by Adele Abbott
“Mrs V, are you all right?”
“Yes, dear. I’m fine.”
As I stepped closer, I could see that she was handcuffed to the desk.
“What happened? Has someone tried to rob us?”
“No. Why would you think that, dear?”
“You’re handcuffed to the desk!”
“Oh that? I did it.”
“Why would you handcuff yourself to the desk?”
“It’s the only way I can stop myself.”
“From doing what?”
“Shredding. It’s like an addiction. I can’t help myself.”
In my crazy world, I’d come across many weird and wonderful things, but an addiction to shredding had caught even me on the hop.
“I was worried that I’d shred something of vital importance,” she said. “So I thought I’d better handcuff myself to the desk. Do you think there’s a name for what I have?”
“I’m pretty sure there is.”
“Really? What is it?”
“Crazy!”
“You have to help me. Maybe there’s some sort of support group I could join?”
“You mean like ‘Shredders Anonymous’?”
“Yes, they might be able to help. Would you check and see if there’s a local group?”
“No problem. I’ll do it now.” I took the Yellow Pages from the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet. Half the pages were missing—presumably they’d been shredded. I flicked through until I found what I was looking for, and made a call.
“Thank you, Jill. When is the next meeting?”
“There isn’t a meeting.”
“But I thought you were calling Shredders Anonymous?”
“No. I had a better idea. I called a used office equipment company. They’re going to come and take away the machine.”
“No! You can’t let them do that!”
She made a grab for the key to the handcuffs, but I snatched it away.
“Please, Jill, don’t take the machine away.”
“You’ll thank me later.” Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.
The men who came to collect the stupid machine must have thought Mrs V was some kind of nutjob when they saw her handcuffed to the desk, screaming at them not to take her beloved shredder.
***
I heard voices in the outer office. A few moments later, Mrs V, now minus the handcuffs, popped her head around my door.
“Jill, I’m sorry to trouble you. I know you’re busy, but there are three women out here. They don’t have an appointment, but they’d like to see you if you have the time.”
“Did they say who they are?”
She walked in and pushed the door closed behind her. “They won’t give me their names or say what it’s about, but there’s something rather strange about them.”
“Strange how?”
“Well, for a start, they’re wearing identical drape coats. They look like secret agents of some kind.”
“Do they look dangerous?”
“Definitely not. They seem rather nervous actually. What shall I do? Shall I tell them to go away?”
I had nothing better to do, and besides, the three timid women in drape coats might actually have a job for me. It would be foolish to send them away without even speaking to them.
“Send them in, Mrs V.”
“If you’re sure, dear.”
Just as Mrs V had said, the women were all wearing identical coats. Not only that, they’d had their hair done in the same style: a short bob cut. One was a brunette, one a blonde, and the other had jet-black hair.
“Thanks for seeing us, Ms Gooder,” the one in the centre said.
“Please, call me Jill.”
“I hope you don’t mind us dropping in without an appointment.”
“Not at all.” By now, I’d realised that they were witches. “Is there something I can help you with? Do you need my services?”
“Not exactly. Let me introduce us. I’m Brenda, this is Peggy, and this is Ashley. Together, we are The Coven.”
“The Coven?”
“That’s right, The Coven.”
“And what exactly is The Coven?”
Brenda beamed. “I’m glad you asked.” She turned to the others. “Right girls, are you ready?” They nodded, and from somewhere, Brenda took out what appeared to be an iPod, put it on the sofa, and pressed ‘play’. The three of them threw off their coats to reveal sparkly leotards. Brenda was in red, Peggy in yellow, and Ashley in blue. Then on a cue from Brenda, they began to dance.
I was mesmerised. They had obviously choreographed their routine very carefully. After a couple of minutes, they all crouched down on one knee. I thought they’d finished, but then Brenda stood up and said, “We!”
Then Peggy jumped to her feet and said, “Are!”
Finally, Ashley leaped up and said, “The Coven!”
At that point, the music stopped. I wasn’t sure if I should applaud or not.
“That was very good, thank you. But I still don’t really understand why you’re here.”
“We know that you’ve been searching for The Dark One.”
“I have, although I haven’t made much progress.”
“No one ever seems to, but we’re determined that we shall find and destroy TDO,” Brenda said, much more seriously now.
“Really? The three of you?”
“That’s why we’re here. We’re hoping to persuade you to join The Coven.”
“Me?” That was the last thing I’d been expecting her to say. “What exactly have you done so far in your fight against TDO, and what would my role be?”
“So far we’ve spent most of our time on choreography. I’d like to think it’s paid dividends.” The other two nodded their agreement.
“Your dance routine was very well-executed,” I said. “But have you done anything in particular with regard to TDO?”
“That’s next on the agenda. We wanted to get the choreography right first. But we feel we need a fourth person in the group, so we immediately thought of you, didn’t we, girls?”
“That’s right.” Peggy nodded.
“Yes, absolutely,” Ashley said. “We’ve seen you in The Candle.”
Brenda continued. “We’d be delighted if you would join us, Jill. You could, of course, choose whichever colour leotard you like, but we’d prefer it didn’t clash.”
“And was there anything specific you had in mind for me to do?”
“Well, we thought you could do the ‘The’.
“The ‘The’?”
“Yes, at the moment I do the ‘We’, Peggy does the ‘Are’, but Ashley has to do ‘The Coven’. It doesn’t really work. We thought if you came on board, then I could do the ‘We’, Peggy could do the ‘Are’, you could do the ‘The’, and that would leave Ashley to do just the ‘Coven’. It would work so much better.”
“Right, I see. So I’d be the ‘The’?”
“That’s right.”
“Look, I really appreciate you coming in today, and I’m very excited by your offer. But I am rather busy, so I’m going to have to give it some thought. Could I get back to you?”
“Of course. Let me give you a card.”
Peggy reached inside the pocket of her coat, pulled out a small business card and passed it to me. Sure enough, printed on there in bright red letters was ‘The Coven’, together with a phone number.
“Right. Well, I’ll get back to you, then.”
The three women put their coats on, and left.
“Are any of the people who come to see you not insane?” Winky said.
“I’m beginning to think not.”
Chapter 6
I’d arranged to meet Kathy at the local community hall where the yoga class was being held. All I really wanted was a quiet night in. Just me, a good book, lots of chocolate and a bottle of ginger beer. Instead, I had to cavort around like some kind of imbecile, just to satisfy my sister’s whim.
“All set?” Kathy said,
as she greeted me at the door.
“Not really.”
“Come on, Jill. You’ll feel much better afterwards.”
“Where do we get changed into our leotards?”
“There aren’t any changing rooms here. It’s just a community hall. Didn’t I mention that you should have your leotard on under your clothes?”
“No. You didn’t actually mention that. Where are the toilets?”
“They’re outside. Across the yard.”
“I can’t go out there—it’s windy and raining!”
“Go into that corner. I’ll hold up a towel as a screen while you get changed.”
“It doesn’t look like I have much choice.”
It wasn’t exactly the best attended event I’d ever been to. Apart from Kathy and me, there were just three other women. Two of them were at least seventy years old. This was going to be a very long evening.
“Right, ladies. Are we all ready?” the instructor shouted. I recognised the voice, and looked up to see Daze; she looked fantastic in her leotard.
“We’ll start with a few gentle exercises to get you warmed up.”
As with most of the roles that Daze took on, she was of course, an expert. The same could not have been said for me. I tried to follow her lead, but had great difficulty copying her movements. While everyone else seemed to cope effortlessly, I was just a mass of arms and legs flailing around.
“Jill. Here—let me help you.” The voice came from behind me. I looked around to see Blaze, Daze’s young sidekick. He too was wearing a leotard, but he definitely didn’t look anywhere near as good as Daze.
“Do what I do, and you’ll be fine.” He took a step forward so he was standing just in front of me, and then went through the movements very slowly so I could follow.
“How long has Daze been teaching yoga?”
“We’ve been at this for about a week now. I don’t really like it. I enjoyed the Punch and Judy far more.”
By the time the hour was up, I was exhausted and ached everywhere.
“That was great!” Kathy said. “We should come again. What do you think, Jill?”
“I’ll get back to you on that,” I said, trying to straighten my back.
“Do you want to come back to our place for supper?”
“No thanks. I’ll give it a miss. I’m really tired. You shoot off.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“By the way, you haven’t forgotten that Lizzie wants to spend a day with you in the office, have you?”
“No. I’ve just had a lot on. Mostly involving shredding machines.”
“Shredding machines?”
“It’s a long story, but it’s all resolved now. I’ll give you a call to let you know when Lizzie can come.”
The community hall was now empty except for Daze, Blaze and me.
“Did you enjoy that, Jill?” Daze said.
“Not really. It wasn’t my idea to come. Kathy dragged me here—you might have guessed. Anyway, what are you two working on at the moment?”
“We’re on the trail of a shape-shifter,” Daze said.
“Another werewolf?”
“Not this time. We’ve had reports that a shape-shifter has been getting into people’s houses here in Washbridge, and stealing their jewellery. He’s doing it in the guise of a rat.”
That rang a bell. I waited for her to continue.
“In fact,” she said. “It’s quite a clever ploy. Somehow he’s managed to get himself a gig at a school. The kids apparently take it in turns to take the rat home with them to look after it for the night. The crafty shifter then takes the opportunity to raid jewellery boxes in the homes where he’s staying. But we’re struggling to track him down at the moment.”
“I might just be able to help you there. I need to check a couple of things first, then I’ll get back to you.”
***
The next morning, I overslept. When I did eventually wake, I could hardly move. Every muscle in my body ached. Whoever thought yoga was a good idea? Never again! If Kathy wanted to carry on with it, she’d have to go by herself.
My phone rang. It was her. She probably wanted to check how I was, and to have a laugh at my expense.
“I ache everywhere.” I moaned.
“Jill!” she screamed, and I knew immediately that something was wrong.
“What’s happened?”
“It’s so horrible—”
“Are Peter and the kids okay?”
“Yeah, we’re all okay.”
“What’s wrong then?”
“It’s the colonel. He’s dead.”
I had to sit down. I hadn’t known the colonel for long, but in the short time since I’d first met him, we’d become firm friends. I’d worked on a case for him, and then he’d taken on Peter, my brother-in-law, as his gardener.
“What happened?” Although the colonel had always seemed fit, he was no spring chicken, so I assumed he must have had a heart attack or something similar.
“I don’t know. Pete just rang and told me. He says the colonel was murdered.”
“What?” I yelled into the phone. “Are you sure?”
“That’s what Pete said.”
“Where is Peter now?”
“He’s still there—at the colonel’s house.”
“Look—I’d better speak to Peter. I’ll call you back later.”
I ended the call, and immediately rang Peter.
“It’s Jill. Kathy just told me about the colonel.”
“It’s terrible.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t really know. He was dead when I found him. Someone murdered him, Jill.”
“How?”
“He was shot with a crossbow bolt. There’s blood everywhere.”
“Where was he when you found him?”
“In the toy room.”
“Has someone called the police?”
“Yes, they’re on their way.”
“Whatever you do, don’t touch anything.”
“It’s a bit late for that.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I saw the bolt, I grabbed it. I was just acting on instincts.”
“Did you pull it out?”
“No. I just put my hand on it.”
“Well, don’t touch anything else. I’m coming over.”
***
I called Mrs V.
“It’s Jill. I’m not going to be in this morning. Would you feed Winky for me, please?”
“You know I hate that cat.”
“The colonel’s dead.”
“What? Oh no! That’s terrible.”
I probably should have broken the news to her a little more gently. Mrs V had become quite fond of the colonel.
“What happened?” I could hear the shock in her voice.
“I don’t know. I’m going over there now to try to find out.”
“Don’t worry about the cat. I’ll see to him. Will you let me know when you have any more information?”
“Yes, of course. I’m hoping to get into the office later this morning.”
Next, I made a call to Blake Devon. I told him that I wouldn’t be able to take the industrial sabotage case, and I explained why. He wasn’t very happy, but I didn’t care. Right now my priority was finding out who had murdered the colonel.
***
When I arrived at the colonel’s house there was a cordon around the place, and two uniformed officers at the gate.
“I’m sorry, madam,” the officer with large ears and a very small nose said. “You can’t go in there. There’s been an incident.”
“Detective Maxwell is expecting me,” I lied.
“What’s your name?”
“Jill Gooder.”
“Wait there a moment.” He walked back to his colleague. They exchanged a few words, and then one of them made a call on his radio. I had no idea whether they’d let me through or not. Jack Maxwell could blow hot and cold.
If he was in a bad mood, he’d probably deny even knowing me. On the other hand, he knew of my connection to the colonel and Peter, so just maybe I’d be lucky.
The next thing I knew I was being waved through the gates. Maxwell had come through for me on this occasion.
When I reached the front door, Jack Maxwell was waiting for me.
“You know you shouldn’t be here,” he said.
“Oh come on, Jack. What did you expect me to do? Peter found him, and you know the colonel and I were close.”
“I know. That’s why I allowed you through. Even so, I don’t want you getting in the way. You can talk to Peter, but that’s all.”
“Where is he?”
“He’s in one of the reception rooms, but you’ll have to wait until I’ve finished with him. Why don’t you go through to the kitchen, and wait in there? I’ll let you know as soon as we’re done.”
“Can I sit in on the interview?”
“Don’t push your luck.”
I walked down the hallway, and past the toy room, which had yellow tape across the doorway. Inside, I could see men in white coveralls—obviously scene of crime officers. I was devastated to think that the colonel was dead. He was such a kind man; he’d been very generous to me and Peter. Who would have wanted to murder him? I had to find out what had happened. I didn’t care what Maxwell said—I was going to get to the bottom of this.
Mrs Burnbridge, the colonel’s housekeeper, had obviously been crying. She was sitting at the kitchen table with a half-empty mug of tea in front of her. She didn’t even notice me walk into the room.
“Mrs Burnbridge?”
“Oh hello, dear. I didn’t hear you come in. Would you like a drink?”
“It’s okay. You stay where you are. I can make myself a drink.”
“No, dear. That’s my job.”
“Not today, Mrs Burnbridge. You’ve had a nasty shock.”
“It’s terrible. I can’t believe the colonel’s gone.”
“Did you hear or see anything?”
“Nothing at all.”
I made myself a mug of tea, and put plenty of sugar in it. After the shock of the colonel’s murder, I needed something sweet.
“Does he have any family apart from his son?”
