Page 109 of A Spell of Midlife Mayhem

Chapter 34

SHE HADN’T SEEN ME yet. Instead of phoning for a taxi, I punched the ‘record’ button on my phone, slipped it into my pocket and stepped forward.

‘Melissa.’

She jumped. ‘Oh, what a surprise. Fancy meeting you here.’ She glanced around. ‘Are you here with someone?’

Charlotte and Maisey watched from their seats, grim expressions on their faces. They’d realised what this was. I knew Melissa couldn’t see them.

‘I’m alone. What about you? Were you here to meet someone?’

Melissa clutched the tote bag to her side, but there was way of hiding it. ‘I—I only popped in for a drink.’

‘On your own?’

‘Sure. Like you did.’ She jutted her jaw out. ‘See you tomorrow at work.’ She made to move past me.

I stepped in front of her, blocking her path. ‘Hold on a minute, Melissa. I’m curious. It looks like you’ve got an enormous book in your bag. May I see it?’ I smiled pleasantly. ‘I used to be an history teacher, and I absolutely love books.’

‘You won’t like this one. I need to go now.’ She tried to get past me again. I wouldn’t let her.

We were in a standoff. Melissa clearly would not show me what she had in her bag. I stared at the lump. It appeared to be about the same size and shape as the stolen spell book, but that didn’t mean it was that book. She might have an excellent reason for not wanting me to see it. Maybe it was a record book for Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, or a gambling journal. She might even be in business with Penny, and it was their accounts. Even if it was none of those things, she didn’t have to show me. It wasn’t my business what she had in her bag.

The edges of her lips turned up slyly. Melissa surely realised I couldn’t do anything without causing a scene. All she’d need to do is report this to Lydia, and I would be fired. I’d already been warned, and she knew it.

‘Would you please move out of the way, Heather?’ she asked, false sweetness in her tone.

‘No. Not until I see if you’ve got the stolen witch’s spell book in your bag.’

There. Now I’d done it. I’d refused to do what she asked me. There was no turning back.

Melissa lifted her head. ‘You could lose your job for harassing a colleague, Heather, you know that?’

‘I do, but I want to see if that’s the stolen spell book in your bag, and you’re not leaving here until you’ve shown me.’

‘Get out of the fucking way, Heather.’

‘No. I won’t.’

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