Witch Is When Everything Went Crazy Read Free Page B

could lend you the money,” I said.
    “Thanks, but it wouldn’t do any good,” Peter slumped down in the armchair. “Everyone’s money has gone, so the whole thing will have to be called off.”
    Kathy put her head in her hands. “What are we going to tell them?” She gestured towards the kids’ bedrooms.
    Peter shook his head. “Let’s give it a couple of days to see if anything turns up.”
    “I can’t believe Norman would do something like that,” Kathy said. “When was the last time anyone heard from him?”
    “Two days ago, I think. He went to Antonio’s for a meal with his girlfriend. Since then, nothing.”
    “Do you want me to see if I can come up with anything?” I offered.
    “Do you think you can find him?” Peter looked hopeful.
    “I don’t know, but I’ll give it my best shot.”
    “You have to find him, Jill.” Kathy took my hand. “The kids will be devastated if the holiday is cancelled.”
    No pressure then.
     
    I was becoming more sensitive to the presence of ghosts, and could usually tell now when my mother was close by.
    “Mum?” I glanced around the living room of my flat. “Mum?”
    “It’s me,” a male voice said.
    I turned around to see Alberto. “What are you doing here? Is Mum alright?” Weird question, I know. She’s dead—how much less alright could she be?
    “Your mother is fine. Well, maybe a little upset.”
    “Why what’s wrong?”
    “You have to promise not to let her know I told you.”
    “Told me what?”
    He hesitated.
    “I promise I won’t tell her. What’s wrong?”
    “On her death bed, your great-grandmother gave your mother her wedding ring. Your mother wore it on a necklace all of the time. She’d always planned to take it as her own wedding ring if she ever married again, but now she can’t.”
    “Why not? What happened to it?”
    “It’s disappeared. She was wearing it when she went into the nursing home, but since she—” He couldn’t bring himself to say the words.
    “Died and came back as a ghost?”
    He nodded. “It wasn’t on her finger. I told her she should ask you to investigate, but she doesn’t want to add to your workload.”
    “Leave it with me. I’m on it.”
    “Thank you, Jill. I knew you’d want to help. I won’t say anything to your mother just in case you draw a blank. I don’t want to get her hopes up.”
     
     

Chapter 3
     
    At this rate, I was going to have to take on an assistant. As well as the Colonel Briggs case, I now had two other items on my to-do list: the missing holiday cash and the missing ring. The trouble was that two out of those three were unpaid, so maybe the assistant would have to wait.
    “Why are you ordering treats for that horrible cat?” Mrs V asked when I walked into the office the next morning.
    “What treats? I haven’t ordered anything.”
    Mrs V passed me a parcel. It was addressed to ‘Winky the Cat’ care of my office address.
    “Someone must have ordered them.” Mrs V huffed. “It’s bad enough you waste your money on premium cat food and full cream milk.”
    “It has to be a mistake. I’ll look into it.”
    I’d no sooner stepped into my office, than Winky was all over me. “Did I hear ‘treats’?”
    I was too busy to worry about why someone would have sent Winky a parcel of cat treats. They were here now, so he might as well enjoy them. I ripped open the packet, and scattered a few on the floor. “Don’t eat them all—” Too late. He’d already vacuumed them up.
    “More!” he insisted.
    What the heck? Anything to keep him quiet. I threw them to all four corners of the room. If he was going to eat them, he’d at least have to work for them.
    “You couldn’t just put them in my bowl?” he complained.
     
    The last time I’d called this number seemed like a lifetime ago. Back then, I’d known nothing about my ‘other’ family, and I’d been oblivious to the fact that I was a witch.
    “Daleside Nursing Home.”
    “Hi. My name is Jill