Witch Is When Life Got Complicated by Adele Abbott Read Free Book Online Page B

out for me because they came racing out of the front door.
    “Can we be bridesmaids?” Pearl yelled.
    “Can we?” Amber was even louder.
    “Aunt Lucy told you about the wedding, then?”
    “Yeah. She isn’t very happy about it, but we think it’s great. We love weddings. What about you?”
    “Can’t get enough of them. Have you been to a ghost’s wedding before?”
    “No, but it’ll be fun.”
    I wished I shared their confidence. I had grave (pardon the pun) misgivings about the whole thing.
    “Tell the twins they can be bridesmaids.” My mother had appeared at my side. “That should give Lucy something to think about.”
    Before I could respond, she’d vanished again.
    “Who was that?” Pearl said. “Your mother?”
    I nodded. “She said you can be bridesmaids.”
    “Fantastic!”
    “But there’s one condition.”
    “Anything.”
    “Don’t tell Aunt Lucy until I’m back in Washbridge.”
     
    The clubhouse was a small brick building on the edge of the playing fields. Aunt Lucy had made some phone calls, and arranged for the captains of the two teams to meet me there. The twins had wanted to go with me, but I’d put my foot down and insisted I go alone or not at all.
    The two men were waiting for me inside. I instinctively knew which of them was the vampire and which the werewolf even though there were no obvious physical clues.
    “I’m Archie Maine.” The vampire offered his hand.
    “Jill Gooder.”
    “And I’m Wayne Holloway.” The werewolf flashed me a smile as we shook hands.
    “We both have a lot of respect for your aunt Lucy, and your late mother, so we were more than happy to meet with you,” Archie said.
    “I understand that you are a private investigator in the ‘other’ world,” Wayne said.
    “That’s right. It was my father’s business. I joined him straight from school.”
    “And do you think you’ll be able to help us to solve our little mystery?”
    “I’ll do my best.” I glanced over to the empty plinth. “Is that where the cup should be?”
    Both men nodded, and then between them, proceeded to tell me the story. I didn’t sense any of the animosity that the twins and Aunt Lucy had suggested had built up between the two factions. Perhaps they were on their best behaviour for me.
    “I assume you don’t have CCTV?”
    “You assume correctly. The club funds won’t stretch to it. There is an alarm, but it goes off every other week, so no one takes any notice of it.”
    “Was anything else taken?”
    “Nothing at all, but then there’s precious little else to steal.
    “Why do you think someone would take the cup?”
    “No idea,” Wayne said. Archie shook his head.
    “What used to be over there?” I pointed to a rectangular patch on the wall. “A painting?”
    “A mirror. It was broken during the raid, so we removed it.”
    If I’d been in Washbridge, I’d have probably told them to buy a new trophy and to move on. Life was too short to worry about things like this. But I was keen to make my mark in Candlefield, and this was my opportunity to do just that.
    “I’ll see what I can find out, but I don’t hold out much hope.”
    “We’d appreciate whatever help you could give us,” Archie said. “And give our regards to your aunt.”
     
    The next day, I was back behind the counter in the tea room where I was slowly gaining in confidence.
    “Yes sir, what can I get you? Oh, hello again.”
    “I’m sorry I had to rush off yesterday,” Drake Tyson said.
    “That’s okay. What would you like?”
    “Could I have a pot of tea for two please?”
    “For two?”
    “Yes please.”
    “Would you like anything to eat with that?”
    I glanced around the room, trying to figure out who he was with.
    “A chocolate muffin and a Victoria sponge, please.”
    “Who’s that?” Pearl asked as I watched Drake make his way over to a table by the window.
    “No one.” The woman waiting for him was way too beautiful for her own good, with her long blonde