All Was Revealed

by Adele Abbott

  “You have houses in here?”

  “Yes, but remember, we’re talking about houses for fairies that are the size of a pinhead. The houses are barely bigger than your thumbnail.”

  “Of course, I should have realised. Yes, I’d love to see them.”

  “Follow me.”

  “I’ll stay here,” Aunt Lucy said. “I’ll put some of these fliers together.”

  “There they are.” Diane pointed to a table, on which was a tray full of small houses.

  “Wow, those really are tiny.”

  “Would you like to see inside one?”

  “Yes, please.”

  She took one gently between her thumb and finger, and tipped it on one side, so I could see inside. It was incredible—there were three small rooms, and stairs which I assumed led to the upper floor.

  “May I?”

  “Of course.” She handed it to me. “Be careful; they’re very fragile.”

  “The doors and windows are real.”

  “Of course. What did you expect?”

  I was nervous of breaking something, so handed the house back to Diane.

  The houses were amazing, but they reminded me of something. Thimbles.

  “Who makes these for you, Diane?”

  “They’re made by a goblin; a very talented man. There are very few people who can do this type of work, and his prices are very reasonable.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Billy Somemates.”

  “Do you have an address for him? I’d love to see how he builds these.”

  “Yes, I’ll let you have it before you leave.”

  ***

  When I got back to the office, I found Winky sitting in the windowsill. It was just like the good old days, watching him waving his little flags around. I crept up behind him, and looked across the way. Sure enough, there was Bella—returning his messages with her own tiny flags.

  “I see you two are good again.”

  “I’ve decided to forgive her. We’re making a new start, hence the semaphore.”

  Don’t you just love a happy ending?

  Chapter 10

  George Pullman, the photographer, might have been a sleaze bag, but if what he’d said about Starr Fish getting him sacked was true, he obviously had reason not to be her biggest fan. If nothing else, talking to him had made me aware of her autobiography. After I’d spoken to him, I bought a copy. By flicking through it, I soon managed to compile a short list of people who might harbour a grudge against her.

  The first person I wanted to speak to was Starr’s ex-boyfriend, a guy called Johnny Badger. Johnny lived locally in Washbridge; in fact, not too far from my own flat.

  His hair was black with two white streaks running from front to back. Badger? Really?

  “Mr Badger?”

  “Are you the press?”

  “No. My name is Jill Gooder. I’m a private investigator.”

  “Is this about Carol?”

  The question threw me for a moment, but then I remembered that Starr Fish hadn’t been born with that name. She used to be called Carol Smith, which I had to concede wasn’t really a TV celebrity’s name.

  “Yes, Mr Badger, it’s about Carol. Could I come in for a few moments, please?”

  “Call me, Johnny. Yeah, come in. I’m afraid the place is a mess.”

  That was the understatement of the year. Dirty clothes had been dropped all over the floor and chairs. The sink was stacked high with dirty dishes. And, the place had obviously never seen a vacuum cleaner or a duster.

  “Would you like a drink?”

  At least the man had manners.

  “No, thanks, I’m okay.” I was actually parched, but I didn’t want to risk a drink out of any of those cups. “How long had you and Carol been together before you broke up?”

  “We didn’t break up. She dumped me. We’d been together since high school; we were pretty much inseparable. I thought that we’d eventually get married. We’d even talked about it.”

  “Did you actually live together?”

  “Yeah. She lived here with me for a couple of years. Then she saw that stupid advert in the paper.”

  “For the reality TV show?”

  “Yeah. Life at the Top. We both decided to apply, just for a laugh. We didn’t think we had a chance of getting on it because there’d be thousands applying. We both sent in an audition video. I shot Carol’s, and she shot mine. Anyway, a bit later, I got an email saying ‘Thanks, but no thanks’, but Carol was asked to go in for an audition. Even then, we didn’t think anything would come of it because there were still hundreds of people after only a few places on the show. But she got through the first round, and then the second round. By then, she was starting to get really excited. She kept talking about how it could make her a star. I humoured her, and hoped she wouldn’t be too upset when they eventually turned her down. I even went with her for the final round of auditions. When they called her to say she was on the show, she was over the moon.”

  “How did you feel about it?”

  “I made out that I was pleased, but really I was gutted, because I was worried it would change things between us. And it did. It changed everything, especially Carol.”

  “Is that when she changed her name?”

  “Yes. It was a stupid idea. She said she couldn’t go on the show with a name like Carol Smith—that no one would remember her. She didn’t know what to change it to at first, but then one day, she told me she’d changed it to Starr Fish. I laughed because I thought it was a joke. She wasn’t amused. After that, if I forgot, and called her Carol, she’d go mad at me.”

  “What happened when the show aired on TV?”

  “Did you see it?”

  “No, I don’t watch much TV.”

  “It was extremely popular, and of course Carol stole the show. She went in there determined to do whatever it took to make sure she got noticed and voted for. She didn’t seem to care what effect it might have on me.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “She was flirting, and more, with all the guys on the show.”

  “And more?”

  “Yes, if the tabloids are to be believed. She was on the front page of the papers every day with her antics. And, of course, she went on and won the whole thing.”

  “What happened between you two afterwards?”

  “I was there on the night she won. When she came offstage, she gave me a hug, and I thought perhaps things between us could still be the same. I was just kidding myself. The press followed us around. Everyone wanted Starr; nobody cared who I was. After a while, I began to feel like I was an embarrassment to her, so I backed off and let her get on with it. I thought that maybe, after everything had calmed down, we’d get back together again. But she stopped calling, and she wouldn’t take my calls.”

  “Did you talk about it with her? Decide to call it a day?”

  “No. It just sort of ended.”

  “So, when was the last time you saw Carol?”

  “Not for several weeks.”

  “Okay, Johnny. Thank you very much for your time.”

  I came away with the picture of a very sad young man. He’d obviously thought he’d found his life partner, but had lost her to ‘celebrity’.

  ***

  The lady at FairyAid had given me the address of Billy Somemates, the goblin, who put together the houses for the starlight fairies. His workshop was in a small building close to Candlefield Park. And when I say small, I really do mean small. It was half the height of the surrounding buildings, and appeared to provide workshops specifically for the goblin community. I called at reception, where I was forced to crouch, otherwise I would have banged my head on the ceiling.

  “Hello there,” the female goblin behind the counter greeted me. “Are you okay? You look a bit uncomfortable.”

  “The ceiling is a little low for me.”

  “I’m sorry about that. When they constructed this building, they worked on the assumption th
at only goblins would use it. But, although the units are rented exclusively to goblins, there are lots of non-goblin customers. A stupid oversight, really. Who is it that you’re here to see?”

  “Billy Somemates?”

  “Billy is in unit twenty-seven.” She pointed at the corridor to her right.

  By the time I reached Billy’s unit, I had a crick in my neck.

  “Are you okay?” The goblin looked up at me.

  “I’m fine thanks. Are you Billy Somemates?”

  “That’s me.”

  “I’m Jill Gooder. I’ve just been with the people at FairyAid. I understand you build houses for the starlight fairies.”

  “I don’t actually build them, but I do fit them out. The outside structure is bought ready-made; I just fit the interiors.”

  “That’s pretty much what they told me. Could I come in and talk to you for a moment?”

  “Of course, but do mind your head.”

  Once inside, I decided it was easier just to sit on the floor. At least that way, I could straighten my neck again. “Do I call you Mr Somemates?”

  “No. Call me Billy, please.”

  “If you wouldn’t mind, Billy, can you talk me through the process of putting together the houses?”

  “Certainly. As I said, the exterior is bought ready-made with the windows and doors drawn onto the shell of the house. I turn them into fully functional windows and doors. I put in a floor to make it a two-level building, and then I put in dividers to create the individual rooms. Finally, I fit out the rooms with all the usual furnishings.”

  “That must be a very complicated procedure. They’re so small.”

  “It is. Look, why don’t I show you—it’ll be easier. Come over here to my workbench.”

  I made my way over on all fours. There, on the workbench, were lots of little houses.

  “I use this for the detailed work.” He picked up one of the houses, and put it under an enormous magnifying glass. The tools he was using were similar to those I’d seen used to repair watches.

  “So you see, Jill, I use these materials to create the building’s interior. This one is partially done. I’ve opened up the windows and the door, and installed the floor. This one here is on the next stage—I’ve just put in the dividers to create the separate rooms. This one over here is ready to go out.”

  “Do you do all of this by yourself?”

  “Yes, it’s just me. It’s a very skilled job as you might imagine. So far, I haven’t been able to train anyone to help me. I wish I could find someone because the fairies are really desperate for these houses.”

  “It must help that you get the exterior shell ready-made.”

  “It most certainly does.”

  “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but aren’t those exteriors actually thimbles?”

  “Yes, they are. All I have to do to the shell is to convert the doors and windows.”

  “Where do you buy the thimbles from?”

  “There’s only one place in Candlefield that has the right kind. That’s The Finger. It’s in the marketplace.”

  “How much do they cost you?”

  “I can’t remember offhand, but I think they’re about three or four pounds each.”

  “Do you buy them in bulk?”

  “No, usually just three or four at a time.”

  “I see. And do you personally go to The Finger to buy them?”

  “No. I’m too busy putting together the houses. My assistant, Harlan, buys them for me.”

  “Is Harlan a goblin too?”

  “No. Harlan is an elf.”

  “Is he here at the moment?”

  “No, he only works part-time. He does bits and bobs around the place, and keeps things tidy. And, I let him buy the thimbles. It saves me wasting time going over there.”

  “Thank you very much for your time, Billy. It’s been really helpful.”

  “Not at all. It’s nice to have a visitor.”

  I crawled on hands and knees all the way out of the building.

  Things were slowly starting to click into place. It was obvious that I needed to speak to Harlan.

  ***

  While I was in Candlefield, I decided to pop into Cuppy C. After all of that crawling around on hands and knees, I needed a sit-down with a nice latte and a strawberry cupcake. Amber came to join me at the window table.

  “I’m glad of a sit-down.” I took a bite of cupcake. “I’ve been crawling around on my hands and knees for the last half-hour.”

  “Why? What have you been up to?”

  Just then, Pearl joined us.

  “I went to see the goblin who makes the houses for the starlight fairies.”

  “Mum told us about the housing shortage,” Amber said. “It’s terrible.”

  “Those little houses are so cute,” Pearl said.

  It was only then that I spotted the chairs stacked in the corner of the room. “What happened there?”

  “The fire eater got a little carried away. They’re scorched. It’s a good thing no one was sitting at that particular table.”

  “Fire eater? Have you started hiring circus performers too?”

  “No. Miles said we could share his.”

  “He did what?”

  “He said they didn’t need them all day, so we could have them after they’d finished at Best Cakes.”

  “How much is he going to charge you?”

  “Nothing. He said he had to pay for them anyway, and thought it would be a nice gesture to make up for the rat incident.”

  “What’s the catch?”

  “That’s what we’re trying to work out. There has to be one.”

  I thought back to the last time I’d seen Miles. He’d been so desperate because of the situation with the Never-ending Wool, he’d promised that if I talked Grandma around, he’d close down Best P.I. Services, and would stop the dirty tricks against Cuppy C and Ever A Wool Moment. I knew that Grandma had reversed the spell. Maybe Miles had turned over a new leaf. Or had he?

  “How did the fire eater manage to scorch the chairs?”

  “It was Pearl’s fault.” Amber got in quickly.

  “No, it wasn’t!” Pearl objected.

  “You were the one who’d taken Barry for a walk.”

  “How was I supposed to know the fire-eater was allergic to dog hair? I only walked past him.”

  “Just as he was putting the fire in his mouth. You made him sneeze.”

  “Maybe you should have stuck with the origami?” I suggested. “By the way, how’s it going with the guys? Have they forgiven you yet?”

  “Yes, but we haven’t forgiven you.”

  “Moi?” I put on my innocent face.

  “Yes, you.” Pearl grinned. “The girls would love to go to all the BoundBall practices.”

  “Oh, yeah. I’d forgotten about that.”

  “Luckily for you, the guys decided they’d rather we weren’t there. According to them, we moaned too much.”

  “Cheek!” Amber said. “We never moan.”

  Chapter 11

  I’d decided to finish early, and was on my way back to the flat when I got a phone call from Kathy. She sounded rather stressed.

  “Jill, your grandmother has gone AWOL, and left me all by myself in the shop. I’m meant to be picking the kids up from school. Are you busy at the moment? Could you go and pick them up for me? Otherwise I’m going to have to close the shop.”

  I could have lied and pretended I was busy, but even I’m not that despicable. Well, not all the time, anyway.

  “Yeah, okay. I’ll make my way over there now. Do you know where Grandma has gone?”

  “No. She never said a word. I thought she was in the back office, but when I went to tell her I was leaving, there was no sign of her. I’ve searched the shop and tea room, but she’s nowhere to be seen. If you could pick up the kids, that would be great. Thanks.”

  I parked a couple of streets away from the school, and walked from there. There was a crossi
ng patrol in front of the school gates, and as I got closer, I recognised the person wearing the white uniform, holding the yellow ‘lollipop’.

  “Daze?”

  “Hi, Jill. What are you doing here?”

  “I’m collecting my sister’s kids. Grandma’s done a disappearing act, so Kathy’s having to look after the wool shop. More to the point, what are you doing here?”

  “Undercover, as usual. We’ve had reports of a wicked witch turning kids into gingerbread men.”

  “Really? That’s horrible.”

  “I know—we’ve issued a red alert.”

  “That sound serious.”

  “It’s the highest state of alert. Blaze is over at the next school, and we’ve drafted in six more RRs to cover the other schools in this area. If she shows her ugly face, we’ll can her sorry backside.”

  “That’s reassuring. I’ll go and collect the little darlings. Catch you later, Daze.”

  “Auntie Jill! Auntie Jill!” Lizzie threw her arms around me.

  “Where’s Mum?” Mikey shouted.

  “She’s had to work late in the shop, so I said I’d collect you.”

  “Can we go to the sweet shop, please, Auntie Jill?” Lizzie said.

  I was wise to their tricks. They’d landed me in trouble before for buying them sweets. I wasn’t about to be fooled again.

  “Sorry, no. Mummy said I had to take you straight home today.”

  “Aw, Auntie Jill. Please.” Lizzie pouted.

  “No, I’m sorry. You got me in trouble last time. We’ve got to go straight home.”

  They were in full-on sulk mode when they climbed into the back seat of the car, but I ignored them, and drove straight to Kathy’s.

  “You haven’t seen our slide, have you, Auntie Jill?” Lizzie seemed to have forgiven me by the time we reached their house.

  “What slide? I didn’t know you had one.”

  “Daddy bought us a slide and a swing. They’re in the back garden. Would you like to see them?”

  “Sure. After you’ve got changed.”

  On my way into the house, I noticed that the next door neighbours still had the chickens. I made the kids get changed first. I would have been in trouble if they’d got mud on their school clothes.