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  Susan smiled, but didn’t interrupt him.

  “I was terrified, so I broke cover and sprinted for the fence. I thought she might try to grab me, but she didn’t move from that bench. I ran all the way home and told my parents what I’d seen.”

  “What did they say?”

  “What do you think? They said it was my overactive imagination, and that it was probably red wine or something, but I knew it wasn’t.”

  “How old were you?”

  “Eight.”

  “Kids of that age do have a vivid imagination.”

  “I know what I saw. And, anyway, that isn’t the end of the story.”

  “Oh?”

  “I kept on at my parents about it until in the end my father agreed to go and talk to the woman.”

  “What on earth did he say to her?”

  “That’s just it. He didn’t get a chance to say anything because she’d moved out.”

  “To where?”

  “No one knew. She was never seen again.”

  “People move house all the time for all kinds of reasons.”

  “Isn’t it obvious why she left? She knew I’d seen her, so she fled.”

  “And that’s what started you on this path?”

  “Yes. I knew I was right about the woman, but I had to find proof.”

  “And you’ve been searching ever since?”

  “That’s right.”

  ***

  “I’m not sure I’m going to be any good at this.” Kim was beginning to have second thoughts about being Neil’s assistant.

  “You’ll be great, I promise.”

  “I don’t want to mess up and spoil your show.”

  “You won’t, and besides, the audience will be so enthralled with my performance, no one will notice if you do mess up. Come on, let’s try the canary trick again.”

  “Okay.” Kim went and stood next to the bird cage.

  “Ladies and gentlemen.” Neil had now adopted his Great Neilo persona. “We now come to the grand finale. Please prepare to be amazed. Over there, next to my beautiful assistant, Kim, you’ll—”

  “You’re not actually going to say that, are you?” Kim blushed.

  “Why not? You are beautiful. Are you ready?”

  “I guess so.”

  “Over there, next to my gorgeous assistant, Kim, you will see not one, but two canaries in a cage. Watch them very closely.”

  Kim, following the instructions that Neil had given her earlier, made an elaborate handwaving gesture towards the caged birds.

  “And, hey presto!” Neil shouted.

  As soon as the two birds had disappeared, Kim did a little sashay around the cage.

  The Great Neilo continued, “Ladies and gentlemen, please do not fret. The birds are perfectly safe, as I will now demonstrate. He pointed to the empty cage, and lo and behold the bird returned.

  Bird, not birds.

  “There’s only one,” Kim said.

  “I know. Something’s gone wrong. Hold on, let me try again.”

  He did, and this time the second bird reappeared.

  “What do we do if that happens during the show?” Kim said.

  “Don’t worry. It’ll be alright on the night.”

  ***

  “Charlie!” Jade nudged him in the side.

  “Sorry?”

  “You were miles away again. Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?”

  Jade and Charlie were having lunch in a pub, just off the high street in Stratford.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Honestly.”

  “I really thought you’d enjoy it here, but it doesn’t seem as if you have.”

  “I’m really sorry. Look, I didn’t want to say anything, but my mother called first thing this morning. My young brother went missing overnight.”

  “I’m so sorry. You should have called to cancel.”

  “It’s okay. He phoned Mum this morning to say he was alright.”

  “Where is he?”

  “She wasn’t sure. I’ve promised to try and find him when I get back, so I might have to dash straight off.”

  “Of course. I really wish you’d cancelled, so that you could have looked for him during the day.”

  “If he hadn’t called, I would have done, but I didn’t want to let you down.”

  “Oh, Charlie.” She squeezed his hand. “I would have understood. You really are the kindest man I’ve ever met.” She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the lips.

  “So you don’t mind if I rush off as soon as we get back?”

  “Of course I don’t.”

  “Thanks. I thought you might dump me.”

  “Don’t be silly. I’m your girlfriend now. I would never dump you over something like this. I just hope your brother is okay. Your poor mum must be beside herself with worry.”

  “Did you just say, girlfriend?”

  “Yeah. I hope that I’m not being too presumptuous. I mean, we haven’t actually talked about it, but I thought—”

  “No, that’s great. It’s fantastic! I didn’t know if we were—err, you know. Like just friends?”

  “I thought we’d become more than that. We have, haven’t we?”

  “Yes, of course. Definitely, yes.”

  Although he was delighted by what Jade had just said, he felt terribly guilty for having lied to her. But what choice did he have?

  ***

  Dorothy and Donny had just stepped out of the unit when her phone rang.

  “It’s Tilly. We’ve got a bit of a problem.”

  “What’s up?”

  “I’ve been taking orders all afternoon.”

  “I thought we weren’t supposed to start until tomorrow?”

  “We aren’t, but people have obviously seen the flyer and given us a call anyway.”

  “What did you tell them?”

  “I didn’t like to turn them away. If I had, they might not have come back.”

  “I don’t suppose it matters.”

  “It will do if we can’t make deliveries in the morning. The first order is for eight o’clock.”

  “I didn’t think we were getting our delivery until about then?”

  “We aren’t—err—weren’t.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve spoken to the supplier. They can make a delivery late this afternoon.”

  “We should be okay, then, shouldn’t we?”

  “The thing is, I’m over in Candlefield. It’s my mum’s birthday, and I can’t walk out on the celebrations. I was hoping—”

  “It’s okay. I can be there for the delivery.”

  “Are you sure? Don’t you have anything planned for later?”

  “I do, but it’s okay.”

  “You’re the best. See you tomorrow.”

  “Okay. See you.”

  Donny grinned. “Something tells me I’ll be going to my brother’s alone.”

  “I’m really sorry. I have to be here for a delivery. Tilly’s at her mother’s birthday party. Do you mind?”

  “I’ll forgive you. But it’ll cost you.”

  “What do you want?”

  “A kiss.”

  “That, I can do. Come here.”

  ***

  Greg and Susan were on their way back to Washbridge in the Gregsmobile. The outing had been exactly what Susan had needed to take her mind off work. The weather had been fabulous, the food excellent and Greg had been the best company. He had a relaxed, easy-going manner which had rubbed off on her in a positive way.

  “I’ve really enjoyed today,” she said. “Thanks.”

  “Me too, but it doesn’t have to end just yet.”

  “Oh? What did you have in mind?”

  “Lunch seems a long time ago now. How about I take you out for dinner?”

  “I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t you let me make dinner for you?”

  “You can cook?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “Cheek! I’ll have you know that my baked beans on toast were the envy
of East London.”

  “I am quite partial to baked beans.”

  “Let me call the flat and see who’s going to be there. If everyone is in, it might not be worth it.” She took out her phone and called Neil.

  “Neil speaking.”

  “It’s Susan. I was thinking of bringing someone over for dinner.”

  “Dinner, eh? I’ll believe you, thousands wouldn’t.”

  She could just picture the smirk on his face.

  “I was wondering who’s in?”

  “Just Kim and me. Dorothy has gone out with Donny, and Charlie is still in Stratford with Jade. Kim and I might nip out later.”

  “Okay, thanks.” She ended the call and turned to Greg. “We should be okay. Most of them are out.”

  “Great, but I need to call at my place first. There’s a couple of things I have to sort out for the morning.”

  “I tell you what. Why don’t you drop me at the railway arches? I want to have a quick look at Dorothy’s new unit, then I’ll head back to the apartment and make a start on dinner.”

  “That sounds like a plan.”

  Chapter 20

  Neil and Kim had practised the act all the way through five times, and the canary trick another three. Apart from the one hitch with the canaries, everything had gone smoothly.

  “Are you feeling more confident now?” he said.

  “A little, but I’m worried I’ll turn into a gibbering wreck when I have to do it in front of an audience.”

  “You’ll be absolutely fine.” He gave her a kiss. “I was thinking that maybe it was time to take one of those breaks we discussed.”

  “Hmm, that sounds like a great idea. I think we’ve earned it.”

  Neil took her by the hand, and led her to his bedroom, but as soon as he walked through the door, he stopped dead in his tracks because Socky and Bella were sitting on the end of his bed.

  “What’s wrong?” Kim said.

  “Err, nothing.”

  Bella gave him a cold glare.

  “Neil?” Kim squeezed his hand. “Are you okay?”

  What was he supposed to do now? There was no way he was going to get amorous with Kim while Socky and Bella were looking on. He was about to tell Kim that they were there when his phone rang.

  “Neil, it’s Liam.”

  “Hi, pal.”

  “I’ve managed to dig out the info you wanted. I’ve had a quick read through it, and it looks like just what you need.”

  “That’s fantastic. When can you bring it over?”

  “You want jam on it, don’t you? If you want it, you’ll have to come over here and collect it.”

  “Couldn’t you describe it to me over the phone? Or take photos and send those to me?”

  “No, I can’t. If you want it, get off your lazy backside and get over here. You’d better look sharp too because we’re going out in thirty minutes.”

  “Okay. I’ll come straight over. Don’t leave until I get there.”

  “You’ve got thirty minutes.”

  Call ended, he turned to Kim. “I’m really sorry about this, but I have to go and collect details of a spell from a friend of mine.”

  “Couldn’t it wait?” She gestured to the bed.

  “I wish it could, but if I don’t go now, I’ll miss him. It’s really important.”

  “Okay, but I’ll have to get going because my shift starts in an hour.”

  “At the hairdressers?”

  “Yes.” She grinned. “At the hairdressers.”

  “Okay. I really am sorry about this. You’ll still do the show tomorrow, won’t you?”

  “Of course I will, and afterwards maybe we can take that break?”

  “You bet.”

  ***

  Charlie had broken out in a cold sweat.

  The coach had been delayed by thirty minutes on the motorway, and there was now no way he’d make it to Candlefield before he started to turn. That was bad enough, but if there were any more delays, he might turn while he was still on the coach. If that happened, he was terrified of what the consequences might be. There would be a bloodbath, and one of the victims would be Jade. He couldn’t allow that to happen. If it came to the point of no return, he’d have to force his way off the coach while it was still moving.

  “Charlie?” Jade took his hand. “Are you alright? You haven’t spoken for ages and your hand feels cold and clammy.”

  “I’m okay, honestly.”

  “I know you’re worried about your brother, but you did say he’d phoned your mum, so he must be alright.”

  “I know. I’m really sorry I’ve spoiled the day.”

  “Don’t be silly. You haven’t spoiled anything. I’ve had a lovely time because I was with you.”

  He glanced out of the window again; they were now on the outskirts of Washbridge. Unless the traffic in the city was really bad, they should make it to the coach station before he started to turn. But where would he go once he was off the coach? It had to be somewhere secure where he couldn’t do any damage or hurt anyone. Then it came to him: Dorothy’s unit. There was a spare room in there with a lock on it. If he could get there, he’d be able to lie low until the morning.

  “I’ll have to shoot off as soon as we arrive at the coach station,” he said.

  “I know. That’s fine. Will you call me tomorrow?”

  “Of course I will.”

  ***

  Dorothy had not appreciated just how much blood was going to be delivered.

  “Is this all for us?” She stared in disbelief at the pile of boxes that the driver had unloaded from his van.

  “You’re T & D Supplies, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, that’s us.”

  “Then it’s all for you. Can you sign this, please?” He handed her a clipboard.

  When she’d volunteered to take the delivery, it hadn’t occurred to her how much work would be involved, but it was too late to ask for Tilly’s help now.

  By the time she’d got all of the boxes through to the room with the fridges in it, she was whacked, but she couldn’t take a break because she needed to get the bottles of blood into the fridge.

  Even though she was exhausted, she had no regrets. Working in the bookshop had been boring, and the money had been rubbish. At least now, her destiny was in her own hands. She was really excited about tomorrow when the orders would start to go out and the money would begin to come in.

  Just then, the door flew open.

  “Charlie? What are you doing here? You look terrible.”

  “We were delayed on the way back from Stratford. I don’t have time to get to Candlefield, and I’m going to turn any minute now.”

  “You can’t! Not in here!”

  “There’s nothing I can do to stop it. I thought you could lock me in there.” He pointed to the spare room.

  “Okay, but hurry.” She unlocked the door.

  “Whatever you do, don’t open this door. No matter what you hear or what I say, don’t open it again until the morning.”

  “I won’t. I promise.”

  As soon as Charlie was inside, she locked the door behind him. Moments later, when her phone rang, she almost jumped out of her skin.

  “It’s Tilly. I wanted to check if the blood delivery has arrived?”

  “Yeah, a few minutes ago. I hadn’t realised how much there would be.”

  “Have you got it all in the fridges yet?”

  “Not all of it.”

  “You can’t leave it out for very long.”

  “I know that. I’m being as quick as I can, but I had to stop for a couple of minutes because Charlie turned up.”

  “What does he want?”

  “It’s the full moon and he doesn’t have time to get back to Candlefield, so he asked if I’d lock him in our spare room.”

  “Jeez, Dorothy, don’t let him go anywhere near the stock.”

  “I told you he’s locked in the spare room.”

  “I know, it’s just that I’m really
nervous about tomorrow.”

  “If you don’t let me get off this phone, all the blood will go off.”

  “Okay, I’ll let you get on with it. Call me if you need me.”

  “I will.”

  “See you tomorrow.”

  Dorothy ended the call and took a deep breath. Surely, nothing else could go wrong, she told herself.

  But she was wrong.

  “Hello? Anyone here?”

  Dorothy froze when she heard the voice: Susan’s voice.

  “Dorothy? Are you here?”

  Susan tried the door and found it was unlocked.

  Dorothy attempted to head Susan off, but it was too late, she was already through the door.

  “I did knock, but—” Susan’s words trailed away when she saw the piles of bottles standing in front of a row of fridges. “What are those?”

  Dorothy tried to think of a reasonable explanation, but there was nothing she could say that would do any good. It was obvious to anyone what was in the bottles.

  At that moment, a blood-curdling howl came from the spare room.

  “What was that?” Susan said.

  “It’s nothing.”

  “That wasn’t nothing. What’s in there?”

  “It’s—err—just Tilly’s dog.”

  “I didn’t know she had a dog.”

  Before Dorothy could respond, there was an even louder howl.

  “That’s no dog.” Susan took a step towards the room. “What’s in there?”

  “Nothing.” Dorothy moved in-between Susan and the door. “It’s nothing.”

  There was another loud howl and then a voice, “No!”

  “That sounds like Charlie.”

  “I’ve told you. It’s just Tilly’s dog.”

  “No! No!” The voice was much louder now.

  “He’s in trouble.” Susan pushed Dorothy to one side. “We have to help him.”

  Only then, did Dorothy realise she’d left the key in the lock. “Don’t open that door!”

  Susan was no longer listening. She had no idea what was going on, but she was sure her flatmate was in trouble and needed their help.