Witch Is Why Time Stood Still (A Witch P.I. Mystery Book 13) (13 page)

Chapter 16

The next morning, Jack was making porridge. I was running late, so I just grabbed some cornflakes.

“You’ll give yourself indigestion if you eat so fast,” he said.

“You sound like my mother. And, get your cup off the table. Why can’t you use a coaster? This house is a mess.” I sighed. “I don’t know when I’m going to find the time to clean. I’ve got so much work on at the moment.”

“Why don’t we get a cleaner?” he suggested.

“Are you serious?”

“This house is much bigger than the old place. I work all hours. You’re always busy. Neither of us really has the time to clean.”

“You don’t know who you might get.”

“We’d obviously have to vet the applicants, but it would mean we could actually enjoy our leisure time. Otherwise all we’re going to do is spend all our free time cleaning the house.”

“I’m still not sure. I don’t like the idea of somebody else coming into my house.”

“Why don’t we at least look into it? Let’s see what’s available, how much it costs, and then maybe interview a few people. If you don’t like the look of them, we won’t bother.”

“Okay, I suppose.”

As we were leaving, Megan Lovemore stepped out of her front door.

“Hi, you two.” She waved. She was wearing a summer dress, which was fractionally longer than the shorts she’d been wearing the last time I’d seen her. She didn’t appear to be wearing makeup, but still looked absolutely stunning.

“Hi, Megan,” Jack simpered.

“Morning, Megan.” I just about managed a smile.

“I’m glad I bumped into you, Jill. Didn’t you say your brother-in-law was a professional gardener?”

“Peter, yeah, that’s right. He has his own landscaping business.”

“I was being serious the other day when I said it might be something I’d like to do. I want to get out of the modelling game. It’s a hard grind.”

“It must be.” All that walking up and down catwalks, and standing still for photographs. Catty? Who, me?

“Yeah, I’ve had enough. I’m getting too old. It’s a young person’s game. Do you think I could possibly meet with your brother-in-law sometime to pick his brains?”

“I guess so. I’m not sure when though.”

“You could talk to him at the housewarming,” Jack said.

“You’re having a housewarming?”

“Yeah. It’s on Sunday.” Jack nodded. “Peter and his wife, Kathy, will be there. You’re more than welcome to join us, isn’t she, Jill?”

“More than welcome.”

“Thanks. I’ll look forward to it. Anyway, I’d better get going. I’ve got a photo shoot this morning. No rest for the wicked.
”

“What?” Jack said, after she’d gone. “What did I do?”

“What were you thinking? Why did you invite her to the housewarming?”

“We have to invite the next door neighbours. Anyway, it sounds like she’ll be talking to Peter all night, so it’s Kathy who has to worry.”

“True. I suppose that could be funny.”

***

I couldn’t park in my normal spot because Washbridge Council were doing some work on the road. I was forced to drive around until I found another parking space. As I was walking towards the office, I noticed a couple of buses go by. On the side of them was a big advert for Ever A Wool Moment. The whole side of the bus was taken up with the artwork. It was quite impressive, and must have cost a small fortune. A few moments later, I spotted a taxi which had a similar advert on the side of it. Sponsorship of the buses and taxis in Washbridge must have been costing Grandma a small fortune.

A little further up the road, there was a taxi parked in the rank, waiting for customers. I stuck my head through the open passenger window.

“Where do you want to go, love?” The driver said, with his mouth full of chewing gum.

“I’m not actually after a ride. I was just curious. How long have you had this ad on the side of your cab?”

“That thing? It’s an embarrassment. I don’t have any say in what goes on the side of the cab. That’s dealt with by the head office. This one’s only been on there for two or three days. But I’ve already had lots of smart remarks: ‘Hey, spotty’, and stuff like that.”

“Spotty? Sorry, I don’t get the connection?”

“It’s pretty obvious isn’t it? Zittastic? It’s zit cream. You know, for spots.”

“Zittastic?” I took a couple of steps back, and sure enough, on the side of the taxi, there was now a huge advert featuring an unfortunate young man with acne. He had a big smile on his face, and was holding a tube of Zittastic. Yet, only thirty seconds earlier, I’d seen an advert for Ever on the side. I definitely hadn’t imagined it. What was going on?

As I walked away, another taxi drove by in the opposite direction. It too had the same advert for Ever A Wool Moment on it. Grandma was definitely up to something.

When I arrived at the office, I could hear two voices. It was Jules and Mrs V. It was supposed to be Mrs V’s day in, and Jules’ day off. If Jules was in, I could only assume there was some sort of problem, and that they were arguing. That was all I needed first thing in the morning. I braced myself as I opened the door.

Much to my surprise, they were sitting side by side at Mrs V’s desk. Mrs V was knitting, and so was Jules.

“Hello, you two?”

“Morning, Jill.” Jules beamed.

“Morning,” Mrs V said.

“I didn’t expect to find you here today, Jules. Isn’t it your day off?”

“Mrs V has offered to teach me to knit, so I said I’d come in. It’s going really well, isn’t it, Mrs V?”

Mrs V rolled her eyes. “It’s going
quite
well, Jules. You’re getting there—
slowly
.”

I was no expert, but even I could see that whatever Jules was knitting was only fit for the bin. Still, she seemed enthusiastic enough.

“Are you two getting on okay now, then?”

“Oh, yes,” Mrs V said. “Now we’ve reached our agreement, everything’s fine. I’ll soon have Jules up to speed with the knitting and crocheting.”

“Are you going to teach me to crochet as well?” Jules said.

“I don’t see why not. Every young lady should know how to knit and crochet. Don’t you agree, Jill?”

“Err—yeah, definitely. Anyway—” I needed to change the subject before she asked how my attempts at knitting were coming along. “How’s Armi, Mrs V?”

“He’s fine. We’re going to the Washbridge Yarn Dinner and Dance in three weeks’ time. I haven’t been for a few years. Apparently, Armi is very light on his feet.”

“That’s excellent. What about you, Jules? Have you found yourself a new boyfriend?”

She blushed a little. “Gilbert and I are still together, actually.”

“I thought you said you were going to dump him.”

“I know, but he looked so pathetic. I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

“Is he still squeezing his spots?”

“Yes, I’m afraid so.”

“Has he tried Zittastic?”

***

I had an appointment with Danny Day, brother of Mandy Day and Lacey Ball. His adoptive parents had tried for years to have a family, but without success. The doctors had assured them that there was no physical reason why they shouldn’t be able to have a child, but in the end, frustrated, they’d decided to adopt. Then, as occasionally happens in such cases, his mother had become pregnant with twins when Danny was three years old.

Danny lived with his wife and had a child of his own. Coincidentally, his house was just the other side of the river Wash. He greeted me at the door.

“You must be Jill. Do come in. My wife’s taken the youngster out so that we can talk. Would you like a drink? Tea? Coffee?”

“Tea would be nice, thanks.”

“Chocolate digestive? They’re all we have, I’m afraid.”

“No, thanks. Just the tea will be fine.”

“I assume this is about Mandy?” He passed me the tea.

“How did you know?”

“I couldn’t think of any other reason why you’d want to speak to me.”

“Has Lacey been in touch with you, recently?”

“No, we rarely speak these days—maybe two or three times a year, that’s all.”

“Lacey came to see me at my office. She said that she’d had a phone call from Mandy.”

“When? Before the crash? She’s never mentioned it to me.”

“No. Much more recently. Last week, in fact.”

He looked more than a little stunned. “Is this some kind of joke? If so, it isn’t funny.”

“It isn’t a joke, and I have no desire to upset you, but Lacey insists she had a phone call from Mandy, telling her to be careful.”

“She’d probably been drinking.”

“Possibly, but she seems quite certain.”

“But Mandy’s dead. You do know that, don’t you?”

“Yes, I understand she was killed in a car accident three years ago.”

“That’s right, so how could it have been Mandy who called her?”

“I don’t know, but Lacey is convinced it was her sister. Her husband, Joe, insists that she’s delusional, and reckons she must have dreamed the whole thing.”

“I’ve never liked Joe, but as much as I hate to agree with him, I think he’s probably right.”

“What kind of relationship did you have with Mandy?”

“It wasn’t the best. I always had a fantastic relationship with Lacey. As kids, we spent a lot of time together. But for some reason, I never made the same bond with Mandy. It’s not like we fought; we just had very little in common. Lacey and I were probably closer than she and Mandy ever were, which is unusual given that they were twins.”

“You say that you and Lacey were very close, but earlier you mentioned you only see each other two or three times a year now. Why is that?”

“It really saddens me. It all changed after Mandy died. It hit both of us hard, but Lacey never really recovered. As the months went by, we saw less and less of one another. She rarely called me, and when I tried to call her, I’d mostly get voicemail. She never returned my calls. I got the feeling that she didn’t want to see me. Maybe seeing me reminded her too much of Mandy. I don’t know.”

“What about friends? Did Mandy have any close friends who I could speak to?”

“She didn’t have many friends at all. Not compared to Lacey, at least. The only two I can think of off-hand are Judy Brown and Bev Timpson.”

“Do you have contact details for them?”

“I’m sure I do, somewhere.”

***

I’d managed to arrange an appointment with the pathologist who’d dealt with Mandy Day’s autopsy. Aaron West was a gangling man who never cracked a smile. But then, there probably wasn’t much to laugh about in his job. My father had first introduced me to Aaron, and over the years, we’d established some kind of rapport.

“What was the name again, Jill?”

“Mandy Day.” I’d already given him the date of her death.

“Jeremy Day, Katherine Day, ah, here it is.” He clicked the mouse. “Mandy Day, now let me see.” He studied the screen for a few minutes. “Yes, as you say, a road traffic accident. The body was very badly burned. She was identified by a DNA match with her twin sister. Her sister also identified the jewellery that Mandy had been wearing.”

“Thank you very much, Aaron. I appreciate your help.”

I’d hoped that the identification process might have left room for some doubt, but DNA was about as conclusive as it got. It was looking increasingly likely that Lacey
had
imagined the whole thing.

There was still one thing bugging me though, and that was Lacey’s husband, Joe. He was almost certainly right—his wife must have imagined the phone call. But that didn’t explain his venom. It wasn’t just that he’d been dismissive; he’d been downright aggressive, and had seemed almost scared at the prospect of my investigation.

I had a nagging suspicion that he had something to hide. I had no other leads, so what harm could it do to take a closer look at him?

Chapter 17

Aunt Lucy poured me a cup of raspberry tea; it was delicious. She’d also made raspberry cupcakes which were absolutely yumcious.

“Hmm these are lovely, Aunt Lucy.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve done any baking, what with all of the weddings and everything.”

I knew what she meant. The last twelve months had been all weddings. First Aunt Lucy’s, and then the twins’ double wedding. I’d never worn so much pink.

“How is Lester, anyway? I haven’t seen him for a while.”

“He’s fine. Very busy though.”

“The reason I came over this morning is to let you know we’re having a housewarming party.”

“You didn’t sound very keen on the idea the last time we spoke.”

“I’m still not, but there’s no way to avoid it. Jack’s determined to have one, and it’s going to be this Sunday. He’s asked if my birth family will come over. What do you think?”

“We’d all love to be there, but is it going to be a problem for you?”

“I don’t know; I hope not. It depends whether he asks about us paying you a return visit.”

“Don’t worry about that, Jill.”

“I can’t help it. I don’t want to keep using the ‘forget’ spell on him.”

“I understand. The best thing to do is stick with the same story we told Kathy—that we live in Malten.”

“I just worry that one day they’re going to want to come to Malten to see you.”

“That isn’t a problem. If and when that happens, we’ll be able to sort something out. A bit of magic can resolve most things.”

“Will you and Lester both come on Sunday?”

“Yes, we’ll be there.”

“What about the twins?”

“Just try stopping them.”

“And Alan and William?”

“The twins will make sure they come, whether they want to or not.”

“What do you think I should do about Grandma?”

“You don’t have a choice, Jill. If you don’t ask her, she’ll make your life a misery when she eventually finds out.”

“Ahem.” Someone coughed.

We both turned around, and there she stood.

“It’s okay. You two just carry on talking about me as though I’m not here.”

“You
weren’t
here, Mother,” Aunt Lucy said. “Not when we started this conversation.”

“It’s a good thing I happened to pop in then, isn’t it?”

“’
Happened to pop in
’? You were eavesdropping, more like.”

“So, what’s this thing that I may or may not be invited to?”

“We’re having a housewarming party this Sunday.”

“You and that human of yours?”

“His name is Jack.”

“Oh yes. Jack and Jill!” She laughed.

“Like I said, we’re having a housewarming at the new house on Sunday, and you’re welcome to come. Unless, of course, you’re busy.”

“No, I’m not busy at all. Sunday is free at the moment; you’re in luck.”

So why didn’t I feel lucky?

“Grandma, look, we have to be careful. I don’t want Jack to find out that I’m a witch.”

“What do you take me for? Do you think I’m going to walk in, and say, ‘
oh by the way did you know that Jill’s a witch’
?”

“I know you won’t do that, but when you’ve had a few drinks—”

“Excuse me, young lady. Are you trying to say I can’t hold my drink?”

“You didn’t hold it very well that night you went out with Mrs V.”

“That was an exception.”

“Anyway, Grandma, you mustn’t mention Candlefield.”

“I’m not an idiot. Of course I won’t. So what story have you come up with?”

“I thought we could say that we all live in Malten, Mother,” Aunt Lucy said.

“Malten? Where’s that?”

“It’s about forty miles from Washbridge.”

“Okay. I’ll try to remember. Maltfleet it is.”

“Not Maltfleet, Malten!”

“That’s what I said. I’ll see you all on Sunday, then.”

And with that Grandma disappeared.

There was a knock at the door; Aunt Lucy answered it.

“Jill, it’s someone to see you.”

“Me? Why would someone come to see me here?”

It was a female werewolf, very tall, elegant and more than a little scary.

“Jill Gooder?”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“I hope you don’t mind me calling on you here.” She turned to Aunt Lucy. “Is it possible for me to have a few words with Jill, in private?”

Aunt Lucy nodded. “Of course, no problem, I’ll go and make a start on the ironing.”

“I’m Tabitha Hathaway, the acting chair of the Combined Sup Council.”

“Nice to meet you.” I’d heard of the Combined Sup Council; it had representatives on it from all the different paranormal creatures that lived in Candlefield. I hadn’t had any direct contact with them until now.

“How can I help you, Miss Hathaway?”

“Call me Tabitha, please. I’m here on behalf of the council to offer you a position on the board.”

“The board of the Combined Sup Council? Why me?”

“Oh please, no false modesty. It’s well known that you are now acknowledged as the most powerful witch in Candlefield.”

“But I’m still only level four.”

“By choice, from what I hear. And besides, levels are irrelevant in this situation. As I said, the board feels that your input would be invaluable.”

“What would it require of me exactly?”

“It won’t be a big sink on your time. The Combined Sup Council is more of a figurehead body. Ours is more of a guiding hand. We tend to look at the bigger picture, and offer advice where we feel it is necessary.”

“So you don’t have any power as such?”

“It depends on what you call
power
. It’s very rare that our advice is ignored. What do you say? Will you join us?”

“I don’t know what to say. This has come totally out of the blue. I’m obviously flattered to be asked, but I’m not sure that I have the necessary qualifications.”

“Of course you do.”

“I’d like to think about it for a while if I may; it’s a big step to take.”

“Of course. No need to rush into your decision. Here’s my number.” She passed me a card. “Give me a call any time. We’d love to have you on board.”

***

I had to find out if my suspicions about Joe Ball were correct. To do that, I’d need to shake things up a little.

I parked my car a little way up the road from where he and Lacey lived, and then walked to the small park, which was directly opposite their house. From a bench beneath an overhanging tree, I had a perfect view of their front door. Now, all I had to do was wait. At least the weather was on my side for once.

After about an hour, I spotted Lacey coming out of the house. I had my fingers crossed that Joe wouldn’t be with her. My luck was in. She got into the car alone, and drove away. I gave it a few minutes, and then walked over to the house.

“What do you want?” Joe was stony-faced.

“Could I see Lacey, please?”

“She isn’t here. I’ve already told you that you’re wasting your time with this nonsense.”

“Possibly not.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I’m sorry, but Lacey is my client. I can only discuss the case with her.”

“Discuss what exactly? You can’t have found anything. There’s nothing to find.”

“Like I said, I can’t talk to you about it. Perhaps you’d tell Lacey that I called, and that I’ve uncovered new information that I’d like to discuss with her.”

“She’s not interested. And don’t think we’re going to pay you.”

He slammed the door in my face. That was just the reaction I’d hoped for.

Just in case he was watching me, I set off down the street, but then after a couple of minutes, doubled back to the park. I didn’t have long to wait. Five minutes later, Joe emerged and jumped into his car. I sprinted to mine and began to follow him. I could tell by the way he was driving that he was still irate. Just as I’d hoped, I’d succeeded in getting his back up.

He parked on the road close to Washbridge Park. Fortunately, there were plenty of free spaces, so I was able to park further down the road without him noticing. I followed him into the park; he was obviously a man on a mission. He made his way over to the small café, which was close to the children’s play area. He didn’t bother to buy a drink or anything to eat. Instead, he joined a young woman who was sitting alone at a table. I kept my distance, and hid behind a tree from where I could watch them. They were very animated. He was waving his arms about; she was shaking her head. I needed to hear what was being said, so I used the ‘listen’ spell.

“You can’t do this, Joe!” The woman was close to tears.

“I’m sorry.”

“You said you were going to leave her at the end of the month. Why did you lie to me?”

“I didn’t. It’s just that Lacey and me are going to give it another go.”

“You said you couldn’t bear to be in the same room as that woman!”

“Things change. I’m sorry.” He stood up, and walked away.

This time I didn’t follow him. Instead, I made my way over to the woman.

“Are you all right? I couldn’t help but notice you were crying.”

“I’m okay.” She took a tissue from her pocket, and wiped her eyes.

“Are you sure? Is there anything I can do to help? Did that man do something to upset you?”

“No, it’s okay. I’m fine. It’s my own stupid fault. I should have known better than to get involved with a married man. They’re all the same. He said he was going to leave his wife, but now he’s called it off.” The woman stood up. “I don’t know why I’m telling
you
all of this. Sorry. I have to go.”

So, Joe Ball had been having an affair, and had promised to leave Lacey at the end of the month. Why the sudden change of heart? Why call it off immediately after my visit?

***

When I’d suggested meeting at lunchtime for a drink, Kathy had insisted that we go to Bar Piranha. I hadn’t been in there for some time. When it first opened, as Bar Fish, the place had been delightful. It had been full of beautiful, tropical fish, and even though it could feel a bit creepy at times with all those eyes on you, it had been quite relaxing. When the original owner, Stuart Steele, had been sent to prison for the murder of Starr Fish, the business had gone into administration. Its new owners had rebranded it to Bar Piranha. They’d got rid of the tropical fish, and replaced them with piranhas. They totally freaked me out. The fish were in tanks that ran under your feet, along the walls and even behind the bar. Although I knew the glass was too thick for them to be able to get out, I still found them really scary. Thankfully, they were only fed when the bar was closed. I had no desire to see them ripping some animal carcass to pieces. Yuk!

We took a seat near to the window.

“Why did we have to come here, Kathy? Look at those horrible things. Look at their teeth!”

“I think they’re cute.”

“Cute? Piranhas aren’t cute. If you put your hand in there, they’d tear it to the bone within seconds.”

“I still think they’re cute. So, how’s everything going with the party preparations?”

“Okay, I guess.”

“You haven’t managed to talk Jack out of it, then?” She laughed.

“Why would I? I’m looking forward to it.”

“Liar. You hate parties.”

“No, I don’t.”

“You’ve never liked them. When we were kids, and Mum and Dad gave us the option of a party or a day out on our birthday; you always chose the day out.”

“I like to visit places.”

“I always chose the party,” Kathy said. “Parties are fun.”

“That’s a matter of opinion.”

“See, that’s what I mean; you’re a killjoy. Who else is going to be there?”

“Some of Jack’s friends from Washbridge police station, Mrs V and Jules, some of the neighbours, and my birth family.”

“Aunt Lucy and the twins?”

“Yep.”

“Your grandmother?”

“Yep.”

“Can the kids come?”

“Some of Jack’s friends will be bringing their kids, so I can hardly turn yours away.”

“How will you cope? Your poor new house and all that lovely furniture.”

“Don’t. It makes me want to cry every time I think about it. Let’s talk about something else. What’s going on with all the advertising Grandma’s doing? I’ve seen loads of buses and taxis with Ever A Wool Moment on the side.”

“They’ve only appeared in the last few days; there are dozens of them. It must be costing her a small fortune. I’ve tried to ask her about it, but she’s being really cagey. She said she didn’t want to talk about it.”