Free Witch Is Why Time Stood Still (A Witch P.I. Mystery Book 13) by Adele Abbott Page A

for me. All twenty-four of them!”
    “Oh dear.” Luther grinned. “Poor you. But then, if I have to put up with him, I don’t see why you shouldn’t. Anyway, I suppose I should take a look at your books.”
    “I doubt they’ll look much better than the last time you were here. Business has been very slow. Before you start, how are you and Betty getting along?”
    “Didn’t you know? We’ve split up.”
    “Really? I had no idea. Is she still living there?”
    “Yeah, it’s a bit awkward, really. I see her every day, so as you can imagine, there’s a bit of an atmosphere.”
    “What happened if you don’t mind me asking?”
    “It was stupid really. We had an argument over starfish.”
    “The reality TV celebrity who was murdered?”
    “What?”
    “Sorry. Just a case I worked on. So you fell out over a starfish? How did you manage that?”
    “Like I said, it was stupid. We were at a seashell fair, and were both looking around the stalls to see if we could find anything to add to our collections. I spotted a fabulous specimen, and was just about to pay for it when Betty snatched it, and bought it for herself.”
    “What did you say?”
    “I told her I was just about to buy it. She said, ‘You snooze you lose’.”
    “Charming.”
    “I know. I couldn’t believe it.”
    “Betty does have a dark side. I’ve seen it myself.”
    “We had a big argument on the way home, which spiralled out of control. In the end, we both decided it was probably best to call it a day.”
    “I’m really sorry. But I always thought you two made—err—an unusual couple.”
    “I suppose we did.”
    “Are you still into sea creatures?”
    “To be honest, Jill, that incident kind of spoiled it for me. It’s a pity because I was really getting into it in a big way. It can be quite exciting, you know.”
    “I’ll have to take your word for that.”
    “Anyway, after that day, I kind of lost the heart for it.”
    “Maybe that’s for the best, I never really did see you as a seashell kind of a guy.”
     
    ***
     
    I’d arranged to drop into another jeweller, All That Glitters, to see if their story was the same as the others. Ethan Moore, the manager, was only too happy to talk me through what happened. It was almost word for word what I’d heard on the previous two occasions. He too had a CCTV recording of the ‘incident’ and invited me to view it.
    “What’s that on the floor, close to the door?” I pointed to the screen.
    “We were having some work done to extend the shop. Even though it was boarded up, the plaster dust was everywhere. That area to the side of the door was the worst affected because it was closest to where they were working.”
    After Ethan had zoomed in, I could see a number of footprints in the plaster dust. He zoomed back out, and we continued to watch the recording. The assistant behind the counter was showing a tray full of rings to an elderly couple. One moment the tray was full of jewellery, the next it was empty. The pattern was exactly the same as I’d seen with the two other thefts.
    At my request, he allowed the recording to play for a few more moments, and then stopped it. I asked him to zoom in on the area next to the door again. There, in the dust, was one extra set of footprints, and yet no one had come into or out of the shop. Where had those footprints come from?
     
    ***
     
    I’d asked Alan to arrange for me to meet with the Eagles’ team captain; a young man named Eddie Wonder. Eddie had movie star looks, and one of those smiles that could melt a girl’s—err—heart. Not that I’d noticed, obviously.
    We met at the team’s clubhouse; Alan came along with me.
    “Nice to meet you, Jill.” Eddie’s smile almost blinded me.
    “Thanks for seeing me.”
    “No problem,” he said. “The sooner we get this sorted out, the better. The players are dropping like flies at the moment. I’m not sure how we’re going to field a team.”
    “I know it’s an obvious