‘Yes, and on the afternoon of the party, got Hilland to meet her in the stacks where she’d hidden the journal in plain sight. She tried to bleed him for cash in exchange for telling him which book was the incriminating one. That’s when it all went awry. Mrs Hilland’s and her son’s streams of recrimination on the way to the ambulance and after were most informative.’
‘It looks like Dale found himself in one blackmail situation too many. What with his mother making him stay around here, and then Samantha demanding money, and it sent him over the edge … so to speak,’ remarked Amanda.
‘Just so. Yes, he’d already killed before. I wonder if the sight of all that treasure up in the Andean cave hadn’t affected his sanity long before the showdown in the stacks.’
‘In my opinion,’ Amanda stated, ‘he and his mother are a pair. Nutty as a fruitcake.’
‘I’ve no doubt their respective solicitors will make full use of just such a plea,’ Trelawney commented drily.
‘Any news on Mrs Hilland?’
‘Her prognosis is good. She didn’t have all that much of whatever was in her drink. And you said she took only a spoonful of the pudding. I’ve no doubt she’ll recover to face charges.’
They ate and drank in companionable silence for a while before Amanda spoke,
‘Thank you, by the way, for keeping DS Baker and DC Nikolaides outside when you first came into the salon. Did you think that maybe …?’
‘I wasn’t sure what I would find, Miss Cadabra. I thought it was possible that there could be a hostage situation, and yes, it did cross my mind that you may have been against the ropes with, er … magic as your last resort.’
‘You showed great foresight, Inspector.’
‘Thank you. Excellent pasty, by the way.’
‘Not quite worthy of Cornwall but close, would you say?’
‘I would.’ He put his tea on the table and stood up to take his tray out to the kitchen. ‘Shall I take yours too?’
‘Thank you. But I need to come out to take the pie out the oven. Oh, I do have one question.’
‘One more, don’t you mean?’ said Trelawney lightly, over his shoulder as they processed to the kitchen.
Amanda laughed, ‘Well yes … but what I’ve been wondering ...’ She somehow had the feeling that this was delicate ground. She bought some time by taking up her oven gloves and manoeuvring the pie onto a trivet to cool. She glanced up to see him leaning against the kitchen counter, looking at her expectantly. ‘You knew the poison was in the cake … How?’
He cleared his throat. ‘Because I saw it. In a bowl of water at the Centre, in the reflection.’
‘Ah! Like you could when you were a child? But this is … well … this could be very useful.’
‘I suppose so. Not exactly in the orthodox police armoury but, yes … it could … if I could do it at will. It happened completely out of the blue.’
‘You weren’t trying then?’
‘I wouldn’t even have thought of trying.’
Amanda decided the pie was cool enough and spooned it onto two plates.
‘Cream?’ she asked.
‘Please.’
Once they were back in the sitting-room, cautiously tasting the steaming pudding, Amanda ventured to suggest,
‘Might it be something worthwhile, somehow, developing … do you think?’
‘Ah, so we’d both be using witchcraft to solve crimes?’ he replied with a touch of acerbity.
‘It’s a gift, Inspector. It might help if you didn’t label it as sorcery or one of the dark arts!’
He laughed. ‘Indeed. Something to consider, certainly … You have to give me time, Miss Cadabra. I am still trying to get used to all this … magic.’
‘Of course, Inspector. Have some more cream.’ This final word partially roused her familiar who opened one amber eye. ‘You must admit,’ continued Amanda, ‘magic does have its uses.’
That was undeniable, thought Tempest. He had never particularly admired humans’ gift for stating the obvious. But then again, he had never particularly admired humans. Except possibly as a sort of zoological curiosity.
Chapter 43
In Black
The next morning, Amanda, at Mrs Pagely’s request, visited Sunken Madley Library. She was welcomed with open arms,
‘My dear, thank you so very much for letting me know. I don’t quite understand Jonathan’s explanation of how you found the true culprit, but I wanted to thank you and the inspector for everything you have done.’
‘Not at all, Mrs Pagely.’ Amanda returned her hug warmly.
The librarian nodded in the direction of the Situation Room, now being dismantled.
‘He’s over there, if you’d like to see him.’
‘Jonathan?’
‘Your inspector.’
‘He’s not …’
But Amanda had been spotted by Baker who was giving her a cheery salute. She went over. Nikolaides was wheeling one of the display stands back to its usual home and offered a friendly greeting.
‘You’re packing up, then?’ asked Amanda.
‘Hello, Miss Cadabra,’ called Trelawney from the table, where he was typing on his laptop. He stopped and got up, stretching his back. ‘Yes, about time Mrs Pagely got her library back.’
‘All done and dusted?’
‘Far from it. Reports to write, all of the aftermath admin. More to the point, loose ends.’
‘Really?’
He lowered his voice. ‘There’s something Ford isn’t telling us, ditto Bailey-Farrell, ditto Gibbs. And then there’s the Cardiubarn van business. My father has managed to get Pasco Flamgoyne partly on our side. I have to follow up progress from the lead he gave us, while he’s still warm enough to be questioned further, if necessary.’
‘Progress?’
‘Yes. Look I’ll tell you about that presently, Miss Cadabra. Give me a couple of days to make headway with the Hilland paperwork, if you will.’
‘Of course.’
‘Cooee!’ came Joan the postlady’s voice. She was handing Mrs Pagely the letters and packets for the library. ‘Inspector, there you are.’
‘Hello, Joan,’ he greeted her with a smile as she approached.
‘First of all,’ she said, handing him a small blue round Huntley and Palmers cake tin, ‘these are from my Jim, some shortcake, baked fresh this morning, as a little thank you from
