by Adele Abbott
“That’s great news.”
“How did you work out it was Elsie?”
“I didn’t. I thought it was Grover.”
“Really?”
“Yes, but in trying to entrap him, I inadvertently ended up being kidnapped by Elsie.”
“I had no idea that’s what happened.” He laughed. “But who cares? If it hadn’t been for your intervention, Carol would still be in that awful basement.”
“How do you feel about Grover?”
“Having an affair with my daughter? I’m not happy about it, as you can imagine, but she’s an adult, and I can’t decide who she can and cannot see. But that’s over now, and Carol is home safe and sound. That’s all that really matters. I’ll never be able to thank you enough. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, you must let me know.”
“Are you going to share those?” Winky jumped onto my desk as soon as Arthur Pine had left.
“Cats shouldn’t eat chocolates. They aren’t good for you.”
“Go on. I won’t tell anyone.”
“No, sorry. I don’t think that would be a good idea. I’ll let Jules and Mrs V share them.”
“Charming. What about your strategic planning partner?”
“I don’t have one. He took a job as a cleaner instead, if you recall.”
“What about the flowers, then?”
“Since when did you like flowers?”
“I could give them to Peggy.”
“Go on then. I’m just an old softy.”
“You’ll have to deliver them for me.”
Did I have ‘Sucker’ tattooed on my forehead?
***
I was just about to call it a day when Mad showed up.
“Whose are the flowers?” she asked.
“They’re for a cat named Peggy.”
Mad gave me a puzzled look.
“It’s a long story. I won’t bore you. What brings you here?”
“I thought we should talk about your niece. After I left you the other day, I checked out that multi-storey car park. Lizzie was right; there is a ghost resident there. His name is Bert, just as she said. It turns out he used to work there, but had a bit too much to drink one night.”
“Drink driving?”
“No. He was on the roof, and decided to walk along the ledge. Splat!”
“Nasty.”
“Very. Turns out his ghost is harmless enough though. He was a bit worried when he realised I was a ghost hunter, but I soon put his mind at ease. He remembered Lizzie; he said she often said ‘hello’ to him.”
“You don’t think it could be some kind of anomaly? Lizzie being able to see Bert and my mother?”
“I thought it was a possibility. That’s why I checked out the school too.”
“The little girl ghost?”
“Yeah. Caroline.”
“Does she exist too?”
“She does, and she was there long before it was ever a school. There used to be an old workhouse on that same site. She was killed in a fire.”
“How terrible.”
“And yet, she seems happy enough now. She enjoys being around so many other children, even if they can’t see her.”
“But Lizzie can?”
“Yeah. Caroline said that Lizzie is her best friend.”
“That’s sweet, I guess. What do you think I should do?”
“How do you mean?”
“About Lizzie? Should I say something to Kathy?”
“What would you say to her? That Lizzie really can see ghosts? Kathy will just think you’re crazy. There’s nothing you can do, but at least now you know, you can keep an eye on her. At some stage, it would probably be a good idea for her to have a conversation with me. Just so she knows she isn’t alone. Not yet, though. It would be too much for her to take in. I would have freaked out if someone had told me, at her age, that I was a parahuman.”
“Okay. What will this mean for her when she’s older? Is she destined to be a ghost hunter, like you?”
“It’s much too early to say. Sometimes these powers are short-lived. In a year from now, she may no longer see ghosts.”
“Okay, Mad. Thanks for your help. I really do appreciate it. By the way, how’s Henry?”
She grimaced. “Unfortunately, I still have to work with him.”
“That can’t be easy.”
“It isn’t. That’s why I persuaded him to put in a transfer request. It might be a while before it’s processed, though. You’ll never guess what the cheeky thing did?”
“What?”
“He only tried to give me his dry-cleaning bill.”
I laughed. “You’ve got to admire his front. What did you say?”
“I wouldn’t like to repeat it in front of the cat.”
***
The last time Winky had asked me to deliver something to Peggy, I’d made the mistake of going straight to the apartment, and pushing it through the cat flap. That had earned me a telling off from the security guard.
The same one who was now behind the reception desk.
“Hi!” I gave him my sweetest smile.
I needn’t have bothered because it did nothing to melt his frosty expression.
“You’re the cat-flap woman.”
I’d been called worse things.
“That’s me. You said that if I had any more deliveries for the occupants of that apartment, I should call at reception.”
“What is it this time?”
“These flowers.” I held up the bouquet.
He sighed, took them from me, and studied the card.
“Who’s Peggy?”
“Err—the lady who lives there.”
“I happen to know the woman in that apartment is called Christine.”
“Christine? That’s right. But everyone calls her Peggy.”
“Isn’t Peggy short for Margaret?”
“Now you mention it, I think it is. As well as for Christine.”
He looked unconvinced. “Who’s Winky?”
“Winky? Err—that’s me. It’s a nickname.”
“Strange nickname?”
“I’m a Tiddlywinks grandmaster. Hence the nickname, Winky.”
What? Come on. That was a touch of genius.
“Okay. I’ll make sure Peggy gets them.” He sighed deeply. “Winky.”
“Thanks. You’re a pet.”
***
I wasn’t looking forward to getting back home to Jack. If he started on at me again about giving up my job, we were going to have a big bust up. Guaranteed.
“I’m sorry, Jill.” He greeted me when I walked through the door. “I shouldn’t have said those things about you packing in the job.”
“You’re right. You shouldn’t have, but I appreciate the apology, anyway.” I gave him a kiss.
We went through to the lounge, and sat on the sofa together.
“Where’s Barry?” I was amazed he hadn’t come charging in to greet me.
“I asked Mrs Rollo if she’d mind having him for an hour. I wanted the chance to talk to you properly. There’s no way I could do that with that big soft thing in here.”
“Did she mind?”
“Mrs Rollo? No. I think she’d have him over there full time if we let her. She loves Barry, and he certainly loves her. She said she was going to take him for a walk, so we get tonight off.”
“I’m sorry you were worried last night, but I was never in danger.”
“Leo Riley rang me. He wanted to know if you’d told me any more about how you got away.”
“He had no right to speak to you.”
“I told him as much. I said if he had any questions, he should speak to you himself.”
“You did right.”
“He did say something strange, though. Something about a metal door being forced open?”
“It happened while I was asleep.”
“So, you don’t know who did it?”
“I’ve no idea. Riley tried to suggest I’d done it, whi
ch is complete nonsense. The door was forced from the outside while I was locked inside.”
“But you’re okay?”
“Of course I am. I was only down there for a few hours. Poor old Carol had been there for over six months.”
“Is she alright?”
“It sounds like it. Her father came to the office this afternoon, to thank me. He reckons she’ll be back home either tonight or tomorrow.”
“So, am I forgiven for this morning?”
“Not yet, but seeing as how Barry is next door for a while, I’m sure I can think of some way you can make it up to me.”
“I like the sound of that.”
Chapter 20
Jack had to go into work early the next morning, but said he’d be back in plenty of time for our evening out with Luther and his new girlfriend, Maria. Luther had sent me a text to say we should meet them at a restaurant, which was new to me, called ‘A Lot At Stake’, which was obviously a play on words. It was a long time since I’d had a nice steak, so I was looking forward to it.
I was in the middle of my breakfast when my phone rang.
“Aunt Lucy?”
“Jill, I’ve just had a call from someone on the Combined Sup Council. There’s some kind of emergency, and they want you to go straight over there.”
“What kind of emergency?”
“I did ask, but he wouldn’t tell me. It must be important for them to call a meeting at this time of day.”
“Okay. I’m on my way.”
Even though I magicked myself straight there, I was still the last one to arrive at the meeting.
“Now Miss Gooder is here, we can proceed.” Dominic Duxberry, the wizard who had taken over from Tabitha Hathaway as chair of the council, was seated at the head of the table. “Casper, I believe you are best placed to bring everyone up to speed.”
Duxberry sat down, and a werewolf, who I hadn’t seen at previous meetings, stood up.
“For those of you who don’t already know me, my name is Casper Crane. I was appointed to the council just over a month ago, to replace Marvin Westbrake who sadly passed away rather suddenly.”
“Marvin will be sorely missed,” someone said.
“Hear, hear.” A number of voices echoed.
Crane continued. “Some of you may already be aware of the issue I am about to raise, but for the benefit of those of you who do not already know, I have to report that three days ago, the moon disappeared.”
“What do you mean, disappeared?” Aron Anchorstop, a wizard said.
“He means exactly what he said.” Charlie Baxter, a werewolf, sounded exasperated. He was obviously already aware of the issue now being raised.
“As I was saying,” Crane continued. “The moon has not been seen in Candlefield for three days.”
“Are we talking about cloud cover?” someone asked.
“No. For two of those nights the sky has been clear.” Crane took a sip of water. “The moon simply doesn’t appear in the sky in Candlefield.”
“You keep saying ‘in Candlefield’,” I said. “Is that significant?”
“Yes. That’s because the moon can still be seen in the human world. That was one of the first things we checked when this came to light.”
“That is unusual,” Pandora Rubystone, a goblin, said. “But, did it really warrant calling an emergency meeting?”
“Of course it did!” Baxter sounded exasperated. “The next full moon is due in three days’ time. Do you have any idea what will happen if the moon doesn’t reappear before then?”
The room fell silent, as the gravity of the situation dawned upon everyone.
Crane was still on his feet. “If there is no moon in Candlefield, the werewolves will go in search of it elsewhere.”
“To the human world.” I was thinking out loud.
“Precisely.” Crane nodded. “The implications of that are too terrifying to even contemplate.”
“It would be carnage,” Baxter said. “During the full moon, most of the werewolves in Candlefield go to the Range or somewhere else where they can do no harm. If they were forced to go to the human world, there’d be a huge number of human fatalities.”
“We have to get to the bottom of this,” Crane said. “That’s why we called this emergency meeting.” He turned to me. “Jill, we’re hoping you’ll be able to resolve this problem before the full moon.”
“Me? Why me?”
“You’re the best qualified. You travel between the two worlds more than any other sup. Maybe, you can work out why the moon is still in the sky in the human world, but not here.”
“I’m not a scientist. Surely, you need a scientist for that.”
“Rest assured, our scientists are already on it. The truth is, though, we don’t think this is an act of nature. We believe it is a deliberate act of sabotage. As a P.I, you are better placed than any of us to investigate this matter, to see if you can discover who or what is behind it.”
All eyes were now on me.
“Of course, I’ll do whatever I can, but I have to be honest with you, I don’t have a clue where to start. You mustn’t rely on me alone. You must ensure the scientists continue with their investigations. And, you need to get the Candlefield police involved, too.”
“Don’t worry. The police are already on it,” Crane said. “I briefed Maxine Jewell last night, and mentioned that I’d be getting you involved.”
I bet she was thrilled to hear that. A big fan of mine was Maxine.
“Thank you, Casper.” Dominic Duxberry took to his feet again. “I’m sure none of you will be in any doubt about the gravity of the situation. Jill, if there’s anything you need from us, please let me know.”
***
I’d no sooner left the meeting than my phone rang.
“Jill? It’s Susan Bestwick. I said I’d give you a call when I’d completed your sculpture.”
“It’s finished already?”
“Yes. You’re welcome to come and collect it anytime.”
“That’s fantastic. I’m really looking forward to seeing it. The problem is I’ve just come out of a meeting at the Combined Sup Council, and there are some urgent matters I have to attend to straight away.”
“That’s not a problem. Look, I often go into Washbridge. Why don’t you give me the address of your offices, and I’ll drop it off there for you?”
“I wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble. Isn’t it heavy?”
“It’s no trouble at all, and no, it isn’t very heavy. It’s only a small sculpture. I hope you weren’t expecting a life-size one?”
“No, of course not. Well, in that case, if you could take it to my office, that would be great. I’ll text you the address as soon as I hang up. And, thanks again.”
“Think nothing of it. It was the least I could do after you saved Tommy.”
***
I couldn’t wait to see my sculpture on the mantelpiece, but for now, I had much more pressing issues to attend to. When Crane had first mentioned the disappearing moon, I hadn’t realised the implications, but as soon as he’d pointed out the possibility of a mass exodus of werewolves to the human world, I’d thought about Boris Breakskull. Daze had told me that Breakskull wanted werewolves to take over the human world. There was no chance of that happening with the relatively small number who normally lived there peacefully, but if huge numbers travelled there on the full moon, things would change, and not for the better. The rogue retrievers were able to contain the odd rogue werewolf who went off the rails, but they would not be able to cover up a huge number of incidents. Once word got out that humans were under attack from werewolves, the battle lines would be drawn, and we could quickly end up with full-scale war. Which, of course, was precisely what Breakskull wanted.
I needed to speak to him, and I needed to do it right now.
Fortunately, Daze had had Breakskull under surveillance, so she was able to tell me where I was likely to find him: A pub in Washbridge called The Howling.
&nbs
p; Daze had only just heard about the ‘moon problem’, and had intended to pay him a visit herself.
“Why don’t I come with you?” she said.
“I’d rather do this alone.”
“Okay, but be careful. Breakskull is a nasty piece of work. At the first hint of trouble, get out of there, and give me a call. We’ll be close by.”
“And you’re confident he’ll be there?”
“If not now, he’ll turn up sooner or later. He pretty much uses it as his office.”
“Okay. Thanks, Daze.”
“Where can I find Boris Breakskull?” I asked the werewolf behind the bar.
He looked me up and down. “You’d be wasting your time. Boris isn’t into witches.”
“Is he here or not?”
“In the back.” He gestured.
The ‘snug’ at the back of the pub was much smaller than the main bar. In there, were six werewolves, seated around two tables.
“Boris Breakskull?”
The conversation stopped, and all eyes were on me.
“Your girlfriend, Boris?” one of the werewolves quipped. All of the others laughed. All except one.
“I’m Boris Breakskull. Who are you?”
“Could we speak in private?”
He thought about it for the longest moment, never once breaking eye contact with me.
“Leave us.”
The others immediately got to their feet, and pushed past me.
“Sit down.” Breakskull gestured to the chair opposite him. “Who are you?”
“My name is Jill Gooder.”
“Where have I heard that name before?”
“I don’t know. I’m here in my capacity as member of the Combined Sup Council.”
“Comsup? That joke of a quango? What do you want with me?”
“To discuss your plan for werewolves to take over the human world.”
“You don’t mince your words, do you?”
“Are you going to deny those are your aims?”
“Why would I? I’ve never made any secret of it. The sooner the werewolf rules this world, the better it will be for all concerned.”