The Magpie Effect - The Magpie Chronicles Book 1 (#Wattys2015)

Chapter 19

Rigatona.

The noise and the chaos faded. The world fell away until it was just Rigatona and myself suspended in the air only metres away from each other. For a couple of seconds, she was the all-consuming force that possessed my mind.

She smiled knowingly, and then a chorus of yelling broke out around me.

"Back, get back!"

"Everybody back!"

The crowd fell backwards just as the last remaining section of roof caved in, sending a fresh flurry of sparks and smoke into the sky. The ground beneath my feet shuddered. The crowd 'ooh'ed and 'ahh'ed as though it were a fireworks display. I could feel the light playing across my face.

When I looked back to the ruins, Rigatona was gone.

I whirled around, my mind racing, and scanned out my parents. They were standing on the opposite side of the road, tucked away behind the crowd. Vivian had succumbed to a fresh wave of sobs, and my father had her sealed in an embrace.

I turned my attention to the crowd itself, to the faces and people that populated it. Some of them I recognised, others were strangers I'd never seen before. But standing near the front was somebody as unwelcome as the very fire that had brought her here.

It was Ivana Burr, and she was smiling at me as though we shared some deep, undesirable secret.

*

Vivian spent the best part of the day in a complete stupor. My dad spoke to the police and the firefighters on her behalf, while I rushed about trying to make her feel better. I fluffed pillows, I made her cups of tea, and an array of other things that were supposedly meant to help her heal. It didn't work, not even on the surface level where absent smiles and hollow regards dwelt.

By the time Ivana Burr and her officers arrived - and I knew they would - it was almost three o' clock.

"Hello, Mr Sweetman," she said to my dad at the front door. He stood squarely across it, like a barricade. "May I come in?"

"I'm afraid Vivian's not doing too well," Martin replied, and I silently whooped. The last thing I wanted was Ivana sticking her creepy nose into our business. "Now perhaps isn't the best time."

"Of course. Please, will you offer her my support? I'm sure I can speak for everyone when I say that the whole town is behind your family during this tough time. I've been told that your wife's bakery was indeed a treasury, and that we've lost a most beloved business. It's a pity that I arrived too late to sample the-"

"You're not too late," Martin said, quickly. Vivian looked up, temporarily extracted from her daze. "She's not out of business. Vivian will be carrying on with Sweet Things from our very own kitchen, when she's ready. We have a shed out the back that can be converted into a little bakery, if need be. You can place your order in advance, if you like."

Vivian looked up at me, stunned. I smiled back at her.

"That's wonderful news, Mr Sweetman," said Ivana. I could hear the surprise in her voice. "I trust you've spoken to the insurance companies?"

"Monday," my father said. "We're going to spend the weekend recovering as a family."

"Of course." There was a slight pause before Ivana continued. I felt myself steel up. "And there's the matter of how this unfortunate incident came into being. My team are investigating, but we have, as of yet, no leads and no witnesses to any prior disturbances. I don't suppose you or your wife would like to answer a few questions, only it seems that your family has been the subject of a few personal attacks-"