brimstone witch 08 - death of a rainbow nymph Read online

  I lay exhausted on the bed. Sweat covered every part of me.

  Dr Morgan gave me a quick drink of something and said, “It’s over. You’ve done so well. How do you feel?”

  “Sweaty,” I replied. My word came out clearly.

  “Try to move.”

  I tentatively lifted my arm and wiggled my fingers. I’d never been so happy to see my fingers moving.

  Dr Morgan smiled. She put her arms around me and lifted me into a sitting position. “We need to get you moving as soon as possible. Come on.”

  She helped me off the table and supported me as I moved around the room. My legs felt like jelly at first and I stumbled.

  Dr Morgan laughed and said, “If anyone came in now, they’d think you were drunk. Keep moving. Swing your arms around.”

  With the doctor’s help, I moved around the room moving all my limbs. I must have looked quite a sight as I wiggled and jiggled everything that I could.

  I said, “I can’t tell you how relieved I am to feel everything again. I thought I was going to die. Thank you so much. The butterflies! I’ll have to say thank you to them too.”

  Dr Morgan relinquished her support and I moved on my own. She said, “Do you want me to tell your gran and Blythe about this?”

  “No. I’ll tell them later.”

  “What happened? How did you get hurt?”

  “I fell off my broomstick.”

  Dr Morgan’s eyebrows shot up. “How? You’re an accomplished flyer. Were you attacked? Has this got something to do with Metise’s murder?”

  “No, nothing like that. I wasn’t paying attention, that’s all.” I stopped walking. “Oh, my broomstick! I’ll have to look for it. I hope it’s not broken.”

  “It isn’t. The butterflies brought it back.”

  “Really? They are wonderful, just wonderful.” I jigged from side to side. “I think I’m as good as new. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but can I go now? I’ve got work to do.”

  Dr Morgan folded her arms. “My advice is for you to take things easy for the next few days and to not get stressed. But that isn’t going to happen, is it?”

  I gave her a small smile. “No. Sorry. I’ve got a murder case to solve.”

  The doctor shook her head. “You witches are so stubborn. I can’t keep you here, but I will be checking up on you.” She sighed. “Off you go then.”

  “Thank you.” I gave her a hug. “I can’t thank you enough.”

  “Be careful, Cassia. Be extra careful.” Dr Morgan gave me a studied look. “I’ll ask the obvious question now. Where’s Stanley?”

  Chapter 27

  I gave Dr Morgan an excuse about Stanley being out somewhere before quickly leaving the room. I collected my broomstick, left the building and made my way to the nearest butterfly tree. I rested my hand against my tree and sent my sincere thanks to the butterflies resting on the branches. They slowly opened and closed their wings in response and I felt a wave of love covering me like a warm blanket. I would never be alone in Brimstone, not when I had these lovely creatures on my side.

  I headed back to Gran’s apartment keeping my head low as I did so. The last thing I needed to see was Stanley canoodling with his sweetheart. It was thoughts about him which had nearly sent me to an early grave.

  I entered the apartment and noticed a stack of papers on the table. I placed my broomstick against the wall and walked over to them. There was a note on top of the stack from Wade Youngblood.

  Wade. I thought about the spell he’d cast on me without my permission. Did he know it would wear off so drastically? Did he know I’d be in immense pain? That led me to my next question. Did he have anything to do with Metise’s death? I know he was a fellow witch, but I had to consider every possibility.

  I picked the note up and read it:

  “Hi, Cassia! Here are the records of the messages Metise sent me. I’ve written them down exactly as I saw them in the rainbow. There are a lot of errors in the early ones. Also, I’ve included some of my own spells which you might find useful!

  I forgot to warn you about that spell I performed on you! Once it wears off, the returning memories can be painful, sometimes physically so. But they don’t last for long. However, if they do come back strongly, take yourself off to bed until they pass. Do not operate heavy machinery! And do not fly! I’m so sorry for not warning you about this earlier. I shouldn’t have cast that spell on you without asking you first. But you looked so sad. I hope I haven’t caused you any problems.

  Let me know if you need any more help.

  Love, Wade.’

  I sniffed. Hmm. I still wasn’t sure of his innocence. The best way to deal with murder cases was to suspect everyone.

  I put the note down and went to the bathroom. I needed to freshen myself up after all that sweating.

  The shower was wonderful and I felt fresh gratitude for my body. I even shaved my legs.

  Once I was dressed, I went to the kitchen area and made myself a cup of tea. I didn’t have an appetite but I knew I had to keep my strength up. I collected a banana and an apple from the fruit bowl and took myself over to the table by the window. I sat with my back to the window as I didn’t want to catch a glimpse of Stanley if he was outside.

  I put all thoughts of Stanley and Luca to the back of my mind. They could have my attention later. I had work to do.

  The messages from Metise had all been dated, so I placed them in rows on the table and quickly glanced at the messages. The earlier ones had many jumbled-up words, but those errors lessened as the messages progressed.

  Metise had told Wade about her life as a rainbow nymph. She’d informed him about Mother Nature and how she ruled everyone in a fair but strict manner. There were notes on how Mother Nature had reprimanded certain beings in the Enchanted Forest. I got the impression Metise had been a bit scared of her. I nodded to myself. I was a bit scared of Mother Nature too.

  Metise’s later messages gave details concerning Theodwin and their relationship. She claimed she was happy with him, but she didn’t want to rush into marriage. There were many mathematical formulas in some of the messages and I couldn’t make head or tail of them. Perhaps Wade had made sense of them.

  I scanned the messages until I came to the ones which had been sent weeks before Metise had died. She mentioned a plant and asked Wade about it. I suddenly realised I didn’t have any of Wade’s replies to Metise. Had he sent all of his replies via the butterflies? Had he kept a record of them? I suspected he had. My suspicions about Wade increased even more.

  The final messages from Metise were about the invisible rainbow paint and how she thought she had the mixture right. Her words were mostly error-free in the messages now. Metise said she wanted to tell Mother Nature about her rainbow message system but was never able to find her in a good mood. She added a note about a strange atmosphere in the Forest and beings were arguing with each other on a daily basis. Mother Nature dealt with the arguments but her mood became darker each day.

  Mother Nature was becoming more of a suspect by the minute. I didn’t relish confronting her.

  I was brought out of my thoughts by a knock at the door. It was a quiet knock and seemed to be coming from the lower part of the door.

  I answered the door to find Stanley standing there with Calypso. I broke into a smile and said, “Stanley! Hi! You don’t need to knock. You can use the cat flap. Come in!” I opened the door wide.

  Stanley didn’t return my smile. I noticed his fur looked less thick. He must have lost a lot more of it since I last saw him.

  “Would you like something to eat or drink?” I asked the two cats.

  Calypso looked away from me.

  Stanley said curtly, “No, thank you. This isn’t a social call. Calypso and I are leaving town. It’s only polite that I inform you of this. I won’t be taking my belongings. You can do what you want with them.”

  I couldn’t move. “Pardon?”

  Stanley sighed with impatience. “We’re leaving
this town for good.”

  “Where are you going?” I asked with a forced smile.

  Calypso looked up and said quietly, “We don’t know yet. We want to see where the wind takes us, don’t we, Stan?”

  Stanley gave her a smile. “We certainly do, my love. We have many adventures to go on.”

  I blinked. Stanley used to have that kind of affection in his voice when he spoke to me.

  Calypso looked directly at me and said, “I am sorry if our relationship is causing you pain.”

  Stanley held his paw up. “Calypso, you don’t need to apologise for our love. We were meant to be together and Cassia can see that.”

  I got to my knees, looked at Stanley and said, “What happened to you?”

  “Love happened,” Stanley said. “We really must be going.”

  I wasn’t letting him go that easily. “Stanley, tell me what happened when you went to Cupid’s office.” I tried to keep the suspicion from my voice as I continued, “Did Calypso go with you.”

  “I don’t like that suspicious tone in your voice,” Stanley snapped.

  Calypso said, “Stan, don’t be harsh. I think you owe Cassia an explanation.”

  Stanley gave her a fond look before turning his attention back to me. “Cupid listened to my concerns about my love life. He said he understood. He was a good listener and he made me feel at home. Yes, Calypso did come with me and she explained how she felt when she first saw me. As she spoke, I could see what an amazing creature she was. I fell in love. Instantly. It happens sometimes. That’s it. End of story. We’re leaving now.”

  With his tail as straight as a rod, Stanley walked out of the door. Calypso threw me an apologetic look before running after him.

  I slowly closed the door and said quietly, “I am not going to let you walk out of my life so easily, Stanley. And as for you, Calypso, you don’t fool me with your cute face and big eyes. I know you’re up to something.” I wagged my finger at the closed door.

  I couldn’t deal with the Stanley issue until I’d settled this murder case. I went back to the table and looked at the messages again. There was something I was missing. I could almost taste it.

  I sat down and went through each message meticulously.

  Hang on, what was this?

  The message wasn’t from Metise, it was from Theodwin:

  ‘Hello Wade, this is Theodwin, Metise’s betrothed. I’m using her rainbow system! Isn’t this amazing? I hope my words are coming across to you clearly as I’m not sure I’m using this correctly! I’ll send another message later! We must stay in touch!’

  I scowled at the message. It was written two weeks before Metise died. Theodwin claimed he didn’t know about the rainbow system until recently. But he had known.

  The lying, conniving elf.

  I stood up, put the message in my pocket and went over to my broomstick.

  That fibbing elf had some explaining to do.

  Chapter 28

  I found Theodwin chatting to a nymph in the Forest. I stayed a short distance back and observed him. He was leaning against a tree, his arms casually folded and a big smile on his face. He didn’t look at all grief-stricken.

  “So,” Theodwin said as he looked the nymph up and down. “How about it? Me and you this evening under the stars? Sounds good, don’t you think? I’ll get Mum to make us a picnic.”

  The nymph retorted, “Theodwin, this is the last time I’m going to tell you this. No, I do not want to go out on a date with you. No, I don’t want to sit in a tree and gaze at the stars! And no, I don’t think we are soulmates! We barely know each other. If you keep bothering me like this, I’m going to report you to Mother Nature!” She gave him a hard look before walking away.

  Theodwin called out, “You know where I am if you change your mind! Don’t forget to let the other nymphs know I’m on the dating scene again!”

  I stepped out of the shadows and said, “It didn’t take you long to get over Metise.”

  Theodwin jumped and moved away from the tree. “What are you doing here? Are you spying on me?”

  I nodded. “Yes. I heard everything you said.”

  “I don’t have to defend myself to you,” Theodwin retorted. “I can date who I like.”

  “I never said you couldn’t. I thought you were seeing Harmonia.”

  “Pah!” Theodwin added a snort of disgust. “She’s too busy with her work to see me. I’m not going through all that again. I had enough of that when I was with Metise. I should be given priority when it comes to matters of the heart.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Because that’s the way things are. Once you fall in love with someone and commit yourself to a serious relationship, everything else takes second place. Even work.”

  “I’m not sure about that; it depends on the individuals.” I took Theodwin’s message from my pocket and held it up. “Explain this.”

  The elf blanched and took a step back. “Where did you get that from? Have you conjured it up by magic? That has nothing to do with me.”

  “Stop lying. I’m not in the mood for any more lies; not from you or anyone.” I waved the message at him. “You sent this to Wade Youngblood using Metise’s rainbow system. You knew about it all along. Was Metise aware that you knew about it?”

  A defensive look came over his face and I knew he was going to tell me a load of lies. It was time for me to get a bit sneaky.

  I placed my broomstick on the ground, put the message next to it and made a big show of stretching my arms and waggling my fingers.

  Theodwin gulped. “What are you doing?”

  I stopped stretching. “I’m getting ready to use magic on you. My spells will force you to tell me the truth.” That was a lie, but he didn’t know that. I gave Theodwin a sympathetic smile. “My spells will hurt. A lot. I don’t have to do them, not if you tell me the truth of your own accord.”

  Theodwin threw his hands in the air. “Alright! I’ll tell you. You don’t have to threaten me.”

  “Tell me how you found out about Metise’s rainbow system.”

  “I followed her. She often said she was working late and couldn’t see me on an evening. I thought she was lying. So, I followed her and watched her. I discovered what she was up to with that witch friend of hers. She shouldn’t have done that without telling me. Couples are supposed to tell each other everything. They are supposed to share every aspect of their lives with their partners.”

  “How did you know how to use the system?”

  “I watched how Metise did it. I saw how she added words to the paint. When she fell asleep, I read her notebook and saw what she’d written to that witch. Well! I wasn’t happy about that. I thought I’d send that witch a message and let him know who I was! I asked some fairies to give me a lift so I could paint the rainbow. It was a tricky procedure, but it was worth it. I had to let that witch know who was the boss.” He glowered at a nearby tree as if picturing Wade there.

  “I didn’t realise you were so possessive. Did you confront Metise about her secret messages?”

  “No. But I did tell Cupid about them. I told him he had to talk to Metise and put her right. She was supposed to give me her full attention, not some stupid witch in a far-off land. I said it was Cupid’s responsibility to make sure our love ran smoothly. He was the one who had paired us. If anything went wrong, he should be the one to sort it out.” His hands curled into fists at his side.

  I said, “Were you angry when you went to see Cupid?”

  “I was furious.” His eyes narrowed.

  “Did you attack Cupid recently?” I asked.

  “What?” Theodwin’s hands uncurled. “Why would I do that? You’ll be asking me next if I killed Metise. Again.”

  “Did you?”

  “No! I’ve already told you that. I was with Mum and my relatives when Metise died. Ask them!”

  “I will do. I’ll come with you right now and speak to them.”

  Theodwin backed up. “They’re not at hom
e now. They’ll be back later.”

  “That’s convenient. I’ll speak to your neighbours then. Your mum said some of them came round to your home on that evening too.” I gave him a slow nod. “I think it’s time I spoke to your friends also. Let’s see what they’ve got to say about you.”

  I felt something poking my leg. I looked down and saw a white mouse standing there. It was Andy.

  I tutted and said, “What do you want? Can’t you see I’m busy?”

  “I’m busy too,” Andy argued. He rubbed his ear. “My wife has been nagging me non-stop all day. I think I’ve gone deaf in this ear. Where’s that useless guardian? When’s he coming to see me?”

  “I don’t know where he is. Can’t you sort your relationship problems out yourself?”

  “I’ve tried. She won’t listen to me. She keeps yelling and throwing things. That guardian is talking to all the other couples in the area, why isn’t he talking to me? Is it because I upset that fleabag of yours? Where is the fleabag anyway?”

  “Don’t talk about Stanley like that.” I made a shooing motion at him. “Go away. I’m interrogating a suspect.”

  Andy looked behind me. “Who? There’s no one there.”

  I turned around and looked at where Theodwin had been standing. I muttered, “The sneaky elf. He’s scarpered.” I turned back to face Andy. “This is your fault. I’ll have to chase after him now.”

  “That’s not my problem. Find that guardian and tell him to get round to my place straight away. He’s dealing with all the other newly-weds, so why isn’t he helping me? It’s not right. It’s a disgrace.”

  I stared at the little mouse and asked him to repeat his words. When he had, I thanked him and picked up my broomstick.

  Andy yelled, “Where are you going now? Are you going to find that idiot guardian? About time too. I’ll expect him at my place within the hour. He can sort my wife out. He can tell her she’s in the wrong.”

  I gave Andy a hard look before getting on my broomstick. “Andy, don’t rely on someone else to sort your problems out. Do it yourself.”