by Adele Abbott
“This young lady appears to be one of the first customers of this exciting new shop.” The man stuck the microphone under my nose. Standing behind him, was a skinny young man holding a camera, which was pointed directly at me. For a moment, I thought about telling him that I had no interest at all in bottle tops, but then I figured I might as well have some fun.
“So, young lady. What’s your name?”
“Liliana Topps.”
“Topps, eh? With a surname like that there’s little wonder that you’re a fan of the bottle top.”
“I guess so.” I giggled.
“What do you think of this new shop, Liliana?”
“I’m so excited about it. I live and breathe bottle tops. I even dream about them. Last night I dreamt that I’d found a Blue Diamond at the bottom of my garden. Can you imagine how excited I was?”
“That would have been quite something, wouldn’t it? Have you bought anything today, Liliana?”
“No. I’ve just been browsing. But I have to say that Norman does have one of the best stocks of bottle tops in the country. We’re so lucky to have this new shop here in Washbridge. I do hope that everyone will support Norman and Betty in their new venture. Particularly Betty who I know is extremely excited at this addition to her original shop.”
I glanced to my left, and caught sight of Betty who was scowling at me.
Whoops!
***
I had never seen so many scarves and socks in one place in my life. When I walked into the office, I could barely see the floor because it was covered with them. Standing in the middle of this sea of yarn was Mrs V.
“Good morning, Jill. Isn’t it a beautiful day?”
“What’s going on, Mrs V?”
“Well, dear, I’ve had so much sleep over the last few days that I can’t remember the last time I felt so vitalised. I thought I’d take advantage of all this excess energy and do a stocktake.”
“Of your socks and scarves?”
“Precisely. I’ve lost track of just how many I have, so I’ve decided to sort them by size and colour, and then make an inventory of them. I’m going to use that thing on the computer. What is it called, again? A data vase, I think.”
“You mean database.”
“That’s the one.”
“Isn’t that a little ambitious?”
“Not at all. Jules was kind enough to give me a few tips, and I think I get it.”
“Might it be time to get rid of a few of these scarves and socks? There are an awful lot of them.”
“But then I wouldn’t have anything to give to your clients, would I? What would they think?”
“I hadn’t considered that. Still, maybe you could keep a few at your house?”
“Oh no, dear. Much better to keep them all in one place.”
I was fighting a losing battle. “Do you think you could make me a cup of tea?”
“Not at the moment, Jill. I have my hands full, as you can see.”
“Yes. Of course. Sorry.”
As soon as I walked into my office, I went straight to the cupboard, and took out a tin of salmon. Red not pink, obviously.
“There you go, Winky.” I put the bowl onto the floor. “Cream?”
“Just a smidgen.” He had a stupid smirk on his face. That was always a little disconcerting. I had a feeling that he was up to something, but I couldn’t figure out what.
After he’d finished his salmon and cream, he jumped onto my desk. “I’ve been thinking.”
That was never a good sign. “Yes?”
“You seem to have been getting more cases recently.”
“That’s true. Word must be spreading at last.”
“I thought that maybe you could do with more help?”
“I’ve already got Mrs V and Jules. I don’t think I need any more assistants.”
“I was thinking more in terms of management help. Someone to oversee the big picture.”
“I don’t know. Finding the right person would be very difficult.”
“That’s where I might be able to help you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I’ve been giving this some careful thought, and I’m prepared to become your partner.”
“How do you mean?”
“You would continue to do all the investigative work, the old bag lady and Jules would do all the admin, and I would be responsible for strategic planning.”
“That’s a brilliant idea, Winky. I should have thought of it before.”
“Good, that’s decided then. I’ll put together a partnership agreement for you to sign, and then we can start to split the profits. What do you say?”
“That sounds fantastic. If you get the paperwork sorted, I’ll sign it.”
***
I’d arranged to meet Jen at Coffee Triangle. It was maracas day so we didn’t have to worry about the noise levels. While I was waiting for her, I spotted something on the noticeboard. The management had issued an apology for the ill-fated wind instrument experiment. They reassured customers that from now on they would be sticking to their original remit to include only percussion instruments. I was sure that would come as a great relief to everyone.
When Jen arrived, we queued together. I ordered a cappuccino; she went for an Americano. We both indulged in muffins: mine was the obligatory blueberry, Jen went for the chocolate chip. We found a quiet corner booth away from the maracas playing hordes.
“Do you come here often, Jill?” Jen took a bite of her chocolate chip muffin.
“At least twice a week, but I try to avoid gong and drum days.”
“I thought I should let you know that Blake and I have been getting on much better recently.”
“So, you’re not still worried that he might be seeing someone else?”
“No. I’m now absolutely sure that he’s been faithful to me.”
“That’s good.”
“I did just want to clear one thing up though.” Jen picked at her fingernail as though she was a little nervous. “The other night when the guys had gone bowling, and we were having a drink at your place, I hope I didn’t say anything out of turn.”
“You didn’t.”
“I know I had rather more wine than I should have. Sometimes, when I drink too much, I can shoot my mouth off.”
“No. Nothing like that.”
“So, I didn’t say anything about Blake being—err—able to do magic, or anything like that, did I?”
“Not that I recall.”
“Good. And, I didn’t mention wizards?”
Jen was digging herself into a deeper and deeper hole with every word.
“Wizards?” I laughed. “Why would you mention wizards?”
“No reason. I just wouldn’t want you to think I believed in wizards because obviously, there’s no such thing. Or any other paranormal creatures for that matter.”
“Of course not. That would just be silly.”
It was obvious that Blake had told Jen to be careful what she said, but unfortunately it had had precisely the opposite effect. In trying to cover her tracks, Jen was making matters even worse.
“Have you spoken to your new neighbours yet?” It was time to get off the subject of wizards.
“I did try. I called to him but either he didn’t hear, or he just ignored me. He’s a bit of an oddball. But then again, I guess he can’t be any worse than Mr Hosey.”
Chapter 9
“Is that you, Jill?”
When Grandma telephoned me, it was usually bad news.
“Yes, Grandma, it’s me.” Who else was it going to be on my mobile?
“I hate using this stupid phone. I don’t know why you don’t open your telepathic channel, so I can contact you directly.”
Ever since I’d read Magna Mondale’s book, Grandma had been pestering me to open my telepathic channel, which would allow her to contact me telepathically at any time. Not likely! Just the thought of it was horrifying.
“Can you get down to Ever, right n
ow?”
“I’ve got quite a lot of work on at the moment, Grandma.”
“That isn’t important. This is. Get down here right now.”
She didn’t give me an opportunity to argue because she’d already hung up. I could have ignored her request, but if I had, it would have come back to bite me on the bum.
There was a crowd of people standing outside Ever, looking at the dragon. Inside, there was only one customer, who was studying the racks of patterns. Kathy was behind the counter, but didn’t notice me come in. She seemed to be miles away in a world of her own. There was a lot of banging and crashing coming from somewhere above our heads.
“What’s all the noise?” I had to wave my hand in front of Kathy’s face to get her attention.
She shook her head as though she couldn’t hear me.
“I said what’s all the noise.” I pointed to the ceiling.
Then I realised why she couldn’t hear—she had earplugs in. “What did you say?” She removed them.
“I said what’s all that noise?”
“It’s been driving me crazy. It’s your grandmother’s latest brainwave. She’s decided that what Ever A Wool Moment needs is a roof terrace and garden.”
“Why?”
“The tea room is quite often full, and there’s nowhere to expand on either side, so your grandmother came up with the brilliant idea of expanding onto the roof.”
“Hasn’t she seen the weather in Washbridge?”
“I tried to tell her, but you know what she’s like. She doesn’t listen to anyone. She said the weather wouldn’t be a problem.”
“I see the dragon is still attracting a lot of attention.”
“I don’t like that thing.” Kathy shuddered. “It scares me.”
“How do you mean?”
“It’s weird. There doesn’t seem to be any way to turn it off. I’ve looked everywhere, but I can’t see any cables leading to the glass cage. I’d planned to switch it off when I went home at night, to save electricity, but it doesn’t appear to be plugged in anywhere.”
That more or less confirmed my fears that the dragon was actually a real one, which Grandma had brought from Candlefield.
“Maybe they have some kind of internal battery.” I was clutching at straws to come up with an explanation that would satisfy Kathy. “It’s remarkable what they can do with batteries these days.”
“I guess that must be it. I hadn’t thought of that. By the way, have you seen this?” Kathy pointed to a flyer on the noticeboard. “We have a celebrity coming to the shop.”
The flyer announced that Kirsten Bracken, Miss Triple-loop herself, would be visiting Ever. She would be giving a talk on the triple-loop stitch, and would then be available for a Q and A, followed by autograph signing. Admission would be ten pounds.
“Grandma is charging an admission fee?”
“What else would you expect?” Kathy shrugged. “When she first told me about it, I assumed admission would be free, but your grandmother scoffed at that idea. She said that they’ll be queueing down the street, and that ten pounds was a bargain.”
“When you two have done gossiping on my time,” Grandma shouted from the back office. “I’d like a word please, Jill!”
“Her master’s voice. I’d better go. See you later, Kathy.”
Kathy replaced the earplugs, and went back to work.
“Take a seat!” Grandma pointed to the chair opposite her desk.
I did as I was told. “Are you sure that dragon in the window is safe?”
“Of course it’s safe. Perfectly safe. It can’t get out of that cage; it’s made of reinforced glass. Don’t waste your time worrying about trivial things like my dragon. There’s something much more serious that you should be concerned about.”
“What’s that?”
“Word is going around that a witchfinder has moved to Washbridge.” She looked genuinely worried, and there wasn’t much that worried Grandma.
“Witchfinder? I thought they only existed in bad b-movies?”
“As usual, young lady, you are misinformed. Witchfinders are very real indeed, and they pose a serious threat to every witch in Washbridge.”
“What exactly do witchfinders do?”
She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Surely the name gives it away? Witch? Finder? What do you think they do? Herd sheep? They find witches, of course.”
“I’d worked that much out, but what do they do once they’ve found a witch?”
“Destroy her. Witchfinders are extremely powerful, and can kill even the most powerful witches.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. Not one bit. “So how are we meant to stop them?”
“The only way to stop a witchfinder is with Brewflower.”
“Isn’t that what Alicia used to poison me just before the Levels Competition?”
“Exactly.”
“But I thought it was banned?”
“It is, and normally I wouldn’t advocate using it. But it’s the only thing that will stop a witchfinder.”
“You mean kill them?”
“No. They’re too powerful for it to kill them, but it will weaken them to the point where they’re no longer a threat.”
“How will I recognise this witchfinder?”
“It isn’t easy. The only way to be sure that someone is a witchfinder, is to look for a tattoo at the nape of the neck.”
“What kind of tattoo? Does it say ‘Witchfinder’?”
“Yes, it says ‘Witchfinder’ in big red letters.” She sighed in obvious exasperation. “Of course, it doesn’t. It’s a small tattoo of a goblet.”
“Why a goblet?”
“How would I know? I don’t get invited to the annual witchfinder dinner and dance. You must be extra vigilant. Be suspicious of every new person who comes into your life. If the rumours are true, and there really is a witchfinder here in Washbridge, then you can bet he’ll be seeking out the most powerful witches, and that means you and me. We’ll be at the top of his list of targets, so you must be extra careful. Got it?”
“Got it.”
As I walked back to the office, I found myself staring at everyone, wondering if they might be the witchfinder. And, I kept checking behind me, just in case I was being followed. If it had been Grandma’s intention to scare me, she’d certainly succeeded.
Before going back to the office, I knew that there was something else I needed to do, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember what it was. Then it came to me. I needed to buy more salmon for Winky. I popped into the minimarket which was a few doors down from my office, picked up a basket, and filled it with tins of red salmon.
The woman at the checkout gave me a curious look. “You’re going through a lot of salmon, recently?”
“Sorry?”
“This is the second time you’ve been in this week and bought a basketful of it.”
“I have? Oh, yes. I’m having a party at the weekend, and all the guests are big fans of salmon.”
“They must be.”
Once I was out of the shop, I thought about what the woman had said. I had been buying an awful lot of salmon, but had no idea why. I’d bought a lot of cream too. Why on earth had I bought so much? It was almost as though I’d felt compelled to do it.
And then something occurred to me.
Winky had been studying hypnosis. I had pooh-poohed the whole thing because I’d always thought hypnosis was bogus. But I’d obviously been wrong. He must have hypnotised me so that I’d buy him lots of salmon and cream. And that wasn’t all. The conversation we’d had the previous day came back to me. He’d suggested he become a partner in the business, and I’d gone along with it, and agreed, in principle, to split the profits fifty-fifty.
That sneaky little so-and-so! How dare he use his mind control on me? I was seething, so instead of going back to the office, I went home. I needed time to plan my revenge on my darling little hypnotist.
***
As I pulled onto the driveway,
I spotted Jen and Blake’s new neighbour standing in front of his house. Jen had said that he seemed a rather strange man, and I could see what she meant. He was wearing what appeared to be some kind of cloak. The hood was pulled down over his head, so the only part of his face I could see was his beard. Although I couldn’t see his eyes, he appeared to be looking in my direction.
Maybe I was just being paranoid? Maybe he was just taking some fresh air?
“Hi!” I waved.
He didn’t reply. In fact, he didn’t respond at all.
Now, he was beginning to give me the creeps, and I remembered what Grandma had said about any strangers who came into my life. Could our new neighbour be the witchfinder? I turned on my heels, and hurried into the house as quickly as I could. Once inside, I went straight to the front window, and peered outside. He had disappeared.
Just then, the lounge door opened, and I almost jumped out of my skin. This was it! The witchfinder had come to get me.
“Jill? Are you all right?”
“Jack. It’s you.”
“Who did you think it was?” He looked worried. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. You just made me jump, that’s all.”
What was I meant to say? I could hardly tell him that I’d thought he was the witchfinder, come to get me, could I?
“Didn’t you see me pull onto the drive?”
I’d been so busy looking across the road that I hadn’t noticed Jack’s car pull up.
“No, sorry. I was miles away. You’re back early?”
“I’ve had enough today. That place is driving me insane.”
He took a seat on the sofa, but I stayed by the window, just in case the witchfinder made a move.
“Bad day?” I asked.
“I’m fed up of being given trivial work to deal with. I know that I’m the new guy over there, but seriously, some of the cases they’ve handed me recently are beyond a joke. Take today—the boss passed me a missing person case. A man has gone missing; his wife reported it a couple of days ago. I interviewed her today, and you’ll never guess what she told me?”