Witch Is When Stuff Got Serious (A Witch P.I. Mystery Book 11) Read Online Free PDF Page A

him. He’s a human, so he can’t come to Candlefield.”
    “That’s a pity. I think I’m going to have to put an advert in The Candle.”
    “What about Lester? Does he do any gardening?”
    “Lester? Goodness, no. I wouldn’t trust him with my garden. I love the man to bits, but I don’t think he’d know a hydrangea from a hyena.”
    “Talking of Lester, are you and he still thinking of moving to the human world?”
    I had my fingers crossed that she’d dropped the idea of moving in with me.
    “Lester suggested we could rent some sort of weekend retreat over in Washbridge, so we could see how I adjust.”
    “That sounds like a great idea.”
    “I’m just going to see how things develop. I’m not in any great hurry, I must admit.”
    “Aunt Lucy, while I’m here, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
    “What’s that, dear?”
    “It’s a bit of a confession, actually.”
    “Oh?” She looked a little concerned.
    “I’ve met my father.”
    “But I thought you said you didn’t want to see him?”
    “I hadn’t planned to, but I literally bumped into him in Washbridge.”
    “Hmm? That probably wasn’t a coincidence.”
    “I did wonder about that, but anyway we’ve met up again since then. He seemed very worried about my safety, and kept warning me to be careful.”
    “Are you going to keep seeing him?”
    “No. I have nothing to say to him. He abandoned me for no apparent reason, and made no effort to see me again. He’s not a part of my life. I have my family here in Candlefield, and my family in Washbridge. I don’t need him.”
    “Good. It’s probably for the best.”
    “Is Grandma still seeing Horace?”
    “Yes, as far as I know.”
    “What do you think of him?”
    “He’s a strange man. I don’t really know what to make of him.”
    “To be honest, he gives me the creeps. He came to my flat.”
    “With Grandma?”
    “No, by himself.”
    “Why?”
    “I don’t know, but he seems to know all about my sister and her family.”
    “Have you mentioned this to Grandma?”
    “No.”
    “You should.”
    “What would I say? ‘Your new boyfriend gives me the creeps’ ? Maybe I just need time to get to know him.”
     
    ***
     
    I’d tried really hard to persuade the twins that they should have a ‘soft’ launch of the conveyor belt—to test it while there weren’t many people in the shop, so they could iron out all of the problems. But no—they knew best. They wanted a big launch party, and they’d invited everyone.
    And, today was the day.
    Everyone who was anyone in Candlefield was in Cuppy C, including the mayor, the chief of police, numerous level six witches, and reporters from The Candle. Aunt Lucy and Lester were there too, along with the twins’ fiancés. Grandma had cried off; she said she had important business in Washbridge. I had a feeling she had a sense of what was to come. I’d thought I was there as a guest too, but it turned out they wanted me to work behind the counter. Great. I’d got all dressed up for nothing.
    Amber and Pearl had both invested heavily in new outfits, and they’d spent hours preparing a speech which went on for way too long. Everyone in the audience looked comatose by the time Pearl wrapped it up.
    “And so, in closing,” she said. “It is with great pleasure that we switch on the first tea room conveyor belt in Candlefield.” Both of them placed a hand on the red button, and pressed.
    Just like before, the conveyor belt set off at a snail’s pace. If anything, it was even slower, probably because of the number of cakes which had been piled onto it. After a few minutes, the cakes were still making their way slowly around the room. The guests were becoming more and more impatient. The rumbles of complaint got louder as people grew tired of waiting for their cake.
    “I thought you’d sorted this?” I said.
    “We did.” Amber looked stressed. “We got it going faster, but I can’t remember how we did it.” She