by Adele Abbott
I was in the bedroom of my flat, packing an overnight bag, when I heard something. Was my mother stealing the custard creams again? I crept through to the living room. From nowhere, a figure jumped out in front of me. It was a man dressed in a tacky, blue catsuit. He was overweight with a beer belly. The catsuit looked terrible on him. But enough of my fashion critique. He pulled out a wire net similar to the one I’d seen Daze use, and before I could say or do anything, he’d thrown it over me.
Moments later, I was standing in a prison cell. I recognised my surroundings; I’d been there before with Daze when she’d captured a Rogue and brought him back to Candlefield. But why was I in prison? The beer-bellied, catsuited man was on the other side of the bars.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I yelled. “Let me out of here!”
He ignored me, and walked out of the cell block. In the cell to the right of mine was a young male vampire.
“What are you in for, sweetheart?” he said.
“I’m not in for anything, and I’m not your sweetheart. This is a mistake.”
“Yeah, course it is.” He laughed. “That’s what they all say.”
“It’s true! I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Tell it to the authorities. I’ve tried that one, myself. Never worked for me.”
“But it’s true. I was in my flat, minding my own business. I’m not a Rogue.”
“Hmm, you look a bit ‘roguish’ to me, sweetheart.”
Cheek!
“Let me out of here!” I shouted. “There’s been a mistake.” I rattled the bars.
Hold on. What was I thinking? I could just shrink myself and walk out of there. I cast the spell, but nothing happened.
“You’re not trying to use magic, are you?” the vampire laughed.
“What’s it to you?”
“You’re wasting your time, sweetheart. They’ve got anti-magic systems in place. Nothing will get you out of here.”
“We’ll see about that.” I cast the ‘power’ spell, so that I’d be able to bend the bars apart. But they wouldn’t budge. I tried every spell I could think of, but nothing worked. What was I supposed to do now? I slumped down onto the bench, which was in one corner of the cell, and waited.
It was almost two hours later when the cell-block door opened again, and a familiar face entered. It was Maxine Jewell.
“Maxine,” I said. “It’s me, Jill Gooder. Do you remember me?”
“I know who you are.”
“There’s been a mistake. Someone brought me here from Washbridge and locked me up.”
“Yes. That’s their job. They retrieve Rogues from the human world.”
“But I’m not a Rogue! I haven’t done anything wrong. You know who I am.”
“I know there’s a warrant out for your arrest.” She waved a piece of paper in front of me.
“For what? What am I supposed to have done?”
“That’s not important right now. You’ll have your day in court.”
“What do you mean ‘my day in court’? Surely I’m allowed to know what I am being accused of?”
“All in good time.”
“When will my court appearance be?”
“Probably tomorrow. Maybe the day after. Who can say?”
“I’m meant to be housesitting for my aunt.”
“You should have thought of that before you transgressed.”
“I haven’t transgressed. I haven’t done anything wrong. Check the paperwork; there’s obviously been a mistake.”
“Just be quiet, Gooder, or I’ll have to add a charge of disruption.”
“Disruption? How about false imprisonment?”
“Yes, yes. Tell it to the judge.” With that, she left.
“I can recommend a good lawyer, sweetheart,” the vampire said.
“I don’t need a lawyer. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“You’d better have one with you when you go to court, or you’ll get sent down for ever and a day.”
“They can’t do that.”
“I wouldn’t bank on it.”
Later that morning, a werewolf appeared in the cell to the left of mine. He’d been brought in by another Rogue Retriever. The werewolf seemed quite relaxed about the whole thing. He was clearly used to being imprisoned. The only other person I saw all day was the guard who brought us what was laughingly referred to as dinner.
By eleven o’clock that night, there was still no sign of anyone coming to my aid. According to my new friend, the vampire, the next court session wouldn’t be until Monday morning. Fantastic!
I was on the bench, trying to get some sleep when the door to the cell-block burst open.
“You can’t go in there!” I heard Maxine Jewell’s voice.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Jewell.” It was Daze. “Jill, are you okay?”
“Not really. I don’t know why I’m here.”
“You shouldn’t be. As Maxine Jewell knows full well.”
“There’s a warrant for her arrest,” Jewell shouted.
“That warrant is fake. It was an Unlicensed Operator who brought her here, and I suppose you paid him his bounty?”
“Well—err—yes,” she stammered.
“Well then, you’re an idiot. If you can’t tell the difference between a licensed Rogue Retriever, and an Unlicensed Operator by now, then it’s time you retired. Look at this paperwork; it’s obviously forged.” She thrust it into Maxine Jewell’s hand. “Now let her out!”
“I can’t do that.”
“If you don’t let her out within the next two minutes, I’ll make sure everyone knows that you were taken in by an Unlicensed Operator.”
Jewell hesitated, but then walked over to my cell and unlocked the door. “Come on then, hurry up. We need this cell.”
I was so angry, I could have strangled her, but Daze ushered me out of the police station.
“Thanks, Daze. I thought I was going to be in there until Monday.”
“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” she said. “There are more and more of these Unlicensed Operators around. They fabricate warrants, but usually the police have enough about them to realise they’re fake, and don’t pay out on them. I think Maxine deliberately turned a blind eye in your case. She seems to have it in for you for some reason.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Shall I come back with you to Washbridge?”
“No, I’ve promised to look after Aunt Lucy’s house while she and Lester are away for the weekend.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine now. Thanks, Daze.”
I made my way over to Aunt Lucy’s; it was after midnight. As I approached the house, I could hear the sound of music and laughter. I suddenly had a horrible, sinking feeling. As I got nearer, I could see that every light in the house was blazing. Oh no! When I opened the front door, the sound of music was deafening. The house was packed full of people. A number of drinks had been spilled onto the floor, and there were people lying, obviously drunk, on the sofa. The house was a total mess.
“Jill! Glad you made it,” Amber said.
“What’s going on?”
“We thought we’d have a few people over.”
“A few?”
“You don’t mind, do you?”
Pearl appeared. “Yeah, you weren’t here, so we thought: what harm could it do?”
***
It took me thirty minutes to clear all the guests out; some of them had to be carried by their friends. It then took me another six hours to clean up the place. The twins had offered to help, but they were the wrong side of tipsy to be of any use. And besides, I was so angry, I didn’t trust myself not to murder both of them.
By dawn, I was completely shattered. So much for chilling out.
Chapter 25
I slept until early afternoon. I was dreading Aunt Lucy’s return because although I’d done my best to clean up, there were a few breakages, and a wine stain on the carpet whic
h I hadn’t managed to remove.
Kathy’s call caught me on the hop.
“Jill, can you come over straight away to watch the kids? I’ve lost a filling, and I’ve been in agony all morning. I’ve been ringing around for hours, and I’ve just managed to get an emergency appointment, but if I’m not there in forty minutes, they won’t be able to see me.”
“Can’t Peter do it?”
“He’s at work—overtime. I’ve tried to contact him, but he’s not answering his phone. Please, Jill. It’s urgent or I wouldn’t ask. This tooth is giving me real gyp. Please.”
“Yeah, okay. I’m on my way.”
I magicked myself over to Washbridge, picked up my car, and drove to Kathy’s.
“You’re a lifesaver,” Kathy said, on her way out of the door.
“Good luck.”
“Auntie Jill!” Lizzie said. “Can we go and see the chickens?”
“Err—I’m not sure about that.”
“Please,” Mikey said. “Can we go and have a look at them?”
“Can’t you just look at them through your window?”
“We want to see them properly.”
“Does Mummy let you go next door?”
“Oh yes,” Lizzie said. “All the time.”
“Yes, she does,” Mikey said.
Hmm? Was I being played? Maybe, but what harm could it do? And besides, if they were busy looking at the chickens, I wouldn’t have to come up with ways to entertain them. That was a plus.
“Okay then. Put your coats on though; it’s a bit nippy outside. Are you absolutely sure the neighbours won’t mind?”
“Mr and Mrs Flood said we can,” Mikey said.
“Just one thing, Mikey,” I said. “You’d better leave that drum behind. It might scare the chickens.”
“Aw.”
“Leave the drum, or no chickens.”
“Aw, okay then.” He put it on the table.
The kids rushed around to the next door neighbours’ house, and I followed. I glanced through their window to see if I could spot either Mr or Mrs Flood, but there was no sign of life. The kids were standing next to an old wooden gate, which had wire mesh tacked to it to keep the chickens in.
“Can we go in?” Mikey said.
“No, you have to stay on this side of the gate. You can see them okay from here.”
After a while, one of the chickens came over to the gate; that made the kids scream with laughter. This was going to be a lot easier than I’d thought. I’d never been any good at thinking up games to keep the kids amused. Most of the toys they had were boring, and I certainly didn’t want to have to look at Lizzie’s horrible beanie creations. The chickens could keep them entertained until Kathy came back. Job done.
My phone rang.
“Mrs V? Is that you, Mrs V?”
The reception was terrible, I could barely hear her, so I started walking down the drive to see if I could get a better signal.
“Mrs V?” It was useless; I couldn’t hear a thing.
Then, I heard a clang. The next thing I knew, something small and feathery came rushing past my feet. I turned around and realised that Mikey and Lizzie had opened the gate while I wasn’t looking, and one of the chickens had got out. Oh no! I rushed back up the drive.
“Come out, you two. Come out of there now!” I shouted.
“But Auntie—”
“Get out here now!”
The kids came back through the gate, and I slammed it shut.
“What will Mummy say when I tell her you let one of the chickens out?”
“She’ll be mad at you,” Mikey said. “We’re not allowed to come around here.”
“What? You said—”
“You said we could,” Lizzie said.
“You mustn’t tell your mum. Go back home and wait for me there while I try and catch this chicken.”
Once the kids were back in their house, I set off after the chicken. I chased it round and round in circles, but it was way too fast. What was I going to do? If Kathy came back, she’d know I’d let the kids go into next door’s garden, and then I’d be in deep trouble.
There was only one thing to do. I cast the ‘freeze’ spell and the chicken stopped dead in its tracks. Ha! Easy! I picked up the chicken statue, and put it back behind the gate. Then I reversed the spell.
Phew! That was a close call.
I was just beginning to think I’d got away with it, when I saw two little faces at the window next door. They looked stunned. Had they seen me ‘freeze’ the chicken?
A car pulled up. It was Kathy.
“Jill, what are you doing out here?”
“Err—I came out for a bit of fresh air. I was just about to go back inside.”
“Are the kids okay?”
“Yes, they’re fine. They’ve been as good as gold. How’s your tooth?”
“It’s okay now, thanks. But I can’t drink anything hot, so I’m going to have a glass of orange. You can have a cup of tea if you like.”
The kids came rushing out of the house.
“Mummy, Mummy! Auntie Jill let us go next door to see the chickens.”
Kathy gave me a look.
“Err—I thought they were allowed to.”
“And Auntie Jill turned the chicken into a statue,” Lizzie said.
“She did what?”
“One of them got out and Auntie Jill couldn’t catch it, so she turned it into a statue, and put it back in the garden.”
I laughed. “Kids? Such imagination.”
Once the kids were inside, Kathy turned to me. “What’s going on, Jill?”
“Nothing.”
“What’s this about turning a chicken into a statue?”
“I have no idea what they’re talking about. Look, I did let the kids go next door, but only because I thought they were allowed to. But then the gate came open, and one of the chickens got out. So I sent the kids inside until I’d caught it, and put it back.”
“Something strange is going on here. There’s something you’re not telling me.”
“You’re over-reacting. I reckon the anaesthetic has affected your brain.”
“Why do I get the feeling you’re trying to change the subject?”
“What subject? The one where you think I can turn a chicken into a statue?”
“I suppose that does sound a little crazy.”
“You think?”
“Come on inside. I’ll make you a cup of tea. It’s the least I can do.”
“Soooo," Kathy said as she handed me my tea. “Who’s Drake?”
“Who?”
“Don’t come the innocent. Where have you been hiding this one?”
“I barely know him. We’ve met a few times—that’s all.”
“Really? Because he gave me the distinct impression that you and he were quite close.”
“That’s just your overactive imagination.”
“In fact, it sounded to me like you were one of the main reasons he wanted a base in Washbridge.”
“That’s nonsense. He has business here.”
“Where does he live anyway?”
“Out of town somewhere.”
“How did you meet him?”
“What is this? The third degree? We’re acquaintances. That’s it—end of story.”
“I’m not trying to interrogate you. I just don’t understand why you are so scared of the ‘S’ word.”
“Sex?”
“No. ‘Serious’. It seems to me that you’re scared of committing to a serious relationship with anyone, so instead you flirt with half a dozen different men at a time.”
“I do not!”
“There’s three I know of: Jack, Luther and now Drake. How many more have you got hidden away?”
“None!”
“Even if that’s true, don’t you think it’s time you picked one, and settled down?”
I pretended to check my watch. “Is that the time? I have to get back.”
I started towards the
door.
“You’re running away again, Jill. You have to face the ‘S’ word sooner or later.”
On the drive back to my flat, I couldn’t get Kathy’s words out of my head. Maybe she was right. Maybe I was scared of a serious relationship. Maybe it was time to grow up, and settle down. I had to decide: Jack or Drake. Or Luther. It was time to get serious.
I’d no sooner parked the car than my phone rang. Probably Kathy going to give me more words of wisdom.
“Jill? It’s Hilary from Love Spell. I hope you don’t mind me contacting you on a Sunday.”
“No, that’s okay.”
“Someone has seen your profile and would like to go on a date with you. You appear to be a perfect match for one another. I just wanted to check if you were still interested?”
Kathy’s speech about the ‘S’ word played back through my mind. It was time to get serious. It was time to settle down.
“Jill? Are you still there?”
“Yes, I’m here. Of course I’m interested. Send me his details, would you?”
What? Kathy’s argument was all well and good, but she’d forgotten to take into account the ‘P’ word.
Patience!
Of course I wanted a serious relationship, but I also wanted it to happen naturally, of its own accord. If I was meant to be with Jack, Drake, Luther or anyone else for that matter, then it would happen—eventually—and not because my sister had pressured me into it. Until then, I planned to focus on the ‘F’ word.
No! Not that! Sheesh, your mind!
‘F’ for fun.
***
Aunt Lucy was waiting for me outside my flat.
Oh bum!
I’d intended going back to Candlefield to explain what had happened, and to apologise for letting her down. She must have been so angry that she’d come to Washbridge to tear me off a strip.
“Aunt Lucy, I’m really sorry about the house—”
“Don’t worry about that, dear. I heard what happened—I know it wasn’t your fault.”
