Witch is When The Penny Dropped (A Witch P.I. Mystery Book 6)

by Abbott, Adele

  “I haven’t seen it, but I’ve heard it. Damn row with their stupid drums and gongs.”

  “I quite like it.”

  “You would.”

  What was that supposed to mean? I didn’t get the chance to ask because she disappeared back inside the shop. Grandma’s empire was expanding. Not satisfied with ruling the world of yarn, she was now moving into the tea room business. I just hoped she didn’t decide to open shop in Candlefield. Cuppy C wouldn’t stand a chance against her marketing machine.

  ***

  I felt much better after a latte and ten minutes banging on a drum. I’d been a little disappointed only to get a snare drum, but the tenor and bass drums had already been snagged.

  In between writing chapters of her book, I’d had Mrs V track down the name of the maintenance company who looked after the apartment block where Gina Peel used to live. The man who’d been called out to the leak in her apartment was apparently called Joe. He covered a number of buildings in the Washbridge area, so we’d arranged to meet in the car park outside of Ultimate Plumbing Supplies—a superstore for the plumbing trade. I spotted his van which had the word ‘WIMPS’ in large letters on the side. Only when I got closer did I see the full name: Washbridge Industrial Maintenance and Plumbing Services.

  I pulled up alongside and gave him a wave. He smiled, climbed out of the van, and came over to my car.

  “Jill Gooder?” He had an accent which I couldn’t place.

  “Hi.” I climbed out of the car and shook his hand. “Thanks for agreeing to talk to me.”

  “No problem. Rather be talking to a pretty lady than have my head stuck under an ‘S’ bend.”

  I smiled. It was reassuring to know that I compared favourably to the underside of a sink. Joe was middle-aged with a beer belly, but he had a certain charm.

  “Yeah, I remember that job.” He said while rubbing his stubbly chin. “Mind you, I probably wouldn’t have remembered it if it hadn’t been for that woman being murdered. Nasty job that. Is that what you’re investigating?”

  “Yes. I understand the water got into the electrics, so she was forced to move out.”

  “That’s right. It wasn’t a big job. One of the pipes from the tank had come loose. Only took me a few minutes to sort out.”

  “Did you notice anything unusual?”

  “Not really.”

  “You don’t sound sure.”

  “Well to be honest, I’ve never seen one of those pipes come loose like that. Once they’re fixed in place, they usually stay there.”

  “Could it have been loosened deliberately?”

  “It’s possible, but I couldn’t say for sure.”

  “Has anyone else talked to you about this?”

  “What? Like the police you mean? No. You’re the only one.”

  I thanked Joe, and he drove away in his WIMPS van. I couldn’t help but think he must have got some stick from his friends over that acronym.

  I knew fate could be a strange thing, but I’d always been bothered by the fact that Gina Peel was killed in an apartment that she’d only moved to temporarily because of a water leak. Now Joe had suggested that the leak might have been caused deliberately, I was even more intrigued. I had to find out more about the apartment where she died.

  ***

  Normally I’d go out of my way to avoid Betty Longbottom—there was only so much sea shell news I could stand. But the poor woman was obviously struggling as she hobbled along the corridor in front of me.

  “Are you okay, Betty?”

  She turned to face me. The grimace on her face answered my question.

  “Hi, Jill.”

  “Are you alright?”

  “Yeah.” She managed a smile. “It’s nothing. My own silly fault really.”

  “What happened?”

  “Norman and I had a day at the seaside.”

  “Looking for shells?”

  “Yes, and bottle tops.”

  “Of course.”

  “Anyway, I insisted on paddling through the rock pools. Norman told me he’d seen a few large crabs around, but—well.”

  “You got bitten?”

  “Not bitten—pincered. It was enormous, and it had a hold of my big toe.”

  “Ouch.” Just the thought of it brought tears to my eyes.

  “What happened? Did Norman pull it off?”

  “He wanted to, but he’s allergic to crustaceans. They bring him out in a rash.”

  “Nasty.”

  “I managed to shake it off eventually, but not before it had made a real mess of my toe. It’s all red and swollen, and the nail has turned blue. Would you like to see it?” She started to take off her shoe.

  “No!” I yelled a little too loudly. “It’s okay. Where is Norman?”

  “He’s at his place. The shock brought on his bad stomach, so he’s staying in bed for a while.”

  “Poor you. Well I’d better get going. I hope your toe gets better soon.”

  Back inside my flat, I decided to scrap my original plan to go out for a sea-food platter.

  Chapter 13

  “So how did the date go?” Kathy asked when I called around at her place. For a moment the question threw me. I couldn’t think how she would have known about the date which Love Spell had arranged. Then the penny dropped, and I realised she meant my meal at Jack Maxwell’s place.

  “It was okay.”

  “That good, eh?”

  “No, it was nice.”

  “Nice? Steady my beating heart.”

  “What do you want me to say? It was a nice evening. The meal was delicious—”

  “So, Jack can cook then?”

  “No. He brought in a chef.”

  Kathy laughed.

  “He tried to make out he’d made it all himself, but then I went into the kitchen and saw Gordon Blare.”

  “Who’s he?”

  “The same chef I used when Luther came around.”

  She laughed. “Oh yes. Tell me again how the date with Luther went. I want to hear the full account.”

  “You’re not funny.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rub it in, but I really thought Luther was a keeper.” She hesitated, and I knew what was coming. “A bookkeeper.” She was bent double, laughing.

  “I don’t think it’s funny.”

  Kathy reached for a tissue and began to dab at her eyes.

  “I’m sorry. The whole thing must have been really taxing for you.”

  “Have you been saving these up?”

  She was still trying to get her breath when Peter appeared.

  “Is she giving you a hard time?” he said.

  “Doesn’t she always?”

  “Anyway, I have a bone to pick with you,” he said.

  “What have I done now?”

  “Do you remember what you told Kathy about the conmen?”

  “Yeah. Mrs V told me to warn you they were targeting anglers.”

  “Were they her exact words?”

  “I don’t remember exactly. Why?”

  “I walked all around the lake telling all the other anglers. It took me ages, but then when I got to one of the last guys, he just laughed at me. It turned out he’s something of a computer nerd. The con men aren’t going after anglers. It has nothing to do with ‘fishing’. It’s ‘phishing’ with a PH.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m not sure. He tried to explain it, but it was all nonsense to me. Something about emails and web pages that pretend to be something they aren’t.”

  “Why’s it called phishing?”

  He shrugged. “Anyway, thanks for making me look like an idiot. The guys took the mickey out of me in the pub all night for that one.”

  The kids were out at their friends’ houses. Lizzie was at Kylie’s, and Mikey was at Jimmy’s. Peter made dinner for us—roast chicken, mash and Yorkshire pudding with an assortment of vegetables. And he did it without the help of Gordon Blare.

  “You look tired, Peter,�
� I said. “Is the colonel overworking you?”

  He shook his head. “No. Work is fine. We just didn’t get much sleep last night, did we Kathy?”

  “None of us did,” she said. “I told you about the new neighbour, didn’t I?”

  “Is he still making a lot of noise?”

  “Last night was the worst yet. It was one in the morning before we finally got any sleep.”

  “I wanted to go around and have a word,” Peter said. “But Kathy said I should leave it. Something has to be done though—it’s getting ridiculous.”

  The meal was great, and I enjoyed the chance to chat with the two of them without the kids running riot. I left at the same time as Peter set off to collect them. Much as I loved my nephew and niece, I was shattered and couldn’t face the mayhem.

  As I drove home, I thought about what Kathy and Peter had said about their new neighbour, and then I remembered that the previous night had been a full moon.

  I had a voicemail from Drake. He wanted to talk, and suggested we meet in the park the following day. He said he’d be there at ten o’clock in the morning, and I only need call him back if I couldn’t make it. I’d planned to go over to Candlefield anyway, and it was time I had a chat with him about Raven.

  ***

  There was no sign of Betty when I got back to my flat, but I did walk straight into Mr Ivers. He beamed when he caught sight of me—I was no doubt a hero in his eyes for rescuing the movie journals. He’d probably still be thanking me for the next five years.

  “Jill, I’m glad I caught you. There’s something I have to say to you—”

  “It’s okay, Mr Ivers. There really is no need for thanks. Anyone would have done it.”

  “No, but—”

  “I’d rather we just forgot about it. Your journals are safe and that’s all that matters.”

  “That’s not why I wanted a word.”

  “Oh?”

  “You saw the damage to my flat.”

  “I did. It was a terrible thing.”

  “It’s going to cost me a fortune to put right.”

  “Still, the insurance should cover it.”

  “That’ll cover part of the cost, thank goodness, but not all of it. That’s why I wanted to talk to you.”

  I didn’t believe it. He was going to try to tap me for a loan. Well he was out of luck. I was barely making rent myself.

  “I’m sorry to tell you I’ll have to increase the cost of the newsletter subscription.”

  “The newsletter?”

  “Yes, and I’m afraid it’s going to be quite an increase. Double in fact.”

  “That’s a lot.”

  “But worth every penny, I’m sure you’ll agree. When I thought the journals were lost, I seriously considered packing it in altogether.”

  “Hold on. Are you saying if I hadn’t rescued those journals, you’d have given the newsletter up?”

  “Precisely.”

  Hoisted by my own petard.

  “Look Mr Ivers. I’m really sorry about what happened to your flat, but I can’t afford to pay double. I think I’m going to have to cancel.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I sighed, and tried to look suitably disappointed. “I think so.”

  “Even with the cancellation fee?”

  “What cancellation fee?”

  “Don’t you remember the paper you signed?”

  “I thought that was just the Direct Debit agreement.”

  “Didn’t you read the small print on the back?”

  The small print? “What did it say?”

  “It specified that you’ll have to pay the equivalent of two years’ cover price to cancel.”

  “Let me see if I’ve got this right. I can keep on getting the newsletter, or pay for two years to cancel?”

  “That’s about the size of it. I’ll leave you to mull it over.”

  Curiously, the option to cancel still seemed the more appealing of the two.

  ***

  I was in Candlefield bright and early the next day. The sky was blue, the sun was out and Barry was being more like Barry.

  “Can we go for a walk?”

  “Yes. That’s where we’re going now.”

  “I love to walk!”

  “Yes. I know you do.”

  “Are we going for a walk?”

  “Yes.”

  “When?”

  “Right now.”

  “Great. Let’s go!”

  “You seem much happier than the last time I saw you,” I said.

  “That nice vet gave me lots of treats.”

  “The vet? Have you been poorly?”

  “No. I had the snap. It wasn’t too bad. I was asleep while he did it.”

  “Who took you to the vet?”

  “Lucy.”

  I was surprised, but kind of relieved. I was a bit squeamish when it came to that kind of thing.

  I knocked on the window of Cuppy C, and caught Amber’s attention.

  “Going to the park!” I mouthed.

  She gave me the thumbs up.

  I glanced across the road, and saw the cakes in Best Cakes were now earthbound. Aunt Lucy must have relented and reversed the spell. Presumably, not before Miles had promised to say nothing to the twins.

  Drake was already waiting for me in the park. It seemed an age since I’d seen him. Our two dogs were soon chasing one another around, which left us free to talk.

  “Have you heard from Raven?” I asked.

  He shook his head. Should I tell him about the threats which Alicia had made against his brother? I decided against it—no point in worrying him unduly.

  “I have discovered something though,” he said. “I tracked down one of his friends, and according to him, Raven has been hanging around with a gang for the last year or so.”

  “What kind of gang?”

  “I don’t know. The only information I could get out of him was the name: The Skulls.”

  “Nice. And you have no idea where they hang out?”

  He shook his head.

  “I’ll see what I can find out.”

  “Thanks, Jill. I really do appreciate your help.”

  It was the least I could do after misjudging Drake so badly.

  “I’d really like for us to go out together sometime—unless you’re seeing someone?” he said.

  Was I seeing someone? Luther Stone—only in my dreams. Jack Maxwell—maybe, but who knew?

  “I’d like that.”

  “Maybe you could come around to my place,” he said. “I could cook us a meal. I’m quite the cook, even if I do say so myself.”

  Yeah—I’d heard that one before.

  “I think I’d like to eat out if it’s all the same to you.”

  “Sure. No problem. In Candlefield or in Washbridge?”

  “In Candlefield, I think. You pick somewhere and let me know. I’m sure we’ll be able to find a night when we’re both free.”

  I made the mistake of telling Barry it was time for us to go home before I had him on the lead. I could see Drake laughing in the distance, as he walked his well behaved dog to the gates. I was left chasing Barry up and down the park. By the time I eventually cornered him, I was absolutely exhausted.

  “That was fun!” Barry said.

  “Are you okay, Jill?” Pearl said. I’d taken Barry upstairs, and then gone back down to the tea room. “You look kind of—”

  “Shattered? I am. I’ve just spent the last fifteen minutes chasing that soft dog all around the park.”

  “You should have taken the ‘Barkies’ with you.”

  “What are ‘Barkies’?”

  “They’re a dog treat. They’re brilliant. It’s what the vet gave Barry after he’d had the snip. He goes wild for them, so whenever we take him for a walk, we put a handful in our pockets. When we want him to come to us, all we have to do is shout, ‘Barkies’.”

  “Don’t people give you funny looks?”

  “Sometimes, but it’s worth it.” />
  “I wish you’d told me about them before I took him out today.”

  “Amber said she was going to tell you.”

  “No, I didn’t.” Amber had walked through from the cake counter. “You said you’d tell her.”

  “Did not!”

  “Did too!”

  “Okay, okay.” I stepped in. “At least I know about them now. Sounds like they’re worth their weight in gold. I’ll have a cup of coffee, and then I’ll get back to Washbridge.”

  “You can’t go back,” Amber said.

  “Have you forgotten?” Pearl pointed to the notice board.

  “Is that today?”

  The fancy dress competition had completely slipped my mind.

  “Sorry girls. I don’t think I can make it.”

  “You have to, Jill.”

  “Yeah, you promised.”

  Synchronised pouting—got to love it.

  “Did you two get costumes?”

  “We did.”

  “Salt and pepper?”

  “No chance. That was a stupid idea—even by Mum’s standards.”

  “So what did you get? Show me.”

  “You have to wait until tonight. It’s a surprise.”

  “Have you seen each other’s costumes?”

  They both nodded. That was a relief; they had a bad habit of buying identical outfits.

  “Okay. I guess I can stay. I hope I’m not the only one there without a costume though.”

  “You won’t be.”

  “Do you know someone else who is going without a costume?”

  “No, that’s not what we meant.”

  They giggled. It was never a good sign when they giggled.

  “What?”

  They giggled some more and then the light bulb went on.

  “You didn’t. Tell me you didn’t!”

  “We did. We couldn’t let you go without a costume.”

  “What is it?”

  “We can’t tell you—it’s a secret. You’ll find out tonight. You’re going to love it.”

  Somehow, I doubted that.

  Chapter 14

  “No way!” I protested. “Not happening!”