I turned my chair towards Snezana. She gave me a reassuring smile. “Let me know if you’re okay as we go, okay, Lily? I’m going to be asking a few questions that might be upsetting.” I nodded. “Good. I understand you were set upon by two men today. Could you tell us what happened, and please leave nothing out? We need to know everything you can remember.”
How had they heard about that already? It couldn’t have been from Millicent, because I told her one guy tried to jump me. “I’d just come out of the wine bar in the main street….”
Angelica raised her brows then shook her head. “Drinking so early, Lily?”
“What? No! I’ll explain later. It’s not important right now. So, I came out of the wine bar and turned right. As I walked farther up the street, I heard a vehicle slow down behind me. I knew there was nowhere to park, so I looked around. A black van mounted the footpath and drove right behind me before it stopped and a guy jumped out.”
“What did he look like?”
“He was tall, about six foot one. He had a balaclava over his face and was wearing blue jeans and maybe a jumper. I can’t remember.” I furrowed my brow. What colour was his top? Surely I could remember—it had only happened this afternoon. Come on, brain, think. “Whatever his top was, he had long sleeves and it was some kind of lighter colour, like a light-brown or fawn.”
“They’re the same colour, dear.”
Why did Angelica hate me so much?
“Yeah, right, well, that must be the colour it was, then.”
Snezana leaned over and patted my arm. “It’s okay. Memory isn’t as reliable as you think, but there might be something you do remember quite clearly that gives us a breakthrough.” Should I mention the photos I’d taken? No, then they’d confiscate my camera and might find out about my special skill, if that’s what it was.
I described the rest of what I remembered and ended with, “Then another guy with dark straight hair, Blondie’s friend, came along, and the bad guys ran back to their van and drove off. The guys who helped me said they were police. Were they?”
A few beats of silence met my question. Snezana cleared her throat and continued. “We’ll discuss that later. For now, do you remember anything about the man who tried to attack you? Did he have any tattoos, scars?”
“I couldn’t see any of him. Clothes covered him from head to toe. I didn’t get close enough to get a good look at his hands. Sorry.”
“And are you sure he was after you? Do you think he could have been maybe going to rob a shop?”
“I suppose he could have been. I wasn’t totally sure, but it looked like he was running for me, but he didn’t say anything, and I couldn’t see his eyes, so, maybe.” But I know how I’d felt: targeted, scared. Could I have gotten it wrong?
“Thank you, Lily. We appreciate your time.”
So that was it? They asked me here to discredit my version of events, so they could file it and move on, put it down to a witch at the wrong place, wrong time. I sighed. Whatever. “Before I go, you said you had a breakthrough on my brother’s case. What was it?”
Snezana looked to the big boss. He gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. James’s assistant gave me her attention again. “We can’t say at this stage, I’m afraid. If you’d had some other information about the attackers, we would have had something to discuss, but now we can’t. I’m so sorry.” She included Millicent in her apology.
My poor sister-in-law nodded and stood quickly. “You’ll have to excuse me.” She hurried out of the room, probably trying to beat her tears. I couldn’t imagine she wanted to cry in front of her colleagues, especially ones as cold-hearted as these.
Snezana shared another serious look with Drake Pembleton the Third, but I couldn’t get what that was about. Whatever it was, it seemed like some kind of negative comment about Millicent. Arsehats.
I stood. “Please excuse me.” I followed her out. I was epically failing to find my brother at that moment, but there was still someone I could help.
I caught up with Millicent but didn’t say anything. We walked side by side, Gus silently following behind, until we’d almost reached the end of the hallway, where we stopped in front of a closed office door. She hovered her hand over the door handle and mumbled a few words. The lock clicked, and the door swung open. Ooh, magic.
“I’ll just be out here, then,” Gus said.
“Thanks, Gus.” Millicent led me into her office suite and shut the door behind us. She went through a functional reception area, which had a receptionist’s desk—currently vacant—a large plastic fern against one wall, and two two-seater sky-blue sofas. She continued into another room, walked around a large mahogany table and sat in a plush, leather, high-backed office chair. “Sit down, Lily. I just need to gather my thoughts for a minute.”
“Yeah, sure.” I sat in one of two sixties-inspired black fabric chairs and put my camera and laptop bag on her table. Three framed university degrees hung on her wall—smart lady. A coat rack stood in the corner next to a mini-fridge and black filing cabinet. Her uncluttered desk held an office phone, a pink penholder, a three-tiered desk organiser, and two framed photos. I turned them around. One was of her and James’s dogs, two adorable Labradors, one yellow and one black. I picked up the other photo to get a closer look.
James and Millicent, from the shoulders up, cheeks rosy and hair windblown, stood in front of a gorgeous view that could just be seen over their shoulders, indicating they were on a hilltop somewhere. Their smiles were so wide that I could almost see the gap where one of James’s top molars had been. He’d been smashed in the face at hockey when he was thirteen. What if I never saw him again? Damn stupid tears burning my eyes. I blinked and bit my tongue. I would not cry. Millicent needed me to be strong.
I placed the photo back on the table. “What are we going to do, Mill?”
“I’m not sure, but something needs to happen soon, or we’ll never get him back.” She clenched her jaw, and her eyes glistened with the tears she was trying not to shed. She took a deep breath, attempting to compose herself. “Did you get any good photos before the drama this afternoon?” We both needed a change of subject.
“I think so. There are the cutest Tudor buildings in Westerham. I’m kind of pissed that my visit was cut short. Especially since I was apparently overreacting.” I rolled my eyes. That reminded me of the woman in the window. Hmm. “Millicent, I might have an idea, but I want to take some photos first.” If I could trust anyone in this place, it was my sister-in-law. “Can I take a few shots in here?”
“That should be fine, as long as you delete them before you leave. This is a high-security facility. I’m surprised they let you in with that camera.”
“Oh, okay.” I’m glad they hadn’t tried to confiscate it. They may have had to arrest me.
I grabbed my Nikon, undid the lens cap, and flicked the On switch. I walked out to the reception area and pointed the camera at the receptionist’s desk. Nothing. It all looked as it had before. I swivelled around slowly, taking everything in through the viewfinder. Nothing. Looked like my hunch was wrong, but I’d try in Millicent’s office, just in case.
I kept looking through the camera as I entered Millicent’s office. Millicent sat in the same spot—nothing unusual there. I joined her behind her desk and pointed my camera at the guest chairs. Maybe I needed to try harder? I took a couple of deep breaths and shut everything else out. Concentrating all my thoughts to capturing the best shot, I started shooting. Click. Click. Click. Click. There! Oh my God! I clicked a few more frames. This was awesome! I was so excited; I wanted to scream. I stomped my feet a few times in a happy dance.
“Eeek! Look at this.” I pressed the Play button to bring up the images I’d just taken, and I passed the camera to Millicent. “Look at that.”
Her confused expression turned to wonder, her mouth dropping open as she gazed at the screen. Then she blushed. Standing behind the chairs, in another time, were James and Millicent, locked in a passio
nate kiss. I chuckled. “You two are so cute together.”
She bit her lip, and when she looked at me, a tear tracked down her cheek. For the first time since I’d arrived, hope shone from her gaze. But she placed her pointer finger in front of her mouth in a shushing gesture. I looked around. Of course the place would be bugged, probably by witchy means at the very least. Thank goodness I hadn’t explained my theory.
She stood. “What do you say we take a drive, go find some coffee? Being here reminds me of James. Today’s not been a great day.”
“Yeah, why not. You know I’m always up for a coffee.” I smiled. I hoped Millicent was going to take me for a drive to the place James disappeared from.
A knock came from the main door. We both looked there and back at each other. Please don’t be Angelica. She hadn’t stood up for either of us in the meeting. Whatever her agenda was, I was sure I wouldn’t like it.
Millicent went and opened the door, then returned, a scowl on her face that quickly changed to neutral. Strange. Snezana followed her in. “Hi, ladies. I just wanted to come in here and say sorry about what happened in the meeting. I wish I had better news to tell you. I was hoping you might want to go to the cafeteria and grab some coffee.” Suspicious much, or was I just being paranoid again?
“Um…” I looked to Millicent for direction.
“You two go. I have a couple of reports to look over. We can catch a ride home with Angelica later, Lily.”
“But—”
Her smile was bright, forced. “No, go. I’m not great company at the moment anyway.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” What had just happened? Something was definitely going on between Millicent and Snezana.
“I’ve survived a week so far. I’m sure I’ll be good for one more afternoon.”
I grabbed my phone, more out of habit than anything, but maybe I could try taking some photos with it later. See what happened. “All right, but I won’t be long. Bye.”
“Bye, Millicent. Don’t work too hard,” Snezana threw over her shoulder. It was subtle, and I didn’t know the woman, so I couldn’t be sure if she was being a bitch or not. I’d have to tread carefully with this one. But being James’s secretary, maybe she had some information on who could have done this, if it was work related.
The woman chatted the whole way down the corridor, into the lift, and along another corridor until we walked through double doors to a large cafeteria. Apparently she’d worked here for about one year, had two older brothers, and a mother who everyone kept mistaking for her sister, because she looked so young.
There weren’t a lot of people in here since it was mid-afternoon, but still, knives, forks, and cups clinked and echoed in the concrete chamber. It was a self-service arrangement with a row of hot food under glass, and a cabinet of cakes. The food looked good. My stomach grumbled at the smell of green chicken curry and beef stroganoff, but then the cheesecake and black forest cake also looked delish. I didn’t have room for all of it, though, so a difficult decision had to be made.
“Have whatever you like. It’s free. Part of the perks of working for the government.”
“But I don’t work here. Are you sure it’s still free?”
“You’re my guest.” She smiled. “I’ve been dying to meet James’s little sister. He’s always talking about you and your job as a photographer. It sounds so cool. He mentioned you were trying to put together some shots to have an exhibition.” She led us to a table and sat.
“I was, but work was a bit busy, so I haven’t done anything about it for a while. I’d love to have an exhibition and sell my creative work. Weddings are okay, and I appreciate I get to do what I love for a living, but a lot of time I’m sacrificing my creativity to get the quintessential wedding shots. And, people can be such a pain to deal with. You should try getting a bride, ten bridesmaids, plus two page girls looking at the camera and smiling simultaneously. And someone always blinks at the wrong time. I prefer having my iPod on and wandering around by myself. Just me, some good music, and my camera.” I shrugged. “I’m going to grab a coffee and some cake. Do you want anything?”
“No, thank you. I’m good. I had lunch three hours ago.” Three hours was a long time between meals in my world. But I guessed being skinny meant not eating. She was welcome to her hunger.
“I’ll be back in a minute.” I grabbed a cappuccino and a cheesecake then returned to Snezana. She gazed at me with a serene smile on her face, which was a little bit creepy. To hide my discomfort, I focussed on setting my food up on the table. “What’s it like to work for my brother? He was always so organised and bossy at home. My messes used to do his head in.” I glanced up, and her expression was normal again. Thank God.
“Ha, yes, he’s very tidy, but that’s a commendable trait in a man… or woman, or anyone really.” Okaaay. “He’s actually really nice to work for. He expects things to be done properly, but he’s nice if you make a mistake. I couldn’t imagine working for anyone else now. We get along so well too. Did he ever mention me?”
That was a weird question. “No, but then, I didn’t even know he worked here, or that he was a witch, or that witches even existed, so I wouldn’t take it personally. Did he have any enemies at work? I just can’t imagine who’d want to hurt him.” I knew she would have passed on any information that was important to people who knew what they were doing, but I couldn’t help asking.
“Another guy in his division, Anthony, is very competitive. He hates that James is smarter than him and that James was promoted before him, even though your brother’s younger. I told Angelica—she’s heading this investigation. I have no idea if she looked into it.” She bit her bottom lip and looked to be considering something before she spoke. “Can I ask you a personal question?”
I swallowed a gulp of coffee. “Sure.”
“Are you and Millicent close?”
I shrugged. “A little. I mean, I like her and we get along well, but we haven’t spent much time together in person since we live in different countries, but we Skype a lot. The fact James loves her is a big endorsement as to her character too.” I smiled.
She looked at my phone. “Is that the iPhone 8?”
“Yep. I updated my plan a couple of months ago and got this. The X was a bit pricey.”
“Can I have a look?”
“Sure.” I handed it over. “I love Apple stuff.”
She grinned. “Me too.” She turned the phone over, weighed it in her hand, and pressed the home button. “Good size. I was tossing up between this and the bigger version. This is a lot easier to handle.” She mumbled something to herself then handed the phone back. “Thanks. I think I’ll get one.”
The phone gave me a small electric shock when I touched it. Bloody stupid power coming in. I hope I hadn’t damaged the phone. I pressed the home button, relieved when it still worked.
A look crossed her face. Was that contemplation or worry?
“Well, I shouldn’t be talking out of turn, and please don’t repeat this. Actually, if I promise to tell you something, do you mind if I put a spell on you to make sure you can’t repeat it?”
“You can do that?”
“Yes, but I need your permission. You can’t put a spell like that on someone without their agreement. It’s illegal. It’s nothing more than a nondisclosure agreement, but witch style.”
What if what she told me was something I decided had to be told? What if she told me who took my brother? Surely she couldn’t know that. “I’m not sure. It’s not who took my brother, is it?”
Snezana laughed. “Oh, my goodness, Lily, you’re so funny!” Her voice softened and she looked at her lap. “If I knew who’d taken your brother, we would have him back by now.” She sounded like someone who’d failed.
“Fair enough. I still have to ask, though: is it about something illegal? Because if it is, depending on what it was, I’d have to tell the police, so I can’t agree to that.”
She smiled and shook her head in a mood ch
ange that had my head spinning. “You’re such a riot.” Her fake laugh made me think she’d meant to say: you’re such a pain in the behind. “No, it’s nothing like that. Look, if you don’t want to know, it’s fine. It’s probably nothing anyway, but it could have something to do with your brother’s disappearance.”
Could I trust her? Not really, but then James trusted her to be his assistant, to work closely with him and not spill any work secrets. And what if she told me something that made sense to no one else but me, something that helped find James? “Okay, but you can only tell me one thing under this agreement thing, and it can’t be about something illegal.” I wouldn’t put it past her to make me an accessory to something. There was something about her I wasn’t sure about. She had been fairly nice to me—the swan in a room full of vultures—but maybe she was only being nice because I was James’s sister? I’d reserve my final judgement till later.
“Let’s shake on it.” We shook. Her hand was soft and warm, but her grip was hard—a reminder for me not to underestimate her. Although, maybe she’d make a good ally, especially if she had James’s back. Gah, I was so confused.
Witchnapped in Westerham (Paranormal Investigation Bureau Book 1) Page 7
