Page 37 of A Skirl of Sorcery
She hissed in my ear.
‘If Thane wanted us to know where he was, he’d have left a note.’ I ignored the flicker of anxiety in my stomach. ‘We can search for him later if he doesn’t show up. We need to focus on Keres.’
Tiddles nipped my earlobe hard enough to make me wince. ‘I won’t change my mind.’ She dug her claws into my flesh but I remained resolute. ‘I’m in charge here,’ I said. ‘Not you.’
This time she didn’t respond but I knew she was still pouting. Tough. Searching for Thane right now would be a wild goose chase whereas I had a destination in mind when it came to Keres.
I was relieved that Tiddles settled down and allowed the journey to Danksville to proceed without incident. When I hopped off the tram at my usual spot, I didn’t walk towards my own street: instead I turned right towards the fringes of the suburb.
According to her journal, Keres had been shrieking outside the door of a man called Colin Shellycoat. I vaguely recognised the name: as his surname suggested, he was descended from the shellycoats of times long gone. Hundreds of years ago they were infamous for being one of the many Scottish creatures who made a sport out of misdirecting travellers. Even now, it wasn’t considered wise to ask a shellycoat for directions, although there were few of them left and they tended to be neighbourhood stalwarts who were active members of the community rather than outsiders with a penchant for mischief.
That was why Colin Shellycoat’s name rang a bell with me. After he’d died the previous month, vast numbers of people had attended his funeral to pay their respects. In fact, there were still several floral tributes outside the house. But I was certain that he’d been elderly and had died of natural causes.
His house was similar to mine with four floors, although none of them had been turned into flats. There was only one entrance and it looked as if he and his family had retained the building for their own use.
The scrap of garden at the front was the same size as mine and, by the looks of things, the remaining Shellycoats enjoyed spending time in it. It was well-kept, with butterflies, bees and small flies hovering around the multi-coloured flowers.
Tiddles was fascinated by a small water feature and jumped down from my shoulder to lift a paw and bat curiously at the gurgling bubbles. I left her to it; if a water fountain was what it took to distract her from Thane’s vanishing act, so be it. I might consider getting one for my garden if it held her attention for more than a few minutes.
I went up the stone path. The front door was ajar, so rather than knock I called through. ‘Hello? Is anyone there?’
Footsteps approached and a moment later an apple-cheeked woman wearing a flour-dusted apron appeared. She looked relatively young, probably only a few years older than me, which suggested that she was Shellycoat’s daughter rather than his wife.
‘Good morning.’ I smiled at her. ‘I’m Kit. I live a few streets away.’
She squinted at me then her expression cleared. ‘You’re the cat lady!’
I beamed. ‘I see my reputation precedes me.’ It was lovely to be reminded that people thought of me as the person with too many cats rather than the person who was too handy with a garrotte.
‘I asked around a few months ago when I kept seeing a black cat wandering around,’ she said. ‘I wanted to be sure he had a proper home.’
‘That would be He Who Roams Wide – he does his own thing. It wouldn’t be the first time somebody thought he was a stray, and it probably won’t be the last.’
‘Cats are going to cat,’ she said. On cue, Tiddles thrust her head into the gushing fountain then sprang back and glared at it for not letting her know beforehand that it was wet.
‘You’re a woman after my own heart,’ I replied. I was pleased; this might prove to be an easy conversation.
She grinned. ‘I’m Holly.’
‘Nice to meet you. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions, Holly?’ I took a gamble that she was indeed Colin Shellycoat’s daughter. ‘It’s about your dad.’
Her expression dimmed. ‘He’s dead.’
‘I know, and I’m sorry for your loss. I realise he passed away only recently so it must be very painful for you.’
Holly blinked rapidly. ‘It’s okay,’ she said hesitantly. ‘What would you like to know about him?’
‘It’s not him I’m interested in, it’s the ban sith who was shrieking outside before he died.’
‘Keres.’ She whispered the name so quietly I had to strain to hear.
Uh-oh. I prepared myself for a bitter onslaught. ‘Yes, that’s her name.’
Holly wrapped her arms around herself. ‘She was so wonderful.’ She shook her head slowly. ‘I don’t think I can ever thank her enough.’
That certainly wasn’t the reaction I’d been expecting. ‘Please,’ I said. ‘Go on.’
Holly took a while before answering, not because she didn’t want to talk about her father but because she wanted to choose the right words. ‘My dad was ill for a long time and he was in a lot of pain. He had some good days but,’ she sighed, ‘most of the time it was a real struggle. He did his best not to let us see howmuch he was suffering – he came from that generation where you maintained a stiff upper lip and carried on rather than complaining.’
