brimstone witch 08 - death of a rainbow nymph Read online

“Are you Wade Youngblood?” I asked.

  “I certainly am.” He grinned at me. “You’re here about Metise and her rainbows. Do come in. Let’s not stand on the street and talk. Walls have ears around here.”

  I followed Wade and took a quick glance at the walls of the neighbouring houses. I jumped. Some of them did have ears which waggled as I looked closer at them. It wasn’t a pleasant sight and I hurried into Wade’s home.

  Gizmos and gadgets were the words which came to mind as I looked around Wade’s living room. Every available surface held a gadget of some sort. Some were swaying from side to side, some were ticking and quite a few were making humming noises. The walls of the room were covered in sheets of numbers and random words. There were many question marks and exclamation marks mixed in with them.

  I cast a quizzical look at Wade.

  Wade clasped his hands together and beamed at me. He proclaimed, “I’m an inventor. These are my plans.” He nodded at the papers on the walls. He unclasped his hands and pointed to a table piled high with humming boxes. “These are my completed projects. I can’t let them out yet; they might get scared and evaporate.”

  “Them?” I questioned.

  Wade tapped the side of his nose. “I’d better not say anything else.” He stopped smiling and moved closer to me. He raised a finger towards my face. “Your eyes are full of sadness. What troubles you?”

  I gave him a small shrug. “It’s personal. Can we talk about Metise, please?”

  “Not yet. Let me lighten your heavy heart for a while.” He waved his hands over me and I instantly felt better.

  “What did you do?” I asked.

  “I put your troubles to the back of your mind. They’ll come back at some point. Do you feel much better?”

  I nodded. “I can’t even remember what was bothering me now. I need to know how you did that spell. It could be useful.”

  “I’ll tell you, but you can’t use it on yourself.” He waved his hand towards an item of furniture at his side. The gadgets which had been covering it flew upwards and landed behind it.

  “It’s a sofa,” I stated as I looked at the uncovered item. “It’s lovely. I like the light blue colour.”

  Wade scratched his chin. “I’ve got another one somewhere in here, and a matching armchair.” He shrugged. “We’ll make do with one sofa. Take a seat. Would you like something to drink?”

  “Yes, please. I haven’t had my morning cup of tea.” I frowned. “Why haven’t I had my morning cup of tea?” I sat down.

  Wade sat next to me and aimed his hand at the table in front of us which was only half covered in items. Two steaming mugs of tea appeared. Wade handed one to me.

  “Thanks.” I took a sip and then let out a happy sigh.

  Wade’s nose wrinkled. “Pardon me for saying this, but you smell of bacon.” His nose wrinkled again. “And sausage.”

  I remembered the food package Gilda had given me. I put my mug down and reached into my pocket. I pulled the packet out and opened it to reveal a toasted sandwich packed with crispy bacon and juicy sausages. Melted butter dripped from the sides of the bread. The delicious aroma of cooked breakfast food caused my mouth to flood with saliva.

  “Would you like some?” I offered. “There’s plenty. Gilda made it for me. For some reason, I haven’t had any breakfast this morning.”

  Wade smacked his lips together. “I haven’t had any of Gilda’s food for a long time. I won’t share that portion, but I can do this.” He held his hand over the sandwich, clicked his fingers and a duplicate sandwich appeared in my other hand. Wade grinned and said, “May I?”

  I handed him the second sandwich. “You’ve got to show me how to do these spells. You know some great ones.”

  “I’ll tell you some of my favourites before you leave. Excuse me while I devour this delicious sandwich.”

  We chomped and munched in silence for the next few minutes. I was ravenous and thoroughly enjoyed every morsel of the sandwich. When I’d finished, I licked the butter off my fingers and then took a large gulp of tea. I placed my hands on my happy tummy and smiled at Wade. A vague memory of Stanley niggled at the back of my brain. As soon as I tried to focus on it, the memory vanished.

  Wade finished his sandwich and then began to talk about Metise. He said, “I’ve heard about Metise and how she died. I know you’re dealing with her murder and that’s why you’re here. How much do you know about her rainbow project?”

  I told him everything.

  Wade nodded. “It was going to be a marvellous system. We witches would be able to send invisible messages to each other to warn of possible threats or catastrophes. Her system would have been invaluable during the time when Brimstone was infected with black magic.” He looked towards the papers on the walls. “I think I could still make the rainbow system work. The invisible paint must be nearly perfected by now.”

  “It is, according to Jen Bumbleberry at the paint factory.”

  Wade looked back at me. “It is? That’s great. I’ll have to speak to Mother Nature and Blythe about continuing with Metise’s work. We can’t let this latest invention of hers go to waste.”

  “How were you contacted by Metise in the first place?”

  Wade smiled at me. “I saw one of her shimmering rainbows one morning. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me at first, but then I saw another one. That one contained the word, ‘Hello’. I was curious so I flew over to where the rainbow originated from and I met Metise. What an inventive mind she had! We talked for hours. She told me about her rainbow message system and I said I’d help her with it.”

  “Did she contact any other witches to help her?” I asked.

  “Yes, but they thought her system would never work. But I did. I could see the potential. Metise began to send me messages using the system. Some of her earlier messages were gobbledygook because the paint wasn’t right and the words ran into each other. Metise had to tinker with her paint mixture to get it right. Each time she used a new formula, the messages became clearer. The last one she sent me was almost word perfect.”

  “What messages did she send you?”

  “Just general ones to begin with; things about her life and what was going on in the Enchanted Forest. When I received a message, I would write it down exactly as I saw it and then send that written message back to Metise using the butterfly service. That helped her to sort out any kinks in the paint. It really is an ingenious system.”

  I nodded. “I think so too. Wade, what messages did Metise send you recently? Before she died?”

  Wade glanced around the room. “It was something to do with plants or herbs. I thought she was doing a stocktake or something for Mother Nature. I’ve made a note of her last messages. I’ve still got notes of all her messages. Somewhere.”

  “I’d really like to have them, please. I want to know about Metise’s last days. Jen told me Metise was in a hurry to get the final batch of paint ready.”

  “Perhaps she was impatient to get the system up and running.”

  “Or she could have wanted to send an important message to you and she wanted it to be word perfect.”

  Wade frowned. “You could have a point.” He stood up and surveyed the piles around the room. “I’ll locate my notes immediately. There are a lot of them. It might be better if I make copies and send them straight to your residence in Brimstone using magic. Are you staying at your gran’s apartment?”

  “I am. Is there anything else you can tell me about Metise? Did you get the sense she was troubled?”

  Wade hesitated a second. “I did get the impression she wasn’t in a rush to get married.”

  I got to my feet. “She wasn’t. Thank you for your time. And the tea.” I pointed to my head. “I don’t know what you did to me, but I feel clear-headed and ready for action.”

  Wade gave me a concerned look. “Cassia, my spell won’t last for long. Whatever’s troubling you will come back with a vengeance very soon.”

  I gave him a bri
ght smile. “Then I’d better get on with my investigation quickly. Thank you again.”

  “You’re obviously in a rush. When I send Metise’s notes over to your apartment, I’ll include details of my favourite spells too.”

  I said goodbye to Wade, left his home and got on my broomstick. I aimed it in the direction of the Enchanted Forest and said to myself, “Right, Harmonia, I think it’s time we had a long talk.”

  Chapter 24

  I found Harmonia sitting with her back against a tree. She was humming happily to herself and looking at a notebook.

  “Hello, Harmonia. I’d like a word with you,” I announced as I landed in front of her.

  Shock crossed her face. It was swiftly replaced with fear. She scrambled to her feet and put the notebook behind her back. She looked swiftly left and right as if planning her escape.

  I said, “Don’t even think about running away. What’s that you’re hiding behind your back?”

  She gulped. “Nothing important.”

  “May I have a look?”

  Her brow glistened with sweat and she averted her gaze. She couldn’t look more guilty if she tried. She mumbled, “Metise has no use for it now. I may as well have it.”

  “Have what? Let me look.” I held my hand out.

  Harmonia continued to avoid my look. She mumbled something, but I didn’t catch her words.

  I placed my broomstick on the ground and then cast a spell in Harmonia’s direction. The notebook flew from behind her back and over to me. I caught it easily.

  “Hey!” Harmonia protested. “That’s mine.”

  I quickly flicked through the notebook. “It isn’t. It belongs to Metise.”

  “Belonged,” Harmonia corrected me. “She doesn’t need it now, does she?”

  “These are notes about her inventions. Have you had a good look through them?”

  Harmonia shrugged. “A few times. I can’t make sense of most of them.”

  “I know a witch who could.” I held the notebook up. “Where did you get this from? And when?”

  “I got it from her room in the tree house which we shared. It was under her bed.” She cleared her throat. “I got it just after her body was discovered. I didn’t want any of the other nymphs to have it. They wouldn’t know what to do with it.”

  “And you do?”

  She gave me a small nod. “I can make sense of some of the inventions. I’ve tried out the exploding flowers in my boots. The explosion makes me fly higher. Just like Metise.” A ghost of a smile flickered on her lips.

  “What else have you made sense of?”

  “The invisible rainbows,” she admitted. “I knew Metise was working on them. I followed her sometimes and watched her. I knew about her visits to Jen Bumbleberry’s factory. It didn’t take me long to find the paint Jen was working on.”

  I asked, “Did you steal the paint from Jen’s factory recently?”

  “I did. I had to. After Metise died, I went over to the factory to fill in my last order. I was left alone in Jen’s office and I saw an order form for the invisible paint. Jen was going to sell it to a group of vampires in another town; the Devlin vampires.” She shuddered. “I’ve come across those vampires before and I knew they would only use the paint for evil deeds. Metise would have hated that. I had to steal it and stop it getting into their hands.”

  “Did you use some of the paint yesterday? I thought I saw a shimmering rainbow near the normal one you’d painted.”

  Harmonia’s face lit up. “Did you see it? Really? Was it any good? Was the shape right? It was my first ever one.”

  “I only saw it for a second,” I admitted.

  Harmonia became animated. “I don’t know how to put the messages in them yet. There’s a formula in Metise’s book, but I can’t work it out. You said another witch could help. Would they help me to work it out?”

  “Why would you want to do that?”

  “To carry on Metise’s work. We can’t let this rainbow idea die with her. We just can’t.” She pointed to the notebook. “I want to work on her other ideas too. Will your witch friend help me with that?”

  “I suppose I could ask him.” I frowned. “Harmonia, why would you want to do this? I thought you hated Metise.”

  Harmonia blanched. “I didn’t hate her. I admired her. She was one of a kind. I regret bitterly not getting to know her better when she was alive. I was too shy in her presence. I used to watch her from afar. I know the other nymphs made fun of her. I’m ashamed to say that I made fun of her too when I was with them. But that’s not how I truly felt. If I could develop some of her inventions, it might make up for all the horrible things I’ve said about her.”

  I looked at Harmonia for a few seconds. Was she telling me the truth?

  Harmonia must have caught my doubtful look. She said, “I’ll show you where I’ve put the stolen paint. You can arrest me for it. I’ll pay Jen as much as I can now and I’ll pay her the rest as soon as possible. Please, Cassia, don’t let her sell Metise’s paint to those vampires. We can’t do that to Metise. Please.”

  I gave her a small nod. “Let me think about that. I’ll have to speak to Jen again as she never told me about her plans to sell the paint. She’s got a batch of perfect paint ready at the factory.”

  Harmonia’s hands flew to her chest. “Don’t let her sell it! Destroy it if you have to, but don’t let her sell it.”

  “I won’t. You’ve had a lot of dealings with Jen. What do you make of her?”

  Harmonia’s hands dropped from her chest. “All she cares about is making a profit. Whenever I went to the factory, she was always in that private room of hers working on something. The last few times that I went there, I noticed she looked guilty as she came out of that room. Do you know what she was working on? Was it something to do with Metise?”

  “I do know, but I’d rather not say. Do you think Jen could have killed Metise?”

  Harmonia’s eyes pooled with tears. “If you’d have asked me that question a few months ago, I would have said no. But things have changed in the Forest. Creatures here are not as kind as they used to be. So, yes, I do think Jen could have killed Metise.”

  “I’ve got a few more questions for you. Were you in Cupid’s office recently?”

  Her eyes widened with shock. “I was. How do you know that?”

  “Stanley caught your scent in Cupid’s office.” I stopped. Where was Stanley?

  Harmonia said, “I was there to ask him about my love life. I’d seen how happy Metise was with Theodwin, and I wanted to have someone in my life too. Cupid said he would look into it for me.” She gave me a sad smile. “It wasn’t my first visit to Cupid’s office. I’d been there a few years ago but with no luck. Perhaps some people are meant to be on their own.”

  “Perhaps.” My thoughts flashed to Luca. Where was he? With Stanley somewhere?

  Harmonia went on, “You’re going to ask me about Theodwin next, aren’t you?”

  I gave her a nod.

  “Everyone knows how I feel about Theodwin,” Harmonia said. “I suspect Metise knew even though she didn’t say anything to me about it. When I saw how happy they were as a couple, I put my feelings about Theodwin to one side. It wasn’t easy, but I had to accept he was never going to be a part of my life. But after I painted those rainbows yesterday, he came up to me and started talking to me.” She smiled at the memory. “We talked for hours. I’ve seen him again this morning.”

  “How do you feel about him now?”

  She pulled a face. “Weird. I feel disloyal to Metise.” She moved a bit closer and lowered her voice. “Between you and me, he’s a bit boring. He talks about himself a lot. He barely listened to my replies. I don’t know how Metise put up with him.”

  I smiled as I recalled Theodwin’s mum saying something similar.

  Harmonia glanced at the sky and said, “Theodwin wanted us to go out on a date later today, but I told him I was busy. I want to practise my rainbow-painting skills at a greater height
. I need to add more exploding flowers to my boots. I’ll have to sort out my landings too. I’m not very good at those yet.” She went into a trance as she stared at the sky.

  I stayed where I was and watched her. She didn’t kill Metise. I was certain of it now.

  I said, “Harmonia, I’m going to borrow this notebook but I’ll let you have it back when I’ve finished with it.”

  Harmonia snapped back to attention. “You will?”

  “Yes. I’ll get in touch with my witch friend, Wade, about Metise’s work. He’ll help you.”

  “He will?”

  I smiled. “He will. Keep that invisible paint somewhere safe.”

  Tears sprang to Harmonia’s eyes. She said, “I’ll guard it with my life. Would it be alright if I used some of it? I’m eager to work on those rainbows.” She dashed a tear away. “I think I can make the arc more defined. And then I can …” she stopped, gazed at the sky and nodded to herself. “Yes, if I change my angle of launch, then that might work.”

  I tapped Harmonia on the shoulder and gave her a smile. “I can see you’re busy. I’ll be back in touch soon. You get on with Metise’s work. And take care with your landings!”

  She gave me a grateful smile. “Thank you for not arresting me. I hope you find out who killed Metise soon.” She looked at the area behind me. “Where’s your cat?”

  “I don’t know. He’ll be around somewhere.” I said goodbye, got on my broomstick and headed over to Jen’s factory.

  Chapter 25

  With eyes blazing with anger, Jen Bumbleberry planted her hands on her hips and yelled, “It’s my paint, and I can do what I want with it!”

  “You should have told me about your plans for it,” I argued back.

  “Why? What’s it got to do with you? It’s none of your business what I do with my stock.”

  We were standing in the middle of the paint factory. The workers were carrying on with their jobs, but they kept sending concerned glances our way as Jen and I faced each other.

  I said, “Everything about that paint is my business. Have you still got the finished batch? Or have you sold it?”