Brimstone Witch Mysteries - Box Set 1 Read online

  I stood up and stretched for a minute then collected some books from Gran’s library. I needed a book on a certain species. I remained standing while I flicked through the pages and found what I was looking for. When I did find the right information, my legs felt weak and I collapsed into the nearest chair. It was as I feared. I stared at the window lost in thought.

  A loud knock at the door startled me. I answered it to find Luca there. He gave me a tight smile in welcome and asked if he could come in.

  I opened the door wide for him. “Would you like a tea or coffee? I’m about to put the kettle on. I need a strong coffee.”

  “No, thank you. May I sit down?” He opened his hand towards the sofa.

  “Of course. You don’t need to ask.” I smiled up at him. “Why are you being so formal?”

  He sat on the edge of the sofa and rested his elbows on his knees. He clasped his hands together and said, “Sit down, Cassia. I’ve got something to tell you.”

  I pulled a chair over so that I was sitting in front of him.

  He began, “It was Astrid and her mother who were impersonating you. I overheard them talking about it at the café. They thought I was at the counter paying for our breakfast but I’d left my wallet on our table. When I went back for it, I heard them talking quietly about what they’d done.”

  “I see. Did you confront them?”

  He nodded. “I had to speak to them outside the café because I was so furious and didn’t want to shout at them in public. I couldn’t believe the nasty things they had done. Astrid said they had done it as a test for you, to see how you’d react under stress. I told her she’d put your life and reputation in danger.” He shook his head slowly. “She couldn’t see that she’d done anything wrong. Neither could her mother. They claimed it was all good experience for you, and they were doing you a huge favour. I couldn’t hold onto my anger and I had to leave. I haven’t spoken to either of them since.” He reached out and grabbed my hands. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea Astrid could be so cruel. I’ll make her apologise to you and Stanley.”

  I pulled my hands free. “I doubt she’ll do that. Luca, are you going to tell Blythe what she’s done? Not only did she shapeshift into me, she flew on a broomstick and recklessly disposed of Augustus’ body. That goes beyond teaching me a lesson.”

  He gave me a slow nod. “You’re right. I will tell Blythe about it as soon as she’s recovered. She’ll take the necessary action. I feel as if this is my fault somehow. Is there anything I can do to make amends?”

  “You can help me with my murder investigation,” I said. There was something niggling me about Luca. Why hadn’t he spoken to Blythe or Brin straight away about Astrid? Why hadn’t he arrested Astrid and her mother for breaking the law? He’d been keen to arrest Ulx Gurdley immediately for smuggling.

  Luca said, “I have got some information for you. I’ve just spoken to Dr Morgan. She had a visit yesterday from Rod Deathrunner and his infected hand. She got traces of the poison from it. The poison was powdered rainbowstone. Fortunately, Dr Morgan was able to treat Rod. ”

  “Rainbowstone? I’ve never heard of that. Is it something that’s mined here in Brimstone?”

  He gave me a grim smile. “It’s extremely rare and has never been found in any mine in our town. A small piece was found in another town fifty years ago. Its qualities were investigated and it was found to be a dangerous stone, especially when made into a powder. It could kill someone in minutes. It has the unique ability of turning the deceased’s skin different colours for days after their death. I should have suspected it was used earlier when you told me about Augustus’ skin changing colour.”

  “Where did the rainbowstone come from?”

  “From Ulx. I’ve still got him locked up and I got a confession out of him. He found a piece months ago and hid it in his room. He was saving it for his retirement. He knew he’d get a lot of money for it from the assassins over in Dingy Skipper. But then Augustus was giving him such a hard time that Ulx decided to give the stone to him so he could get rid of Augustus forever.”

  I frowned. “Ulx was in possession of the stone and Augustus was killed by it. It makes sense to conclude that Ulx killed Augustus.”

  “That’s what I thought. Ulx claims the rock was stolen from his room the day before Augustus died. He only discovered it was missing after Augustus had died.”

  “I wish he’d have told us about the stone earlier.”

  “He didn’t know it had anything to do with the murder. He didn’t know about Augustus’ skin changing colour. And he didn’t know about the terrible smell coming from Augustus after he died. When rainbowstone is made into powder, it lets off the most disgusting odour. Ulx says he’s innocent. I can question him again if you like? You can come with me.”

  “No, it’s okay.” I looked towards the table where I’d been sitting. I hesitated. That niggling feeling about Luca was still with me. Could I trust him? I took a chance.

  I stood up and walked over to the table. I retrieved the information I needed and returned to Luca. I sat at his side and told him what I’d found. I showed him the evidence.

  Luca sighed heavily. “We have to tell Blythe straight away. I’ll let her know about Astrid too.” He looked into my eyes. “I can’t tell you how mad I am about Astrid and what she did to you. I’m tempted to throw her into the deepest, darkest jail and throw away the keys.”

  Chapter 27

  Stanley came into the living room, blinked and asked us what was going on.

  I took him onto my knee and told him what I’d discovered. He felt as sad as me and agreed we should speak to Blythe and Brin immediately.

  Luca then told Stanley about Astrid and her mum. Stanley didn’t say anything. He sat quietly on my knee and stared at Luca as he talked. He only nodded in agreement when Luca had finished. That was unusual. I thought Stanley would be vocal with his opinions on what should happen to Astrid and Stella. Perhaps his throat was still sore.

  I collected my evidence and left the apartment with Luca and Stanley. As soon as we stepped onto the pavement, we found Astrid waiting for us. Stanley let out a hiss and his back arched.

  Astrid’s face was damp with tears and she was wringing her hands in agitation. She said in a pleading tone, “Luca, I need to speak to you. Let me explain myself. Please.”

  Luca lifted his chin. “There’s nothing to explain. There’s no excuse for what you’ve done. Don’t you have an apology for Cassia and Stanley?”

  Astrid turned her body slightly so that she wasn’t looking at us. We may as well have been invisible to her.

  She continued, “Please, you have to listen to me. It’s important. I can explain everything.”

  Luca folded his arms. “I’m not interested. We’re on our way to see Blythe. I’m going to tell her what you and your mother did. She’ll take the appropriate action.”

  I was keeping my attention on Astrid and I saw how a calculating look came into her eyes. She was weighing up her next move.

  She moved closer to Luca and placed her hand on his arm. Her tone wasn’t pleading this time; there was an undercurrent of a threat in it. She said firmly, “Luca, you have to listen to me. You owe me that. Remember?”

  He tried to pull his arm free but Astrid’s grip was strong. She said, “You don’t want me to break my promise, do you? Not here? Not now? In front of her.”

  Luca’s jaw tensed and he looked straight into Astrid’s eyes. There was defeat in his voice as he said, “Okay. I’ll give you five minutes. That’s all.”

  Astrid finally looked my way. She gave me a smug smile and her eyes shone with victory. She said, “Excuse us for a while. We have private matters to discuss.” She pulled on Luca’s arm and began to drag him away.

  Luca looked back at me and said, “I’ll see you at Blythe’s. I won’t be long. We’re still going to tell her everything. I haven’t changed my mind. Okay?”

  I gave him a nod.

  Stanley and I watched as he was t
aken away.

  Stanley said, “There’s something wrong there. Astrid has got a hold over Luca. She knows something about him.”

  “Yeah, I get that impression too. Stanley, why didn’t you say anything in the apartment earlier when Luca was telling us about Astrid and Stella?”

  “I thought Luca would have been angrier. I thought he was going to say he’d arrested them straight away. But he didn’t. He let them go free. They could have been planning to cause us more problems, but he didn’t do anything.” He paused. “I thought he cared about us.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I agreed entirely with Stanley. Part of me felt betrayed by Luca’s lack of action.

  I looked down at Stanley and said, “We don’t know the whole story. Whatever hold Astrid has got over Luca may have stopped him taking immediate action.”

  “You don’t sound convinced.” He sighed. “I don’t want to talk about Luca anymore.”

  We made our way over to Blythe’s house. Brin answered the door, took one look at our faces and invited us in.

  She settled us in the living room and said, “You’ve just missed Blythe. The second she was fully recovered, she jumped out of bed, had a shower and then went to see your gran. She said it was time Esther knew what had been going on. Blythe is strong enough now to stop Esther from rushing into any danger.” She studied me for a few seconds. “You know who killed Augustus, don’t you?”

  I nodded and then showed her my evidence. Brin was only small, but she seemed to shrink even more as I talked.

  When I’d finished, she said, “I’ll send a butterfly message straight away and ask them to come here. I think we could do with a strong cup of tea.” She disappeared into the kitchen and we waited silently for her return.

  I struggled to drink my tea which wasn’t like me at all. I could see Brin was struggling too as we waited for our guest to arrive.

  There was a knock at the door and Brin left the room to answer it. She returned with Dilly walking behind her.

  Dilly looked different. Her hair was messy and her apron was twisted to one side. There was a crafty look on her face and she eyed up the room as soon as she entered. Her hand whipped out and she grabbed a gold ornament from a table. She shoved it in her pocket and smiled to herself. She looked over at Stanley and me and I was shocked at the hate I saw in her face.

  “Hello, Dilly,” I began. “Would you like to sit down? I want to talk to you.”

  “No. I don’t want to talk to you. You’re boring and so is your cat.” She wandered over to another table and pocketed a small book.

  Brin shook her head sadly and sat down.

  I tried again, “Dilly, I’ve been reading up about house brownies. I didn’t know much about them apart from what Brin has told me.”

  “So? What’s that got to do with me?” She opened a bookcase, took three books out and threw them to the floor.

  “I discovered that when brownies get upset by devious people and dishonest acts, it affects them deeply. Sometimes, they turn into boggarts. Those creatures who cause chaos.”

  Dilly snorted in derision. “Stupid brownies. Stupid. Stupid. So weak. Always cleaning up messes. Stupid. Not like me.” She turned her sly-looking face my way. “I’m clever. I’m intelligent. I don’t clean up. Oh no, I don’t clean up at all. I teach them lessons. I have to. They’re evil and I have to make things right.” She nodded fervently. “I made things right with that smelly goblin. He won’t be evil again.” She kicked a low table and sent it toppling over.

  I continued, “Dilly, you’ve turned into a boggart now. You’re causing damage to Blythe’s home. You’re stealing things too.”

  “Am not!” Dilly put a protective hand over her pocket where the stolen items were. “You’re a liar. Like the others.” She wagged a finger at me. “You be careful, Cassia Winter, or I’ll teach you a lesson too. And your cat.”

  I said, “Did you kill Augustus Stez?”

  Dilly sniggered. “I did. I made him close his lying mouth forever. Serves him right. Greedy thing. I heard him getting money from that goblin with the big ears. But that wasn’t enough for the greedy monster! Oh no. He got some money from that manager too. He was greedy, so greedy. I didn’t like him. I’m glad he’s gone.” She moved closer to Stanley and reached for his tail. “Do you want to play?”

  My hand shot out and I grabbed Dilly’s little hand. Keeping my voice calm, I said, “Dilly, leave Stanley alone.” I felt a tingle in my hand and I knew what to do next. “Dilly, I know you’re in there. I know you don’t like being a boggart. It’s safe for you to come out now.”

  Confusion crossed Dilly’s face. “What are you going on about?”

  I willed more magic into my hand as I kept hold of Dilly. “Come out now. You are safe here.”

  Dilly’s eyes widened and a horrified cry escaped from her. “Cassia! What have I done?” She burst into tears. I released her hand and knew that Dilly was back in her brownie form.

  Brin went over to Dilly’s side and put her arm around her. She soothed, “It’s okay now. You’re with friends. Come on, sit down. You can talk to us.”

  Brin settled the trembling Dilly into a low chair and put a cup of tea in her little hands. Dilly took a long drink and her trembles began to subside.

  She put the cup down and said quietly, “It was me. I killed Augustus. I couldn’t help myself. It was like someone had taken over my body. I couldn’t stop it. Nasty thoughts were in my head. It was like being in a nightmare and not having any control over what was happening.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “I’m so ashamed. So dreadfully ashamed.”

  I recalled how Augustus’ life force had tried to take over me. I felt a pang of sympathy for the distressed brownie. However, I was still dealing with a murder case, and I needed all the details.

  “Dilly,” I said, “tell me what happened. Tell me everything, please.”

  She nodded. “I will. I told you before that I’m invisible to everyone when I’m working. I’m there, but they don’t register me. I overhead Augustus blackmailing Ulx about the smuggling. I thought both of them were wicked. But Augustus was worse. He kept asking Ulx for more and more. Then he asked Mr Collins for money too. And he kept shouting at poor Ovrid who was only doing his job to help his mum. He was a wicked, wicked goblin and I had to do something about him. Every time that greedy goblin stayed in a room, I would go in and mess it up afterwards. I wanted him to get the blame. He needed to pay for being so wicked!” She abruptly stopped. “It’s happening again. That voice is in my head. I don’t like that voice!”

  Brin pulled her chair next to Dilly’s and took hold of her hand. She said, “We’ll help you with the voice. Blythe knows what to do. She’s dealt with this situation in the past. Have you finished telling Cassia everything?”

  “Almost.” Dilly gave me a wobbly smile. “I killed him using rainbowstone. I knew Ulx had a piece of it in his room. I knew what it did. The smell didn’t bother me. Cassia, I told you before that my nose has got used to atrocious smells over the years. I saw my hands making the powder and then sprinkling it over Augustus as he slept. I couldn’t stop them. It was like they belonged to someone else.”

  I said, “I noticed from the staff timetable that you were working at the time of Augustus’ death. Dilly, you’ve been working long hours. You must be exhausted. Why have you been working so much?”

  “To keep the voice out of my head. When I’m tired, I can’t hear it so much. I have to keep busy. I have to stop it coming back.” She suddenly leapt to her feet and began to jog from side to side. She yelled joyously, “He’s gone! The greedy goblin has gone! No more money for him. I showed him! Ha! I showed that greedy goblin.”

  I made a move forward so I could use more magic on Dilly, but Brin held up a hand and told me to wait.

  Dilly swayed on her feet and then collapsed to the floor.

  Brin said, “I’ve put something in her tea. She needs a lot of sleep.” She shook her head. “I should have known somethi
ng was wrong. She’s my friend, and I should have known. Poor thing. She’s had that horrible voice in her head all this time.”

  “Can you help her?” I asked.

  Brin nodded. “Blythe and I have come across cases like this before. We’ll take care of Dilly. She’ll have to answer to her crime, of course. But she needs a lot of help.”

  We all stared at Dilly as she began to gently snore. She looked so innocent.

  Stanley said, “I wish it had been someone else who killed Augustus. She looks so peaceful lying there.”

  I wasn’t sure if it was the black magic that had affected Dilly or if the hateful voice had been in her head for years.

  It didn’t matter now.

  Chapter 28

  We stayed a bit longer with Brin and I got my notes up to date. Brin said she’d deal with everything now and suggested I go back to Gran’s.

  That was the best thing I’d heard all day.

  Stanley and I left Blythe’s house and headed down the path.

  Stanley said, “Luca never turned up.”

  “I noticed that too.” My heart felt heavy as I thought of Luca. What was going on with him?

  Like the proverbial bad penny, Astrid was waiting for us at the end of the path.

  “Now what?” Stanley muttered. “Can’t she leave us alone?”

  Astrid looked smug beyond belief. She broke into a wide smile as we walked towards her. “Cassia! Stanley! How delightful to see you again so soon. I trust you’ve discovered who murdered that goblin. I’m sure you have. You never rest until you do. Aren’t you both just marvellous? So hard-working. So diligent. So perfect. How did we manage in Brimstone without you?”

  Stanley lifted his furry chin and said, “We don’t have time for your sarcastic comments. We’re busy.”