Read Online All Was Revealed by Adele Abbott - Free Book Online Page B

wrong.” I put my hand on hers. “What is it? Is it Lester?”
    “No dear. Everyone’s all right. It’s not the family; it’s just me being silly.”
    “About what?”
    “This article.” She pushed a newspaper towards me.
    “Homeless Fairies?”
    “It’s so sad. Have you come across the starlight fairies before?”
    “I don’t think so.”
    “They’re delightful little people. They’re the tiniest sups in Candlefield—the size of a pinhead. Their population has exploded over recent years, but housing for them hasn’t kept pace, and now lots of them are homeless.”
    “I always thought fairies lived in the woods.”
    “In the human world, maybe, but here in Candlefield they normally live in houses like the rest of us. A friend of mine, Diane Bayswater, runs FairyAid, a charity which is trying to help them. She’s asked if I’ll help out.”
    “Raising funds?”
    “I suppose so. I’m going to meet with her in the next couple of days to see what she’d like me to do.”
    “If there’s anything I can do, let me know.”
    “That’s very generous, Jill, but I think you’ve already done enough with your work for SupAid.”
     
    ***
     
    I hadn’t told Jack that I was going to see Stuart Steele. He wouldn’t have been very happy if he’d known, but I had a business to run, and a living to earn.
    I arrived at Stuart’s house ten minutes before the time we’d agreed. It was a large house, and had obviously cost a pretty penny. As I arrived, a tow-truck, with the name Beeline Motors and the logo of a cute bee driving a car, was picking up a black four-by-four from in front of the house.
    Stuart answered the door. “Jill, thank you very much for coming.” He must have seen me glance at the car. “They’re taking it in for repair; it packed up on me yesterday.”
    “Mine broke down the other day in the middle of nowhere. If it hadn’t been for Malcolm the mobile barber, I would have been in a real pickle.”
    “Mobile barber?”
    “Yes, he’s a funny little guy. He has a mobile barber shop which he insists on parking in the middle of nowhere.”
    “How does he get customers?”
    “He doesn’t; at least, not many. But he seems happy enough, so who are we to question him?”
    “Let’s go through to the living room.”
    There were fish tanks embedded in the walls of the corridors, and in the living room was a large open-topped tank with glass steps leading up to it.
    “Fascinating aren’t they?” he said. “Would you like to feed them?”
    “No, thanks. I take it this is a hobby of yours?”
    “It is indeed—ever since I was a child. My father bought my first fish tank for me when I was six years old, and it grew from there. I eventually started my own shop—you may have seen it: Something Fishy. It’s in Washbridge, close to the library.”
    “I can’t say I have.”
    “Bar Fish is the next step in my plan for world fish domination. If it’s successful, I hope to sell franchises. Hopefully, you’ll soon see a Bar Fish in cities throughout the country.” He frowned. “Of course, after last night, things aren’t looking quite so rosy.”
    “Did you know Starr Fish?”
    “I’m not really a fan of reality TV, but you’d have to be blind and deaf not to have heard of her. She was never off the front pages of the tabloids, and all over the internet. I’d heard that she’d disappeared, but that was as much as I knew about her.”
    “If you didn’t know her, why would you want to spend money to find out who killed her?”
    “Pure self-interest, I must confess. The longer this drags on, the worse it will be for Bar Fish. If it can be cleared up quickly, maybe I can still salvage something out of the situation. Would there be a problem with Jack if you were to take on the case?”
    “Not a problem as such, but if it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer not to mention it to him. I wouldn’t want him to think I was treading on his toes.”
    “Absolutely. A nod is as good as