by Adele Abbott
It wasn’t Kathy.
“Jack?”
“I’m sorry to drop in on you unannounced like this, but I was in the area, so I thought I’d just pop over on the off chance. If you’re going out or if you’ve got company, I can leave.”
Jack Maxwell calling on me, unannounced? Things were looking up.
“No, it’s okay. Come in. Can I get you a coffee or tea? I’m out of custard creams, but I have chocolate digestives, if you’d like one?”
What? Who are you calling selfish?
“Chocolate digestives are fine by me. Look, I’ll be honest with you, Jill. I hoped you might have time to show me your collection of dancing medals.”
Oh bum! What was I supposed to do now? They were still in the box that Lottie had given to me. I hadn’t even had a chance to look through them.
“You do have them here, don’t you? Kathy said you kept them in the flat.”
“She did say that, didn’t she? They’re in a box somewhere, and they’re probably very dusty. I haven’t taken them out for ages. I’d like to clean them up before you see them.”
“No need for that. I understand how difficult it must be to keep them all clean. Particularly when you have as many as you do. I thought maybe we could take a quick look at them. You could talk me through where and how you won them.”
“That sounds great.”
What was I supposed to do? Maybe I could just bluff my way through it. How difficult could it be?
“Okay, I’ll go get them.”
I fetched the box from the wardrobe, and put it on the coffee table. “There you go.”
“Wow! I didn’t realise you had so many. It’s probably just as well you weren’t able to take part in the competition; you would have made me look like a complete amateur.”
He pulled open the box, grabbed the first medal, and looked a little puzzled. When he picked out the next one, he looked even more confused. He took out two or three more, and put them all on the coffee table.
“I don’t understand. Why do they all say Lottie Baines on them?”
Oh no! It had never occurred to me that they’d have her name engraved on them.
“Lottie Baines? Err—that’s my stage name.”
“Stage name?”
“Yeah. Mum and Dad didn’t like to have mine and Kathy’s names all over the papers, so they said we should use stage names when we went dancing. I chose Lottie Baines.”
“What was Kathy’s stage name?”
“Kathy’s? Err—Anastasia—err—Belgrave.”
“Anastasia Belgrave?”
“Yeah.”
“And did Kathy win many medals?”
“None. She has two left feet.”
“It’s probably just as well. I’m not sure they would have been big enough to accommodate her name.”
I somehow managed a smile.
Jack went through every medal, and asked me if I could remember the competition where I’d won it. Luckily for me, I have a vivid imagination, so I was able to make up all kinds of rubbish. Like the time I’d just managed to beat the local favourite to win the paso doble, and how I tied for first place in the foxtrot at Llandudno.
If I’d had any sense, I would have come clean and told him the truth, but the time for that was long gone. I should have been honest with him when he first asked me to be his partner, or at least on the day of the policemen’s ball. There was no way I could do it now. Anyway, he seemed satisfied with my fairy stories.
When he’d been through them all, he said, “One thing’s for sure, Jill. When you and I enter the next competition, we can’t fail to win.”
“Are there likely to be many more?”
“Lots of them. I’ll let you know when the next one is.”
“Great. Thanks.”
Chapter 4
If Jean Cumberland had been hoping to hammer on a gong, she was out of luck because it was triangle day. Just the thought of a triangle made me shudder; I’d always had an irrational fear of them.
As soon as I stepped inside the coffee shop, I spotted a young woman, sitting alone, playing a triangle.
“Jean?”
“Jill? Sorry, I was miles away. The triangle reminds me of my school days.”
“Mine, too. Not good memories though.” I took the seat opposite her.
“I’m not sure there’s much I can tell you about the woman who disappeared, but I’m happy to answer your questions.”
“Thanks. Was it your first bungee jump?”
“It would have been. I was absolutely terrified. It wasn’t even my idea. My stupid sister signed us up for it, and only told me after she’d done it.”
“My sister’s a bit like that too, but at least Kathy hasn’t signed me up for bungee jumping yet.”
“When we arrived at the bridge, I was scared to death. I was literally shaking. Sharron, that’s my sister, said I had to go through with it because she’d already paid. I would have gladly paid her back double not to have to jump, but she wasn’t having any of it. As it turned out, it didn’t matter.”
“Can you talk me through what happened?”
“There were two of them running the show: a man and a woman. I think they were man and wife. Anyway, the man checked that our harnesses were fastened correctly, got us to remove our jewellery, and gave us each a bag to put our possessions in. Then, he told us to go over to the side of the bridge. The woman instructor was already sitting astride the railings.”
“Did the man stay with you?”
“No. Once he’d checked our harnesses, he went back to the transit van which was parked on the road. He locked our possessions in it.”
“And the woman?”
“She was supposed to jump off the bridge so that we could see exactly what was involved. Then it would be our turn.”
“Did the man check her harness?”
“No. He only checked ours. I assumed she knew what she was doing.”
“Then what happened?”
“She said, ‘Watch me, because in a few minutes you’ll be doing this. Three, two, one.’
Then she threw herself backwards off the bridge. None of us moved; we just stood there open-mouthed. The man came back over to us just as the cord came flying back up. She wasn’t on it. Somebody screamed, and I said to Sharron, ‘She must be dead.’
We all looked down into the valley. I expected to see her lying on the rocks, but there was no sign of a body. The man rushed off the bridge, and started to make his way down the hillside. We followed because we didn’t really know what else to do. Then, when we got to the valley floor, we all searched for the woman. I thought for sure we’d find her body, but there was no trace of her.”
“How did her husband seem?”
“That was the funny thing. He wasn’t as upset as I would have expected. Maybe it was just the shock.”
***
I’d asked Mrs V to check what was left of the Yellow Pages to find the name of the competing bungee jumping company that Tony Bow owned.
“It’s called ‘Jump To It’.”
“Jump Twit? Are you sure about that? That’s a very strange name.”
“Of course I’m sure. Look!” She pointed to a large ad on the page under the heading of ‘Bungee Jumping’.
“Ah! ‘Jump To It’.”
“That’s what I said.”
I called the number, and a young woman answered, “Jump To It. How can I help you?”
“Is that the company which Tony Bow owns?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Can I have a word with him?”
“He’s not in at the moment. He’s taking a class.”
“It’s rather important that I speak to him.”
“I can give him a message.”
“Is there any chance you could tell me where I could find him? It’s rather urgent that I speak to him today.”
“He’s out at Greenland Valley. Do you know the footbridge there?”
“Yeah, I know the one.
What time is he likely to be finished with the class?”
“About two o’ clock. He told me he’d call in then to see if there were any enquiries he needed to respond to.”
“So, if I got there around two, I might catch him?”
“You can try, but I can’t promise.”
I parked in the car park at one end of the footbridge that spanned the Greenland Valley. There were three other vehicles there, including a van with the name ‘Jump To It’ on the side. As there was only one person on the bridge, I assumed the class must have finished.
“Are you Tony Bow?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“Your office said I’d find you here.”
“If you want to make a booking, you’ll need to do it through the office because they’ve got my diary.”
“It isn’t about a booking. My name is Jill Gooder. I’m a private investigator.”
He stopped what he was doing and stared at me. “Is it about Carly Baxter?”
“You’ve heard about it?”
“Of course. I saw it in the paper. It was only a matter of time until something like this happened.”
“What do you mean?”
“Until someone was killed.”
“What makes you think Carly is dead? She’s only missing.”
“If she fell off the footbridge over Wyre Valley, she’s dead. You can trust me on that one.”
“What did you mean when you said it was only a matter of time?”
“Gerry Baxter’s always been all about the money. He undercuts me at every turn. But he can only do it because he takes shortcuts. His attention to safety is not what it should be.”
“Have you lost much business to him?”
“He’s definitely taken some customers with his silly prices, but I still do okay. And, at least I can sleep at night. I know my customers aren’t risking life and limb when they bungee jump with me. I wouldn’t want any of my family or friends jumping with him.”
“Do you have any idea how she could have just disappeared like that?”
“None. It’s impossible. Either you’re on the cord or you’re not. If you’re not, then you’re plunging to your death. Something doesn’t smell right about this.”
“How’d you mean?”
“I wouldn’t trust Gerry Baxter as far as I could throw him. If I were you, I’d start by asking him where his wife’s body is.”
“How well do you know Carly?”
“We met from time to time. She seemed nice enough.”
“That’s all?”
“What else?”
“Apparently, her husband accused her of having an affair with you.”
He laughed. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
“So it’s not true?”
“Of course it isn’t. That husband of hers is a complete idiot.”
“Okay. Thanks for your time, Mr Bow.”
“No problem.”
Either he was telling the truth or he was a very good liar.
***
My door was ajar, and I could hear voices in the outer office. I recognised them immediately; it was Mr and Mrs Pride—Gertie’s parents. My heart sank. I had a horrible feeling I knew why they were here. Since Gertie had moved to Washbridge, she’d landed herself in a lot of trouble by using magic at other people’s expense. And she’d apparently told her parents that it was all my idea.
“Mr and Mrs Pride are here,” Mrs V said.
I considered saying I was too busy to see them, but it would only be putting off the inevitable.
“Send them in, Mrs V.”
They greeted me like a long lost friend; that was encouraging, at least.
“Nice to see you again, Jill,” Mr Pride said. “How are you keeping? How’s the dart playing?”
“I don’t play much these days.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Winky rolling around on the sofa in hysterics. Thankfully, the Prides didn’t seem to notice. “Have a seat. Would you like a drink?”
“No, we’re okay,” Mr Pride said. “Look, you know we’ll always be grateful to you for finding Gertie for us.”
I sensed a ‘but’ coming.
“But—”
See! What did I tell you?
Mrs Pride stepped in. “Look, Jill. Gertie tells us that you’ve encouraged her to use magic in Washbridge. To play tricks on people—just for a laugh.”
Oh, boy.
“That’s not really true. When I first met Gertie, she was totally against moving to the human world. She was particularly worried she wouldn’t be able to use magic in Washbridge. I wanted her to realise that she didn’t have to give up her magic, but I did say that she’d have to be careful not to let humans see what she was doing.”
“I thought it was probably something like that,” Mrs Pride said. “I think Gertie only listened to half of what you said.”
Her husband nodded. “Have you heard what she’s been up to?”
I wasn’t sure whether the Prides knew that Gertie had already been to see me, but there was no point in trying to hide it now.
“She did actually call in a little while ago with her two friends, Holly and Juniper. She told me that they’d been playing tricks on people using magic, and that she’d been in trouble at school.”
“The school isn’t very happy with her at all,” Mr Pride said. “We’ve been called in a couple of times now. She’s using magic to mess about and play tricks on the teachers. Fortunately, no one’s worked out what she’s doing yet, but she’s not going to get away with it forever. We’re really worried. Sooner or later she’s going to overstep the mark, and someone back in Candlefield will hear about it.”
“When she came to see me, I told her that the Rogue Retrievers were on the lookout for sups who were abusing their magical powers in the human world. I thought that might shake her up a little, and make her think again.”
“I can’t say we’ve noticed much difference in her behaviour,” Mr Pride said. “We were called in only yesterday by the headmaster. Gertie had apparently upset one of the other children.”
“Doing what?”
“We don’t know the precise details, but apparently one of the other girls had said something nasty to Gertie. Shortly afterwards, the same girl came running out of the toilet, screaming her head off. Gertie had cast a spell which made the poor girl see a pig’s head when she checked the mirror. Gertie reversed the spell as soon as the girl came back into the classroom, but the damage was already done. The teacher didn’t know exactly what had happened, but he was pretty sure Gertie was behind it. Which of course she was.
The headmaster called us in, and said that we needed to have a word with Gertie and sort it out because wherever she went, trouble seemed to follow. We sat Gertie down last night, and had a long chat with her. She said she was sorry, but she didn’t really look it. I have a horrible feeling that it’s going to carry on. If they throw her out of school, I don’t know what we’ll do. We might not get her into another school in Washbridge, and what happens then? If we have to move back to Candlefield, I’ll be out of a job.” Mr Pride sighed. “I’m not sure if there’s anything you can do, Jill, but we thought we’d come to see you just in case.”
“I think I know a way to stop her bad behaviour.”
“What exactly did you have in mind?”
“I’d rather not say. It’s nothing nasty or horrible, but hopefully it will have the desired effect. What do you think? Will you trust me to do this?”
They both nodded.
Chapter 5
The next morning, I heard something being pushed through the letterbox, and found a leaflet lying on the mat. I assumed it was yet more advertising rubbish. When I picked it up, I realised it was actually an invitation with my name handwritten on the top. I opened the door to see who had delivered it, but the corridor was empty.
The leaflet was headed Z-Watch. I had a quick skim through it, but there was very little detail. It seemed to be some kind of N
eighbourhood Watch scheme. But why call it Z-Watch? Then, the penny dropped. I lived on the Zander estate; Z for Zander. They were probably leafleting people to see if they could attract new recruits.
When I set off for work, I found Luther, Mr Ivers, and Betty all in the front entrance, chatting.
“Hey, guys. Have you all received an invitation to join the local Neighbourhood Watch?”
Mr Ivers shook his head.
“I didn’t.” Betty shrugged.
“I haven’t received anything either,” Luther said. “When did you get it?”
“Just now. I assumed they were contacting everyone to try and find new recruits.”
“Perhaps they targeted you because you’re a private investigator,” Luther said. “They probably thought you would be ideally suited.”
“That could be it, I suppose.”
“You should join,” Mr Ivers said.
“Yeah,” Betty agreed. “You should definitely join. The crime rates around here are soaring.”
That was rich coming from our resident shoplifter.
“I agree,” Luther said. “I’d feel a lot safer knowing that people like you are watching the neighbourhood for us.”
My phone rang.
“I’m just on my way out, Kathy.”
“I only called for a quick chat. How’s things?”
“Okay. I just got invited to join the Neighbourhood Watch.”
“You should do it, Jill.”
“I’m busy enough already.”
“I would have thought if anyone had the time, it would be you. Pete and I are in our Neighbourhood Watch.”
“I don’t remember you mentioning it.”
“It’s no big deal. We meet about once a month for an hour or so to discuss any problems anyone is aware of. Generally, though, it’s just a question of keeping a lookout to make sure there are no suspicious characters about—other than you of course.”
“You’re so funny.”
“I do my best.”
“So, do you think I should check it out?”
“Why not? It’s not like you’re forced to sign up. Just go along and hear what they have to say.”