“Is there a way of overriding the invisibility cakes? Something that reverses them?”
“There is. I'll tell you, but please understand - I only gave her dye and cakes, not poison. She vowed to frame me for everything if I refused. I couldn't lose everything I've spent the best part of 15 years trying to achieve because of her.”
“I understand. You're a selfish, self-centred woman. You deserve everything you get. How can we find Mrs Hubbard? She needs to be stopped.”
“Dust clings to the outline of the person who's eaten our invisibility cakes. Enough dust... settling on her will reveal her to you.”
“Dust? Am I supposed to spend hours sweeping the streets for dust while she escapes the city? What then? I throw buckets of dust in the air and hope the wind blows in her direction?”
“It works, but there’s another way. An easier way, but I won't tell you unless you can guarantee you keep Mr Telfjord out of this,” she said with pleading eyes.
“It's not down to me, that's down to the Controllers.”
“Well Miss, if it’s as you say, you’re an accomplice - under duress. Mr Telfjord’s an innocent party. There's no need to drag him into this, I reckon, Miss Bell,” said a controller.
Miss Bell almost sank to her knees in relief.
“Here! Take these. They’re spectacles. Only boutiques have them. You can see people even if they've eaten an invisibility cake wearing these,” she said, handing her a pair of flimsy silver rimmed spectacles.
“I've not heard of these before. Why do only the boutiques have them? They'd come in handy when someone's eaten an invisibility cake and is using it to steal merchandise off stalls and shops like mine.”
“Common shops don't have expensive merchandise like ours - it's not worth stealing.”
“I hope the Controllers find a law you've broken - and I hope you end up in the Tower where you can think long and hard about how you view society. On reflection, I think you'll realise you aren't in the top tier - even if you want to be. Your life’s an illusion, Miss Bell. It's not a life I'd be happy with. I couldn't live with your reflection, let alone your soul,” said Valencia, tight-lipped.
She put the spectacles on and blinked into focus. Everything took on a purple, hazy outline, all other colours mixed like a weak water colour wash.
And there, not 12 feet away, with her arms folded and a face like thunder, was Mrs Hubbard.
“She's over by the Griffin bench!” Valencia pointed.
Talbot scooped up handfuls of dust from the cobbled street and threw it near the bench. Sure enough, a faint outline of Mrs Hubbard appeared just long enough for her to be caught by the astonished Controllers who threw more dust at Mrs Hubbard long after they needed to.
“If only you'd eaten the apples,” said Mrs Hubbard, spitting out a mouthful of dust.
“She's put poisoned apples on stalls in the market. They look like this one - impossibly red and shiny and they smell like aniseed. There may be as many as ten out there. You need to find them before anyone buys and eats them,” said Valencia, holding up the apple she'd put in her witch's hat.
Some of the Controllers rushed off, sniffing apples on stalls and putting any suspect ones carefully inside their helmets.
“Why did you do this, other than maintaining a family tradition?” asked Talbot, genuinely interested.
“You still haven't worked it out, have you? You're not as clever as you think you are,” said Mrs Hubbard, smugly.
“I think I have... Alpert Bonne says he's a private detective but that someone else hired him to keep tabs on you. He was pretending to be in on your plans so who’s his boss? And why did you want Carmella Sailonsbury dead? Why was she so terrified that morning she ate what she thought was an invisibility cake, but it was actually one of your poisoned ones?” asked Valencia.
“You know nothing. It wasn't me that gave the Earl’s daughter the poison cake, I was talking to Alpert Bonne at the time. She gave her the cake, she knew it was poisoned, she got Alpert Bonne to distract me while she poisoned that girl. She’s your murderer, not me,” said Mrs Hubbard, pointing the outline of her finger firmly at Miss Bell.
“Why would she want Carmella Sailonsbury dead?” asked Talbot.
“If she felt her future was at risk... so much so, she hired a private investigator... and you... then the Earl must’ve been causing problems with the sale of the bakery,” said Valencia, thinking out loud.
“Shut up! You'll ruin me - you'll ruin everything!” screeched Mrs Bell, one hand behind her back.
“So, I'm right? You hired Mrs Hubbard to provide you with poison - you didn't give her the dye, but she did steal the cake cases. I'm guessing as ‘insurance’ so if she was found out the trail would lead back to you - which it did,” said Valencia “And she stole my fairies on your orders, too.”
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“You'll never understand what it's like to serve the Lords and ladies of Spellica knowing they’re looking down on you. When Mr Telfjord marries me that’ll change. I'll be a lady – a lady of leisure.”
“Was it worth killing for? What did that poor girl ever do to you?”
“Her father was doing a lot of damage to Mr telfjord's reputation. Many prospective buyers with deep pockets were listening to his lies. He wanted to buy the bakery for himself - cheap. How better to bring the price down and pick off purchasers than to start a scandal?”
“Wait... you're saying... the Earl of Sailonsbury set up the poisoned cake scenario? To poison his own daughter?” asked Valencia, incredulously.
“Of course not! That was my plan. He wanted to ruin us financially - and our reputation in society just so he could buy the bakery cheap. Profits are everything to people like him.”
“So... the Earl hired Mrs Hubbard to steal the dye and cake cases so the clues would lead back to Telfjord's bakery? And they needed my fairies as a backup plan, so they’d take the blame if things went wrong? And I was another backup plan to take the blame. That's why you left the other cakes on my counter to frame me?”
“That's right. Finally, you're getting it.”
“And Alpert Bonne was hired by Miss Bell to keep an eye on you?”
“He's a useful idiot, but thanks to him I couldn't stop Miss Bell giving the poisoned cake to Carmella outside the bakery. I was surprised to see her in there. It’s not her usual haunt. She was very nervous. I knew Alpert had been sent to follow and rattle her so word would get back to her father - and hopefully he’d back off on his campaign to bring the bakery down.”
“Miss bell, you were a busy bee trying to stop the Earl from upsetting your precious plans. You thought you'd covered all bases, but you still didn't think it was enough, so you poisoned his daughter. I'm guessing she trusted you - and the cakes she'd eaten many times before. Alpert Bonne had done a good job of chasing her all over Spellica. Her shoes were badly scuffed from her running away from him.”
“Her fear of Alpert Bonne was nothing compared to the fear of me living my final years in poverty, never to even speak to the upper class again except to beg. And never to see Mr Telfjord's bearded, kindly face again... I didn't expect her to go into your bakery. But that worked out well in the end – you'd take the blame for her murder. First, Alpert ran in and said one of your cakes had killed the girl. Rumours spread fast. I was counting on it. He mentioned you're not a full witch. That certainly fanned the flames further. Then, he threw a stone and threatening note through your window. There's no smoke without fire, as they say. The locals I knew, would seize on these things readily - and blame you.”
“And you handed her an invisibility cake telling her she could escape Alpert Bonne with one bite? You just happened to have some of the cakes on you?”
“My original plan was to give her one of the poisoned cakes when she went into the bakery, but I couldn't risk someone - especially not Mr Telfjord eating one of them by mistake. He does help himself to a cake most mornings. So I pretended I had a headache and needed to nip to the apothecary for a powder. In reality, I was trying to find Carmella before she got to my bakery. That idiot Alpert had herded her too far into your part of the woods. But as it turned out, it worked in my favour - till you started nosing around. The cake cases were my downfall. I see that now. Mrs Hubbard did that on purpose, I'm sure. When you came asking questions, I had to think on my feet to explain it.”
“She trusted you.”
“My heart bleeds. Her father stopped meddling in the bakery sale once she was killed, so my plan worked well. Mr Telfjord's bought the ring. I've seen the box. He's going to propose today, I'm sure of it. I'll be a lady.”
“I can understand Mrs Hubbard taking up poison apples - that's a genetic trait, but you - it was pure selfishness and greed.”
“My apples were brought out to try to stop you and your friend finding out the truth. If you'd eaten them, we wouldn't be here now,” said Mrs Hubbard, sighing.
“Why did you plant poisoned apples on the market stalls?” asked Talbot.
“To create a diversion so I could leave the city. I wasn't going to go down with her. You were onto us. I wanted to get away. The invisibility cake was working brilliantly till she betrayed me. I'd have got away. She's the mastermind, not me. I'm just the hired help.”
“You provided the poison and you’ve also committed several counts of attempted murder. You’re hardly innocent. Was it you who knocked me out?” asked Valencia, rubbing the raised lump on her head.
“Alpert did that. He thought he should kill you and your fairies because they could identify us, but you managed to escape before he could finish you off.”
“I thought he was lying.”
“He shouldn't have let you go, but he said he'd persuaded you he was a good guy. He is a private detective. Truth is, he's anyone's for the right price. He’s one of us too,” said Mrs Hubbard.
Miss Bell was unusually silent whilst Mrs Hubbard explained things. Her eyes glazed over, and her lips were moving rapidly.
“Was it worth it, all of this? All these lives ruined, a life taken and many more attempted murders? All for one man and a place in society you were never fated to have?” asked Valencia.
“He's here! Mr Telfjord! I knew you'd come and save me! These people... they’re lying and trying to get me on the gallows. Take me away from this place, I don't belong here!”
“There, there, Miss Bell,” said Mr Telfjord, patting her on the back, looking embarrassed.
“We’ll leave here, today! Has the sale gone through? We don't need to stay here a minute longer!” said Miss Bell, her eyes wide and wild.
“I heard... you were here... mixed up in something unsavoury. I... wanted to give you a little something before I start to pack.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small navy, velvet box.
Miss Bell almost fainted as he stood in front of her and slowly opened the lid with some difficulty.
“Yes! The answer is yes!”
Her face froze, mid smile into a grotesque grimace. It wasn't a ring nestling in the box, the key to her new life - it was a silver brooch.
“What’s... that?” she gasped, pointing a shaking finger at the hideous piece of jewellery in the box.
“Just a little token. A thank you for all the years of service at my bakery.”
“a... thank you? Where’s my proposal? My ring?” she spat, throwing the box and brooch on the cobbles.
“Ring? Proposal? You didn't think... I'm sorry if I gave you the impression... it was never my intention to...” said Mr Telfjord, baffled.
“No! I went to so much trouble... all those years... all the false smiles...” she said, taking an apple from behind her back and biting into it with tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Stop her! It's a poisoned apple!” said Valencia, knocking the apple out of her hand.