and evidence …’ Relief was starting to unhinge my shoulders. If they took the bait then perhaps whatever was going on might stop. This would mean she’d get her mercy, wouldn’t it?
Flick drew up a chair opposite us. ‘That’s the main thing we need. It’s almost like you’ve already done your part, Sadie. You’ve hunted down the witches, done the research, now I can go with it and work on it more. Can you come over tomorrow for a chat and I’ll make a start?’
Her eagerness surprised me. But it was welcome.
Maggie narrowed her eyes. ‘Have you two talked about this before?’
‘No!’ We both exclaimed at the same time, then Flick laughed.
Maggie joined in.
I remained silent. I was still too wired to enjoy the gaiety.
Maggie took another mouthful of drink. ‘Well it seems like I’ve got no say in the matter. If Sadie wants to give us the names of the women and the details, and if you’re happy to start working on it, Flick … as long as it doesn’t interfere with the general running of Mercurial then I’d like to see what you can come up with.’
I permitted myself a smile.
‘Top-up, anyone?’ said Maggie.
I nodded. But it wasn’t to celebrate.
When I got home, I turned off the lights and looked into the cracked mirror. The top part of it had come away that night I threw the shoe. My thin tired face looked back, it had a strange expression. The beginnings of fear had wrinkled my forehead. My jaw line was tense and defined. But there was resolution in the firm mouth and beyond the whites of my eyes. I lowered my voice and whispered softly, ‘Are you there?’
The outside light came through the windows and glinted on the cracks in the looking glass.
There was no glow. No movement.
But I needed to tell her, so I said it. ‘We’re going to try and get you a pardon. Do you understand that? You’ll be pardoned. Then you can rest. Do you understand me now?’
Over in the neverworld, nothing stirred.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Mercurial office was busy. A C-list actor and his agent were in for an interview with Maggie. Françoise and Lola were skipping and cooing around them like a couple of overexcited pigeons.
‘Do you want to get a coffee at the Railway?’ Felicity asked, with a minute nod towards the activity going on at the other side of the room.
‘Good idea,’ I said. My mood was pensive and I was very tired. Last night my mind had gone into overdrive and banished any possibility of sleep. I lay in bed alert, waiting for something to happen, listening to the stiff breeze in the oak trees outside. Then, just as dawn broke I managed to drop off, only to be woken by my mobile an hour or so later.
It was Amelia, the woman I had met at Uncle Roger’s party. She had, she said, some information that she thought I might be interested in and asked when I was planning to visit Manningtree. I told her I was thinking sometime this week.
‘You can’t make it tomorrow can you?’ Her voice kept going up and down, like she was all keyed-up. ‘I’m going on holiday this Thursday and I really think you would be interested in this.’
‘Can’t you tell me over the phone?’ I didn’t like being pinned down.
‘Not really, I have to show you some primary texts.’
That sounded interesting so I agreed to have dinner with her. ‘At the Thorn Inn,’ she said. ‘It’s the perfect place. I’ll book the table.’
I thanked her and hung up, realising that I would be unlikely to drive back that late at night. So, I phoned the Inn and booked a double room. The idea of spending a night in the place where Hopkins had interrogated his victims filled me with dread but, I realised, if there was something strange lurking in the air around me, then it was most likely to come through there – like it or not. And I had stuff to convey now to the girl spirit. Something that might help me put an end to this business.
And, on a more practical note, I needed to go there for my book. Especially if Felix now wanted an ‘emotional’ response. It was an essential destination. I would just have to be strong, though the thought of it was draining.
Thankfully Flick seemed to have enough energy for both of us. She wrapped up her current piece of work and gathered together notebooks while