by Adele Abbott
“Not if I have anything to do with it, but the final decision isn’t mine. There’s someone else I need to talk to.”
“What about the candle? Do you want to take it back with you?”
“Yes, please.”
“What should I do?”
“You sit tight until I return.”
“I really am sorry about all of this.”
“I know. Try not to worry too much. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Chapter 20
When I returned to the pixie king’s palace, Chambers looked surprised to see me.
“Jill? Did you forget something?”
“No. I need to see the king again.”
“He always takes a nap at this time of day, and he doesn’t like to be disturbed.”
“I don’t think he’ll mind this once.” I took the Forever Candle out of my bag.
“You’ve found it already?”
“Do you think the king will see me now?”
“I’m sure he will. Please wait there for a moment.”
Not long after Chambers had gone through to the stateroom, I heard the king bellow something, but then a few moments later, Chambers reappeared, and beckoned for me to go inside.
“Can this really be true?” The king looked half asleep.
“This belongs to you, I believe.” I handed the candle to him.
“I’d heard you were good, but I had no idea you were this good. How did you manage to find it so quickly?”
“I’d like to claim it was down to brilliant detective work on my part, but the truth is it was pure luck.”
“Who stole it? I’ll have them locked up for a very long time.”
“I’d like to discuss that with you, if you can spare a few minutes?”
“Why don’t we talk about it over tea and cakes?”
Now there was a good idea, if ever I’d heard one.
The king listened intently as I told him all about the Candle Sands lighthouse and Duncan O’Nuts’ efforts to keep the light burning. I made sure to emphasise that Duncan had not planned the robbery, but had acted on impulse and out of desperation. I concluded by saying that I hoped the king would be able to see his way clear to showing clemency.
“I went to Candle Sands once as a young boy,” the king said. “I remember being fascinated by the lighthouse. I’m appalled to learn that the current lighthouse keeper is having to fundraise just to keep the light on.”
“Will you prosecute him?”
“Of course not. The man is a hero. What I will do, though, is to ensure that he never has to resort to fundraising again. From now on, he will be provided with enough candles every month to keep the light burning. Free of charge, obviously. I’ll get Chambers on to it as soon as you leave.”
“That is very generous, your majesty.”
“Don’t you mean, Top Dollop?”
***
After leaving the palace, I checked my phone, and found I had two messages. The first was from Aunt Lucy, to inform me the twins were now at her house. The other one was from Daze; she’d tried to ring me, and wanted me to call her back.
“Daze? I’m sorry that I couldn’t take your call before. I was at the pixie king’s palace.”
“Really?” She laughed. “The circles you move in nowadays.”
“It’s a case I’m working on. Have you got something for me?”
“I got a match on the photo. His name is Michael Finn. He has a number of convictions for committing fraud in the human world. His favourite scam was to sell dog-shifters—passing them off as cute puppies. He worked with two accomplices: Denny and Benny Loggins. The Loggins brothers are two of the most accomplished shifters in the business—they’re able to fool humans and sups alike.”
“They certainly had us fooled.”
“The two of them would wait until their new ‘owners’ were asleep in bed, and then help themselves to jewellery, before doing a runner. Michael got to keep the cash that had been paid for the puppies; Denny and Benny kept the proceeds from the sale of the stolen valuables. They always targeted day-trippers at various seaside resorts—that way, when the puppies ‘disappeared’, the distraught owners only ever thought to search their local area. Meanwhile, the shifters made their way back to the seaside to re-join Michael. Often the jewellery theft wasn’t noticed until sometime later.”
“How did they get caught?”
“One of my colleagues cottoned on to their little scam, and they were locked away for five years here in Candlefield. According to the database, the three of them were recently released, but they’re no longer permitted to travel to the human world.”
“I think they’ve revived their routine, but are now operating here in the sup world. The twins bought two puppies last week, but both dogs disappeared over the weekend.”
“Has any of their jewellery gone missing?”
“They didn’t mention it.”
“Get them to double-check. I’ll have a word with Maxine Jewell. I think it’s time she and her people paid Messrs Finn, Loggins and Loggins a visit. Thanks for the tip-off, Jill.”
***
I really wasn’t looking forward to this.
“How are the girls?” I asked Aunt Lucy.
“Not great. They’re in the lounge.”
Amber and Pearl were seated on the sofa; they both had red, puffy eyes.
“You have to find Tommy,” Pearl pleaded.
“And Timmy,” Amber said. “The poor little thing must be terrified.”
“I’m afraid I have bad news for you about the puppies.”
“Oh no!” Amber cried. “They’re not dead, are they?”
“Tommy and Timmy are actually Denny and Benny. They’re not puppies; they’re dog-shifters.”
“That can’t be right!” Amber shook her head. “You must have made a mistake.”
“We would have known,” Pearl insisted.
“I’m afraid it’s true. The three of them: Benny, Denny, and the wizard, Michael, have been running this same con for several years. They used to run it in the human world until they were arrested by the rogue retrievers. They’ve recently been released from jail, and have obviously decided to target sups this time. I’m really sorry, girls.”
“You mean to tell me that when I was cuddling Timmy, I was really cuddling some horrible man?” Amber shuddered at the memory.
“I’m afraid so.”
“That’s gross! I let him lick me on the face.”
“I’m afraid I have more bad news. The puppies usually steal jewellery from their owner’s houses before they do a runner. You’d better get back home and check if anything is missing.”
“That’s just great!” Pearl was no longer upset; she was angry.
“Maxine Jewell should already be on her way to arrest them, so there’s a chance they won’t have fenced any of your jewellery yet. I’m really sorry to be the bearer of such bad news.”
“It isn’t your fault, Jill,” Amber said. “How did you work it out?”
“I had to make another visit to the lighthouse. While I was there, I spotted the wizard on the beach. He had the performing dog with him, and the cage with two cute puppies in it. Puppies that looked identical to those you took home.”
“I’ll murder them if I ever get my hands on them,” Pearl grumbled, as she and Amber headed out the door.
“Poor girls,” Aunt Lucy said. “They were so fond of those puppies. How did you get on at the pixie king’s palace?”
“Very well. Case sorted.”
“That was quick! It sounds like you deserve a muffin.”
“Normally, I’d snatch your hand off, but I’m full to bursting with pixie cakes.”
***
“Jill!” Kathy called to me as I hurried through Ever.
“Sorry, can’t stop. Grandma is expecting me, and I’m already late.”
“Okay. I’ll catch you on your way out.”
“You said you’d be here first thing this afternoon.” Grandma
put down her cocktail, and then tapped her watch. “It’s almost midnight.”
“It’s just gone two. I’m sorry, but I’ve been run off my feet all day.”
“Don’t give me your sob stories. I have enough of my own. According to your sister and her buddies out there, I need to hire more staff. The youngsters of today just can’t handle hard work.”
“You could always go out there and help them.”
“And who would do the strategizing then?”
“Does the cocktail help with that?”
She ignored the jibe, and took a tiny bottle from the top drawer of her desk. “Be careful with this. Don’t drop it, whatever you do.”
“Don’t worry.” I slipped it into my pocket. “I’ll be careful.”
“How are you going to make sure Chivers drinks it?”
“Let me worry about that. What happens after she does?”
“I mixed a ‘bounce-back’ spell in with the potion.”
“What does that do?”
“When she tries to activate the ‘mind control’ spell, it will trigger the bounce-back, and—err—well, that would be telling.”
“Come on, Grandma. Tell me.”
“No. You’ll just have to wait. It will be worth it, though. I promise.”
“That was a quick visit,” Kathy caught me on the way out.
“I hear you’ve asked Grandma for more staff.”
“Dead right, we have. This is the first time it’s been quiet all day. My feet are killing me. I wish I had your job; you get to do what you want, when you want.”
“Oh yeah. My job’s a breeze.”
“What’s all this I hear about locusts?”
“Locusts?”
“Your grandmother said that your office had been infested by them?”
“That’s ridiculous.” I laughed. “She must have misheard or misunderstood. What I actually said was—err—that we had been tested for—err—low cuss.”
“What’s cuss?”
“It’s kind of a Zen thing. Cuss is good energy, so you need high levels of it. I wanted to make sure that our cuss levels weren’t low, so I had it tested. I told Grandma we’d been tested for low Cuss. She must have thought I said we’d been infested by locusts. It’s an easy mistake to make.”
By now, Kathy looked thoroughly confused.
“Sorry, I really do have to run.”
***
Although I’d told Grandma that there would be no problem administering the potion to Ma Chivers, I didn’t actually feel as confident as I’d made out. The truth was, I was simply playing a hunch. I’d seen Ma Chivers send Cyril out for coffee from Coffee Triangle, and I’d heard her say that she needed her caffeine infusion at hourly intervals.
“You’re Jill Gooder, aren’t you?” the barista said.
“That’s right.”
“I thought so. You won the ‘guess how many marbles are in the jar’ competition.”
“I did.”
“We were supposed to take a photograph of the winner, to put in the paper.”
“You can take one now, if you like.”
“The bosses want a photo of you with your prize. With the giant triangle.”
“It’s at home. You can hardly expect me to bring it all the way back here just so you can take a photograph.”
“Of course not. Someone could come out to your house, and take a photo there.”
“Err—yeah. That sounds great. Why don’t I give you a call later to arrange something?”
“Okay, thanks.”
Don’t hold your breath.
I found a seat close to the entrance, so I could keep a lookout for Cyril. After no more than thirty minutes, he came through the door. I waited until he was at the counter, then went over to stand behind him.
“Yes sir?” the barista said. “What can I get for you?”
“Flat white, please. Large.”
“Hello, Cyril.” I tapped him on the shoulder.
He spun around. “What do you want?”
“Yuk!” I pulled a face.
“What’s up?”
“You’ve got something stuck between your two front teeth. Yuk, it looks horrible.”
“Where?” He poked his teeth with his finger. “Has it gone?”
“No. Oh dear, it looks quite revolting.”
He pushed past me, and headed to the toilet. As soon as he was out of sight, I grabbed his coffee, removed the lid, poured in the potion, and then replaced the lid.
“There’s nothing there!” Cyril spat the words. “You want to watch who you mess with.”
“Sorry.” I held up my hands in mock surrender. “My bad.”
Mission accomplished.
My phone rang; it was the colonel.
“Jill, I’ve just found out that Murray Murray will be out tomorrow afternoon. Is that any good to you?”
“I think so. I’ll get in touch with Hauntings Unlimited to see if I can get them to pay me a visit then. I’ll drop you a text later to confirm.”
“No problem, Jill. Always happy to help.”
Chapter 21
The next morning, I was up at the crack of dawn because I’d arranged to meet Lules and two of her work colleagues at the black pudding factory.
To my surprise, Jack was already up. He’d made breakfast for me—a full English, no less. There was a table cloth on the kitchen table—something we never did in the morning. In the centre of the table was a small vase with a single red rose in it. Next to my plate was a card and a small gift-wrapped present, tied with a pretty, pink bow.
Was it my birthday? No, that was ages yet. Christmas? Of course not. I might still be only half awake, but I would have remembered if it was Christmas day.
“Happy anniversary!” He gave me a peck on the cheek.
“Anniversary?”
“It’s two years since we first met. You’ve forgotten, haven’t you?”
“Don’t be silly. Of course not. How could you even think such a thing?”
I cast the ‘sleep’ spell, steered him down onto the chair, and then gently lowered his head so it was resting on the table.
Quick, Jill, think! Where would be open at this time of the morning? The corner shop was open all hours, but they wouldn’t have anything suitable. Unless—? No, a bucket didn’t really fit the bill. Where else was open?
Then I remembered the large hypermarket, Sell-it-All, on the outskirts of Washbridge. Normally, I hated that place because it was always so busy, but surely not at seven o’clock in the morning. I rushed upstairs, showered, and got dressed. Then I magicked myself over to the store. I made sure that I landed around the back so as not to scare any early morning shoppers.
Thirty minutes later, I was back at the kitchen table. Once I’d managed to catch my breath, I reversed the ‘sleep’ spell.
“I’ll just go and get your card and present,” I said.
“Huh?” Jack looked a little disorientated, and more than a little surprised when I produced a card and gift from the cupboard beside the sink.
“Happy anniversary.” I gave him a kiss.
“I went in that cupboard earlier,” he said. “I didn’t see those.”
“That’s because you’re half asleep. Are you going to open your present?”
“Err—yeah.” He tore off the paper that I’d wrapped it in only a few minutes earlier. “A bowling shirt?”
“I wasn’t sure whether to go for the red or the orange.”
“This one is great. I love orange. Thanks.” He looked at me, shook his head, and seemed even more confused.
“What’s wrong?”
“When did you get dressed?”
“What do you mean?”
“When you came downstairs, you were still in your PJs.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“I was so sure.”
“What did you get me?” I picked up the present, and tore it open. “This is gorgeous. Thank you.”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it.” I slipped the bracelet onto my wrist. “Give me a kiss. Happy anniversary, Jack.”
“Happy anniversary, Jill. I guess this means that Kathy owes me a fiver.”
“How come?”
“She bet that you’d forget our anniversary.”
“How could she ever think that? Just wait until I see her.”
Snigger.
***
It was the first time I’d ever seen the black pudding factory, which was aptly named Black’s Black Puddings. As arranged, Lules was waiting outside the gates; there were two other young women with her.
“This is Jill,” Lules said. “I told you all about her.”
“Hi, I’m Shelley.”
“And I’m Shirley.”
“Pleased to meet you both. I assume Lules has told you what this is about?”
“Yeah, I did,” Lules said. “Shell and Shirl are friends with Jasmine and Carmen, aren’t you, girls?”
“It’s horrible what’s happened to them,” Shirley said.
“Scary too,” Shelley chipped in. “Do you think it has something to do with the factory? I’m considering handing my notice in.”
“A lot of the girls are thinking of leaving,” Lules said. “This is scary stuff.”
“I wouldn’t do anything rash,” I cautioned. “I don’t think it’s connected to the factory because I know of three cases in total, and one of them is someone who has no connection to this place.”
“That’s a relief,” Shelley said.
“Not for poor Jasmine and Carmen!” Shirley snapped.
“That’s not what I meant! You know I didn’t mean that.”
I didn’t want this to descend into an argument, so I stepped in. “Before this happened, had either Jasmine or Carmen complained of feeling ill?”
All three women shook their heads.
“They were both as right as rain,” Lules said. “Jasmine was stoked because she’d just started seeing someone.”
“Billy?”
“Yeah. Have you met him? He’s a sweet guy, despite the way he looks.”
