by Adele Abbott
“How was Gertie before she disappeared?”
“Okay.” Juniper shrugged.
“How did she feel about moving to Washbridge?”
“She said she was looking forward to it,” Juniper said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. She was, wasn’t she, Holly?”
“Yeah, definitely. She was looking forward to it.”
I gently quizzed the two girls for a little longer, but wasn’t able to extract any more useful information from them. After they’d left, something began to bug me. Neither of them had seemed particularly upset when they spoke to me. I would have expected two girls of their age, whose friend had just disappeared, to be traumatised. And when I’d asked them how Gertie felt about the move to Washbridge, their response had seemed rehearsed. Something just wasn’t right.
I had a hunch, so I made a call.
“Daze? Where are you and Blaze at the moment?”
“In Candlefield. We’re between jobs.”
“Is there any chance you could do me a little favour?”
“Sure.”
I quickly briefed her on what I wanted the pair of them to do.
***
After I’d spoken to Daze, I spent a few more minutes with Alan Pride. I asked him to talk me through the route he, his wife and Gertie had taken when they’d visited Washbridge together.
“How will that help?” He seemed agitated. “That’s not when she disappeared.”
“I know. Just humour me, please.”
He gave me the information I needed even though he obviously thought it was a waste of time.
Moments later, I magicked myself back to Washbridge. I now had a good idea of the route the Prides had taken, and I wanted to check out the CCTV coverage of the area. That would be easier said than done because the local council were responsible for CCTV, and I’d had dealings with those ‘jobsworths’ before. Still, I had my methods.
“Good morning.” I tried to sound as bright and breezy as possible.
“Yes?” The middle-aged man behind the desk looked as if he’d been slapped in the face with a frying pan. “Can I help you?”
“My name is Jill Gooder, and I’m doing an audit for the government on CCTV coverage. I need to speak to your control staff.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No, but—”
"Do you have an ID card?"
"No, but—”
“No appointment, no ID, no can do.”
“But I’m on a special fact-finding—”
“Goodbye.”
I left the building, made myself invisible, and followed the next person back inside. While the visitor was busy talking to ‘Happy’ behind the desk, I slipped past them, along the corridor, and up a flight of stairs. I’d been to the control room before on a previous case, but on that occasion I hadn’t known I was a witch, so I’d had to go through the proper channels. Doing it this way was much easier. Yay for being a witch!
When I reached the control room door, I looked through the glass panel, and saw the two controllers: a middle-aged man, and a woman about ten years his junior. They were kissing passionately when they should have been monitoring the screens.
I could have some fun here. Snigger!
I knocked on the door; they both jumped back in their seats. Although I was standing with my face pressed to the glass panel, they couldn’t see me. The woman looked flustered; the man even more so. I knocked again. They exchanged a glance, and then the man walked slowly over and opened the door.
“There’s no one here,” he said.
While he had the door open, I sneaked past him into the control room.
“Someone must have knocked.” The woman still looked worried.
“Well there’s nobody here now. Look—”
“I told you, Jason. We can’t keep doing this. Someone will catch us.”
“You worry too much.”
“You won’t say that when we get sacked.”
“We won’t get sacked. Nobody ever got sacked from here. You know that.”
The man returned to his seat, and tried to put his arm around her, but she pushed him away. She was obviously still nervous, and kept glancing towards the door.
I had to get them both out of the office long enough for me to check the tapes. But how? Then, I had a brainwave. I created an illusion which caused them to think that the waste paper basket in the corner of the room was actually a huge dog, which started barking at them.
“How did that get in here?” the woman said, edging back in her seat.
“I don’t know but it doesn’t look very friendly.”
The dog moved a little closer to them. Its teeth were bared, and it was snarling. They slid out of their seats, and crept towards the door. Once through the door, they made a run for it. That was my chance. I took a seat, grabbed the mouse, and brought up the on-screen menu. It was easy to find the coverage for the day in question, and I knew exactly which cameras I wanted to check. It took me only a few minutes to spot Gertie Pride and her parents walking along the street. I watched her every step of the way as she moved from one camera to the next. Sure enough, every time she went past a camera, she appeared to stare straight at it, and then she tapped something into her phone. Her parents were so busy looking around and talking to one another that they didn’t notice the only thing their daughter seemed interested in was the CCTV cameras.
Just as I’d suspected.
Chapter 6
I met up with Daze and Blaze in Cuppy C.
“What’s wrong with this colour?” Blaze frowned.
“It is rather orange,” I said.
“Rather?” Daze couldn’t take her eyes off it. “It’s not rather anything. You’ll glow in the dark.”
I thought Blaze might be offended by Daze’s comments. Quite the opposite—he seemed quite pleased.
“I would, wouldn’t I? The luminous look suits me, don’t you think, Jill?”
“I—err—suppose.”
“It has to go.” Daze thumped the table. “No assistant of mine is going to wear that thing.”
“But—I—”
“But nothing. Get it changed by tomorrow, or I’ll have to take drastic action.”
Blaze’s eyes widened and he glanced at me. Daze hadn’t specified what the drastic action would be, and I knew Blaze wouldn’t want to find out.
“Anyway, Jill,” Daze said. “We followed the two girls as you asked. They must have suspected they’d be followed because they split up and took quite different routes all around Candlefield. I was beginning to think the girl I was following wasn’t going anywhere in particular, but she eventually ended up at Black Woods. It’s an area to the east of Candlefield which is popular with families with children. I’d no sooner arrived there than I saw Blaze and the other girl. The two girls met up and disappeared into one of the caves. We didn’t follow them inside—we just watched and waited from a safe distance. They were in there for no more than fifteen minutes, and then they left. We can show you the cave if you like.”
“Thanks, but there’s no need. If you’ll give me directions, I’ll go over there and take a look.”
I was a little peckish, so after Daze and Blaze had left, I grabbed a blueberry muffin on my way out.
“Can I pay for this later?” I asked Pearl. “I don’t have any cash on me.”
“No problem. We’ll put it on your account. You do realise how many blueberry muffins are already on your account, do you, Jill?”
“Err—three or four maybe?”
“Three or four dozen, more like.”
“No! I can’t have eaten that many.”
“I’m afraid so.”
Oh bum.
***
It was the first time I’d visited Black Woods. Its name made it sound quite scary, but in fact it was quite a pleasant spot. It was quite chilly, so there weren’t many people around.
I made my way on foot along a trail through the woods which event
ually led to a clearing at the bottom of a hillside. Daze had given me directions to the cave in question. Just as she’d warned, it was pitch black inside. Maybe I should have brought Blaze, and his luminous catsuit. In his absence, I used my phone to light the way. After a few metres, I realised I no longer needed it because there seemed to be some kind of light source coming from deeper in the cave.
My every footstep seemed to echo. I was beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea—maybe I should have asked Daze and Blaze to come with me. Could this be some kind of elaborate trap? I was approaching a bend in the cave when someone jumped out.
“Who are you?” she said. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you. I assume you’re Gertie Pride?”
“How did you know?”
“Because your mother and father are worried sick. I’m Jill Gooder. I’m a private investigator, and they asked me to find you.”
“How did you know I was here? I thought they’d be looking for me in Washbridge.”
“I thought that was your plan, but you gave yourself away.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you were with your parents in Washbridge, you spent most of the time staring at CCTV cameras, and making notes on your phone. I assume you were trying to find the blind spots so you’d know where to stage the disappearance. Do you realise how worried your mother and father are?”
“They can’t be that worried about me or they wouldn’t make me live with humans, would they? All my friends are here in Candlefield. I’m a witch, not a human! I don’t want to live in Washbridge.”
“Look, Gertie—I understand what you’re going through.”
“No you don’t! How can you?”
“I was raised in the human world. In fact, I thought I was a human until quite recently. It was only when my birth mother died that I discovered I was a witch.”
“That must have been pretty weird.” She looked genuinely surprised.
“It was very weird—and a little scary. I’ve lived in the human world all of my life, and I can tell you that humans aren’t all that different from sups. Sure, there are some nasty humans, but there are some nasty sups too. I enjoy living in both worlds. You should give it a chance; you might surprise yourself and discover you actually like it. Just make sure your parents know that you want to keep in touch with your friends in Candlefield.”
“They probably won’t let me after what I’ve done.”
“I’m sure they will. Look, if you like, I’ll talk to your parents, and explain what happened.”
“I’m still going to miss my friends though.”
“They’ll be able to visit, and maybe even stay over with you in Washbridge. It’ll be an adventure for them too. I have two cousins here in Candlefield. They own Cuppy C, the cake shop and tea room. Do you know it?”
“I’ve seen it.”
“They’re witches, and they love spending time in Washbridge. I’m sure your friends will too. And you’ll make lots of friends at your new school.”
“How can you know that? What if no one likes me?”
“Why wouldn’t they? And besides, being a witch does have certain magical advantages.”
“We’re not allowed to use magic in the human world, are we?”
“You’re not allowed to let humans know you’re a witch, but there are still lots of ways to use magic without them finding out.”
“Really?”
“Definitely. I often use magic in Washbridge.”
“Don’t you get in trouble?”
“I haven’t yet. But you have to be careful. You can’t go around turning your classmates into frogs.”
“That would be funny!”
“It might be, but it would also be pretty obvious that you were using magic. You’ve got to be a little subtler.”
“I guess so.”
“So what do you say? Shall I talk to your mum and dad, and let them know you’re okay?”
She nodded.
“Why don’t you come back with me to Cuppy C. My cousins sell the best blueberry muffins in Candlefield.”
“Do they have chocolate ones?”
“Yes, of course. We’ll get you a muffin and something to drink, and you can meet my dog, Barry, if you like.”
“I love dogs. What kind is he?”
“A daft one. He’s a labradoodle. He’s adorable, but not the smartest. I’ll leave you at Cuppy C with my cousins and Barry while I go and talk to your parents. Once I’ve smoothed things over with them, I’ll bring them to you. How does that sound?”
“Okay, I guess. Thanks.”
I took Gertie to Cuppy C, bought her a double chocolate muffin and a milkshake, and then took her upstairs. Barry was all over her like a rash.
As soon as she was settled in, I made a call to Cynthia and Alan Pride, and arranged to meet them at Aunt Lucy’s. My next call was to Jack Maxwell to let him know Gertie was safe and well, and that he could stand down his men. Before he had the chance to ask any awkward questions, I told him I had a ‘feline-emergency’ and ended the call.
“Is she okay?” Cynthia came rushing through the door.
“Yes, she’s fine. She’s with my cousins.”
“Where was she?” Alan said.
“Right here, in Candlefield. Look, why don’t I tell you what happened, and then we’ll go and see her.”
“But you’re sure she’s okay?”
“She’s absolutely fine, honestly. As we speak, she’s eating a chocolate muffin and playing with my dog.”
“Oh thank goodness.” Cynthia began to cry.
Alan put his arm around his wife’s shoulder. “It’s okay, dear. She’s all right. Everything’s going to be okay now.”
I gave them the bullet-point version, highlighting Gertie’s concerns about going to live in the human world, and her fears that she would lose touch with her friends. I also explained how she’d staged the disappearance by checking for CCTV blind spots in Washbridge, and that her friends had been in on it all along.
“She figured if she could convince you that the human world was a dangerous place to live, you would change your plans.”
“Maybe we should,” said Cynthia.
“We can’t. If we don’t move now, I won’t have a job, and we’ll be broke.”
“But if she really doesn’t want to go?”
“Look,” I interrupted. “I’ve spoken to Gertie, and told her about my own experience of living in both worlds. I think she’s coming round to the idea, but I said I’d speak to you on her behalf. She wants to be absolutely sure that she’ll be able to keep in touch with her friends here in Candlefield.”
“Of course she will! We always said she could.”
“You need to make it clear that she’ll be allowed to move between the two worlds as often as she likes, within reason.”
“Is that a good idea?” Cynthia said. “We thought it best that she should concentrate on getting used to living in the human world.”
“If Gertie knows she can visit Candlefield whenever she wants to, it’ll put her mind at ease. Then she can relax and slowly integrate with the humans.”
“What do you think, Alan?” Cynthia said, wiping a tear from her eye.
“I think Jill’s right. Maybe we’ve focussed too much on trying to get her to fit in with the humans. She’s a witch, and she’ll always be a witch. We have to reassure her that she won’t lose her old life or friends.”
With that settled, I took the Prides to Cuppy C where there was a tearful reunion.
My job there was done.
Chapter 7
Back in Washbridge, there was an awful lot of noise coming from the outer office. I didn’t know what Mrs G was up to, but I sensed it wasn’t anything good.
“What’s that racket out there?” Winky said. “What’s the bag lady’s twisted sister up to now?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”
Mrs V’s desk was piled high with scarves and soc
ks. On the floor, next to the desk, was a pile of black rubbish sacks.
“Mrs G, what are you doing?”
“I’m getting rid of all this rubbish. Did you know the desk and filing cabinet are full of scarves and socks? I’m going to throw them out to make some room in here.”
“You can’t do that.”
“Why ever not?”
“Your sister made those.”
“She shouldn’t be knitting during office hours. Doesn’t she know you have a business to run? I’m surprised you let her get away with it. No wonder your business is going downhill.”
“My business is doing okay.”
“That’s not what the books say.”
“You’ve been looking at my books?”
“Someone has to, dear. You obviously don’t. Do you know you’re almost up to the limit on your overdraft? While I’m here, the least I can do is to knock this business into shape for you. I’ll just get rid of this lot, and then you and I can have a meeting to discuss your strategy going forward. How does that sound?”
Like my idea of hell. “That sounds great, but—err—I’ve just remembered I’ve got an—err—appointment. A meeting. A meeting-appointment. Right now. In fact—five minutes ago. Got to go. Bye.”
I had to get rid of Mrs G. I couldn’t put up with her for another minute. What would Mrs V say when she came back and found out that all of her scarves and socks had been thrown out? She’d kill her sister.
I walked the streets of Washbridge for a while. I couldn’t go back to the office; the last thing I needed was a strategy meeting with Mrs G. Eventually, I decided to pop into Ever A Wool Moment, to have a chat with Kathy. Hopefully Grandma wouldn’t be around.
I found Kathy in the tea room which was as busy as ever.
“Where’s Grandma?” I said.
“In the back. I don’t know what she’s up to, but she’s been in there for hours. Something’s going on. I just hope she hasn’t come up with another sales initiative. I’ve got enough on my plate what with the Everlasting Wool, the One-Size Needles and ‘Ever’ membership. I can’t cope with anything else.”
