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‘I’ll call you,’ Katie said, getting up. She walked swiftly out of the room before the policewoman regained her senses and went to the staff room to collect her denim jacket and bag. Katie felt shaky. For a horrible moment she’d thought the policewoman had been going to ignore her suggestion. Light distraction or suggestion was one of the basic skills of the Harper women, as natural and easy as telling a white lie or reading cards to help a friend make a decision. It was one of the first hints that she was a Harper, turning up when she was just fourteen, and as much a part of her as the colour of her hair. What if each skill were stripped away until there was nothing left? What if, rather than coming into her true power, she was experiencing the disintegration of the abilities she already had?
The staff entrance was behind the kitchen so she said goodbye to Jo on her way through.
‘You sure you’re all right?’ Jo frowned at her, her pixie-cropped hair sticking up at odd angles where she’d had her hat pinned all evening. ‘Here.’ Jo disappeared inside her walk-in fridge and returned with half a cheesecake on a cling-filmed plate.
‘Thank you.’ Katie was touched by Jo’s kindness and it made her want to cry. She got out of the kitchen before Jo could see her eyes filling up, but it was a close-run thing.
The hot weather was holding and the night air was freakishly warm, even though it was past eleven o’clock. The curtains in the hotel were drawn and blocks of red-tinged light hit the gravel that circled the house, but the driveway was a pitch-black tunnel. She’d told Patrick last year that he needed to put more of the solar ground lights along it but he clearly hadn’t been listening. As soon as she stepped away from the lights of the main building the shape of the low garden walls and clipped hedges took on a grey and menacing appearance, becoming strange and other-worldly in the half-light.
As a result she didn’t notice the figure sitting on the steps that led from the upper lawn until the very last moment and she nearly kicked him in the back.
She recovered her balance without falling over him. ‘Jesus! You scared me.’
‘Sorry.’ The chicken thief stood up. He was too close for comfort. Especially in the dark, deserted garden. Katie took a step back.
He stepped away, too, as if aware of her discomfort, giving her more space. ‘I’m sorry I startled you.’
‘Why are you loitering out here?’ She didn’t mean to sound so abrupt, but it hadn’t been the best evening.
He held up an unlit cigarette. ‘I’m wrestling with my demon.’
‘Ah,’ Katie said. ‘I’ve heard it’s harder to give up nicotine than heroin. Or is it cocaine?’
He shrugged.
‘Why aren’t you in there?’ Katie gestured to the hotel. ‘The police want to speak to you.’
‘To everyone, surely. Not me specifically.’ He tilted his head back. ‘You look better. Are you feeling better?’
‘You did find the deceased,’ Katie said. ‘I think that makes you a key witness or something.’
‘You found him first.’
‘And I’ve spoken to them,’ Katie pointed out.
‘Good for you. Very public spirited.’
‘Seriously. A man is dead. You ought to—’
‘I prefer to keep a low profile.’
Katie’s mouth twisted. ‘I hardly think they’ll care about you crashing the wedding.’
‘You noticed that, huh?’ He pulled out a packet and stuck the unlit cigarette inside. ‘And I thought I was so stealthy.’
‘It wasn’t that obvious. I was watching you, though—’ Katie broke off. That was an embarrassing thing to say. He looked amused, which didn’t help.
‘That’s good to know.’
‘Because you seemed dodgy,’ Katie said. ‘Not for any other reason.’
He smirked. ‘I’m Max, by the way.’
‘Katie. So, big drama tonight.’ She indicated the looming building behind them.
‘Yep.’ Max sat down again, his elbows on his knees.
‘What were you doing in Mr Cole’s room?’
‘I was just passing, the door was open and I heard a noise.’
‘Did you know him? The one who—’
‘No.’ Max shook his head quickly.
He was lying. Katie felt sick. It was unlikely that he had anything to do with the poor guy having a heart attack, but still. He was a liar. And he crashed the wedding which made him a thief, too. She felt a crushing sensation of guilt. She ought to have told the police about him. Ought to go back inside and tell them right now. He’d just lie to them, of course. And he seemed to be awfully good at it.
Like it or not, he was her responsibility. She sat down on the step next to him, probably a little too close for comfort but she’d always found this particular trick easier if she was physically near to the person she was trying to read.
She took a deep breath, concentrating hard, and trying to ignore the fact that she was close enough to catch the scent coming from his skin. ‘Did you have something to do with his death?’
She watched him closely.
He frowned. ‘Are you serious?’
‘Just answer the question,’ Katie said. Her voice was calm.
‘No,’ Max said. He looked disgusted. ‘No, I didn’t have anything to do with his death.’
He was telling the truth. Thank God. It wasn’t his expression or the tone of his voice or the way his eyes met hers, it was something else. A certainty. Another of the Harper family intuitions but one that came in handy more often than most. ‘Sorry.’ She smiled, more at ease now. ‘I’m just a bit shaken up, I guess.’
‘Well, that’s understandable—’
‘It must have just happened when I found him. He’d called room service twenty minutes before. He was really cold, though.’ Which was odd. Maybe. How long did it take for a body to get cold? Katie swallowed, feeling suddenly sick again.
‘Oh, Christ. That can’t have been fun.’
‘Worse for him,’ Katie said.
‘No wonder you passed out. Are you sure you’re okay? You still look really pale.’
‘I’m always this colour,’ Katie said. She started to unwrap the cheesecake. Dessert would help. She needed some sugar to give herself the energy for the walk home. ‘So, how’d you know the guy, Mr Cole. Were you two close?’
‘I told you. I don’t — I didn’t — know him.’
Katie raised an eyebrow. ‘If you keep lying to me I won’t give you any cheesecake.’
‘What makes you think I’m lying?’
‘I know when people are telling the truth.’ She smiled. ‘It’s a gift.’
Max tilted his head back and regarded her for a moment. Then he said, ‘Remind me never to play poker with you.’
‘So?’ Katie used her fingers to break off a piece of cheesecake; it was messy. Messy and delicious. She closed her eyes to enjoy the creamy perfection and opened them to see Max looking at her with an odd expression. ‘What?’
Max shook his head slightly, then said, ‘He owed me money.’
‘A lot?’
‘Fair bit.’ Max reached for the plate.
Katie moved it away. ‘Why did he owe you money?’
‘Do you play poker, as a matter of interest?’
‘No,’ Katie said. The sugar was helping, making her feel less weak and fuzzy. ‘I used to play gin rummy with my dad all the time. I like whist but you need more than two and mum wasn’t a card player.’
Max snagged the plate while Katie was talking and dug in.
‘You know I’m not staying here, right?’
‘Right.’
‘Well, I’m just kind of passing through. When I’m moving around I incur expenses. Petrol. Accommodation.’
‘Food, when you’re not crashing weddings, presumably.’ Katie paused. ‘Don’t you get found out all the time?’
‘Not really. I prefer corporate events, but big weddings are pretty easy. No one ever knows everyone at those things. If someone chats, you make sure to ask them first whether they know the bride or the groom and then you say the opposite. As long as you avoid the happy couple, you’re golden.’
Katie shook her head. ‘All for a free lunch?’
‘I usually play poker in casinos or backroom games, but sometimes they’re hard to come by, so I check out places like this that hold functions, turn up and make friends and play a few games of cards. For money.’
‘You conned him?’
‘No. Not really.’ Max stared at the cheesecake. ‘Maybe a little. Light hustling, perhaps.’
‘And he croaked before you could collect your ill-gotten gains. Sucks to be you.’ Katie stood up. ‘Are you staying in town?’
‘Uh-huh. At the delightful Cosy Inn.’ He re-wrapped the cling film over the remaining cheesecake and got to his feet. ‘I’ll walk you home.’
Katie stifled the urge to laugh. ‘I’m fine. Thank you.’ She was Katie Harper. She was the latest in a long line of magical women. She was practically a witch, for goodness’ sake, the dark was not a problem.
‘Okay.’ Max shrugged. ‘You can walk me home.’
‘Nice try,’ Katie said, but, since they both had to walk down the driveway, there didn’t seem to be much point in resisting too much. She’d have to break into a ridiculous trot to get ahead of him and that wouldn’t be very dignified. Besides, the tall trees lining the driveway cut a lot of the moonlight and the driveway was incredibly dark. Katie didn’t want to admit it, but she felt a bit shaky after seeing Mr Cole. A distraction was kind of welcome.
‘So, you’re a con man. I don’t think I’ve met a real-life one of those before.’
‘That’s a bit harsh. I gamble a bit, sometimes I win, sometimes I lose.’
‘But you hustled Oliver Cole?’
‘You wouldn’t be up in arms if you’d met him. I know it’s not classy to speak ill of the dead, but the guy was a dick.’
‘You said you hardly knew him.’
Max looked sideways at her. ‘I’m a pretty good judge of character.’
The driveway curved down to the main road. Katie thought that she’d feel fine once she was out of the damn trees. The dark tunnel made her feel claustrophobic.
‘So,’ Max said after a moment. ‘What do you think happened? I heard someone say heart attack.’
The unwanted image of Mr Cole’s frozen face came back and Katie swallowed. He’d looked frightened. ‘I don’t know,’ she said. Nothing peaceful.
Katie blinked away the image and said, ‘So, why are you travelling around? Don’t people usually go around, like, Venice and Paris and stuff? Not Wiltshire.’
He laughed. ‘Not that kind of travelling. More of a road trip.’
They’d reached the end of the driveway and were on the steep hill into town. The lights of Pendleford shone in the dark like a constellation. The river was a velvet black ribbon. Soon they were on a street with lamps and Katie felt herself relax. ‘A road trip on your own. Don’t you have any friends?’
‘Plenty.’ Max gave her a twisted smile, but didn’t say anything else.
They’d reached the brightly lit streets of Pendleford. All was well and Katie felt silly for her moment of weakness. So, she’d seen a dead body and fainted. It was unsettling and more than a little embarrassing but no reason to go to pieces.
‘Well.’ Katie stuck out her hand. ‘It was nice to meet you.’
‘I’ll walk you home,’ Max said.
‘It’s not far,’ Katie said. ‘I’ll be fine. The Cosy Inn is down that way.’ She pointed in the opposite direction to her flat.
‘Are you sure? It doesn’t feel right to leave you on your own.’
‘Trust me, I’m perfectly safe in Pendleford.’ Everyone in town knew that she was Gwen Harper’s niece and half of them were terrified that she’d give them the evil eye. If she bumped into an idiot with a death wish or a clueless visitor, then she was covered with a home-made protection spell. Of course, she was bloody awful at spells, so she’d also armed herself with a practical option. Max was still hesitating, clearly torn over his misplaced ideas of chivalry. Katie pulled out her can of defence spray. ‘I have this. See?’
Max took a step back and put his hands in the air. ‘Is that legal? I thought—’
‘It’s not the good stuff,’ Katie said. It was sticky spray, which had made her American friend, Alison, laugh for ten minutes after she’d explained that it shot goo, rather than pepper spray, but it said ‘Mace’ on the side in big letters. Plus UV-coloured goo had to be better than nothing. Especially if you aimed for the eyes.
Max looked into the spray nozzle and took another step back. ‘I’m not going to win the “trustworthy” argument, am I?’
‘Not tonight,’ Katie said. She stuck out her hand again and he shook it. Katie tried not to notice how nice his hand was. Long fingers, knotty knuckles and the perfect size. It dwarfed her hand without seeming like a gorilla’s paw. ‘Nice to meet you, Max. Have a nice life.’
He tilted his head back, appraising her. ‘You’re kind of cold, you know that?’
The warm feelings she had been beginning to entertain fled. Why were the good-looking ones always such wankers? Katie sighed. ‘Why do men think women are being cold if they don’t fall at their feet?’
‘Okay, okay.’ Max turned away. ‘I’m going.’
