‘Oh shit, they’ve breached the bar,’ said Bonnie. ‘Come on. Especially you, Theo. You can be the brawn.’
‘Glad to hear my GOMAD diet wasn’t for nothing,’ said Theo.
With Theo and Effie in tow, Bonnie clattered down the stairs to a group of would-be quizmasters, who’d taken it upon themselves to mix their own versions of Uncle Oswald’s cocktails. Everywhere she looked, she could see purple-tinged mouths and lilac-stained fingers. Had the patrons’ obsession with Memory Lane reached tipping point, or had she made a bad batch?
Whatever the case, this had to end now.
‘Did you forget you weren’t supposed to be back here, Gladys?’ she said, shooing the elderly woman back to the floor of the bar.
‘Just like you forgot to restock the hand towels,’ snapped Gladys, retreating behind an overturned table, where she started fighting Willamina for a half-empty purple pitcher.
‘I’ve never seen anything like this!’ shouted Theo, protecting Effie with an angled arm.
‘This is why I prefer the library!’ Effie shouted back.
Bonnie caught sight of Alana crouched in the corner, hidingfrom a group of students howling like werewolves, looking very confused and rather perturbed.
‘Alana, babe,’ she called over the ruckus, ‘I need your help!’
Alana shook her head. ‘You always need my help.’
All right, so this was true. She changed tack. ‘Do it for Tessa. Believe me, she needs it.’
This got Alana’s attention. ‘What’s going on? It’s like a full-moon situation or something.’
Or somethingwas right.
‘Tessa’s being really strange – pretending that she doesn’t even know who I am. But I never pegged her as the cold-shoulder ghosting type. That’s more...’
Bonnie sighed. ‘Go on.’
‘Your thing.’
Bonnie took a deep breath. ‘I know. I’m trying to make it right. All of it. Effie has a plan to fix it, but she and I have to leave for a bit. Can you manage the bar for me until I’m back?’
Alana looked around in panic, combing her fingers through her hair as she tried to come to terms with what she was seeing. ‘How am I meant to manage this? It’s like a wrestling match. Is everyone on drugs?’
‘Clark can help,’ said Bonnie, pointing at poor Clark, who was extracting a small bottle of Memory Lane out of the hands of Dierdre from Second-Hand Magic.
‘I’m second-guessing this job!’ shouted Clark. ‘No offence, hon.’
‘None taken!’ yelled Bonnie, who didn’t blame him at all. Even she’d prefer to be studying for a PhD right now.
‘Use the soda water guns,’ called Effie, between cupped hands. ‘They’re pretty high pressure.’
‘Set off the sprinklers if you have to,’ added Bonnie. ‘They’re really sensitive.’
Taking a deep breath, Bonnie grabbed Effie’s hand, then pulled her outside.
‘Whatever you have planned, hurry!’ came Alana’s voice over the thronging crowd.
Heart pounding, Bonnie pulled open the door to her Cadillac.
‘Hurry’s my middle name,’ she muttered as she revved the engine.
Chapter 35
BOOK, BELL AND SISTERLY SPELLS
