The Silent Banshee (A Brimstone Witch Mystery Book 5) Page 12

  “Thank you.”

  “Was there anything else?”

  “No. We’d better be off. Come on, Stanley.”

  We quickly left before Dr Morgan could interrogate me.

  Mrs Tarblast didn’t live far away and we found her pruning rose bushes in her front garden.

  As we walked through the garden gate, she looked our way and announced, “I haven’t done anything wrong! Not this time.”

  “Memory Mist,” I said. I waited for her reaction.

  Her cheeks turned red. “Ah. Yes. Memory Mist. What about it?”

  “Who did you supply it to?”

  She tried her best to look outraged at my question, but her cheeks just turned redder.

  “How do you know I supplied it to anyone? Why do you assume I had access to it at all.” She stopped and sighed. “What’s the point of denying it? You’ve got a way about you that makes me admit the truth.”

  “Have I? I wish I had that effect on others.”

  Mrs Tarblast said, “Come and have a sit down. I’ve only got a small bench and I’m not sure your generous behind will fit on it.”

  “You don’t have to tell me the truth about everything,” I said.

  She walked over to a small bench and sat down. There was no way I was going to fit on the little bench, so I sat on the grass at her side.

  Mrs Tarblast began, “I supplied all of the retirement homes with that potion. They have residents who suffer with their memories. The potion helps them to hold onto their memories. When someone is admitted to the homes, they have to fill out a lot of paperwork about their lives. They put down their favourite memories, favourite food and places. That sort of thing. If they later experience memory loss, a member of staff will give them a small shot of the potion and then read out the memories that the patient had previously written down. The potion is strong enough to restore all memories, even those that haven’t been written down.”

  “It sounds wonderful,” I said.

  Mrs Tarblast nodded. “It is. It works for most residents, but there are some cases where it stops being effective and larger doses are needed. That could be dangerous as the patient would be susceptible to planted memories. A patient could be convinced they are someone else entirely.” She gave me a direct look. “They could also be convinced they can do something that they’ve never done before.”

  “Like what?”

  She waved her hand around the garden. “Someone might want to convince me I’m a terrible gardener. I’d then take one look at my garden and not know how to take care of it. That would be disastrous. On the other hand, they could convince another gnomes that they are the best gardener in these lands even though they’ve never picked up a spade. Why are you asking me about Memory Mist? What has it got to do with your investigation?”

  I decided to let Mrs Tarblast know why I was interested in it and told her what Dr Morgan had discovered in Dana’s bloodstream.

  Mrs Tarblast stared at me when I’d finished.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked her. “Why are you looking at me with that horrified expression on your face?”

  “I supplied The Caterpillar Retirement Home with a large amount of Memory Mist months ago. They have one resident who needs a regular supply. He’s having a lot of trouble with his memory, and his family insist he keeps taking the potion. They don’t want him to lose his memory altogether.”

  I knew immediately who she was talking about. “Bert? It’s Bert, isn’t it?”

  She nodded. “You do know he’s Astrid’s grandad?”

  “I do.”

  Mrs Tarblast said, “I wouldn’t put it past Astrid to get hold of some of her grandad’s medication and then use it for evil purposes. I don’t like that woman. I don’t trust her. I never have.”

  Stanley said, “I don’t trust her either. She makes me want to spit up a furball.”

  I said, “But why would Astrid steal the potion and then give it to Dana? What has she got to gain by Dana being dead?”

  Mrs Tarblast replied, “I don’t know, but I’ve seen her getting closer to you during this investigation. Why is that? I don’t believe for a second she’s trying to make amends for what she’s done. I’d watch your step with that one, Cassia. You’ve got to wonder what her endgame is with you.”

  Chapter 24

  Stanley and I decided to go to Gran’s apartment for a while. I wanted to write my notes up on this case, and I also wanted to go through the photos Fiona had given me.

  Gran had an apartment above Mooncrest Café. It had a large living area with a small kitchen area to one side. The best thing about the apartment were the big windows that overlooked Brimstone town square. They were tinted which meant Stanley and I could gawp out at the residents without anyone knowing.

  As soon as we walked into the apartment, it was obvious that someone had been there recently. There was something new on the table in front of the windows. Well, not new exactly, but new to this apartment.

  Stanley noticed the items too and said, “What are your computer and printer doing here? We saw them at Esther’s house a few hours ago.”

  I walked closer to my trusty computer. “I don’t know what they’re doing here. Hang on; there’s a note.” I picked up the note and read it.

  Stanley said, “Who is it from? What does it say?”

  I lowered the note and gave him a puzzled look. “It’s from Gran. She thought I could use my computer to write up my notes and print them out. She’s cast a spell on the printer so that the ink lasts forever. That’s going to be useful for those photos Fiona gave me. I’ve had a quick look at them and I can see many residents and friends in the background. I could do with enlarging them.”

  Stanley hopped from paw to paw. “Does the internet work? Tell me it does! Please!”

  I waved the note at him. “No. Blythe tried to enchant the computer with a Wi-Fi signal, but she wasn’t successful. Perhaps that’s a good thing because we’d only get distracted by funny cat videos. You know what you’re like with them.”

  Stanley chuckled. “I can’t help it. I’m addicted to them.” He stopped laughing and put his head to one side. “What else has Esther written? You look worried.”

  “She said that she and Blythe are going away for a few days and that we’re not to worry about them.”

  “Going where? On a supposed trip to the bingo?” He looked so indignant that if he were able to fold his arms in disgust, I’m sure he would have done.

  I put the note down. “She doesn’t say where they’ve gone. Stanley, I’m concerned about them. Why have they taken off like this? Especially when I’m in the middle of an investigation.”

  “And when Astrid is hatching one of her evil plans. It doesn’t make sense.”

  “No, it doesn’t.” I frowned at the note. “They’re hiding something from us. I don’t like it.” I switched the computer on and let out a yelp as Gran and Blythe’s faces beamed out at me from the screen.

  Stanley jumped onto the table and yelped too when he saw what had frightened me. He said, “I don’t think much of your screensaver. Look into their eyes. They are full of deception.”

  I stared at the image. They had a lot of explaining to do when I caught up with them.

  “Let’s have a drink and then we’ll sort our notes out. I’d like to get this investigation settled quickly.” I nodded my head at the image of Gran and Blythe. “Then I’m going after those two.”

  I made myself a cup of tea. Stanley said he only wanted a dish of water. Once we were sorted with refreshments, I laid out the photos and then proceeded to enlarge the ones with many beings on them using the scan facility on my printer. I didn’t know what Gran had done to it, but it printed out the enlarged images in a couple of seconds. It normally took it about a minute to print anything and it made moaning and groaning noises as it did so.

  I placed the enlarged photos on the carpet, knelt down and started to examine them. There was a knock at the door.

  Stanley said,
“I bet it’s Esther and Blythe coming back to apologise for leaving us in the lurch.”

  I got to my feet. “I don’t think so. Gran’s note said they’d be away for days.” I walked over to the door and opened it.

  Astrid stood there with a big smile on her face.

  My fingers twitched and I was tempted to slam the door in her face. I managed to give her a tight smile.

  “Hi!” Astrid said. “I hope you don’t mind me calling on you here.”

  “How’s your grandad?” I asked.

  “He’s fine. Back to his normal self.” Her attention was drawn to something behind me. “What is that thing on the table? What is it doing?”

  I looked over my shoulder. “Oh, that’s my printer. I’m enlarging some photos that Fiona gave me. She’d taken them at the funerals and parties she’d organised.”

  Astrid’s eyes were wide. “Is it magic? Have you put a spell on it?”

  “Gran has done something to it to make it work faster.” I paused and my cursed good manners rose to the surface. I opened the door wider and said, “Come in and have a look at it. Would you like a cup of tea?”

  “Oh! Yes. Thank you. That’s so kind of you.” She stepped into the apartment and walked over to the printer which had just completed another print.

  Stanley gave Astrid one of his looks of disgust. She didn’t notice.

  Astrid looked down at the printer. “Wow. This is amazing.”

  I left her to stare at the machine and quickly made her a cup of tea.

  Stanley came with me and hissed, “You shouldn’t have let her in!”

  “Isn’t it better to have her somewhere where we can see her?” I hissed back.

  He sighed. “I suppose so. But don’t offer her anything to eat. She doesn’t deserve that.”

  By the time I took the drink to Astrid, she was holding a photo up and studying it intently.

  I placed the cup on the table and said, “Have you noticed something?”

  “Yes, my grandad is in some of these photos. He’s talking to Bert in the garden. I didn’t know Bert visited the retirement home. And I didn’t know Grandad was friends with him.”

  I frowned. “I’m confused. Bert’s your grandad’s name, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.” She showed me the photo. “And it’s the name of this dragon too. Can you see him in the background here? This was taken at a party and Grandad is chatting to Bert.” Another image shot out from the printer and Astrid picked it up. “Grandad is still talking to Bert here. They’re laughing. That’s nice.”

  I looked closer at the images and saw a dragon twice the size of Astrid’s grandad standing in the garden next to Astrid’s grandad. They were looking at each other and laughing.

  I said, “I’ve never seen Bert, the dragon, in Brimstone. Where does he live?”

  “Not far away. We guardians have to keep an eye on him because he suffers from short-term memory loss. He flew into a mountain when he was young and has never been the same since.” She gave me a sad smile. “A bit like Grandad really. It’s funny that they should have the same name and the same problem.”

  Stanley spoke directly to me and said, “Do you remember what Bert said to us the last time we saw him? He mentioned something about Bert and flying. He must have been talking about his dragon friend.”

  I nodded. I had a difficult question for Astrid, but I was going to ask her anyway. “Astrid, we’ve discovered that Dana Murphy had been injected with a potion called Memory Mist. What do you know about that potion?”

  Astrid dropped the photos she was holding and her cheeks coloured. “Memory Mist? That’s what Grandad takes to help with his memory.” She looked from Stanley to me. “Do you think Grandad had something to do with Dana’s death? Seriously?”

  Stanley gave her a direct look and said, “No, we think you had something to do with Dana’s death.”

  “What?” Astrid turned wild eyes in my direction. “Is that what you think too, Cassia?”

  I folded my arms. “It’s a possibility considering your past record.”

  Astrid shook her head. “No! I would never do something like that! Never.”

  “You can’t blame us for thinking that,” I said. “Not after what you’ve done.”

  Astrid rubbed her forehead. “No. I suppose not. But I thought things had changed between us.” She looked down at the photos. “I will prove my innocence. I will prove I had nothing to do with Dana’s murder.” She looked back at me with tears in her eyes. “I’ll prove to you that I’ve changed. And I know how I’m going to do that.”

  Without saying another word, she fled from the apartment. I noticed tears travelling down her cheeks as she raced away.

  Stanley said, “She can cry as much as she likes. I still don’t trust her.”

  Chapter 25

  After discussing the case a bit more, Stanley and I decided to pay a visit on Bert the dragon. He might have noticed something suspicious at the party he’d been to. And it was always a treat to see a dragon up close.

  Stanley convinced me to use a locating spell on Bert to find out where he lived. I’d only used it a few times, so I was a bit nervous as I focused my attention on Bert’s face in one of the photos. I muttered the locating words to myself and imagined finding him at home. My hands tingled and some instinct made me move over to my broomstick and place my hands on it. The tingle lessened but my broomstick began to vibrate.

  Stanley padded over to me. “What have you done? Have you broken your broomstick?”

  “I don’t think so.” The broomstick stopped vibrating. “I think I’ve given it directions to Bert’s home. Like a GPS system.”

  Stanley gave me a look of admiration. “Wow. You are amazing.”

  “Don’t be so amazed. We haven’t seen if it works yet.”

  “Of course it will work,” Stanley said loyally. “Are we going now?”

  “We might as well.”

  I switched off my computer and printer before leaving the apartment. I picked up my broomstick on the way out and detected a slight buzz under my hand. It was like the broomstick had electricity flowing through it.

  We left the apartment and were soon airborne. My broomstick turned itself to the left and shot forwards. We flew along and the broomstick changed direction when it needed to without any intervention on my part. It was like I’d put it on autopilot.

  It wasn’t long before we were lowered outside a cave halfway up a small mountain. A dragon was sitting outside and smiled at us broadly as we landed. I recognised him from the photos and knew it was Bert.

  He raised his front leg in greeting. “Hello! Are you here to see me? Are you visiting me? I’m Bert. That’s my name. I never forget my name. Who are you?”

  I held my broomstick in my hand and took a few steps forward. “I’m Cassia, and this is Stanley.”

  “Hello, Cassia! Hello, Stanley! I’m Bert. I never forget my name.” His big brow furrowed. “What are your names?”

  I repeated them and Bert gave me a cheerful nod. I decided to get on with my questions as quickly as possible. “We met one of your friends at The Caterpillar Retirement Home. He’s called Bert too. Do you remember him?”

  Bert nodded vigorously. “Old Bert! The caterpillars! I never forget Old Bert. I like going to his house. I forget where he lives sometimes, but my wings always remember. Do you need my help?”

  “Yes. I wanted to talk to you about someone called Dana Murphy.”

  “Dana? That’s a pretty name. I can help you. I helped someone this morning. I remembered what to do.” He gave us a proud look. “I remembered to pick her and help her fly. Yes. That’s what I did. Pick her up and help her fly. Do you want to fly? I can help you too.”

  A sudden chill settled in my stomach. “Bert, who did you help to fly this morning?”

  “That woman with the long hair. I can’t remember her name. I don’t think she had one.” His face creased in concentration. “I had to go to her house, pick her up and help her fly. I th
ink that’s right. My head doesn’t feel good now. I need to go to sleep.” He made to turn away.

  I moved closer to him and said gently, “Bert, can I have a look at your memories, please? It won’t hurt, and it won’t take long.”

  “Will that help you? I like helping.” He gave me an eager smile.

  “It would help me a lot. Thank you. Can you lower your head?”

  Bert did so and I placed my hands softly on the top of his head. I’d used my magic before to pick up on memories from other supernatural creatures and I was hoping I’d be able to get some from Bert. I had no doubts that the woman he picked up was Dana, but I needed the full details.

  I closed my eyes and concentrated on seeing Dana’s face. I was hoping her image would do something to Bert’s memory.

  It did do something.

  I suddenly felt as if I were soaring away from the mountains. I heard the words ‘pick up’ and ‘drop’ over and over in my mind. The picture changed and I saw Dana’s house below me. She was lying on a blanket in the back garden with her eyes half closed. There was a lazy smile on her face. She looked like she was drunk or had been drugged. I thought the latter option was more likely.

  Bert’s memory showed him swooping down and picking Dana up. She giggled and mumbled, ‘I’m going to fly! I can fly! I can really fly!’

  Bert headed away from her house and over some fields. He stopped near a field full of wheat. I’d seen that field this morning. I heard Bert’s voice saying joyfully, ‘Fly! You can fly now!’ His claws opened and Dana fell downwards. I caught the horrified look on her face as she realised what was happening. Then she let out a loud, piercing scream that made my brain rattle and my ears pound with pain.

  Beneath my hands, Bert suddenly moved his head away and roared, “She didn’t fly! I watched her, and she didn’t fly! I think I hurt her. I didn’t mean to hurt her. That man told me she wanted to fly! He said she would fly if I picked her up and dropped her.”