Royal Institute of Magic: Elizabeth's Legacy Read Online Free

investigation.”
    Ben wanted to disagree, but he
didn’t doubt Charlie’s hunch.
    “Let’s dump my bag
and get out of here,” Ben said.
    Charlie nodded. “I wonder
what evidence they returned.”
    Ben was wondering the same thing.
Whatever it was hadn’t helped the police, but that didn’t
dampen his curiosity.
    “Jesus, what’s that
smell?” Charlie asked as they entered the house.
    The answer came from the kitchen.
Even from the hallway Ben could see dishes piled high in the sink,
dirty plates covering every inch of the table tops. Ben held his
breath and rushed over to close the fridge; it was almost empty
except for some revolting cheese that looked as though it had evolved
into an entirely new organism.
    They shut the kitchen door to
block off the smell and entered the dining room. On a small table
were two big boxes; in one of them a frail lady’s head was so
immersed only her bushy white hair could be seen. She was throwing
books and other bits out carelessly, scattering objects on the floor.
    “Rubbish – junk!”
the lady said.
    “Grandma, what are you
doing?” Ben asked, rushing forward and picking up the items off
the floor. “That’s not yours.”
    Grandma Anne looked up and
scowled at Ben and then Charlie as a way of greeting.
    “They should have taken
this all straight to the tip,” she said, pushing a box away in
disgust. “It’s hard enough keeping the house clean with
you here.”
    “It’s not junk,
Grandma.” Ben’s eyes widened when he spotted a large
binder. “Look at this. It’s a family photo album.”
    Anne ignored the album entirely
and pointed a bony finger at him. “What did I tell you about
calling me Grandma? I’ve got enough real grandchildren as it
is.”
    “I forgot,” Ben said.
    He felt strangely reluctant to
break such an old habit. It was only after his parents disappeared
that he learnt Anne was his step-grandmother.
    Ben started sifting through the
boxes. Immediately Anne dipped her head back into the box, her long,
pointed nose almost touching its contents. “I’m entitled
to fifty percent of anything you sell, so don’t think about
cheating me.”
    There was a subtle cough from the
corner of the room. Anne turned to the source. “What is it,
Fatty?”
    “Nothing – just that,
as next of kin, Ben is legally entitled to all his parents’
possessions.”
    Anne’s eyes, already set in
a permanent squint, narrowed to slits. Her scowl made Charlie flinch.
“If Fatty is right, then I don’t want these boxes making
a mess in here. Get them up to your bedroom.”
    Without waiting for a reply, she
picked up her cane and walked back into the lounge. The TV went on
and she forgot all about them.
    Ben and Charlie grabbed the boxes
and lugged them up the stairs into his bedroom. Upon entering, he did
a quick inspection to make sure nothing was out of place. Anne liked
to poke around and “borrow” things. Last week the
batteries from his alarm clock had gone missing; Ben had found them
later in the TV remote. Thankfully, the bed was unruffled, his family
photos were still on the windowsill and the mini football was still
on his desk.
    They dumped everything on Ben’s
bed. But instead of heading out, their eyes lingered on the boxes.
    “I wonder if there is
anything useful in there,” Ben said.
    Charlie rubbed his chin
thoughtfully. “The police would have been through it all, of
course.”
    “Of course.”
    They both kept staring at the
boxes.
    “We’ve got time
before the meeting with the textile guy,” Ben said. “Why
don’t we take a look?”
    Charlie nodded vigorously, his
cheeks wobbling.
    They sat down on the bed and
each of them put a box on their lap.
    Ben found himself subconsciously
holding his breath when he picked up the first item – a phone
book. He looked through each page, enjoying the look of his mum’s
handwriting. There were lots of other books, a couple of photo
albums, which Ben marvelled over, and even an old iPod with a