by Adele Abbott
“Honestly,” he said. “I’m not up to anything.”
“I believe you.”
“And there’s nothing behind my back.”
“Good. Now, if you don’t mind, I have cases to review.”
It had taken me a long time, but I’d finally got the measure of that cat.
My phone rang; it was Grandma.
“Tell her I agree,” she said.
“Sorry? Tell who you agree to what?”
“That sister of yours. Tell her I agree to the pay rise for her and whatshername.”
“Chloe.”
“Whatever. Tell her that I expect them both to be here tomorrow.”
“Why the change of mind? Didn’t the temporary staff work out?”
“The temps were perfectly fine. I’ve just carried out a strategic review of the shop’s operations, and decided that it’s in the long-term interest of the business to increase payroll for key operatives.”
That woman was so full of it.
“I can tell Kathy that she’s now considered a key operative, can I?”
“You can tell her what you like, just so long as you make sure she’s in this shop tomorrow morning.”
“It will be my pleasure, Grandma.”
She’d already ended the call, so I immediately phoned Kathy.
“You won!”
“What?”
“Grandma just caved in. She’s going to give you and Chloe the pay rise you asked for.”
“How do you know?”
“She just rang me.”
“How come she didn’t call me?”
“Because she didn’t want to lose face, probably. And get this—she called you a ‘key operative’.”
“That’s fantastic news. I was really worried how we were going to make ends meet without my wages.”
“Did you see the temps she got in?”
“No. I haven’t been near the shop since she sacked us.”
“Between you and me, you have them to thank for this. Useless doesn’t come close. Anyway, you have to report for work as normal tomorrow morning.”
“That’s great. I’ll call Chloe now with the good news.”
***
I could put it off no longer. It was time to go home to face Jack’s mother, and my destiny. Would Jack and I still be an item in the morning? If I had anything to do with it, then the answer was most definitely ‘yes’.
Bring it on, Mrs Maxwell.
I pulled onto the driveway, took a deep breath, and climbed out of the car. I was prepared for whatever she had to throw at me.
“Jill!” Blake came hurrying across the road towards me. “Sorry to trouble you, but I’m getting really worried.”
“You can relax. You won’t be hearing any more from the blackmailer.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I threatened him with the rogue retrievers.”
“Who was it?”
“A wizard with big nostrils. He’s the guy who runs the bloggers website. Jen must have entered her full details, including her address, when she signed up.”
“What was she thinking?” Blake shook his head.
“Don’t be too hard on her. Remember you’d just dropped the ‘I’m a wizard’ bombshell. She probably wasn’t thinking straight.”
“You’re right. It’s as much my fault as hers. Are you sure we’re safe now?”
“Positive. Just keep an eye on Jen, and make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“Don’t worry. I will.”
Jack was waiting for me just inside the door. “Mum is in the lounge.”
“Right.”
His mother was sitting on the sofa.
“Hello, Mrs Maxwell.”
“Please call me Yvonne. Mrs Maxwell makes me sound ancient.”
“Okay, Yvonne.”
“I’ll make dinner,” Jack said. “That’ll give you two time to talk.”
“Jack,” Yvonne said. “What are you planning for dinner?”
“I bought steak.”
“Oh.”
“Why? Was there something else you’d prefer?”
“I quite fancy tuna bake.”
“I don’t think we have any tuna.”
“I’ll go and get some.” I volunteered. Any excuse to escape for a few minutes.
“No, Jill,” Yvonne said. “You stay and talk to me. Jack will go to the shop, won’t you, dear?”
“Err—yes, of course. I won’t be long.”
I knew it. She’d taken the first opportunity to get Jack out of the house. This is where she got to tell me what she really thought of me. To tell me why I wasn’t worthy of her son.
“I wanted to speak to you alone,” she said, as soon as Jack had left.
“Why don’t you start by telling me why you don’t like me? What did I do wrong?”
“What?” She looked stunned. She’d obviously expected me to roll over, but she was in for a fight. “Of course I like you. You’re possibly the best thing that’s ever happened to Jack. It’s obvious to anyone how much he loves you.”
What kind of tactic was this? Was she trying to lull me into a false sense of security, so that she could strike a fatal blow?
“You practically ignored me the whole time I was at your house for the party. You barely spoke to me.”
“I know, and I’m so sorry. It’s just that when you and your family arrived, I simply wasn’t prepared.”
“Wasn’t prepared for what?”
She glanced at the door. Whatever she was about to say, she obviously didn’t want Jack to hear.
“I had no idea that you and your relatives were witches.”
I felt as though the air had been punched out of me. “Sorry? What did you just say?”
“I know you’re a sup, Jill. And so are your grandmother, aunt and cousins.”
This didn’t make any sense. Yvonne wasn’t a sup, or I’d have sensed it. How could she possibly know?
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I had to brazen it out.
“There’s something I need to show you, but before I do, you have to trust me when I say that you have absolutely nothing to fear from me. Do you trust me, Jill?”
“Err—yes, I suppose so.”
“I have to be sure.”
“Okay. I trust you. Now, what is it?”
She leaned forward, and appeared to peel back a small section of skin from the nape of her neck. That’s when I saw the small tattoo of a goblet.
She was a witchfinder!
Chapter 17
The next morning, as soon as I woke, the events of the previous evening came flooding back to me. What a revelation! Yvonne and I hadn’t had long to talk before Jack came back from the shop, but it had been long enough for her to drop a bombshell into my life.
I’d assumed she’d ignored me at the anniversary party because she didn’t like me, and thought I was an unsuitable partner for her son. In fact, our arrival at her house had rocked her world. Until then, she’d had no idea that I and my birth family were sups. Given the circumstances, she’d coped with the evening remarkably well.
When she’d first disclosed that she was a witchfinder, I’d been shocked, and feared for my safety, but Yvonne had put my mind at ease by explaining that she had in fact retired many years earlier. I still had lots of questions, and I didn’t intend to go to work until I’d had the chance to have a proper heart-to-heart with her.
I showered, dressed and went downstairs to find Jack and his mother sitting at the breakfast bar. They were both eating muesli.
“Care for some?” Jack offered the box.
“No, thanks. Morning, Yvonne.”
“Morning, Jill.”
“Mum and I have just been talking about you.” Jack grinned.
“Should I be worried?”
“Not at all.” Yvonne gave me a reassuring smile, and if I wasn’t mistaken, a wink. “I was just saying how much I admire the work that you do, Jill. It can’t be an e
asy job.”
“The hardest part is having to deal with certain members of the police force.” I looked at Jack. “Some of them can be a real pain in the bum.”
Yvonne laughed. “From what I hear, you can give as good as you get.”
“Better, if you ask me,” Jack said. “Anyway, I’d better be making tracks.” He gave his mum a peck on the cheek. “See you tonight, Mum.”
“Bye, darling.”
“And you.” He gave me a quick kiss on the lips. “Take care.”
“You too.”
Yvonne and I exchanged a glance, and waited until we heard the door close.
“I imagine you have a lot of questions?” she said.
That was the understatement of the year—where to begin?
“I assume that Jack doesn’t know—that you’re a—err—?”
“Witchfinder? It’s okay to say it. No, he knows nothing about it. Neither does his father, come to that.”
“That’s incredible. How have you managed to live together for so long and keep that secret?”
“I’m surprised you have to ask. Aren’t you in exactly the same position?”
“I suppose so. I hadn’t thought of it like that.”
“If anything, it must be even more difficult for you, Jill. You have the rogue retrievers to worry about.”
“You know about them?”
“Of course. There isn’t much about the sup world I don’t know.”
“How did you become a witchfinder?”
“Both of my parents were in the business, and I just followed suit, but I hated the job, and the life. Don’t get me wrong, I was good at it, but after a few years, I realised it wasn’t for me. When I met Jack’s father, we fell madly in love. After we were married, I continued in the business, but as soon as Jack was born, I gave it all up. I was adamant that no child of mine would have to do what I had done.”
“Were there any consequences to your decision to retire?”
“No, and there won’t be just so long as I never reveal what I am to anyone.”
“But you’ve told me.”
“You’re the only person I have ever told.”
“Will you get into trouble?”
“Not unless you decide to make the information public.”
“I would never do that. What made you decide to tell me?”
“I could see what you and Jack have is special, and I want to be a part of that. It’s one thing keeping my secret from humans, but how could I keep it from a witch? If I had, and you’d found out, it would have destroyed your trust in me forever. I was very nervous about telling you, though.”
“Why?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I wouldn’t blame you for hating witchfinders. After all, their job is to destroy you.”
“You’re only the second one I’ve ever met. My encounter with the first one didn’t end well—for him. But you’re retired.”
“Are you comfortable knowing what I used to do?”
“I don’t see why not, although it probably wouldn’t be a good idea for me to tell the rest of my family, and especially not Grandma.”
“I thought she and I really hit it off at the party. Although, for some reason, she seemed to think that I was teetotal.”
“That is weird. I still think it would be better to keep this between the two of us.”
“I’m happy to go along with whatever you think is best.”
“Doesn’t it bother you that your son is sharing his life with a sup?”
“Why would it?” She shrugged. “My only concern is his happiness, and you obviously make him happy. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a human or a sup.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Do you think you will ever tell him?”
“I don’t think so. I don’t see what good could come of it. Don’t get me wrong, I hate having secrets from Jack, but on balance, I think it’s for the best.”
“I’m so glad we’ve cleared the air.” She leaned over and put her arms around me.
“Me too. Do you mind if I ask you a couple more questions?”
“Of course not. Go ahead.”
“Why haven’t you had the tattoo removed? Aren’t you afraid someone might see it?”
“The goblet isn’t a normal tattoo; there’s no way to remove it. The ‘plaster’ that covers it is made of synthetic skin. It’s undetectable even to the medical profession. It’s held in place by a potion known only to witchfinders, so there’s no danger it will ever come off. I’m the only person who can remove it.”
“Are there many retired witchfinders?”
“Very few. Most remain in the job until they die.”
“I see.”
“You haven’t asked the one question that I expected you to ask.”
“What’s that?”
“How many witches did I destroy?”
“I don’t need to know. Your past life is just that—in the past.”
***
I would have liked to talk to Yvonne for much longer, but I’d arranged a meeting with Raymond Conway, Lee Sparks’ ex-manager. My head was still spinning from the revelation that Jack’s mother was a retired witchfinder. I probably should have been horrified, but I was actually quite relieved. I’d been worried that she didn’t like me, and didn’t think I was good enough for Jack. The fact that Yvonne was willing to reveal her secret to me proved beyond any doubt that wasn’t the case.
I had to smile when I thought about Jack’s part in all of this. He was living with a witch, and had a retired witchfinder for a mother. And he was blissfully unaware of it all.
What a weird world we lived in.
Raymond Conway’s office made mine look palatial. It was a grubby room in a grubby building. And in keeping with his surroundings, Raymond Conway’s appearance gave grubby a bad name.
“What’s this about? I’m a busy man.”
If the room had been bigger, I might have stood a better chance of getting out of halitosis range. As it was, I just had to hold my breath for as long as I could.
“I understand that you had a meeting in Sounds coffee shop with Lee Sparks on the morning of the day that he was murdered.”
“Might have.” He shrugged. “I have a lot of meetings with a lot of people.”
“I’ve spoken to a witness who said the two of you were arguing.”
“We were always arguing.”
“I believe Lee had recently dispensed with your services?”
“Don’t believe everything you hear. I was the one who fired him. The little toe-rag was more trouble than he was worth. Thought he was something special, that one. When you’ve been in this game as long as I have, you see them come, and you see them go, but Ray Conway is still standing.”
“Still, you can’t have been pleased to have lost your cut of his earnings?”
“Lee Sparks was an arrogant punk. I was glad to see the back of him.”
“The witness said they heard you threaten to kill him.”
“I don’t believe I said that, but even if I did, it meant nothing. I wouldn’t have sullied my hands on that waste of space.”
“Where were you the rest of that day?”
“Henry’s, most likely.”
“Henry’s?”
“It’s the bar three doors down.”
“And you were there all day?”
“Probably.”
It was great to get back out into the fresh air. I wasn’t sure what to make of Conway. His alibi was hardly watertight, and he definitely hadn’t been a fan of Lee Sparks. But a murderer? I wasn’t convinced.
***
I’d been so busy talking to Yvonne earlier that I hadn’t got around to grabbing any breakfast. I was starving, and I knew what would fill the gap nicely. I’ll give you a clue: it starts with an ‘M’ and ends with an ‘N’.
The twins were behind the tea room counter in Cuppy C, and both of them looked like they’d just lost the winning lottery ticket.
“What�
�s wrong, girls?”
“It’s the drive-thru hatch,” Pearl said.
“What’s wrong with it?”
“How were we supposed to know that the ground level in the alleyway is higher than the level of the floor here in Cuppy C?”
“Sorry, girls, I’m really not following any of this.”
“Come and see.” They led the way to the back of the shop.
“That hatch looks rather high up.”
“Duh? What do you think we’ve just been saying?” Amber went over and stood next to it. The bottom of the opening was almost level with the top of her head.
“How are you going to serve the customers?” I laughed.
“I’m glad you think it’s funny, Jill.” Pearl glared at me.
“Sorry. It obviously isn’t funny.” More laughter. “At all.”
They were both glaring at me.
“Can’t you get the builders to come back and lower it?”
“Then it will be too low on the other side.”
“What are you going to do, then?”
Amber walked over to the cupboard, and came back with a small stepladder.
At that, I dissolved into laughter.
The twins were obviously not amused, and stormed back into the shop. It was several minutes before I felt confident enough to follow them inside. If I laughed again, I would be dead meat.
“Sorry about that,” I said, with a straight face. “This must be very annoying.”
“It is,” Amber said. “But the stepladder should work until we can get a raised platform put in at this side.”
“Good idea. I’m really sorry that I laughed. Now, can I get a caramel latte and a blueberry muffin, please?”
Daze was by herself at the window table.
“Do you mind if I join you?”
“Of course not. What was going on out back? I could hear you laughing from here.”
Moments later, the two of us were crying with laughter.
“A stepladder?” Daze managed through the tears.
“Shush! Don’t let the twins hear you, or they’ll never serve me again.”
“You couldn’t make this stuff up. Do you remember the conveyor belt they had installed?”