brimstone witch 08 - death of a rainbow nymph Read online

  Petal emitted a noise which sounded like a cat giggle. She said, “Such lovely manners.” She giggled again before hopping through the cat flap.

  Before following her, Stanley said to me, “I won’t be long. Will you take this ribbon off my collar, please? I don’t feel like wearing it at the moment.”

  I removed the ribbon and gave him a little wave as he went through the cat flap.

  As soon as he’d gone, I shoved the ribbon in my pocket, picked up the plates and headed into the kitchen area. My intention was to wash up and then get back to my notes. I did wash up, but then my nosiness got the better of me and I dashed over to the window to spy on Stanley and Petal.

  Chapter 13

  I was still staring out of the window when there was a knock at my door ten minutes later. I recognised the knock and shouted, “Luca! Come in!”

  Luca did so and came over to my side. He sat on the chair next to me and said, “What are you looking at? Did you know your nose was resting on the glass?”

  I moved my head back a fraction and pointed to the gazebo in the town square. “Stanley’s on a date.”

  “A date? Your Stanley? On a date? I thought he hated that sort of thing.”

  “He does. A cat called Petal came here looking for him after speaking to Cupid. Being the gentleman cat he is, Stanley agreed to go on a walk with her. They’ve had a stroll around the square and now they’re sitting on the steps of the gazebo.”

  Luca folded his arms. “You shouldn’t be spying on them.”

  “I know.” I turned my attention back to the two cats.

  “It’s rude to stare like that. Stanley wouldn’t want you to watch him.”

  “I know.” I continued to stare. “That’s interesting.”

  Luca moved his chair closer to me and looked out of the window. “What’s interesting? What are they doing?”

  I smiled and said, “Petal has been talking non-stop since they started walking around the square. Stanley kept nodding politely and he managed to speak now and again. Now they’re on the gazebo steps and Petal hasn’t stopped talking once. Poor Stanley. He looks like a prisoner out there. Shall we go out and rescue him?”

  “We can’t do that. He’ll know you’ve been spying on him.”

  “You’re spying on him now,” I pointed out. “Hang on; he’s standing up and talking to her. What’s he saying?” I raised my hands towards the window.

  Luca grabbed them and said, “What are you doing? I hope you’re not going to cast a spell on those cats so you can hear what they’re saying?”

  I pulled my hands free. “It was only going to be a temporary spell.”

  Luca put a hand gently on the side of my face and moved my head so I was looking at him. He said, “Leave Stanley alone. He can take care of himself.” He smiled at me so gently that it made my stomach flip over.

  “You’re right,” I said. “How are you? You still look tired. How did you get on with those animals and their complaints?”

  Luca sighed and his hand dropped from my face. “Not very well. I don’t know what’s got into the minds of the residents in the Forest. They never used to argue with each other like that. I didn’t get anywhere with any of them. I tried to get them to talk calmly to each other and discuss their differences in a civilised manner.” He shook his head slowly. “That didn’t work and they ended up shouting at each other. I had to leave because I got a terrible headache. I don’t normally get headaches.”

  It was my turn to place my hand on his face. I said, “Let me take that headache away from you.”

  He gave me a tired smile. “I’d like that.”

  I sent magic into my hands and concentrated on relieving the pain in Luca’s head. I felt a tingling in my fingers which meant my magic was working.

  After a few seconds, Luca let out a happy sigh. “Thank you. The pain has gone. Having a witch as a girlfriend is very useful.”

  “I’m glad I could help.”

  Luca put a hand over his mouth and yawned. When he’d finished, he said, “I’ve got something to tell you about Theodwin.”

  “You can tell me on the sofa. You look as if you’re about to fall asleep any second. If you do that here, you’ll fall off your chair. Come on.” I helped him to his feet and took him over to the sofa. Luca collapsed into it and yawned again.

  The cat flap opened and Stanley came through it. He declared, “I’m back! And I’m alone. I thought I’d never get away from Petal. By heck, that cat can talk! My ears are still ringing from her words.” He stopped talking for a moment. “Hi, Luca. You look exhausted.”

  Luca gave him a weary wave. “Hi, Stanley. How did your date go?”

  Stanley tutted in disgust. “It wasn’t a date; it was an ambush. Petal seems pleasant enough, but she wouldn’t stop talking about what a lovely couple we’d make. We’ve only just met!” He shook his head in disbelief, padded over to the sofa and jumped onto my knee.

  “What else did she talk about?” I asked.

  “She explained in detail about all the dates she’s been on. She told me what had been wrong with each cat she’d met. Then she started on me and said how nice it was to have someone who listened to her. Like I had a choice! By the time we got to the gazebo, she was discussing our wedding and how many kittens we were going to have.” Stanley paused and took a deep breath. “Honestly, Cassia, there’s only so much a cat can take. I told her politely that I wasn’t interested in getting involved with anyone. I had to tell her five more times before the information sank in. I didn’t like upsetting her, but I had to.” He laid his head on his paws. “Being with Petal confirms my theory that I’m better off on my own.”

  I stroked his head again. “Not everyone wants to be a couple.”

  We both jumped as Luca let out a loud snore. I looked his way and saw his head resting on the back of the sofa.

  I said to Stanley, “Luca said he had something to tell us about Theodwin. It’ll have to wait until later. Are you ready to get back to our investigation? I want to find out more about rainbow nymphs and what they do. They don’t have wings so how do they fly? And how many rainbows do they make every day? It sounds as if they’re busy all the time, so where do all the rainbows go that they make? I haven’t seen that many over Brimstone.”

  Stanley raised his head. “I’ve been thinking the very same thing too! We are so similar. Pah! Who needs a partner when I’ve got a best friend like you?”

  Luca let out another loud snore.

  I said, “Hmm, I think I’d like a partner who didn’t snore so loudly.”

  We were saved from having to endure more snores from Luca by the arrival of a Brimstone butterfly which came through the door. It wasn’t the first time a butterfly had flown through the door. There wasn’t a gap in the door, so I don’t know how they got through. As soon as I saw the butterfly, I opened my hand and it fluttered through the air and came to rest on my open palm. It opened its wings to reveal a written message from Dr Morgan.

  I read it and said to Stanley, “Dr Morgan wants to see us straight away. I’ll leave Luca a note to say where we’ve gone.” I winced as he snored again. “I’ll be glad to get away from this noise for a while.”

  “Me too,” Stanley admitted. “As much as I love Luca, I’m not a fan of the racket he’s making.”

  After leaving Luca a note, Stanley and I headed over to Dr Morgan’s office.

  Dr Morgan was waiting for us in her office. Like me, she was human. Even though she was as old as Gran, she didn’t look it thanks to the magical air in Brimstone. She was wearing her usual attire of a business suit and her curly hair was just as unruly as ever.

  She gave us a broad smile and said, “Hello you two! Stanley, did I just see you cavorting with a female outside? Is there something I should know? Do I need to get myself a wedding hat soon?” Her eyes twinkled with amusement.

  Stanley shivered. “I wasn’t cavorting and, no, you won’t be needing a wedding hat.”

  Dr Morgan’s smiled incr
eased. “I’m only joking. Some of us aren’t meant to be a couple. Like me. I love being on my own. I can do what I like, when I like. Take a seat. Let me tell you what I’ve found out about Metise.”

  We took a seat opposite Dr Morgan and waited for her to continue.

  Dr Morgan said, “It wasn’t the arrow which killed Metise; it was the fall to the ground which did it. But the arrow would have startled her and caused her to fall downwards. Metise was a regular patient here. She came by with minor injuries and a few serious ones.” She placed her elbows on the table and made a steeple of her fingers. “Do you know much about rainbow nymphs?”

  “We don’t,” I admitted. “We were about to do some research on them.”

  Dr Morgan nodded. “I’ll tell you what I know. The rainbow nymphs in the Enchanted Forest produce rainbows every day; not just for the residents there, but for other lands too. The nymphs are kept very busy. Some of them even travel hundreds of miles to other lands and paint rainbows there. They’re an industrious bunch.”

  “They sound it,” I said. “How do they get up in the sky?”

  “They launch themselves off the tops of trees. They can only go to a certain height and they stay in the air for a certain time before their flying time is over. Metise wasn’t happy with the limited flying time she had. She worked out, through trial and error, that if she launched herself higher initially, she could extend her flying time. To make her launch more successful, she invented boots for herself which had boosters in the heels. She used an exploding flower which emits a power source when it bursts. She put the flowers in the heel of her boots, activated the explosion and off she went.” She shook her head and smiled. “She was quite the inventor.”

  Stanley and I shook our heads too.

  “Wow,” Stanley said. “I wish I had some boots like that.”

  Dr Morgan continued, “ It took her a while to get the hang of those boots. And, like I said, it was trial and error which resulted in minor injuries and visits to my office. After each treatment, I’d tell Metise to be careful. She said she would, but I knew it wouldn’t be long before she was back again. She couldn’t help herself. She had to keep pushing herself to do more and more. She had such an enthusiasm for life and all its possibilities.” She stopped talking and sighed. “And now someone has put an end to that. How are you getting on with your investigation?”

  “We’ve got a list of suspects which we’re working on,” I told her.

  “If you don’t mind telling me, who are your suspects?”

  “Theodwin,” I began.

  “Of course,” Dr Morgan said. “I was surprised to find out they were getting married. Who else? Let me guess. Harmonia?”

  “Yes. What made you say her name?”

  “Whenever I called on Metise in the Forest to see how her injuries were healing, I always saw Harmonia skulking in the trees somewhere. I could tell from the look on her face that she didn’t like Metise. Any other suspects?”

  I shared a look with Stanley before saying, “Mother Nature.”

  Dr Morgan took a sharp intake of breath. “Good luck with questioning Mother Nature about Metise’s death. I wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of her.”

  Stanley said, “We already have.”

  I said to the doctor, “Did Metise ever say anything to you about invisible rainbows?”

  Dr Morgan shook her head. “No, I would have remembered something like that. Invisible rainbows? How would you make one of those?”

  I told her about Metise’s plans for the invisible rainbows and also about our visit to The Rainbow Paint Company and our talk with Jen Bumbleberry.

  Dr Morgan got to her feet and moved over to a side table. “That might explain something. I took a sample of something from the arrow. I’ve tried to work out what it is, but it’s a mystery to me. Cassia, have a look at this.”

  She picked up a piece of cardboard and handed it to me. She said, “Can you see something on there? I can only see it under a microscope.”

  I examined the cardboard. “I can see grey paint. It’s very faint.” I moved the cardboard from side to side. “It’s shimmering.”

  Dr Morgan nodded. “This could be the paint Metise was using for her invisible rainbows. It was on the end of the arrow. I only found it when I examined it under the microscope. I can’t see the paint with my naked eye. From what you’ve told me, you can see it because you’re a witch. Have you found the bow yet? That could have more paint on it, perhaps some other evidence too.”

  A cold feeling of shame ran through me. “The bow. Of course. I completely forgot about that. I can’t believe it. Of course I have to look for the bow.” I hung my head in embarrassment. “Some justice witch I am. I forgot something so obvious.”

  Stanley said, “Don’t be hard on yourself. I forgot about it too. It must be the effect of the Enchanted Forest. I don’t think it’s enchanted at all; I think it’s evil.”

  Dr Morgan said, “Cassia, you can look for the bow later. Stanley’s right, don’t be hard on yourself. You’ve had one murder investigation after another to deal with.”

  I stood up and said, “Thank you for being kind, but there’s no excuse for me overlooking the bow. Can I take this with me?” I held up the cardboard.

  “Of course. Are you going back to the paint factory to talk to Jen Bumbleberry again?”

  “I certainly am. She’s the only other being who knows about this paint and who has access to it. Come on, Stanley. I obviously wasn’t assertive enough with Jen the last time we were there. It’s time for me to get tough.”

  Chapter 14

  I was tough as I confronted Jen Bumbleberry a short while later. I thrust the piece of cardboard at her and demanded, “Explain this!”

  We were standing in the reception area of The Rainbow Paint Company, and the grey-clad elf behind the desk was watching us with interest.

  Jen peered at the cardboard and said, “It’s a piece of cardboard. Can you stop waving it in my face?”

  I lowered the cardboard and continued, “Yes, but what’s on the cardboard?”

  Jen looked again. “There’s a bit of grey fur on it.” She smiled down at Stanley. “I think it belongs to you.”

  Stanley put a paw over his eyes and muttered, “This is so mortifying.”

  I picked the fur off and put it in my pocket. “Not the fur.” I waved my hand over the patch of shimmering paint. “This here. Can’t you see it? It’s clear as day to me.”

  Jen folded her arms. “I can’t see anything. Is this a trick? Are you trying to waste my time?”

  “It’s not a trick. I suspect this is your invisible paint.”

  Jen dropped her arms. “Why didn’t you say that to begin with? I use special glasses to view that paint. Just a minute.” She produced a pair of wire-rimmed glasses from her pocket and put them on. She looked at the cardboard again. “Oh, yes, now I can see it. Where did you get it from?”

  I kept my eyes fixed on her face as I said, “It was on the arrow which killed Metise. You know about the paint and you’ve got access to it. I’m going to ask you this again; did you kill Metise?”

  Jen took a step back in indignation. “No, I certainly did not! How do you know Metise didn’t touch the arrow when she had paint on her hands? She might have tried to pull it from her back as she fell from the sky.”

  My eyes narrowed. “How do you know she fell from the sky?”

  Jen took the glasses off and gave me a defiant look. “Harmonia told me. She came here just after you left to check on next week’s paint supply. She told me she won’t be doing the paint orders anymore because she’s taking over Metise’s job.”

  “She’s eager,” I said. “Did Harmonia know about the invisible paint?”

  Jen shrugged. “I never told her. I was keeping it a secret just like Metise asked me to. That’s not to say Harmonia didn’t know about it. You’ll have to ask her about it.”

  “I will do. Where do you keep the invisible paint?” I asked.
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  “In two places. The final batch that I’ve been working on is in a cooling vat in a secure area. The earlier versions of the paint are in a locked room next to my office in clearly labelled pots. I gave Metise batches of the paint as I worked on them, and I kept a supply for myself in case she needed more. Why?”

  “I want to see the paint in the locked room.”

  “Why?”

  I was losing my patience now. “Because I do! Take me to that room immediately.”

  Jen looked as if she were going to argue with me. I glared at her as intensely as I could.

  “Okay,” she relented. “Follow me.” She went through the door into the main part of the factory.

  As we went after her, Stanley whispered to me, “You were awesome! Very tough and demanding. You scared me a little bit.”

  I gave him a little grin as we stepped through the open door.

  Stanley and I stopped in our tracks. I was expecting to see colours in here, but I wasn’t prepared for the sheer brightness and variety of colours. To coin a phrase, it was like an explosion in a paint factory.

  Stanley narrowed his eyes and groaned, “There are too many colours. It hurts my eyes.”

  As I’d left my broomstick leaning against the reception desk I had both hands free, so I scooped Stanley up and said, “Close your eyes. I’ll let you know if there’s anything interesting to look at.”

  “Thank you.” He closed his eyes and rested his head against my chest.

  Jen was already quite a way in front of us, so I had to jog to catch up with her. I took in my surroundings as I moved. The factory floor was full of long wooden tables. The tables were painted in many different colours and beings in colourful overalls walked around them. Open pots lined the tables and hoses from the roof shot paint into the pots. As if that wasn’t enough colour, rainbow-tinted waterfalls flowed down the outer walls into a river below. The river meandered around the tables and it was crossed at various intervals by wooden bridges. The bridges were, of course, brightly coloured with the addition of gold and silver glitter. I wistfully looked back towards the door to the reception area. Grey sounded good to my eyes right now.