Amanda Cadabra and The Strange Case of Lucy Penlowr Holly Bell (top 100 novels txt) 📖

phone her much in those days, but Vera said she had had a feeling for some time that there was something on my mind. I ended up telling her about the fire, the school, the children, their families, and the dead end I’d been up against for, well ... years. It was a relief to be sharing it with her. She was sympathetic, encouraged me to “buck up, old bean”, and, just as for Dickens’ Mr Micawber, something would, no doubt, “turn up”. And that was that. For several weeks. And then ....’

At the last two words, an expression of consternation filled Amanda’s face.

‘Oh, you’re not going to make us wait until tomorrow, are you, Uncle Mike?’

He grinned.

‘No. my dear. However, now I come to a part of the story where I must ask you to reserve your questions until the very end of my telling of the tale. Can you do that you two?’

‘Yes, Uncle Mike,’ Amanda replied compliantly.

‘Thomas?’

‘Yes. Of course. Regardless of the challenge,’ he added with a smile at Amanda.

‘Very well. As I say, that was that for several weeks and then ... I received a call from Vera inviting me to come and spend my next free weekend with them. Vee said, rather tantalisingly, that she and Harry just might be able to help me with my cul-de-sac. She wasn’t promising, but tentative as it was, it was the best lead of any kind I’d had for years. My excellent team at the station rearranged their schedules, and I took the weekend after off, and flew out to Spain.

‘It was a little awkward at first as we had all been apart for a while, but Harry is such a serene and amiable chap, and so skilled a chef that he acted as a catalyst. He soon had me snacking indulgently, at my ease, and Vee and I fell into our old relationship.

‘Nevertheless, I let Vee broach the subject that had led to my visit. It was the evening after I’d arrived and we were having carajillos on the deck looking out over the Mediterranean, watching the sunset and the ships passing.

***

‘Now then, Mikey. About why you’ve come here. Next time I hope you won’t leave it until you have a reason of epic proportions to bring you. Harry needs a guinea-pig for his recipes, you know.’

‘I’m more than willing, and no, I won’t leave it so long in future. Sorry, Vee. I’ve been rather caught up with this case.’

‘You mean obsessed.’

‘All right, I’ll give you that!’

‘Hmph. Very well. You’re forgiven. So ... regarding your Bodmin fire and the murder of Dowrkampyer, we know a family who might possibly be willing to give you a little information.’

‘Wonderful!’

‘Cool your jets, Hatchling. This is going to take some preparation.’

‘Oh?’

‘They are rather ... an unusual family. You’d have to leave any preconceived notions of, what is loosely termed, normality at the door.’

‘Unusual is an understatement,’ added Harry, between sips of his Spanish liqueur coffee.

I frowned in bewilderment, and protested somewhat,

‘I like to think I’m reasonably liberal.’

‘Hm,’ Harry replied.

‘In the course of my work, I’ve encountered all kinds of families I promise you,’ I said defensively.

Harry looked at Vee.

‘I think we can pretty much guarantee he’s never encountered anything like this.’ He received a confirming nod from his wife. My mind boggled.

‘Well ... they’re not ... inbred, are they?’ Harry and Vera laughed. ‘All right, so that’s wide of the mark. So come on, tell me. What is it about them?’

Vera became strangely solemn at this point. Her following words surprised me:

‘You must promise that you will never reveal what you are about to learn to a living soul.’

‘Er ... yes, yes, of course.’

‘I mean it.’ Vera was deadly serious. I was taken aback.

‘I promise.’ Something more seemed to be needed. I added, ‘I swear.’

She responded, ‘Swear upon the name of St Piran.’

I was astounded.

‘What? Vee ... we haven’t ... not since we were children.’

‘I know,’ she answered levelly.

‘Very well, yes, of course,’ I answered. ‘I swear upon the name of St Piran that I shall not reveal to a living soul what I am about to learn.’

‘Unless you are given leave to do so,’ Vee added as a rider. I was curious.

‘Unless I am given leave by whom?’

‘Lucy.’

Chapter 13

The House of Lucy

Amanda leaned forward, provoking a grumble from the partially dislodged Tempest.

‘So did Vee and Harry tell you?’

‘They did,’ replied Hogarth. ‘It took me some time to get my head around it. Every time I said, “so it’s like so-and-so?”, they said “no” and explained it again.’

‘Explained what?’ persisted Amanda.

‘Well ... I’ve given this some thought, and I’ve decided it’ll be more fun if you work it out for yourselves.’

‘No!’ she protested with comical dismay.

‘Really?’ Trelawney asked.

‘Yes.’ Hogarth was definite.

‘Is it that complicated?’

‘Yes and no.’

‘Is it a magic thing?’ Amanda guessed.

‘Some might say so.’

Trelawney sighed.

‘All right, Mike. We give up. Yes, Amanda?’

‘Yes.’ She looked at Hogarth. ‘Please go on with the story.’

***

‘Once I’d bound myself with a solemn oath and I’d got my head around what they were telling me, they set up a meeting at the house of the family. I wondered if Vee and Harry would come with me to introduce me, but it turned out that they were happy for me to go there alone. And so ... the next morning I went.’

***

Hogarth glanced up at the clock.

‘Forgive me: I have an early start tomorrow. But come early, say, 6 o’clock.’

In the car, with Tempest wrapped in his blanket, thoroughly indignant at the transition from cosy sitting-room to cold car, Amanda said,

‘It seemed rude to ask, but what does Uncle