by Adele Abbott
“Right.” Neil grinned.
The other two nodded.
“Right. Well, I must run.”
After Craig had left, Susan turned to the others. “What was that all about? Organising what? Scrapping what?”
“No idea.” Neil shrugged.
“Dunno.” Charlie shook his head.
“He’s a bit of a weird one, that Craig,” Dorothy said.
Chapter 19
The next morning, Susan was still in her bedroom when she heard a noise. It couldn’t be, could it?
When she stepped outside the bedroom, she could barely believe her eyes: Charlie was doing the washing up, and Dorothy was vacuuming.
“Morning!” Neil called over the sound of the vacuum cleaner. He was sticking the housework rota onto the fridge.
Dorothy turned off the vacuum. “I could suck harder than this useless thing. We’ll have to get a new one.”
“If we buy it between us, it shouldn’t cost much.” Charlie was trying to balance the mountain of dishes on the draining board. “I’ll check out the prices today.”
Susan couldn’t help but smile. For the first time since she’d moved in, she felt like the four of them were in this together.
There was a light tap at the door.
“I’ll get it,” Neil said. “Tilly? Come in. How are you?”
She had a small dressing on her left temple, but otherwise appeared unharmed.
“Okay. Still a little shaky. I’ve just come to pick up a few bits and pieces from the apartment, but I wanted to drop by and thank you, Charlie.” Then she turned to Susan. “And you, Susan. I understand you were the one who raised the alarm.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay. Where are you going to stay?”
“With my sister. It’ll take a few weeks to get everything sorted, but it could have been a lot worse.” She turned to Dorothy. “Could I have a word in private?”
“Sure.”
“Are you really okay?” Dorothy asked, once they were in her bedroom.
“I’ve been better, but yeah. I’m getting there. Look, I wanted to ask if you’d speak to Craig for me. I just tried his door, but he isn’t in. I want to take my name off that petition to get Susan out. I feel terrible about ever having signed it. I’m trying to have her thrown out, and she goes and saves my life.”
“The petition has been scrapped.”
“What? When?”
“Craig came to tell us yesterday. I assume everyone else in the building must feel the same way about Susan now.”
***
“Charlie!” Bunty called to him.
He walked over to the microphone. “Hi, Bunty.”
“I hope you’re satisfied. Biddy has moved out and is now homeless. The streets are a dangerous place for a lone fairy. I hope you’ll be able to live with yourself if something terrible happens to her.”
“But—I—err.”
“Too late for regrets now. On your head be it.” With that, she disappeared back inside her house.
Charlie felt awful. Maybe he’d been too rash. He hadn’t wanted anything bad to happen to Biddy; he was just thinking about Greta. Perhaps he should reconsider.
“Pssst! Charlie! Pssst!”
“Greta?”
“Shush!”
“Why are we whispering?”
“So Bunty doesn’t hear. I heard what she just told you, and it’s a load of old rubbish. Biddy has moved into a new house, next door to her sister.”
“In Washbridge?”
“Yeah. Somewhere near the high street, I think.”
“So what was that all about?” He gestured to Bunty’s house.
“Ignore her. She’s just trying to guilt trip you.”
“Oh, okay.”
“And, Charlie. Thanks.”
***
“Penny for them?” Neil said. He and Susan were by themselves in the lounge.
“Sorry. I was miles away, thinking about this weird bank story.”
“The disappearing money?”
“Yeah. It just doesn’t make any sense. A bank robbery? That, I can understand, but how does money just disappear and then reappear?”
“Simple. They must have used magic.” Neil said, without thinking.
“You could be right. I hadn’t thought of that.” Her face lit up. “Maybe it was some kind of elaborate illusion.”
“I suppose.”
“You said you were into magic, didn’t you?”
“Err—well—”
“Do you know anyone who might be able to help?”
“Like a wizard—err—I mean magician?”
“Yeah. A magician or an illusionist. I know it’s a longshot, but right now, nothing else makes any sense. It would be really helpful if you could put me onto someone.”
“Err—right. I guess I could try.”
“Thanks, Neil. I’d better make a move.”
Neil could have kicked himself. Why didn’t he keep his big mouth shut, or at least think before he opened it? What Susan had described did sound like magic, but it was magic that was well above his paygrade. It was the kind of thing a level six wizard might be capable of doing. So, all he had to do now was to find a level six wizard who would be prepared to talk to a human.
That should be easy enough. Not!
***
“Hey, Dorothy, the books aren’t mixed up this morning,” Molly said.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen again.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Just a hunch.” Dorothy grinned.
“You know something, don’t you? Do you know who was behind it?”
“It was Donny.”
“What? Sarnie Donny?”
Dorothy nodded.
“I always thought he fancied you.”
“Well he’s out of luck.”
“Why? He’s okay. You could do worse.”
“When I want your advice on my love life, I’ll ask for it.”
“But, it’s a match made in heaven. Dotty and Donny.”
“Watch it! If you think he’s such a great catch, why don’t you go over there and ask him for a roll?”
Molly walked away singing under her breath, “Dotty and Donny sitting—”
***
Charlie was just about to take his lunch break when Draycott called him into his office. His heart sank. What had he done wrong this time? He couldn’t afford to lose this job. If he did, he’d probably have to give up the apartment and move back to Candlefield.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had a second job?” Draycott said.
“What? I don’t.”
“Really? So, it’s just a hobby, is it?”
“I’m sorry, Mr Draycott, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m talking about that.” He pointed out of the window.
Charlie moved closer to get a better look. And then he saw it.
“Err—I—err.”
“That is you on the billboard, isn’t it? Or do you have a twin brother that I don’t know about?”
“Err—I—err.”
“That’s a pretty girl you’ve got your arms around.”
Charlie hadn’t given much thought to where the photographs for the jeans campaign might end up. Even if he had, he would have probably concluded they would be in some fashion magazine. Not for one moment had he expected them to appear on a huge billboard opposite the building in which he worked.
“So, I take it you’re now working as a model?”
“No. Well—err—not really.”
“That looks pretty real to me.”
“Yes, well—err—it’s just a part-time thing. I probably won’t get any more jobs.”
“What if you do? What about your job here?”
“That comes first, obviously. If I do get any more modelling assignments, I’ll fit them around my work here.”
“You’d better or you won’t have a job here.”
“Okay. Sorry. Thanks.”
Charlie was still feeling shell-shocked when he went back to work, and then he had another horrible thought. How many more billboards around Washbridge were carrying the same ad? Who else had seen it? If his rugby pals or his flatmates had, his life wouldn’t be worth living.
***
Charlie was the last one home that day because he’d spent an hour after work wandering around Washbridge to see if he could spot any more billboards with his ugly mug on them. Much to his relief, he hadn’t seen any.
The first thing that struck him when he walked into the apartment was how much tidier the place looked already, and that was after only one day of the housework rota. They really should have done this ages ago.
The other flatmates were all in the lounge, so he went to join them.
“How was your day, Charlie?” Dorothy asked.
That caught him a little off-guard; Dorothy hardly ever enquired after him.
“Okay. Just the usual.”
“Don’t you find it tiring working at the gym every day?” Susan asked.
“No. I’m used to it.”
“You are built for that kind of work. It must be in the genes, I guess.”
“Err—yeah—I guess.”
“I got a call from my cousin, today,” Dorothy said. “Jean’s her name. Have I mentioned her to you, Charlie?”
“No—err—I don’t think so.”
“I remember her.” Neil was barely holding it together. “Isn’t she a model?”
Neil, Susan and Dorothy all dissolved into laughter.
That’s when the penny dropped for Charlie: genes, Jean’s, model.
“You three are hilarious. I take it you’ve seen it then?”
Dorothy was the first to compose herself enough to speak. “Molly spotted it on her lunch break.”
“I saw one on my way home,” Susan said. “I thought you looked really good.”
“You’re a sly one.” Neil wiped a tear from his eye. “How long has this been going on?”
“I’ve only done the one photoshoot. A woman approached me in a coffee shop, and asked if I had an agent.” He turned to Neil. “I thought it was one of your wind-ups at first. When I realised it was genuine, I decided to give it a go, but I had no idea they’d be using the photos on billboards around here. I thought they’d just be in magazines.”
“The girl you were cuddling looked hot!” Neil said.
“That’s Jade. She was really nice.”
“Did you get her number?”
Before he could answer, there was a thumping on the door. It sounded as though someone was trying to knock it down. Susan was the first to react.
“Where is he?” Amelia screamed when Susan let her in. “I’ll kill him.”
She made a beeline for Charlie who looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights. Dorothy and Neil both vacated the sofa, leaving Charlie to face Amelia alone.
“What’s wrong?” Charlie said.
“I’ll tell you what’s wrong.” She exploded. “I’ve just passed two gigantic billboards showing a picture of my supposed boyfriend, making out with some bimbo.”
“Jade isn’t a—”
“Jade, is it? Well if I ever lay eyes on her, she’ll be on the wrong end of an ugly spell. And as for you—”
“I can explain.”
“Save it for someone who cares. You and I are over. Got it?”
He nodded.
“And that cat of yours is not pretty. She’s ugly and she smells!”
With that, Amelia turned on her heels and stormed out.
“That went well.” Neil grinned.
The other flatmates were surprised to see a huge smile on Charlie’s face.
“Thank goodness for that.” He sighed. “That woman is a nightmare.”
Chapter 20
Susan had set her alarm to go off an hour earlier than usual because it was her turn on the housework rota; she was scheduled to give the kitchen a general clean. It certainly needed one. Even though there was no longer a mountain of pots waiting to be washed, the floor hadn’t seen a mop for way too long, and all the cupboards needed tidying. Apart from the empty boxes, which should have been thrown away, there was lots of food which was well past its ‘sell-by’ date. First, though, the apartment could use a little fresh air. Since she’d moved in, Susan had never once seen any of the windows open, and the air fresheners could only do so much.
The huge windows, which dominated the apartment, were split in two. The top half was fixed in place; the bottom half was designed to slide upwards to provide fresh air, and a means of escape in an emergency. A steel fire escape ran along the side of the building just below the level of the windows. Susan tried three of them before she finally managed to get a window to budge. The others appeared to have been painted over during the last redecoration. She made a mental note to mention that to Redman. He should be more receptive than usual given the recent incident with the fire on the floor above.
Once she’d finished cleaning, Susan went back into her bedroom, to get ready for work. The apartment was already feeling much better for the fresh air, and she planned to close the window on her way out.
Moments later, Dorothy emerged from her bedroom. She was glad that it wasn’t her day for chores. Much as she hated to admit it though, Susan’s rota system was already starting to have a positive effect. The apartment actually smelled much better than usual that morning—maybe Susan had bought some new air fresheners?
“What the—?” Dorothy stared at the contents of the cupboard. Nothing was where it was supposed to be. Yes, it was much tidier than usual, but how was she meant to find anything? She checked the housework rota; ‘Tidy Kitchen’ was Susan’s task for the day. That crazy human must have been up at the crack of dawn. The kitchen did look much better—particularly the floor, but what use was that if she couldn’t find her food?
“Let me out!” Bob yelled at her. “I need to stretch my wings.”
“You can’t come out. The others will complain.” She began to butter some crackers; it was all she could find.
“There’s no one else around. They’ll never know.”
“I said no!”
“Please. Just for a minute. My wings really ache.”
She took a bite of the cracker, which was a poor substitute for the breakfast bar she’d had her heart set on. “Five minutes, and no more. Got it?”
“Yeah, sure. Five minutes. Got it.”
Dorothy opened the door to the cage. Bob flew out and headed straight for the window.
“Bob! No! Stop!”
But it was too late.
Dorothy rushed over to the open window. “Bob! Come back here, now! Bob!”
The canary was already too far away to hear her calls. She watched, helpless, as he disappeared over the rooftops.
“What’s going on?” Charlie came out of his bedroom, still half asleep.
Neil was next to appear. “Could you possibly make any more noise out here?”
“What’s wrong?” Susan joined them. She’d heard Dorothy’s yells, and was worried it might be another one of her drunken outbursts.
“This is what’s wrong!” Dorothy pointed to the open window.
“The place smelled,” Susan said. “I thought I’d let a little fresh air in. Close it if you’re cold.”
“I’m not cold!” Dorothy pointed to the empty cage. “Bob’s gone!”
“Why did you let him out?” Susan said. “You promised you wouldn’t.”
“He said he needed to stretch his wings.”
“The canary spoke to you?”
“No—err—he—obviously didn’t speak to me. I could tell by the way he was acting.”
“He’ll probably come back when he’s hungry,” Charlie said.
“What will I tell Mum if he doesn’t?” Dorothy was still giving Susan the evil eye.
“I’m really sorry, but I have to get going.” Susan started for the door. “I hope your canary comes back. I’ll see you all tonight.�
��
“Stupid humans!” Dorothy stared at the empty cage.
“You can’t blame Susan,” Charlie said.
“Why not?”
“Because you let the bird out after you said you wouldn’t.”
“I might know you’d stick up for her, Charlie.”
“I’m just trying to be fair.”
“I don’t want fair. I want my canary.”
Neil decided it would be best not to get involved, so he edged his way back to his bedroom. It was still early, but he wanted to call Trevor before they both started work.
“Hello?” The voice sounded half-asleep.
“Trevor. It’s me, Neil.”
“What’s up? Do you know what time it is?”
“Sorry. Were you asleep?”
“Yeah. I was clubbing last night. What do you want?”
“I shot my mouth off yesterday, and now I’m in a spot of bother.”
“What kind of bother?”
“You wouldn’t happen to know any top-notch, level six wizards around these parts, would you?”
“Why? I’m level four. Won’t I do?”
“I don’t think so. I need someone who can make a large object disappear, remotely.”
“How large is this object?”
“It isn’t exactly a single object. It’s a huge pile of cash. Millions of pounds of cash from inside a bank vault, to be precise.”
“You’re planning on robbing a bank?”
“No, of course not. I just want someone who can make it seem like it’s disappeared.”
“You mean using the ‘hide’ spell?”
“Something like that, but they have to be able to do it remotely. They won’t actually be able to get into the building where the money is located.”
“That’s a big ask.” Trevor hesitated. “I only know one wizard, here in Washbridge, who might be able to do that.”
“Who’s that?”
“His name is Freddy Farrell.”
“Can you get in touch with him?”
“Yeah, but you’d better tell me what this is all about first.”
Neil explained the situation to Trevor, who then promised to have a word with Freddy Farrell. Hopefully, they would come through for him, and he’d be able to arrange a demonstration for Susan.