Witch's Bell Book One (37 page)

“
Okay, yeah, I'll be there as
soon as I can,” he nodded again, “I'll be ready, sir.”

With one more nod, Nathan Wall snapped
the phone closed with a resounding click. Then just stood
there.

If Ebony had ever believed that she'd
heard silence, she was dead wrong. The sticky, thick, suffocating
silence that now descended between them caught every possible word
in its net, before it was even said. So Ebony just sucked on her
lips and looked on.

“
I gotta go,” he said finally,
shrugging.

She opened her mouth for quite
some time before the right word popped up.
“Right.”

He put the phone back in his pocket,
not really taking his eyes off her, but not really looking at Ebony
either. For just a split second, she half-fancied, he looked
conflicted.

“
So ...” she sighed, crossing
her arms and glancing out the window, not because she wanted to
know what was out there, but simply because she needed somewhere to
stare, “what's going on?”

“
There's been a break-in at the
Praytor Jewelers,” Nate flexed his shoulders, as if trying to shake
out a slight pain in his back.

Ebony tried to concentrate on the
words, rather than the man saying them. Get a grip, girl, she told
herself, trying to suck in a steadying breath. It was just a little
kiss. And it was interrupted. What did it really matter?

Praytor Jewelers, a
break-in
....’Hold on,” she felt her face crumple with confusion,
“aren't they both magical jewelers and ordinary
jewelers?”

“
Yeah,” he flattened down his
tie, “that's the problem. This isn't an ordinary break-in.
Apparently they stole some important stuff.”

Ebony now blinked far too
quickly, like a cat trying to take in the erratic and chaotic
movements of a laser pointer.
“What? Are you serious? Praytors have two wizards
on guard around the clock. How on Earth—”

“
I don't know,” he shrugged his
shoulders again, as if his shirt no longer fit. “But I've got to
go. Half the station is going, apparently.”

Ebony nodded evenly.
“I imagine they
are. This is big.”

“
I gathered that from Ben's ...
less than cheery tone.”

Ebony bit into her lips, trying
to smile.
“He'd have the Commissioner on his butt about this. I
wouldn't want to be in his shoes right now. Depending on who stole
what, this could make both the witches and wizards pretty
angry.”

“
I've got to go, Ebony,” Nate
finally said. He turned and walked several steps, then he paused as
if wondering whether he should add something. “I'll see you
later.”

Then he walked off, leaving Ebony
quite completely alone.

When she was sure he was gone,
Ebony took in a massive breath and shook her head for a
while.
“What
was that?” she whispered to herself, face freezing into an awkward
but energetic grin.

She put her hands on the desk
before her, her fingers tapping the wood quickly.
“Right,” she patted
back her hair, “right,” she tried again.

So
... what was she meant to do now?
What had that ah ... little kiss, actually meant? Nothing? Just
Nate playing games?

Ebony turned to the window, catching a
glimpse of her reflection. Her face was plastered with an odd,
half-shocked, consternation. Far from gaining any clarity from this
day, so far she'd only managed to fall into a whirlpool of greater
confusion.

Even though their little kiss
had left Ebony thoroughly confused, it had served one purpose.
While moments before she'd been on the edge of a nervous-cliff,
filled with apprehension at the sea of uncertainty beneath
her
– her
mood had now lifted. She was zipping, as it were, her hands and
face still tingling with warmth and excitement.

The fact the book from the crypt had
never been recovered was still a worry, of course, but it wasn't
about to send her to her knees yet.

The same with the
Grimshores.

She had to find out what it was
all about. She had to
....

Ebony ran a finger over her lips and
tried to think. She had to do something productive, something
directed. But what? Should she wait here, all starry-eyed, until
Nate came back? Should she stay here and go through the files,
trying to find out more about the Grimshores?

It took Ebony several minutes to come
up with a plan. She'd go down to Frank and see if there was any
mention of the Grimshores in the non-magical files, she'd decided.
Perhaps they had a couple of speeding fines, or something. Or maybe
every single Grimshore had always led a fault-free life. It was
worth a check, just to see if their blessed lives extended beyond
magical crime.

She wouldn't bother asking Frank what
happened to the book from the crypt. Nate wouldn't be lying to her
about that. If he said it hadn't been retrieved, then he'd be
right.

As for who had it
.... Ebony sighed.
This was just another thing to chalk-up on her list of problems to
solve.

She had to concentrate now on the
Grimshores. What was the true extent of the magic protecting them?
Could not a single person in the whole of Vale speak against
them?

Even if Ebony's search through
the regular records didn't bring up anything on the Grimshores, she
could still try to talk to other people
– to see if they too had such
automatic and glowing views of one of Vale's, purportedly, oldest
families.

Plus, she could also find out
more about this mysterious break-in at Praytors. Praytors was one
of Vale's biggest jewelers. And while they made a pretty good
wedding ring for the mundane citizens of Vale, they were also known
as trustworthy suppliers of magical items. If you needed a good
quality, certified, reliable amulet, sacred knife, blessed
ring
– or
any other magical item – Praytors was your first port of call. And
while they trucked in both ordinary and extraordinary items, they
were very careful to keep both sides of their business separate and
safe. Praytors had at least two wizards on guard in their shop at
all times, doubling as magical bouncers and dashing
shop-assistants. So technically, should the brave, ambitious, or
plain stupid try and steal their stock – Praytors should be able to
look after itself.

Should be, she reminded herself. But
if Nate's words were anything to go by, then the unimaginable had
happened, and Praytors had been robbed.

How? And by whom? And what exactly had
they wanted, Ebony wondered with a swallow.

But she wasn't going to get anything
answered just sitting at her desk with a mild blush on her cheeks.
So Ebony finally pushed herself to her feet and headed
downstairs.

Her first port of call would be Frank.
Not only would Frank know everything there was to know about
looking through the police files, he was also more than old enough
to remember this stuff off the top of his head. He would be a real
test, Ebony assured herself as she marched up to his desk, of
whether the citizens of Vale were truly free to speak their minds
about the Grimshores.

“
Ebony Bell,” Frank mumbled from
his desk as he looked up from a pile of Manilla folders, printouts,
and newspaper clippings, “how's your father?”

Ebony shrugged.
“Fine.”

“
I take it, from your short
answer, that you aren't here to talk about your dad.”

Ebony shook her head.
“Look, this is
going to sound odd, but just go with me here.”

“
Go with you where?” Frank
looked at her, aged face pressed with confusion.

She just smiled through a
laugh.
“I've
just been looking through some cases ... and I was wondering if I
could get your opinion on something.”

He answered with an expectant silence,
just sitting there still as a statue, waiting for her to ask her
question, or get bored and leave.

“
I was wondering if you knew who
the Grimshores are.”

“
I would have thought you'd know
that, Ebony, it is common knowledge,” he sat so neatly in his chair
it looked as if he'd been arranged there by an artist.

“
Yeah, pretend I don't
....”

Frank sighed, obviously
slightly irritated by her silly game, but probably had just enough
respect for her father to play along anyway.
“The Grimshores are one of
Vale's most respected and oldest families,” he nodded sagely as he
spoke, as if he were simply filled by the privilege of imparting
such an important story as this. “The members of the family sit on
many prestigious boards, give to many worthy charities, and
generally look out for the citizens of Vale like wondrous
guardians.”

Ebony nodded, keeping her expression
as blank as she could. It was incredible though, she admitted to
herself, how much Frank appeared to believe what he was saying. His
face was alight with the wonder and truth of it all. Had that been
how she'd looked to Nate? Had her eyes been just as wide with eager
pep?

“
Go on,” she encouraged after
Frank seemed to come to the end of his spiel.

Frank made a face.
“There's not much
more to say, really. Though the family is large, Tony Grimshore is
currently the patriarch, if you will. He sits on the board of the
hospital, on the council, is a good confidant of the Mayor, and is
very good friends with the Commissioner too. Not to mention, he
owns four hotels, three restaurants, two car parks, eight office
buildings, and quite a large lot of land outside the city
perimeters. And those are just his own properties. His sons,
uncles, and general extended family, probably own nearly
three-quarters of the business around Vale.”

“
Three-quarters?” Ebony
repeated, surprised. She'd never thought about it this closely, but
now she had, the thought chilled her. The family, between the lot
of them, almost owned all of Vale. Hadn't anyone else thought this
was a little frightening? One family with a monopoly, and quite
possibly a magical protection against anyone ever speaking out
against them.

Ebony gave a shiver.
“Um .... Well,
considering the family has been around so long, can I have a look
at their file? Surely, after all, they must have committed some
crimes at some point. Even if it's just a speeding tick—” Ebony
couldn't complete her sentence.

A look of outraged shock flew
over Frank's face. It was as if Ebony had just punched his
mother.
“Ebony Bell,” he said, voice harsh, “The Grimshores are
absolute pillars of the community. Not a single one, ever, has
committed a crime. Dear girl, we should all hope to be more like
them. The very idea that they could have broken any law shows me
just how much you don't know about them.”

The strength of his reaction shocked
Ebony. Not just because it made her feel like a child being told
off by the principal for calling God dirty names, but because of
the sheer peculiarity of it. This didn't feel like something Frank
would ever do. The man had more passion for files than upholding
the moral good. Even if Ebony had sullied her own father's name,
Frank would probably have just given her a pressed-lipped
tisk-tisk. Now he was admonishing her from his pulpit, with more
vehemence and passion than a prophet bringing down a lightning
strike to slay the unbelievers.

“
Ah okay,” Ebony said quickly,
not wanting to create a scene. She had all the evidence she needed,
and didn't really like the idea of being thrown out of the window
by Frank for saying another word against the Grimshores. “I was
just interested, that's all. I mean,” she took a hasty look at his
still angry expression, and tried to smile, “I know that the
Grimshores are the absolute best people in all of Vale,” she tried
to underline her words by waving her hands around. “They really are
just so upstanding,” she smiled and smiled. “Really, it was a
stupid question to ask.”

Finally Frank's face
softened.
“Yes, it was ... but that doesn't matter ... now where was
I,” his head dipped as he returned to work.

Ebony studied his face very carefully
for as long as she could without appearing too conspicuous. After a
while he looked like ordinary, old, file-loving Frank again. She
couldn't put her finger on the transformation, but one moment she
could hardly recognize him, the next it was just old
Frank.

She left the office way more confused
than when she'd entered. If she'd thought not being able to talk
against the Grimshores had been scary, but not all that important,
she now had her evidence that it was a lot more pervasive and
incredible than she'd ever imagined.

Frank had seemed like a
different man when he'd been talking about the Grimshores
– filled with the
kind of fervor and righteous belief that reminded Ebony more of a
disciple and less of an elderly detective.

She shook her head as she left
the room, still trying to take it all in. What kind of magic had
the Grimshores employed in order to have this much effect on
people? Whatever it was, it was powerful. Frank was in the police
station, after all. And Ebony had also been right here in the
police station when she'd tried to convince Nate that the
Grimshores were as upstanding as flag poles. If it was some kind of
cursed object making Ebony and Frank talk like this
– then, by rights,
it shouldn't work in the police station. The station was one of the
most protected buildings in all of Vale.