Jake's Justice, Book Three of Wizards (14 page)

“No he doesn’t, Mr. Morrissey. You’re my husband because I chose you and it’s insulting to me to suggest otherwise.”

“You can’t ever be certain. Even I don’t know what my subconscious does with my magic sometimes. Esmeralda told me that no one was killed near me during the revolution on Salice because I didn’t
want
them to be. That my magic spilled out to make sure no one was. Lots of people died that were out of my sight that day. Then, when I first met her, I gave Esmeralda the ability to know exactly where I was in Salice and didn’t even know I had done it.”

I took Jenny’s hands in mine and looked deep into her eyes. “All I can be certain of is that I have never
knowingly
used magic to influence your mind and I never will.”

Jenny smiled at me and kissed me on the nose. “That will just have to be good enough for you, Dad. It’s more than good enough for me.”

Mrs. Owens raised her glass, which still had a little wine in it.

“To my daughter and son-in-law. May they always remain true to each other.”

We all reached for our glasses and tapped them against each other before drinking the few drops that remained. I think my wine must have gone off, because I was left with a sour taste in my mouth that lasted for ages.

14.
      
Some Days

I woke with that feeling you get when you think you’ve forgotten something important, but can’t remember what. I gently lifted Jenny’s head off my arm and rubbed desperately to try and get some feeling back into it. This was the first time I had spent the night at Jenny’s parents, well ‘officially’ if you know what I mean, and I wasn’t sure about the protocol. Should I wait until they got up? Would they be annoyed if I took a shower and blocked the bathroom? Would they expect me to stay for breakfast?

It would be useful if married life came with a manual, but then, when I thought about it, I never read the manual anyway.

It would be easy to lose track of all the things I had to sort out. Jenny and I had searched the net when we got back to the house and it was full of blogs, news reports and accusations about me. Andy Gorsham had wasted no time in telling his television friends about the discovery of the hoard and it appeared that the Hardy’s farm was besieged by reporters.

Someone had set up a webcam showing the front door of my parent’s house. From the angle it appeared to be the couple at number 23, which made sense because all the other neighbors had known my parents for years. The Ellison’s had only lived there for a couple of years at most. I would have to find a way to disable it without it looking suspicious as my comings and goings were far from usual. So far nobody was door-stepping Jenny’s parent’s house, but that was only a matter of time.

I should visit the Hardy’s farm and see if they needed any help or for me to sign anything. Solving the food crisis in Salice was becoming more urgent, I had to figure out what the Elves were up to, Esmeralda would be furious because Jenny was now two up on her, I had to figure a way to buy us a house in Wales, there was my official Welsh marriage to arrange, and then there was the small matter of giving the Valhallans access to data they shouldn’t have. I knew there were more things to worry about, but that was enough to be going on with.

Going over the list spurred me to action. Getting out of bed and picking up my clothes was a start. I looked at my boxer shorts in dismay. Jenny had been a little too eager last night and had ripped them.

Magically mending them was an option, but I had visions of them coming apart at a critical moment. If I fully understood how the cloth had been woven I could have used magic to create a lasting perfect repair, but there are some things I’ve never bothered to learn.

Hopping to Salice would put me in Esmeralda’s sights and nipping over to Mam’s in the nude risked embarrassment as she might be tidying the room. Nothing for it, under the circumstances, but to go commando.

There is a tricky moment with trousers and zippers when you’re not wearing underwear, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I successfully closed up.

“I’ll have to get you some clothes for here,” Jenny said and I turned to see she had been admiring my backside. “That shirt’s looking tired and if you start visiting in a suit people will think I’ve been nagging you.”

I did an instant magic iron on the shirt and she smiled.

“Much better, but you really need underwear to sort out that unsightly bulge in your trousers.”

“That’s only been there since I turned and saw you.”

“Sometimes, you say the nicest things. Where are you going?”

That brought me up short. I didn’t really know. There were too many choices.

“Meet you at the registry office at twelve?” It was eight, so that gave me time to run a few other errands. Jenny nodded eagerly.

“I’m going to visit the Hardy’s and see if they need any help. Then I’ll pick up Fluffy and pop over to Salice. Maybe visit Urda.”

“Give my love to her when you see her.”

It occurred to me that Jenny might be able to help. “Any idea how to stop that camera pointing at my Dad’s door?”

“I think it might be illegal.”

I gave Jenny a kiss and then had to disentangle her hands from my trousers. Some girls have a one track mind. Besides which, since her comment I had figured out where to hop first.

Inspector Thomas grunted as he saw me appear in his office.

“You have to learn to knock first, Jake. What if someone saw you?”

Once upon a time, Inspector Thomas and I had been enemies because he believed there was something dodgy about me. He knew what I was now and while not exactly friends, we weren’t enemies anymore.

“People see what they want to see most of the time. But I thought your office was likely to be quieter than the corridor.”

“That’s as maybe, Jake. I’m glad you’re here though. You might be able to clear something up. If you’re not too busy counting your millions?”

“I’d like you to stop the Ellison’s at Number 23 pointing their webcam at my Dad’s front door. I’ll trade your problem for mine.”

The Inspector’s hand was over the desk in a flash. “Done, Boyo”

And as it turned out, I had been. A twelve year old boy had gone missing from his home two days before. As time went by everyone was beginning to assume he was dead. He wasn’t a street wise type and had no history of running away.

“I hate finding bodies,” I complained before giving in. “Do you have anything the boy has worn recently?”

“Thought you’d want that.” The Inspector opened his desk and took out a plastic bag with a shirt in it. “This is his favorite shirt. It was in the wash box so it should be covered in his scent.”

“I’m not a bloodhound. It’s sympathy magic.” Actually I had no idea how it worked, but I like to sound as though I do. “Okay, get your coat on.”

“Why?”

“I’m not going alone.”

The Inspector pulled his coat on and reached for the intercom. He must have changed his mind because he didn’t press anything.

“We have to hold hands.”

He gave me a look that spoke volumes and then locked his office door. As soon as his hand touched mine I hopped the tee-shirt in search of its owner and hopped us after it.

We appeared in a wrecker’s yard. Cars were piled on top of each other and it was difficult to think because of the noise of heavy machinery. The shirt was on the ground in front of us and the Inspector picked it up.

“I’ll get them to shut it all down,” the Inspector shouted. That was one way of doing it. I waved a hand and the machinery stopped. A car being lifted on a massive electromagnet fell to the ground, but missed the people below as I guided its fall. Nobody was looking in our direction.

“He must be close. Follow me.” I popped the boots of the pile of cars nearest to me and then sprang their doors. I searched the passenger spaces while the Inspector searched the boots. Three cars up, he gave a shout.

“He’s in here. He’s tied up but he’s still breathing.”

“Don’t forget about the webcam,” I said as I hopped to the Hardy’s Farm.
 
In some ways I’d liked to have stayed, because I never knew how to explain how I’d found people and now the Inspector was going to have to do it. I wondered if he’d be better at explanations than I was.

I hopped to Betty’s room. Not because I wanted anything except somewhere there wouldn’t be any visitors. Another wrong assumption. Betty had her legs spread and a very muscular young man was exerting himself on top of her. She spotted me at once and gave me a cheery little wave. The man was far too busy to notice.

I hopped out into the corridor, gave them a few minutes and was about to knock on the door when it flew open.

“How nice to see you, Jake. Eddie’s just leaving.” A man with only one sock on and his shoes in his hands pushed past me.

Betty wore a dressing gown that slipped fully open as soon as Eddie was out of sight. “I can’t keep waiting for you, Jake. A girl has needs.”

“Who was that?”

“One of the cameramen watching the house. I think he’s scared of my Dad. I told him I’d heard Dad coming up the stairs and you saw how he ran.”

“I take it you don’t need my help?”

“One of the newsmen is gay. You could satisfy him I suppose, if you wanted.”

Grief. How do I find these women?

“I’ll be off then.”

She grabbed my hand and dragged me close. “I like a man in a suit and I would have bet money I’d never see you in one. Especially when you’ve come all prepared without any under-crackers. Now that’s sexy.”

With some difficulty I pulled myself loose. Somehow I ended up holding her dressing gown.

“Like what you see?”

“I really have to go.”

“How will I contact you if I really need you?” she asked before I could hop.

It was a good point, but I had good reasons to leave quickly. There was something overwhelming desirable about her body. “I’ll think of something.”

I hopped to the Bat Cave.

[Thank you for the dressing gown, Jake, but I don’t think it will fit me.]

I sent the offending item dancing down my imaginary hopscotch court back to Betty. That was a narrow escape and there was no way I was risking going back until she put some clothes on.

“I think we should go to Salice. If you’re still determined to keep following me, that is.”

[Did you know that you are covered in female pheromones and only one set is from Jenny?]

“I am not guilty this time, Fluffy. Apparently Betty is trying a novel way to wear out the newsmen surrounding her farm. It’s a fate I’m trying my best to avoid.”

A quick dust with a little magic and I addressed my dragon. “How about now?”

[Better, though I suspect Esmeralda has a superior nose for such things.]

“We’re visiting Urda first.”

We materialized at her cottage door. There wasn’t room for Fluffy in the cottage unless someone took the roof off. There was a line of women leading to a bench set up at the garden gate. Urda and Anna were handing bags of something to the women.

Unfortunately, the arrival of a dragon with a thirty foot wingspan can have a negative effect on some people. The women scattered with a surprising display of speed.

“Lord Wizard,” Urda said sounding somewhat tetchy. “It has taken me weeks to convince them I’m not some kind of monster and now you’ve frightened them off.”

I walked up to the bench to find out what she’d been giving them, my curiosity being aroused. Below the bench were suspiciously modern cardboard boxes filled with bags of flour. The bags were labeled as being from one of
Britain
’s biggest supermarket chains.

“I bought them,” Urda said defensively. “The King has been paying me in gold coin and I went to the same people you sold yours too. It’s not much, but perhaps I can prevent my village starving this winter.”

“Have you started training Anna?” I asked, feeling guilty because she was doing more than me.

“For what?”

The two girls were staring at me as though I’d lost my mind.