Witchbotched in Westerham Read online

  I quickly made my way to Ma’am’s office. When I knocked, she called me through. “So, to what do I owe this visit?” She looked at me over her reading glasses from her chair.

  I made a bubble of silence. “I wanted to grab Mum’s diaries. Liv and I have time to go through them and figure out where I should go next.”

  “Right, well, before you decide anything, clear it with me. Also, you’ll need to take Imani with you. She’s not available today, but I can free her up for tomorrow.”

  I tried, I really did, but the eye-roll happened nonetheless. “Of course I know to take Imani. Sheesh. I’m not stupid, and I don’t have a death wish.”

  She raised a brow. “You don’t always do the sensible thing, dear. I feel I need to remind you at every opportunity.”

  I huffed and decided I’d never win an argument with her. I’d just pretend the last part of the conversation never happened. “Would it be possible to get those diaries today?”

  “Yes, dear. Wait here. I’ll be back soon.” She stood and made a doorway but before leaving said, “Good choice, dear. You would have only dug yourself in deeper.” She smirked, and then she was gone.

  Gah. Thanks for rubbing it in. Angelica never missed a chance to be superior or bossy, but I knew she was doing it because she cared. Didn’t make the sting hurt any less, though. At least no one else had been here to see my latest dressing-down. It was important to look at the positive side, wasn’t it?

  She soon returned, her arms filled with the five small books. “Here you are.” She plopped them carefully on her desk, and a Waitrose Knives-and-Forks reusable shopping bag appeared next to them. I stood and put them in the bag. “Thanks. What time will you be home tonight?”

  “I’m thinking around six. I’ll chat to you about this then.”

  “Okay, thanks. I’ll see you later.” As she sat, I made my doorway and returned home. Now it was time to find out where to next. My stomach muscles clenched. Wherever it was, it wasn’t going to be easy. But I had no choice. I had a mystery to solve, and the longer I left it, the more danger we’d all be in.

  Not for the first time, I wished I were a squirrel. If only the most pressing thing I had to find were some nuts. I sighed and opened Angelica’s reception-room door. “Liv,” I called out. “I’m back. Let’s do this.” At least my voice sounded way more sure about this than I felt. As the saying went: fake it till you make it. I was becoming quite the expert. Now I just had to hope faking it wouldn’t get me killed.

  Chapter 2

  It was just after midnight. One at a time, Will, Imani, and I stepped through our doorways into the out-of-order cubicle in the ICC Birmingham—a massive international conference centre northwest of London. Mum had been here a few months before Dana’s mother had died. It seemed like an easy-ish target for me to investigate compared to the other one I was interested in: a ball at a French chateau, which was still owned by the same company and lived in. Angelica was running background checks on the owners.

  Will had magically disabled the security cameras and alarms. We had a warrant from the PIB in case we came across a witch security guard. If we encountered a human one, Will was going to put them to sleep and mindwipe. Not ideal, but we had to do whatever it took to keep this secret—you never knew who was involved with the snake group, and the less they discovered about what we were doing, the better.

  The event my mum had attended here looked innocent enough from what we could find in her diary and online—a fundraiser for a conservative political party. Because it was such a boring thing, I figured something must have been fishy about it. My mother wasn’t into politics, at least not that I knew. Angelica had confirmed my assumption. While we were here gathering photographic evidence, my brother was researching the politicians who’d organised the event.

  Will poked his head out of the main bathroom door first. He moved through to the hallway and waved for us to follow. Within a few feet, we came out at a main thoroughfare. Blue carpeted stairs with steel handrails overlooking the main concourse were to one side. I looked left and right, making sure no one was about to surprise us. It was dead quiet, the blue carpet muffling our steps as we made our way to the railing overlooking the ground-floor concourse of the centre five flights down. The glass roof was supported by a blue-painted steel Meccano set. Massive banners hung from the beams, advertising the ICC and a pet-food company.

  I looked around again, then whispered, “Where to now?” I knew we’d come out on Level 5, which was where hall 8 was, but which direction to go now was beyond me.

  “Hang on.” Imani took a map of the centre out of her pocket and unfolded it. She had a quick look. “This way.” She led us down the corridor and across a narrow walkway, which was really a bridge connecting one side of the upper levels with the other. I couldn’t help but look down as we crossed. Oh, crap. Someone was down there, at ground level, walking along the centre of the place. A security guard. I moved faster, pushing Imani along. When we got to the other side, she turned and opened her mouth. I shook my head violently and pointed down. Her eyes opened in acknowledgement. I nodded and breathed out relief.

  She turned and moved to the door that had a sign near it with a big blue 8. Imani led the way inside the dark room. I turned on my camera. Once Will was inside and the door shut, I asked quietly, “Do we dare turn on the lights? I can’t see anything.”

  Will moved to stand next to me. He nestled a warm hand under my hair to rest on the back of my neck. Mmm, that was nice, except we weren’t exactly in the right place to start anything. Still, we were in a dark room, standing close—could anyone really blame me for my thoughts going there? “You don’t need light for what happens through your camera. Whatever is in the past will show up as it was that day, won’t it?”

  “Oh, yeah. You’re right. My stupid.” I put the lens cap in my pocket and pointed the camera towards what I assumed was the whole room. Since we were standing in the doorway, it stood to reason. “Show me my mother.” I wasn’t going to bother being more specific because I wouldn’t think she’d been in this room too many times.

  The room appeared to spring to life. Oh, a video moment! I quickly flicked the camera to video and pressed record. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hear anything. The room was awash with red lighting. Banners hung on either side of the stage, proclaiming, “Only the powerful must lead!” and “Return the UK to Glory.” A mass of round tables, each seating roughly ten people, crowded the room. A small stage with a lectern sat against one wall. A man was standing up there, addressing the crowd of well-dressed adults. His mouth was moving, but, of course, I had no idea what he was saying. I walked towards him, hoping I wasn’t about to crash into anything in real time. I put one hand down to feel for chairs or other impediments.

  I whispered, “I’m just walking to the far wall to get a better shot of something.” I didn’t want Imani and Will wondering where I was or whispering to me when I was too far away to hear.

  “Roger that,” Will said.

  I haltingly progressed until I stood right in front of the grey-haired, dark-suit-wearing man. At this distance, we might be able to lip-read later. It took another minute, but then he finished speaking, smiled, and walked down the stairs off the stage… straight through me. I jumped back. Bloody hell. I put a hand on my chest and got my breathing under control, then panned the camera around the tables, looking for Mum.

  I held my breath for a moment. There she was, in a red halterneck dress, her hair falling loosely around her shoulders. She was so beautiful. I blinked, banishing tears. Dana’s father sat next to her, some bald guy on her other side. Where was my dad? I guessed they mustn’t have done everything together, but all the other shots I’d taken in the last few months were of both of them.

  Dana’s dad leaned towards my mother, saying something that she was laughing at. Dana’s mother—on the other side of her father—was smiling too, but it was more of a gritting of teeth and didn’t reach her eyes. No way. Why would she be jealous of my mother? There was no way my mum would have an affair.

  As I kept recording, Dana’s mum patted her husband on the arm. He ignored her for a moment before he turned to her, smiling. She said something to him with a fake smile still plastered on. He nodded, his smile genuine—the poor sod couldn’t see he was in trouble. As his wife left, he rested his arm on the back of my mother’s chair. She didn’t even flinch, either not noticing, which I couldn’t believe, or not minding. What the hell was going on? Again I wondered where my father was.

  Another man approached their table. Expensive charcoal suit, slicked-back ebony hair, he smiled with all the warmth of a shark. Dana’s dad looked up at him, then stood. They shook hands. The new guy said something, and Dana’s dad nodded. He appeared to excuse himself from the table, and they left.

  The video stopped, my mother frozen in time, watching them go.

  I flicked it back to camera. “Show me my mother.” The image hadn’t changed. I pulled my phone out and risked using the torch so I could find my way back to Imani and Will. I left it on for a couple of seconds, got my bearings, and went to them. “Okay, that’s it. I got some video.”

  “Video?!” Imani sounded excited. “Great work.”

  “Well, it’s not like I can choose. You’ll have to thank Lady Luck for that one. There was something else. You’ve put up a bubble of silence, Will?”

  “Yes.”

  “Cool. Dana’s dad was sitting at a table with my mother. But then he left with some slick-haired guy. I’m wondering if I should try and get some shots outside, just in case we can find him.”

  “But what would that tell us, Lily?” Imani had a fair question.

  “I have no idea, but maybe body language can help us figure it out, or maybe if it’s video, we can lip-read later?”

  Will answered, “Okay, I’ll give you a couple of minutes to figure it out, but we don’t want to risk discovery, and they could have had their conversation anywhere in this building—we’re not spending all night looking for them.”

  “Okay. Lead the way out, boss.”

  “You do know you don’t respect that title as much as you should, right?” The smile in his voice shone through the darkness.

  “I know, but that’s one reason you love me.”

  Imani snorted.

  The door latch clicked. “I wouldn’t go that far, Lily.” Will opened the door, and faint light seeped through. He checked no one was coming and led the way out. Once in the public area, I whispered, “Show me Dana’s dad meeting with Slick.” My magic knew who I meant, so I didn’t need to know his name.

  Nothing. Damn.

  I lowered my camera, turned it off, and shook my head. “I guess it’s time to leave.”

  Will nodded. “We’ll all go to Ma’am’s. She’ll be asleep, but I want to watch that tape before we finish up.”

  I yawned. The mention of sleep must have reminded my body that it was way past my bedtime. “Sounds like a plan.”

  “After you,” said Will. I made my doorway home, Imani and Will close behind. I wasn’t sure what we were going to learn about my mother’s time in hall 8, but I wasn’t ready to concede she might have been having an affair. My mum, the woman who would hold my dad’s hand when we were out, the women who looked at him with such adoration—that was the real her, wasn’t it? And if it wasn’t, what then?

  For the first time, I really didn’t know, nor did I want to. But there was no backing out now. I just had to believe there was a reasonable explanation for what appeared to be flirting. Besides, she wouldn’t have put it in her diary if she didn’t want me to find out about it, although she couldn’t know I had a talent for seeing the past. Maybe the clues were meant to be in who had attended, rather than my mother’s relationships with any of them. Or maybe it was just what the event stood for?

  Whatever the reason, I was reserving judgement. Yep, no judgements being made… yet. But if that were true, why did the sinkhole in my gut feel like it was getting larger by the second?

  Chapter 3

  There’s nothing as awesome as waking up with your cheek in a wet patch on your pillow… said no one ever. Argh. Even worse, Will was already out of bed and likely at work. What was the time? I sighed in resignation—it was time to get out of my dribble and face the day. Also, note to self: change your pillowcase before going to bed tonight.

  I slid out of bed and clumsily grabbed my phone off my small desk. Ten thirty. A huge yawn almost dislocated my jaw. I eyed my bed wistfully. No, Lily, you’re not going back to bed. My inner voice won—I didn’t want to waste the whole day. I had things to do, one of which was to go to my brother’s and hang out with Millicent. She was so close to her due date, and whenever someone had spare time, we were spending it there, just in case. After the scare with the catch spell a few weeks ago, we thought it was better if she wasn’t alone. While I was there, I had photo editing to do. I’d covered a wedding on New Year’s Eve. Such a crazy time to get married. I was their third choice of photographer—it seemed I was the only idiot willing to work on such a momentous day, but for me, it was like any other, and no offence to Westerham, or even London, but nothing matched the fireworks on Sydney Harbour we had every year. Plus, I wasn’t a fan of standing outside in zero degrees waiting for said fireworks. Oh, and I was even less of a fan of reminiscing. With my past, it was likely to end in tears.

  After washing my face, brushing my teeth, etcetera, I magically dressed myself, grabbed my bag and laptop, and travelled to Millicent’s. She answered the reception-room door with a tired smile. “Lily! How are you?” She gave me an awkward, baby-bump-in-the-way hug. Her two dogs jumped up, greeting me. Normally, she had them locked away when I came over, just in case Liv was with me, but today, she knew Liv was working. “Down, puppies.” They both settled, which I appreciated. They were medium-sized dogs and, if they put their minds to it, could probably knock me over.

  “I’m great, thanks. You’re looking gorgeous but tired. Is everything going okay?”

  She shut the door and locked it. “Come in, and we can chat over a cup of tea.” I cleared my throat, and she laughed. “Or a coffee.” The dogs stayed protectively at her side as we moved through to the kitchen.

  I giggled. “That’s better. So, spill.”

  “It’s just really hard to sleep with this.” She rubbed her belly as we entered the kitchen. “I’m sick of lying on my side. I can’t even lie on my back because when the baby gets to this stage, it can put pressure on the umbilical cord, so it’s dangerous. And when I do manage to sleep, baby dearest decides to kick and wake me up. I have a night owl on board.” She walked over to the small table on the other side of the kitchen. “Let’s sit here—it’s more comfortable.” The dogs lay on their beds in the corner.

  I sat at the table and looked out the glass-panelled door into the frosty garden beyond. The familiar tingle of Millicent’s magic gently feathered my scalp, and two cups appeared on the table. I savoured the rich coffee scent before taking a sip. “Mmm, nice.”

  “I got those Lavazza beans you keep raving about. James says thank you, by the way.”

  I grinned. Us Aussies loved a smooth brew, and we knew our coffee. It was a culture all its own in Australia—there was practically a café on every corner, and a good number of the population owned their own cappuccino machine. “Tell him he can thank me with some kind of awesome present for my birthday.”

  She laughed. “After that amazing photograph you gave us, I think he’d give you anything you asked.”

  I’d gone back to where he’d proposed and used my talent to take a photo of him proposing to Millicent. It still brought a tear to my eye when I thought about it. “It was the least I could do. He sacrificed so much to look after me after Mum and Dad disappeared. And you’ve been nothing but welcoming since I arrived. You guys are the best, and you’re going to be the parents of my favourite niece or nephew.”

  She gave me a sly smile. “It helps that you don’t have any others.”

  “But if I did, yours and James’s kids would totally be my favourites.”

  She conjured a bubble of silence. “So, tell me what happened last night. James mentioned you were out at a diary entry.”

  “Yep, although I’m not quite sure what we’ve discovered. They might be great leads, or they might not. James is going through all the people in the video, finding out who they are. When he’s got all that info, he’ll call a meeting. I think he’s reluctant to set dates for stuff because you guys don’t really know when Baby Awesome is coming.” I smiled at her bump.

  She rolled her eyes. “Yes, well, I want it to be sooner rather than later. This body isn’t big enough for the both of us.” She laughed. “Seriously, I can’t believe how much your skin can stretch, or how squished your organs can be and still work.”

  I nodded. I wasn’t in any hurry to grow a human. It was way down on my to-do list. “It doesn’t look like much fun, to be honest. But soon enough, you’ll be back to your normal, trim self, able to tie your own shoelaces.”

  “Argh, you’re not wrong. It will be a day I celebrate. I am rather puffy at the moment.” She slid a foot out of her slipper. “See.”

  Her foot was twice its normal size, and her toes were like frankfurters. Too late, I caught myself pulling an “ew” face. I hated feet at the best of times, and this was far from the best of times for Millicent.

  Millicent sighed. “I know. It’s gross.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to let that face out.”

  She giggled. “It’s fine. I pull that face when I see my feet too. So, enough about my horrible, swollen feet, and more about other stuff. How’s Liv going?”

  “Really well. She’s slowly putting on weight, and she’s almost back to the energy levels of old. Beren’s been the best through all of this. He’s such a sweetie.”

  “He is such a great guy.” Millicent winced.

  “What’s wrong?” I leaned forward, trying to see what was wrong, but there was nothing obvious. Had Regula Pythonissam managed to breach the spells protecting the house?