Witch Silenced in Westerham

by Dionne Lister

  “Okay, good. I think we’re done here, people.” James and Millicent shared a loving smile before he made his doorway and disappeared.

  There were still a few hours until we had to be in the van. “Olivia. Do you need any help with research?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “No, but thanks for asking. Most of our searches haven’t raised any red flags. And the ones that have are under control.”

  “Liv, I need you for another case that James is working on.” Millicent came over. “Sorry, Lily, but I’m going to have to take her away.”

  I smiled. “It’s okay. Maybe I’ll go for a run or something.” I wasn’t into watching TV, and I was too antsy to sit and read. The longer Angelica stayed in that care home, the worse I felt. The time of her murder was fast approaching. My magic had never predicted a death more than twenty-four hours before it happened that I knew of. There was that guy at Sydney airport. I had no idea when he ended up dying, but the bride’s father at the wedding I’d photographed and the older woman at Paris airport both died within hours of my camera predicting it.

  Imani put her hand up. “I’ll go with you. I run every day, and I haven’t had one today.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really.” She smiled, revealing her straight, super-white teeth.

  “Wow, thanks. Not that I mind running by myself, but I’m supposed to have company.” I wasn’t sure how much I should tell her, but then Will jumped in.

  “Years ago, Lily’s parents went missing. We think the same people who took them are after her now. We don’t know why, but it’s just not safe for her to be out and about by herself.”

  “I’ll stay alert, Will. It would be my pleasure to make sure she’s safe.”

  I folded my arms. “Will, you didn’t have to tell her. You know I can pretty much look after myself. My magic is way better now than it was when I got here.” I thought back to when I’d arrived and knew absolutely nothing about magic. I really had come a long way, although I wasn’t a superstar at it yet. I turned to Imani. “Sorry to put that pressure on you. If you don’t want to come, it’s okay.”

  “Don’t be silly. I’m always alert when I run—you never know what weirdo might be waiting around the next corner.” She winked.

  I smiled. “Argh, so true. Okay, I’m going to pop home and get changed, and then we can meet somewhere. Where do you want to run?”

  “Hyde Park? I love London. Don’t get up there enough.”

  “Okay. I’ve never run there before. I’d love to.”

  “Here are the coordinates for the toilets next to the lake.” Big golden numbers popped into my head. I took a mental photo and stored it in my “coordinates” folder. I was beginning to think of my brain in terms of a computer. It just made it easier to decide what to call things. Yes, I had a memory, but that had different compartments, I supposed.

  “Awesome. I’ll see you there in ten.” I turned to Will. “And I’ll see you in the van.” I waggled my eyebrows.

  He laughed. “If only it wasn’t for work.” He returned my eyebrow waggle. “I’ll see you later. Stay safe.”

  “I will. Bye, everyone.” I waved at my friends and left.

  After my run, I went home, had a late lunch, showered, and dressed. I would have showered first, but knowing me, I would’ve spilled food all over my PIB uniform. I supposed I could have magicked it out, but I kept forgetting it was possible. Travelling had become second nature, but cleaning had not. How unusual for me….

  Running in Hyde Park had been awesome. There were so many squee-worthy squirrels, and I’d gotten to know Imani a bit better. She was such a nice person, so bubbly, and she got my stupid sense of humour. I’d needed that outlet to banish my nervous energy. Each hour that passed ratcheted up my nerves. I’d be in a full-blown panic within two days. I didn’t do suspense well. If there was a show on TV, and I knew something bad was going to happen, I usually had to get up and walk away. I just couldn’t stand it.

  When I wasn’t in the van, I waited for the phone call telling me Angelica was dead. Nausea bubbled in my stomach and up my throat, disturbing my lunch. I mentally pulled up my big-girl pants, swallowed, and travelled to the van.

  I slid the black curtain across. Three male agents I hadn’t met were saying their farewells to Imani and Will. The new agents eyeballed me, but no one said hello. One by one, they disappeared through their doorways. “Friendly bunch.”

  Will smiled. “That lot are all about the job. They don’t have time for chitchat. Even with someone as adorable as you.” He gave me a hug, which was quite demonstrative for him in front of another agent, but I had a feeling Imani knew we were dating. I hadn’t said anything, but maybe Will had, and she seemed like the kind of person who wouldn’t care.

  “Thanks for running with me today,” I said to Imani.

  “My pleasure, love. It was good to get out, and you kept a good pace. If you ever need anyone to run with, let me know. In fact, I’ll give you my number.”

  Aw, how sweet. I’d definitely take her up on that. Will wasn’t always available, and even though I felt confident I could at least pop away if anything happened, I was more relaxed having another agent around. Will sat in front of the monitors and started work, and I pulled out my phone. Imani gave me her number. I put it in and sent her a text so she had my details.

  Imani and I sat at our places and observed. It was both a relief and a grim reminder of the situation when the teddy showed Angelica’s see-through form. She was in the common lounge watching a small children’s choir. I remembered doing that once when I was about nine. The teachers had taken our school choir to perform at the local old people’s home. I’d been excited at the time, but I wondered if it was more torture than fun for the oldies. These kids weren’t very talented, and I imagine we hadn’t been either. A screechy high note stabbed through the din. I slammed my hands over my ears and winced. Yikes.

  Apparently Angelica’s patience lasted only so long, even when she was undercover. She stood, and her voice came through loud and clear. “I need the bathroom. Now!” she shouted. The choir stuttered but kept going. They got ten points for professionalism. I smirked. People thinking you were demented had its uses. You could be inappropriate, and no one would say a word.

  Elizabeth—the real Elizabeth, not Penny the pretend Elizabeth—a scowl on her face, appeared at Angelica’s side. She grabbed her arm. Although it looked gentle enough, Angelica said, “Ow! You’re hurting me.”

  Elizabeth grinned through gritted teeth. “I’m hardly touching you.” Then she whispered, “Do you want help to the bathroom or not? Because I can leave you here to soil yourself. And you can miss out on the Queen’s visit tomorrow.”

  Angelica didn’t respond, and I could no longer see her face, but she started moving slowly. Elizabeth’s true nature was coming out. If we didn’t have so much information on Penny, I would have pegged Elizabeth as the killer. She was probably just a mean person who had no patience. This was totally not the job for her. And what did she mean by the Queen’s visit? Surely Queen Elizabeth II had better things to do than visit a care home?

  Something niggled at me. I looked at Will. “Does something seem off to you?”

  He met my gaze. “Other than the fact she’s being horrible to Angelica and I wonder if she was the same to my grandmother, no.”

  “That’s it!” I knew something was familiar.

  “What’s it?” Will’s brows drew down. He could practically have a conversation without using his mouth. His brows could do all the talking.

  “Do you remember your gran mentioned the Queen visiting? I thought she was living in a fantasy land, but maybe she wasn’t as bad as you thought.”

  Will stared at the screen for a minute. He turned to me. “You’re right, Lily. But it might not mean anything. Maybe it’s a thing they do for the residents, pretend the Queen is visiting to cheer them up. Didn’t they give her chocolates or something?”

  “I think so.” My memory wa
sn’t the best, but I was pretty sure chocolate was mentioned. I remembered that because, well, chocolate.

  After going to the bathroom, Angelica insisted on going back to her room. Elizabeth saw her to the door before she was called to another incident in the common room. Angelica went into her room and shut the door. She whispered into her bear, “Let me know when the coast is clear. I’m going to visit Penny’s room. She hasn’t been around today, and she normally joins me for breakfast. It’s a good excuse for me to visit, see if she’s okay while I search for evidence.”

  “Okay.” Will looked at the screen showing the hallway. “Coast is clear. I’ll let you know when someone’s coming.”

  Angelica wandered out, teddy in her arms. She must’ve been cuddling it to her chest with its head poking over her shoulder to give us a view behind her. Clever. No one could sneak up on her now.

  “Still clear,” said Will.

  My heartbeat increased as she neared Penny’s room. The camera in the common room near the plant didn’t show the whole room. From what it did show, Penny wasn’t there. I wasn’t sure what the protocol on residents visiting each other was, but surely they were allowed?

  Angelica reached the door and knocked. There was no answer. She opened the door and shuffled in, as if she had every right to be there. She quietly shut the door behind her.

  Framed movie posters covered the walls—Witches of Eastwick, Silence of the Lambs, Shrek, The Three Amigos, and The Lovely Bones. Um, what an eclectic mix. It was the two serial-killer movies that worried me, though. Yeah, I was smart like that. I did wonder what she thought of the portrayal of witches in the Witches of Eastwick, though. Hmm, were there any witches in Hollywood? There probably were. Everyone deserved representation.

  Angelica’s gaze panned the room and finally rested on the empty bed. She whispered, “She’s not here. She may have had a family day. They do take them out every now and then.” She moved to the bedside drawers and opened them one by one. After finding nothing of note in any of the three drawers, she moved to the wardrobe.

  Will said into the microphone, “Someone’s coming down the hallway. One of the male nurses.”

  Angelica quickly shut the cupboard door and sat in a chair. She sure moved quickly for an old person. I chuckled.

  “Okay, he’s at the lift. Two residents are shuffling in your direction, but I think it’s safe for you to finish what you were doing.”

  She hurried back to the wardrobe and slid the clothes across, then bent down and rifled through Penny’s shoes. “I wondered where these went!” She pulled out a pair of white unicorn slippers with big eyes and multi-hued horns jutting out from the front. “They went missing yesterday. The people here are a bunch of kleptomaniacs. I’m keeping these. I’ll tell her one of the nurses gave them back if she says anything.” Angelica set the rest of the shoes to rights when she was done. She tapped on the back of the wardrobe, no doubt checking for a false wall. “Nothing,” she whispered. “I could really use my magic about now.”

  She shut the cupboard, patted down the bed, and looked under the pillow. “Nothing.” Her tone was jagged with frustration.

  “Hallway is clear if you want to leave,” said Will.

  Angelica returned to her room without incident, and my shoulders relaxed as soon as she was safely inside. My neck ached, and I massaged it. Being a spectator was much more stressful than living it. When you were in it, you didn’t have as much time to worry. Plus, I couldn’t help from out here.

  Someone knocked on Angelica’s door but opened it without waiting for an answer. The old guy who had chatted to her at breakfast the other morning entered and shut the door behind him. My stomach dropped, and I gasped.

  “Lily, what’s wrong?” Will asked.

  I almost blurted it out but caught myself in time. “I just have a funny feeling about old Winston. I hate when I can’t see things clearly.” If that wasn’t enough of a hint for him, I didn’t know what was. His eyes widened ever so slightly, and he gave me a nod.

  Winston spoke with the good side of his mouth. “Sorry, didn’t mean to alarm you. But I thought you’d like to hear the news.”

  “What news?” Angelica asked.

  “They found Penny in the cool room.”

  “Well, that’s silly of her. What was she doing in there?”

  He hung his head before meeting Angelica’s gaze again. “She’s not silly. She’s dead.”

  And there went our number-one suspect. And why hadn’t she been ghostly when I’d seen her on the teddy-cam? Seemed my magic was fallible.

  Angelica’s next words summed things up nicely. “Oh dear. That was unexpected.” She held up her teddy and looked into its eyes. “What are we going to do now, Mr Teddy?”

  The teddy silently stared back at her.

  What were we going to do, indeed?

  Chapter 12

  Two hours later, and Angelica was having home-delivered pizza. The care home had to quarantine the cool room because someone had died in there. But had Penny died, or had she been murdered? Angelica did her best to find out, but she had to rely on overhearing news. Speaking to the residents wasn’t helpful. Most of them were in their own little worlds and had no idea whether it was day or night, nor did they care.

  Angelica sat at a table with her new friend, the old guy who’d spilled the news of Penny’s death.

  Winston swallowed his mouthful of pizza and laughed. “Best food I’ve had here in two years.”

  Angelica nodded. “I’m sad. Penny was nice to me.”

  Winston shrugged. “There are always casualties in a place like this. They think I don’t know, but they sent me here to die.”

  “Who?”

  “The government. They know I know what they’re up to. They don’t want to risk me telling everyone their secrets.” He gave an exaggerated wink. “I was a spy in the war, you know.”

  Angelica didn’t bother to comment on his revelation, which was probably a product of the fantasy land Winston resided in. Instead, she picked the teddy up and put it next to her ear. Her hair rustled through the microphone as it rubbed against the teddy’s eyes. “Teddy wants to know how Penny died. Do you know?”

  “No, but I have my suspicions.” He looked around as if searching for eavesdroppers. He leaned forward, over his plate, and whispered loudly. “She might have just dropped dead, but how did she get to the cool room? It’s downstairs, where we aren’t allowed to go. I haven’t been able to crack the lift code, and I doubt she could have either.” He shook his head. “I don’t have the clearance I used to.”

  “Hmm,” was her only answer.

  They finished dinner, and Angelica made her way to the common room to watch TV and likely listen for gossip. While she watched some British cop show, our dinner arrived. Lasagne and salad from the PIB cafeteria. Oh, and they’d brought me a large cappuccino. I inhaled my favourite scent and sighed.

  “Careful, love, or you’ll float into space.” Imani laughed.

  “What? Isn’t this a normal reaction to caffeine?”

  She lifted her cup. “Tea all the way, love. I don’t like coffee.”

  I frowned. “Just when I thought you were awesome, you go and ruin everything.” I sighed and slumped further down into my chair.

  She laughed, and I couldn’t hold my grumpy expression. I grinned. “I guess nobody’s perfect.”

  “I’m close, though.” She winked.

  “Very true.”

  I took my first forkful of lasagne. Ooh, it was good. Mmm. I’d just taken my second bite when Beren showed up to see Angelica.

  I tried swallowing and choked. Tears sprang to my eyes, but it wasn’t from coughing. Will smacked my back till I stopped choking. I drew some much-needed breaths.

  “Lily, what’s wrong? It can’t taste that bad.” Will rubbed my back and bent slightly to stare at my downturned face.

  This could not be happening. Could. Not. Be.

  But it was.

  I turned waterlogged ey
es his way. “It’s Beren.”

  Will’s face drained of colour. He knew what I meant.

  My eyes drifted back to the screen, drawn beyond my control. Beren and Angelica moved to her room and shut the door.

  “Will, you have to tell him.”

  He stared at the screen. “What if it distracts him?”

  “What’s going on?” asked Imani.

  Will and I both turned to her. I opened my mouth, not sure what to say. I shut it. Will, thankfully, jumped in. “Lily has a talent that works on and off. She can see if someone is in danger.” He’d altered the truth, but it was good enough for now and vague enough that no one would hunt me down because of it.

  Imani narrowed her eyes as she stared at me. Okay, so tears were extreme for just danger, but we couldn’t risk telling her the truth. “Once before, someone died when I saw they were in danger. I’m paranoid. Beren’s one of my best friends, so if it seems like I’m overreacting, that’s why.”

  She nodded. Phew. Excuse believed.

  Will grabbed his phone and texted someone. He finished and looked up. Imani and I were both focussed on him. “I texted Agent Cardinal. Asked him to be hypervigilant.”

  “Good idea,” I said.

  Beren’s voice filled the van, and we all jerked our heads to watch the screens. He was looking at Angelica, answering a question we hadn’t heard her ask. “That’s too dangerous. If they catch me, our cover will be blown. We don’t know who it is.” He shook his phantasmal head.

  I grabbed Will’s arm—I didn’t care if it was professional or not. I had begging to do. “You have to tell him. Nothing’s changed. It’s going to happen, Will. Tell him. Maybe it will be enough to save him.” I bit my lip, another tear slipping from my eye.

  Will gazed down at me, cupped my jaw with one hand, and wiped the tear away with his thumb. I wanted so badly to sink into his chest, have his arms around me, but that wasn’t a line I’d cross at work, and why was I falling apart? I needed to fight for my friends, not trust everything to my talent. I’d given up before I’d even started. “You need to tell him. Put yourself in his shoes. What would you want?”