Acting Up

by A. A. Albright

  ‘Inner Light, you say?’ I took a step closer to the desk. ‘That’s funny, because I’ve heard quite a lot of people say that Mandy had no such thing.’

  ‘Me too.’ Finn began picking masks up and examining them. ‘I’ve even heard her referred to as a wicked witch.’ He brought his attention to Guillermo, a sharp smile on his face. ‘So cut the crap, Guillermo. What does Mandy’s mask actually do?’

  The mask maker kept the same impassive expression on his face, continuing to work on his current project. ‘You’re right, of course. Mandy was a tricky customer to work with. She made at least twenty visits before we got it right and, in the end, we had to forgo the idea of Inner Light because, well, she simply didn’t have any. We found a different mask for her.’

  He pulled a large wooden box from beneath the counter, placing it in front of me and opening the lid. It was filled with jars of a clear, sticky-looking substance, and some different coloured threads and needles, and – more concerning – dozens of small, sharp knives. ‘These are the bits and bobs one needs to make the mask known as Deepest Desire. I’ve made very few of these masks in my time, because few can afford them.’

  ‘How does the mask work?’ I asked, peering at the thread in the box. One of the spools seemed to be unravelling, the end of the thread beginning to point itself in my direction.

  Guillermo snapped the box shut. ‘It works by giving the wearer their deepest desire, obviously. Whatever it might be at the time when they wear it. But it can be quite a wearing mask. Literally. One needs quite a lot of glamours to compensate for the damage it can do over time. So Mandy only wore hers while the episodes were being taped – or occasionally at a public event. As her deepest desire was to be famous, I think you can agree that I did not sell her a dud.’

  I could understand the desire to be famous, to be popular and to be loved. I sometimes got a thrill when victims thanked me for catching the people who had done them harm, and I knew Finn loved it when women fawned all over him. But even so, there was something about Mandy’s choice of mask – and even her search for a mask in the first place – which confused me.

  ‘Guillermo, I knew Mandy Parker,’ I said. ‘And if you worked with her for long enough to find her the right mask, then you knew her, too. She believed that everyone loved her exactly as she was. So why would she believe she needed a mask in order to become famous? And how did she hear about you in the first place? Someone else brought her here, didn’t they?’

  Finally, the smile broke free. For a brief moment, I could almost see his teeth – a little too sharp and shiny for my liking – before his face returned to its usual placid expression. ‘Mandy didn’t come here of her own volition, as it happens. On her first few visits, many moons ago, she was not alone. And as we tried again and again to make the Inner Light work for her, her companion told me to try out the Deepest Desire. He also told me that Mandy must never know which mask she was wearing. He wanted to preserve her sense of self-love, you see.’

  ‘Wanted to preserve her delusion, more like,’ Finn drawled. ‘Just spit it out. Who was this companion? Will Berry?’

  Guillermo looked puzzled. ‘Will? Goodness, no. Although I believe his father did try to bring him, once or twice. His father also happened to be the one who took Mandy here – and paid handsomely for her fittings.’

  Finn looked vaguely surprised, but soon hid it. ‘So Mandy went shopping with her daddy-in-law to be? That’s sweet. Do you happen to remember when this might have been, Guillermo? Obviously it wasn’t too recently.’

  ‘But of course. It was three years ago, precisely. Just before Mandy first auditioned for Be My Witch. Kilian Berry was a regular on Samhain Street back then. He knew my shop well and – and this is only my opinion on the matter – I believe he saw a kindred spirit in Mandy. Felt that she could do well in the coven, under his tutelage. Everything she has, she owes to Kilian Berry. Well – to my mask as well, of course.’

  It was getting difficult to stay focused on the task. Everything I was learning was making me feel a little bit heady. Will had been right about his father. He had planned for Mandy to be his daughter-in-law long before she ever started up with Will. No wonder the Berrys were so annoyed when Will showed an interest in me. And seeing as, up until five minutes ago, I had no idea that something like a Deepest Desire mask even existed, it was becoming all too easy to believe that Will’s dad could have gotten someone to perform the spell Will described – binding his life force to mine, and to Sylvia’s.

  I was all out of shudders, so I quivered instead. Why couldn’t my life just be simple?

  ‘So, you helped Mandy Parker fool the world into becoming her fan club,’ I said, pressing on with the interview. ‘Well, that explains a lot. At least now I know why people loved Mandy on TV and hated her in reality. So who else have you helped over the years, Guillermo?’

  The smile began to hint at his lips again. ‘Who else indeed? But my conditions are quite clear.’ He pointed to a contract pinned up behind the counter. Were those teeth pinning it in place? I swapped my quiver for a judder. ‘I’m a mask maker, nothing more. What people do with those masks is up to them. And before you ask, I have all the requisite permits to carry out my business.’

  We already knew that. The businesses on Samhain Street had always been given far more leeway than I would have liked. There was a clause in each and every lease which meant that inspections were carried out less frequently than in any other magical business.

  My mother was trying to tighten things up, but just because she was Minister for Magical Law did not mean she could change the world all at once. She was up against a lot of opposition in the Wyrd Court where Samhain Street was concerned. But if this place was part of an active murder investigation, then maybe she’d finally be able to give it, and the rest of the street, the proper inspections they deserved.

  ‘Tell us about the other masks,’ Finn said. ‘Mandy wasn’t the only one on that cast who wore one, was she? Do you happen to have anything in black and white?’

  ‘Ah.’ Something flashed across Guillermo’s eyes. ‘So that’s where they went.’

  It seemed like the sort of sentence that ought to lead to more, but more didn’t seem to be coming. Clearly Guillermo liked it when people had to resort to pulling teeth – that way he’d have some spare in case he needed to pin anything else to the wall.

  Finn finally gave up waiting. ‘What do you mean by that?’ he barked.

  ‘The masks just above the counter,’ Guillermo replied, a curious tone to his voice. ‘Can you see them?’

  I craned my neck so I could see where he was pointing. ‘That’s an empty shelf,’ I said. ‘Unless you count the spider city you’ve got going up there.’ I looked at Finn. ‘You see anything?’

  He gave me a puzzled shake of his head. ‘Aren’t spiders supposed to be solitary? These guys look like a street gang.’

  They really did. They were brown, hairy, and kind of intimidating looking. They scuttled to the edge of the shelf and, though I couldn’t be sure, I had a notion that they were sizing us up. Yup, my judder was becoming the jitters. Was one of those spiders actually holding a tiny knife?

  ‘My spiders are quite the little family,’ said Guillermo with a fond smile, leaning across the counter and waving his hand in the direction of the shelf. ‘How about now? Take a look again.’

  I looked up, blinking and wiping my eyes. The spiders were still there, but now they were standing in front of a line of black and white masks. One side of each mask had an upturned mouth, the other had the mouth turned down. But it was clear that some of the masks had been recently removed. There were four gaps in the long line. There was a sign, too, that hadn’t been there before. In glittering gold writing, it said: Inner Demon Masks.

  ‘Inner Demon?’ I gasped. ‘Who’d want to wear something with a name like that? And why were they hidden when we first came in?’

  ‘Inner Demon?’ Finn frowned at me. ‘The sign says that they’re Inner
Fire masks, Wanda.’

  Guillermo looked at us both, then he tilted his head and looked at me like he was trying to see inside mine. ‘So, the sign says Inner Demon when the Wayfarer looks at it?’ He scratched his chin, then chuckled. ‘Well, well, well. Not many see the truth of that sign.’

  He brought his eyes to Finn. ‘But don’t feel bad, Captain Plimpton. At least you didn’t immediately see the masks. Unfortunately, a good many people do see them before I reveal them.’ He came around and lifted one down. ‘These are Inner Demon masks, Miss Wayfair. But when most people see them – just like Mr Plimpton here – the sign says Inner Fire. And the people who immediately see the masks are the people for whom the masks hold an appeal. You see, these masks do ignite an inner fire, of sorts. They’re living things, in a way. They sense your deepest desire, and help you achieve it. They give you the confidence, as well as the strength and the power, to see it through to the end.’

  ‘Power,’ I mused. ‘Could they make a person go virtually undetected, even against the best technology?’

  Guillermo nodded. ‘If that was what the wearer needed to get the task done, then I don’t see why not. As long as you’re wearing the mask, you could probably do anything. Theoretically, one could be invisible without the use of an invisibility spell, or fast without the use of a speed spell, and so on.’

  ‘You say theoretically.’ Finn narrowed his eyes. ‘I don’t like that word. That word means that you’re selling these masks even though you have no idea what they do.’

  A smug look crossed his features. ‘But Captain Plimpton, look more closely at the sign.’

  Beneath the words Inner Demon, in the tiniest writing ever, the sign said: For Display Purposes Only. Not for Sale Under Any Circumstances.

  ‘I’m a responsible business owner. The ramifications of selling these masks … well, I wouldn’t dare consider. But certain people do seem rather attracted to them when they come into the shop. Almost irresistibly so. And if these masks happen to have a mind of their own and disappear soon afterwards – possibly following the one who coveted them home – well I can hardly be held responsible for that, now can I?’

  Finn’s face was thunderous. ‘Businesses on Samhain Street got away with murder – sometimes literally – while my aunt Justine was in power. But even her regime wouldn’t have stood by and let you sell dark objects with a mind of their own.’

  ‘Who says they’re dark objects?’

  Finn move closer to Guillermo. ‘I say. So if you don’t want the rest of this interview to go very badly for you, Mr Moriarty, then tell me who you think those four missing masks might have followed home.’

  He stared stubbornly at Finn. ‘Now, how am I supposed to do that? I don’t have cameras in my shop, Captain Plimpton.’

  ‘Maybe you do and maybe you don’t,’ Finn said, a deadly edge to his voice. ‘But we have scryers who are more than capable of seeing the comings and goings of this seedy little shop.’

  Guillermo’s face was going a little wan. No doubt he knew all about Christine and her ability to record images from the past as well as the future in her scrying bowl. ‘Ah, yes. Well, now that I think about it, there was someone I noticed over the last few weeks. He was hanging about on the street outside, behaving rather shiftily when Mandy brought her mask in for a little maintenance. Ned believed he might be following Miss Parker. He kept it up for a few days, trying to get back here to speak to me. Eventually we let him back and … well … yes, I would say he seemed a little enamoured with the Inner Fire masks.’

  ‘Inner Fire.’ I rolled my eyes. ‘You’ve already admitted they’re Inner Demon masks, Moriarty. And they probably come with their very own demon inside. What did this man look like?’

  ‘Well …’ Guillermo tapped a finger against his chin. ‘He wore a scarf and a hat, even though it was rather hot that day.’

  Finn and I looked at one another. Once again, I knew exactly what he was thinking: Bruno.

  And if four masks just happened to follow Bruno home – through no fault of Guillermo Moriarty’s, obviously – then what had Bruno done with the other three? If Dashell Berry was one of the wearers, then who else was involved?

  ‘We have to go,’ Finn said. ‘In the meantime, we’re shutting you down, pending a full investigation.’

  Guillermo ignored Finn and gave me an almost apologetic smile. ‘I can’t let you do that, I’m afraid.’

  I was just about to tell him he didn’t have a choice when the room began to spin. And I don’t mean that in any figurative sort of a way. The room was actually spinning, and it was moving far too fast for my stomach to handle. It was worse than when Jasper jiggered me around the community hall. In fact, if Mandy were alive and spinning my way right now, I’d probably be the one who puked on her.

  As the pace picked up, everything in the room whooshed past us and blinked out of existence. I saw Guillermo’s face, just briefly, before he was gone. I even saw the knife-wielding spider give me a sharp-toothed grin before he, too, disappeared.

  Finn and I fell over almost as soon as the nightmare began. Even when the spinning slowed to a stop, and we found ourselves lying on a bare, dirty floor and looking at an empty room, we took our time getting up.

  ‘What just happened?’ Finn asked eventually, crawling on his hands and knees towards the wall, placing his hands against it and using it to help him up. I had no hope of making it that far, but luckily my boss was a right old gent. Well, young gent. He helped me up, and continued to prop me in an upright position until the dizziness subsided.

  ‘That,’ I said, peering around, ‘was the perfect getaway.’ My eyes fell to the one, lone item on the floor: a sack that looked like it had been sewn out of silver. There was a piece of paper alongside it, and Finn and I staggered our way there and read the note:

  When you track down the masks, put them in this sack as quickly as possible – unless you want your own little demons rearing their heads. Till next we meet,

  GM

  ≈

  Considering Ned’s eyes were red and raw from crying, I was inclined to believe her when she said she didn’t know where Guillermo and his shop had gone. Every tremble-inducing inch of her own shop was unfortunately intact, but where the mask store had been there was now nothing but a small closet.

  When she first laid eyes on the empty space her unlikely lover had left behind him, she sank to her knees and screamed, ‘Come back, my love! Come back!’ I was a little curious as to how a man who looked like him could inspire such a strong reaction in a woman who looked like her, but it didn’t seem like the right time to ask.

  Finding Guillermo was a task that would have to wait for another day, because just then, Finn’s phone began to ring.

  ‘It’s Paul,’ he said, eyeing the screen. ‘Wonder what he’s found. Shoot, Paul. I’ve got you on speaker.’

  Paul’s voice was excited as he spoke. ‘I’ve tracked him, boss!’ he cried. ‘I know exactly where Dashell Berry is right now.’

  20. The Valley of the Wizard Finder Wally

  You might have heard of witch finders or witch hunters. But in the supernatural world, witches aren’t the ones who need to hide. Historically, we’ve been the ones who make all other supernaturals want to run for cover. Sure, some of us are sweetness and light. But when I hear about some of the witches from the past, I can see why some humans think of us as being pure evil.

  For such a powerful man, Wally O’Hare really was a wally. He was one of the wizard finders the Wyrd Court employed in the past, during one of the many occasions when witches decided wizards didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as them.

  Wally O’Hare did terrible things in his job. Things so bad that he couldn’t live with himself. Instead, though, of giving up the role of wizard finder and going on to help wizards and other downtrodden supernaturals, Wally took the route that far too many people take. He decided that if he pushed away the memories of the things he did (and sometimes the evidence) it was almost a
s if he was a good guy.

  Instead of swallowing his dastardly deeds down with the help of drink, drugs or the like, Wally literally pushed the bad things from his mind. He created a small enclave in the south of Ireland, a mountainous area with a chasm so deep that (reportedly) there was no bottom. And into this gap, Wally threw away his bad memories, and also a lot of his innocent victims.

  In the years after Wally passed, wizards hypothesised that there might be a valley at the bottom of that chasm, a valley where their long lost relatives, victims of the Wizard Finder Wally, might still be living to this day. Despite numerous attempts, no wizard has ever managed to travel far enough down the chasm to find out if such a valley exists, but to this day, witches go to the chasm to throw away the things they’d rather forget.

  As we stood there, watching a frozen Dashell with a black and white mask in his hands, I thought of all the things I might throw into the gap. Questionable fashion choices. The evidence of the entire apple tart I’d eaten the previous Friday. And of course, the ex-boyfriend of my nightmares, Gabriel Godbody.

  Finn approached Dashell cautiously. Sure, we’d managed to freeze him for now, but we’d seen what that mask could do. It made the wearer incredibly fast, judging by the blurs that had been seen. It made them powerful, too, seeing as they’d managed to strangle Mandy. And because we’d had such difficulty narrowing down magical signatures and auras at the murder scenes, it was possible that the mask also veiled any discernible trace of the person who wore it.

  ‘I’ve got it,’ Finn said breathlessly as he took the mask. As soon as he had it in his hands, he shivered. ‘Give me that weird silver sack, Wanda. This thing’s already doing a number on me. I have the strongest urge to stick it on and use it to kill my mother.’