by Adele Abbott
When Daze dropped me off at my flat, I asked how much I owed. I’d expected her to refuse payment, but she actually charged me the full fare. That woman took all of her jobs ultra-seriously.
Once I was back in my flat, I got changed and then stared at my reflection in the mirror.
“Okay, you can’t carry on like this. This man wants you dead, and if you don’t stop him, that’s what’s going to happen. So what are you going to do about it?”
Chapter 21
The next morning, I felt remarkably well considering someone had tried to kill me the previous day. If nothing else, the incident had helped to focus my mind. I’d let this carry on for too long. Enough was enough. Game on. We’d see who came out on top.
“Morning, Mrs V. How’s things?” I didn’t see any reason to mention my close call. There was no point in worrying her.
“There’s a lot of noise coming from in there.” She gestured to my office.
“What kind of noise?”
“Cat noise. But more cat noise than usual. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he’d got another cat in there with him.”
“Have you been in to have a look?”
“No, I’m keeping my distance. If I go in there, he’ll only start meowing at me to be fed. I knew you’d be in soon, so I thought you could see to him.”
“What’s that you’re knitting?”
“It’s a scarf-plus.”
“A scarf plus what?”
“It’s quite an exciting innovation. It’s like a normal scarf, but on either end there’s a sort of pocket. That way it doubles as mittens.”
“Oh, I see. So it’s a scarf with mittens on the ends?”
“Exactly.”
“And are they popular?”
“Oh yes, dear. Very. Particularly among my older acquaintances. Hands can get very cold when you get older, you know.”
“Right. Well, I’d better go and see what Winky’s up to.”
Mrs V was right. There was more than one cat in my office.
“Bella?”
The feline supermodel nodded regally, but didn’t speak. I shot Winky a puzzled look.
“I didn’t think you’d be in this early,” he said. “We’ve still got a lot to do.”
“A lot of what to do?”
“The people who’ve licensed the mini-Winky soft toy have come up with a brilliant suggestion. They think that it will sell better if there’s a ‘him’ and ‘her’ version.”
“Like Barbie and Ben?”
“You mean Ken.”
“Whatever.”
“Anyway, I immediately thought of Bella. Who better to be my soft toy partner?”
“Who indeed? So what exactly are you doing today?”
“I have to come up with a design which the company can work from. I’m going to take a few photos of Bella, which I’ll send to them. I’m afraid you won’t be able to use your computer this morning.”
“What if I have work to do?”
“You never have any work to do. When was the last time you had a case?”
“I nearly had one yesterday.”
“And what happened to that? Did it blow up in your face?”
So not funny. I slammed the door shut on my way out.
***
I’d been banished from my own office again, and was just wondering what I should do with myself when I got a phone call out of the blue from Aunt Lucy. She sounded rather intense.
“Jill? Can you come to Candlefield straight away?”
“Yeah, sure. What’s the problem? Is something wrong?”
“No, just get here as quick as you can, please. Come to my house.”
“But Aunt Lucy—”
“Please hurry.”
What could have happened? Had TDO struck again? Surely Aunt Lucy would have said if someone was hurt? I magicked myself over to Candlefield, and arrived outside Aunt Lucy’s house. As soon as I stepped inside, I heard voices coming from the dining room. The tone was very serious, and there was a lot of shouting. When I pushed open the door, there, around the table, sat Aunt Lucy, my mother, who I thought was on a cruise somewhere, Grandma, Daze, and Mad. What on earth was going on? Something serious must have happened to get this crowd together in the same room. It was like some kind of council of war. Grandma didn’t have a lot of time for Daze, and I had absolutely no idea why Mad was there.
“Sit down, Jill,” Grandma said.
It wasn’t so much a request as an order. I did as I was told.
“What’s happened?” I said. “Is everyone okay?”
“Yes, everyone’s all right.” Grandma nodded. “We heard about what happened to you yesterday.”
I glanced accusingly at Daze. She shrugged.
“Don’t blame Daisy,” Grandma said.
If anyone but Grandma had called Daze, ‘Daisy’, she would have pulled their head off, and hit them with it.
“TDO is stepping up his game, and we have to do the same. That’s why I told everyone to come here today.”
I glanced at Mad.
“You know Madeline, don’t you?” Grandma said.
“Yeah. We went to school together. I’m just surprised to see her here.”
“She’s one of very few humans who can travel to Candlefield. Parahumans like Madeline can see and talk to ghosts.”
“Yeah, but I still don’t understand what this is all about.”
“There’s been some very disturbing news.”
“What news?”
“We have no confirmation yet, but the word is that TDO is about to form an alliance with Destro.”
“Destro?” I’d never heard that name before. Was he another evil sup?
“No.” Grandma had read my thoughts. “He’s not a sup. He’s a ghost. Ghost Town has its fair share of power-mad, evil characters just like Candlefield does, but usually there’s no interaction between the two places. The sups keep themselves to themselves, and the ghosts do the same. But the word is that Destro, who is looking to expand his power base, and TDO, who is always looking to do the same, are about to form some kind of evil alliance.”
“What does that mean for us?”
“We don’t know. We don’t even know if it’s true. But if it is, then things could become very difficult. And particularly for those who are seen as enemies of TDO.”
Everyone looked at me.
“So you think this Destro character could come after me too?” I gulped.
“It’s possible,” Mad said. “I’m fairly new to this, but all the intel I have confirms that Destro has a long reach into the human world. Naturally, I’ll keep my ear to the ground, and pass on any information I have.”
“So what can I do?” I said.
“We want you to move to Candlefield until this is resolved,” Grandma said.
“Resolved how?”
“By getting rid of TDO, and if necessary, Destro too.”
“You’ve been trying to do that for ages, but no one has succeeded. What makes you think you can do it now?”
“That’s not the point. You’re in far more danger in Washbridge than you would be here.”
“I’m not moving out of Washbridge. I’ve told you that before.”
“You’re so stubborn.” Grandma thumped the table.
“I wonder where I get it from.” I thumped the table right back at her. “I’ve been saying for ages that we should go after TDO, but whenever I raise the subject, you tell me that it’s nothing to do with me, and that I should leave it for others to deal with. But I don’t see anyone else doing anything.”
Grandma stood up. She was livid. The wart on the end of her nose was glowing red. I thought she was going to turn me into something unspeakable.
“You are the most exasperating person I have ever encountered,” she yelled.
“Thanks. I’ll take that as a compliment.”
***
I felt shell-shocked after the meeting had ended. I didn’t want to stick around because I needed time to
work things out in my own head. Back at my flat, I hadn’t even had time to get changed when I sensed that my mother was in the room.
“Jill? You rushed off before I could speak to you.”
“Sorry. I needed to get out of there. Grandma was doing my head in. Besides, I’ve had a funny couple of days.”
“So I hear. Mad contacted me. She told me about the explosion, and that you were okay. I only just made it back in time for the meeting.”
“Where’s Alberto?”
“He came back with me. What do you make of what’s just been said?”
“It’s hard for me to take it all in. I mean, I don’t know anything about this Destro character. I don’t really know much about TDO. Nobody seems to. That’s the problem. We don’t know who we’re dealing with.”
“Everyone’s focused on it now.”
“Yeah, but is anything actually going to happen this time? We have to take the fight to TDO.”
“You must promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”
“I promise.”
I hoped she didn’t notice my fingers were crossed behind my back.
***
My mother had no sooner disappeared than Hilary at Love Spell rang to tell me she had come up with what she’d described as the ideal man for me. Well, let’s face it, it was time I found someone who I could have a serious relationship with, rather than drifting back and forth between Jack and Drake.
Moments later, she emailed over his details. His name was James Keeper, and if his photo was accurate, he was hot with a capital ‘H’. He apparently had a very high IQ—just like me. What do you mean? I’ll have you know I took a MENSA test. No, I’m not sharing the results—let’s just say they were better than I’d expected.
The only thing missing from his profile was what he did for a living. When I called Hilary back, she said it must have somehow been missed. It didn’t really matter because everything else about him sounded great. I told her to go ahead and arrange a date, and twenty minutes later she confirmed that she’d set it up for the following night. We were going to meet for drinks. That way, if everything went okay, we could arrange to meet again, but if it was a disaster, I would only have wasted a couple of hours of my time.
Chapter 22
The next morning when I walked into the office, Mrs V didn’t even notice me. She was too busy staring at the corner of the room. I followed her gaze, and there in the corner where the shredder had once been, was a life-size cardboard cut-out. Of a shredding machine!
“What’s that?”
“I hope you don’t mind, dear, I rang the people who make the machines, and asked if they had any old marketing props that they no longer needed. They were kind enough to let me have this.”
“But why?”
“You know how it is with an addiction. It’s like a smoker who’s trying to give up. They have those toy cigarette things that they hold in their hands to help them get over the craving. Since the shredder was taken away, I’ve been getting withdrawal symptoms. Cold sweats and shakiness. Do you know what I mean?”
“Not really. It was just a shredding machine.”
“Maybe to you, dear, but to me it was so much more. I’d grown attached to that machine. The sound. The smell. The look.”
Maybe it really was time for Mrs V to retire. Her marble count was diminishing rapidly.
“So, you got yourself a cardboard cut-out?”
“Exactly, dear. Now, whenever I get a craving, I can just glance over into the corner, and see the cardboard shredding machine. That seems to soothe my nerves and keep me going. You won’t throw it out, will you?”
It was harmless enough, I supposed. Totally and utterly bonkers, but perfectly harmless.
“If it helps you, Mrs V, then by all means keep it.”
“That’s very understanding of you, dear.”
I was just about to go through to my office when she called me back.
“Jill, I almost forgot to tell you. You’ll never guess what happened.”
In my world, that could be literally anything.
“The Everlasting Wool ran out.”
“What? I thought the whole point of Everlasting Wool was that it lasted forever?”
“That’s what’s supposed to happen, dear. But yesterday afternoon while you were out, I was halfway through a scarf-plus when suddenly I ran out of wool. I couldn’t believe it. It’d been so long since I had to get a new ball of wool that it took me a few seconds to realise what had happened.”
“So what went wrong?”
“I don’t know. I rang the Everlasting Wool helpline.”
“There’s a helpline?” I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was. “What did they have to say?”
“It was Kathy who answered. Your sister seems to be manning the helpline.”
“Really?”
“Yes, she sounded very flustered when I spoke to her. Apparently, it’s happened to a few people. She did promise to call me back but, well, I’m still waiting. And I’m having to use conventional wool.”
“I’ll give her a call to see if I can find out what’s happening.”
“What?” Kathy almost bit my head off. “I’m busy, Jill. I’m manning the Everlasting Wool helpline, and the phone never stops ringing.”
“Actually, that’s why I’m calling. Mrs V mentioned she’d called you, but that you haven’t got back to her yet.”
“I haven’t called anyone back. I’ve logged dozens of complaints, but I have nothing to tell them at the moment. I don’t know how Everlasting Wool is meant to work, or why it’s stopped working. Only your grandmother knows.”
“What does she have to say about it?”
“Nothing yet. I’ve been trying to track her down all day, but she seems to have disappeared off the face of the planet. She hasn’t been in the shop, and she doesn’t answer her phone. She’s left muggins here to face all the angry customers. Can you get hold of her?”
“I can try.”
“Please, Jill. Tell her what’s happened. Tell her it’s an emergency—an Everlasting Wool emergency. And if she doesn’t sort something out soon, I’m going to walk out.”
“Okay. I’ll see what I can do.”
***
It was one thing after another. Surely nothing else could possibly go wrong?
“Winky, what are you doing?”
“What does it look like?”
He appeared to be packing his belongings into a small suitcase: his little flags, his remote control helicopter, and his collection of eye patches.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m leaving.”
“What do you mean, you’re leaving? You’re my cat.”
“We’ve been through this already. I’m not your cat. You’re my human. But now, I’ve had a better offer, so I’m moving out.”
“You can’t just leave.”
“Watch me.”
“Where are you going to live?”
“The people in the flat next door to Bella lost their old cat a while ago, and they happened to mention to Bella’s owner that they were looking for a replacement.”
“You wouldn’t leave me, would you?”
“They’ve made me a much better offer: salmon four days a week, full cream milk on demand, and all the toys I could want. Plus, my own account on the computer.”
“I take it they’re not humans?”
“Of course not. It’s a wizard and a witch. Both of them are cat lovers.”
“Come on, Winky. We’ve been together for so long. Surely you wouldn’t throw it all away. What about me? I’ll be all alone.”
“Cry me a river. I’m leaving in the morning.”
“Well, if that’s how you feel, go! See if I care. Good riddance.”
***
There was no trace of Grandma. I’d checked with Aunt Lucy and the twins. Nobody had seen or heard from her since the council of war. What was she doing? Did she know there was a problem with Everlasting Wool? Was she hi
ding deliberately, or was something more sinister afoot?
My phone rang. It was Kathy, and she sounded frantic.
“Have you found your grandmother yet?”
“No, I don’t know where she is.”
“You’ve got to find her. The helpline for Everlasting Wool is ringing off the hook. Every time I put the phone down, it rings again! Dozens and dozens of people are complaining that their Everlasting Wool has run out, and I don’t know what to tell them!”
“Kathy, calm down!”
“How can I calm down when everybody’s screaming at me? I’m expecting them to start coming into the shop any minute now to complain. You need to find your grandmother!”
“Okay. Okay. I’ll find her.”
“And get back to me as soon as you can. Let me know what’s happening.”
“I will. I promise.”
Only then did it occur to me that in all the time I’d been visiting Candlefield, I’d never once set foot inside Grandma’s house, and yet it was the obvious place to look for her. I magicked myself to Aunt Lucy’s back garden, and then made my way through to Grandma’s. First, I checked the back window, but couldn’t see anyone inside. Next, I went around to the front of the house, and knocked on the door. There was no reply, but I was sure I could hear someone inside the house. Was Grandma in there? Maybe she was ill? On an impulse, I tried the door, and to my surprise, it opened.
There was a voice coming from upstairs. It sounded like Grandma. I considered calling out to her, but then thought better of it. Instead, I made my way slowly up the stairs, trying not to make a sound. When I was almost at the top, one of the stairs creaked. I froze for a moment, expecting her to appear on the landing, but there was no sign of her.
She was talking to someone. But who? I followed her voice to a door, which was open just wide enough for me to see inside. Grandma was sitting on a chair, in semi-darkness, with her back to the door. There was no one else in the room as far as I could see. She appeared to be chuntering away to herself.
