Witch Oracle in Westerham

by Dionne Lister

  Imani shook her head. “If that was the case, we would have picked up a strong magic signature on the day. And to be honest, the thing with Liv was random, and Olga wasn’t in the room when it happened.”

  “True, but what if she had a way of spying on Kate and was just waiting for the perfect time to hurt her?” At this point, I was going to clutch at every straw, no matter how dry, brittle, and likely to snap it was. Now that I thought about it, were they supposed to be pieces of straw, or the ones you drank with? Wow, I was pretty dense. I really had no idea. I was going with pieces of straw like cows ate, but maybe I was wrong. I’d have to google it later because there was no way I was asking anyone. Everyone thought I was ditzy enough as it was. No need to give them any more fodder. I smirked at myself. At least my ability to pun was working.

  “I have no idea.” Angelica tilted her head sideways. “Why are you smiling?”

  “Oh, nothing. Private joke.” My stupid cheeks warmed again. At this rate, I was going to give myself sunburn, or would I have to call it shameburn?

  “I have to say, dear, that your ability to concentrate this evening is dismal, even for you.” Her flinty stare also imparted how disappointing I was.

  I swallowed a sigh. “Sorry. Maybe I’m tired from using my magic to record the whole of Owen’s show. Oh, that reminds me.” I unlocked my phone and handed it to her. “You might want to copy that over.”

  “Thank you.” She whispered something, and a laptop appeared on the table in front of her. She plugged my phone in via a charging cord and transferred the information, then handed the phone back.

  “Thanks.”

  Ma’am looked at each of us. “Why don’t we watch this and see if we can decipher anything, figure out what he’s doing?”

  Gah, I didn’t want to watch it again. I wanted to go and check on Liv, but by the way the meeting had gone already, Ma’am wasn’t in the mood to argue. I sucked it up. “There isn’t really much to decipher. It’s pretty straightforward, but I guess it’s good to watch so you can get an idea of the people who were there.”

  She mumbled another spell, and the familiar tingle of her magic danced across my scalp. A huge TV screen descended from the ceiling on the wall behind Ma’am. We all turned to look at it as whatever was on her computer sailed across the ether and played on the screen. I know I said I’d suck it up, but having to watch the whole thing again was torture. I’d already sat through it once. I failed to see what new information I’d pick up. I covered my yawn and wriggled my bottom, trying to find a more comfortable position in my chair.

  It was going to be a boring hour and a half. But I should have relished it because it was way better than what was coming. When would I learn?

  Chapter 11

  Last night, I didn’t get to see Liv. I called her to find out if she was okay with me turning up so late, and her mother answered her mobile, said she’d eaten dinner and gone to bed early, as she was exhausted. Beren still dropped in to see her parents and look in on her. He texted me when he was done and said Imani and I should turn up around lunchtime. So now we stood on her front porch with her favourite Indian food for lunch—samosas, beef vindaloo, tandoori chicken, and aloo matar.

  I knocked. A few seconds later, the door opened. “Liv!” I stepped forward and gave her a hug, then stepped aside so Imani could do the same. “You’re answering the door!”

  She smiled. “Yeah, progress, right? I’m feeling a bit better today. I went to the station and checked in. They were actually nice about it—one of my friends was on the front desk. She quietly said she can’t believe they charged me, and she hopes I get off.”

  “That’s wonderful, but isn’t that against police protocol?”

  Liv shrugged. “I think so, but that makes it even nicer that she said it. Made me feel a bit better, you know.” I was all for her feeling better, so I smiled. “Anyway, come in. It’s freezing out here.” She looked at the sky. “News said we might even get snow tonight.”

  My eyes widened. “Oh my God. You better not be teasing me. I’ve only waited the whole winter to see snow here.”

  Imani laughed. “Doesn’t take much to torture you, does it, love?” I shook my head and headed into the kitchen with the bags of food, the girls following.

  When we reached the kitchen, Liv took one of the bags and looked inside. “That smells divine. Oh, wow, you got all my favourites! Thank you!”

  I grinned. “Well, we’re kind of being selfish too. I love Indian. We got enough for your parents too.”

  “Oh, that’s so nice of you, but they’re going out for lunch. They’ve spent so much time cooped up at home looking after me, and they can see I’m feeling a bit better, plus they knew you were coming over for the afternoon, so I told them to go do something for them. Dad’s had time off work to make sure I’ve been okay, and he’s going back next week. I figured it was only fair they get to have some downtime. They’ve had a terrible time of this too.” She frowned. “I feel so bad for them. I still can’t work out how things went downhill so quickly.” She sighed.

  It was a mess. “Hey, it wasn’t your fault. And that’s why it’s all going to get cleared up soon. The PIB are working around the clock to figure this out.”

  Imani looked at me as if to say, “Keep your mouth closed about the details.” I gave her a small nod. The investigation was confidential, and I didn’t want to get her hopes up, or confuse her more. There were two suspects, and I had my money on Olga at this stage. As much as I thought Owen was incompetent, or even uncaring, I didn’t think he’d done anything to make the whole thing happen between Liv and Kate.

  Olivia got some plates and cutlery out. “Is it okay if we eat now? I’m starving.”

  Imani and I shared a smile, and we grabbed the containers of food. “For sure.” I looked at Liv. “Did you eat breakfast today? And sorry if I sound like a nagging mother, but, you know….”

  “I did actually, although I didn’t have much because of going to the police station. I had a banana, but on the way back, we stopped at Costa, and I got a cheese and ham croissant. But I’m hungry again. Probably making up for the last week.”

  Her clothes hung off her, which was weird because it had only been a week, and now that I really looked, her face seemed even thinner than a couple of days ago. “Well, it’s about time your appetite returned; otherwise you might just disappear.” My laugh was half-hearted. I didn’t want to worry her, but I couldn’t help asking. “Have you hopped on the scales lately? It looks like you’ve dropped a couple of dress sizes.”

  “I haven’t, but you’re right. These clothes fit me perfectly before. I had to put a belt on these jeans this morning or they’d fall down, and my bras are too big. I’m not worried, though. Now I’m eating again, I’ll put it back on, and probably more.” She grinned. “As much as Kate made me feel like crap, I’m shrugging it off. I looked great before this whole thing started, and I can’t be bothered buying a whole new wardrobe, so operation Get Back to Size Ten is on. Plus, Beren likes curves.” She blushed.

  “You’re so cute.” Imani laughed. “Come on then, loves. I’m hungry too. Let’s enjoy this lunch.”

  After lunch, in which Liv had three bowlfuls, and I was taking as a major success, we hung out and watched a movie. Her parents got home at five, and Imani and I said our goodbyes. Imani dropped me home and went to work. When I walked in the door, Will called out, “Lily, is that you?”

  “Yes. Where are you?”

  “In the kitchen. Want a cap?”

  “Yes please.” By “cap,” he meant cappuccino—it was just too long a word to have to say the whole thing. I was all for shorthand. As I walked into the kitchen, it appeared on the table. “Mmm, lots of chocolate on the top. You’re the best.” I gave him a kiss.

  He grinned. “Only the best for my lady.”

  “Ooh, smooth.” I sat down and took a sip. He sat next to me. “So, what happened after I left last night?”

  “Not much. We recorded all the
private readings. Gus asked to find out about a promotion at work, which he actually wasn’t going for, but we implanted that desire, and he also asked about his cousin, who is actually on the list for a heart transplant. If he doesn’t get one in the next six months, he’s going to die.”

  “What the hell? For real?” His sad expression confirmed it. I pouted. “That’s terrible. Poor Gus, and his poor cousin. What did Owen say?”

  “He said Gus would get a promotion in the next two weeks, and that his cousin would get the heart he needed, but that it might take a couple of months.”

  I quirked my top lip up on one side. “You have got to be kidding me. How the hell can he say those things and assume they’re going to come true?”

  Will shrugged. “What that means, though, is that you’re going to have to stick close to Gus for the next two weeks, whenever he’s at work.”

  “What?” What the hell was this? I didn’t think I could stand two weeks of vomit and poo stories, or haggis ones. “Do I have to stay with him, or can I be within one hundred metres?”

  Will chuckled. “Will you be able to detect when Owen’s puff of magic goes off from a hundred metres away?”

  “I have no idea.” I groaned. “I’d say twenty metres to be safe. That means I’m practically going to have to be with him the whole time, running around the PIB and trying not to throw up.”

  “What?”

  “You know, his gross stories. I swear he has no clue. I’ve never met anyone who can turn any story into a horrible experience.”

  He patted me on the back. “Don’t worry. It’s for a good cause, and it could be a good opportunity for you to practice your poker face. It needs a lot of work.”

  I shook my head. “That is not incentive. I tell you what; I’ll practice my poker face and then come home and repeat all the stories and test your poker face. How does that sound?”

  He put his hands up in surrender. “That won’t be necessary. Besides, why would you want to relive it?”

  He made a good point. I folded my arms and scowled. The things I did for my friends. I was blaming Olga and Kate, though. If it weren’t for them, none of this would have happened. Why oh why did Liv’s mum have to invite them to her party?

  And that’s how I found myself at the PIB the next morning at 6:00 a.m., eyes half closed. I walked through my doorway carefully, and I managed to avoid crashing into anything. Yay me. I buzzed, and my companion for the next two weeks answered the door. “Miss Lily! Good morning. I hear we’ll be spending lots of time together. It’ll be nice to have some company. Some days not much happens, and”—he leaned closer and dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper—"it can get a tad boring.”

  Those were a lot of words to be stringing together this early. I blinked while they sunk into my sleepy brain. “Mmm, yes. It’ll be fun. Do you mind if I go down and grab a coffee? Have you got time?”

  He smiled. “Yes, I sure do. I have this.” He pointed to his earpiece. “If anyone wants me, they’ll contact me, and if anyone buzzes the reception room, it lets me know.”

  “Awesome.” I’d been here enough times to know where the cafeteria was, so I started off down the hallway, Gus jogging to keep up. I was tired, but I figured if I walked fast enough, maybe he’d be too busy breathing hard to be able to talk.

  I was wrong.

  “Whatever you do, don’t order anything with bacon. I had some yesterday for breakfast, and I had the runs all day. I almost had to go home so I’d be all right for the Owen thing. There was one moment that I almost didn’t make it.” He huffed a laugh out with his labouring breaths. Would it be weird if I actually started running?

  “Mm-hmm. Thanks.” That was a double-edged thanks. Partly thanks for the warning, and partly sarcastic thanks for the TMI. Coffee. I needed coffee. I almost cried—I’m not kidding—when the cafeteria door came into view.

  As I hurried through, a lady in the same uniform as Gus’s looked up from her breakfast and said hi to Gus. “Hi, boss.”

  “Why don’t you stay and chat while I order. Do you want anything?”

  “No thanks, Lily, but great idea.” He smiled.

  Gee, that was easy. I left them to it and ordered a cappuccino and toasted cheese-and-tomato sandwich. I wanted to have a chocolate muffin, but if I waited till later, I’d get to look forward to it. Anticipation was half the fun.

  A few minutes later, food in hand, I walked super slowly to Gus—okay, maybe I was overreacting, but honestly, I was going to eat. He looked happy chatting to his boss, so I stopped and sat two tables away. I could still hear what they were saying, but I could zone out, and didn’t I deserve to eat breakfast without wanting to throw up?

  I swallowed a mouthful of coffee, then bit into the warm yumminess of my sandwich. Mm, I guessed I could get used to this, and it was only two weeks.

  I stopped mid-chew. My eyes widened. There it was, the tingle of magic I’d been sent here to detect. I looked around.

  Gus was talking, and his voice caught my attention. “Moira, are you all right?”

  His boss was jerking her chin up, hacking, and frantically waving one arm. I jumped up and ran over. “Gus, she’s choking!” My heart raced. What was I supposed to do? Stick my finger down her throat and grab the food, or should I try that Heimlich manoeuvre? Hang on. I was a witch—obviously a not-very-smart one, but still. I drew into my well of power. “Whatever food is stuck in her throat, make it come out now.”

  She gave an almighty cough that sounded a bit like she was retching, and what I think was bacon flew out and splatted on the table. She dragged in huge, wet-sounding gasps and blinked back tears.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  She took a moment to self-assess; then she looked at me. “Yes. Thank you.” A few more quick breaths. “I thought I was going to die. You saved my life. Thank you. A thousand times, thank you.”

  Gus’s face was paler than usual. “Are you all right, Gus?”

  He nodded. “Yes. Thank you, Lily. You saved Moira’s life.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. His haunted gaze met mine. “Can we have a chat?”

  This time, I was pretty sure I knew what he was going to say, and it wasn’t about his dog or bowel movements. “Yes, Gus. Come on.” I looked at his boss. “Are you okay? Do you want to go to the sickbay or something?” I had no idea if they even had one. I guess we weren’t at school. They probably just sent people home if they weren’t well.

  “I think I will go and get checked out. Do you know if Beren’s in?”

  I shrugged. “I have no idea.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll go to the infirmary. If Beren’s not around, Dr Evans is good. He’s a witch, but he’s studied at medical school—he’s a certified doctor.”

  “Okay, we’ll come with you.” I grabbed my barely eaten breakfast—I could eat it when I chatted with Gus. We dropped her at the infirmary and kept going. “Why don’t we do this in Ma’am’s office?”

  “Okay.”

  I had no idea if she’d be there, so I texted her. Thankfully, she was and said to come straight up. Gus might have questionable conversational skills, but he was a nice person. He knocked on and opened Ma’am’s door for me and followed me in. Ma’am called out from her inner office, “Come on through.”

  We sat in the guest chairs in front of her desk. Gus fidgeted with his tie, but at least some of his colour had returned. Ma’am observed us before turning to me. “So, what just happened?”

  “We were in the cafeteria. I was having breakfast, and Gus was chatting to Moira, his boss. I felt that small burst of Owen’s magic, and then Moira started choking. She was going to die, but I managed to spell the food out of her throat. She’s in the infirmary getting checked out.” Did this mean Olga was off the hook for what happened with Liv because there’d been a definite burst of magic that night, and I’m pretty sure it felt like Owen’s? Although I couldn’t be 100 percent sure, as I hadn’t been paying full attention. That magic pulse had taken me by surpris
e, but I doubted Olga had the skill to be so subtle. Apparently it was rare.

  Ma’am steepled her fingers. “Gus, please look at me.” He slowly lifted his head to meet her eyes. “You know this isn’t your fault. We asked you to participate in our… experiment, and you have no idea how helpful it’s been.”

  Sweat beaded on his forehead and dripped down his nose. “But… but is that it? Or might it happen again? I mean, the only way I’d get a promotion is if Moira or Henry couldn’t work here anymore, and we just saw how Owen gets obstacles out of the way. I don’t want to be responsible for that.” He shook his head so hard that droplets of his sweat flung across and splatted on my face. The world stopped turning for a second—I was sure of it. It took a moment for me to breathe again. Why me? What had I done to deserve this? I swiped my sleeve across my cheek and nose and shuddered. I was so going to wash my face as soon as this meeting was over.

  Ma’am flicked her curious gaze to me before turning back to Gus. “I’m afraid I don’t know if it’ll happen again. But we’ll keep Lily with you until the time is up, just to make sure. At least she’ll be there to stop anything from happening. Won’t you, dear?” Her ironclad smile assured me that I would indeed be there to save the day.

  “Ah, yes. Of course.” I turned to Gus. The poor thing. I should go easier on him. Goodness knew I’d experienced the pain of killing people, even if it was just a matter of wrong place, wrong time. “I’ll make sure no one dies. Okay? And what Ma’am said—none of this is your doing. Just like Liv isn’t at fault for what happened to Kate. That’s why we need to do this. You don’t want to see Liv locked in jail for the next ten years, do you?” I hadn’t meant to make this a guilt trip. Oops.

  His eyes opened wide. “Of course not! Miss Olivia is such a lovely lady. She’s the last person who should be in jail. You’re right, Miss Lily. This is for a good cause. I’m just not used to being in the middle of things, you know?”