“There you are.” Tabitha addressed Tim. “There, see. Absolutely nothing to worry about.” She looked at Scarlett and lowered her voice. “He was worried about you. Thought you might have wandered off.”
Scarlett put her arms around Tim. “That’s sweet of you, thank you very much. Everything set with Vixen?” she asked, nodding to Tabitha.
“Bound up good and tight, she won’t be escaping custody any time soon.”
Tim grunted and led them through the car park, back to the door, where the others were waiting. They were conversing about Tim’s performance.
“Oh, here he is, the man himself,” Tarquin said, slapping Tim on the back.
Tabitha chuckled. “Yes, and the way he made them worried about the consequences of getting the wrong person. That’s what got me.”
Tim laughed. “Oh, it was nothing. Not really. Not when you’ve been around the block as many times as I have.”
Tabitha looked him right in the eye. “Well, that may be, but it doesn’t change the fact that we couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Well, you played a major part too, Tabitha.”
“Thank you.” Her eyes lit up. “Say, why don’t we continue this conversation somewhere else? I’m getting a chill out here.”
They all nodded and agreed it sounded like a great idea.
Tarquin smiled at her. “Where did you have in mind, exactly?”
“Don’t know. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. What about a pub somewhere?”
Scarlett piped up. “What about the White Hart? It shouldn’t be all that busy, not until later, anyway. But we’re not planning on staying there till closing time are we?”
Tarquin stepped forward. “The White Hart sounds good, Scarlett, but I have another option.”
“Where?” They all said as one.
“My bookshop.”
Tabitha grinned. “Sounds absolutely perfect. Well, that’s settled then, Tarquin’s it is.”
Cliff though, had other ideas. “No, we can’t go to Tarquin’s can we?”
A veil of tiredness descended over Tabitha. “Why ever not?”
“We can’t go there, because the booze is pitiful. I’m sorry Tarquin, but it really is.”
“Well, maybe the bookshop isn’t the best place after all,” said Tabitha. “Come think of it, maybe we should go somewhere further afield. Somewhere a bit more secluded, where the cops aren’t going to suddenly appear unannounced.”
Tarquin looked puzzled. “Sounds like a good idea in theory. But, is there such a place in Bicester?”
“Yes! Why don’t we all go back to my place for a quick nightcap?”
Cliff grinned and slapped Tarquin on the shoulder. “Sounds like a great idea to me, how about it, Tarquin?”
Tarquin nodded. “Tabitha’s it is then, folks.”
Tabitha beamed at all of them. “Come on then, what are we all waiting for?”
Scarlett glanced up at Tim, who smiled at her and said, “Come on, step this way. You can come with me if you like.”
She took two steps forward then looked over her shoulder to see the others disappearing into their cars. She imagined herself sitting by the fire, glass of wine in hand, conversing and laughing with her friends. Why had she ever even considered leaving Bicester to seek her fortune elsewhere?
Tim fastened his seatbelt, looked across and saw Scarlett staring through the window. “What are you thinking about?” he said, tapping her on the shoulder.
“Oh, you know, nothing really. Just that I’m lucky to have a group of such good friends. And my best friend of all isn’t even here.”
Tim smiled and nodded. “I know exactly what you mean. Should be a good night at Tabitha’s.”
“A very good night.”
Chapter Eighteen
Police Station, Police House, Queens Ave, Bicester
The police car pulled up outside the station, its headlights shining over the concrete steps leading to the entrance.
They marched her, kicking and screaming from the car, up the steps and into reception.
“Get your hands off me,” she hissed at the policeman who had hold of her arm.
Taking one arm apiece, the policeman led her into the police station and along the corridor, footsteps clattering from one patch of light to the next, until they came to a small office with the door wide open.
Inside, sitting at a wooden desk, was Vixen’s solicitor. He looked up, smiled and nudged out the chair opposite him with his toe. “Officers, would you mind giving me a moment alone with my client? And would you please remove her cuffs?”
One of the policemen nodded and obliged. “We’ll just be down here if you need us.”
As soon as the door closed behind them, Vixen stormed around the desk, dropped on the chair and lunged forwards, chin on hands.
The solicitor laid his pen flat on his open notepad. “Hello again.”
Vixen scowled at the wall above his head. How dare he address her with that tone of voice, grin at her in a way that suggested she was nothing more than an irritating hopeless cause. The worst of it was that he was all she had. That’s right, the short-arse with the greasy hair and foul breath was her only hope of getting off. Fantastic. “Hello.”
He grinned. “What have you been up to now?”
“Oh for… ” She scraped back her chair and folded her arms. “Can you get me off or not?”
“Well, it’s looking bleak.”
“Well, it’s looking bleak.” She mimicked him, making him sound even more pathetic than she deemed him to be.
If he felt any anger towards her, his polite smile did a fine job of covering it up. “Vixen, let’s examine the facts. A man—whom you were seeing—has been stabbed to death. The police have found pretty water-tight evidence that you were involved and—.”
“Oh, the police have found water-tight evidence.” She mimicked him again. “I’m a moron.”
He shook his head. “Vixen, I must—”
“Look, I’m sorry. Just—get me out of here, okay?”
“I’ll do my best.” He turned over a page in a document file in front of him.
“So what about his—Raven?”
“Oh, his girlfriend?”
“In name only, she—”
He coughed.
“Yes, his girlfriend,” she continued. “She did it.”
“Not according to the evidence. The evidence suggests it was you.” He levelled a hard stare at her, his notes still in front of him.
“I see. So, you can’t get me off, is that what you’re saying?”
“No, I’m not saying that, but it will be difficult and may take some time.”
She lowered her head and mumbled. “It wouldn’t if you were halfway competent.” She looked up. “So, what happens now?”
He leaned back in his seat and gave her with a dry look. “Well, what happens now, Vixen, is that you’re going to go to jail.”
She sat up straight. A policeman stepped into the room, and she looked wildly at him, back to her solicitor.
“What? Right now?”
She thought he looked just a bit too smug when he replied. “Yes.”
The policeman stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. “Vixen, I’m arresting you on suspicion of murder. You have the right to—”
Vixen stood up, sneering angrily. “Blah, blah, blah, I get it.”
The policeman took her securely by the arm. She had time to give her solicitor one last withering stare before she was pulled from the room.
“I better be hearing from you soon,” she spat.
Her solicitor blinked at her calmly. “You will. Eventually.”
The door swung closed behind her, and the policeman lead her down a long, cold hallway, which eventually lead her to a block of holding cells.
“Welcome to your new room,” he said, shoving her in the cell. “Hope you find everything to your satisfaction.”
She gave him the finger.
“Don’t mind
the neighbors, will you?” He lowered his voice. “Their bark is worse than their bite.”
The door banged shut and he stepped away.
“Ta-ta for now,” she called out after him.
Listening to him walk along the aisle, clanging his truncheon against the bars of each cell he passed, she slumped down against the back wall.
Let’s face it, she thought, none of them are the brightest button in the box. None of them had the intellect nor the guile to stop her breaking free once she’d saved up enough energy to cast a nasty spell. And once she was out, she’d make them all truly sorry.
She stared through the bars at the occupant of the cell opposite while she plotted her revenge. First it was going to be Raven, then Scarlett, then that dim-wit of a solicitor. The thick bars in front of her weren’t going to stand in her way either. It wasn’t going to be long before she was out, not long at all.
+++
Market Square, Bicester
Cliff caught Scarlett’s eye, nodded and continued towards his car. Something in him made him stop to see what the others were up to.
He noticed Scarlett get into Tim’s car and grinned. He’d sowed all the seeds. She was bound to see sense and drop this idiot soon. He watched them getting cozied up and tried to put himself into her mind. Did she really care for the man?
For all he knew, she could be faking it, just so he’d help her out with her problems. That had to be it. Tim must be naive in the most extreme sense of the word to have fallen for that. Most likely, Scarlett was in there, holding Tim, but thinking of Cliff. In Cliff’s mind, that would explain many things.
He thought about going to Tabitha’s, all of them paired up, watching Tim and Scarlett all over each other. He couldn’t go bursting in, all guns blazing and rescue her. She might still have a use for Tim. No, he’d have to sit there and watch the charade play out with that cat at his feet. The very thought of it made him sick.
But what was the alternative? Going home to a cold and empty house, while the others laughed it up without him.
It was a tough choice, but eventually, he decided loneliness was preferable to humiliation. So the best thing for him to do was make a quick exit before Tabitha saw him and insisted he go with them.
He couldn’t resist taking one last peek into Tim’s car, though. Just as he’d thought, they were all cozied up. Scarlett was grinning at him. They were laughing at something or other. Perhaps they were laughing about something Cliff had done or said and she was wishing he was there. That made sense.
He forced himself to watch as Scarlett, all starry-eyed, leaned across and basked in his embrace. As far as Cliff was concerned, it was a perfect performance.
Without further ado, he left the main parking lot and stepped into the shadows. He’d parked his car down a side street away from the others and at that moment, he was glad he’d done so. He opened the car door, dropped into the driver’s seat and clicked his seatbelt into place.
Just who the hell did she think she was, treating him like that? And after everything he’d done. As much as he liked Scarlett, he couldn’t see why she was ignoring him like she was. From now on, he was only going to look out for the person that mattered most—himself.
Scarlett wrapped her arms around Tim’s back and pulled him in tight. “Tim, what a hero you are.” No sooner had she closed her mouth, than the thought hit her that perhaps her words felt a bit false. An engine started and headlights flashed in through the side window.
Tim patted her thigh. “Darling, what is it?”
She pulled out of his embrace and peered through the window at Cliff’s taillights. “That’s Cliff.”
Tim sighed. “So it’s Cliff, who cares?”
Scarlett turned her back on him. “I do, Tim. I thought he was going with us to Tabitha’s. He was part of this as much as you were. He should be there.”
+++
Tim pulled out of the parking lot and took a left, past Costa and into town. Looking through the window at all the lights, Scarlett’s mind began to race. The streets were packed with people, going about their business like it was any other day. They had no idea of the danger they had been in not so long ago. They didn’t know about the spell or the black hole or even the murder.
She turned to check up on Raven, who hadn’t so much as murmured since she climbed into the back seat. “Are you okay in the back? It’s been a long day, hasn’t it? We’ll soon have you back home and fed, don’t worry.” She reached out to let Raven’s soft fur run between her fingers.
The car slowed and pulled up behind the car in front. Tim strained to get a look. “Oh, I don’t believe this. Look’s like there’s been an accident or something.”
Scarlett leaned forward to look through the windscreen. “Looks like it’s going on for miles.” The sound of a distant siren advanced along the single lane next to the queue, getting louder by the second, until they had to cover their ears.
The ambulance shot past them, leaving Scarlett speculating as to what had happened as the siren faded into silence. The houses lining the road nudged toward them.
Scarlett shifted her eyes from the window towards Tim. “Poor souls, wonder what that was about.”
“You’d better ring your aunt, let her know we’re going to be late.”
“Unless they’re caught up in it too.”
“But even so, best let her know.”
Her phone rang before she could take it from her pocket. “Hello, Aunt Tabitha, how are you? You stuck in traffic too?”
Tabitha confirmed that they were indeed in the line of cars, a little ways ahead of them. Scarlett hung up, slid her phone back into her pocket and looked through the window at the houses, trying to imagine what was happening in each home. The car nudged forward again, and she glanced at Tim, the trance broken.
From the look on his face, the way his eyes were glazed over, she got the sense that something was on his mind. “What is it?”
Tim looked confused. “What’s what?”
“There’s something on your mind, I can tell.”
The car nudged forward a few feet. There was a yellow car in front, with two children, no more than eight or nine, wreaking havoc in the back. One of them turned around, saw Scarlett smiling at them, grinned and gave her the finger. His friend thought that was the funniest thing he’d ever seen, and the fighting stopped as the laughter took their breath away. Even she couldn’t help tittering to herself.
Tim laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous, darling. It’s just been a long day that’s all. What are you laughing at?”
“Oh, nothing, just those kids in front.”
“Yes.” He scowled through the windscreen. Scarlett pulled her tongue out at him, which the kids found hilarious.
“Don’t you go smiling at them Scarlett, you’ll encourage them.”
Tim drove forward, for a good ten seconds this time. Although he was concentrating on the road, she could still tell that something was wrong. “You absolutely sure, nothing’s bothering you?”
“Yes.”
“Whatever you say.” She stretched and yawned, the events of the day finally catching up with her. “So, where did you go then?”
“When?”
“Earlier. How did you come to know so much about McMillan?”
“Oh, that.”
“Yes, that.”
Tim smiled. “I was wondering when you’d ask me about that. I just had one or two leads to check up on, people I’d had dealings with in the past.”
“You never said anything.”
“No, I couldn’t. I didn’t want you incriminated in any way. I asked you to stay out of trouble, remember?”
Scarlett felt herself blushing. “Oh, yeah.”
“It turned out that Vixen’s name and address had been filed by the police when Robert was being stalked.”
“Oh, so she was known to them?”
Tim nodded. “It would seem so, yes.”
“So, if the police knew about her, it would suggest
that he’d reported her and—”
Tim nodded. “He wasn’t seeing her. She was stalking him.” He drove forwards and his tensed expression relaxed. At last, they had a front-row view of what had happened. There were two ambulances and a police car.
Scarlett screwed her eyes and looked at her feet. “I hate things like this,” she muttered as the paramedics stretchered a man into the ambulance.
“Good thing you’re not a nurse then isn’t it?” Tim mumbled the last couple of words, perhaps regretting his mistimed joke.
Raven stood on all fours to nudge the back of Scarlett’s neck with her nose.
She turned around, smiling, and patted Raven’s head. “Oh, Raven, you’re in the clear, aren’t you? This is good news for you, isn’t it? How could we forget that?”
Raven purred.
She leaned over the back of her seat and drew Raven into a hug. “So sorry for doubting you. How could I do that? How could anyone?”
Raven skimmed Scarlett’s ear with her nose and purred even more loudly than before.
Tim punched the air. “Well hallelujah, for that,” he said as he accelerated onto the clear road ahead.
As they got close to where the hold up had been, had they not been so distracted, they might have noticed an upturned car in the roadside ditch, flanked by emergency vehicles. An upturned police car.
Chapter Nineteen
Tabitha’s Residence, Bicester, England
It wasn’t long before Tim caught sight of Tabitha’s car out in front. “Look,” he said, pointing through the windscreen as the car got closer. “There’s your aunt. See, nothing to worry about.”
Scarlett leaned forward and peered through the windscreen. “Oh, yes.”
Tim smiled at her. “Happy now?”
“Very.” She twisted around to look at Raven. “You happy there in the back?”
Raven purred. “Very.”
Scarlett looked through the window at the countryside as it whipped passed and felt a pensive cloak descend over her. She’d been through a lot lately and, although she knew it had affected her in some ways, she wasn’t sure how. Vixen’s cruel words came to mind, the way she’d made fun of her. She felt the desire to inflict some revenge.
A Very British Witch Boxed Set Page 78
