by Adele Abbott
“The rain is the problem.”
“Hold on. Are you telling me that you dragged me back here because it’s raining?”
“This isn’t normal rain. Candlefield has never seen rain as heavy as this. Two small rivers have already burst their banks, and the River Candle will do the same within a couple of hours. If that happens, a good part of Candlefield will be swept away.”
“That’s terrible, but I still don’t know what you expect me to do about it.”
“As I’ve already said, this isn’t normal. The rain has been caused by magic.”
“Are you talking about the ‘rain’ spell?”
“A variation of it, but this one is a thousand times more powerful.”
“Can’t you stop it?”
“Don’t you think we’ve tried?” She pointed to the other level six witches. “Even with our combined powers, we’ve been unable to overcome it. Whoever cast this spell has powers much greater than anything we’ve ever witnessed. That’s why we called you back.”
“What makes you think I can stop it?”
“If you can’t, this could be the end of Candlefield. Why are we standing around here talking?”
Grandma led the way outside. Everyone had an umbrella; everyone except me. Within minutes, I looked like a drowned rat, but I didn’t have time to worry about that. I had to stop the rain somehow.
All eyes were on me.
I knew how to cast the ‘rain’ spell, and I knew how to reverse it, but then so did all the other witches who were gathered around me. This was going to take every last ounce of my power.
I closed my eyes and focussed. Nothing happened; the rain continued to pour. I tried again, but still the rain came down. My energy levels were falling rapidly. I knew I could manage just one more attempt, but if that failed—I didn’t even want to think about it.
I tried again.
I was so exhausted I could barely stand, but at least the rain had stopped. Everyone put down their umbrellas.
“Well done, Jill!”
“Bravo!”
The plaudits came thick and fast.
“Took you long enough, didn’t it?” No prizes for guessing whose response that was.
“Who do you think cast the ‘rain’ spell, Grandma?”
“I have no idea, but whoever it was represents a real danger to Candlefield. This is the first threat I’ve ever encountered where a group of level six witches have been unable to combat it. That’s a scary thought.”
“Why would anyone do something like this? Why would they want to destroy Candlefield?”
“Perhaps they didn’t.”
“What do you mean? They almost did just that.”
“That’s true, but maybe that wasn’t their primary aim.”
“Sorry, you’ve lost me.”
“Where were you when the rain started?”
“You know where I was. At CASS.”
“And what were you doing there?”
“Just visiting.”
“Are you sure that’s all you were doing?”
“What does any of this have to do with the rain?”
“Perhaps someone didn’t want you at CASS. Perhaps someone didn’t want you doing whatever it was you were doing there. What better way to get you back here than to threaten Candlefield with destruction? Think about that, young lady. It seems to me that you may have a powerful enemy.”
***
I magicked myself back to Washbridge.
As I made my way to the office, I thought about what Grandma had said, but I just didn’t buy it. I was as concerned as she was about who was behind this, but the suggestion that it had all been to get me back from CASS was simply too far-fetched. It wasn’t as though I’d found anything there anyway. My so-called instincts had led me on a wild goose chase to an empty room.
“What happened to you, Jill?” Jules gave me a horrified look when I dripped my way into the room.
“I got caught in the rain.”
She glanced out of the window. “It’s been blue skies all morning.”
“I was caught in a shower in Smallwash.”
“It must have been a really heavy one.”
“Look at the state of you!” Winky laughed. He was dressed as a pilot. “Been swimming?”
“Shut up, you! Haven’t you got angry holiday customers to worry about?”
“Nah. That’s all sorted.”
“How?”
“I took down the app. It was more trouble than it was worth.”
“What about all of the existing bookings? What are you going to do about the people whose holidays you’ve messed up?”
“I’ll refund them, of course.” He shrugged.
“You sound remarkably relaxed about all of this.”
“Every successful entrepreneur must be prepared to fail, and be capable of bouncing back. That’s just how it goes.” He glanced down. “Don’t you think you should towel yourself down? You’re making puddles.”
“I don’t have a towel.”
“I do.”
“Great.”
“The hire charge is five pounds.”
“You’re going to charge me to use a towel?”
“These are hard times. A cat has to make a living somehow.”
I handed over the cash, and he produced a towel from under the sofa.
“You could at least tell me what’s going on with all these outfits you’re wearing,” I said, while towelling myself down.
“It’s for my calendar.”
“What calendar?”
“The one I’ll be selling at the end of the year. How many should I put you down for?”
***
I’d just about dried off by the time Angie Potts arrived at the office.
“I’m still not sure about this, Jill.” She looked as nervous as a kitten.
“We talked this through when I came to see you. You owe it to Patty Lake and Conrad Landers.”
“But how can you be sure my stepfather murdered Patty?”
“You know what he’s capable of—that he can be violent. Plus, you know he was seeing Patty.”
“That doesn’t mean he murdered her.”
“If Conrad Landers is innocent, then someone planted Patty’s top in his locker. In his job, your stepfather was a regular visitor to the garage. No one would have thought anything of it if they’d seen him there. He had ample opportunity to plant the evidence.”
“But after all this time, what good can any of this do?”
“If my hunch is right, and your stepfather did murder Patty, then it’s possible there are other victims, or that he could strike again. Would you want that on your conscience?”
“No, of course not, but I’m terrified of him.”
“You have nothing to worry about. I’ll be right there with you.”
“What about my mother?”
“I’ve already thought of that. It will only complicate things if she’s there when you turn up. I called her earlier and asked her to come and see me. In fact, she should be here in about thirty minutes. My PA has instructions to keep her occupied until we’ve done what we need to do.”
“I’m still really worried about this.”
“Come on.” I grabbed her by the hand. “We have to go now.”
Angie was silent during the drive to her mother’s place. All the way there, I was half expecting her to demand to be let out of the car, but to my relief, her nerve held.
I parked two streets away from Sophie’s bungalow.
“I never thought I’d be back here.” She stared out of the window.
“You can do this. You have nothing to worry about; I’ll be close by.”
“Promise?”
“I promise. Off you go. Just knock on the door.”
“Where will you be?”
“Nearby.”
As soon as Angie was out of sight, I cast the ‘invisible’ spell, and followed her. When she reached the gate, she hesitated, and for a horrible moment, I th
ought she might turn tail, and run back to the car. Instead, she took a deep breath, and walked up to the door. I kept pace with her all the way.
It took her stepfather a few seconds to register what he was seeing. That was hardly surprising as it was twenty years since he’d last seen Angie.
“What the hell are you doing here?” He looked up and down the street to see if anyone else was around.
“Either you talk to me, or I go to the police.” The nerves were evident in her voice, but she’d remembered the line we’d rehearsed. I was so proud of her.
“Get inside.” He grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her into the house. I managed to slip in behind her before he slammed the door closed.
“What’s your game?” he demanded.
“I’m not scared of you anymore.”
“You should be.”
“Why? Because you murdered Patty?”
The colour drained from his face, and he took a step back. “What did you say?”
“You heard me. You killed her, and I’m going to tell the police everything I know.”
“You stupid little cow! Do you think I’m going to let you ruin my life?”
“You can’t stop me.”
“I stopped Patty when she threatened to tell Sophie about our affair. I’ll stop you too.”
That was my cue to act. I quickly stepped into the lounge so that I would be out of sight when I reversed the ‘invisible’ spell.
“Don’t lay a finger on her!” Visible now, I stepped back into the hallway.
“Where did you come from?” he yelled at me.
“That’s not important. What matters is that I’ve just witnessed your confession, and I have it recorded on this.” I showed him the digital recorder.
“Give me that!”
He tried to snatch it, but I’d already cast the ‘power’ spell, so I was able to overpower him easily. I told Angie to go outside and call the police. While she was doing that, I used the ‘tie-up’ spell on him.
***
It was one week later, and I’d arranged to meet Harry and Larry outside Coffee Triangle. They were both keen to see if there were any ideas they could ‘steal’ to use in Spooky Wooky.
When they appeared, I ushered them into the alleyway at the side of the shop.
“Don’t forget. I’m the only one who can see you, so please don’t go picking anything up or moving things.”
“Don’t worry.” Harry grinned. “We’re just here to observe and learn.”
“Great. Okay then, let’s go.”
“Just a minute, Jill,” Larry said. “We thought you should know that we had a long talk with Stewey after you left.”
“How did that go?”
“He was really nervous at first, but once he got used to the idea of talking to a couple of ghosts, he came around. We managed to convince him that he has nothing to reproach himself for.”
“That’s great. Let’s hope he’ll be able to put his life back together now.”
“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. We managed to persuade him that he should open a brand-new bakery.”
“You did? That’s fantastic.”
“Even better, we’re going to help him do it. He seemed really keen for us to get involved.”
It was tambourine day. Once I’d been served, I found a vacant table, while Harry and Larry took a look around the place.
I was barely half way through my muffin when Sophie and Angie walked through the door.
“Jill, your PA said we’d find you here,” Sophie said. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. Can I get you a drink?”
“Nothing for us, thanks. We just wanted a quick word.”
They took seats opposite me.
“I take it that you two are reconciled.”
“Angie has been kind enough to forgive me.”
“There’s nothing to forgive, Mum.” Angie put her hand on her mother’s.
“Of course there is. If I’d believed you when you told me about Lionel, twenty years ago, I would never have lost you. I’ll never forgive myself for that. I’ve been living with that monster all of this time. I’m such a blind fool.”
“Have they charged him with Patty’s murder?” I asked.
“From what I hear, he’s going to plead guilty to a charge of manslaughter.”
“That’s good news for Conrad Landers. I assume he’ll be released soon.”
“That poor man.” Sophie shook her head. “Twenty years of his life wasted.”
“Conrad made the ideal fall guy. Lionel and he had had an altercation some months before the murder. Lionel had come on to Patty while she was seeing Conrad. From all accounts, Conrad had given him a bloody nose. Planting Patty’s top in Conrad’s locker not only shifted suspicion from Lionel, it also gave him revenge for being humiliated by the younger man.”
“It’s just a pity it has taken so many years for justice to be finally done.”
“True. Will you be moving back to Washbridge, Angie?”
“No. I’ve made a life for myself in Chester now. I have a good job and friends there. I intend to visit Mum regularly, though. And she can visit me whenever she likes.”
“Thank you again, Jill,” Sophie said. “You’ll let me have your bill, I assume?”
“I will.”
They stood up, and were about to leave when they both seemed to do a double-take. I followed their gaze, and realised that Larry had taken the seat next to me; he was shaking the tambourine. To Sophie and Angie, it appeared that the tambourine was shaking itself.
I snatched it from his hand.
“How? Err?” Sophie began to splutter.
I quickly cast the ‘forget’ spell, and then wished them goodbye.
“Sorry about that. I got carried away,” Larry said, after they’d gone. Harry had now joined us at the table.
“You’ll both have to be more careful if you’re going to spend time in this world.”
“Who are you talking to?” the young barista said. I hadn’t spotted him walking over to my table.
“Me? Err—no one—I was just talking to myself.”
“Right?” He looked mightily confused. “Are you Jill Gooder?”
“That’s me.”
“I thought so. I have some good news for you.”
“Oh?”
“You won the ‘how many marbles in the jar’ competition.”
“I did? That’s great. What did I win?”
“Stay there, and I’ll go and get your prize.”
I was so excited. Just wait until I told Jack that I’d won.
Oh no!
“It’s rather big. Do you think you’ll be able to manage it?” He was holding one of the giant triangles they’d used in the recent promotion.
I pushed past him, and sprinted for the door.
“Hey! Wait! You’ve forgotten your prize!”
More mystery, magic and mayhem from Jill Gooder and a cast of thousands (okay, tens) in the next book:
Witch Is Why The Search Began
(Witch P.I. Mysteries #22)
SEASON THREE
Details of season three of the Witch P.I. Series can now be found on my website, here:
The Witch P.I. Series
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that Dorothy, Neil and Charlie have their own series?
The Susan Hall Mysteries by Adele Abbott are set in the same world as the Witch P.I. Mysteries (Washbridge/Candlefield)
Whoops! Our New Flatmate Is A Human
(Susan Hall Mysteries #1)
Web Site: http:www.AdeleAbbott.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AdeleAbbottAuthor
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