Cat Among the Pumpkins (18 page)

Hettie pushed through the excited crowd with her tin box, followed by Tilly, and Jessie completed the small party, having been entrusted with the rockets. Poppa and Bruiser greeted them at the display site and acted as self-appointed safety wardens, keeping the crowd back to allow Hettie the space she needed.
Hacky Redtop pushed to the front with his notepad, dragging Prunella Snap and her camera with him. They were determined to bag the front page of the
Sunday Snout
, combining a ‘case solved’ angle with a triumphant pictorial display. Prunella was keen to get the ultimate shots, especially as she’d rather messed up the year before by absent-mindedly opening her camera and fogging the film before it reached her darkroom. It was a sad fact that Prunella’s life – along with her photos – had always been a little over-exposed.

In a dramatic departure from tradition, Hettie decided to light the Catherine Wheels first. Taking the box of matches proffered by Tilly, she struck the first one and shot down the fence, lighting the blue tails until they all fizzled; retracing her steps, she set them all spinning with one startling paw movement and stood back as they burst into life, spilling their magical sprays of colour into the air and coming to an end at exactly the same time. The crowd responded with delight and wide-eyed anticipation of her next move. She nodded to Jessie, who brought forward stage one of Hettie’s planned assault on the sky: four small rockets were placed in milk bottles, and once again Tilly stepped forward with the matches as Prunella Snap raised her Olympus Trip skyward. Working in reverse, Hettie lit the furthest touch paper first, moving backwards down the line until all four rockets sizzled ready for take-off. Then they were gone, like little red dragonflies up into
the night sky. The party was silent as everyone tracked the tell-tale lights across the heavens. Hettie held her breath, knowing that her reputation rode on what happened next; for a moment, she doubted, and then came the triumph as the rockets exploded into showery fingers of every imaginable colour. The crowd whooped and cheered, Tilly cried with joy, and Hettie headed for the crisp tin to begin her ground displays.

Surprisingly, only one Golden Rain disappointed by fizzling out with a thud. It was immediately dispatched to Hettie’s safety bucket, and the display continued to much applause until the tin box was empty. The grand finale involved Hettie, Jessie, Poppa and Bruiser all stationed in front of two rockets each, with Tilly moving swiftly down the line with the matches. At Hettie’s signal, the rockets were ignited in perfect synchronicity and whooshed into the sky as one. The crowd began to count, and the sky exploded as the rockets danced and twisted in glittering showers of red, gold, silver and blue; eventually, they began to fall to earth, leaving a shimmering purple trail of dust which illuminated the joyful faces of all the Butters’ guests.

A roar of approval went up as Hettie and her firework crew took their bows. Beryl signalled that sweet pastries and biscuits were now being served, and Bruiser and Poppa headed for the bonfire in preparation for the next stage of the party. Jessie returned to her
punchbowl, which had been heavily laced by Meridian Hambone while no one was looking, and Hettie and Tilly – flushed with success – mingled and munched their way through a considerable quantity of bonfire treats.

The night had grown bitterly cold, and an air frost began to settle as the party dragged chairs and blankets to the bottom of the garden, ready for the lighting of the bonfire. Tilly, Hettie and Jessie perched on upturned flower pots right at the front, as Bruiser and Poppa put a match to each side of the giant pyre. Within seconds, the fire took hold and the flames began their journey towards Lavender Stamp’s Mr Fawkes.

Hettie stared up at his face and suddenly all was quiet. The clapping and dancing had stopped, and snowflakes began to tumble from the sky. She rubbed her eyes, realising how very tired she was. The flames from the bonfire had turned blue and were giving out a strange, ethereal light. She shivered as the effigy began to disintegrate and the layers of wool peeled away, revealing a face she had come to know well. Jacob Surplus stared down from a throne of electric blue fire, and it was the most beautiful thing that Hettie had ever seen. He smiled, and his eyes bore into her, filling her with peace, then a host of figures began to form around him. Hettie knew that she was looking at the Myers family, then came Mavis Spitforce, and finally Teezle Makepeace. They all smiled down at her, and
an important understanding passed between them.

‘Are you all right?’ asked Tilly, passing Hettie another shard of bonfire toffee as she twirled her own name with a sparkler.

‘Yes,’ replied Hettie with a smile, wedging the toffee into her mouth. ‘I’m absolutely fine.’

NEXT IN THE SERIES …

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M
ANDY
M
ORTON
began her professional life as a musician. More recently, she has worked as a freelance arts journalist for national and local radio. She currently presents the radio arts magazine
The Eclectic Light Show
and lives with her partner, who is also a crime writer, in Cambridge and Cornwall, where there is always a place for an ageing long haired tabby cat.

@icloudmandy

@hettiebagshot

HettieBagshotMysteries

The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency

Cat Among the Pumpkins