by Adele Abbott
“I absolutely killed it. You should have seen me, Debs. From now on, you may call me the Great Neilo.”
She laughed. “Please tell me that’s not the name you’re going to use.”
“What’s wrong with it? I think it has a certain je ne sais quoi.”
“It makes you sound like a bigger berk than you already are, and I wouldn’t have thought that was possible.”
“You won’t be laughing when I’m raking in the cash. If I make enough, I might give this lot up.”
“Don’t you think you should walk before you start galloping.”
“You’re just jealous. And anyway, I already have my first gig.”
“That was quick.”
“I know. I thought the woman at the agency was joking, but they have a birthday party for some posh kid over at Upper Tupping tomorrow afternoon.”
“Does that mean you’ll be skiving off again?”
“Not this time. I’m going to take the whole day as an official day’s holiday. That way, I can spend the morning practising.”
“What’s going on?” Fable appeared.
“I passed the audition, and I’ve got my first booking.”
“That’s great. Well done, Neil.”
“Why don’t you tell Fable what name you’re going to go by,” Debs said.
“Fable, you are looking at the Great Neilo.”
Fable turned to Debs, and the two of them fell about, laughing.
***
“I had no idea there would be such a demand for it,” Molly said. “That’s the tenth bottle I’ve sold today.”
“Me neither. I always assumed most of the vampires here in Washbridge settled for synthetic.”
“That’s only because you’ve never had the real thing. I’m telling you, once you do, there’s no going back.”
“That’s precisely why I have no intention of ever trying it.”
“I seem to remember you tried to get a taste recently, when your human flatmate was asleep.”
“That was a mistake. I allowed Tilly to talk me into it.”
“How is Tilly, by the way?”
“Okay. It sounds like she’ll be back in her apartment within a couple of weeks.”
“That’s quick.”
“Thanks to Susan’s quick thinking, there wasn’t too much damage done.”
“So, are you and Susan like BFFs now?”
“Not really. She still drives me mad. I’d prefer to have a sup living with us, but I have to give her credit for saving Tilly. If that fire had taken hold, who knows what might have happened.”
Dorothy checked her watch. “You can get off now if you like, Molly.”
“Really?” Molly looked puzzled. There was another thirty minutes to go until she was due to finish, and Dorothy never let her out early.
“Yeah. Why not? There’s nothing doing here.”
“Okay.” Molly grabbed her coat, and hightailed it out of there before Dorothy had a chance to change her mind.
Dorothy waited for five minutes, just to be sure Molly didn’t come back. She’d been thinking about this all day, and still wasn’t sure whether she should do it or not.
She opened the blood safe. There were still two bottles left; one of them was the extra provided in case of breakages. Dorothy took it out of the fridge, and stared at it. It was slightly darker than synthetic, and looked a little thicker.
This was a bad idea.
She unscrewed the cap. If she took a drink, there would be no going back. What would her mother think?
This was a really bad idea.
She took a long drink, and couldn’t believe how good it tasted. No wonder everyone ranted on and on about it. Two more gulps, and she had emptied the bottle. “Best. Thing. Ever!”
The other bottle now looked very tempting, but that would be just crazy. She slammed the door of the fridge shut.
***
Charlie had had enough of being taken for a mug. He intended to have it out with Bunty once and for all.
“Bunty!” He called through the microphone. “Bunty! Can I have a word?”
It was Greta who appeared at her door. “Hi, Charlie. Is everything okay?”
“Not really. I’m not happy about what Bunty did yesterday—lying about your birthday.”
“That’s okay. I wouldn’t want to make a fuss.”
“I know that, but it’s high time that I had it out with her. She’s been taking me for a mug. Bunty! Will you come out here? I need a word.”
Just then, a sheet of paper appeared from underneath Bunty’s front door. Greta picked it up, and read it out loud:
I have come down with Fairy Spots. It is very contagious, so I wouldn’t want to pass it on to Greta. I’ll speak to you as soon as I have fully recovered. Love and fairy dust, Bunty.
“Fairy Spots can be quite nasty,” Greta said.
“Fairy Spots my backside!” Charlie growled.
Chapter 25
It was the next morning, and all four flatmates were up and about.
“Are you nervous, Neil?” Susan asked, as she buttered her toast.
“Terrified. That’s why I took this morning off—so I can practise my set.”
“Tell me again what you’re going to call yourself,” Charlie said.
“The Great Neilo.”
Charlie laughed. Susan smiled, but managed to suppress a laugh. Dorothy sat stony-faced. She’d been like that all morning—barely saying a word, and unusually for her, she’d had nothing to eat.
“Are you okay, Dorothy?” Charlie asked.
She didn’t respond, but then both Neil and Charlie realised that she was staring at something. And that something was Susan’s neck.
“Dorothy? Can I have a word in your bedroom?” Neil walked over to her.
She still didn’t respond.
“We just need a quick word, Dorothy.” Charlie grabbed one of her arms; Neil grabbed the other. Between them, they frogmarched her into her bedroom, leaving Susan somewhat bemused.
“Dorothy! Snap out of it!” Neil clicked his fingers in front of her face.
“What?” She shook her head. “What’s wrong?”
“That’s what we want to know,” Charlie said. “You were in some kind of catatonic state out there.”
“Was I? Oh dear!”
“What’s going on?”
“I think it’s the blood.”
“Have you run out? I could go and get you some.”
“No. I’ve got plenty of synthetic in the fridge.”
“So what’s your problem?” Neil demanded. “Why were you staring at Susan like that?”
She hesitated. “I kind of—well—err—I—err”
“Spit it out, for heaven’s sake.”
“Okay, okay, I’m trying. Yesterday, I—err—I drank some human blood.”
“You did what?” Charlie looked aghast. “You always said you’d never do that.”
“I know, and I wish I hadn’t because now I can’t get it out of my mind. I tried some synthetic this morning, but it isn’t a patch on the real thing.”
“So that’s why you were staring at Susan’s neck?” Neil looked horrified. “You were thinking about drinking her blood.”
“No, of course I wasn’t. I’d never do anything like that.”
“Are you sure?” Charlie said. “You looked pretty zonked out, just now.”
“You two mustn’t let me do it. I need you both to promise that if you see me about to do anything stupid, you’ll step in and stop me.”
“What about when we’re not here?” Charlie said.
“I’ll just have to lock myself in my bedroom. I wish I’d never drunk it.”
“Will the craving wear off in time?” Neil asked.
“I don’t know. I hope so. I need to talk to Molly. She drinks human blood from time to time, but she’s able to control herself. She might have some advice for me.”
“Let’s hope so.”
“In the meantime, will you let me know
when Susan has left for work?”
“I can’t, sorry.” Charlie started for the bedroom door. “I’ve got to go to work.”
“It’s okay,” Neil said. “I’m going to be here all morning. I’ll let you know when the coast is clear.
“Charlie!” Susan called to him, as he was on his way out. “Is Dorothy okay?”
“Yeah. She’s fine.”
“Are you sure? Has she been drinking again?”
“No, nothing like that. She was just feeling a bit lightheaded.”
“You don’t have to cover for her. I know she has a drink problem. I think it’s time we did something to try to help her.”
“Honestly, Susan, you’re barking up the wrong tree. She doesn’t have a drink problem. Look, I have to go. I daren’t be late for work again.”
Susan couldn’t help but admire the way that Charlie tried to cover for Dorothy, but she wasn’t sure he was doing her any favours.
When he got to the ground floor, Charlie bumped into Craig.
“Hey, Craig. How’s it hanging?”
“You’ve got a cheek.”
“What do you mean? Have I done something to upset you?”
“As if you didn’t know.”
“I don’t know. I thought you were being short with me yesterday, but I put it down to you having a bad day.”
“If you must know, I didn’t appreciate your note. Nor did anyone else from what I hear.”
“What note? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“The one you slipped under everyone’s door.”
“I haven’t put a note under anyone’s door. What did it say?”
“That my parties made too much noise, and were disturbing the peace in the building. You threatened to go to the police if we didn’t calm things down.”
“I didn’t write that. I don’t know anything about it.”
Craig had known Charlie long enough to realise he was telling the truth. “Who did it then?”
“I have no idea,” Charlie said, but in fact, he had a very good idea who had done it.
***
Susan had parked in her usual spot in the basement garage at The Bugle. She’d grown so accustomed to Manic’s sudden appearances from the shadows that she barely flinched when a figure stepped out in front of her.
But this giant of a man wasn’t Manic. Nor was the second man who stepped out beside him. Between them, they blocked Susan’s path to the lifts. Although she could handle herself, she would have struggled against either one of these men. Against both, she would stand no chance. There was just enough light to make out their faces, and she immediately recognised one of them as the man in the video that Dawn Chalmers had given to her.
Susan reached inside her pocket, located the digital recorder, and pressed record.
“Susan Hall?” The man from the video said.
“What do you want?”
“There’s no need to be scared.”
“I’m not scared.”
The two men both grinned.
“A little bird tells us that you’ve been sticking your nose where it isn’t wanted.”
“Sticking my nose where it isn’t wanted is my job.”
“That could get you hurt.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“No, of course not. Just a little friendly advice.”
“Concerning what?”
“Stay away from the properties owned by Burke Holdings.”
“From what I understand, the properties at Sterling Wash are not yet all owned by Burke. That’s why you’re using intimidation to get people to sell up.”
“Says who?”
“Says me.”
“I wouldn’t go around repeating that if you know what’s good for you.”
“Or you’ll do what?”
“You have a pretty face. It would be a shame to spoil it.” He pulled out a knife.
“Hey! What’s going on over there?” The voice came from the shadows.
The man pocketed the knife, and then the two of them legged it to the exit.
Susan’s heart was still pounding when Manic appeared.
“It’s a good job Manic was around.”
She never thought she’d feel that way, but she was pleased to see the creepy little man.
“Thanks.” She managed through dry lips.
“No problem. Manic has to take care of his investments.”
“Are you okay?” Stella got to her feet when Susan walked into the office. “You’re as white as a sheet.”
“I’m fine. I could do with a coffee though. Make it black.”
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Stella asked when she returned with the drink.
“I’m fine. Did you manage to talk to Chalmers, and the Shaws?”
“Yeah. They both said they’d do whatever it takes to close down Burke Holdings. They’re prepared to go on the record.”
“That’s great.”
***
The Great Neilo was feeling anything but ‘Great’. The audition had been one thing; performing in front of a roomful of screaming kids? That was a different proposition entirely.
Upper Duckham was every bit as posh as he remembered it. Some of the houses there were so big they had their own postcode. Neil had felt more than a little embarrassed when he’d parked his clapped-out old car next to a row of top of the range executive cars—most of which were probably worth more than he had earned in his lifetime to-date.
The birthday boy was called Tristan. He was a spoiled brat of the first order, and his friends—all fifteen of them—were cast from the same mould. Proceedings hadn’t got off to a very good start when Tristan had announced: I didn’t want a magician. I wanted a clown. Magicians are boring.
To be fair, Tristan’s mother, Penny, was very nice. She’d apologised for her son’s behaviour, and tried to put Neil at ease. Tristan’s father didn’t actually speak to Neil; he just stood at the back of the room, with a wine glass in his hand.
Neil felt a little more confident once he had changed into his magician’s costume. That confidence lasted all of five minutes. Selena at Real Magic had stressed that he must keep the show relatively simple, so that it could be explained away as magic tricks or illusions. Under no circumstances was he to use any advanced spell which might give the game away.
After fifteen minutes, it was obvious that he had lost his audience. The kids were all screaming at one another, and taking little or no notice of Neil. Tristan kept shouting that he didn’t like magicians and had wanted a clown. Things were going from bad to worse; Neil had to find a way to regain their attention. He did a quick check to make sure that there were no adults around—the coast appeared to be clear. With only the kids in the room, he could risk a more adventurous spell—something that would grab their attention. He wouldn’t have to worry about the kids reporting him—they would take it all in their stride.
“Would you like me to make myself invisible?” Neil shouted, to make himself heard.
“Nobody can do that!” Tristan said.
“I can. Would you like to see?”
The room fell silent for the first time since he’d begun his performance. Neil knew he really shouldn’t be using this spell, but there were no adults to witness it, and if the kids told their parents, they would take it all with a pinch of salt.
“Watch!” He cast the spell.
The kids in the room gave a collective gasp.
“Where has he gone?” One of the kids shouted.
“He must be hiding.”
“I’m still here,” Neil said, making all the kids jump.
The children were now talking excitedly among themselves. The ‘invisible’ spell had certainly grabbed their attention.
“Okay! Five, four, three, two, one. And I’m back.” He reversed the spell, and was met with loud applause from all of the children.
“Okay, kids. That’s your lot. If you’ve enjoyed the show, make sure to tell your friends. My name is The G
reat Neilo.”
Neil was packing his things away when someone tapped him on the shoulder. It was Tristan’s father.
“That was sensational. The invisible thing.”
“You saw it?”
Neil had thought there were only kids in the room; the man must have been at the back somewhere.
“I’m not easily impressed, but I have to say that I’ve never seen anything quite like that. How did you do it?”
Neil opened his mouth, but no words came out.
“It’s okay. I wouldn’t expect you to give away your trade secrets. Look, I work at Magnum TV. We’re an independent TV production company. I’m sure I could sell them on the idea of making a series of programmes featuring you and your magic. What do you say? Would you be interested?”
“On TV? Me?”
“Why not? I’ve seen many other magicians on TV who aren’t a patch on you.”
“I’m not sure.”
“That’s okay. Here’s my card. Give it some thought, and call me if you’d like to come and talk about it.”
“Thanks.”
***
Flynn had called Susan into his office.
“What do you have for me? Any more on the murder, or are we going to run with the bank story?”
“As far as the murder goes, there’s nothing to add to the story that we ran on the day it happened—other than the fact that police enquiries are ongoing.”
“What about that witness you spoke to?”
“You mean the drunk? We can’t use anything he said. If we did, we’d be laughing stocks. According to him, the murder was committed by a werewolf who then disappeared into thin air. I do think that the bank story might be worth a few column inches on the inside pages, but that’s all: Blackmailer thwarted by banks – something like that.”
“I thought that the bank had actually paid over some money?”
“They did, but I’m not sure it would be in the public interest to let that be known. We might cause a run on the bank.”
“Have you got something else for me, then?”
“I have, but I’m not sure you’re going to like it.”
“Try me.”
Susan briefed him on the Burke Holdings story. He listened without comment until she had finished.