Brimstone Witch Mysteries - Box Set 1 Read online

  “Hey! Stop talking to Cassia like that!” Stanley called out. “She’s an amazing witch, and you’re being mean to her. I won’t stand for it.” He stamped his paw to make his point. Bless him.

  Basil said, “I don’t care if I am being mean. I want justice. If you don’t get justice for me, Cassia Winter, I’ll get justice for myself.” His tail began to glow red again.

  I could feel tears forming in my eyes at his hurtful words. I willed them away. I didn’t want to show any weakness in front of him.

  I took my phone from my pocket and said, “I’m going to take some photos of your shop. I’ll take the damaged books with me and keep them as evidence. I want you to cordon this area off so that I can check for fingerprints later, along with any other evidence.”

  “And then what?” Basil snapped. “What are you going to do then?”

  “My job,” I firmly informed him. “I will investigate this case, and you will leave everything to me. Understand? Do you have a container to put these books in?”

  Basil muttered something to himself before moving away.

  When he’d gone, Stanley said, “He wasn’t like this last week when we came here. He was lovely. He gave me some fish nibbles. What’s happened to him?”

  “I’m not sure. Gran said there’s something evil in the air, and I think we’re seeing evidence of it.” I looked over at the table with the damaged books. “I think there’s a storm coming, Stanley. A storm full of black magic.”

  Chapter 7

  I carried an extremely heavy box of books back to the apartment with my arms protesting all the way.

  Stanley noticed my staggering steps and said, “Why don’t you do some magic on them and make the box lighter? You could even make the books fly like birds.”

  I wheezed, “I had thought of that, but I don’t know enough about magic yet to perform something, and not out in the open. What if I try to turn the books into birds and they end up transforming into huge vultures or something?”

  Stanley shivered. “Huge vultures who eat little cats? Do you remember that video we watched of those kittens being carried off by an eagle? I had nightmares about that for days.”

  “Me too,” I huffed as I forced myself forward. “It’s too risky for me to use magic yet. But I’ll make a mental note to include situations like this when I next talk to Gran.”

  We reached the apartment, and somehow, I managed to open the door and drag myself and the heavy box upstairs. One book dropped out on the way. Stanley helpfully picked it up in his mouth and carried it for me.

  I dropped the box as soon as I entered the apartment.

  Stanley dropped his one book and declared, “My! That was heavy.”

  I flexed my fingers and was relieved to discover none of them were broken or bent out of shape.

  Stanley moved closer to the box. “What are you going to do with these?”

  “I’ve no idea. I don’t know why I asked Basil for them. I just wanted to look decisive as if I knew what I was doing.” I knelt next to the box and picked a book up. “We could try and get the writing analysed. Perhaps try and get it matched to someone who lives here.”

  “Do they have any equipment here that could do that?”

  I shrugged in reply.

  Stanley suggested, “Could you put your hand over the books and use magic on them to reveal who wrote on them? You could use a word like ‘reveal’ or ‘show’. What do you think?”

  I grimaced. “I’m not sure. I know I’ve done a few bits of magic, but I think I was lucky that nothing went terribly wrong. What if I tried one of those words and the books burst into flames? I’d be in real trouble with Basil then.” I sat back on the carpet, my eyes stinging with unshed tears. I lowered my head. “Sorry, Stanley, I’m a useless witch. I don’t know what I’m doing. I wouldn’t blame you if you left me and found a more competent witch.”

  Stanley pressed his body against my arm. “You might think you’re a useless witch, but I don’t. And you’re my witch, no matter what. I wouldn’t swap you for all the double cream in this world and ours. Don’t be sad, Cassia, you’re still learning how to be a justice witch. I think you’re wonderful.” He purred loudly and rubbed his cheek against my arm.

  I laughed and reached out to stroke his head. “I think you’re wonderful too.” I looked at the books. “Let’s go through these and check them all. There could be different words on some of them. Or maybe some hidden messages somewhere. I’ll put them on the table over there.”

  I stood up and attempted to lift the box. My body thought otherwise, and spasms of pain shot through me. I decided to move a few books at a time. Stanley helped by moving one book at a time.

  When we had all the books out on the table, I sat on a chair and Stanley seated himself next to me. Together, we examined the books and the graffiti inside them.

  It was an hour later when we came to the same conclusion.

  Stanley said, “It’s just the same few words written again and again in each book. The same handwriting and the same pen used, and on the cover and the same inside pages.” He sighed. “We haven’t discovered any new information at all.”

  I surveyed the books in front of us. Each one was about a different kind of creature in Brimstone.

  I said, “I had no idea there were so many different beings in Brimstone. I’ve never heard of most of them. I can honestly say that I don’t want to meet at least a third of them. Do you think these books cover all the residents in Brimstone?”

  “I’ve no idea. There are a lot of creatures here, and whoever wrote those nasty words on the books doesn’t like them at all.”

  I held a finger up. “Don’t forget the vampires. There wasn’t any graffiti on the vampire books. I think Basil could be right about the culprit being a vampire.”

  Stanley nodded. “Perhaps. Or that could be a red herring to throw us off the scent. Maybe the culprit is someone who hates vampires and is trying to frame them.”

  I gave Stanley an admiring look. “You’re a clever cat. Would you like something to drink? I could do with a cup of tea.”

  “Yes, please.” Stanley suddenly jumped and looked at the window in front of us. He whispered, “Cassia! Someone’s at the window! I think it’s a bat; a vampire bat!”

  I peered at the window. “Stanley, it’s not a bat. It’s one of the Brimstone butterflies. I think they’ve got a message for us.”

  I stood up and opened the top part of the window. I held my hand out. A pale green butterfly flew in and landed on my hand. I knew instinctively it was Sarah, the butterfly I’d rescued from an evil elf.

  Brimstone butterflies deliver messages to the residents of the town. You had the option of giving the butterfly your messages in many forms - you could sing it, shout it, whisper it or talk normally. The butterfly would then deliver your message in your chosen form. A bit like a flying audio file, but much prettier.

  Some butterflies were too shy to deliver an audio message, and so the message would be displayed in words on their open wings.

  Sarah was a shy butterfly, and she now opened her wings to show me the message she was delivering:

  ‘Cassia! It’s lovely to have you and Stanley staying in town for a while. We will have a good catch-up tomorrow when you come to my house for your first broomstick lesson! See you at 10 a.m. Love and kisses, Blythe. P.S. Have a marvellous time at the club tonight.’

  Blythe was a three-hundred-year-old witch who ruled Brimstone. She was lovely and I couldn’t wait to meet up with her tomorrow.

  I read the message out to Stanley.

  “Wow!” he said. “A broomstick lesson! Wow! Do you think you’ll be flying on a broomstick? Will you have your own broomstick? Can I come with you? Do you think I could have a broomstick too?”

  “I don’t know the answer to any of those questions.” I grinned. “But it does sound exciting.” I felt a slight pressure on my hands and looked at Sarah. The words on her back had disappeared but she didn’t make any motion of
moving.

  Stanley said, “I think you have to reply to Blythe’s message.”

  “Oh! Right. Of course.” I cleared my throat and said to Sarah, “Hi Blythe, thanks for your message. I’m super excited about having a broomstick lesson. Can Stanley come with me? I’ll bring him anyway. I’m also super excited about going to the nightclub too. I’ve no idea what I’m going to wear.”

  Stanley interrupted, “Don’t make the message too long. It has to fit on Sarah’s wings.”

  “Oh, yes, of course.” I focused my attention back on Sarah and concluded my message with, “See you soon. Love and kisses, Cassia and Stanley.”

  Sarah flapped her wings twice which Gran had previously advised me means ‘yes’. I presumed I’d delivered my message in the correct manner. Sarah lifted off my hand and flew through the open window.

  Just as she left, another butterfly flew through. It was a pale yellow one this time; a male. It landed on the carpet in front of Stanley, opened its wings and belted out, ‘Yo! Stanley! Rascal here, I’m a friend of your brother’s. Me and the other cats are having a shindig tonight. Want to meet us? If so, be at the side of the Razzle Dazzle Club at eight. Catch up with you later. The gang are dying to meet you.’

  Stanley’s eyes widened. “I’ve been invited to a shindig.”

  “I know. I heard.”

  “What’s a shindig?”

  “It’s a party,” I told him.

  “Should I go?”

  “Of course you should. You can mingle with the other cats. You could even mention the damage at the bookshop to them. They might know something.” I pointed to the waiting butterfly on the carpet. “You’d better send a reply.”

  Stanley cleared his throat and spoke clearly, “Dear Rascal, thank you very much for your kind invitation. I would love to meet you and the gang tonight. Very best wishes, Stanley.”

  The butterfly flapped its wings twice and took off through the opening.

  I said, “Looks like we’ve both got plans for tonight. What am I going to wear?”

  “You look lovely in anything,” Stanley said. “What about me? Look at my grey fur. What will the other cats think of me? I look ridiculous. Can we dye my fur? Or colour it in using ink? I can’t go out like this!”

  I picked Stanley up and cuddled him. “You look magnificent just as you are. You look wise and distinguished. The other cats would be lucky to have you as a friend.”

  “You think so?”

  “I know so. I’ve got a feeling this is going to be a good night.”

  Chapter 8

  Stanley and I spent the rest of the day making ourselves at home in Gran’s apartment. We discovered Gran had sent over my box set collection of supernatural TV shows. While we had something to eat later, we watched an early episode of Buffy, The Vampire Slayer.

  I sighed as I watched Buffy at work. I said to Stanley, “I wish I was more like Buffy. She’s so brave and always knows what to do.”

  Stanley snuggled up to me on the sofa. “You’re amazing just as you are. This witch business is still new to you, and you’re getting better at it all the time.”

  I stroked his little head. “Thank you. You’ve always been there for me.”

  “And I always will. Shall we start getting ready for our night out? Will you use that special brush on my fur, please? I want to look the best that I can. Do you think the other cats will like me?”

  “They’ll love you.”

  We finished watching Buffy. I put on a CD I’d found and Stanley and I sang along together as we got ready. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a night out.

  We surveyed ourselves in the mirror later and decided we looked okay. Neither of us had a high amount of confidence.

  Just before 8 o’clock, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to find Luca standing there. He was wearing a light blue shirt and casual trousers. He gave me his lovely dimpled smile and my heart missed a beat. He looked more handsome than ever.

  Stanley nudged into my leg and I realised I was gawping at Luca.

  Luca looked me over and said, “You look beautiful. That colour suits you.”

  I flapped a hand at him. “This old dress? Really? I’ve had it years.”

  Stanley piped up, “Cassia! I’ve just realised your dress is the same blue as Luca’s eyes. Isn’t that a coincidence? You match! You make the perfect couple.”

  As expected, my cheeks flooded with heat and I had to look away from Luca. I made a mental note to talk to Stanley later. He needed to think more before he spoke, especially when it came to me and Luca.

  Luca crooked his arm in my direction and said, “Are you ready to go?”

  “I’ll just grab my handbag.” I kept my red cheeks away from him as I located my handbag. It took a bit longer than necessary, but it gave my cheeks enough time to settle down.

  When I went back to the door, Stanley was telling Luca about his invitation from Rascal.

  Luca nodded. “Rascal’s a wild one. You watch yourself, Stanley. I don’t want you to get into any trouble.”

  “I’ll try not to,” Stanley replied.

  I looked at my grey-furred friend and felt a stab of worry. I said to Luca, “What do you know about this Rascal creature? Where does he go? Who does he mix with? Who are his parents?”

  Luca laughed. “He’s a wild one, but he’s the decent sort. He’ll look after Stanley. Try not to worry about him.” He crooked his arm again. “Ready?”

  I nodded and placed my hand on his elbow. I secured the apartment and walked down the stairs still with my hand on Luca’s elbow. I could have managed without his assistance, but it would have been rude not to take his elbow after he’d offered it to me.

  Stanley walked behind us, humming a happy tune to himself.

  We left the apartment and stepped onto the streets of Brimstone.

  I felt my breath catch in my throat.

  Luca said, “Cassia, what is it? You’ve got a funny look on your face.”

  “I’ve never been in Brimstone at night-time. It’s so beautiful. There are lights everywhere. It looks so magical.”

  “Those are fireflies. We’ve got hundreds of them,” Luca informed me.

  I looked upwards. “The moon looks bigger and brighter than it does in my world. And I’m sure our stars are not that twinkly.” I inhaled. “Even the air smells sweeter.”

  Luca laughed. “That’s Brimstone for you. I don’t know much about your world. Your gran talks about it sometimes. She’s told me about you and what you get up to. I know about your job in insurance.” He gave me an embarrassed grin. “She had to tell me as I kept asking about you. I wanted to know you were okay.”

  Stanley said, “Cassia’s had an awful time lately. She’s been in a job that sucked the joy right out of her. And she had a boyfriend called Alistair who wasn’t very nice to her. He used to tell her how to behave and how to think. He’s gone now. Cassia’s single. Aren’t you, Cassia? Tell Luca you don’t have a boyfriend anymore.”

  “Stanley,” I hissed, “Luca doesn’t want to know that.”

  “I do,” Luca said. “Especially if he didn’t treat you right. Why don’t you tell me what you’ve been up to since we last met? I want to hear everything.”

  “I met you a few weeks ago. Not much has changed. I have stopped working in the insurance business because I want to help Gran with her work here.”

  Luca smiled. “I know what you’ve been up to recently. I meant from when you were seven years old.”

  My shoulders dropped. I associated being seven with Mum going away. I didn’t like thinking about being seven.

  Luca must have realised what I was thinking because he said, “You can tell me another time. Let’s concentrate on the present. I’m so glad you’ve come back to Brimstone, and that you’re helping Esther. She needs help with this increasing crime rate.” He patted my hand. “We won’t talk about work tonight. Let’s have fun instead. Has Esther told you about the Razzle Dazzle Club?”

&nb
sp; I shook my head. “She’s never mentioned it. Is it far away?”

  “No, it’s right there.” Luca indicated his head in the direction of the bookshop.

  “The bookshop? That’s where the club is?”

  “Look again. Can you see that door next to the bookshop? That’s the entrance to the club.”

  I squinted. I saw a set of black doors with silver handles. The doors weren’t attached to anything and were standing upright on their own.

  I said, “I can see the doors. Where’s the club?”

  Luca tapped the side of his nose. “It’s invisible. Don’t forget where you are, Cassia. This is a magical town.”

  I frowned. “I didn’t notice those doors earlier. Are they always there?”

  “No. There’s a cloaking device in operation during the day. Are you ready to go to the club?”

  “I am.” I looked down at Stanley. “Where are you supposed to meet Rascal again?”

  “Next to the nightclub.” Stanley peered that way. “I think I can see him.”

  We crossed the town square and headed towards the strange doors. They looked weird as they stood there unsupported. They looked like doors you would see on display in a DIY shop.

  As we got closer, a ginger cat stepped out from the side of the door. He had a black patch around one eye and a scar across his nose. He looked like a pirate.

  The cat spoke in a raspy voice, “Hey there. Rascal’s the name. Where’s Stanley? We’re supposed to meet here.”

  I looked down. Stanley was hiding behind my legs. I moved to one side so Rascal could see him.

  Rascal moved closer to Stanley and sniffed him. I noticed Stanley shaking a little. Poor thing.

  Rascal said, “Stanley, friend, I love the grey thing you’ve got going on. You look awesome. I can see you’ve been through some tough times. Me and the gang can’t wait to get to know you better. We’ve got a pile of sardines waiting for you. Are you ready to go?”