Read Online Witch Is When Things Fell Apart by Adele Abbott - Free Book Online

out from Beryl Christy why she’d got rid of him.
    It was time to clock off. I headed back to my room at Cuppy C for a long warm bath, and some much needed sleep.
     
    Aunt Lucy had invited me to her house for dinner—I’d assumed the twins would be there too, but I was wrong.
    “How was your day at Christy’s?” She scooped another spoonful of mashed potatoes onto my plate. Aunt Lucy’s mash was to die for.
    “Very tiring. I didn’t wake up until mid afternoon.” I yawned. “Where are the twins?”
    “Working late. They’re stocktaking.” She laughed. “They’ll probably be at it until midnight. They never were very good at maths.”
    “What about Lester? I haven’t seen him for a while.”
    “He’s been busy. Did you find anything out at Christy’s?”
    ‘He's been busy’ ? What did that mean? It was obvious that Aunt Lucy didn’t want to talk about Lester, so I let it go.
    “I spoke to the dispatcher and the driver—neither of them seem likely candidates. Pauline, the driver, said she thought the damage might be being done at the shops.”
    “Why would the shop owners do that? It doesn’t make any sense.”
    “I know. I think she was clutching at straws because she feels like everyone is blaming her.”
    “What do you think?”
    “I only had a chance to speak to her for a short while, but she didn’t strike me as the kind of person to do anything like that. There is an ex-employee who I’m going to try to speak to.”
     
    I ignored Aunt Lucy’s protests, and insisted on helping with the washing up. It was the least I could do after she’d made dinner for the two of us. Afterwards, we talked for over an hour while she showed me lots of photos of her and my mother as children.
    “You look as though you got on well together,” I said.
    “Don’t let these photos fool you. We used to argue more than the twins do.”
    “Is that possible?”
    “Trust me on that one.”
    “Kathy and me are pretty much the same, but we still love one another to bits. Speaking of the twins, I think I’ll go over there and see how they’re doing.”
    “Don’t let them drag you into the stocktaking. You know what they’re like.”
     
    The lights were still blazing at Cuppy C. I let myself in the back way, and popped my head into the shop. As usual, the twins were squabbling.
    “It’s thirty seven,” Amber said.
    “Thirty eight. Are you blind?” Pearl sighed.
    “There’s three rows of ten and then another—oh yeah, thirty eight.”
    “Thank you.”
    “I can’t help it. I’m too tired. I can’t see straight any more.”
    “Hi!” I walked towards the counter. “How’s it going?”
    “It would be going a lot better if Amber could count.”
    “You can’t talk,” Amber growled. “At least I know there are twelve in a dozen.”
    “I was referring to a baker’s dozen.”
    “Liar. You—”
    “Is there anything I can do?” I said.
    “Thanks, but we’re done now. How did it go at Christy’s?”
    I ran through the details again with the twins.
    “It must be the ex-employee,” Pearl said.
    “It definitely isn’t us.”
    “Are you sure?” I said.
    They both glared at me.
    “Joking. I’m only joking. I’ll talk to Beryl Christy and her ex-employee, and let you know what I find out.”
     
    The twins decided to call it a day.
    “We’d better sit at the back of the shop,” Pearl said. “If anyone sees us drinking coffee and eating cakes, they will assume that we’re still open.”
    Amber made the coffee—she’d lost the coin toss—and then the three of us helped ourselves to cakes.
    “There goes the stocktaking figures,” Pearl laughed.
    “You really should start to sell blueberry muffins.” I’d had to settle for a chocolate one—such were the hardships I had to endure.
    “There’s a very good reason we don’t,” Amber said, handing out the coffees.
    “What’s that?”
    “Because we know you’d eat them all.”
    That was so true.
    “Not long until the