LITMIR.BIZ

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Max said soothingly. ‘There’s nobody here.’

      ‘I think there is. And it’s really cold.’ She was shivering and now her teeth clattered together. She felt Max’s arm go around her shoulder and she wanted to lean into his warmth. But he was a stranger and a thief, so she stepped away.

      ‘Let’s go outside,’ Max said. ‘You’ll feel better in the sunshine. Warm up a bit.’

      ‘Something’s wrong,’ Katie said quietly. She turned her head, sniffed the air. ‘Can you smell burning? And—’ She broke off. Shook her head.

      ‘There’s nothing in here,’ he began. Then a chair tipped over. ‘Fuck!’ He swore in surprise and moved to the door, Katie already a step ahead of him.

      Max pushed Katie into the corridor and slammed the door shut behind them.

      ‘Oh, my God,’ Katie said. She took a ragged breath and leaned against the wall.

      ‘That was odd,’ Max said. His voice was level but he looked pale and his eyes were wide. ‘Shall we go out for that sunshine now?’

      Outside the air tasted good and the afternoon sunshine warmed the skin on Katie’s face and arms, chasing away the chill. They walked around to the front of the hotel and down stone steps to the lower lawn.

      Katie flopped down on the grass near to an enormous rectangular pond, the surface choked with lily pads.

      Max sat carefully next to her. ‘You okay?’

      ‘Not really,’ Katie said, but she smiled, to reassure him.

      ‘Do you know anyone who would do this? To frighten you?’

      Katie shook her head. ‘I don’t think so. I’m pretty popular.’ She stopped, realising how arrogant that sounded. ‘I mean. My aunt, Gwen, is something of a local celebrity. People either like her or they want something from her and I’m just kind of known by association. But people are nice to me.’

      ‘You haven’t fallen out with anyone? No big arguments?’

      ‘Not my kind of thing.’

      ‘Did you steal someone’s boyfriend? Something like that?’

      Katie snorted. ‘No.’

      Max looked as if he were trying to work out an algebraic equation. ‘Anyone you know likely to play a joke like that? For fun?’

      ‘That wasn’t a joke.’

      He shrugged. ‘Maybe we’ve got heatstroke. Or we’re drunk.’

      ‘I haven’t been drinking,’ Katie said. ‘Have you?’

      ‘Not that I remember.’

      Katie stood up, brushing grass off her skirt. ‘I’m going to look for a watch.’

      ‘What?’ Max shaded his eyes and looked up at Katie.

      She shrugged, looking embarrassed. ‘Mr Cole’s watch. I just need to find it. I’m going to check Lost Property.’

      ‘Hang on,’ he said, getting up. ‘How do you know about the watch? Did he give it to you? I wouldn’t put it past the old letch—’

      Katie’s eyes widened slightly. ‘What do you know about his watch?’

      Max put his hands on his hips and they stared at each other in silence for a moment or two. Max broke first. ‘I need to find it.’

      ‘Well, so do I,’ Katie said. She turned and walked towards the hotel.

      ‘It belongs to me. I won it,’ Max said. He followed her across the grass.

      ‘I don’t know anything about that,’ Katie said.

      ‘What’s your claim to it?’ Max said.

      Katie didn’t answer.

      ‘If you find it, you need to give it to me. It’s mine.’

      This wasn’t good. Was Mr Cole’s spirit asking her to get his watch off Max, because that seemed dangerous. Max seemed like the kind of person who wasn’t going to give up in a hurry. Unless Mr Cole’s spirit really did feel bad about not paying his gambling debt. Maybe he did want Katie to find the watch and hand it over to Max. If only the magpie had been a bit clearer. That was so often the problem with magic. It was so bloody cryptic.

      Inside the hotel felt blessedly cool after the scorching garden. Anna was behind the reception desk, fanning herself with a brochure.

      ‘Hello,’ Max said, bypassing Katie and smiling at Anna. ‘I’ve lost something and I was hoping you could help me?’

      ‘Of course,’ Anna said, putting the brochure down.

      ‘I’ve lost a handkerchief,’ Max said, leaning on the desk and gazing into Anna’s eyes. He smiled a little. ‘It’s not worth anything, but it’s of sentimental value.’

      ‘You could look in Lost Property,’ Anna said, dimpling back at him. ‘I could show you—’

      ‘A handkerchief,’ Katie said. ‘Really?’

      ‘Katie was just on her way there. I’ll tag along,’ Max said. ‘But thank you. Everyone has been so helpful.’

      ‘We aim to please,’ Anna said automatically, looking from Katie to Max.

      ‘No chance,’ Katie said, her hand on the door. ‘Staff only. No MOPs.’

      ‘What is this MOP business?’ Max said.

      Katie opened her mouth to tell him not to change the subject but Anna answered him: ‘Member Of Public. MOP.’

      ‘What about “lifer”?’

      Anna frowned. ‘Have you worked in a hotel?’

      Max shook his head. ‘I heard Katie say it.’

      ‘Permanent resident,’ Katie said. ‘Like Hemingway or Fellini.’

      ‘Yeah,’ Anna said. ‘Patrick would love a couple of those but I keep telling him this isn’t London or New York. We don’t get people with that kind of money.’

      ‘Really? This place is pretty swanky.’

      ‘Okay, say you were a millionaire with a yen to live in a hotel, with all the choices you’d have, would you choose this one? In Wiltshire?’

      ‘Fair point but some people want the quiet life.’

      ‘If you want it quiet, you don’t live in a hotel. You live on an island or on your own private estate or something.’

      ‘But there’s quiet and then there’s silent. If you live in a hotel you get to be around people, but not have to interact with them — at least, only on your own terms. You get to be alone but not lonely.’

      ‘You sounded almost wistful then,’ Katie said. She pushed open a door marked ‘private’, then turned to Anna. ‘If I’m not back in five minutes, send out a search party.’

      Anna gave her a thumbs up.

      Katie stepped aside so that Max went in front of her down the short flight of stairs. If you walked in front of people on steps they could push you down them.

      ‘You know, we don’t keep any cash in Lost Property,’ she said, wanting to distract herself from the fact that she was entering an enclosed space with a strange man.

      Max shot a charming smile over his shoulder. ‘Handkerchief, remember?’

      ‘Of great sentimental value,’ Katie said, her voice heavy with sarcasm.

      He nodded. ‘I’m distraught.’

      ‘I can see that,’ Katie said.

      Downstairs, underneath the kitchen and next to the wine

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