The Silent Banshee (A Brimstone Witch Mystery Book 5) Read online

  I gave Astrid a narrow-eyed look. “Did Dr Morgan give you any pills before you left her surgery? Are you feeling all warm and floaty and not quite yourself?”

  Astrid laughed and I nearly fell off my chair. It was a genuine laugh and not the nasty, evil one she usually gave me.

  She said, “You are funny. Are we ready to continue with our investigation? Oops! Sorry. Your investigation.” She waved her hand at Stanley whose little mouth was hanging open in shock. “Hi, Stanley. How are you? You have amazing eyes. So intelligent-looking. I’ve never noticed that before.”

  Customers in the café were starting to stare at this peculiar version of Astrid. I felt as uneasy as they obviously did. It felt like we were all on edge and waiting for her to revert back to form.

  I stood up, grabbed my broomstick and said, “We’re ready to go. We’re going to pay a call on Fabrice Fairfax. I’ll fill you in on what we’ve recently discovered as we walk there.”

  “Super!” Astrid clasped her hands together. “I’m having a wonderful time. Just wonderful.”

  Chapter 15

  We went over to Fabrice’s house and I told Astrid what we’d found out from Nerys and Gilda about Dana. Astrid listened without interrupting and kept smiling. She was freaking me out with her happy attitude. I didn’t like it one bit.

  Harry, the butler, answered the door on my second knock. I asked to speak to Fabrice.

  Harry’s gaze slid to the left and he shifted to his other foot. “Erm. Ah. I’m afraid my master is out for the day. He isn’t in. He’s out. All day.”

  I said, “Harry, you’re a terrible liar. I’m dealing with the suspicious death of a Brimstone resident and I have the right to question anyone. I suspect Mr Fairfax is somewhere inside and that he asked you to lie for him. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to hamper my investigation, would you? It is within my powers to detain you in the cells at Blythe’s house if I need to.”

  I’m so glad I’d read up on what my powers and responsibilities were as a justice witch. It made me sound more confident when I told the truth.

  Harry gulped and pulled at his thin tie. He opened the door wider and mumbled, “He’s in the back room. He must have been inside all this time. It was my mistake. I thought he’d gone out.” He bowed his head low but I caught the guilty look on his face.

  As soon as we stepped into the dark building, Harry scuttled away into the shadows and muttered something about having work to do.

  Astrid looked around the dingy hallway and wrinkled her nose. “What a depressing place. It makes you think about death and giving up on life.”

  “I think that’s the point,” I replied. I walked down the hallway and into the room where all the coffins were laid out on tables. Each coffin had its lid firmly shut. I called out, “Fabrice Fairfax! I know you’re in here somewhere. Come out. I want to talk to you right now.”

  There was a heavy silence and I could have sworn the feeble light in the room dimmed even further.

  I didn’t have time for this. I raised my hands and performed a reveal spell. I kept Fabrice’s image in my mind as I did so.

  There was a creak and the lid of a coffin to our right slid backwards. I moved over to it and saw Fabrice lying there with an embarrassed look on his pale face.

  “Hello there!” he said cheerfully. “I was just taking a short nap. Were you calling out for me? I never heard you. Do you like this model? Look at the quality of the lining. I can do this half price if you’re interested?” He sat up and looked over at Stanley and Astrid. “Hello. Are you in the market for coffins? I can do a group discount.”

  “We’re not here to talk about coffins,” I informed him. “Since I last spoke to you, I’ve come across new information about you and Dana Murphy.”

  “Me and Dana Murphy?” Fabrice did his best to look surprised. “There was never a ‘me and Dana Murphy’. What are you insinuating?”

  “I’m not insinuating anything. You were spotted several times outside Mooncrest Café talking to Dana. What were you talking about?”

  He looked away from me. “Nothing. It was nothing important.”

  I slammed my hand on the side of the coffin making Fabrice jump. “Enough!” I declared. “I want the truth from you. At this moment, you are my primary person of interest. Do you know what that means?”

  He gulped. “I think it means you suspect I had something to do with Dana’s death. I can assure that I didn’t.”

  “Then stop being evasive and tell me the truth.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Astrid walking swiftly towards a small room at the side. She went inside and silently closed the door behind her. What was she up to?

  Fabrice looked down at the lining of the coffin and ran his hand across it. “I was asking her to work for me again and to give my business cards out at the retirement homes. My business wasn’t doing very well and I wanted to do something about that. I thought if I kept asking her, she’d take pity on me and at least work for me on a trial basis. But she kept saying no.”

  “Did she give a reason for that?”

  He nodded. “She said my funerals were too depressing and she couldn’t recommend them to anyone. I told her I’d try to change how I do my business. I could offer a different coloured lining in my coffins. Perhaps red. Or even pink. That would make things a bit jollier. She said she’d think about it.” There was a hopeful look in his eyes. “I think she was going to say yes. Mind you, now that she’s gone, I expect my business will improve.”

  I asked, “Why did you go to her house recently?”

  “Ah. You know about that too. You have been busy.”

  “I’ve been doing my job,” I told him. “Well? Why were you there?”

  “I had a feeling she was going to finally say yes to my proposition. I thought if I spoke to her in the comfort of her home, she’d feel more relaxed. I thought we’d be able to work out a business plan.”

  “And what did Dana say to that?”

  His brow furrowed. “It was a peculiar conversation. I didn’t feel as if she were really listening to me. She seemed distracted and lost in her own thoughts. When I’d finished talking to her, she said I should find someone else to work with. She informed me she wouldn’t be around for much longer. I thought that meant she was moving away and I asked for clarification. She gave me the saddest of smiles and said again that she wouldn’t be around long. She asked me to leave. That was the last time I saw her.” He gave me a quizzical look. “Do you think she knew she was going to die? Would she have been able to predict that?”

  “I can’t say. When you left Dana’s home, did you see anyone else heading that way? Perhaps someone in a red-hooded cloak?”

  “A red cloak? No.”

  “Where were you at the time of Dana’s death?”

  “I was in my favourite coffin. It’s that one over there.” He pointed to the left. “I was pondering my future and wondering if I should go into a different line of business.”

  “Do you have any witnesses who can confirm that?”

  Harry silently appeared at my side and said quietly, “I can confirm that, Miss Winter. I was waiting outside the coffin for Mr Fairfax in case he needed anything. I was there for hours. I never left my post even when that banshee let out her dying scream.”

  I stared at the butler. He’d lied to me once already. Was he lying again? He met my direct gaze without flinching or fidgeting. Hmm. It seemed he was telling the truth.

  I looked back at Fabrice. “I wish you’d have told me this earlier.”

  “You didn’t ask.”

  I kept hold of my patience and said, “I don’t have any further questions for now. We’ll see ourselves out.” I felt a movement behind me and sensed Astrid there.

  We left the depressing building and quickly walked away.

  When we were far enough away, Astrid said, “You were amazing back there, Cassia. You were so confident. You make an excellent justice witch.”

  “Thanks,” I mumbled. I think I preferred he
r insults to her compliments. I knew where I was when she was insulting me.

  Astrid continued, “I noticed an office at the back of that room and I sneaked inside. I hope you don’t mind, but I had a look at his records.”

  “I don’t mind at all. Did you discover anything interesting?”

  “I did. I saw a lot of orders for new coffins. They were ordered last week.” She paused for effect. “He ordered them from Skye Cedarmist’s Lumber Supplies.”

  I stopped in my tracks and Stanley bumped into me. “Really?” I said. “Skye is providing coffins for Fabrice?” I shook my head. “The residents in Brimstone are excellent at keeping important information from me. Fabrice told me his business will improve now that Dana’s gone. But she only died today. Why did he order those coffins last week?”

  Astrid said, “I have a theory. Do you want to hear it?”

  “Okay.”

  “Perhaps Fabrice wanted Dana out of the way so that she couldn’t work with Fiona any longer. Fabrice could then offer a competitive service to those residents at the retirement homes. He’s in business with Skye Cedarmist and he could have realised she was the perfect one to get rid of Dana. You saw how strong Skye is. She could have easily picked Dana up and dropped her to her death. They could have organised this a while ago.”

  I was impressed with Astrid’s deductive powers. But I wasn’t going to tell her that. Instead, I said, “I’ll have to speak to Skye again.” I hesitated and good manners got the best of me. “Thank you for finding that information.”

  Astrid flapped her hand at me. “It was nothing. I’m sure you would have found it eventually.”

  She smiled at me and my stomach clenched in response. No matter how helpful she was being, I still didn’t trust her.

  Chapter 16

  When we reached the town square, Astrid said, “Shall I have a word with the other guardians and see whether they know anything important about Dana? They may have overheard private conversations when they were in their animal forms.”

  I shared a quick look with Stanley. Astrid had listened to many of our private conversations when she’d been in animal form.

  She smiled brightly as she waited for my answer. I said, “Yes. That’s a good idea. We’ll meet up later.”

  She nodded and said, “Okey-dokey. See you then.”

  As we watched her walk away, the tension left my stomach. I was going to end up getting stomach ulcers if I wasn’t careful. Or constipation.

  Stanley said, “I don’t trust her. Not one tiny little bit. How about you?”

  “I don’t trust her either. She can smile as much as she likes, but that doesn’t erase all the harm she’s caused us in the past.” I shook my head to dismiss all thoughts of Astrid. “Let’s go back to The Caterpillar Retirement Home. I’d like to speak to Skye’s husband. He might know about her business dealings with Fabrice. Do you want to fly there?”

  “As if you need to ask.”

  Stanley hopped onto my broomstick and we were soon airborne. It felt good to have the wind blowing through my hair.

  A few minutes later, we landed at the entrance to the home. We went through to the reception area and saw Cody Yinran behind the desk. He was deep in conversation with a group of eager-faced elderly goblins. As we got closer, we heard them discussing an upcoming treasure hunt.

  I said, “Sorry to interrupt. Cody, I’d like to speak to Halent Cedarmist.”

  Cody pointed to a room down the hallway. “He’s in the day room. He’s playing cards with one of his friends.”

  “Thanks.” I walked down the hallway with Stanley at my side. This really was a lovely place to be. There was an aroma of something delicious baking and the gentle chatter and natter of residents filled the air like uplifting music.

  We went into the day room and looked around. Huge windows at the far side allowed sunlight to flood in. The walls had been painted in a warm yellow and the ceiling was light blue. It reminded me of the interior of Mooncrest Café. Flowers had been painted on the walls along with many smiling caterpillars. I peered at the creatures to make sure they were paintings and not escapees from the garden.

  I spotted two larger-sized fairies sitting at an open window playing cards. One was dressed in a checked shirt and denim overalls; the same style of clothes that Skye had been wearing.

  We walked over to the duo and I said, “Halent Cedarmist?”

  The fairy in the checked shirt smiled and said, “That’s me. I know who you are. I thought you might want to talk to me at some point.” He put his cards down and looked at Stanley. “And I know who you are, little one.” He reached out and stroked Stanley’s back.

  His friend stood up and said, “I’ll leave you to talk to Cassia. I didn’t have a good hand there anyway. Let’s have a rematch later.” He waved in farewell and walked away.

  I took the seat he’d vacated and had a closer look at Halent who now had Stanley on his knee. He seemed cheerful enough, but there was a tiredness about his eyes and his skin seemed a touch grey.

  I began, “You probably know I’m looking into the death of Dana Murphy. I’ve been told she upset relatives of the residents she spoke to here. Your wife was one of the names mentioned.”

  “Aye, that’s right. Skye almost exploded with rage when I told her what Dana had said to me. She was furious when I said I was going to have the best farewell party and funeral I could afford.” He stroked Stanley’s head. “It was no surprise to me when Dana told me I was going to die soon. I knew I was getting to the end of my days before I moved here; I could feel it in my wings. Before I came here, I didn’t want to upset Skye and tell her the truth, so I told her I’d booked myself into this home for a rest. She said that was okay as long as I didn’t stay too long and returned home. Being a coward, I agreed with her. I knew in my heart I wouldn’t be returning home. I was glad when Dana confirmed it. It was like a weight off my shoulders.” He sighed. “I do regret lying to Skye, but I thought I was doing it to protect her.”

  “You fool!” Skye’s head popped up from the open window in front of us. She waved her fist at the startled Halent. “You absolute fool, Halent Cedarmist! Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”

  Halent blinked. “Skye. What are you doing here? I thought you were at work.”

  “I was, but I missed you. I don’t know why.” Her eyes were bright with tears. “Halent, why didn’t you tell me? You could have stayed at home. I could have looked after you there.”

  “I didn’t want to bother you. I didn’t want to take you away from your work. I know how much you hate being idle.” He looked downwards and added, “I’m sorry. I am a fool.”

  Skye leapt through the window like a ninja and landed at Halent’s side. She wrapped her thick arms around his shoulders and squeezed him. I noticed Halent wincing as she did so.

  Skye said, “You’re my fool, Halent. This is all my fault. I should have known something was wrong with you. I did notice you were getting slower at work, but I never said anything. I’m so sorry, my love. Let’s make your last days as pleasant as they can be. Let’s have the best goodbye party this place has ever seen. I’ve got some savings put by.”

  Halent patted her hand. “It’s okay. We don’t need to have a lavish affair at all. I don’t want to leave you in poverty. I’m so sorry for lying to you.” He grimaced as Skye squeezed him again. Stanley leapt off his knee and came to my side. Perhaps he was worried that he was going to get squeezed too.

  I hated to stop the happy reconciliation but I had questions for Skye. I cleared my throat and the happy couple tore their attention away from each other and looked at me.

  I said to Skye, “I’ve discovered that you’re supplying coffins to Fabrice Fairfax. You didn’t mention this earlier when we spoke.”

  “You never asked,” Skye replied.

  I pressed my lips together and made a mental note to be more aggressive when I questioned suspects in future.

  I said, “When did he contact you about the coffins?
”

  “About a week ago. He said he was expecting to gain more clients soon.”

  “Did he? Why?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Halent said, “I think I might know why. Fabrice often hangs around here and tries to give his business cards out. I heard him saying something to one of the other residents about Dana going away soon. Fabrice said the residents here shouldn’t be concerned as he had a psychic partner who’d be able to do Dana’s job. I didn’t hear any more than that about his future plans.”

  I felt impatience rising in me and felt like I was going to explode. My fists clenched and I could feel my nostrils flaring.

  Stanley said, “Cassia, are you alright? Your face has gone red.”

  I let out a hiss of irritation and said, “That lying vampire! Why didn’t he tell us about his psychic partner? What else is he keeping from us?”

  Stanley jumped onto my lap and said calmly, “Breathe. Take some deep breaths. Like me.” He took a long inhale while keeping his eyes on me. Then he let his breath out slowly. He looked so cute that all my anger vanished in a second.

  I stroked his little head and said, “Sorry about that. We’ll talk to Fabrice later.” I turned my attention to the Cedarmist couple. Skye was now sitting on her husband’s lap, fiddling with his hair and whispering in his ear. I quickly said, “Thank you for talking to me. I’ll leave you in peace and quiet now. Bye.” I stood up so quickly that Stanley fell to the carpet. I apologised to him before walking out of the room.

  Stanley came scampering after me. In a shocked voice, he said, “Did you hear what Skye was saying to Halent? I don’t want to know things like that!”

  “Neither do I. We can’t leave just yet. I want to talk to the other residents who spoke to Dana recently. There are three more on Fiona’s list. Let’s see what they’ve got to say.”