Atmosphere

by Robert Innes

  Blake was unconvinced. “Doesn’t sound like he’s taken it too well.”

  “No,” Sebastian replied with a tight smile. “He seems to think he’s got a case to take me to a tribunal. What do you think?”

  Blake shrugged. “It’s not really my area of expertise.”

  “No, indeed!” Sebastian exclaimed. “Blake Harte, did you say your name was?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ve heard a great deal about you from Jacqueline, the lady that booked me. I’m assuming you know her?”

  “Yeah, she’s my landlady.”

  “And full of praise for you. She was regaling me with stories of your work. Sounds to me like your building up quite the reputation for yourself.”

  “I’m just doing my job,” Blake said, a familiar feeling of embarrassment washing over him, as it always did when complete strangers told him how impressed they were with him.

  “Is it all right then, what I’ve heard?” Sebastian continued keenly. “Murderers walking on water? Cars disappearing in tunnels? People rising from the dead? You’re the man who sees an illusion and is the only one able to apply a logical explanation for it.”

  “I wouldn’t say the only one,” Blake replied, making a mental note to speak to Jacqueline about blabbing the details of police investigations to all and sundry. “I just look at the evidence in front of me and put it all together. Any of my officers could do the same.”

  “Interesting, very interesting,” Sebastian murmured. “This is going to sound quite strange, but would it be possible for me to borrow your attention for a few minutes?”

  “Now?”

  “If you could.”

  “I’m sorry, I’m just on my way to work.”

  “I promise this won’t take long,” Sebastian insisted. “A couple of minutes at the very most.”

  Blake sighed. “As long as it is only a couple of minutes. What’s the problem?”

  Sebastian gave him a dark smile. “I’d like your professional opinion on something.”

  Intrigued, Blake followed Sebastian into the village hall and into the main room where the performance would be taking place.

  Although Harrison had described to him what had been done to the place, Blake was still surprised by the transformation. He had only visited the village hall once for a very boring bring and buy sale that Harrison had dragged him to, but now the large room, and stage at the back, looked amazing considering what it had started out as. Large black drapes hung from the back of the stage which was lit in a calming dark blue hue from a stage light above. A rectangular cabinet, painted in an array of reds and yellows, stood in the middle of the stage. Blake briefly wondered whether it was this cabinet that Harrison had said he had spent the evening painting.

  “What do you want my opinion on?” Blake asked as he took in his surroundings.

  “After hearing of your ability to be able to work out the sort of bizarre and impossible situations you’ve been faced with, I was wondering if you’d be able to take a look at our finale,” Sebastian replied. “It’s the centrepiece of our performance. It’s short, you’ll be out of here in no time, but we believe it’s effective. Amelia!”

  A beautiful, slim, brown haired girl stepped onto the stage, peering at them through the lights. “Yeah?”

  Sebastian turned to Blake. “This is my daughter, Amelia. Every magician needs a glamorous assistant and here’s mine. Fills the role quite succinctly, I think you’ll agree.”

  Amelia jumped down from the stage. She was quite scantily dressed. A very short denim mini skirt rested on her hips beneath a leopard print vest top. She was wearing tanned coloured tights and a pair of black plimsols on her feet. She stared at Blake in confusion.

  “Who’s this?”

  “This is Detective Sergeant Blake Harte,” Sebastian told her. “The gentleman Jacqueline was telling us about.”

  “Oh, the woman with the mad hair,” Amelia said, nodding.

  “Indeed. Mr Harte is an expert in all things magical and illogical. I’d like him to take a look at our suspended cabinet routine.”

  “What exactly are you wanting me to watch?” Blake asked.

  “I’d like to see if you can work out how it’s done,” Sebastian told him. “It’s the trick we close every show with and our audiences love it. But I pride myself on the knowledge that we get the odd spectator with rather more cynicism than your average punter. Amelia, if you would.”

  Amelia sighed. “Your pride, honestly, Dad.”

  She made her way up to the stage and Sebastian went to follow her before turning back to Blake.

  “Please, take a seat, Mr Harte.”

  Blake made his way to the first row of seats near the front of the stage. All the seats, hard plastic ones that were normally stacked in piles around the room, had sheets of A4 paper sellotaped to them, reserving them for various people. Blake cast his eye over them as Sebastian climbed onto the stage, he noticed that the majority of them seemed to be reserved for members of the parish council, though Blake only recognised a few of the names. He sat himself down on the seat reserved for “Cnclr Arthur Stanbury” and watched as Sebastian addressed him from the stage.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” he began. “I now bring your attention to one of the most mystifying of illusions, that of dematerialisation. Before your very eyes, my beautiful assistant will be placed inside this cabinet. What will then happen will amaze you.”

  Blake had to resist rolling his eyes at the melodrama.

  Amelia smiled and accepted Sebastian’s proffered hand as he led her across the stage and to the cabinet. He opened the door and gestured inside.

  Blake looked closely at the cabinet. It certainly appeared to be a tight fit for anybody to squeeze into. Indeed, as Amelia stepped inside, she appeared to have barely any room to move.

  Sebastian closed the door of the cabinet. “You will note, that all sides and corners of the stage are visible, due to the mirror above us. I, unlike many magicians, give you that added perspective, just to show that there is nothing untoward going on. Nobody just sneaks out the back in my tricks without you seeing. These doors will open again shortly,” he announced. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t deprive you of that body for too long, gentlemen.”

  Blake raised an eyebrow, slightly perturbed by Sebastian’s words about his own daughter.

  Sebastian briefly appeared to come out of character. “You’ll excuse me, Mr Harte. Benjamin would usually do this bit off stage, but as you can see, it’s just me.”

  Blake nodded as Sebastian hurried off stage. Immediately, a series of ropes attached to the roof of the cabinet tightened and the large box began to rise into the air. Blake watched the mirror as the cabinet climbed higher above the stage, finally coming to a rest about twenty feet above them. The back of the cabinet remained closed and Amelia stayed out of sight.

  Sebastian walked back onto the stage. “Now,” he continued, in his stage voice once more. “You would think with no way of leaving the cabinet without any of your scrutinising eyes seeing anything, escape would be impossible!”

  A large crack and a puff of smoke appeared from the front of the stage. The doors of the cabinet fell open. The cabinet was now empty. Amelia was nowhere to be seen.

  Taking his cue, Blake politely applauded.

  Sebastian smiled at him, looking very pleased with himself. “As you can see, Amelia has completely vanished. But we wouldn’t want to deprive you of her for too long.”

  Still suspended above the stage, the cabinet door closed by itself and Sebastian hurried off the stage to lower the box back down to the stage again. Once it was back on the ground, Sebastian walked grandly back onto the stage and with a flourish of his coat, opened the door. Amelia stepped out and the pair of them posed, drinking in the applause that they clearly always received at this point.

  Blake stood up and obliged. “Very good,” he said. “Well done.”

  Sebastian bowed his head. “Thank you, Mr Harte. But now, the true t
est. Can you tell us how we achieved it?”

  “You’re telling me you’re not a real magician who can make people disappear?” Blake asked lightly.

  Sebastian laughed heartily. “Please, spare my blushes, Mr Harte.”

  Blake stared thoughtfully at the cabinet and then at Sebastian’s expectant expression. “You really want to know?”

  “Of course.”

  Blake paused for a moment then made his way onto the stage.

  “You were very clear about making sure that the audience is aware that the entire stage and the cabinet can be seen from all angles. I was watching that mirror and I can see myself in it now, so that’s legit. Surely, if you go to all this trouble to make it look impossible for her to escape, then the only explanation is that she never leaves the cabinet.”

  Amelia chuckled as she glanced at her father.

  “Go on,” Sebastian said, his expression faltering slightly.

  “The little I know about magic and the assistants that take part in it, there’s obviously a reason that you don’t see that many overweight assistants. Only someone in peak physical condition can realistically perform in something that size. I’m going to guess that the sides of the cabinet are sturdy, she’s not just sneaked into a gap in the wall.”

  He knocked on the side of the cabinet, which appeared to be solid enough.

  “Which only leaves one option. I’m going to say that she drops down to a secret compartment in the bottom. I’ll assume there’s a switch or something down there which can open and close the doors. Once the cabinet has reached the top of the stage, Amelia drops down, squeezes herself into the bottom and then the door is opened. Once it’s closed again, she stands up ready to be lowered back down again for her big reveal.”

  Amelia put her hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. “I think he’s got us, Dad.”

  Sebastian bit his lip. Blake could tell by his irritated expression that he had detailed the explanation to the letter.

  “Well,” Sebastian murmured. “I see your reputation is not without merit, Mr Harte.”

  “I’m sorry,” Blake said. “If it’s any consolation, I don’t know where the puff of smoke came from before the doors opened.”

  “Oh, that’s easy,” replied Amelia. “Dad’s got a button in his pocket. He presses it and those charges at the front of the stage go off.”

  “Yes, thank you, Amelia,” Sebastian snapped before turning back to Blake. “All I ask, Mr Harte, is that you keep the secrets to yourself. But thank you for your time. I’ll think about what you said and see if I can’t rejig the trick to make things a little less obvious in future. I do hope I’ll see you at one of our two performances? As my guest, of course.”

  Blake smiled. “Well, I’m working till late tonight.”

  “Then tomorrow? You and your partner are more than welcome. I shall even reserve a couple of seats for you, right near the front?”

  Having immediately worked out the inner workings of Sebastian’s biggest trick, Blake was reluctant to put himself through an entire evening of smoke and mirrors, however he did feel a little guilty for quashing the magician’s hopes as quickly as he had.

  “I’d be delighted,” he said with a tight smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  4

  The next evening, Blake and Harrison arrived at the village hall. The air was crisp and cold, and Blake was moaning. Harrison felt more amused than irritated by it, though, especially as he knew that the only reason they were here was because Blake felt guilty about telling Sebastian exactly how he had performed his favourite trick.

  “I can’t believe I agreed to this,” he muttered as they waited outside the village hall. “I’ve never liked magic shows.”

  “That’s because you’re a cynic,” Harrison replied. “It’s your own fault. All you had to do was pretend that you had no idea how he had done the cabinet trick and we’d be in front of the TV watching Netflix. I painted that cabinet and I don’t even know how it’s done.”

  “You could work it out if you put your mind to it,” Blake said airily, as the doors to the hall were unlocked. “It’s just logic and common sense.”

  “Well, maybe I don’t want to know,” Harrison said, with an exasperated shake of his head. “Maybe, tonight, I’d like to just watch a professional magician boggle my mind without knowing how he did it.”

  As the line of villagers made their way into the hall, Harrison was glad of the wave of warmth that hit them as they entered the building. As he unzipped his coat, a voice muttered into his ear.

  “Nice shirt.”

  Harrison turned to see Tom and Jacqueline standing behind them. He gave Tom a tight smile and then casually linked arms with Blake.

  “Oh, hey, you two,” he said lightly. “I didn’t have you down as the magic show types.”

  He felt Blake’s body stiffen beside him and squeezed his arm a little tighter in a showing of what he hoped would come across as calming support at the sight of Tom.

  “Oh, yes!” Jacqueline enthused, clearly unaware of the mood her son was creating. “I’m a regular theatre goer! Shakespeare, pantomime, musicals, I love the theatre. I’ve often thought I should be on stage, but you know me. I just lack that confidence to have those eyes on me.”

  “Yes, Jacqueline,” Blake said. “One thing I’ve always thought about you. Far too shy.” He turned to Tom, a slight defensiveness in his voice. “What about you, Tom?”

  “Well, Tom did used to be a dancer, of course,” Jacqueline replied, before Tom could answer. “He has the stage running through his veins, don’t you, sweetheart?”

  Tom nodded curtly as he began tapping away on his phone. “Yeah, something like that.”

  Jacqueline rolled her eyes. “Oh, and I thought it might be nice to get his eyes off that bloody phone!”

  She grabbed the mobile out of her son’s hand, but Tom immediately snatched it back, a furious look in his eyes.

  “No!” he exclaimed. “Mum, get off!”

  The sharpness in his tone caused a few of the crowd around them to stop talking mid-sentence and turn around in surprise. Jacqueline glanced around, looking slightly stunned and embarrassed.

  “Alright, Tom,” she said, clearly trying to be stern. “There’s no need for that.”

  Tom, for his part, appeared slightly regretful at his outburst. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I didn’t mean to snap. Look, you go in, Mum. I’ll grab us both a drink. White wine?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Blake and Harrison exchanged looks in silence as Tom wandered towards Robin, the landlord of The Dogs Tail pub in the village, who had been hired for the evening to serve drinks.

  “Honestly,” Jacqueline said with a smile. “You’d think I didn’t know that he chats to boys on those dating apps. I’ll see you both in there.”

  Harrison watched her walk into the main hall, feeling a little bit sorry for her.

  “I know you don’t want to hear it,” Blake said, once Jacqueline was out of ear shot, “but there’s something very odd about her son.”

  “No, I agree,” Harrison conceded. “I’d love to know who he’s talking to on that phone that he’s so keen to keep a secret.”

  “Ah, Mr Harte!”

  A booming voice from behind them made them jump. Sebastian Klein had appeared in the crowd and was now striding towards them with a huge smile on his face. He was dressed even more extravagantly than he had been the last time Harrison had seen him. A long, bottle green silk coat hung from his shoulders to the ground and on his head was a tall, top hat.

  “Oh, God,” groaned Blake as Sebastian pushed through the crowd.

  “Be nice,” Harrison muttered, elbowing him in the side. “He’s invited us here for free, remember.”

  Immediately, Blake’s expression broke into a huge smile as Sebastian reached them.

  “So glad you could make it, Mr Harte,” Sebastian said, gripping Blake firmly by the arm. “Such a wonderful turn out, last night too! Clearly Harmschape
l is quite fond of magic and illusions on the quiet. I may have to make this village a new regular stopping point on my tour!”

  Harrison secretly thought that the only reason the shows had been so well attended was because of the cheap wine on offer. He was sure that he could see people around him tonight that he had heard had been here the previous night too.

  “Not at all, it’s my pleasure,” Blake said. “Always happy to support local talent. I hope everything is okay with Benjamin?”

  “Oh,” Sebastian said, with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Everything’s fine on that front. I’m confident he’s calmed down enough to understand that it’s nothing personal. He’s backstage now, ready for the show to start. I mean,” he continued, indicating Harrison, “you must know what teenagers can be like.”

  Harrison stared at him in surprise. “I’m not a teenager. I’m twenty-five.”

  “This is my boyfriend, Harrison,” Blake said. “He’s the one who painted your levitating cabinet.”

  “Ah, yes,” Sebastian replied, his eyes narrowing. Harrison could tell that he still had no memory of him whatsoever. “Well, grab yourselves a drink, the show’s about to start!”

  “Sebastian!” said a rich voice from the doorway.

  “Arthur!” enthused the magician, holding his arms up in welcome.

  Blake and Harrison turned to see a middle-aged, rotund man standing in the doorway, dressed as if he was on his way to a more much formal event than a show in the village hall. He was wearing a light grey suit and tie, and despite his width, was also a tall man with thinning brown hair and a red face. Harrison recognised him from various events around the village.

  “Who’s that?” Blake murmured.

  “That’s Arthur Stanbury,” Harrison replied. “He’s head of the parish council.”

  They watched as Arthur and Sebastian embraced in a warm hug.

  “Arthur Stanbury is well known for his charitable work and his influence in the village community,” Harrison said quietly as they walked into the hall to take their seats. “Or, that’s what he would have anybody believe who will listen to him for more than five minutes.”