Witch Is Why The Laughter Stopped (A Witch P.I. Mystery Book 14) Read Online Free

‘Ultimate Factor Live’?”
    “Me, for one. And Kathy and Peter. We promised we’d go, and that’s what we’re going to do. You’d better hurry up and get ready because they’re coming to pick us up in thirty-five minutes.”
    “But—”
    “Go and get changed, Jill.”
    “You really hate me, don’t you?”
    I stormed upstairs. I’d been dreading this night ever since Kathy had told me she had the tickets. Ultimate Factor Live? Those TV talent shows were terrible; all of the acts were awful. To make matters worse, the top of the bill was none other than my old friends, The Coven. They’d once offered me a place in their dance troupe. All I’d had to do was learn a bit of a dance routine, and say the ‘The.’ If I’d said ‘yes,’ I’d have been famous by now, and would have made a small fortune. Kathy, Peter and Jack would have been going to see me tonight. Instead, I was having to pay good money to watch The Coven, and the other no-hopers.
    I got changed slowly, hoping for some divine intervention, but half an hour later Jack shouted.
    “Peter and Kathy are here. Are you ready?”
    “Nearly. I still don’t feel very well, though.”
    “Get your backside down here, quick.”
    Some people have no compassion.
    Peter drove, which left Kathy free to give Jack an ear-bashing all the way there.
    “It’s going to be great,” she said. “I can’t wait to see The Coven.”
    “Yeah, me too.” Jack nodded.
    I was beginning to have serious doubts about the man.
    “Did you know that Jill had a chance to be in The Coven?” Kathy and her big mouth.
    “Don’t be ridiculous.” He laughed.
    “It’s true,” Kathy insisted. “Tell him, Jill.”
    I shrugged.
    “Ignore her. She’s being a misery guts as always,” Kathy said. “If she won’t tell you, I will. The Coven offered Jill the chance to be the ‘The’, but she turned it down.”
    Jack turned to me. “Is that right?”
    I shrugged again.
    “You turned down the chance to be in The Coven?”
    “Yes, I turned them down. So what?”
    “You would have been rich and famous. We could have had a great big house somewhere out in the countryside.”
    “Yeah, well, I don’t care.”
    “She does really,” Kathy said. “She’s still kicking herself. Anyway, I sent them an email.”
    “Sent who an email?” I didn’t like the sound of that.
    “The Coven, or at least their management.”
    “What do you mean you sent them an email?”
    “I told them you’d be coming tonight.”
    “Please tell me you didn’t.”
    “I did, why not?”
    Great!
    “I shouldn’t worry about it,” Peter said. “They must get tons of emails; they won’t take any notice of it.”
    “They’d better not. If you embarrass me, Kathy, I’m going to kill you.” It was time to bring up Kathy’s favourite subject. “When’s Megan Lovemore coming around, Peter?”
    “Yes, Pete.” Kathy spat the words. “When is Megan coming around?”
    “Tomorrow, actually,” Peter said. “Thanks for stirring it, Jill.”
    “I don’t know what you mean,” I said, all butter-wouldn’t-melt like. “She only wants some advice on her new business plan, doesn’t she?”
    “She’d better not think she’s going to stay for long.” Kathy was still glaring at Peter.
    “There’s a lot of stuff I have to go over with her,” he said.
    “Yeah, well you’d better talk fast. I’m going to be sitting in there with you, stopwatch in hand.”
    “There’s no need for that, Kathy. Surely you trust me.”
    “I trust you , Pete, I just don’t trust her .”
     
    Ultimate Factor Live was every bit as good as I’d expected it to be. The first act was a man with a performing donkey. And if I tell you that was the highlight of the show, it will perhaps give you a flavour of what I had to put up with. But it seemed I was in a minority of one because everyone else in the Washbridge Arena seemed to love it. They laughed, they clapped, and they shouted for more. I shouted, ‘Get