Enchanted Glass Read Online Free PDF Page B

called the police, but the sergeant said it was probably cats. It wasn’t though. We all saw shadowy sort of — people. They disappear by daylight. That’s why I ran away at sunrise this morning.”
    There was a short silence, then Andrew said, “Aidan’s grandmother died last week and told him before she died to come to Jocelyn Brandon if he was in trouble. And of course my grandfather is dead too.”
    After another short silence, Stashe said, “Have some more coffee.”
    “And give him another biscuit,” Tarquin added. “Had any breakfast, did you?”
    Aidan thought he was going to cry again. He managed to stop himself by saying, “I had money for a bacon sandwich.”
    “Good,” said Tarquin. “These Stalkers. Haunts, were they? That sort of thing?”
    Aidan nodded. “Three kinds. They seemed to know exactly where I was.”
    “Difficult,” said Tarquin. “You can’t really expect the police to be much help there. You need to hide, sonny, to my mind. My house has not got as much protection as this one has, but you’d be welcome to stay with me. I could use the help.”
    Before Aidan could say anything, Stashe gave her father a scornful look and bounced out of her chair. “Yes, Dad,” she said. “I can just see you trying to fight a bunch of haunts by waving one crutch at them! We need a proper decision here. There must be a way to keep the kid safe. Is that today’s paper I see there?”
    Andrew, who was holding the biscuits out to Aidan and slowly coming to his own decision, looked vaguely round and said, “Mrs Stock did bring the paper in here I think.”
    Stashe was already pulling the newspaper out from under the tray. She tossed most of it impatiently on thefloor among the history pamphlets and took out the sports section, which she spread out. “Where do they put the racing results in this rag? Oh, here, right at the end. Let’s see. Kempton, Warwick, Lingfield, Leicester — lots to choose from. What won the first race at Kempton then? I always go to the first one they give.”
    Aidan and Andrew both stared at her. “Why do you want to know?” they said, almost together.
    “Advice,” said Stashe. “Predictions. I always use the racing results as an oracle. I do first race and last in the first track on the list, and then the last race in the last one.”
    “You can’t be serious!” said Aidan.
    “Works for her,” Tarquin said, perfectly seriously. “I’ve never known her fail.”
    “Oh, look here!” Andrew said. “A horse that won yesterday, far away from here, can’t have anything to do with—”
    He stopped as Stashe read out, “The two-oh-five at Kempton: first, Dark Menace, second, Runaway, third, Sanctuary. That seems to outline the situation pretty well, doesn’t it? Last race now. First, Aidan’s Hope, second, Hideaway, third, The Professor. I think that settles it. Professor Hope, he has to stay here with you.”
    Andrew was sure that Stashe was making the names up. “I don’t believe this!” he said and took the paper off her.But they were all there, in print, just as she had read them out.
    “Read out the last race at Leicester now,” Tarquin said to him. “She uses that as the clincher.”
    Andrew moved the paper along and his eyes widened. He read out, in a fading, astonished voice, “First, Real Danger, second, Flight to Hope, third, Eustacia’s Way. Look here,” he said, “most horses have names like Bahajan King, or Lord Hannibal, or something in Arabic. What do you do when one of those comes up?”
    “Oh, that’s simple,” Stashe said sunnily. “Depending if one of those without meaning comes first, second or third, they give you a question mark to the prophecy or advice. They say, ‘This
might
work’ or ‘This is the best I can tell you’ — things like that.”
    This girl is mad, Andrew thought. Barking. But I do need help with the computer.
    “She’s quite sane,” Tarquin put in helpfully.
    Andrew’s mouth opened to contradict this.