Witch Is When the Bubble Burst (14 page)

Chapter 24

The phone call had come out of the blue. Dexter Banks’ P.A. had asked if I’d visit her boss at his home on Sunday morning. I’d agreed, mainly because I was keen to find out how Amanda was doing.

The house, more a mansion really, was located halfway between Washbridge and Carlton. The area was known locally as millionaires’ row, where you wouldn’t find any properties for under two million. The house was surrounded by a high wall with CCTV cameras along its length. A security guard with a Special Forces physique and haircut checked my ID before allowing me through the electronic gates. Good job my fuel tank was full because the driveway was almost as long as the drive from my flat. A Rolls Royce, a Bentley and a Ferrari were parked in front of the house. I felt embarrassed to park alongside them.

I’d no sooner stepped out of the car than I heard a familiar voice. “Jill, welcome!”

“Bob? I didn’t realise you’d be here.”

“Neither did I. Don’t get invited up here very often. Not that I’m bothered.” He grinned.

“How’s Amanda?”

Before he could answer another man appeared in the doorway.

“You must be Jill. I’m Dexter Banks.” He shook my hand. “Let’s go inside, Patty is keen to meet you.”

I followed him across the huge entrance hall to an equally large reception room at the rear of the house. Patty Dale was classically pretty with an elegance money can’t buy. She took my hand in both of hers.

“Thank you so much for bringing our little girl back to us.”

“I’m just glad everything turned out all right.”

“Thanks to you it did,” Bob said. “I’m not sure it would have if we’d left it to the police.”

“Would you like a drink?” Patty asked.

“I’ll have a coffee, please.”

“Nothing stronger?” She pointed to the bar in the far corner of the room.

“No, thanks. It’s a little early for me.”

For the next hour, Dexter did most of the talking. He was a man who liked the sound of his own voice. Although he and Patty couldn’t thank me enough for finding Amanda, I found it curious that neither of them had mentioned her whereabouts. Nor was there any mention of Amanda’s part in the ‘kidnap’. I figured it would be better for me to talk to Bob about Amanda if I could get him on his own.

“Well, I should be making tracks,” I said. I’d heard about as many of Dexter Banks’ stories as I could take.

“Thank you again.” Patty gave me an uncomfortable hug and a peck on the cheek.

“Before you go,” Dexter said. “You must allow me to pay you for the work you put into rescuing Amanda.”

“Steve hired me. You can pay his bill if you’d like?” Bob had already offered to pick up the tab, but why shouldn’t Dexter pay? He could afford it.

I noticed Dexter’s expression change momentarily at the mention of Steve’s name.

“Of course. Have the bill sent to me would you? I’ll take care of it, plus a bonus to show our gratitude.”

“That’s very kind.”

“And if I can ever do anything for you, anything at all—don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you.”

Dexter and Patty waved us off at the door. Bob Dale climbed into the Bentley, and said quietly, “Take a left out of the gates, and meet me at the Coach Inn—it’s three miles down the road.”

***

I sipped on my soda and lime; Bob took a long drink of his beer.

“I was ready for that.” He took a deep breath. “I find Dexter rather tiring.”

“He has a lot to say for himself.”

“You’re lucky. You caught him on one of his quieter days.”

“Where’s Amanda? How is she? Dexter never mentioned where she was.”

Bob laughed. “He’s not very happy because she’s back with Steve.”

“Really?”

“Those two were made for each other.”

My first impressions of Steve had proved to be correct. He was a thoroughly decent guy who was madly in love with Amanda. She was lucky to have him, and even luckier that he’d taken her back after she’d almost landed him in jail.

“I hope he knows what he’s doing,” I said.

“Amanda acted stupidly. She knows that, and she’s likely going to pay the price.”

“Have the police charged her?”

“Not yet, but they will.” Bob shook his head. “She’s lucky Dexter not only has money, but has influence in high places. She may get away with a suspended sentence or probation. I still can’t understand how she allowed herself to get caught up in something so stupid.”

“The answer to that is simple: Tom. He set up the meeting between himself, Steve and Rachel. They were meant to be discussing Amanda’s surprise birthday party. Tom cried off, supposedly because he was busy. In fact, he’d planned all along to take Amanda there so she’d see Steve with Rachel. Tom told Amanda the two of them were seeing each other behind her back.”

“Why didn’t she just confront Steve?” Bob asked.

“I don’t know. She obviously wasn’t thinking straight. Plus, Tom was telling her what to think and what to do. She went along with the kidnap plan primarily to get back at Steve. She wanted to hurt him. Tom had persuaded her she should start afresh, and that the cash would allow her to do it. Plus it had the added attraction of getting back at her father who she’d never got on with.”

“What tipped you off?”

“Mainly Tom. I sensed something wasn’t right about him the first time I met him, and his ex-girlfriends confirmed my suspicions. But also the ransom note. No one saw it being delivered—Dexter just found it. Amanda had left it somewhere where she knew her father would eventually discover it—the only surprising thing was it took him so long.”

“What do you think would have happened if you hadn’t found her?”

“We’ll never know, but Tom is a violent man with a track record of abusing women. I doubt he ever had any intention of sharing the money with Amanda. Steve was already suspected of murder. If Amanda had ‘disappeared’ then he’d probably have been charged eventually.”

“What about the phone in Steve’s locker, and the tee-shirt?”

“Tom bought the burner phone and had Amanda send the text. It was easy to plant it in Steve’s locker. He got Amanda to cut her finger and let it bleed on the tee-shirt. He’d been planning this for some time—ever since he realised who Amanda was, and that her father was rich. Incidentally, have you heard from Rachel?”

“She and Amanda have made up too. Amanda is a very lucky person. Not everyone would have been as forgiving as Steve and Rachel have been. Her biggest break was that Steve came to you. If it hadn’t been for you, Tom could have got away with this, and goodness knows what might have happened to her then.”

“I’m pleased everything worked out,” I said.

“What Dexter said back there—that applies double for me. If ever you need anything, and I mean anything at all, you call on me.”

“There is one thing actually.”

“Name it.”

“I’d love a packet of salt and vinegar crisps. I’m starving.”

***

“You’ll never guess what!” Kathy yelled down the phone.

“You’ve decided to give me back my beanies?”

“No. I have exciting news.”

“That’s nice.”

“Aren’t you going to ask me what it is?”

“What’s your exciting news, Kathy?”

“See, now you’ve gone and spoiled it.”

“I’m sorry. What’s your news?”

“I don’t know if I should tell you now.”

I sighed.

“Go on then.” She was bursting to tell me. “I’ve been promoted again!”

“Already? What to? Chief Knit?”

“Thanks. I might have known you’d make fun.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. So what’s the new title?”

“I’m now the shop manager.”

“I thought you were only part-time?”

“I’ve agreed to increase my hours. I’m going to work every day while the kids are at school. It’s more money too. She says it will free her up to concentrate on new innovations like the ‘Everlasting Wool’.”

“Yeah, I just bet it will,” I said under my breath.

“What?”

“I said, that sounds great. I’m really pleased for you.”

“I can’t wait to tell Pete tonight. Anyway, better go I have yarn to manage.”

The call made me question whether I was doing the right thing in trying to find evidence against Grandma. If I did, and it was a big ‘if’ because Grandma was a smart cookie. But if I did, what would happen to the shop if Daze forced Grandma out of the human world? It would most likely shut, and then Kathy would be out of a job. How could I do that? I couldn’t. I’d just have to learn to put up with Grandma for now.

It wouldn’t be easy.

***

Mrs V popped her head around the door. “I meant to mention. Detective Maxwell called earlier. He wanted you to go to the police station at two o’clock.”

“It’s ten to two now.”

“Sorry. G called and I forgot all about it.”

“Right. I’d better get going.” I grabbed my bag. “See if you can cheer up the cat.”

“How am I meant to do that?”

“I don’t know. Tell him some jokes.”

There was only one way I’d make it to the police station on time. I cast the ‘faster’ spell and set off at full pelt.

“I’m here to see Jack, I mean Detective Maxwell.” I was still trying to catch my breath. The clock on the wall showed a minute to two.

“What happened to your hair?” Jack said, as he ushered me into our favourite interview room. “You look like you’ve been in a wind tunnel.”

“It’s blowing a gale out there,” I lied. I could hardly tell him that I’d just been running at the speed of light.

“Strange. I went out earlier, and I didn’t notice it.”

“Weather?” I managed a weak laugh. “Who can understand it?”

“I thought we should talk about the Banks kidnapping,” he said.

I’d been dreading this. “Look, I know I probably should have kept out of it, but—”

He held up his hand to stop me mid-sentence.

“You did good.”

“Sorry?”

“You did good. I’m not sure Amanda Banks would still be alive if you hadn’t got involved.”

“Oh?”

“But—”

I knew there’d be a ‘but’.

“This doesn’t change anything. The rules remain the same. You do not do anything which might interfere with our investigations from now on. Understood?”

“Aye, aye, Captain.”

He smiled. “After what happened at Camberley, this was the best result we could have hoped for.”

“Will you charge Amanda?”

“Not up to me, thank goodness. Money talks, so my guess is she’ll never see the inside of a prison.”

“She’s not a bad kid. Just confused.”

“Well, now that’s all behind us, I suppose you and I should have an evening out sometime?”

“Bowling?” I grinned.

“No.”

“Skating, then?”

“Definitely not. Maybe just a quiet drink. Or you could come around to my place, and I could cook.”

I’d laughed before I could stop myself. “Sorry. You can cook?”

“I’ll have you know, I’m red hot in the kitchen.”

That conjured up images in my mind which really had no right to be there. “Is that right?”

“I’ll check my diary and give you a call to arrange a date.”

“Okay.”

Date? Did he mean date as in the day on a calendar or did he mean a
date
date?

Chapter 25

Daze had come through with the address for Alicia. She’d wanted to accompany me, but I’d insisted on going alone. I’d no intention of confronting the evil cow; the plan was to get inside her apartment and to see what evidence, if any, I could find of a connection with TDO.

When I’d first met her—or at least her alter ego Tess—she’d told me she lived close to the park. In fact she lived the opposite side of Candlefield. It was beginning to look as though everything she’d ever told me was a lie. A part of me would have enjoyed a showdown with Alicia—it was probably only a matter of time before that happened. But today wasn’t that day. There were far more important issues at stake. The more time I spent in Candlefield, the more I came to realise just how much impact TDO had. He had to be stopped by someone, and seeing as how he’d decided to pick a fight with me, I might just have to be the person to do it. In truth I had no evidence that Alicia was working for, or connected in any way to TDO. I was working purely on gut instinct.

Fortunately, there were several vantage points which overlooked her flat which was on the second floor. I positioned myself on the same floor of the adjacent block. Most of the flats in that building were empty, so I was able to hang around the landing without attracting any attention.

I wasn’t sure whether Alicia was even in. I’d arrived at the crack of dawn with the intention of waiting until I saw her go out, but it was almost midday, and I still hadn’t caught sight of her. What if she hadn’t come home last night? What if she’d changed address? It was always possible that the address which Daze had given me was out of date. How much longer should I give her?

Then the door of her flat opened, and she stepped out. There were very few people in the world that I truly hated. but Alicia was one of them. When I thought back to how she’d befriended me just so she could poison me—it made my blood boil.

I waited until I saw her come out of the building and walk away. Only when she was out of sight did I scurry down the stairs, across the road, and up to her flat. This building appeared to be fully occupied, so I couldn’t afford to hang around outside the flat for long or it would draw attention. I could have just forced open the door using the ‘power’ spell, but I didn’t want her to know I’d been there. The small vent close to the floor, underneath the window was my best bet. I cast the ‘shrink’ spell, crawled through the vent, and then returned myself to full-size.

I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting, but her flat seemed very ‘ordinary’. In fact, I had to begrudgingly admit, she had rather good taste when it came to furnishings and decor. I started in the living room—checking every cupboard and drawer. I found nothing. Next I searched the kitchen—again I drew a blank. There was only one bedroom—where once again, I searched every cupboard and drawer as well as the wardrobe. The only papers I found were bills. Back in the living room, I took another look around. It was beginning to look as though I was going to leave empty-handed, but then I noticed the TV. Two things caught my attention. Firstly it was an old fashion set with a deep back, which seemed at odds with the other modern gadgets in the room. Secondly it was nowhere need a power socket. The back panel was held on a by a single screw which I undid easily with a coin. Inside, all of the electronics had been stripped out. All that was left was the tube itself. And a cardboard folder.

It had a single word written on the front ‘Gooder’.

***

“What do you think you are doing?” Alicia burst through the door.

I was too far way from the vent to get out the same way as I’d come in, and besides I didn’t want to risk shrinking myself now Alicia was back. I wouldn’t have put it past her to squash me into the ground. With the folder held tightly under one arm, I cast the ‘shatter’ spell which disintegrated the window. I jumped onto the sofa, and from there I leapt through the empty window frame. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I cast the ‘faster’ spell and sped down the stairs and out of the building. I wasn’t sure if Alicia had tried to follow or not because I didn’t stop to look back. Only when I was back in the centre of Candlefield did I slow down.

The plan had been to get in and out without leaving any evidence of my presence. Yeah well, so much for that. When I was back in my room above Cuppy C, I opened the folder. Inside were stacks of papers and several photographs of me—some taken in Candlefield and some in Washbridge. A few of them had definitely been taken long before I knew I was a witch. The papers all appeared to be written in either a different language or more likely some kind of code. Either way, I couldn’t make any sense of them.

I called Daze and brought her up-to-date.

“So Alicia knows you have the file?”

“Oh, yeah. She certainly knows.”

“You could be in danger.”

“I think I was already in danger. I’m not sure this will make much difference.”

“Let me have the file and I’ll get some people to look at it—if anyone can decode it, they’ll be able to.”

***

I arrived at Aunt Lucy’s to find her and Lester on their way out.

“Lester is taking me out for tea and cakes,” she said.

“Great! Going anywhere nice?”

“Cuppy C, of course. If we went anywhere else, we’d never hear the end of it. Why don’t you join us?”

“No, you don’t want me with you.”

“Of course we do.” Lester twizzled his lopsided moustache, which I was slowly growing accustomed to.

They walked hand in hand, and I walked alongside them.

“Have you any plans to see Drake again?” Aunt Lucy asked.

“No, but I do have a date in Washbridge. Well, at least I think it’s a date. I’m not absolutely sure.”

“With the policeman the twins told me about?”

I nodded. “Jack Maxwell, yes.”

“Didn’t you have some kind of run-in with him?”

“You could say that, but I’m hoping that might be behind us now. Oh, by the way, did you know that Kathy has been given two promotions already? Grandma has now made her the manager of Ever A Wool Moment.”

“That’s nice for her—I suppose. How do you feel about it?”

“I’m pleased for Kathy, but I preferred it when I only had to deal with Grandma when I was in Candlefield.”

“My ears are burning.” Grandma appeared, wearing a tee-shirt with the word “EVER” on the front. Underneath it was the URL EverAWoolMoment.com.

“Good morning, mother.” Aunt Lucy sighed. “We were hoping you’d join us.”

“Nice tee-shirt, Grandma.” I stifled a grin.

“I’m pleased you like it because I have one for all of you.” She pulled out three brand new tee-shirts, still in the cellophane wrapping, and handed one to each of us.

Aunt Lucy muttered something under her breath.

“Put them on, then!” Grandma said, impatiently.

“I am not going out for tea wearing this thing.” Aunt Lucy held out the tee-shirt as though it was a bag of dog poo.

Lester began to slip off his jacket.

“And neither are you!” Aunt Lucy pulled it back on.

“What about you?” Grandma fixed me with her gaze.

“I—err—I.”

“It will be an improvement on that.” She pointed at my yellow top.

“What’s wrong with this?”

“You look like a lemon. Come on. Hurry up.”

I looked to Aunt Lucy for support, but she wasn’t going to fight this battle for me.

“I—don’t—”

“You don’t what?” barked Grandma.

“I don’t mind wearing it.” I slipped it over my top. What? It’s not like I was afraid to refuse. I could have said ‘no’ if I’d wanted to. It just so happened I found the tee shirt—err—quite fetching.

The twins were standing outside Cuppy C when we arrived. They took one look at me and descended into giggles.

“Did you EVER see anything like it?” Pearl said through tears of laughter.

“I don’t think I EVER did.” Amber was doubled up.

I gave them both ‘the look’, but it didn’t stop them.

“It’s the best tee-shirt I EVER did see.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Grandma stepped in front of me. “Because I have one for each of you.”

The laughter died there.

“But we’re working.”

“Put them on now.”

The twins slipped on the tee-shirts.

“Well I EVER.” I laughed.

“Anyway, what are you two doing standing outside?” Aunt Lucy asked.

They both gestured across the road at Best Cakes.

“What’s he done now?”

“Come and see.”

They led the way across the road. Aunt Lucy and I followed, leaving poor old Lester with Grandma.

“Look!” Pearl pointed to a huge poster.

“They’re offering customised birthday cakes.”

I glanced at Aunt Lucy, and knew from the look on her face that the cakes in the picture were hers. She caught my eye and shook her head.

“We should be doing this,” Pearl said. “You could make them, Mum.”

“Yeah.” Amber nodded. “You could do much better than these. Look at them. They’re amateurish.”

While the twins were grumbling to one another, Aunt Lucy whispered to me, “Don’t tell them whatever you do.”

Just then, someone shouted a warning, and we all looked around. A driverless van was careering down the road, and it was headed straight for Lester.

“Lester! Look out!” Aunt Lucy yelled, but he’d already seen it.

There wasn’t time for him to dodge out of the way—it was almost certainly going to crush him against the wall. I couldn’t bear to watch, so I closed my eyes.

“Lester!” Aunt Lucy shouted.

I opened my eyes, and expected the worst, but the van had miraculously come to a halt a few inches short of him.

Aunt Lucy rushed over; the twins and I followed.

“Are you okay?” Aunt Lucy threw her arms around him.

“I’m fine, Lucy. Honestly I’m fine.”

“What happened?” I turned to Amber and Pearl. “Did Aunt Lucy stop it?”

“No,” Grandma said. “Lester stopped it, didn’t you?”

Everyone turned to look at him. We all knew that he’d been seeing a specialist because he’d lost his magic powers. So how had he done it?

“I don’t know how I did it.” Lester smiled. “I just knew I had to.”

“This is
your
doing!” Aunt Lucy turned on Grandma.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Grandma shrugged.

“You made the van roll down the street. You knew Lester would have to use magic to stop it.”

“What are you complaining about? It worked didn’t it? I couldn’t have a daughter of mine dating a magicless wizard, now could I?”

It took the twins and me to hold Aunt Lucy back.