Witch is How To Lose Big

by Adele Abbott

  “Would it be possible for me to take a photo of the jewellery you bought?”

  “If you like. You’d best come inside.”

  He led the way into the kitchen. “Sit yourself down there. I’ll go and get it for you.”

  He disappeared upstairs and returned a few minutes later.

  “There you are. Pretty, isn’t it?” He put the locket onto the table.

  “It’s lovely.” I took out my phone and snapped a couple of photos.

  “Would you like a cuppa while you’re here?”

  “Err, no thanks. I really do need to get going.”

  “I miss her, you know,” he said, as he showed me out. “My Lily. She used to drive me crazy when she was alive, but the house seems empty without her.”

  “Can I ask you a bit of a weird question, Bill?”

  “Fire away. You won’t be the first one to do it.”

  “Do you happen to believe in ghosts?”

  “Don’t be stupid, girl. There’s no such thing.”

  “What if I told you that you might be able to speak to your Lily again?”

  “I’d say you been at the pop.”

  Chapter 17

  As soon as I’d left Bill, I magicked myself to Ghost Town to see Lily.

  “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon, Jill.”

  “I’ve just been speaking to Bill.”

  “How is he?”

  “He’s fine. As you suspected, he’s still living in the same house. He said that he was missing you.”

  “Did he really? Or are you just saying that?”

  “It’s true, I promise. He said the house felt empty without you.”

  “That’s sweet. Do you think I should make the effort and try to contact him?”

  “I’m not sure it would do any good. I asked him what he thought about ghosts, and he just laughed.”

  “That’s a shame. Still, as long as he’s okay, that’s all that matters.”

  “I asked him if anyone had been trying to sell him jewellery.”

  “What did he say?”

  “They had. In fact, he’s already bought some.”

  “Was it mine?”

  “I think so, but you should check for yourself.” I took out my phone and showed her the photo.

  “Yes, that’s definitely my necklace. What’s going on, Jill?”

  “Someone is stealing jewellery from Ghost Town and then selling it to the surviving relatives back in the human world.”

  “Who would do something so despicable?”

  “I don’t know, but I intend to find out.”

  The guy who had tried to sell Madge’s jewellery to her daughter, Cynthia, had left a photograph with his phone number on the back, so after I’d left Lily’s, I gave him a call. Much to my surprise, he answered on the first ring.

  “Yes?”

  “Hi there. My name is Cynthia. You called to see me a little while back and offered to sell me some of my mother’s jewellery.”

  “What about it?”

  “I’ve been giving it more thought, and I might be interested in buying it. Do you still have it?”

  “I might. I might not. I thought you weren’t interested?”

  “I’ve changed my mind.”

  “It may be too late now.”

  “Don’t mess me around. Do you have the jewellery or not?”

  “As it happens, I do, but the price has gone up.”

  “That’s ridiculous. It was already too expensive.”

  “Please yourself. Do you want it or not?”

  “How much?”

  “Three hundred.”

  “That’s daylight robbery.”

  “Please yourself.”

  “Wait! I’ll need to see it first, to make sure it’s the real thing.”

  “That can be arranged, but it’ll have to be at a place of my choosing.”

  “Can’t you just bring it to the house?”

  “No. For all I know, you could have tipped off the police. This could be a trap.”

  “Okay, where do you want to meet?”

  “I’ll give you a call later this afternoon, to tell you where and when, but I’ll warn you now, if you don’t show up on time, there’ll be no second chance.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “You don’t need to know that.” And with that, he hung up.

  ***

  I had intended to go to Cuppy C yesterday to find out how the twins had fared on their weekend at the country park hotel, but I didn’t get the chance, so I decided to check in on them today.

  It was quiet in the tea room; Amber was by herself behind the counter. She seemed to be hobbling a little, and kept wincing, as though she was in some kind of discomfort.

  “Are you okay, Amber?”

  “Yeah, just about.”

  “You don’t look it.”

  “To tell you the truth, I ache all over.”

  “After your relaxing weekend at the country park, I expected you to be full of beans.”

  “Yeah, well, things didn’t exactly work out like we expected them to.”

  “How come?”

  “It turned out that we’d actually won an outward-bound weekend held at the country park. We had to do assault courses, and they had us abseiling down rockfaces.”

  “Oh dear.”

  “We had to run a cross country too. It was pouring with rain all the way around, and some of the fields were knee-deep in mud.”

  I laughed.

  “It’s not funny, Jill.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Pearl is in an even worse state than me.”

  I laughed even more.

  “Jill!”

  “Sorry, but you two did kind of ask for it. You were both quick enough to make fun of me when I had my lottery mishap.”

  “What can I get you, anyway?”

  “Just a coffee, please. I can’t stay long. How’s Aunt Lucy? The last time I saw her she wasn’t talking to Lester.”

  “She still isn’t. I assume you heard about his latest job fiasco.”

  “The dragon slayer? Yeah, I did. I just can’t imagine Lester fighting dragons.”

  “Neither can I, but the more Mum tries to talk him out of it, the more determined he seems to be to go through with it.”

  ***

  I’d just finished my coffee when my phone rang. I could tell by the caller ID that it was my friend, the jewellery peddler.

  “Be in Washbridge Park by the water fountain in ten minutes.”

  “I’m not sure I can get there that quickly.”

  “If you’re not there on time, don’t bother to contact me again.”

  “Okay. I’ll get there somehow. How will I know you?”

  “Don’t worry about that. I’ll come to you.”

  I used the ‘doppelgänger’ spell to make myself look like Madge’s daughter, Cynthia, then magicked myself over to the park where I waited next to the water fountain as instructed. I’d only been there for a couple of minutes when I spotted a figure in the distance. The man was dressed in a long black coat with the hood pulled over his head. He couldn’t have looked any more suspicious if he’d been carrying a large banner that read:

  I’m a con man

  “Have you got the money?” he demanded.

  “I want to see the jewellery first.”

  He reached into his pocket and pulled it out. “Where’s the money?”

  As soon as we’d made the exchange, he hurried off the same way as he’d come. I immediately made myself invisible and followed him. Ten minutes later, he stopped outside a terraced house. While he was fumbling for his key, I hurried over, to stand by his side, so that I could sneak into the house with him.

  Now all I had to do was to bide my time until he left again.

  Fortunately, I didn’t have too long to wait because less than half an hour later, he put on his coat and went out. Alone in the house now, I searched each room in turn, and eventually struck gold in the back bedroom, where
I found a box full of jewellery. This was a bigger operation than I’d imagined. After taking photographs of each of the pieces, I let myself out of the house.

  For this scam to work, my friend had to have a partner-in-crime in Ghost Town. Someone to supply him with the jewellery and furnish him with the contact details for the next-of-kin in the human world. To find out who that was, I’d need to wait around until the ghost made contact. I simply didn’t have time to do that, but I knew someone who could.

  I gave Edna, the surveillance fairy, a call.

  “Hello stranger,” she said. “I was beginning to think you didn’t need my services anymore.”

  “I’ve not had any suitable jobs, but something’s just cropped up that’s right up your street. That’s if you’re free, of course.”

  “As luck would have it, I am. What do you need, Jill?”

  “I want you to follow someone.” I gave her the guy’s address and explained the scam that he was running.

  “He sounds like a nasty piece of work.”

  “He is, trust me.”

  “Let me make sure I’ve got this right. You want me to keep an eye on him until he’s contacted by a ghost.”

  “That’s right. Can you see ghosts, Edna?”

  “Of course I can’t, but I can tell if someone is talking to one. I’ll give you a call the moment the ghost makes contact.”

  “That’s great. Thanks.”

  “My usual rates will apply, of course.”

  “Custard creams?”

  “What else?”

  ***

  “Where is he?” Kathy greeted me at the door. She barely looked at me because she was too busy looking over my shoulder. “He is coming, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, Kathy, Martin is coming, but he’s making his own way here. He should be here in the next few minutes.”

  There was no sign of the kids inside.

  “Have Lizzie and Mikey gone to Peter’s parents?”

  “No. They couldn’t take them, unfortunately. The kids are both upstairs in their bedrooms.”

  “It’s unusual for Lizzie not to come and say hello to me.”

  “She’s been in a weird mood recently. I don’t know what’s got into her. She’s much quieter than usual, and she even snapped at me, which isn’t like her at all. I guess she’s just growing up. I’ve got used to that kind of thing from Mikey; I suppose I’ll have to get used to it from Lizzie too.”

  “Shall I go upstairs and say hello to her?”

  “To be honest, Jill, I’d leave her for now. She was reading when I came downstairs. Why don’t you let her come down in her own time?”

  “Okay.”

  Five minutes later, Martin arrived, and I made the introductions. “Martin, this is my sister, Kathy. Kathy, this is my brother, Martin.”

  “I’m very pleased to meet you, Kathy.” He offered his hand, but she ignored it and went in for a hug.

  After a few moments, she stepped back. “I can’t get over it. You two are so alike.”

  “It’s crazy, isn’t it?” Martin said. “I’ve been trying to work out what this makes you and me, Kathy. I mean, Jill’s my sister and you’re also her sister. Does that mean we’re kind of like sister and brother?”

  “We definitely are, bro.” Kathy grinned. “Let’s go through to the lounge. I’ve put out a few snacks.”

  Snacks? A few? I was ravenous.

  “Is that all?” I sighed.

  “Yeah, just nibbles and things. I assumed you would both have eaten.”

  “That’s fine,” Martin said. “I had a big meal less than an hour ago.”

  Bully for him. I hadn’t eaten since lunchtime.

  The three of us chatted for just over an hour, but to be honest, it was Kathy and Martin who did most of the talking. I was far too hungry to focus.

  It was obvious that Kathy was smitten by Martin. He certainly knew how to ingratiate himself with people. I suppose I should’ve been pleased that he got on so well with my sister, but I still wasn’t sure about him.

  I’d just finished the last of the nibbles when Mikey came downstairs.

  “Mum, Lizzie is scaring me again.”

  Kathy took his hand. “This is Martin. He’s your uncle.”

  “But I already have an uncle. Uncle Jack.”

  “I know you do, but Martin is another uncle. Say hello to him.”

  “Hello,” Mikey managed, rather half-heartedly.

  “What do you like to do, Mikey?” Martin asked.

  “I like fishing and I want to go go-carting, but Mum won’t let me.”

  Just then, there were more footsteps on the stairs. Moments later, Lizzie came through the door.

  “Just look at this little angel, Mikey,” Kathy said. “How can you possibly be scared of her?”

  “Hi, Lizzie,” I said. “How are you?”

  “I’m okay, thank you, Auntie Jill.” Her voice was flat, and she showed none of her usual sparkle.

  “Come on. It’s time for you two to go to sleep.” Kathy took them both by the hand and led them upstairs.

  No sooner had she come back down, than Martin said, “I’m really sorry, Kathy, but I’ve just remembered something important that I have to do.” He stood up and turned to me. “Jill, I came in a taxi. I don’t suppose you could give me a lift, could you?”

  “Err, sure.”

  “Thanks again, Kathy.” He gave her a hug and kissed her on both cheeks. “We must do this again.”

  “Are you sure you can’t stay any longer?”

  “I really can’t. This is very important.”

  Once we were in my car, I confronted him. “What on earth was that all about, Martin? You were quite rude in there.”

  “I’m sorry, but didn’t you see it?”

  “See what?”

  “The aura.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Lizzie. You must have seen it all around her.”

  “I didn’t see anything.”

  “I did, and I’ve seen the same thing before. It’s bad news, trust me. Has anything unusual happened to her recently?”

  “Not really. Well, she went missing for a short time recently, but she soon turned up again. She’d been following a cat.”

  “Are you sure that’s what she’d been doing?”

  “That’s what she said.”

  “Has anything else unusual happened?”

  “Mikey’s been having a few nightmares. He said that Lizzie came into his room and her eyes were glowing orange, but like I said, that was just a bad dream.”

  “Anything else? Anything at all, Jill. This is important.”

  “There are a number of ghosts who live in the house. They mentioned something about Redgrave.”

  The colour drained from his face. “Oh no.”

  “What is it, Martin? Do you know this Redgrave person?”

  “Red grave isn’t a person.”

  “What is it, then?”

  “There’s no time to explain. It needs to be stopped or Lizzie will die.”

  “Stopped? Stop what? Where is it?”

  “In Candlefield.”

  “Let’s get over there, then.”

  “Not in your Candlefield. It’s in my Candlefield. I have to deal with this, but it might take a day or two.”

  “There’s no way I’m staying here while you—”

  Before I could finish the sentence, he’d disappeared.

  Chapter 18

  “You have to let it go, Jill,” Jack said over breakfast.

  “Let it go?” I almost spat my corn flakes all over him. “And how am I supposed to let it go, pray tell? My niece has just apparently been under the control of some kind of weird red thing, and you’re telling me to let it go?”

  “Sorry, I can understand why you’re upset.”

  “I’m way beyond upset. I’m mad as hell at Martin.”

  “What exactly did he say?”

  “Not much. He delivered the bombshell abou
t Lizzie, said he’d sort it out, and then disappeared.”

  “Maybe it’s better that you let him handle it. I mean, you’ve never been to this Candlefield of his.”

  “I’m not even sure I believe this alternative Candlefield exists. He could be lying. And if he is, what else is he lying about? Just wait until I get my hands on him; he’ll wish he’d never found his sister.”

  “What exactly did he tell you about this red thingy?”

  “Nothing, just that it was bad news, and that he had to stop it, or Lizzie could die.”

  “Does Kathy have any idea what’s going on?”

  “No, thank goodness. She mentioned that Lizzie had been quiet and that she’d snapped at her, but she just put it down to the fact that she’s getting older.”

  “So, what are you planning on doing?”

  “There’s nothing I can do. I can’t get hold of Martin, and I have no idea how to get to his Candlefield. I’m just going to have to wait until I hear from him. Can we talk about something else? Did you talk to Roy?”

  “No. I’d intended to, but I lost my nerve. I just wasn’t sure how to approach it. Maybe it would be better to see if it blows over.”

  “You’re probably right. By the way, how come you never mentioned how the bowling went last night? I take it you lost?”

  “It was a close match.”

  “So, you did lose?”

  “Yeah, but it was really close.”

  “But you still lost.”

  “Only because Peter is so jammy. It was all down to his very last shot; he slipped on the approach and ended up getting a strike. I couldn’t believe it.”

  “Just so I’m absolutely clear, you lost?”

  “Yes, Jill, I lost, but I’m still up on games overall. By the way, when I came home last night, I saw Mr Ivers and he was acting really weird.”

  “You say that like it’s unusual.”

  “But this was weird even by his standards. He had his face pressed up against the glass in the toll booth. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “Actually, there’s a reason for that. Do you remember that trinket box I had?”

  “The one that Big was in?”

  “I gave it to Mr Ivers as a present.”

  “How come?”

  “I thought it might cheer him up. I warned him that under no circumstances must he open the lid, but—”