None of this seemed to have put off the witch sitting in the corridor, although in her distraction, she probably hadn’t noticed the state of the building. Fiddling with her wand and running one hand through her black hair, the resemblance to the usual soignée image beloved by The Prophet was negligible. Parvati Patil frowned as she looked at her from out of the dusty office door window, and then turned to her partners.
“She’s still there. Shouldn’t we let her in?”
“Sure, in a minute,” Seamus replied, not looking up from his game of Gobstones.
“She’s a potential client,” Parvati reprimanded. Merlin knew they could not afford to turn away clients.
“Well, let’s hope so,” Dean replied, and started laughing when his Gobstone squirted Seamus in the face. He looked up and smiled at Parvati. “We need to let her think we’re busy, though. No one wants to hire a private detective if they never have any cases.”
“She looks worried, though, and ... well ...” She trailed off, biting her lip.
“Why are you so worried?” Seamus asked as he wiped off the Gobstone spit with a rather grubby handkerchief. “It’ll just be some mad bint who’s lost her Crup.”
Parvati whipped around. “Don’t you recognise her?”
“Huh?” Both Dean and Seamus looked up at her this time, suddenly interested.
“Merlin, you two take the piss all the time about me reading the society pages, but it pays off, you know.” She stood there with her hands on her hips, enjoying her moment. “That ‘mad bint’ out there is the extremely glamorous, extremely famous and highly notorious, Karis Flint.”
“You mean ...” Both of them looked at her with open mouths.
“Yes, lads. Blaise Zabini’s mother is sitting in our reception area and wants our help.”
“Jeez, perhaps she’s offed another husband!” Seamus exclaimed, excitement lighting up his eyes.
“Don’t be daft, she won’t need our help for that,” Dean replied. He vaulted over the desk and towards the door to peer over Parvati’s shoulder. “Besides, she looks upset about something, and you’re not going to be upset about murdering your eighth husband when seven others have gone down the same route.”
“Alleged murders,” Parvati put in hurriedly. “There was never any proof.”
Dean raised one eyebrow but with a cursory nod conceded her point. “Alleged, then.” He straightened his robes. “Right, Seamus, clean yourself up and remove the Gobstones, I’m going to greet the lovely Karis.”
“I saw her first,” Parvati objected.
“But I’m more her type,” Dean replied. Then bending down he gave her a peck on the cheek. “Cheer up. You’re still my number one girl.”
“And mine,” called Seamus as he Banished the set of Gobstones into a full-to-bursting cupboard in the corner.
“Only because I can perform a decent Scouring Charm,” she muttered as she siphoned off the Gobstone goo from the table. Catching sight of her reflection in the window, Parvati hastily adjusted the clip in her hair, and wiped away the blob of mascara underneath her left eye. Then she took a seat at the side of the main desk, and pulled out a quill and pad of parchment. Taking his cue from her, Seamus sat on the edge of the desk trying his best to look nonchalant as he flipped though a file (It was empty but Mrs Flint wouldn’t know that).
“These are my colleagues, Mrs Flint,” Dean said as he escorted her into the office. “Seamus Finnegan and Parva-”
“Parvati Patil,” finished Karis Flint. She walked over to Parvati and held out her hand. “We’ve met before.”
Parvati took the proffered hand. For some absurd reason she had a feeling she should be curtseying to the woman, but instead, she Summoned a chair for their client and offered her a coffee.
“You’ve met her before,” Dean muttered as he rummaged in the cupboard for some biscuits that weren’t a mass of crumbs.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I was with Lavender, helping her pack, when she and Blaise left for South America. The lovely Mrs Flint turned up and started shouting.”
“Why?”
Parvati shrugged. “Not sure. Lavender left them to it and wouldn’t say much. You know what she’s like - won’t hear a word said against him.” She glanced over her shoulder; Seamus was leaning towards Karis attempting to make small talk. “Get back there before Seamus starts pretending we solved a really big case.”
Dean grinned at her then, pulling his face straight, he sauntered over to his desk and sat down in a very businesslike manner. Parvati watched as he took a slight breath and leant back in his chair, not betraying any of the nerves he must be feeling.
This could be their first big case. Apart from Mrs Figg, who had been sent their way by Harry when Mr Tibbles had gone missing, and Seamus’ discovery of a fledgling counterfeit Butterbeer racket, they’d had nothing very interesting to solve. Money was tight; they were living on baked potatoes and cheese as it was. Karis Flint’s place in society “ her contacts “ could propel them onto centre stage. The Agency of ... Damn, they still didn’t have a name ... The Agency formally-known-as The Avery Detective Agency ... could be big, but only with the right clientele.
“So why is she here?” Parvati muttered to herself.
“Thank you,” Karis murmured when Parvati set the tray in front of her. “I am rather parched.”
“It is unusually warm for April,” Parvati agreed. “Would you prefer something cold?”
Karis shook her head and started to sip her tea. There was a silence whilst the three of them waited for her to talk. Seamus, becoming edgier by the second started to flip through the file. Fearing he’d soon set light to something in his nervousness, Dean, after exchanging a look with Parvati, started to speak.
“Would you like to tell us why you require our services, Mrs Flint?”
“I’m not sure where to begin,” she replied. “I’m not sure any of this is strictly necessary. But ...” She took a breath. The cup in her hands started to clatter in the saucer, so she placed it back down on the table. “Lavender asked me to call you in.”
“Lavender?” Parvati shared a look with the others. Their expressions mirrored her surprise. “Is she back?”
“Yes,” Karis replied archly. “Yes, Blaise and she arrived back in London yesterday, quite unexpectedly. That’s what makes it so tricky, you see. We were having a dinner party, a select, but important, gathering, you understand.”
“And they messed up your place settings?” Seamus muttered in an ironic undertone to Dean.
“No,” she replied coldly, obviously unamused at his tone. Glaring at Seamus, she turned towards Dean, leaning across the desk and angling her body towards him “ and him alone. “Mr Thomas ... Dean, Lavender asked me to call you in. She says you’re the only people she can trust, and that I should trust you, too.”
“Mrs Flint, would you tell us what has happened?” Parvati asked, her voice soft as she tried to break up the intimacy that seemed to be growing between Dean and Karis Flint.
Karis didn’t look at her, but continued staring at Dean. “On the death of his father, my husband, Jonah, inherited the Flint estate. Last night was my birthday and he wished to present me with a family heirloom.” Licking her lips, she picked up her tea again and took another sip. “His aunt wasn’t happy with the idea, but really there was little she could do.”
“Mrs Flint,” Parvati interrupted, “are you talking about the Cordalis Diamonds?”
Karis smiled slightly. “I see you are up to date with the gossip, Miss Patil.” She inclined her head and then turned back to Dean. “Your secretary is right. Jonah was going to present me with the necklace.”
“Was?” Dean queried.
“They were stolen,” she replied. “Jonah had this idea about dimming the lights, fastening them around my neck, and then everyone would see them when the lights came up.”
“So what happened?” Seamus asked.
She dragged her eyes away from Dean and perused Seamus, perhaps wondering what his role was in this set up. Then she closed her eyes to recall the events. “The lights were extinguished. I heard Jonah opening the box, and felt his hands around my neck.” She smiled to herself. “He even kissed me on my shoulder. Then, when he illuminated the room, that’s when we discovered the switch.” She opened her eyes and her smile was now grim. “Miss Patil, what colour are the Cordalis Diamonds?”
“Purple,” Parvati replied promptly. “Deep purple.”
“And yet, this was the string around my neck,” Karis declared. She rummaged in her bag and threw something across the desk.
“They’re blue!” Parvati exclaimed.
“Exactly,” Karis replied. “They’re not a bad copy, but they are the wrong colour.”
Dean held the necklace up to the light, making a great show of examining it and then passed it to Seamus, who ran it through his fingers, looking thoughtful.
“Mrs Flint,” Seamus said at last. “Have you called the Law Enforcers about this?”
“Oh, no,” she said. “I can’t possibly do that.” She paused and swallowed. For the first time since she’d appeared in the room she looked very unsure of herself. “The thing is I know who stole them.”
“Who?” Parvati asked, although she was pretty sure she knew. Karis Flint was only going to put herself out for one person.
“My son,” Karis choked. “We had this huge argument because he needed money, and now he’s disappeared along with the diamonds. I need you to find him before Jonah calls in the Ministry.”