by Adele Abbott
“And, you must be Jill,” she with the perfect hair said. “My mother’s told me a lot about you. You’re a private investigator, I believe?”
“That’s right.”
“That must be really exciting.”
“It can be sometimes.”
“I’m here to collect Justin. Mum’s been looking after him for me. He’s such a little treasure, aren’t you?” She pulled Justin close to her. “Such an angel.”
Angel? That little monster had been trying to kill the birds on my bird bath with his catapult.
Justin stuck out his tongue at me—unseen by his mother.
“Have you tasted any of my mother’s baking, Jill?”
“Err—yeah, your mum often gives us buns and cakes.” Unfortunately.
“They’re jolly good, aren’t they?”
“Yeah, very nice.”
I couldn’t make my mind up whether Sheila Thyme genuinely believed her mother could bake, or if she was just winding me up.
“I’ve persuaded Mum to enter the Washbridge Annual Baking Competition. She’s bound to win, don’t you think?”
I was so stunned, I could barely speak. There was more chance of Winky winning the Washbridge Annual Baking Competition than of Mrs Rollo winning it. Not only were most of her cakes inedible, they looked monstrous as well. She’d be a laughing stock if she entered.
“I imagine there’ll be some tough competition.”
“Don’t worry about that.” Sheila waved away my concerns. “Mum will win, for sure.”
She was obviously high on something.
***
Later that evening, I was on the phone to Jack.
“How’s Kathy?”
“Back home. I called in after work. She’s upset, understandably—scared more than anything else. I promised her that I’ll investigate the murder.”
“Is there any point in my telling you to keep out of it, or would I be wasting my breath?”
“What do you think?”
“I’ll save my breath, then. Just try to keep out of Leo Riley’s way. You don’t need any aggro from him, and I certainly don’t.”
“Don’t worry, Jack. I’ll be discretion itself.”
For some reason, that made him laugh.
“How’s the course?”
“Boring, but then it seems like every course I’ve ever been on is boring. They’re either not relevant, or they’re telling their grandmother how to suck eggs.”
“Who does that?”
“Who does what?
“Suck eggs.”
“I don’t know. It’s just a saying.”
“Still, seems like a funny thing to—”
“Jill! Focus!”
“Sorry. What were you saying?”
“That I’ll be glad when the course is over. Not long to go now. I’m missing you.”
“Good.”
“That’s where you’re supposed to say that you’re missing me too.”
“Of course I am. Hey, you’ll never guess what happened tonight?”
“You polished my bowling trophy, and put it in pride of place on the mantelpiece?”
“Close. I bumped into Mrs Rollo. She had her daughter and grandson with her. Her daughter has apparently persuaded Mrs Rollo to enter the Washbridge Annual Baking Competition.”
Jack laughed. “That’s a joke, I assume.”
“No, I’m deadly serious.”
“Why would she persuade her to enter a baking competition? The woman can’t bake to save her life.”
“I know, but her daughter seems to think she can.”
“It’s going to be very embarrassing for her. I feel sorry for the poor woman. Anyway, I’d better go. I promised I’d have a drink with some of the guys.”
“Is that guys as in men, or guys as in men and women?”
“A mix of both. You’ve got nothing to worry about, though. I only have eyes for you.”
“It’s not your eyes I’m worried about.”
I’d just settled down for an evening’s viewing when there was a knock at the door. It was Blake, and I could see he was upset.
“What’s the matter?”
“Can I come in?”
“Of course. Come through to the lounge. What’s happened?”
“I took the plunge. I did it.”
“Did what?”
“I’ve told Jen that I’m a wizard.”
“What happened?”
“It didn’t go well. She reacted badly. She thought I was just making up a stupid story to cover up something else.”
“I thought she trusted you now.”
“It’s my own stupid fault. I think I’ve just gone and stirred it all up again. I don’t know what to do.”
“Where is she now?”
“In the house. I told her I was going out to the shop. I needed to talk it through with you. As far as I can see, I have only two options. I can either cast the ‘forget’ spell and make her forget everything I’ve just told her, or I can show her some magic to prove to her that I’m a wizard. Then she’d have to believe me.”
“I wouldn’t do that, Blake. I think you’re on very dodgy ground. One wrong word, and the Rogue Retrievers will take you back to Candlefield, and that would be the end of your marriage. You don’t want that, do you?”
“No, of course not.”
“If I was you, I’d get back there as quickly as I could, and cast the ‘forget’ spell and hope that it works this time.”
“It didn’t work the last time I used it, if you remember.”
“You’ve still got to try, and if that doesn’t work, just tell her you were joking, and apologise for upsetting her.”
“I’m still tempted to show her some magic.”
“You’ll regret it.”
He got up, and I showed him to the door.
“Don’t do anything rash, Blake.”
“I won’t, I promise.”
I’d no sooner sat down than there was another knock at the door. Was I ever going to get any peace tonight? I assumed it must be Blake back again. Maybe he’d tried the ‘forget’ spell and it had failed.
It was a woman. She was dressed in a long purple cape, and was holding a walking stick.
“I’m sorry to call on you unannounced. I’m Desdemona Nightowl—Headmistress of Candlefield Academy of Supernatural Studies. Can you spare me a few moments of your time?”
“Of course. Please come in. Can I get you a drink?”
“Not for me. There’s somewhere else I need to be shortly, so I’ll get straight to the point. I wondered if you’d had the chance to consider our invitation to speak at the school?”
She placed her walking stick on the floor. It had a silver top in the shape of a dragon’s head.
“I’ve been giving it a lot of thought.”
“And have you made a decision?”
I’d hoped to have the chance to speak to Daze before deciding whether to give the talk or not, but as this woman had come all this way, I felt I owed it to her to let her have my answer now. Should I or shouldn’t I? The school sounded fascinating, but those dragons sounded scary. Yes? No?
“Yes. I’d be honoured to accept your invitation.” Had I just said that out loud?
“Wonderful! That’s excellent news. One of my major concerns is the high number of young sups who move to the human world. I’m particularly worried about our own alumni. I feel that the best brains of the sup world are being lost to the human world. I hope your speech might, in some way, influence them to stay in Candlefield.”
“I didn’t realise that was what you had in mind. I thought you just wanted me to explain what it’s like to be human, as best I can.”
“Indeed I do, but I’m hoping that you’ll also let them know that the human world is not some kind of paradise—that it has its faults too. That way, hopefully, our pupils will at least think twice before making the decision to move there.”
“I’m quite happy to tell them there are pros and cons to
living here, but surely you’re not asking me to exaggerate or lie about the cons?”
“No, of course not, Miss Gooder. I would never ask you to do that. Just be honest and tell them about any problems that you’ve encountered living as a sup in the human world.”
“Okay, I can do that. When exactly did you want me to give the talk?”
“We have a few other events coming up on the calendar, but I’m hoping to clear a date sometime next month, if that suits?”
“That’s fine.”
“Once we’ve sorted out a date, I’ll send you more details, including a ticket for the air-ship. It normally only runs at the start and end of term, but special arrangements can be made, just as they were for my visit tonight.”
Chapter 9
The next morning, when I stepped out of the door, Jen was just coming out of her house. Blake’s car had already gone, so I knew she was by herself. I hoped I might get to my car without her spotting me, but she beckoned me over.
This wasn’t going to be an easy conversation.
“Jill, do you have a minute?”
“I was just on my way to work, so it’ll have to be quick.”
“I only need a minute. Can we go inside, though? I don’t really want to talk about this out here.”
I followed her into the house.
“Is something wrong, Jen?” As if I didn’t already know the answer to that question.
“After I had you follow Blake for me, I felt much more reassured that I’d been imagining things, and that he wasn’t hiding anything from me. But then I started to have doubts again. And after last night, I don’t know what to think.”
“What happened last night?”
“This is going to sound insane, but just hear me out. Blake said he wanted to come clean. I honestly thought he was going to say he’d been having an affair, and in a way, it might have been easier if he had. At least that would’ve made sense. But that’s not what he told me.” She hesitated. “You’re going to think I’ve lost my mind.”
“Go on. You may as well tell me now.”
“He told me he’s a wizard.”
“A wizard?” I forced a weak laugh.
“I know. It’s crazy, but that’s what he said. He sat me down and told me that he wasn’t a human, but a wizard. I just laughed at him. I thought it was some sort of joke, but he was deadly serious. Then he went on to say that he came from another land; a land where supernaturals live. Apparently, the supernaturals, or sups as he called them, can live in the human world, but humans can’t go there. Now, you tell me, Jill, what am I meant to make of that rubbish?”
“Maybe he was joking, and took it too far. How did things end up?”
“While he was out at the shop, I went to bed. I couldn’t handle anymore. I thought we could talk about it this morning, but when I woke up, he’d gone. I probably should have just laughed it off, and left it at that. What do you think?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
“Surely, you don’t believe in wizards and supernatural stuff, do you?”
“Me? No, of course not.”
“I’m sorry, Jill. I shouldn’t have wasted your time. I know you want to get to work. Thanks for listening to me.”
“No problem, Jen. Any time.”
Oh boy!
***
I’d arranged to meet with Donna Proudlove, Lucinda Gray’s PA, in a coffee shop called Coffee Spotty. It turned out that its actual name was Coffee Spot, but some kind individual had helpfully added ‘TY’ to the end of the sign. The coffee shop was only a few doors down from the TV studios where Wool TV was recorded.
Donna was in her mid-twenties, tall, with cropped blonde hair.
“Thanks for seeing me, Donna.”
“That’s okay. If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll be more than happy to. Lucinda was more than just a boss to me; she was my friend. When I applied for this position there were dozens of applicants. I didn’t think I stood a chance because I was straight out of uni, and had hardly any experience. I’d worked in university TV, but that was all. When Lucinda gave me the job, I asked her why she’d chosen me. She said she wanted someone who came to it fresh, and not with preconceived ideas learned from other TV stations.” Donna hesitated. “This is going to sound terrible.”
“Go on,” I prompted.
“I’m devastated by Lucinda’s death, and obviously, I want whoever did it to be brought to justice, but I’m also worried for my own future. Is that selfish of me?”
“No, it’s perfectly understandable.”
“It’s just that I don’t know who’s going to take her job. Whoever it is will probably want to bring in their own people. If I lose this job, I’m not sure I’ll get another one.”
“I’m sure you’ll be fine. You worked for Lucinda Gray—that will look good on your CV. Look, Donna, before we go any further, I think it’s only fair I tell you that I’m Kathy’s sister. She presents the weekly magazine feature on Wool TV.”
“Kathy? Yeah, I know her. I heard that she was a suspect, and had been taken in for questioning.”
“She was, yes, but she’s been released now.”
“Kathy would no more murder someone than I would. Is that why you’re investigating this?”
“Yeah. She’s asked me to see what I can uncover.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Answering my questions is help enough. Did Lucinda act any differently on the days leading up to her death? Was there anything that seemed to be bothering her?”
“No. She seemed her usual self.”
“Kathy mentioned that she thought Lucinda might be moving to a different job with another TV station.”
“Lucinda and I were very close, but she didn’t tell me everything. She hadn’t mentioned another job to me.”
“Who else was close to Lucinda? Is there anyone else you think I should talk to?”
“You should probably start with her ex-husband, Michael Gray. Lucinda kept his name after they were divorced. From all accounts, he was very bitter about the way the marriage ended. I don’t really know him; I’ve only met him a couple of times. And then there’s her new boyfriend. She’d been seeing a guy called Callum Hamilton. I don’t like him very much. He’s a model, very good-looking, and quite a bit younger than Lucinda. He really fancies himself. He’s modelled jumpers and the like on Wool TV a few times. That’s how they met. You might also want to speak to Lucinda’s sister, Audrey Bone. Lucinda didn’t talk about her very often, but from what I could gather, they weren’t very close—there’d been some kind of falling out. I’m not certain, but I believe that Audrey may have been involved with Michael, Lucinda’s ex-husband, before Lucinda and he got together. I got the impression that there’s bad blood there.”
“Anyone else you can think of, Donna?”
“No one else by name, but a few days before Lucinda was murdered, an ugly old woman came charging into reception. She was ranting and raving, and demanded to see Lucinda, but reception wouldn’t let her through. In the end, they had to call security to escort her out of the building. It may be nothing. I don’t know.”
“I don’t suppose you have the woman on CCTV, do you?”
“I’m sure we will have. If you come back to the studio with me, I can show you.”
Donna signed me into the studios, and took me to the security office. Moments later, I was watching the CCTV coverage of the incident, which showed an old woman walk into reception, and begin to remonstrate with the receptionist.
“Just look at her,” Donna said. “She looks crazy, doesn’t she?”
“She certainly does.” What I didn’t tell her was that I recognised that old woman.
After I’d left Donna, I made my way straight over to Ever A Wool Moment where Grandma was hard at work behind the counter, for a change. I waited until the queue had cleared, and was just about to speak, but Grandma got in first.
“Where is Kathy?”
“I told you. S
he’s a suspect in the Lucinda Gray murder case.”
“I heard on the news reports that she’s been released after questioning, so why isn’t she behind this counter?”
“Because, Grandma, she’s upset. I think she’s got more important things to worry about than working behind your counter.”
“I don’t employ her to sit at home on her backside. Can’t you see how busy it is in here? I’ve been run off my feet.”
“Never mind that. There’s something I want to ask you.”
“What is it? Hurry up, before another customer comes in.”
“Why did you go to the Wool TV studios a few days ago, and threaten Lucinda Gray?”
“I didn’t get the chance to threaten anyone. They wouldn’t even allow me to talk to her—they threw me out. They’re fortunate that I didn’t turn them all into toads.”
“Why were you there in the first place?”
“Because that horrible woman had run an article, on her sorry excuse for a news programme, criticising Everlasting Wool. She intimated that it was a con. I wasn’t going to stand for that. I went around there to have it out with her. If she hadn’t gone and got herself killed, I still would.”
“Did you poison her, Grandma?”
“Of course I didn’t poison her. If I wanted to get rid of the woman, I could have found a much better way of doing it, and I wouldn’t have left any clues behind.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m sure. I did not kill Lucinda Gray. Anyway, forget about that. It doesn’t look like you’ve got much on your plate at the moment. Why don’t you give me a hand behind the counter?”
“Sorry, not possible. I’m busy trying to clear Kathy’s name. Bye.”
There were times when I could have gleefully strangled Grandma.
***
I’d magicked myself over to Candlefield, and was standing outside Cuppy C. The place was almost deserted. Pearl was behind the cake counter; Amber was behind the tea room counter. They hadn’t been exaggerating when they’d said business was slow.
Across the road, the tea room at Best Cakes looked as though it was chock-a-block. I walked over there to get a closer look. There wasn’t a free seat to be had. What was going on? Why were Best Cakes doing so well when Cuppy C was almost empty?