by Adele Abbott
“I think I did hear something about that. I just assumed they’d misplaced it.”
“That’s always possible, but another possibility is that someone who knew they’d be out of the house—at the bridge club, for example—tipped off the thief who then sneaked into their houses and stole their jewellery.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Her body language said otherwise.
“For argument’s sake, let’s say that is what happened,” I continued. “What if the stolen jewellery was then taken to the human world and sold to the victims’ surviving relatives? Wouldn’t that be a fine scam?”
Her legs seemed to go from under her, and she had to take a seat.
“Have you no conscience, Selina?”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“Who was your accomplice? Who broke into the house and stole the jewellery?”
“I don’t know anything about any of this.”
“Fair enough.” I took out my phone and made a call. “Is that Constance Bowler?”
“Speaking.”
“It’s Jill Maxwell.”
“Hi, Jill. Long time no speak.”
“I’m at the bridge club here in Ghost Town, and I wondered if you could pop over? There’s a lady here who I think you should talk to regarding a spate of jewellery thefts.”
Constance arrived fifteen minutes later. After I’d filled her in, she asked Selina to accompany her to the police station.
“Do you need me to come with you, Constance?” I asked.
“I don’t think so. I have a feeling that this lady will tell us all we need to know before the day is over.”
My job done, I magicked myself back home.
***
Jack and I were on our way to Mrs V’s house for dinner.
“How many more times do I have to promise, Jill? I won’t let Armi talk me into taking another cuckoo clock.”
“You’d better not because one of those things in the house is one too many. And don’t forget what I said about not laughing at their house when you see it.”
“What do you take me for? I would never be so inconsiderate.”
“Jack, stop it! You promised!”
We’d barely got through the gate at Mrs V’s house before Jack had doubled up with laughter. Luckily, there was no sign of Mrs V or Armi.
“I’m sorry.” Jack managed through tears of laughter. “I thought I was prepared, but I mean, just look at it.”
Just then, the front door opened and Mrs V and Armi appeared.
“Is Jack all right, Jill?” Mrs V said.
“He’s fine. He’s—err—just tying his shoelaces.” It was only then that I realised he was wearing slip-ons.
Fortunately, Jack had managed to compose himself. “I’m fine, Mrs V. Sorry about that.”
Still slightly puzzled, Mrs V beckoned us inside. “I’m just putting the finishing touches to dinner. Armi will give you a tour of the house until it’s ready.”
The house was an absolute delight, and the furniture, which Mrs V had chosen, complimented it perfectly. The only thing that spoiled it was the cuckoo clock in every room. The lounge actually had two of them! I would have gone mad if I’d had to live with those. After we’d seen the rest of the house, we made our way to the dining room where, quite remarkably, there was no cuckoo clock.
Mrs V came through from the kitchen.
“How come there isn’t a cuckoo clock in here, Mrs V?” I said.
“I insist on having peace and quiet while I’m eating. I find the cuckooing spoils my appetite.” She checked her watch. “Dinner will only be a few minutes now.”
With Mrs V back in the kitchen, Jack made the mistake of asking Armi how he made the cuckoo clocks. I was just wondering what I could stuff into my ears so I wouldn’t have to listen, when I happened to glance out of the window, and I spotted William Twigmore, the wood nymph, standing by the treeline. There was no way I was going to allow those horrible creatures to disturb our dinner, so I said I needed some fresh air, and nipped out.
When I got outside, there was no sign of Twigmore.
“William, where are you? Come on out. I know you’re there.” There was no response and still no sign of him. “William!”
“Jill, what are you doing?” Mrs V was standing in the doorway.
“Err—nothing. Just getting some fresh air.”
“It sounded like you were calling to someone called William.”
“Err, no. I was just saying—err—that this is a view in a million.”
“It’s just trees.”
“Yeah, I adore trees.”
She gave me what could only be described as a pitying look. “You’d better come in; dinner is on the table.”
“Okay.” I took one last look at the treeline, but there was still no sign of the wood nymphs.
Mrs V had made a delicious roast dinner with all the trimmings. Ten minutes in, I heard a noise coming from the kitchen. No one else seemed to notice, but I had a horrible feeling I knew what it was, so I excused myself, supposedly to go to the loo.
I hurried through to the kitchen and, as I suspected, there on the table were the three wood nymphs. They’d opened the biscuit barrel and were helping themselves to the contents.
“Stop that, you three.” I launched myself at them, but they were too quick, and I ended up knocking the biscuit barrel onto the floor, spilling out all of the biscuits. Meanwhile, the wood nymphs made their escape through the open window.
“What are you doing, Jill?” I turned around to find Mrs V staring at me in disbelief.
“Err—nothing.”
“If you weren’t enjoying the dinner, dear, you should’ve said so.”
“I am enjoying it, honestly. I was just looking for—err—tomato sauce.”
“On a roast dinner?”
“Oh yes. I love tomato sauce on my roasts.”
“Right?” She pulled open one of the cupboards, took out a bottle of ketchup, and handed it to me.
“Thanks. I’ll just pick up these biscuits.”
“Leave them. Your dinner will go cold. I’ll see to that later.”
Back in the dining room, I had no choice but to put sauce on my dinner, earning me puzzled looks from Armi and Jack.
Yuk.
***
As we drove home, Jack began to laugh.
“What’s amusing you?”
“The tomato sauce.”
“What choice did I have? I could hardly tell her the real reason I was in the kitchen.”
“How did the dinner taste with tomato sauce on it?”
“Shut up.”
As I was getting out of the car, I noticed a box on the back seat.
“What’s that, Jack?”
“What?”
“That box on the back seat.”
“Oh, that’s nothing.”
“What’s in it?”
“I’m sorry, Jill, but Armi was very persuasive.”
Chapter 20
It was the next morning, and we were in the kitchen.
“Jack dearest, would you like me to make you another cup of coffee?”
He eyed me suspiciously. “What are you after, Jill?”
“What makes you think I want something? I’m just asking if you’d like a cup of coffee.”
“Come on. Spit it out. You might as well tell me what it is you want.”
“Well, there is something, but it’s nothing really.”
“Hmm. Let’s be hearing it.”
“It’s just that, when I spoke to the partner of one of the men who went missing from a hotel, she told me she’d discovered her husband had transferred a quarter of a million pounds out of one of his bank accounts just a few days before he vanished.”
“Oh?” Jack suddenly seemed much more interested. “Are you sure about that?”
“Positive. She showed me the entry on the bank statement. I was just wondering if there’s any chance you might be able to track down the accou
nt that the money was sent to?”
“Probably not, but if you jot down the account number, I’ll see what I can do.”
That wasn’t the response I’d been expecting; I’d assumed he would say no, right off the bat. Curiosity got the better of me.
“How come you’re willing to do this?” I jotted down the number and handed it to him. “You normally tell me to get lost when I ask for help.”
“Don’t build your hopes up. I can’t promise I’ll come up with anything, but I’ll see what I can do.”
He was definitely up to something, but I couldn’t figure out what it was.
***
When I arrived at the office, there was a bunch of flowers on Mrs V’s desk.
“Do you have a secret admirer Mrs V?”
“These aren’t for me, Jill. They’re for you.”
She handed them to me, and I checked the card. “Our sincere apologies. Jimmy and Kimmy (AKA Breezy and Sneezy).”
“That’s nice of them, isn’t it dear? Will you forgive them now?”
“I suppose so. We all make mistakes, but I might let them sweat for a little while longer. I think they deserve that much.”
I was just about to go through to my office when Mrs V said, “Hattie came in earlier.”
“Wow, she’s an early bird.”
“She brought a selection of hats for you to try.”
“She never gives up, does she?”
“I’ve taken them through to your office.”
Winky was on my desk, surrounded by hats of all shapes, sizes and colours.
“What do you think of this one?” He was wearing a little green number with a flower on top.
“I think you look totally ridiculous.”
“How about this one, then?”
“Still ridiculous, and get off my desk, will you? Those hats aren’t for you.”
He jumped down, hurried across the room, and jumped onto the sofa. “Go on then,” he said. “Let’s see you try them on.”
“I don’t suit a hat.”
“Go on, what do you have to lose? Live a little.”
“Okay then.” I picked up a yellow one.
“What do you think of this?”
“Nah, that’s not you.”
“How about this one?”
“Too big. You look ridiculous.”
Twelve hats later: “That’s the one,” he said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, that one is definitely you.”
“I don’t have a mirror to look at myself.”
He jumped back onto my desk. “Give me your phone.”
I did as he said, and he snapped a photo of me and handed the phone back.
“I do look good in this, don’t I? I might keep this one.”
“Good for you. By the way, that psycho fairy was in here yesterday, rummaging through your drawers.”
“Edna? Yeah, I told her she could get the custard creams that I owed her.”
“She took the lot. Cleared out the drawer.”
“She did what?” I checked my desk, and he was right. “What a liberty!”
***
Alison Robbins’ husband, Charlie, had also vanished from a hotel. His disappearing act had taken place just over a year ago, from a hotel in Cromer. Alison lived in Mansfield, and she’d agreed that I could pay her a visit, but first I needed a coffee, so I called in at Coffee Games.
I’d no sooner walked through the door of the coffee shop than someone handed me a parcel. This was turning out to be my lucky day: First a bunch of flowers and now a present. I was just about to rip it open when someone grabbed my arm.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” he said.
“Sorry?”
“You can’t unwrap the parcel.”
“Why not? Someone just gave it to me.”
“Yes, but the music hasn’t stopped yet. Duh!”
That’s when I realised that I’d walked in on a game of pass the parcel.
“Oh, right. Sorry.” I handed it to the person nearest to me and then made my way to the counter where Piers was on duty.
“Morning, Piers.”
“Good morning, Jill. Your usual caramel latte and a muffin?”
“Yes, please. How’s business?”
“A bit quiet today. Pass the parcel isn’t one of our more popular games.”
Once I had my drink and cake, I headed towards a window table, but before I could take a seat, someone called my name. To my dismay, it was Mr Ivers who was sharing his booth with my green chum, Big.
“Won’t you come and join me, Jill?” Mr Ivers beckoned me over.
“I’d love to,” I said, through gritted teeth.
There was barely enough space for me to squeeze in next to Mr Ivers because Big was taking up all the room.
“Could you budge up a little, Mr Ivers?” I said, knowing full well that he couldn’t.
“I’m sorry, Jill, the seat next to me is a little damp,” he lied.
Big glanced over at me, but he still showed no sign of recognition.
“Is it your day off, Mr Ivers?”
“It is indeed. I thought I’d grab a quick coffee, then Big and I will—err—I mean I’ll do some work on the next newsletter.”
“Sorry, did you just say you and Big?”
“Err, no. It’s just me. No one else. I don’t know anyone called Big.”
Sure, you don’t. Snigger.
After a couple of minutes, Mr Ivers excused himself and went to the loo, leaving Big and me by ourselves.
“Hey, big guy. How’s it hanging?”
“Are you talking to me?”
“Don’t you remember me?”
“I don’t think so. Should I?”
“You were with me just a few days ago. I let you out of the trinket box.”
“That would explain it. Once I’ve had a sleep in the box, my memory is wiped clean, so I wouldn’t remember you. How long was I with you?”
“Quite a while.”
“Did we have a good time together?”
“Yes, I would say so.”
“Why did I end up back in the trinket box?”
“You said you were missing it, so I let you go back.”
“I see.”
“How are you getting on with Mr Ivers?”
“To tell you the truth, he’s a bit boring. All he ever talks about is movies and hand puppets. I might sneak back into the trinket box when he’s not looking.”
“Have you granted him any wishes?”
“Of course not. It’s too much hassle. Did I grant you any?”
“No, you didn’t.”
“It’s probably for the best. People always waste them.”
What kind of excuse was that? Who in their right mind would squander three perfectly good wishes?
After Mr Ivers and Big had left, I took one bite of the muffin, but I couldn’t face anymore because I was feeling a little queasy. What a waste.
I couldn’t stop worrying about Lizzie. Needless to say, I’d heard nothing from Martin, so I decided to pop down to Kathy’s shop, to see if I could find out how she was doing.
There was no one in the shop except for Kathy who looked surprised to see me.
“What brings you down here? Let me guess. You’re after a free drink.”
“Actually no. I’ve just been to Coffee Games, but thanks, anyway.”
“I probably shouldn’t tell you this, Jill, but I’ve got a new packet of custard creams in the back.”
“I’m okay, thanks.”
“Are you feeling all right? I’ve never known you to turn down a custard cream before.”
“I’ve just had a muffin and I’m quite full,” I lied.
“If you aren’t here to scrounge a drink, why are you here?”
I didn’t want to alarm Kathy by letting her see that I was worried about Lizzie, so I would have to be very subtle.
“Is Lizzie okay?” I blurted out. “I’m really worried about her.”
What do you mean that wasn’t very subtle?
“Lizzie? Yeah, she’s fine.”
“Are you sure? I thought she seemed a bit off it when Jack and I came over the other day.”
“She was out of sorts for a couple of days, but when she got up this morning, she was as bright as a button.”
“You’re not just saying that?”
“Of course not. She was bouncing around the house as normal this morning before she went to school.”
“That’s great. Anyway, I can’t stop, I have to go to Mansfield on a case I’m working on.”
“Okay, catch you later.”
I had planned to drive to Mansfield, but I was still feeling a little queasy, so I thought I’d save myself the bother and magicked myself there instead. Alison Robbins’ husband, Charlie, had disappeared from a hotel in Cromer, just over a year ago. As far as I could make out, the circumstances were very similar to Eddie Broom’s case, but I wanted to hear it directly from Alison.
She must have seen me walking up the drive because the door was open before I had the chance to knock.
“Hi, I’m Jill Maxwell. I called you yesterday.”
“Please come in. I was quite surprised to get your call. It’s a while now since anyone’s mentioned Charlie. Would you like a drink?”
“Not for me, thanks.”
“Let’s go through to the living room. We can talk in there.”
As soon as I walked into the room, I noticed several photographs on the sideboard, of Alison and a man with greying brown hair.
“Is that Charlie?”
“No, that’s Rupert, who I’m with now.”
“I see.”
“The truth is, Mrs Maxwell—”
“Please call me Jill.”
“The truth is, Jill, Charlie and I had started to drift apart long before he vanished. It would have been only a matter of time before the marriage had ended, even if he hadn’t disappeared. Rupert and I have been seeing each other for the best part of three months now. He’s so very different from Charlie. So giving, so caring.”
“I see.”
“What exactly did you want to ask me?”
“I’ve read the newspaper reports, but I’d like to hear your version of what happened.”