by Adele Abbott
“No, only Ben. He rarely visits though. They don’t get on. I’m not really sure what went wrong, but the colonel hardly ever talks about him. He did stay the night a few days ago while the colonel was away. Mind you, the only reason he came was because he was visiting a friend in the area. He treats this place like a hotel. He didn’t get back in until the early hours. I was in bed, but I heard him come in. It must have been two or three o’clock in the morning. It’s terrible the way he treats his father and this house. Still, I suppose I should let him know what has happened.”
“I’m sure the police will do that. There’s no need for you to worry your head about it.”
“I just feel like I should be doing something. I feel so useless.”
“No one would expect you to do anything at a time like this. Stay here and finish your tea. The police will no doubt want to talk to you at some point.”
We sat in silence for a little while, and then Peter walked in.
“How are you?” I said.
“Not great.”
“Do you want me to give you a lift home?”
“No, it’s okay. I’ve got the car.”
“Are you sure you’re okay to drive?”
“Yeah. I’m a bit shaken, but I’m okay.”
“What did the police have to say?”
“Just what you’d expect. They asked me how I found him, and whether I’d seen or heard anything.”
“And did you?”
“No. Nothing at all. I had absolutely no idea anything was wrong. The colonel always has his breakfast brought to him in the toy room at about eight o’clock. But when Mrs Burnbridge took it to him this morning, he didn’t answer the door.”
“That’s right,” Mrs Burnbridge chipped in. “He always keeps the toy room door locked so as not to be disturbed. When there was no answer, I went upstairs to check if he’d overslept, but he wasn’t in his bedroom. So I came back downstairs and knocked again, but there was still no reply. That’s when I fetched Peter.”
“I knocked too,” Peter said, “And I shouted to him, but he didn’t answer, so I used my key. And there he was—lying on the floor—in a pool of blood.”
Chapter 7
Back at the office, Mrs V was waiting anxiously for news.
As I brought her up to speed with events, I could see the colour drain from her face. She and the colonel had developed quite a rapport in the short time she’d known him.
“How’s Peter taking it?” she said.
“Not good, as you can imagine. He was the one who found him.”
“And the colonel was definitely murdered?”
“It seems that way.”
“But who would want to kill him?”
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out.”
Just then, the outer door opened, and a little head popped around it. It was Gertie. I’d helped her to sort out some of the teething problems she’d been having at her new school after she moved from Candlefield to Washbridge. The last time I’d seen her, she’d made a new friend, and seemed much more positive about living in Washbridge. But as she was here again, I could only assume that meant there was a problem.
“Come in, Gertie.”
She was smiling, so maybe things weren’t so bad after all. As she walked in, I realised she wasn’t alone. Following behind her were Holly and Juniper, the two girls who’d been in on her faked disappearance.
“Hello, girls. Nice to see you all again. Nobody disappeared today, I hope? Why don’t you come through to my office?”
“Would you like a scarf or some socks girls?” Mrs V said, as we passed by her desk.
“Perhaps they could choose some on their way out, Mrs V.”
The three of them made a fuss of Winky, who of course lapped up the attention.
“I like him,” Holly said. “But, why has he only got one eye?”
“He lent the other one to someone,” I quipped.
“Really?”
“Of course not, Holly.” Juniper laughed. “How stupid are you? Jill’s only joking.”
“I knew that.” Holly blushed.
Gertie rolled her eyes. “See what I have to put up with?”
“How are you settling into the human world?” I asked.
“I’m having a great time. I’m really glad I decided to move to Washbridge.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“It’s so easy to make fools of humans using magic. We’re having a lot of fun, aren’t we girls?”
Oh dear. That didn’t sound good.
“We use the ‘illusion’ spell to make people think they’ve seen things. We scared a woman with a snake. Didn’t we Juniper?”
“Yeah. That was so funny!”
“Then we froze a man’s dog. He thought it had turned into a statue. Didn’t he, Holly?”
“Yeah, that was hilarious!”
“Girls, that’s not really what you should be doing. You’ve got to be careful. You can’t let humans know that you’re performing magic.”
“We reversed the spells really quickly. They just thought they’d imagined it. Anyway, we can always use the ‘forget’ spell if we have to.”
“What about school? Is that going okay?”
“Yeah, more or less,” Gertie said.
“More or less? What does that mean?”
“Well, I may have overdone the magic a little.”
“How do you mean, a little?”
“I played a few tricks on the teacher. I used the ‘move’ spell on the board marker just as she was going to pick it up. Then I used the ‘illusion’ spell to make her think there was a rat running around her feet. Then—”
“You’re supposed to keep your magic under wraps.”
“Yeah, but it was so funny.”
“It won’t be funny if a Rogue Retriever takes you back to Candlefield.”
Suddenly, Gertie looked worried.
“They wouldn’t do that, would they?”
“That’s their job. Rogue Retrievers are on the lookout for sups who are abusing their magical powers in the human world. Playing tricks on teachers for no good reason probably falls into that category. Do your parents know?”
“Well, they did get called into school one day because the teacher was convinced that I’d had something to do with moving the board marker. She just couldn’t figure out what.”
“And what did your parents have to say about it?”
“They weren’t very pleased, but I told them you’d said it was okay.”
“What? That’s not what I said!”
“Yes, you did. You said: You’re not allowed to let humans know you’re a witch, but there are still lots of ways to use magic without them finding out.
Had I really said that? I had a horrible feeling that I might have done.
“Is that what you told your parents?”
“Yeah.”
Oh boy. I was in trouble.
***
By the end of the day, I’d gotten precisely nowhere with the colonel’s murder. I needed to speak to Peter again, but this time away from the colonel’s house, so I wouldn’t have to worry about Jack Maxwell overhearing.
As soon as I arrived at Kathy’s, she took the kids upstairs, and left Peter and me to talk.
“The colonel often spent time in his toy room in the mornings,” he said. “He was like a big kid really. He loved those toys. He was particularly excited because he’d just bought a new one.”
“You mean the jack-in-the-box?”
“Yeah. How did you know about that?”
“He brought it into my office a while back, but it was broken.”
“He had it repaired somewhere. I heard it cost him a small fortune. The first I knew something was wrong was when Mrs Burnbridge came to fetch me from the garden. She couldn’t get in to give the colonel his breakfast.”
“Did he usually lock the door?”
“Yeah, I don’t really know why. I think maybe he was a bit embarrassed by his hobby, bu
t also he didn’t like to be disturbed. Mrs Burnbridge took him breakfast at the same time each morning. But today he didn’t answer when she knocked. When I got there, there was no sound from inside the room. I knew something was wrong.”
“Why doesn’t Mrs Burnbridge have a key?”
“She usually does, but the colonel lost his a while back, so he was using hers until he could get another one cut.”
“Was he already dead when you got inside the room?”
“I think so. There was so much blood. It was horrible.”
“What did you do?”
“Like I told the police, it’s all a bit of a blur. I can remember kicking the jack-in-the-box out of the way. He must have been holding it when he was shot. Then I bent over him to check if he was still alive—that’s when I touched the bolt. I’m not sure if I called the police, or if Mrs Burnbridge did. They arrived soon after. Since then I’ve been answering questions. Sorry, Jill, but I need a shower and then I’m going to lie down for a while. I’m shattered.”
“Sure. I understand. You go ahead.”
He disappeared upstairs, and shortly after, Kathy came into the kitchen followed by Lizzie.
“Pete will be okay,” she said. “It’s just the shock.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Auntie Jill.” Lizzie tugged at my arm. “When am I going to go to work with you for the day?”
“Err—soon, Lizzie. I’ve just got one or two things to sort out first.”
“Because some of the other kids have already done it.”
“Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten you. I’ll clear a day, and we’ll arrange something.”
Mikey walked in and began to bang his drum.
“Mikey, not today!” Kathy shouted.
“But, Mum, I’m getting really good—”
“I said, not today. Put it away in your bedroom now.”
Mikey pulled a sulky face, and headed upstairs to his bedroom.
“Oh, by the way,” I said. “Has any of your jewellery or other items gone missing?”
“Not that I’m aware of. Why?”
“I heard that several people with children at the same school as yours have had jewellery stolen.”
“It’s funny you should mention that, because a few mothers did say they’d had jewellery go missing, but I’m not sure if they bothered to report it. It was just the odd bracelet or a pair of earrings. They more or less decided they must have misplaced them.”
“Do they still have that rat at school?”
“Since when do you care about the rat?”
“I just thought it was unusual for a school to keep a rat, that’s all.”
“As far as I know, they do.”
What’s this all about, Jill?”
“Nothing. Just making conversation.”
Note to self: let Daze know that she’ll find her rogue shifter at Mikey and Lizzie’s school.
***
I had thought Betty Longbottom was a pleasant young woman. A bit boring maybe, but then she was a tax inspector. But I’d been wrong. She was dangerous; downright dangerous. Just because she’d seen me with Luther, she’d put a jellyfish outside my front door!
If she thought I was going to speak to her after that, she could think again. I would just walk straight past her.
“Jill, do you have a minute?”
“I’m rather busy at the moment, Betty.”
“Jill, please. Could I just have a word? I’m really, really sorry about what I did. I don’t know what came over me. I think it was the green-eyed monster. I can’t think why else I would have done something so horrible.”
“It’s not like you have anything to be jealous about, Betty. Luther and I aren’t seeing each other.” Not yet anyway. Maybe soon, but I didn’t need to tell her that.
“I know. It’s just that—well, I had thought maybe I had a chance with him. Then, when I saw you with him, I realised that he didn’t like me after all. I just lost the plot, but I should never have done it. Are you okay?”
“The sting was really painful.”
“I know. I feel terrible. Please let me make it up to you.”
“That’s really not necessary.”
“Please, I want to. I’d like to give you a little present.”
“Don’t be silly. You don’t need to do that.”
“Please, Jill. It would make me feel so much better if you allowed me to.”
“Well, okay then.”
“That’s great. Come with me, I’ve actually got something for you already.”
“You have?”
“I’ve got a selection of things actually. I thought maybe you could pick your own present.”
Now I was confused. Did she have a present for me or not? What was going on? I was curious enough to follow her. Once inside her flat, we headed to the spare bedroom. Holy moly, it was like an Aladdin’s cave! The room was piled high with all manner of expensive perfumes, designer handbags, designer shoes and jewellery. It must have been worth a small fortune!
“Where did all this come from, Betty?”
“I love to shop, but I often end up buying things which I don’t really need. Everything in here is brand new. I’m not trying to fob you off with my cast-offs. Would you like a handbag?”
“No, I’m okay for handbags, thanks.”
“Some shoes, then?”
I glanced at her clodhopper feet. “I don’t think you and I are the same size.”
“What about some jewellery?”
“I couldn’t possibly accept jewellery. Maybe some perfume though, if that’s okay?”
“Yes, of course. Help yourself. I have lots to choose from.”
She was right. She had a bigger selection than most of the shops in town. I picked one of the more expensive ones.
“I really am sorry, Jill. Have you forgiven me?”
“Yes, of course. We all do stupid things from time to time.” Me more than most.
At least I’d got a bottle of perfume out of the deal. A really nice one too. Maybe Luther would like it.
When I got back to my flat, my mother’s ghost appeared. She wasn’t alone.
“Hi, Alberto.”
“Good to see you, Jill. Long time, no see.”
“You too. How are you?”
“Okay thanks.”
Apart from the small matter of being dead, obviously.
“Did you come for some custard creams, Mum?”
She blushed under Alberto’s glare. Oh dear, I might have just dropped her in it. Snigger.
“Of course not. You know I don’t eat those any more, Jill.” She stared pointedly at me. “I’ve cut them out completely, haven’t I, Alberto?”
“I thought you had.”
“Anyway, that’s not why we’re here,” my mother said, desperately trying to change the subject. “We have some news. Alberto and I have decided to take a belated honeymoon.”
“Really? That’s nice. Where are you going?”
“We’ve decided on a cruise.”
“Is that possible? For ghosts I mean?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Won’t it be expensive?”
“Not for ghosts, no.”
I must have looked a little puzzled because she went on to explain. “We don’t need to buy tickets. We can just glide on board the ship.”
“So, you’ll be stowaways?”
“I’m not sure I’d use the term stowaway.”
“What would you call yourselves?”
“VIP passengers.” She laughed. “We’ll be staying in one of the better suites.”
“What about the people who’ve already paid for that accommodation?”
“They won’t mind. They won’t even know we’re there. They might think the room is a little cold, and we’ll have to be careful not to knock things over, but other than that, they won’t be any the wiser. I’m just a little worried about leaving you here alone. I’m normally close by, so if you have any problems,
I can get to you quickly.”
“Can’t ghosts just travel through the ether?” I said.
“What’s the ether?”
“I’ve no idea. It’s just something I’ve heard people say. I assumed that ghosts could move around at the speed of light.”
“It’s not as simple as that. Normally, we can move around fairly quickly, but not when we have to travel over water.”
“Why’s that?”
“Water and ghosts?” she said. “Not a good mix. Once we’re on the ship, it’ll be more difficult to get back.”
“Don’t worry about me. I can look after myself. I’m a level three witch now remember.”
“I know, but there are still evil powers with their eyes on you. You know that you can always call on your Aunt Lucy or Grandma, don’t you?”
“Of course. Don’t worry about me. Go and enjoy your honeymoon.”
“If there was some kind of dire emergency,” my mother said. “There are ways in which I could get back quicker, even with the water. But it’s a bit complicated, and it would need you to have a word with your friend, Madeline.”
“With Mad? How could she help?”
“You know what she does, I take it?”
“I know she’s doing similar work to a Rogue Retriever. Bringing back rogue ghosts from the human world.”
“That’s right. But she also has an ‘in’ with the people in authority in Ghost Town, and if there was an emergency, she could speak to someone to arrange special transport for Alberto and me.”
“I’m sure that won’t be necessary.”
“You’re probably right. But I just wanted you to know that if the worst came to the worst, you do have that option. If there is a problem, talk to Madeline.”
“Okay. When are you going?”
“Straight away. The ship sets sail later tonight.”
“Well, have a lovely honeymoon.”
“We will. We’ll bring you back a present.”
Chapter 8
When I arrived at the office the next morning, Mrs V was still suffering from SWS (Shredder Withdrawal Symptoms). She was staring longingly into the empty corner of the room where the shredder had been.
“Are you okay, Mrs V?”
“I will be, in time. It might take me a while to get over it.”
