brimstone witch 08 - death of a rainbow nymph Read online

  Jen disappeared into an office at the end of the factory floor. Before I went into her office, I noticed a closed door at the side of it marked Private - Do Not Enter.

  Being the curious type, the second I entered the office, I said to Jen, “What’s in that private room?”

  “It’s where we perform experiments. And it’s where I’m keeping that vat of invisible paint. It should be ready soon.” She went behind her desk, unlocked a drawer and took out a key. “The room with Metise’s paint is in this room at my side.”

  “What kind of experiments go on in that private room?” I asked.

  Stanley lifted his head and blinked. “Oh, that’s better. It’s not as bright in here. Is someone doing some experiments? Where?”

  Jen frowned. “It’s confidential. This way.” She marched over to a side door and unlocked it. She went through the door.

  I kept Stanley in my arms as I followed her. Jen was standing in the middle of an empty room.

  Stanley moved his head left and right. “Where are the paint pots? Are they invisible too? Cassia, where are they?”

  “I can’t see them,” I told him. “Jen, where are the paint pots?”

  Jen stared at the empty floor. “They’ve gone. All of them. How?”

  Stanley jumped out of my arms and began to walk around the room, sniffing as he went.

  Jen turned her confused face to me. “I don’t understand it. I checked the pots a few days ago. They were all here.” She turned back to look at the door. “The door hasn’t been forced. Whoever took the paint must have used my key.”

  I said, “When Harmonia came to the factory, was she ever left on her own in your office?”

  Jen’s eyes widened. “Yes, she was. She sits at my desk to complete the order forms. She takes her time over it so I often leave her alone while I get on with other things. Do you think she’s the one who stole the paint?”

  “It’s a possibility.”

  “Why would she do that?” Jen asked.

  “I’ll raise that with her when I see her next,” I said. “We’d better check that private room to make sure your new batch of paint is still there.”

  Jen moved at lightning speed out of the office. Before we dashed after her, Stanley came to my side and said, “I got a whiff of that rose scent again. I think Harmonia has been in here.”

  I gave him a nod of thanks and then caught up with Jen in the experiment room.

  She pointed to a large vat. “It’s still here. Thank goodness for that.”

  I gave her a swift nod. My attention went to a long table at the side and some pieces of paper scattered there. The paper contained images of rainbows and there were scribbled notes on them. I recognised the handwriting but I said to Jen, “What are these?”

  She made a dart forward but I was quicker. I snatched the nearest batch of papers and studied them. I looked back at Jen and raised my eyebrows in question.

  Jen forced a smile on her face and said, “It’s not what you think.”

  I said, “Let me tell you what I think.” I waved the papers at her. “These have been written by Metise. These are ideas she was working on. What are her notes doing here?”

  Jen swallowed. “She dropped them in the Forest by accident on the day I went there. They fell out of her pocket when she was being hugged by that boyfriend of hers. I found them on the ground after she flew away. I was going to give them back to her, but I forgot.”

  “Really? And what are you doing with them now? Why are Metise’s notes in your experiment room?”

  Jen held her hands out in a defensive nature. “Okay. I was working on her designs. I was going to make the products and then surprise her with them.”

  “Isn’t that another way of saying you stole her ideas?” I asked.

  Jen pulled at the collar of her shirt. “I wouldn’t call it that. I was doing Metise a favour. She was always writing things down, but she never had the time to follow up on her ideas. I thought if I worked on them and saw which ones were feasible, I could talk to Metise about them and set up a business agreement. I’ve already been successful with her idea for small edible rainbows which can be sent by a butterfly. It’s going to be a real money maker.”

  I shook my head at her. “You won’t be going ahead with any of Metise’s ideas. You stole them. That’s a crime. I’ll be speaking to Blythe about this. She’ll know what your punishment should be.” I paused. “Did Metise know you’d stolen her ideas? Did she confront you?”

  “No, she didn’t know,” Jen snapped. “Before you ask me again, I didn’t kill Metise. I don’t care whether you believe me or not, but I was going to show Metise those edible rainbows. I was going to split my profits with her.”

  I continued, “As you won’t be working on any more of Metise’s ideas I’d like the rest of her notes.”

  Jen shot me a filthy look before gathering up Metise’s notes. She thrust them into my hands and grumbled, “I was doing Metise a favour.”

  “And doing yourself one too,” I noted. “Is there anything else you’d like to confess to?”

  Jen lifted her chin and said, “No. I’d like you to leave my factory now. I’ve got work to do.”

  Chapter 15

  Stanley was of the same opinion as me as we flew back to Gran’s apartment. He said, “She’s hiding something from us. I can sense it. Why won’t suspects cooperate with us and tell us the truth?”

  I replied, “If Jen murdered Metise, she’ll be doing her best to cover her tracks. That’s what murderers do.”

  “Why would she have murdered Metise? What did she have to gain?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe Jen realised how profitable Metise’s ideas were. Jen’s an astute businesswoman. We’ll do some digging and find out more about Jen and her business later. Let’s check on Luca. Before he fell asleep, he said he had something to tell me about Theodwin.”

  We landed in front of Gran’s apartment and headed up the steps to the door.

  Stanley paused on a step and his whiskers twitched. He held up a paw and whispered, “Cassia, don’t go any further. There’s something evil and malicious in the apartment. I can smell it.”

  I whispered back, “Can you be more precise? Is it something that’s going to cause us harm?”

  Stanley’s whiskers twitched again. “It’s something vile and hideous. It’s left its disgusting scent all over these steps. I don’t think it’s dangerous, but it’s not something I want in our home.”

  I glanced towards the door at the top of the steps. “Luca might still be in there. We have to check on him.”

  Stanley lifted his little head. “I’ll go first.”

  Before I could stop him, he scampered up the rest of the steps and dashed through the cat flap. A second later, I heard him hiss loudly.

  I raced up the steps, flung open the door and prepared myself for a confrontation with an evil entity.

  Luca wasn’t asleep anymore. He was still sitting on the sofa and he had a visitor sitting next to him. It was a white mouse.

  Stanley’s back arched. He hissed, “You vile creature! Get out of here immediately and take your stench with you!” He looked towards Luca and added, “Luca, I’m not talking to you, I’m talking to that monster next to you.”

  Luca gave him a cheery nod. “I know that. This is Andy; he’s not a monster. He’s here about some problems he’s having with his wife. I don’t know how he found me here.”

  Stanley aimed his paw at Andy. “He’s a sly and devious creature. That’s how he knew where you were. Has he been anywhere near my belongings? Has he touched anything?” He looked up at me. “Cassia, you’ll have to cast a spell over everything and make it clean again. There’ll be mouse germs all over the place. Yuk.” He shuddered in disgust.

  Andy blinked at Stanley but didn’t say a word.

  I placed my broomstick down and knelt next to Stanley. “I know you don’t like mice, but Andy here obviously has problems which he wants to discuss with Luca. Try to be polite, plea
se.”

  Stanley looked at me as if I were mad. “Be polite to a mouse! That’s impossible. I can’t be polite to a monster.”

  I stood up straighter and gave Andy an apologetic look. I said to him, “Stay as long as you like. Would you like something to eat or drink?”

  Andy blinked again. I thought he looked cute and not at all monster-like, but I wasn’t going to say that out loud.

  Andy’s cute expression vanished. A calculating look came over his little face. His mouth lifted into a sneer. I’d never seen a mouse do that before and it sent a shiver down my spine.

  In a cold voice, Andy said, “I won’t be staying here a second longer. Not when there’s a fleabag in the room. Yes, Stanley, I’m talking about you. Stanley! What a stupid name. It suits you. Stupid Stanley. Ha!”

  Luca interjected, “Now, Andy, stop talking about Stanley like that.”

  Andy gave Luca a dismissive look followed by one of disdain. For a little mouse, he had a wide range of expressions. Andy said, “Don’t tell me what to do, guardian. You work for the town, and that includes me. I’ve told you what my problem was. Sort it out immediately.” He jumped off the sofa and sauntered over to Stanley. He looked as if he owned the place.

  I heard a low growl coming from Stanley. I hoped there wasn’t going to be a fight. Stanley was not the fighting kind.

  Andy stopped inches in front of Stanley and looked him over. There was disgust in his tiny eyes. His tone was mocking as he said, “Just to let you know, fleabag, I have touched every single one of your belongings. I licked all your bowls and plates. I rolled myself over all the furnishings. And I rubbed my behind on that cushion of yours in the bedroom.” He turned around and waggled his furry bottom at Stanley. He laughed as he did so.

  Luca got to his feet. “Andy! That’s enough!”

  Stanley growled even louder.

  Andy turned back around and laughed some more. “You’ll never get rid of my lovely aroma. And now that I know where you live, I can sneak back any time and give you a surprise.” He raised his paw. “You’ll never know the time or day that I’ll come back. I might bring my friends with me. We might hide ourselves around this apartment. You’ll never know where we are or when we’re going to jump out at you.” He let out an evil chuckle.

  Stanley began to tremble.

  Luca took a step forward. “Andy, no more!”

  The evil mouse looked as if he had more words to taunt Stanley with. I didn’t give him the chance to speak. I picked him up and held him in front of my face. I was barely controlling my anger.

  Andy wriggled in my hand. “Hey! You can’t do this! I have rights. Put me down immediately, witch.”

  Clearly and slowly, I said, “No one, but no one, talks to Stanley like that. Let me make this clear; neither you nor your friends will come to this apartment. Ever. Not in the middle of the day and certainly not in the middle of the night. Do you understand?”

  Andy shot me a defiant look. “You can’t tell me what to do, witch.”

  “Yes, I can. Not only am I a witch, I’m a justice witch. You have just threatened to commit an illegal act. That’s enough for me to lock you up instantly. I have legal powers in this town, and I will not stand by and let you talk to Stanley like that.”

  “I don’t care what your powers are. You can’t talk to me like that! I’m going to report you to Blythe.”

  “Go ahead,” I told him. “Blythe loves Stanley. I’m sure she’d be very interested to hear what you said about him. Shall we go over to her house now and talk to her?”

  Andy looked away from my stare. “I’m too busy to go at the moment.”

  I tapped him on the head so that he looked back at me. I continued, “This is your one and only warning. You will never come into this apartment again. Not ever. If you need to speak to Luca or me, you can send us a butterfly message. You will not come back here and neither will your friends. Do you understand?”

  Andy gave me a sullen look. He mumbled, “Yes.” He looked over his shoulder at Luca and added, “When are you going to deal with my problem?”

  Luca folded his arms. “When I’m good and ready. You know the way out, Andy. Goodbye.”

  I placed Andy on the floor and pointed to the open door. The little mouse shot Stanley a sly look as he walked past him and out of the door. Stanley shivered slightly.

  As soon as Andy left, I used the scent of him on my hands to cast a spell over the door. I said to Stanley, “This spell will block him from entering this apartment. What a horrible mouse! I didn’t know they could be like that.” I closed the door firmly.

  Stanley lowered his head. “All mice are like that to me. They hate cats with a vengeance.”

  I picked him up and cuddled him. “I understand now why you feel so strongly about them.”

  Stanley said, “Can we do something about the apartment? Can we clean it from top to bottom? I can’t bear the thought of mouse germs on my cushion.”

  “I’ve got a spell I can use,” I told him. “It’s a strong one. Gran taught me it. She uses it once a year for her spring cleaning. It gets rid of all germs and smells.”

  Stanley laid his head against my shoulder. “Thank you.”

  Luca came over to Stanley and stroked his head. “I’m sorry about Andy. I didn’t know he could be like that.”

  Stanley said, “All mice are devious. All of them.”

  There was a loud tap on the cat flap.

  Stanley yelped, “It’s Andy! He’s come back with his gang!”

  “I’ll take care of this,” Luca said. He opened the door.

  A beautiful white cat stood there. Her fur was sleek and shiny and she wore a gem-encrusted collar. Her clear amber eyes settled on Stanley and she said, “Am I addressing Stanley?”

  Stanley looked down at her and replied, “Yes. That’s me.”

  The cat nodded. “Good. I’m Natalia. I’m here for our date. We will leave now. Come with me.” She turned around and began to walk away.

  Stanley called out, “Excuse me! I’m not going on a date with anyone. You must have the wrong information.”

  Natalia looked over her shoulder. “I am never wrong. You are a single cat; I am a single cat. We could be a couple. We will discuss it. We will go on a date now. Follow me.” She began to walk away again.

  Stanley sighed. “This must be Cupid’s doing. I’ll have to speak to him and make it clear I’m not interested in going on dates.”

  Natalia called out, “Stanley! I am waiting.”

  I placed Stanley on the carpet and said, “Why don’t you go with Natalia and explain the situation? That’ll give me time to clean the apartment.”

  Stanley sighed again. “Okay, I will do. I am not having a good day.” He wearily left the apartment and went after Natalia.

  Luca closed the door and smiled at me. “Well, it’s one thing after another around here.”

  “I know. Poor Stanley. What do you need to tell me about Theodwin?”

  “Your murder investigation can wait for a minute.” Luca pulled me into a hug and stroked my hair. “I know you’re a tough witch and all that, but you look as if you need a hug.”

  “I do,” my voice was muffled against his chest.

  His embrace was warm and welcoming and I could have stayed there for quite a while. But I had a murder to solve.

  I pulled myself free, patted Luca’s chest and said, “Right, let’s talk about Theodwin.”

  Chapter 16

  Luca insisted on making me a cup of coffee before we discussed Theodwin. While he was making the coffee, I walked around the apartment and cast the spell which Gran had taught me. I shook my head as I recalled how nasty that little mouse had been. Well, he wouldn’t be bothering Stanley again. I’d make sure of that.

  Once our drinks were ready, Luca and I sat on the sofa and began to discuss the case. I told him about our second visit to Jen and what we’d discovered. I added my theories about why Jen could be the murderer.

  Luca nodded. �
�It doesn’t take much nowadays for the residents in Brimstone to commit murder. Is this what it’s like in your world?”

  “Sometimes.” I thought about the horrible things which went on in the human world. I wasn’t going to trouble Luca with them. “So, tell me about Theodwin.”

  Luca smiled at me. “As you know, I’ve been busy listening to creatures telling me about their relationship problems. I’ve been down in burrows, up in nests and in and out of the bushes. While I’ve been doing that, I’ve overheard creatures gossiping about Metise and her untimely death. They’ve been talking about Theodwin too.”

  “I like a bit of gossip. Tell me more.”

  “Theodwin has been heard arguing with his mum about Metise. His mum wanted him to set a date for the wedding. She was embarrassed about how long the engagement was lasting and said it wasn’t civilised. Theodwin replied he was waiting for Metise to name the day. His mum said he had to be more forceful with Metise and to stop letting her walk all over him. Theodwin said he’d try.”

  “When did this argument take place?” I asked.

  “Three days ago,” Luca replied. “That’s not the only argument Theodwin had. His friends have been having a go at him too. According to a fox, Theodwin’s friends had an informal meeting with him recently. They said he was giving elves a bad name by not setting a date for the wedding. They called Theodwin many names which I won’t repeat. He got into a shouting match with them and said his engagement to Metise wasn’t anyone’s business but his own. The other elves said it was their business and if Theodwin didn’t sort it out, then they would.”

  “Really? That’s a nasty thing to say.”

  “I know. I was surprised. The elves in the Forest have always been peaceful creatures. I don’t know what’s got into everyone lately.”

  I placed my now empty cup on the table in front of me. “My list of suspects has just grown. I’ll have to speak to Theodwin, of course, but I’ll have to speak to his mum and his so-called friends too. I agree with Theodwin about his wedding being no one else’s business.” I reached out and placed my hand on Luca’s cheek. “How are you? Did you manage to get any sleep?”