by Sam Short
“How long does he have?” asked Fredrick.
“A day at the most,” said Edna. “If the spell isn’t controlled before then, Sergeant Spencer will be lost to us. It’s possible that Henry would be capable of reversing the magic at any point before that time, and be able to return the sergeant’s memories to him, but if the spell is allowed to finish its job, then his memories are lost forever.”
“But Henry isn’t due back for another two days!” said Millie.
“And there’s no way of reaching him,” said Fredrick. “He’s between dimensions, in a place we can’t access. The headmaster is only with him because Henry has the ability to take one other person with him as he travels. Nobody else may travel his routes, and there is no possibility of getting a message to him.” He shook his head slowly. “I don’t know what to suggest.”
“Can Mrs Herbert undo what she did?” asked Millie, desperation in her voice. “Can she return the spell to the way it was before she adjusted it?”
“No,” said Edna, a hand on Sergeant Spencer’s forehead. “When she adjusted it, the spell was reset. In terms that may make more sense to you, Miss Thorn, it’s as if a computer has been wiped of a program, and Henry Pinkerton is the only person who can reinstall it.”
“So we have to reach Henry,” said Millie. “There must be some way of getting a message to him!”
Edna dropped her eyes and sighed. “No, Miss Thorn,” she said, softly. “I’m afraid there’s not. I’m afraid we cannot do anything.”
Chapter 30
Comprehending what Edna Brockett had said, Millie kneeled motionless on the sand next to Sergeant Spencer, a tear warming her cheek. The man whose memories were being erased, and who was moaning in discomfort on the floor of a magical cavern, his deep breathing suggesting he was not fully conscious, was her father. She repeated those words to herself as if it were only now that they made any real sense to her. As if she’d only just understood that the words were true. Sergeant David Spencer was her father, and within a day he would not even remember who Judith was, let alone her — the daughter he’d never known he was a father to.
Regret crowded her mind, and she let out a sob. She’d had months in which she could have told him he was her father. Months in which she could have forged some sort of relationship with him. Now it was too late. Her father would soon be like her mother was to her — lost.
Whereas her mother was lost to her in a place she’d promised Millie she’d return from again, yet never had, her father would be lost to her while being right there in plain sight. Able to speak to her, but never knowing who she was. Another horrifying thought struck her, and she looked at Edna. “What will happen to a person who has thirty years of memories taken from them?” she asked.
Edna was silent for a moment, and then she gave a sigh. “I’m not sure,” she admitted. “But I can’t imagine anything good can come from it. I don’t want to imagine what such a thing could do to a human mind.”
Another tear running the length of her cheek, Millie took Sergeant Spencer’s hand in hers. “It will be alright,” she said. “Everything will be alright.”
His hand tightening on her fingers, Sergeant Spencer gave a groan and opened his eyes slowly. He gazed up at Millie. “I’m not sure that it will,” he said.
“You can hear us,” said Millie, gripping his hand tighter.
“Yes,” said Sergeant Spencer, his face showing the pain he was experiencing. “I can hear you. I heard everything that’s been said.”
“We need to move the sergeant immediately,” said Edna, getting to her feet and beckoning Timothy and George to her side. “Take him to the school infirmary,” she commanded. “There are things that can be done to ease his pain.”
“No,” moaned Sergeant Spencer. “I have to stay here. With Judith.”
“Sergeant Spencer,” said Edna. “If you’ve heard everything that’s been said, then you’ll understand that you don’t have much time until you won’t remember anything about the past three decades. The only person who can help you is Henry Pinkerton. By moving you to the infirmary, I may be able to prolong the time it takes for the spell to work on you. I might be able to save just enough of your memories so that Henry may return you to normal.”
Millie leapt to her feet. “Come on then,” she said. “Let’s go. Timothy, George, carry him carefully.”
“No,” said Sergeant Spencer. “Stay here, Millie. Please. Stay with Judith until she’s taken from the pool. I have to know that she’ll wake up with somebody she cares for next to her. She thinks the world of you, Millie.”
“But I want to make sure you’re going to be okay,” said Millie.
Sergeant Spencer closed his eyes and gave a groan of pain. He rubbed his head and spoke slowly. “Please stay with her, Millie. And when she wakes up, please support her when she finds out what’s happening to me. She’s going to need you. I’m her father. I’m the only family she has. She’s not going to cope very well. If I’m going to forget who she is, I have to know that she’s going to be okay. Promise me, please.”
“Okay,” said Millie. “I’ll wait here with Judith until she’s ready to leave the pool. And I promise I’ll be here for her. Always.”
“Thank you,” said Sergeant Spencer as George and Timothy lifted him to his feet, and propped him up between them.
As the vampire and werewolf helped Sergeant Spencer from the cavern, Millie put a hand on Judith’s face. “How much longer does she need in here?” she enquired.
“Not much longer,” said Edna. “Half an hour at the most.”
“And when she wakes up, Miss Thorn,” said Fredrick. “You’ll have the unenviable task of explaining what’s happening to her father. It’s going to be very hard for Miss Spencer when Sergeant Spencer leaves Spellbinder Bay. She’ll require support for a long time to come.”
“When he leaves Spellbinder Bay?” said Millie. “Why would he leave Spellbinder Bay? His home is here! Everything he knows is here!”
“Everything he knew is here,” said Fredrick. “The unfortunate man will not remember a single thing about this town when his memories have been erased. His whole existence here has been as part of the paranormal community. He’s been a good friend to us and was accepted into our midst, but that fact will work against him. The concealment spell will undoubtedly discover paranormal elements to every single one of the memories he made since moving to our town. When his memories have gone, Sergeant Spencer will have to go, too, I’m afraid.”
“That sounds horrible,” said Millie. “You sound horrible — speaking about him like that.”
“I didn’t intend to sound horrible,” said Fredrick. “When I said the sergeant must go, I said it only for his sake, not ours. This place will no longer feel like a home to him, it will be a place he doesn’t recognise. He won’t know how he got here, and that will terrify him. It would be better for the poor man if he were taken back to the place he lived before he became embroiled in the paranormal world. I’m certain that our community will see to it that he’ll be financially sound and have a home. We’ll ensure he receives all the medical support he requires, too. This whole affair may have lasting traumatic implications for him. He will, after all, be losing thirty years of his life.”
Suddenly, like a train bearing down on her, everything that was happening became too real. She’d never have a relationship with her father, her mother seemed unable to cross once again into Millie’s world, and both Sergeant Spencer’s and Judith’s lives would be ruined. Hers too, of course.
Closing her eyes as dizziness overcame her, Millie took deep breaths. As if the cavern was closing in on her and the oxygen was being sucked from the air, she stumbled backwards, her throat tightening and a sickness rising within her. Her vision blurred as she stepped away from the pool, and her heart thumped hard in her chest.
Then came peace, and Millie welcomed the soft embrace of the sand as her legs went from beneath her and she fell to the ground.
So
unding like voices from a dream, Millie tried to focus on the concerned words of Edna and Fredrick, but then they were gone, too, lost to the blackness which she willingly gave herself to.
She awoke to wetness on her forehead and opened her eyes to see Edna standing over her. The older witch used the flannel in her hand to wipe Millie’s head once more and gave her a reassuring smile. “You’re okay,” she said. “You’re in the infirmary. Everything seemed to have got on top of you, you fainted, but you’ll be fine after a nice cup of tea.”
“Judith?” said Millie.
“She’s in another room in the infirmary. She’s fine now. She’s having a sleep,” said Edna.
“Does she know?” asked Millie. “About her father?”
Edna shook her head. “No,” she said. “We thought you should tell her before she sees him. She trusts you far more than she does any of us.”
“How long have I been here?” asked Millie, her mouth dry.
“Not long,” said Edna. “Less than an hour. It wasn’t the faint that kept you here, you recovered from that quite quickly, but you were exhausted. You’ve been asleep. You needed it, so I didn’t wake you up.”
Gazing around the room, Millie’s eyes fell on the rows of potion pots which lined the shelves on the walls, and the trolley in the corner laden with a heaped plate of sandwiches and a large teapot paired with a smaller coffee pot.
Following Millie’s gaze, Edna smiled. “Hungry?” she asked.
Millie nodded. She was hungry. Famished, in fact, and she needed her strength for what she was planning on doing next.
Selecting a few sandwiches, Edna prepared a plate for Millie and poured her a cup of tea, adding three heaped teaspoons of sugar.
Not wishing to offend Edna by explaining that she preferred coffee and drank it black with no sugar, Millie accepted the hot drink and took a long sip, pleasantly surprised at just how much better the sweet liquid made her feel. She took a bite of a ham and mustard sandwich and only then realised just how hungry she really was.
Edna watched on in approval as Millie devoured the light meal, and when she was finished, took the plate from her and placed it back on the trolley. “I have some news relating to Trevor Giles,” she said, withdrawing a small bottle from her pocket. The bottle which contained the poison Edna had retrieved from Trevor’s stomach. “I’ve discovered what the trigger in the magic was designed to be activated by, and I’ve also discovered another ingredient. A puzzling ingredient.”
Millie stared at Edna. “You’re wasting time on that when you could be trying to find a way to stop a man’s memories from being obliterated?”
“Nobody is wasting time,” said Edna. “It just so happens that lots of people are working on a way to save Sergeant Spencer. We all care for him, as I’m sure you are aware.” She gave Millie a stern stare. “And anyway, I discovered this before the awful werewolf attack. I’ve not had the time to mention it until now. I thought you might be interested as you seemed invested in finding out who had killed Mister Giles.”
“I’m sorry. I am interested, Edna,” said Millie, the food and sweet tea beginning to return some of her strength. She propped herself up on one elbow, giving Edna a tiny portion of her attention, the rest reserved for composing the speech she was going to deliver just as soon as her legs felt solid again. “What is it? What have you discovered?”
Holding the small bottle at arm’s length and spinning it in the light flooding through the tall window, Edna narrowed her eyes and spoke. “I think we can safely say that the poison was meant for a werewolf,” she said. “The trigger which activated it was moonlight. A cruel way to activate a poison intended to kill a person who thrived on the moon, but since when have murderers been anything but cruel?”
“Moonlight?” said Millie, affording Edna a little more attention. “It was moonlight that triggered the poison? But Trevor was in a police cell when the poison killed him. How did moonlight trigger it, and was the poison in the muffin Sergeant Spencer had given him or in something he’d eaten earlier in the day?”
“We don’t know yet,” said Edna. “Timothy is looking into it. He’s the expert on werewolves and moonlight, but the other ingredient I found in the poison is more puzzling.”
“Why?” said Millie. “What is it?”
“Love,” said Edna, studying the bottle in her hand. “Not purposely added. Love never is, but love sometimes finds its way into potions made by witches for their loved ones.”
“Somebody who loved Trevor Giles made the poison which killed him?” said Millie, swinging her legs over the side of the low bed. “A witch who loved him?”
Edna pocketed the potion and reached for Millie’s arm, helping her to her feet. “It’s a mystery,” she said. “Which will be solved eventually, but until then, as you rightly pointed out — there are more pressing matters to be getting on with, so if you’re feeling better, I shall leave you and go and check on Miss Spencer.”
“Yes,” said Millie, testing her legs for strength. “I feel a lot better.” She looked towards the door. “Where’s Sergeant Spencer? I’d like to see him.”
“He’s in the room at the end of the corridor,” said Edna.
“If you’re looking after me and Judith, who’s looking after him?” asked Millie. “He’s not on his own, is he?”
“No, of course not,” replied Edna. “Timothy sat with him for a while and now George is with him. He’ll be happy to see you, I’m sure. He was very concerned when we told him you’d had a funny turn.”
Would he be happy to see her, Millie wondered. How would a man react to the news that he had a second daughter? To the news of a second child whose mother had kept her daughter’s existence a secret from him? Millie suspected he’d be shocked. Angry as well, but maybe happy, too, she hoped.
One thing was for sure, though, she was going to tell him right away, whatever his reaction might be. While she’d been asleep her mind had been busy, and she’d woken with absolute clarity. It didn’t matter how much time she’d wasted by not telling him before, what mattered was that she told him now, before his memories were wiped. She walked determinedly towards the door. “Thank you for looking after me,” she said.
“You’re welcome,” said Edna. “Tell Sergeant Spencer we’re working hard to find a way to help him, and tell him I’ll bring Judith along to see him as soon as she’s awake. I expect he’ll want to spend as much time with her as possible.”
“I’ll tell him,” promised Millie, leaving the room. She lowered her voice to a whisper as she made her way towards the room at the end of the corridor. “And then I’ll tell him that he’s my father, and that I love him.”
Chapter 31
Hearing voices as she approached the room at the end of the corridor, Millie prepared herself for what she was about to do. What she was about to say. She’d look Sergeant Spencer straight in his kind eyes, take a deep breath, and simply say three little words. You’re my father.
The voices grew in volume as Millie neared the open doorway, and she became able to make out the words which were being spoken. She listened as George spoke. “I may as well tell you my secret,” he said.
“If I’m not going to be able to remember it by tomorrow?” replied Sergeant Spencer, managing to keep his sense of humour.
George laughed. “You’re the perfect person to unload secrets on,” he said.
Pausing a few steps away from the door, Millie leaned against the wall and kept quiet.
“I’m honoured,” said Sergeant Spencer. “I think.”
“You should be,” said George. “I haven’t told anybody else yet.”
“Well now I am intrigued,” said Sergeant Spencer. “Go on then, spill the beans.”
Nobody spoke for a few seconds, and then George let out a long sigh. “There are certain people I wish I’d been able to tell a long time ago, but it wasn’t only my decision, there was someone else to think about.”
“Your mystery woman?” asked Sergeant Spencer.<
br />
“You know about her?” said George.
“This is a small town, George. Everybody knows about her,” replied the policeman, his voice taking on a serious note. “Especially Millie. She spoke to me about her when she first appeared on the scene. She was quite upset.”
Millie closed her eyes as she remembered the occasion Sergeant Spencer was speaking about. She’d had a conversation with him at the kitchen table in Windy-dune Cottage. When she’d explained that she thought George was cheating on her, Sergeant Spencer had been there for her, listening, and then explaining why he didn’t believe that her assumption was correct. She hadn’t known at the time that he was her father, but she’d felt remarkably close to him as he’d given her his advice.
Shifting her weight from one foot to the other as her calf muscle began to ache, Millie listened carefully as George gave his response. “I know,” he said. “I know it was wrong of me not to tell her, but I couldn’t. Emily didn’t want me to, and I had to respect her wishes.”
“Emily?” said Sergeant Spencer. “So that’s the name of the young lady I’ve seen on the back of your bike as you zip around the countryside.” He paused and gave a low laugh. “Not always obeying the speed limits. I might add.”
“I’ve got a heavy throttle hand,” said George. “What can I say? It’s a curse.”
“Well, get on with it then,” said Sergeant Spencer. “Tell me your secret. This pain killing spell which Edna cast over me will only last so long, and then my concentration will slip again.”
“Okay,” said George. “I’ve known you since you moved to this town all those years ago with Judith, and in all those years you’ve never known me to have a personal relationship with anybody, have you?”
“No,” said Sergeant Spencer. “You’ve had friends, of course, but no personal relationships that I can recall. Until Millie.”