by Adele Abbott
“That might be doable. We’d have to advertise for someone.”
“I’d like Stella Yates if that’s possible?”
“Are you sure?” Flynn glanced across at Stella who was still staring down at her desk. “She has no experience of that kind of thing. She’s just an admin assistant.”
“Stella would be fine for the job I have in mind. Why not give her a raise, and get in a new admin assistant?”
“Okay. I’m happy with that in principle, but I’ll need to run it by HR first. Can I get back to you in a day or so?”
“Sure.” Susan stood up, and made for the door. “There is just one more thing.”
“Go on.”
“What’s the policy on paying sources for leads?”
“Officially, we don’t do it.”
“And unofficially?”
“Unofficially, if the story is good enough, then yes, it can be arranged. Why? Do you have someone in mind?”
“A good reporter always protects her sources.” She grinned.
***
Neil was standing behind the counter of the fancy dress shop—daydreaming. Debs, his assistant, was busy restocking the shelves.
“How come I have to work my butt off while you just stand there staring into space?” She got to her feet and faced him across the counter.
“I’ll have you know that I’m very busy at the moment.”
“Doing what?”
“Managing.”
She laughed.
“I wouldn’t expect you to understand the complexities and pressures of management, Debs.”
“Clearly, I don’t.”
“Not only do I have to worry about everything that’s going on in the shop at the moment—”
“Excuse me?” Debs glanced around at the empty shop.
He ignored her remark, and continued, “I also have all the hassle of recruiting another member of staff.”
“Why do we need anyone else? It’s not like we’re run off our feet, is it?”
“The owners say we need three members of staff so that we can cover one another for holidays and sickness.”
“I’ve got a better idea.”
“Go on.”
“Seeing as how I do the work of two already, why don’t you pay me twice as much, and not bother recruiting anyone else?”
“If you do twice the amount of work, how come you’re leaning on the counter, doing nothing, when there’s all this stock to be put away?”
“No raise then?”
“No. Just get that stock put away.”
“It’s time for my break.”
Neil checked his watch. “Okay.” She turned to walk away, but then he called after her, “Hey, Debs, do you believe ghosts?”
“Of course I believe in them. I’m a sup, aren’t I?”
“I didn’t say do you believe in ghosts. I asked if you believe what they tell you?”
“Like what?”
“It doesn’t matter what. When a ghost tells you something, do you believe them?”
“It’s not very often I talk to ghosts. They give me the creeps. Being dead and all. Anyway, why are you banging on about ghosts? Is this about that one-legged ghost in your apartment?”
“Socky, yeah. I share a bedroom with him now.”
“Nice.” Debs smirked.
“It’s not like that. I had to swap rooms with our human. She’d already brought in PAW once, and was threatening to bring them in again.”
“What’s Paw?”
“It’s P-A-W. It stands for Paranormal Activity Watch.”
“That sounds like bad news.”
“It is. That’s why I had to swap bedrooms.”
“What’s this ghost of yours been saying?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Please yourself. Is it okay if I nip out early for lunch today? I promised to meet Johnny.”
“Why don’t you dump that pea-brained loser, and go out with a real man?”
“Like you, you mean?” She looked him up and down, and laughed.
Just then a customer walked in.
“Go and serve him, Debs.”
“I’m on a break.”
“Your break is over. You just spent it talking to me.”
***
“I’m thinking of signing up with Love Bites,” Molly said.
She and Dorothy were behind the counter at the bookshop.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a dating agency specifically for female vampires to meet male humans.”
“You mean an online agency? Do they have an app?”
“No, this one isn’t online. It’s kind of old school. They have an office in Candlefield and another one here in Washbridge.”
“I’m surprised you’d want to go out with a human. I thought you preferred vampires?”
“Normally, I do, but humans have something that vampires don’t.”
“What’s that?”
“Human blood.”
“What?” Dorothy looked outraged. “You’re not looking for a date. You’re looking for your next meal.”
“So?”
“Please tell me you’re not serious.”
“Who can say what might happen in the heat of passion?”
“Don’t you remember what happened to Ruth?”
“Ruth was careless. I won’t be. I’ll dispose of the evidence.”
“What evidence?”
“The body, of course.”
“Are you crazy? You can’t just go around killing humans.”
“Why not?” Molly shrugged. “It’s just collateral damage.”
“How is it collateral damage? It’s not like some human just happened to be passing by, is it? You would have deliberately hooked up with him. Couldn’t you just take a few drops when they’re asleep?”
“You’re talking about soft feeding, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Nah. Waste of time. I want a real drink, and after I’ve taken one, I can hardly leave the human around to talk, can I?”
“This is a terrible idea, Molly. Why don’t you just stick with synthetic blood?”
“You only say that because you’ve never tasted the real thing.”
“No, and I don’t intend to.” Dorothy took out her phone. “That reminds me; I’m going to order a mini fridge.”
“Why?”
“To keep my synthetic blood in. I’m going to put it in my bedroom, away from the prying eyes of Susan ‘human’ Hall.” Dorothy tapped away on her phone for a few moments. “There! It’s done!”
“That was quick.”
“I know. And they’re going to deliver it this evening. Result!”
“I’m peckish,” Molly said.
“Me too, and I could do with some fresh air. I’ll nip over to Sarnies. What do you want?”
“A sausage roll. A big one.”
“Okay. I won’t be long.”
“Say hello to Donny for me.”
“I’m hoping that idiot won’t be serving today.”
But, much to Dorothy’s disappointment, he was. Donny was a young wizard who was always cracking jokes. Or at least what he insisted were jokes.
“Hi, Dot. Where’s Moll?”
“She’s back at the shop. Can I get two large sausage rolls and a bottle of coke?”
“My pleasure. Anything else for one of my two favourite booksellers.”
“No, thanks.”
“Do you like my shirt? I bought it yesterday.”
Donny had the worst taste in shirts of anyone Dorothy knew. This particular one had dinosaurs all over it, and looked more like a pyjama top.
“It’s truly awful.”
“I know you don’t mean that.” He grinned. “Anyway, how’s life treating you at the moment?”
“Can we just dispense with the small talk? Some of us have work to do.”
“You should try smiling more, Dot. You have a lovely smile.”
“Just give me the change. Some of
us are busy.”
“There you go.” He handed her the cash.
“Thanks.”
“Say hello to Moll for me,” he called after her.
***
It was triangle day, but neither Susan nor Stella was in the mood for Coffee Triangle. Instead, they made their way to Aroma where they ordered sandwiches and coffee.
“What’s going on with your house?” Susan said.
“I live over in Sterling Wash. It used to be my parents’ house. Both of them are dead now. My father died when I was young; my mother died three years ago. I’m an only child, so when they left the house to me, I gave up the flat where I’d been living, and moved back into my family home. It’s just a small two-bed terraced. I love it, and I love the area. I don’t want to move.”
“You said you thought you might lose it?”
“There are only sixteen houses in the street; half of those have already been bought by a property developer. From what I understand, he plans to demolish all the existing houses and build two apartment blocks. The house is just outside the city centre, so I can walk to work in ten minutes. That’s why the property developer is so keen. Apartments that close to the city centre will sell or rent at a premium.”
“But surely none of that matters if you or any of the other residents don’t want to sell.”
“It shouldn’t, I agree, but there have been a few incidents.”
“What kind of incidents?”
“There have been a few break-ins on the street recently.”
“There are break-ins everywhere.”
“I know, but not this many, and not in such a short period of time. And that’s not all—I had a brick thrown through my window, the week before last. Then there was the fire.”
“A fire? In your house?”
“No. It was two doors down from me, and no one was injured, thank goodness. There was a lot of damage, though, and from what I hear, the owner has now decided to sell up and move out.”
“Do you think it’s deliberate intimidation?”
“I have no proof.” She hesitated. “But, yes I do.”
“What’s the name of the property developer who’s trying to purchase your house?”
“It’s a company called Burke Holdings.”
Chapter 3
Charlie was on his first break when Mason, one of the other instructors at the gym, came to join him in the staff room. Like Charlie, Mason was a werewolf.
“I hate taking the commuter class,” Charlie said. “Half of them are still asleep. It’s really hard work.”
“I know what you mean.” Mason poured himself a cup of coffee. “The majority of them only come to the class so they can brag about it when they get to the office. And there are never any decent chicks.”
“Chicks? Did you really just say that?”
“What’s wrong with ‘chicks’?”
“Nothing if we were in the seventies, but the last time I looked, that was forty years ago.”
“It seems to work for me. I’m never short of female company. You, on the other hand—”
“Can we not discuss my love life, please?”
“What love life? Have you made any progress with that witch you’ve had your eye on? The one you made a fool of yourself with when you were calling the cat.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“What’s her name?”
“Amelia.”
“So? Is it happening? You and Amelia?”
“I haven’t seen her for a while, and anyway, she wouldn’t be interested in me.”
“How will you ever know if you don’t ask her out?”
Charlie shrugged. “I’m looking forward to the game on Saturday.”
“Are you trying to change the subject?”
“Yes, I am. So, if we win, we’ll go top.”
“That’s a very big ‘if’. The Titans are unbeaten this season.”
“So what? We’ve only lost one game, and we should have won that one. How many sups do the Titans have on their team these days?”
“Five, I think.”
“All weres?”
“Four weres and a wizard.”
“They’ve got a wizard in their team? We’ll have to watch him.”
“Don’t worry, I will. If he tries any magic during the game, I’ll flatten his backside.”
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
“Sorry to interrupt you.” Ali stepped inside. “Are you on your break?”
“It’s okay,” Charlie said. “I was just finishing up.”
“I wondered if you could help me with the treadmill, Charlie?”
“He’ll be happy to, Ali.” Mason smirked.
“Sure.” Charlie made for the door.
“Ouch!” Mason rubbed his shin; Charlie had kicked him on his way past.
***
At the top of the list of things which Susan hated was bullies. They came in all shapes and sizes, from the playground bully who pushes the smaller kids around, to the corporate bully which uses its financial muscle to intimidate the ordinary person.
Susan’s background in boxing and martial arts meant that she didn’t have to worry too much about physical bullying because she could handle herself. Corporate bullies were a whole different proposition, and it seemed to Susan that this was exactly what Stella was up against right now. From what Stella had told her, Burke Holdings appeared to be trying to pressure people into selling their homes to make way for yet more faceless apartment blocks. Susan wasn’t sure what, if anything, she could do to help, but she was certainly going to give it a shot.
She started by searching The Bugle’s archives. It didn’t take her long to find two articles on Burke Holdings: one from four years earlier, the other from just two years ago. The first article focused on a man and wife who had lived in a street where Burke Holdings had purchased all the properties except theirs. In the interview the woman had complained that they felt like they were being driven from their home. The later article was about an elderly man who also felt he was under pressure to leave the house he had lived in for most of his life.
Susan checked an up-to-date street map to see what had become of the streets mentioned in the two articles. In both locations, there now stood apartment blocks owned by Burke Holdings. They had obviously succeeded in driving out the remaining residents. With a track record like that, Stella’s prospects of holding out didn’t look very good, but that wasn’t going to put Susan off.
Her mobile phone rang. It was her middle brother, Brian.
“Hey, Sis! Were you ever going to get in touch?”
Susan felt terrible. Although her relationship with her youngest brother, Ray, had never been all that great, she’d always got on much better with her two older brothers, Brian and Simon. And yet, even though she’d been in Washbridge for some time, she hadn’t got around to contacting either of them.
“Sorry, Brian. I should have been in touch before now, but it’s been pretty hectic, what with the new job, and moving into the apartment. How are Annie and Maisie?”
“They’re both fine. Maisie seems to get bigger every day.”
“I can’t wait to see her again.”
“I was talking to Simon at the weekend, and he suggested I give you a call to see if the three of us could meet up?”
“Dad didn’t put you up to this, did he?”
“Come on, Susan. You know us better than that. We’re not Dad’s puppets.”
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that, but I had Ray over here the other day giving me a hard time.”
“You surely couldn’t have been surprised by that? He and Dad are like two peas in a pod. I hear you met up with Dad.”
“Yeah, and you can imagine how that went.”
“Dad’s never going to change. I also heard you’ve moved into the old sock factory. How do you like it?”
“The apartment is really nice. Much bigger than the one I had in London. I’m sharing with three others.”
&
nbsp; “How are your flatmates?”
“The guys, Neil and Charlie, seem okay, but Dorothy seems to have taken a bit of a dislike to me.”
“I’m sure you’ll win her over.”
“I hope so.”
“How about me and Simon pay you a visit so we can see the apartment?”
Susan hesitated. Did she really want her brothers coming over to the apartment? “It might be better to meet somewhere else. You can see my place when I’ve had a chance to settle in properly.”
“Okay. How about we meet at the Riverside Bar, then? Do you know it?”
“No, but I’m sure I’ll find it. When?”
“Let me check with Simon to see when works for him, and I’ll let you know.”
“Okay. Sorry again about not getting in touch before.”
“No problem. See you soon.”
***
Charlie had finished early at the gym because he’d been in at the crack of dawn to take the commuter class. When he arrived back at the apartment, Pretty was waiting for him on the landing. As soon as she heard him coming up the stairs, she meowed loudly. Once he set foot on the landing, she began to weave in and out of his legs.
“Just a minute, Pretty. Be patient! You shouldn’t be waiting out here. What if Dorothy had seen you?” He unlocked the door, and poked his head inside to check there was no one else around, and that the canary was in its cage. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he let Pretty in. She made straight for the fridge and began to meow again.
Charlie put Pretty’s bowl of food and saucer of milk on the floor, and was just about to put the milk back into the fridge, when he spotted a faint red line marked on the bottle. Dorothy had marked the level; she was checking up on him again. He wiped off the red line with his thumb; she’d have to be smarter than that to catch him out.
Charlie froze when he heard the knock at the door, but then he realised that if it had been Dorothy, she would have walked straight in.
“Hi there.” It was Amelia, the witch from upstairs.
“Oh? Hi.”
“I didn’t realise that you were such an old romantic, Charlie.”
“Sorry? I don’t know what you mean.”
“This, silly.” She waved a sheet of paper in front of him.