Witch Swindled in Westerham

by Dionne Lister

“No. It’s a small seaside area near Nice.” Ha, Nice, nice. Never mind.

  Beren came in. “Any leads?”

  Angelica nodded. “Yes. Can you contact William, and tell him to get here as soon as the interview is over? I’m just going to use the little girl’s room.”

  What? Wasn’t she a bit old to be calling it a little girl’s room? Maybe it was a British thing. Beren pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed a couple of buttons, and I went back to the window, to take in the Parisian streets one last time. Funny how it was disgusting weather back in Britain, and here it was sunny. The plane trees stood in their verdant glory, framing the road as far as I could see.

  Beren stood next to me. “Enjoying the view?”

  “Yep, totally. I can’t believe I didn’t get to see anything properly.”

  “We’ll come back next week. Your friend will be safely back at home, and Camilla and Fred will be in jail, giving me plenty of time to show you around the place.”

  As worried as I was about Olivia, there was still room for a tiny bit of excitement. “That would be beyond awesome, Beren. I’d love that.”

  “What would you love?” asked a new voice.

  I turned around. William and James had just arrived, and William didn’t look too impressed.

  “Beren’s going to bring me back here once this is all over. I have lots of sightseeing to do.”

  “Enjoy your date.” William turned and left through one of the doors. That was weird.

  James and Beren shared a smirk.

  “What was all that about?” I asked.

  Beren answered. “Oh, nothing. Poor little diddums got up on the wrong side of bed today, I’d guess.”

  “How’d the interview go, big bro?” I sucked at making spells rhyme, but in everyday conversation, I was awesome.

  “It went well. But I’ll save the explanation till Ma’am comes back.”

  “Well, here I am. What happened?” She came in and joined us at the window.

  “I’d prefer we did this outside.” James looked around and pointed to his ear. Angelica nodded.

  We all filed out the front door, William coming out last. At least he was still with us, but he trailed behind, like you tend to do when you’re an angry child walking behind your parents, trying to stay as far away from them as possible. Something else I’d have to figure out later. Maybe something happened at the interview because there was no way he would be upset that Beren was bringing me back here later. Unless he was worried Beren would use me and dump me. That wasn’t happening because we were friends, and James didn’t seem too worried. I refused to believe it was because William was jealous. If he liked me that much, he would’ve asked me out by now—he’d had weeks to do that. But I knew he wouldn’t. Besides, it would complicate things with James, so we were better off not acting on any attraction. Argh, I just wanted to get out of my own head. Overthinking alert!

  Out on the street, stylish Parisians sauntered past. One had three dachshunds walking on leads, the dogs’ little legs moving at the speed of light to keep up with their owner’s fast walk. So cute! Not as cute as squirrels, but still adorable.

  “So,” James began. We huddled around him, which must have looked funny because they were all wearing their black PIB suits and ties. I was the nonconformist of the group. How unusual. “The interview went well. Smythe senior didn’t want to answer anything, but once he figured out we knew everything, he spilled.” James grinned.

  “But you didn’t know everything.”

  “No, Lily, but he thought we did. With William reading his mind, he asked questions he wouldn’t have known to ask otherwise.”

  “So your truth-telling talents weren’t even needed?”

  “I suppose not, but anyway, Smythe senior had to fire Frederick after he was caught embezzling funds from one client. They replaced the funds before the client found out, but Smythe Junior was fired. Senior gave him a good reference anyway but cut off all ties with his son. The shame of having a criminal for a son was humiliating, so he distanced himself as far as he could, not that he was a loving father anyway. From what he said, he’s always worked fourteen-to-sixteen-hour days and goes golfing or to polo with clients on the weekends. So, we’re probably dealing with a damaged human who has something to prove to his father.”

  Made sense. Whatever the reason, it was clear now that no one should have any sympathy for that piece of crap. I hope he hadn’t hurt Olivia physically. For sure she was probably wishing she were dead after finding out her fiancé was a cheating, lying thief. God, what must she think of being transported to the south coast of France without remembering how she got there? She was likely freaking out right now. I wished I could give her a hug and get her out of there.

  “Can we get going?” As much as I loved Paris, Olivia needed us now.

  “Okay, Miss Impatient.” Angelica spelled open the security door to Camilla’s apartment building, and we all went back inside, which was a good idea. I can’t imagine what would happen if we all just disappeared off the street in front of everyone.

  “I’ll grab the coordinates.” James pulled out his phone as he entered the building foyer. “Where are we going, Ma’am?”

  “Saint Jean Cap Ferrat. As close to the centre of town as possible.” She looked up. I followed her gaze to a security camera. Her lips moved without any sound coming out. Being caught on camera was another bad idea. Lucky Angelica had everything covered.

  James pulled up something on his phone and typed. When it was done loading, he gave the phone to Angelica. She nodded and passed the phone to William who looked and handed it to Beren. Beren checked it out then handed it to me. “Picture those numbers, Lily.”

  I looked at the screen. Coordinates were such long numbers, but if I told my brain to basically take a photo of it, maybe it would just happen rather than me having to remember each number in sequence, which would be impossible when I only had one minute to study it. I concentrated, then shut my eyes. The numbers appeared in large gold lettering, same as every other time. Yes!

  I held the phone out without opening my eyes. “Here, James.”

  He laughed and took the phone. “Holding onto the number, huh?”

  “Yes. I’m going to do my spell now. Wish me luck.”

  “You don’t need luck. You’ve got this.” Beren was so sweet. If only I was as attracted to him as I was to stupid William.

  I whispered, “Take me where I need to go, to the numbers on this door I show.” When I opened my eyes, my doorway was right where it should be. I just hoped it was going to lead to the right place.

  South of France, here I come!

  Chapter 13

  The landing place was a toilet cubicle just like any other. I didn’t waste time, because Angelica was about to come through her door, and I was in her way. I opened the cubicle door and stepped out. One of the other stalls looked occupied, but the hand-washing area was empty. As soon as Angelica opened the cubicle door, I went through the main door, which led into a separate attendant’s area.

  A short, rotund older lady wearing a blue apron over her clothes stood there staring at me, her eyes wide. They had toilet attendants? Oh dear. She might need some memory tampering, because two women whom she had never seen go in just exited. Angelica swept past me and straight to the lady whose mouth was hanging open in silent surprise. Poor thing.

  Angelica placed her hands on the woman’s cheeks and looked into her eyes. After a minute, she dropped her hands and smiled at the woman. “Au revoir.”

  The woman smiled through her confused expression, and Angelica practically pushed me out the door. A hallway led to another door. Angelica opened it, and we stepped out into the street. The guys were waiting outside in the sunshine, and they’d changed clothes. Gone were the sexy black suits and ties, and in their place were T-shirts and board shorts. They were wearing running shoes rather than thongs. Of course, William had to have nice legs. Long with lean muscle. Nice calves. I looked up. He’d caught me
checking him out. He smirked, and I blushed.

  I quickly turned to James. “Blending in, I see?”

  “Don’t you know it.” My brother looked like he’d been working out. His arms had never been that big back home. I guessed his job demanded it. When we were younger and went to the beach, he was always the skinny kid, with stick-thin arms. That memory made me think of my mum, who used to take us to the beach all the time in summer. God, I missed her.

  A family with three kids walked past, all carrying boogie boards and dressed in beach gear. It wasn’t that warm at twenty-two degrees. Crazy Europeans, but at least they were having fun. Enjoy it while you can. I hoped they’d get many happy years together.

  Angelica was still in her suit, but I supposed someone had to be the sensible adult. “I’m going to have a chat to the real estate rental company for that house. I’ll be back in a moment.” She turned and went into the door next to the one we’d just come out of. Talk about convenient.

  The narrow street was one-way. Palm trees lined the footpath, and the buildings were two, three, or four stories with signs proclaiming Holiday Apartments everywhere. The buildings were rendered and painted pastel colours, and most windows had pretty timber shutters. A familiar salty tang hung in the air. I wandered past the real estate agent, which was on the street corner, and stopped dead. Would you look at that!

  Framed by small mountains on one side, a turquoise bay stretched into the distance. A mess of yacht masts and rigging rose towards the cerulean sky, and in the marina, motorboats waited to be used by their rich owners. This was truly the playground of the rich. The boats were all huge with lots of windows and more than one storey. Ah, to be loaded and cruise around in the sun all day eating smoked salmon and chocolate mousse. The boat owners probably had chefs, personal shoppers, and someone to do their grocery shopping too. Bastards. And this was the life stupid Camilla and Frederick were after. By the time we’d finished with them, they would have someone cooking their meals and buying their clothes, but not the way they expected.

  I breathed in the sea air. Where was the house? Could I see it from here? The Internet listing showed it was on a hill overlooking the water. I said quietly, “We’re coming, Liv. Hang on.”

  Shoes clopped on the concrete. “There you are.” Angelica stopped next to me. “I have the address. I just need to clear with you what’s going to happen, so you know.”

  “Okay.” I turned to face her.

  “We’re going to get a taxi to the house, which is about a three-minute drive that way.” She pointed to the right, to one side of the bay. “I want you to stay hidden. I don’t think Camilla will attack us, but we can’t be sure, and we’re not underestimating Frederick. He could have a weapon, and we don’t want him hurting Olivia. So you’re to stay out of the way until I tell you. When I give the word, you’re to race in and grab Olivia. Not one moment before. Understood?”

  “Understood.” I may have bent the rules when it was just my own safety, but I wouldn’t compromise my friend’s.

  “And don’t use any magic until we’re engaged—not that you should need to, since you’re staying out of sight. If we use any magic, they’ll know we’re there.”

  “Okay.”

  “Taxi’s here,” Beren called out from the corner.

  When I reached the kerb, James shook his head. “You’ll have to wait here with William. The taxi can only take four at the most, and I won’t leave you by yourself. We’ll scope the place out while the taxi comes back for you two.” He clapped William on the back and slid into the car.

  William still had the scowl on his face when he turned around.

  “Well, aren’t you just a happy agent today. Surely you can muster up a smile for our gorgeous locale.”

  He kept his scowl on me for a few more seconds then stalked off to stare out at the water. Well, apparently I was wrong. There would be no smile-mustering today.

  While I waited for the taxi to return, I checked out the listings in the real estate agent’s window. I nearly choked at the prices. Six-bedroom villa to rent. Sleeps twelve. Twenty thousand euros per week. The pictures were stunning, and so was the view over the water from the place, but not at that price.

  After checking out the rest of the unattainable gorgeousness, I kept an eye out for the taxi. When it finally returned, I called Agent Crankypants over. I was already in the taxi and buckled up by the time he reached us.

  The taxi drove through the town centre and took a street that climbed a hill. Some of the homes were hidden by tall walls, but some were perched high enough that I could see them. If you were into mansions, this would be the place for you. “Wow, look at that!” The view of the water out of William’s side of the car took my breath away.

  “Yeah, it’s nice, but we need to focus, Lily.”

  “Okay.”

  He was right. I was so easily distracted, but could he blame me? It wasn’t my fault the criminals they were chasing just happened to come to one of the most beautiful places on earth.

  The taxi pulled over, although the road was so narrow, there wasn’t any room to stay parked. I slid out, and William paid with what I assumed was a PIB credit card.

  The property was on the low side of the street. Metal gates hung from impressive brick pillars. The only thing visible of the property was the driveway that wound down the hill until it got lost in greenery. The shimmering sea did its thing in the background to dazzle me. But then I remembered Olivia down there, probably suffering. How were we going to get over those gates? Not to mention, there was a security camera on a pole two metres inside the gates. “How do we get in?”

  “Angelica’s turned off the security system. I’ll help you onto the top of the brick fence, and you can climb down the other side. It won’t be hard. Just hang onto the top of the wall and walk your legs down, then drop. It’s not far.” Easy for him to say when he was so much taller than me.

  We approached the wall, and he knelt. “Climb on.”

  What? “Where?”

  “My shoulders.”

  I eyed him sceptically. “Look, no offence, but will you be able to lift me. I’m not that light you know.”

  He raised his brow. “Trust me. You’re small fry. And if I do have trouble, I can always call on my magic.”

  “No, you can’t. Angelica said not to.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. Have a little trust, Lily. I won’t hurt you. I promise.”

  Without reading anything deeper into his comment, I climbed on. I clutched his head. Ooh, his hair was so soft. “Sorry. There’s nothing else to hold onto.”

  He slowly stood, and I wobbled and gripped his head harder.

  “Ow. Can you not crush my skull?”

  “I don’t want to fall.”

  He walked to the wall. “Hold onto the wall, and then I’ll help you stand on my shoulders.”

  “Are you kidding? Actually, scratch that. You never kid.” Or smile, or laugh, or have fun.

  “I take offence to that.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “I kid all the time. Just not in front of you.”

  “Well, it’s nice to know you save your crappiest self for me. I really appreciate the effort.”

  “Are you going to climb the wall, or should I just leave you out here?”

  Argh. How did I like this man? He made me so mad. “Grrr. Fine.”

  “Did you just growl at me?”

  “Maybe.” I gripped the rough bricks. “I’m going to stand. Don’t drop me.”

  “Haven’t we been through this?”

  I carefully lifted one foot. William helped by pushing it up and holding onto my shin. I wobbled, almost falling backwards. My fingers dug into the wall harder. Crap. This was never going to work. My heart raced as I leaned forward and prepared to lift my other foot into place. I pushed down on the foot that was on his shoulder, straightening my leg and standing while leaning harder against the wall. He trembled as my other foot landed on his shoulder. Adrenaline s
hot through my stomach. He gripped the calf of my other leg, so he was steadying both my legs. And we were still upright. Thank God.

  I walked my fingers up to the top of the wall. “I’m holding the top of the wall.”

  “Okay. I’m going to put my hands under your shoes and hoist you up. And that’s it.”

  Ah huh. That’s it. As easy as doing a backflip off a moving horse. Okay, so it was easier, but still…. My fingers ached as I made claws of steel. Nothing would make me let go now. I teetered as his palms lifted slightly so that I was standing on them.

  “Ready, set. Go!” He lifted, and I pulled. But he’d pushed so hard that my body didn’t stop when my legs reached the top. They flew over, and my toes slammed into the wall on the other side as I hung on for dear life. Jesus. That was not supposed to happen. I looked down. It was only about five feet to the ground from the end of my shoes, so I let go and dropped to a crouch.

  William gracefully flew over the wall and landed next to me. He straightened and put his hands on his hips. “See. I didn’t drop you.”

  “Yes, but you threw me over the wall. I wasn’t expecting it. Have a little consideration.” I brushed my hands down my jeans to get the brick grit off them. They stung from being scraped, but whatever. I’d worry about that later. “So, what now?”

  “Let’s make our way to the house. Quietly, and I’ll lead.” William pulled out his handgun.

  And things just got real.

  We crept through expensive landscaping, keeping low and behind shrubbery as much as possible. 007 came to mind. The only things I was missing was a gun and an evening dress, oh and the stilettos, because all good movie heroines have to save the world in ridiculously inappropriate footwear.

  As we snuck down the hill, the two-storey mansion came into view bit by bit. The terracotta-tiled roof was bright against the blue sea. The smooth, rendered walls were painted a soft yellow. Large timber windows with shutters all painted white gave the place a beachy, happy feel, but what was about to go down would not be in the least cheery.

  James crouched under one ground-floor window, to the left of the front door, and Beren and Angelica stood on either side of the entry, guns ready. We were about twenty metres from the house. I grabbed William’s arm to stop him. I made sure to whisper. “Should I hide here somewhere? I don’t want to get caught in the middle of a gun fight.”