Amanda Cadabra and The Hidden Depths by Holly Bell (good book recommendations TXT) 📗

always knew. I knew the minute he came back from Ecuador that he’d been up to no good. He wouldn’t tell me, but I always find out. I know how to find things out. I got it out of him in the end.’

‘Hush, Mother. You mustn’t upset yourself. It’ll only work faster.’

‘And then, when he came back that afternoon, I knew he’d been bad again. Then I heard about that girl. She knew too somehow. She had it, had the book.’ She reached out a weak arm to him, barring his path to Amanda, who edged further away. He put his mother aside, as she whined. ‘I would have paid, Daley, anything she wanted.’

But her son was ignoring her.

‘Come on, Amanda. Time for cake …’

She knew Hilland was bigger, stronger and faster. He made a grab for her, as she dodged back, whipping forth her wand with the word:

‘Cusslaepeth!’

At once Dale’s eyes closed and he crumpled onto the fashionably black tiles of the florist’s shop floor. Amanda quickly moved to Gillian Hilland’s now sleeping form. She managed to stop her head from thudding into the metal table. Even as she tended to the visible fallout, Amanda felt it. The mystical mushroom cloud erupted into the ether, bearing the fatal message to any Cardiubarn or Flamgoyne still alive: the witch lives.

She stood back and surveyed the visible disaster. Her familiar padded across to Dale and regarded him with satisfaction.

‘Oh dear, Tempest,’ said Amanda, looking from one somnolent body to the other, and putting away her wand. ‘I didn’t have a plan for this. What am I going to do with them? What I need is …’

A faint metallic scraping and clicking sound was coming from the back door. Suddenly there was a click and draft from the kitchen, heralding the welcome entrance of Detective Inspector Trelawney. Amanda greeted him with palpable relief.

‘Perfect timing!’

‘Miss Cadabra, are you all right?’ he asked, instantly deducing what had had just transpired.

‘Yes, thank you, Inspector, but I think Mrs Hilland may need an ambulance. I think Dale has —’

‘Poisoned her. The cake,’ he added. Amanda stared at him in amazement.

‘How did you ...?’ But that was a question for another time. More pressing was the present predicament. ‘Well, never mind. Look, I’m afraid I had to use … magic,’ she explained regretfully.

‘Yes, so I gathered. Well, you can, er, bring them round by the same means?’

‘Yes, but we’d better arrange the scene, perhaps?’

‘Unquestionably,’ agreed Trelawney, crossing to Dale and heaving him up and into a chair. Amanda supported the sleeping murderer upright while Trelawney went to the back door then returned with handcuffs.

‘Baker is calling for the medics now.’ He told her as he applied the restraints to Dale’s wrists.

Amanda arranged Gillian with her head on her arms, saying,

‘He was definitely the guide. The journal gave his name. I just didn’t see it: Nans Breha: Dale Hilland.’

‘Aha. Excellent. Ready?’

‘Now?’ she asked Trelawney.

‘If you will, Miss Cadabra.’

She took out her wand.

‘Awaekdenath.’

Trelawney, using the brief hiatus of the Hillands emerging from Amanda’s sleep spell, moved to the front door, let Baker in and asked him to do his bit.

Dale went to rub his eyes and discovered that his hands were cuffed. He was about to stand up, when Baker approached him.

‘Dale Hilland, I am arresting you for the murder of Ainsley Storridge and the attempted murders of Amanda Cadabra and Gillian Hilland. You do not have to say anything. But, it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.’

‘Inspector,’ Amanda said quietly, seeing Gillian fall back into slumber, ‘I think we have to get Mrs Hilland to wake up and try to keep her awake until the ambulance arrives’

‘Indeed. Nikolaides!’ The constable had entered through the back door at the inspector’s word. ‘Wake Mrs Hilland up and keep her awake. How long until the medics get here?’

‘Five minutes, sir.’

With some cheek-patting, hand-slapping and calling of her name, Mrs Hilland was brought back to consciousness. It was sufficient, at least, for her to hear Nikolaides following words:

‘Gillian Hilland, I am arresting you on suspicion of being an accessory to the attempted murder of Amanda Cadabra. You do —’

‘You can add blackmail to that!’ shouted Dale. ‘She drove me to it! The witch!’

A shot of ire-fuelled adrenaline brought his mother back to life to retort, ‘Two years, that’s all I asked, just two years to help me set up the shop. I wouldn’t have told. You could have gone back to your life. I wouldn’t have told.’

‘Two years was a life sentence too long, Mother!’

‘Yes, well that’s what he’ll be facing,’ Trelawney murmured to Amanda.

When the ambulance sirened up minutes later, the pair were still exchanging dagger looks and expressively worded recriminations. It seemed to Amanda that these were every bit as good as a signed confession.

Nikolaides departed with Mrs Hilland, and Baker delivered her son into the hands of uniformed backup to carry him to detention.

‘Flash and dabs’ll be here in a minute, sir.’

‘Thank you, Baker.’

The sergeant turned to Amanda,

‘That’s —’

She grinned. ‘I know, the photographer and forensics.’

‘Very good, miss. We’ll have you on the job, yet,’ Baker commended her.

‘Hm. In the meantime,’ said the inspector, ‘let’s have a look around, shall we?’ Baker handed him a pair of latex gloves, which he snapped on.

Amanda followed Trelawney into the kitchen, careful not to touch anything. She watched him go through the drawers and cupboards, then squat down by the unit under the sink. Only a few moments later, he drew out a plastic bag from the shadowy depths. He stood up.

‘Hm. Looks like dried flowers or …’

Amanda leaned forward.

‘May I?’

‘Look but don’t touch, please, Miss Cadabra,’ Trelawney, responded, holding the bag closer to her. After a few seconds, she frowned.

‘I don’t need to handle it, Inspector. In fact, I’d rather not.’

‘Oh?’

‘It’s hemlock. He must have been feeling the strain of life with Mother for a while.’

‘That went into the