brimstone witch 08 - death of a rainbow nymph Read online

“She was a show-off,” Harmonia began. “She wanted to be better than the rest of us. She wasn’t content to do her work as she was supposed to every day. She wouldn’t follow the rules, not like the rest of us. She wanted to fly higher. She wanted to paint bigger rainbows. She wanted the colours to be brighter!” Her voice rose and anger came into her eyes. “She made the rest of us look like lazy fools. We couldn’t compete with her. She knew that, but it didn’t stop her from trying to be better than us!”

  Mother Nature held her hand up to stop Harmonia’s flow of words. She said, “Harmonia, Metise had ambition. There was nothing wrong with that. It wouldn’t hurt you or the other rainbow nymphs to have some ambition too. Things can’t stay the same forever; everything has to evolve for the better. I knew you were jealous of Metise’s artistic endeavours, but I didn’t know you felt so strongly. Do the other rainbow nymphs feel the same?”

  Harmonia gave her a small nod.

  Mother Nature sighed. “I’ll have to talk to them.”

  “It’s not just the rainbow nymphs,” Harmonia ventured. “A lot of the beings in the Forest have been concerned about Metise and her actions. They’ve seen how you’ve let her get away with things and allowed her to act on her impulses. You gave her special treatment. There’s been a lot of bad feeling about Metise for a while.”

  Mother Nature paled. “I never gave Metise special treatment. I seemed to spend more time admonishing her than praising her.”

  Harmonia persisted, “But you sometimes turned a blind eye to her antics. I saw that, and so did many others.”

  Mother Nature stared at Harmonia for a few seconds before saying, “I suppose you could be right. Even though Metise was foolhardy and reckless sometimes, I did admire the ideas she came up with.” She shook her head sadly. “Did my treatment of Metise lead to her death? Did someone in this Forest kill her because they were jealous of her and her ambition?”

  Harmonia gave a small shrug. “I don’t know. It’s not for me to say.” She turned her attention on me. “It wasn’t just me who wanted Metise out of the way.”

  I said, “Forgive my direct question, but did you kill Metise?”

  Harmonia wasn’t offended by my question. “No, I didn’t. I’m assuming she was killed during one of her late night flights?”

  “I’m not sure yet,” I answered.

  Harmonia carried on, “If she was, I was in the nymph tree house with some of the other rainbow nymphs last night. We like to get an early night so we can be fresh for work the next morning. I can give you the names of the other nymphs.”

  “Yes, I’d like that. How many rainbow nymphs are there?”

  Mother Nature answered, “We have six.” She frowned and corrected herself. “We have five. Not all of them paint rainbows. Some deal with the admin work.”

  “Admin work?” I asked.

  “Yes, that’s what I do,” Harmonia said. “I’m not very good with heights and my rainbows were never high enough to be seen by everyone.”

  Mother Nature said, “You did your best, Harmonia. Your rainbows always looked perfect even if they were low-lying.”

  Harmonia shot Mother Nature a small smile. “Thank you. My admin work involves stocking up on rainbow paint. We don’t want to run out. I keep records on how much paint is used for each rainbow and then put in an order for more paint.” Irritation flashed in her eyes. “Metise used a lot of paint, more than anyone else. Did you see that ridiculous triple rainbow yesterday? She’s messed up my numbers. I’ll have to do a new order.”

  Stanley said, “I thought the triple rainbow was beautiful.”

  Mother Nature added wistfully, “It was beautiful. I received many compliments on Metise’s behalf. That was the problem with Metise; I tried to be angry about her behaviour but she created the most amazing rainbows. I don’t know who’s going to do her work now.”

  Harmonia cleared her throat. “I shouldn’t really say this, but I’ve been spying on Metise. I admit that I was jealous of her and I wanted to know how she managed to fly so high and then paint a rainbow. I saw how she did it, how she launched herself into the sky and stayed there. I think I might be able to do it too. It will take a lot of practise and I’ll never be as good as Metise, but I could give it a go.”

  Mother Nature shook her head. “I can’t ask you to do that. You’re scared of heights.”

  Harmonia gave her a bashful smile. “I think it’s time I got over my fears. I was jealous of Metise, but I admired her too. Not that I ever told her that! And I don’t want everyone else to know how I felt about her.” She let out a heartfelt sigh. “Perhaps I should have told Metise how much I admired her. We could have been friends instead of enemies. It’s too late now.”

  Stanley padded over to Harmonia and leant his body against her legs. Harmonia smiled down at him. My little friend was excellent at offering comfort to beings of all kinds. It was his own kind of magic.

  Mother Nature looked at me and said, “Cassia, it sounds like you’re going to be busy questioning everyone who lives in the Forest. Do you need any help?”

  “No, thank you. Unfortunately, it’s not my first murder investigation. I’d like the names of the other rainbow nymphs, please. I’ll speak to them later. Is there anyone else I should be questioning? Did Metise have any arguments with anyone recently?”

  “Oh!” Harmonia cried out. “Yes, she did. It was a few days ago. I don’t know if it was an argument, but I heard raised voices between Metise and Jen Bumbleberry. Jen is the owner of The Rainbow Paint Company. She’s the elf I give my orders to. I always go over to the factory to do that, so I was surprised to hear her voice near our tree house the other day.”

  “What were Metise and Jen talking about?” I asked.

  “Metise was saying something about needing the paint to be ready as soon as possible. That confused me as we’ve got plenty of rainbow paint in stock. I was even more confused when Jen said she was still working on the final product and it couldn’t be rushed. Metise said it was urgent, and Jen said she was doing her best and that Metise should leave her alone to do her job. I heard them from my open window in the tree house and when I looked out, I saw Metise take to the sky and then Jen walked away.”

  I nodded. “Did you ask Metise about her conversation?”

  “No. We didn’t have that kind of relationship.” She looked towards the flattened bushes. “I wish we had. Metise didn’t have many friends. We nymphs were too busy being jealous of her to be friends.” She frowned and looked back at me. “It hadn’t always been like that, though. There’s been a strange atmosphere in the Forest for a while. I find myself having thoughts that I don’t like. I feel angry and irritated for no reason.”

  Mother Nature said, “You’re not the only one, Harmonia, I’ve been feeling that way too. I nearly sent Cassia and Stanley plummeting into a deep hole. I think I should have a meeting with all the creatures in the Forest and find out how they’re feeling. We don’t want any more,” she hesitated, “untimely deaths.”

  Harmonia added, “I’ll show my respect to Metise by doing the best job I can with the rainbows.”

  “And Stanley and I will get on with our investigation,” I told them. “I’ll talk to Jen Bumbleberry first and get more information about her conversation with Metise. Where will I find her?”

  Harmonia gave me the address. Stanley and I jumped on my broomstick and headed that way.

  “So,” I said to Stanley as we flew away, “everyone in the Enchanted Forest has been in a bad mood recently, to put it lightly, and many of them didn’t like Metise. We’re going to be very busy over the next few days as we question the residents here.”

  Stanley said, “We’ll need to talk to Harmonia again. When I was standing next to her, I could smell roses on her clothes. It’s the same smell that’s in Cupid’s office; the exact same smell. She must have been there recently. She had a motive. And she knew about Metise’s night-time flights.”

  “That’s true. We’ll speak to her again. And
we’ll talk to Theodwin once Luca tracks him down.” I looked into the blue sky. “I think I know what kind of paint Jen was making for Metise. Stanley, do you want me to perform that sense-dulling spell on you again?”

  He lifted his little chin and said, “No, thank you. I’m going to force myself to get used to everything. I won’t be much use to you without my senses.”

  I smiled in his direction. “What would I do without you?”

  Chapter 10

  It didn’t take us long to reach The Rainbow Paint Company. As we were in a magical land, I was expecting the building to be something spectacular like a rainbow-shaped structure or a building covered in many bright colours. The factory wasn’t like that at all. It was a large, square building constructed of grey bricks and it was devoid of windows. A small board on its flat roof proclaimed the name of the company in black letters.

  Stanley said, “What a boring building. It actually looks depressed. Are you sure this is the right place?”

  I pointed to the board on the roof. “That’s what it says. Perhaps it’s colourful on the inside.”

  We landed in front of the bland building and went through the door.

  Stanley looked around and said, “It’s just as boring in here. I didn’t know there were so many shades of grey.”

  I let out a little chuckle. “There could be fifty shades of grey in here.”

  Stanley gave me a confused look. “Why is that funny?”

  “Never mind,” I told him. “Let’s ask that elf behind the reception desk where we can find Jen Bumbleberry.”

  “What elf?”

  I pointed, “The one who’s dressed in grey and is almost camouflaged against the back wall.”

  The elf in question blinked as if he knew we were talking about him.

  Stanley jumped. “I didn’t see him there.”

  We walked over to the elf and asked if we could see Jen Bumbleberry. He nodded, picked up a bell and rang it.

  A door opened behind us and the sound of clicking heels echoed through the air. We turned around to see an elf marching towards us. She was wearing a grey trouser suit and was carrying a clipboard. She would have blended into the background too if she didn’t have a multi-coloured bow in her dark hair.

  She marched up to us and demanded, “Yes? What do you want? I haven’t got time to chat. I’m busy. Very busy.”

  Her abrupt manner startled me but I wasn’t going to be intimidated by her. I said, “I’m Cassia, and this is Stanley.”

  “Hello,” Stanley said cheerfully.

  “And?” Jen snapped.

  “We’re here to talk to you about Metise.”

  Jen rolled her eyes. “Now what does she want? I wish I’d never got myself involved with that impatient nymph. She’s caused me one problem after the other. What’s she moaning about now?”

  “She isn’t moaning about anything,” I said. “She’s dead.”

  Jen stared at me. “Pardon? What did you just say?”

  “She’s dead.”

  “Well, that’s just great!” Jen exploded. “What am I supposed to do with her order now? What a waste of my time and money. I should never have become involved with her and her madcap ideas. She was too ambitious for her own good.”

  Stanley said loudly, “Please don’t talk about Metise like that. I liked her. I’m sorry she’s dead. Her rainbows were beautiful.”

  Jen frowned as she looked at Stanley. “Yes, I suppose they were.” A ghost of a smile flickered across her lips. “It was thanks to her that I supplied a large amount of rainbow paint to the nymphs. Metise used a lot of it. That pale-faced nymph who ordered the paint wasn’t happy about that, though. She always grumbled about Metise when she came here with her orders.”

  “Harmonia?” I asked.

  Jen nodded. “Yes, that’s her.” She looked at the grey watch on her arm. “Thanks for telling me about Metise. Was there anything else? Did you want to order any paint?”

  “There is something else,” I said firmly. “Metise was murdered. You were heard having words with her recently. You were having a disagreement. What was it about?”

  Jen’s eyes narrowed. “Who told you about that?”

  “It doesn’t matter. Is it true?”

  “Yeah, it’s true. Metise asked me to go and see her about a private matter. What’s it got to do with you?”

  “Everything,” I told her. “I’m investigating Metise’s death, and I’m going to find out who had a reason to kill her.”

  Jen’s eyebrows rose. “You think I killed her?”

  “I don’t know yet,” I answered truthfully. “Did you?”

  Jen’s cheeks flushed. “How dare you march into my factory and insult me? I should report you to the highest authority. Who is that? Blythe? I’m going to get in touch with her right now!”

  Stanley said calmly, “No, you won’t. Cassia is a justice witch and she has every right to question you. We’ve dealt with many murder cases and we’re lied to constantly. Beings of all sorts take advantage of Cassia’s good nature and think they can deceive her. She can ask you anything she wants to. She has Blythe’s backing and support. I’m politely asking you to stop shouting at her.”

  If I wasn’t trying to act tough, I would have picked my sweet cat up and cuddled him for a good five minutes. He was such a loyal friend. Instead, I flashed him a brief smile.

  Jen looked down at Stanley. She broke into a smile. “I am sorry for shouting. What lovely eyes you have. I’m an expert on colours and I’ve never seen such a lovely shade. How do you get your eyes to sparkle like that?”

  Stanley gave her an embarrassed smile. “I was born this way. My eyes are nothing special.”

  “I disagree,” Jen said. She looked at me. “Sorry for shouting. I’ve been in a bad mood these last few weeks with one thing and another.” She stopped talking and thought about her next words. “Well, the one thing and another has been Metise and her demands. I did have words with her recently. She put an order in with me and she was impatient to have the finished product.”

  “Was it invisible rainbow paint?” I asked.

  Jen’s mouth dropped open. She looked over both shoulders before saying, “Yes, it was. How do you know about that? Metise was keeping the paint a secret. No one knew about it, not even Mother Nature.”

  “She told us yesterday,” I said. “She explained how it worked too. I didn’t know you were making the paint for her.”

  Stanley said, “We didn’t get the chance to have a good talk with her because of me. I selfishly wanted to leave the Enchanted Forest before Cassia could have a proper chat with her.”

  I quickly knelt at Stanley’s side. “Don’t say that. It’s not your fault that Metise died. I’ve told you that.” I stroked his head. “If we had stayed in the Forest, I might not have had the chance to talk to her anyway. She could have been busy all day with her rainbows.” I straightened up.

  “That’s probably true,” Jen added. “She loved being in the sky. Stanley, I’ve got something in my pocket you might like.” She put her clipboard on the floor and pulled out a rainbow coloured ribbon from her pocket. She knelt next to Stanley and threaded it through his collar. She tied it into a neat bow. She didn’t flinch when a tuft of Stanley’s fur came off in her hand. She discreetly put the fur in her pocket without Stanley seeing her actions.

  Jen produced a small mirror from her other pocket, held it in front of Stanley and announced, “You look even more magnificent now.”

  Stanley turned his head this way and that to get a look at the ribbon. “Thank you so much. I will treasure this. I hope you don’t mind me asking you this, but why isn’t your factory painted in bright colours like my ribbon?”

  Jen pointed to the door she’d come through. “It is through there on the factory floor. It’s an explosion of colours in there. Every shade you can imagine and more. I’d take you through, but the intensity of the colours could give you a headache. I’m used to it and so are my workers. This area is pai
nted grey to give my staff a break from the bright colours if they need it.” She retrieved her clipboard and straightened up. “Also, I don’t want to waste money using our premium paint out here. I’m running a business, not a charity. What do you want to know about that invisible paint?”

  I said, “When we spoke to Metise, she said the paint was almost perfect.”

  “It was,” Jen confirmed. “Metise came to see me last month about this invisible rainbow thing. I thought she was mad at first and had been spending too much time in the sky with her paints. She showed me her plans and she’d worked out what I’d need to make the paint work. She’d collected certain items from the Forest which would —” She held up one hand. “I’d rather not give my methods away. I will if you need me to, but it involves part of my manufacturing process which I don’t want to share. I can give you a list of the things used in the paint, but I don’t want to reveal any more than that. You never know who might be listening.”

  “I understand, but I might need that information at a later date. Tell me more about your conversation with Metise in the Forest.”

  “She wanted the paint to be ready urgently. I told her I had a few more tests to do on it. I told her the final product couldn’t be rushed, not if I was going to put my company’s name on it. I’d already provided her with samples of the paint so she could test it out, but they weren’t quite perfect. She kept saying she needed the end product urgently.” She gave me a wary look. “Did Metise tell you what she was using the invisible rainbows for?”

  “Yes, to send messages to witches,” I said. “I think it’s a great idea.”

  “I do too. I got the impression Metise needed to send a message to one of her witch contacts urgently. She’d been experimenting with the invisible rainbows and I know she was sending messages to at least one witch in another land.”

  “Did she say who?” I asked.

  Jen shook her head. “When I told her the paint wasn’t ready, she became agitated and asked me to have it available as quickly as I could.” She looked towards the door which led to the factory floor. “I’ve been working on the paint this morning. It’ll be ready at the end of this day. Metise ordered a lot of it. What am I going to do with it now?”