by Adele Abbott
“How is Susan doing? She came to see me a while back.”
“The woman’s an amateur. She wouldn’t know a good story if it bit her on the bum. She wastes most of her time with nutters who think we’ve been infiltrated by vampires and the like.”
“Really? That’s crazy.”
“I know. Any time we get a nutter through the door, telling stories about disappearing wizards and the like, we send them Susan’s way.” He stood up. “I’d better be going. I want to catch the press.”
“See you, Dougal. I look forward to reading your article.”
Snigger.
***
Back in the office, I was feeling pretty pleased with myself for having solved the Bradley murders.
“You should get married to that human of yours,” Winky said.
“Where did that come from?”
“I was just thinking: The old bag lady might not want me as her pagecat, but when you get married, you won’t be able to refuse me.”
“Want to bet?”
“Come on. We’re practically family, and you’ve seen how good I look in a tux.”
“And how exactly would I explain the fact that I’d chosen a cat to perform pageboy duties? They’d call the men in white coats to take me away. And besides, this is all academic because Jack and I have no plans to marry.”
Thankfully, this insane conversation was interrupted when my phone rang.
“Jill? It’s Georgina Bradley.”
“Where are you?”
“Still in Longdale, but they say I should be out within a couple of hours, and it seems that I have you to thank. I can’t believe Ruth did it.”
“You heard, then?”
“Yes. My new lawyer—my real one—came to tell me what had happened. Apparently, Ruth has been charged with both murders. According to him, she’s confessed.”
“That’s right. She’ll probably spend the rest of her days behind bars.”
“How did you know she was the one who killed Stephen?”
“I got lucky. Everyone had told me that the cleaner was asked not to come in that night, but when I checked the CCTV footage, I saw a woman wearing a blue tabard go into the building, and then leave shortly afterwards.”
“How come no one else picked up on that?”
“They most likely assumed the cleaner had arrived only to be sent away again. In fact, when I spoke to Josey Wilde, she told me that she hadn’t gone to West Star at all because she’d received a phone call, telling her not to.”
“From Thomas?”
“No. From Ruth Foot. She told Josey that Thomas had said she wasn’t needed that night.”
“How did you know the woman in the CCTV was Ruth?”
“I couldn’t see her face because she’d deliberately avoided the camera. What gave her away was that ugly ring of hers. Once I realised it was her, everything else slotted into place.”
“Why though, Jill? Why did she kill Stephen?”
“You’re going to hear this sooner or later, so you might as well hear it from me. When you and Thomas were having an affair, Stephen was seeing Ruth.”
“I don’t believe it. He would never do something like that.”
“He did, but when he found out about you and Thomas, he was determined to win you back. He ended his relationship with Ruth, and told her she’d have to leave her job. I guess she just flipped.”
“Poor Stephen. He should have left me; it’s what I deserved. If he had, he’d probably still be alive. Why did she kill Thomas?”
“When Ruth found out that you and Thomas had asked me to re-investigate the murder, she panicked. After all this time, she’d probably assumed she’d got away with Stephen’s murder. Now there was a possibility that she might still be found out, so she decided to take you both out of the picture. Ruth knew Thomas’s routine; he took his cigarette breaks at the same times every day. She followed him onto the roof, and pushed him off. But first, she called you, and left the note for you to find. Once you were on the roof, she disposed of the note, then sat back and waited for the police to arrest you. With Thomas dead and you in prison, she assumed she’d be safe.”
“How did you manage to get her to confess?”
“I simply confronted her with what I believed had happened, and she cracked. I guess the stress of trying to keep her secrets finally caught up with her. I was just lucky.”
“Lucky or not, you saved my skin. I can’t thank you enough.”
“No thanks necessary.”
“You’ll send me your bill, I assume?”
“It’ll be in the post tonight.”
***
Jack had arranged to collect his mother from the railway station at six o’clock. I’d made sure I was home by three, so I could give the house a good clean before she arrived.
What? Of course I used magic. I had my nails to think of.
It had just turned three-thirty when my phone rang.
“Jill, it’s Yvonne.”
“Hi. Is everything okay?”
“Yes, fine. I took an earlier train, so you and I can have a chat before Jack gets home from work. I’ve let Jack know he doesn’t need to collect me.”
“Okay. What time does your train get in? I’ll come and pick you up.”
“No need. I’m already in Washbridge. In fact, I’m in a taxi, and should be with you in a few minutes.”
“Okay. See you soon.”
Five minutes later, there was a knock at the door.
“Good afternoon, Jill.”
“Blossom?”
“I’m really sorry to trouble you, but I’ve just realised I’m out of sugar. I don’t suppose you have any I could borrow, do you? I’d go to the corner shop, but my leg has been giving me gyp these last few days.”
“Sure, no problem. Wait there and I’ll go and get you some.”
I left her at the door, and made my way into the kitchen. I knew we had an unopened bag of sugar somewhere, but where? I tried the cupboard closest to the window.
“Any last words, Gooder?”
I turned around to find Blossom, standing in the kitchen doorway. Her voice had changed; it was much deeper than usual. But that was the least of my concerns. The look on her face was one of sheer hate. Gone was Blossom, the little old lady. In her place stood someone I now realised was The Rose.
I’d been such an idiot. I’d been so focussed on the balaclava twins, convinced that they were Vinnie and Minnie Dreadmore, that I’d never given the sweet old dear from across the road a second thought.
“Well, Gooder? Surely, the most powerful witch that has ever lived must have something to say before you die?”
The Brewflower was in my handbag in the lounge. Why hadn’t I kept some in different locations around the house? Because I was an idiot; a complacent idiot. Soon to be a dead idiot.
“You don’t have to do this, err—what do I call you? Blossom? The Rose? Thorny?”
“I’d heard that you thought you were something of a comedian.”
“I do my best. Anyway, before you do your thing, don’t you want the sugar?” I launched the bag at her.
She ducked to one side, which gave me a chance to rush past her. My magic couldn’t hurt her, but if I could get to the Brewflower, I might still have a chance.
I made it into the lounge, but before I could grab my handbag, she shouted, “Too late, Gooder.” She was standing in the doorway. “It’s time for you to die.”
It was all over. I’d planned to leave Jack, but I hadn’t expected it to happen like this.
Goodbye, Jack, my love.
“Stop!” Yvonne shouted.
The Rose spun around; that gave me the opportunity to grab my handbag, and take out two syringes of Brewflower.
The scream made my blood run cold.
When I looked up, I saw the elderly witchfinder, standing over Yvonne’s prone body.
I rushed over, and slammed both syringes into The Rose’s neck, causing her to stagger out into the street. I could probably have
stopped her getting away, but I was much more concerned about Yvonne.
“You’ll be okay. I’m going to call an ambulance.”
“It’s too late.” She grabbed my hand. “Promise that you’ll take care of Jack.”
“I—err—I—”
“Please, Jill. You have to promise.”
“I promise.”
Moments later, the light disappeared from her eyes, and she stopped breathing.
“Yvonne! Please, no! Yvonne!”
Chapter 21
“I’m off, Mrs V.”
“Okay, dear. I’ll be leaving soon myself. I just want to finish this pair of socks for Armi.” She held up her knitting.
“Red and green stripes? Nice.”
“His favourite colours.”
“Before you go, Jill, I wanted to ask how Jack is doing.”
“Better, thanks. Much better.”
“What about you? These last few weeks can’t have been easy for you either.”
“I’m okay.”
“Are you sure? You’ve been pretty quiet.”
“Honestly, I’m fine, but I’d better be making tracks. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, dear.”
It was just over a month since Yvonne’s death. Naturally, Jack had been devastated by his mother’s sudden and untimely demise. I’d done my best to console him, but it hadn’t been easy because I’d been racked with guilt. The official cause of death had been listed as a heart attack—only I knew the truth: Yvonne had died saving my life.
My stupid secret had killed his mother and was now putting Jack’s life at risk; that was unacceptable.
As Yvonne lay dying, she’d made me promise that I’d take care of Jack. There was now no doubt in my mind that the best way to do that was to put an end to our relationship. I still loved him just as much as I ever had, but that was irrelevant. All that mattered now was his safety.
He would be devastated when I told him, but I couldn’t afford to let that change my mind. Everyone would think I was cold-hearted, but there was nothing I could do about that. All that mattered now was that I distance myself from Jack in order to keep him safe.
Now wasn’t the time to tell him, though. I would have to wait until Jack was strong enough to take another blow. How long would that be? Three months? Six months? A year? I had no idea, but until that time arrived, I would somehow have to carry on as though everything were fine.
***
Aunt Lucy now had the keys to her new house, and I’d promised to go with her to help measure up for curtains. To be honest, I wasn’t really in the mood, but I didn’t want to let her down.
I was just about to magic myself over to Candlefield when my phone rang; it was Kathy. Over the last few weeks, she and Peter had been like rocks for Jack and me. This was probably her regular call to make sure I was okay.
“Jill, are you in the office?”
“I just left. I’m on my way to the car.”
“I’m sorry to bother you, but would you have a minute to come down to the shop?”
“Now?”
“If you can.”
“What’s it about?”
“It’ll be easier to show you.”
“Okay. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”
As I made my way down the high street, I could see Kathy waiting for me on the corner.
“Hi, sis.” She gave me a big hug. “How are you?”
Much as I appreciated the concern that both she and Peter had shown us over the last month, I was actually looking forward to the time when Kathy and I could revert to our normal sisterly relationship: the one in which we spent most of the time sniping at one another.
“I’m good. What’s up?” I glanced through the window of Kathy’s soon-to-be shop.
Over the last couple of weeks, she and Peter had been working on it every spare moment they had, but from the look of it, they still had a lot of work to do.
“Haven’t you noticed?”
I looked again to see if I’d missed something, but nothing leapt out at me. “Noticed what?”
“Next door.”
The shop adjoining Kathy’s had been let a few days after she’d signed the lease for hers, but as far as I could see, the interior of that shop still hadn’t been touched.
“What about it?”
“Up there.” She pointed.
I hadn’t noticed the brand new sign which read: ForEver Bride.
“When did that go up?”
“I don’t know. It wasn’t there when I left yesterday. They must have put it up overnight.”
“Why would someone open another bridal shop, right next door? Surely the owner must have enquired what kind of shop you were planning to open?”
“You’ve missed the important part. Look again at the name.”
“Forever Bride? It’s quite catchy. Maybe you should have a rethink about yours to see if you can come up with something more—”
“You’re still missing the point. Look at the word ‘Ever’. It should have a small ‘e’, but it’s capitalised.”
“So what? People often—” And then the penny dropped. “Hold on. You don’t think—she wouldn’t, would she?”
“Of course she would. It’s exactly the kind of thing your grandmother would do. When I told her about my plans, and how we thought we’d spotted a gap in the market, she’d seemed genuinely interested. No wonder. She must have been planning how she could make her own move into the bridal business. I never dreamed she’d stoop so low as to open up right next door to us.”
“There are no depths to which Grandma won’t stoop. What are you going to do?”
“I’m not going to let anyone, and especially not your grandmother, wreck our plans. If she wants a fight, she’s got one.”
Whilst I admired Kathy’s determination, she had no idea what she was up against. Competition was one thing, but there was no way it would be a level playing field. Grandma had one thing that Kathy didn’t: Magic. You only had to look at what she’d done with the wool shop: products such as Everlasting Wool and One-Size knitting needles had simply destroyed the competition. Who knew what kind of magical innovations she had planned for the bridal shop.
“Is it worth it? Wouldn’t you be better locating somewhere else, or opening a different kind of shop?”
“And let her win? I’m surprised to hear you suggest that, Jill. You’ve never let anyone walk all over you. Why should I? And besides, the lease has been signed, and I’ve already placed orders for the initial stock.”
“Maybe I could have a word with her. I might be able to get her to change her mind about the shop.”
“Some chance of that.” Kathy laughed. “But if you do speak to her, you can give her a message from me. Tell her: This is war.”
Oh boy.
***
Aunt Lucy was waiting at the door of her ‘old’ house. She looked as excited as a young child with a new toy.
“Did you remember to bring a tape measure?” I asked.
“Yes. And a notepad and pencil. Will you drive, Jill?”
“Sure. Aren’t the twins coming with us?”
“I asked them, but they’ve got a couple of people off with the flu, so they couldn’t get away. To tell you the truth, I’m glad it’s just the two of us. You know what they’re like—we’d never get anything done.”
“That’s true.”
“How are you and Jack bearing up?”
“We’re okay, thanks.”
“I know you blame yourself for what happened, but it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t force Yvonne to come over to your house.”
“That doesn’t make it any better. Whichever way you look at it, if Jack and I weren’t an item, Yvonne would still be alive.”
“That’s silly talk. Yvonne did what she did because she wanted the best for her son. And that’s you.”
Although Aunt Lucy meant well, her words were no comfort at all. Yvonne’s death had been my fault—plain and simple. If I’d told
Aunt Lucy of my plans to leave Jack, she would have tried to talk me out of it, so I didn’t intend to say anything until the deed was done.
The interior of the new house looked larger now that most of the furniture had been removed. All that was left were the few pieces that Aunt Lucy had agreed to buy from the previous owner.
“I love buying curtains, don’t you, Jill?”
“Oh yeah. It’s one of my favourite things.”
“That’s a good sign.” She grinned. “You must be getting back to your old self.”
“What do you mean?”
“The sarcasm. I’ve missed it.”
“Oh, right.” I forced a smile. “When will you be moving in?”
“Lester has booked next Wednesday off.”
“Will you need a hand?”
“It’s okay. We’ve booked Were Removals.”
“Werewolves, I assume?”
“Yes. Those guys will make short work of it. You must come over and see us as soon as we’re in.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be here. Just make sure you stock up on the custard creams. By the way, have you seen anything of Grandma today?”
“No. She was out before I was up and about this morning.”
“I need to have a serious word with her.”
“What has she done now?”
“I can’t be certain, but I think she may have taken the vacant shop next door to Kathy’s new bridal shop.”
“Why? What’s she going to use it for?”
“That’s just it. If I’m right, she’s planning to open a bridal shop too.”
“What makes you think it’s your grandmother’s?”
“The name. It’s called: ForEver Bride, and the word ‘Ever’ has a capital ‘E’.”
“It might just be a coincidence.”
“Do you really believe that?”
Before she could answer, there was a loud thud.
“That came from next door, didn’t it?” I said.
“I think so. I noticed the ‘For Sale’ sign had been taken down the last time we were here.”
Another thud.
“It sounds like you have new neighbours.”
“Let’s go and say hello.”
