Loved Up

by A. A. Albright

  He was probably right.

  So instead of getting more people involved, we had called in our familiars. There were advantages to that – Finn and Gretel both had cats who could get into places that we never could. And I had ... well, Dizzy. However helpful or unhelpful certain familiars might have been, they could be counted on to keep our secret.

  ‘Where’s the bat?’ asked Jewel.

  ‘In Riddler’s Cove,’ I told her. ‘I’ll be picking him and Max up soon. Any luck getting inside Barry’s flat?’

  The cat nodded. ‘I’ve just come back from there, as a matter of fact. The place is clean. Well apart from some questionable personal effects. An unhealthy amount of Upendown Abbey posters and collectibles, and a lot of Veronica Berry posters and toys.’

  ‘Yeah.’ Finn sat down and turned on his computer. ‘Gretel’s told us that Barry is a Veronica Berry fan.’

  ‘Well, most young men are. Her films are terrible, but she’s good in Witch Wars.’

  ‘Witch Wars?’ I wrinkled my nose. ‘Oh, right. That TV show. I’ve never seen it. Or Upendown Abbey. I think I might have seen posters of Witch Wars before. Is Veronica the one with the hair and the hips?’

  Finn nodded a little too enthusiastically. ‘Oh boy, yeah. She’s ... well, she’s a Berry, so obviously I would never look at her that way. A Berry who’s engaged to a werewolf, to top it off. But ... yeah ... those are some fantastic hips.’

  ‘Excuse me, but what exactly is wrong with being a Berry?’

  We all snapped our heads around. Across the room, next to a screen that showed us video feed from various tracked locations, a Chihuahua was curled up on a table.

  ‘Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you,’ Jewel drawled. ‘He arrived.’

  The dog stood up on his tiny legs and said, ‘Could you help me, please? The cat’s pulled the chair away so I can’t get down again.’

  Finn glared at Jewel as I crossed the room and picked up the dog. He was so small! Like one of those dogs that awful witch celebrities put in their handbags or turned into brooches. He had one brown eye and one blue.

  ‘I’m Bowie,’ he said. ‘I was waiting politely by your back door when this cat invited me in. She said she’d keep me company while I waited for you, but all she’s done is trap me up here and snooze on that chair. Oh, and lead me into a room that is clearly a secret headquarters of some kind. I do apologise for my being here. I tried to tell the cat we ought to wait somewhere more appropriate for you, but she wouldn’t listen.’

  ‘She never does,’ said Finn. ‘So ... you’re here because?’

  ‘Oh, excuse me. Where are my manners?’ Bowie extended a paw, which I immediately shook. ‘I’m here because you’re the Wayfarer, Wanda. I’m Nancy Berry’s familiar, you see. Now, I’m not sure how long this whole process usually takes. Do I just tell you what you need to know and then I get to go and join Nancy in the afterlife?’

  I sat down, placing him on my desk in front of me and looking him in his mismatched eyes. It was clear why Nancy had called him Bowie. ‘I’m afraid not, Bowie. Yes, you need to tell me everything you can to help me track down Nancy’s killer. But you won’t pass away until I’ve actually caught them.’ His head hung, and I reached out to stroke him. ‘I’m sorry. That’s just the way it is. Can I get you anything? Some food or drink?’

  He shook his head. ‘I’m quite all right, Miss Wayfair. I’d rather just get down to business if it’s all the same to you. Now, if you have a notebook and a dicta-quill, I could begin right this minute. I have quite a good idea of who was behind Nancy’s murder, so it shouldn’t take too long.’

  I struggled to hide my shock. Usually, getting information from familiars was like pulling teeth. Of course they wanted to help me as much as they could – they were desperate to join their witch in death. But for one reason or another, the steady stream of familiars who had come my way since I received my power hadn’t actually witnessed their witch’s murder. And not a single one had the slightest idea as to who the killer might have been.

  But if getting things out quickly was what poor Bowie needed to do, then I was going to give him that opportunity. I grabbed a dicta-quill from a drawer and pulled out my notebook. ‘Fire away then,’ I said. ‘But I will be fixing you some lunch afterwards, just so you know.’

  His little mouth opened into a limp smile. ‘Well, let’s hope it’s my last meal then, shall we? All right. Let’s begin. Nancy Berry ...’ His voice shuddered. ‘Nancy Berry was a wonderful witch. Fun to be with, full of life and love and always singing. I think you can guess, by my name, that she had a bit of a thing for musicians from the human world, too. But despite the many amazing things about Nancy, the quality that was both her most and least admirable was her bravery.’

  ‘Most and least admirable?’ I questioned.

  Bowie nodded. ‘I said what I meant. Nancy was brave to a fault. And that’s what got her killed. She was working in Mutual Magic, playing the part of Heber Montrose’s assistant. It was all a ruse. She was there as a spy, because she and her cousin, Will Berry, believed that Heber Montrose was a link to the Dark Team.’

  Finn and I took a moment to gape at one another, shocked at what the dog was telling us. Will and Nancy were spying on Heber, too?

  ‘Are you quite all right?’ asked Bowie. ‘Do you need a moment to process?’

  I swallowed. ‘No. No, go on. You’re doing brilliantly.’

  ‘Yes. Well. Sooner solved, sooner buried. Now ... where was I? Ah, yes. Heber Montrose. Nancy and Will believed that he was somehow transporting money and messages to the Dark Team, from those who might want to hire their services.’ The dog looked me in the eyes. ‘You won’t be surprised to hear that the Berrys have used the Dark Team themselves, on occasion. But as far as I’m aware, no one in the coven actually knows who they are. Only that they achieve that which must be achieved in record time. And when they do it, they leave no trace behind.’

  I sat back, rubbing my eyes. ‘Wait ... why did Will and Nancy want to know who the Dark Team were?’

  ‘Ah.’ Bowie shrugged his small shoulders. ‘That, I’m not altogether certain of. Nancy said it was down to politics. The Dark Team had been working almost exclusively for Justine Plimpton for a great deal of time. Will and Nancy wanted to prove who the Minister had ordered to be assassinated, and why, so that they could oust her from power. But ... even after she was ousted from power, Nancy continued to work at Mutual Magic, so I’m disinclined to believe that particular explanation.’

  He paused to take a shaky breath, then opened his mouth to resume.

  ‘Bowie ... do you want to take a break?’ I asked.

  ‘As I said, sooner solved, sooner buried. Now. She argued with Mr Montrose yesterday. She related their argument to me, word for word. He accused her of listening at keyholes.’

  ‘We have that argument recorded,’ said Finn. ‘But we didn’t know it only happened yesterday. He told us it had been so long ago that he’d forgotten it. So thank you – that bald-faced lie of his puts him even higher up on our suspect list.’

  ‘Glad I could be of help,’ the dog said with no trace of sarcasm. ‘Nancy felt that Mr Montrose was all bluster. He’s a paranoid sort of a fellow, you see. I’ve met him on more than one occasion myself, and he’s always looking over his shoulder. She felt that it would blow over. He regularly accused other members of staff of spying. He never did anything about it. But ...’ His voice was shaking even more. ‘I had a bad feeling about it all. I told her we should go away for a while. Let Will go and do the spying if he wanted to, but it was getting too dangerous for Nancy. She said ... she said it was just the blue blood moon making me nervous. She said she’d think about handing in her notice if things went badly at work again today, but that she’d carry on as normal otherwise.’ He squeezed his eyes shut. ‘But as you know, she never got a chance to go in again today. And I ... I am distraught. Distraught and impatient to be with her. Is what I’ve told you enough to arrest Mr Montrose?’
<
br />   I looked at Finn, trying to hold back tears. ‘No,’ I said sadly. ‘Unfortunately not. Mr Montrose has alibis on his alibis. We can’t pin the murder directly on him. But what you’ve told us will help. It confirms some things we suspected, and gives us a really good starting point. So thank you, Bowie.’

  His eyes snapped open and he shook his head. ‘There’s no need to be patronising, Miss Wayfair. I’ve failed my witch. You can say it. I’ve failed her.’

  I gathered him into my arms. ‘You haven’t failed her. And I’m not being patronising. What you’ve told us really will help. Bowie ... when did you last eat?’

  He began to shiver in my arms. ‘I’ve been too upset about Nancy to think about food.’

  ‘Right.’ I stood up. ‘Well, we’ll go and get some lunch.’

  ‘I’m perfectly fine,’ Bowie protested. ‘I’d rather just get on with it.’

  I patted his head. ‘I know you would. And I understand. But the thing about me, Bowie, is that I need calories to think. So you’d be doing me a favour by taking a break for lunch. Doing Nancy a favour, too.’

  He gave a slight nod, and I carried him down the stairs. As we reached the hallway, the doorbell rang.

  ‘That’ll be Gretel,’ said Finn. ‘You look after the little guy while I let her in.’

  ≈

  We sat around the kitchen table, eating takeaway chips Gretel had brought with her. Lots of salt and vinegar. Yummy. I gave Bowie some of Wolfie’s food, as well as a few chips. Unhealthy, sure, but who am I to deny a grieving familiar? He was a little reluctant to eat at first, but like just about everyone with a stomach, he was unable to resist chips for very long.

  He told us a little more while we ate, about conversations he’d heard between Will and Nancy. None of them gave us much more than we already knew, but they did make it clear that Will and Nancy had been trying to find the Dark Team for months.

  ‘I’m going to Riddler’s Cove to collect Max at four,’ I said. ‘I can leave straight after lunch instead, and pop over to Riddler’s Edge to have a word with Will beforehand. I heard they’re finishing up the new community hall this week, so he should be on the building site.’

  Finn opened his mouth to reply, but paused to take a look at his beeping phone. ‘Ah.’ He smiled slightly as he read the screen. ‘Your mam’s popping in to the Wyrd Court for that meeting after lunch. Finally. I mean ... y’know ... I totally understand why she’s been so busy.’

  ‘You don’t have to pretend not to be irritated with her,’ I said. ‘I am.’

  Gretel cleared her throat. ‘Well, awkward though this definitely is not, I’m going to change the subject. I think Barry is on to me.’

  Finn and I turned to stare. ‘How?’ Finn asked. ‘You do the best glamour spells I’ve ever seen.’

  She shrugged. ‘They’re okay, as glamours go. But I’m not awesome at changing my height, so he’s seen an incredibly tall woman trip over her feet way too much lately. Even though I had different hair and facial features each time, he’s definitely getting suspicious. Yesterday he didn’t even go in to the bank. I saw the security guard draw the door open for him. But just as he was about to follow the guard in, Barry glanced over to where I was hanging about in the broom shop across the road. He got a twitchy look on his face, and went off to the newsagent instead.’

  ‘Well, maybe it’s not too bad,’ said Finn. ‘I mean, we’re not getting anything from Barry.’

  ‘Barry Plimpton?’ Bowie looked up, a half-finished chip in his mouth. He swallowed it down. ‘Justine Plimpton’s ex-secretary – the one Jewel was saying has the Veronica Berry crush?’

  ‘Yeah,’ I said, taking a sip of my drink. ‘Gretel’s been tailing him. He goes to the bank a lot, meets with Mr Montrose behind closed doors, and then seems to just head home and heat up fried chicken.’ I narrowed my eyes. ‘What is it with all of the fried chicken?’

  Bowie tried to jump up onto a chair, but couldn’t manage it, so I lifted him up. ‘Nancy says – said – that Heber Montrose is obsessed with the stuff. She says he always has some in his office, and that he sometimes gives it to his special customers. Barry Plimpton is one. Hannah Plimpton visited his office a few times, too, but she hasn’t been for a while. There are some others who Nancy never found out the names of.’

  ‘Hannah?’ Gretel looked confused. ‘Oh – is that Candace Plimpton’s mother? The accountant?’

  I nodded gravely. I wasn’t used to hearing her referred to by her first name, either. Some women just had a Mrs quality about them. ‘Maybe she used to go to the bank in Barry’s place, but she’s afraid she might be tailed.’

  ‘And now Barry has an idea that he’s been tailed, too,’ said Gretel. ‘I just know he does. We’ve got to move on this. We need some way to talk to the guy. But how do you start up a faux-casual conversation with a guy who never talks to anyone? Last week he went to the opening of a new Veronica Berry movie on his own. I did a spell on a certain part of my anatomy, wore a low cut top so he could see the spell very well, and pretended to trip up in the aisle at the cinema and practically fell in his lap. Nothing. I mean, there’s a Witch Wars convention that I was going to go to tonight, but I’m not sure if there’s even a point.’

  We sat around silently for a moment, chewing on our chips and thinking. It was Bowie who spoke next, standing up, his mismatched eyes bright. ‘I have an idea.’

  ≈

  I quite liked Riddler’s Edge. It supposedly held the largest other enclave in Ireland, but it also had a large human population who seemed completely oblivious to the supernaturals in their midst. It kind of baffled me, to be honest. I mean, right now there were at least twenty wizards queuing for sandwiches in the local, human-run deli. But I knew that all of those wizards lived in an apartment block that wasn’t visible to the human eye. So where did the humans who owned the shop think all of their customers came from? Did they think they were just passing through?

  ‘Distraction spells.’ I heard a deep voice behind me, and turned to find myself face-to-face with Will Berry. ‘And a few other things. Obfuscations. Not My Business, Veil of Mist ... we’ve been using an assortment of spells on the community hall during the construction phase, and we’ll manage the upkeep when it’s finished, too. They use much the same on the apartment blocks and housing developments in the area.’

  I felt a rush of irritation. ‘Hello, Will. Have you got vampire ancestry, by any chance?’

  ‘Nope.’ He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked me in the eye. ‘But that boyfriend of yours does, doesn’t he?’

  ‘Well then how come it’s always you who seems to be able to read my mind, whereas he ...’ I trailed off.

  ‘Hasn’t got a clue about your deeper wants and needs?’ Will grinned far too readily. ‘What can I say? I’m the kind of guy who knows women. That’s why my fiancée is so happy with me. So why are you here? To meet your mini me?’

  ‘What?’ I looked to where he was nodding. Across the road, standing in front of a community hall that was far larger and fancier looking than it used to be, a young girl was standing, wearing a bright yellow hard hat on her head and barking orders at the builders. ‘Oh. You mean Candace. She’s nothing like me.’

  Will shrugged. ‘Oh, I dunno. You both stick your noses in where they’re not wanted. You both think people should fall in line behind you. And you’re both incredibly bossy.’

  I watched as Candace’s familiar, a fluffy white cat called Kitty, jumped from her arms and ran across the road, leaping into mine. She began to purr, and looked up at Will with admiration in her eyes. ‘Isn’t he great, Wanda? He’s done all this for free.’

  She meant the community hall, I was guessing. Will’s company, Berry Materialization, was rebuilding the Riddler’s Edge community hall at no charge, after it had been destroyed in an Inferno spell.

  ‘Well, y’know,’ Will said awkwardly. ‘I get tax breaks for charitable donations. So what do you want, Wanda?’

  I was too bus
y rubbing Kitty to answer him straight away. She was just as cute as ever, even though she was far bigger than the last time we met. I snapped my attention back to Will and said, ‘It’s about Nancy, actually.’ I looked down at Kitty. ‘Could you tell Candace I’ll come and talk to her in a minute? I need a few words in private with Will, first.’

  Kitty purred even more deeply, hopped out of my arms and ran back to her witch. Candace was now redoing the Materialization spell on one of the windowsills, and making the builder who hadn’t done it to her exacting standards stay there and watch. Ah, some people never change.

  Will sank down into a bench outside the shop. ‘Can we make it quick? Mandy’s coming to meet me so we can have a drink at the Flying Club.’

  ‘Well, we wouldn’t want to let a little matter of your cousin’s death get in the way of a date with Mandy, now would we?’

  His lashes fluttered, and tinges of pink touched his cheekbones. ‘I didn’t mean it like that. Nothing is more important to me right now than getting to the bottom of who killed Nancy. It’s just that Mandy ... well, she gets a bit annoyed when I spend time with you. It’d be better if you were out of here before she arrived.’ He wrung out his hands and looked at me. ‘So, did you talk to the people on the board yet?’

  ‘Not yet. But I did speak with Nancy’s boss. Heber Montrose.’

  Will froze. ‘What? Why would you ... I mean, he was just her boss. He had nothing to do with this.’

  ‘No?’ I raised a brow. ‘So then why were you and Nancy spying on him?’

  For a moment he went absolutely silent, but then he turned and looked me full in the eye. ‘Wanda, I ... I need you to listen carefully, okay?’ he said slowly. ‘I know what you’re like when you’ve got the scent of something. I know that you don’t like to give up. But just this once, please.’ He grabbed my hands. ‘Please don’t get involved in this. I have it covered.’