards, I’ll run you home. Where do you live? Smallwash, isn’t it?”
Oh bum! I could hardly tell her that I’d left my car just a few streets away. “Thanks, but I couldn’t possibly impose.”
“It’s no imposition. Please say yes or I’ll feel like I’ve upset you today.”
“Okay, thanks.” It was the last thing I needed, but I had to keep on the right side of Elsie while I was still working there.
She chatted non-stop on the drive to her house. About nothing in particular—it was as though she couldn’t bear a moment’s silence.
“Tea okay?” she asked, once I was seated in the lounge.
“Tea’s fine, thanks.”
“And cake?”
“Not for me, thanks. I don’t want to spoil my dinner.” The sooner I got this over with, the better.
“There you go.” Elsie passed my tea.
It wasn’t particularly hot, so I took a long drink. Once I’d been there long enough to be polite, I intended to be on my way.
“I’m surprised that you gave up on your relationship so easily,” she said.
“Sorry?”
“You mentioned that you and your boyfriend had broken up. It seems to me that a lot of people give up on relationships way too easily.”
“I didn’t give up on it. He dumped me.”
“Even so. When you really love someone, you should be prepared to fight tooth and nail to keep them.”
Coming from a woman who had no one in her life, that was pretty rich, but I didn’t want to get into an argument with her. I drank the rest of my tea, and made to get up, but my legs didn’t want to play ball. I had to grab the arm of the chair because the room had started to spin.
Then, everything went black.
***
“She’s waking up,” a female voice said.
“Are you okay?” Another female voice.
My head was thumping as I forced open my eyes. Two young women were looking down at me.
“Where am I?”
“Do you want a drink of water?”
“Yes, please.” I managed to pull myself up into a sitting position. I was on a grubby-looking mattress that was lying on a stone floor.
“Where am I?” I asked again. “How long have I been out?”
“You’ve been asleep since she brought you here yesterday. We don’t know where we are.”
One of the women passed me a glass, and I downed the water in one. My brain was slowly kicking into gear, and putting together the pieces.
“You’re Carol, aren’t you?” Now my head had cleared, I recognised Carol Pine from the photographs I’d seen of her.
“Yes, how did you know?”
“I was hired by your father to find you. I’m a private investigator; my name’s Jill Gooder.”
“My dad?” Carol sounded close to tears. “How is he?”
“Okay, under the circumstances.”
“Thank goodness. I thought the worry might have killed him.”
“And you must be Kimberly?”
She nodded. “Did you figure out it was Elsie who had taken us? Is that why she took you too?”
“No, I’d got it totally wrong. I thought Charles Grover had abducted both of you.”
“Charles?” Kimberly sounded shocked. “Why would you think it was him?”
“Because you’d both had a relationship with him, hadn’t you?”
“Does my dad know about the affair?” Carol looked horrified.
“No. I worked it out from the entries in your diary where you referred to him as ‘HB’.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call what we had a relationship,” Kimberly said. “He took me out a few times. Dinner, that kind of thing. That’s all.”
“So, why did Elsie abduct you both?” I said.
“She’s off her head.” Kimberly sat beside me on the mattress. “Apparently, she and Grover dated once, but that was years ago, before he met his wife. Elsie has got it into her head that they’re going to get back together.”
“She’s completely delusional,” Carol said. “He’s not interested in her, and he certainly has no intention of leaving his wife. I always knew that, and I wouldn’t have wanted him to. But somehow, Elsie has convinced herself that he’s going to get a divorce, so they can be together. When she found out I was seeing Charles, she went ballistic, and called me a slut and a homewrecker. I told her to mind her own business. Then she comes over to talk to me, and says she’s sorry. Invites me to her house for tea, to make it up to me. Next thing I know, I wake up in here.”
“Same thing with me.” Kimberly nodded.
That made sense. In trying to entrap Grover, I’d triggered Elsie’s irrational jealousy, and become yet another rival who had to be removed.
We were in a windowless room with a metal door. Apart from two other mattresses, the only other furniture was four wooden chairs and a table. To my left, there was a sink, and to my right, a smaller wooden door, which was slightly ajar—the loo.
“Is this the basement of her house?” I got to my feet.
“I assume so, but we were both drugged when she brought us down here.”
“What do you think she plans to do with us?” I asked.
“I don’t think she’s thought that far ahead,” Kimberly said. “She just wanted us out of the picture to leave the way clear for her. The woman is insane.”
“Clearly.” I glanced at the metal door. “I take it that’s the only way in or out?”
“Yes. She slides our food through a slot in the bottom. The only time she’s been in the room was when she brought you in here. She had a carving knife in her hand, ready to strike if we made a move. And, she’s just crazy enough to use it.”
Once my legs had stopped feeling like jelly, I made a thorough check of the room. It didn’t take me long to confirm that we were definitely in the basement of a house. No windows, solid brick walls, and a reinforced metal door meant there was no obvious escape route. At least, not for a human.
“Ladies, come over here, I have an idea.” I beckoned them to join me on my mattress. Once they were seated, I cast the ‘sleep’ spell on them both. I couldn’t allow them to witness what I was about to do.
During my inspection of the room, I’d spotted a number of very narrow slots in the wall, close to the ceiling. I had to assume they formed part of the ventilation system which delivered fresh air to the basement. I cast the ‘shrink’ spell, and then levitated until I was level with one of the slots. Once I’d squeezed through, I found myself inside a length of rectangular steel ducting. Although it was quite dark, there were rays of light coming through a grille that was a little further along the ducting. The grille was no more than a few inches above ground level, so once I’d squeezed through, I was able to
jump onto the grass below. After reversing the ‘shrink’ spell, I walked around to the front of the house.
It wasn’t Elsie’s house!
The basement prison was in a small, rundown bungalow in a quiet residential street. From nearby, I heard the sound of someone mowing their lawn. It was an elderly man, in the front garden of the bungalow directly opposite.
“Excuse me.”
“You made me jump.” He smiled.
“Sorry. Do you know who lives in the bungalow across the road?”
“No one. It’s been empty for years. Thinking of buying it?”
“Possibly.”
“It will need a lot of work. The grass hasn’t been cut for months. It’s a disgrace.”
“Do you know who owns it?”
“The old lady who used to live there kept herself pretty much to herself. She left it to her granddaughter when she died. I don’t understand why she hasn’t sold it. Strange thing is, she comes around here most days, but never lifts a finger to tidy the place up. I once asked her when she was going to do something about her garden, and she nearly bit my head off.”
“You don’t happen to know her name, do you?”
“Elsie, I think. I don’t know her other name.”
“Okay, thanks. And what is this area called?”
“Topwash. Are you lost?”
“I’ve been driving around for quite some time, and I’ve lost my bearings. Thanks again.”
I walked down the street until I was sure he was preoccupied with the mowing, then doubled back. Once I’d cast the ‘power’ spell, the back door yielded easily. The house was sparsely furnished, and covered in a thick layer of dust. The door leading down to the basement wasn’t locked, and the ‘power’ spell made short work of the metal door at the bottom of the stairs.
I was back in the basement.
Carol and Kimberly were still fast asleep, so I reversed the ‘sleep’ spell, and then quickly got down on one of the other mattresses, and pretended to be asleep.
“What happened?” Carol said.
“We must have dozed off.” Kimberly still sounded half-asleep.