The Murdered Mermaid (A Brimstone Witch Mystery Book 6) Read online

  There was no way I was putting Gia’s life in danger so I said, “No, thank you. But if you do hear anything that might help me, you can let me know.”

  Gia continued to twist the cloth. “Of course.”

  I looked at the small island in the distance. “How do I get to Turtle Island? Can I swim there? I’m not the best swimmer, but I think I can make it.”

  “You could fly there,” Gia suggested. “It’s safe to land on Turtle Island. You won’t find any wild animals there.”

  Stanley nudged into my leg. “Let’s fly there. I’ve never been on an island before.”

  “Are you sure? You can stay here with Gia and I’ll go.”

  “I want to go. As long as we keep away from the water’s edge, I’ll be fine.” Stanley bared his little teeth in a brave smile.

  “Okay. Come on.”

  We said goodbye to Gia and then flew over to the small island. It was a rough, round shape and was no bigger than thirty feet in diameter. As we got nearer, I could see Isla swimming around Turtle Island with an annoyed look on her beautiful face. Her lips were moving and it looked like she was muttering to herself. She wasn’t wearing her hair comb. Did that mean the one I’d found in the apartment was hers?

  I managed to land in the middle of the island. It had a smooth surface with small ridges here and there. There wasn’t any vegetation on it but I did see a few crabs scuttling around.

  Stanley sat down where we landed and looked nervously at the sea. “I think I’ll stay right here if that’s okay with you?”

  “Of course it is.” I looked right as Isla swam past the edge of the island, her tail flapping furiously behind her. “You’ll probably be able to hear everything I say to Isla from here. If she slows down long enough for me to get her attention, that is.”

  I moved to the edge of the island and noticed there wasn’t any sand there, just more of the smooth, slightly ridged material that I was standing on. I called out Isla’s name as she swam nearer. She either didn’t hear me or chose to ignore me. Either way, she didn’t stop and continued her furious swim while mumbling to herself.

  I moved a little closer to the water, put a hand to the side of my mouth and yelled, “Isla! I want to talk to you right now!”

  Isla’s head shot my way as she came closer. Annoyance crossed her features and she shouted, “What do you want? Can’t you see I’m busy?”

  She dipped under the water and zoomed by me without stopping. Her tail flipped upwards and then hit the sea with a huge splash which sent a wave washing over me. I heard a yelp behind me and saw a puddle of water rushing towards Stanley. I raced over to his side and picked him up. I waited until the water trickled away from us and then put Stanley down.

  He said, “Why won’t she stop and talk to you? She keeps swimming round and round. She’s going to make herself very dizzy soon.”

  “I don’t have time for her nonsense.” I quickly used my magic hot air fingers to dry myself and then marched back to the edge of the island. As Isla approached, I raised my hands and performed an immobilising spell on the mermaid. I’d never used it in water before and I didn’t know whether it would work.

  It did work.

  Isla face was frozen in shock as she floated helplessly on the current towards me. I knelt down, reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder. I pulled her close and used my free hand to wipe the magic from her ears. I wanted her to hear me.

  “Isla, I’m here to talk to you about my investigation. I’ve got many questions for you and you are going to answer them. Now, I can keep you in this suspended state while I do so, or I can set you free on the proviso that you don’t swim away until I finish asking my questions. Which is it to be?” I cleared the magic from her mouth so she could talk.

  She spat out, “How dare you do this to me? Set me free immediately. I’ll make sure King Taron knows about this. He’ll be furious.”

  “He won’t. I spoke to him yesterday, and he wants me to find out what happened to Nerita.” I still had one hand on her shoulder as I didn’t want her bobbing away. “You know that I’m a justice witch and that I have certain powers in this area. I am more than happy to keep you in this frozen state for a while.”

  Isla’s lips tightened in annoyance. If her eyes had been able to narrow in hate, I’m sure they would have.

  “Alright,” she said with a sigh. “I promise not to swim away until I’ve answered your questions. I’m not happy about it, though.”

  “Your happiness is not my concern. If you make any attempts to swim away, I will use my magic on you again.” I didn’t like being so harsh, but sometimes it was needed. I waved my hands over Isla and removed the immobilising spell. She wiggled her shoulders and her tail flapped angrily in the water behind her.

  I began with, “Nerita died between 11.30 and midday yesterday. Where were you at that time, and do you have any witnesses to confirm that?”

  She raised her hand and moved it around her. “I was here, swimming. As for witnesses, I prefer to be alone. But I’m sure if you ask some of the other mermaids, one of them would have seen me. The younger ones are always looking at me. They admire me. I can see it in their faces.”

  “That’s not ideal, but I’ll speak to the other mermaids about you. What was your relationship like with Nerita?”

  Isla rolled her eyes. “I’ve already made it clear how I felt about her. I didn’t like her, and she didn’t like me. Conway should have been the one with the royal responsibilities, not her. He’s much better with our people than Nerita was. He’s much more compassionate and understanding. Just like me. As soon as this silly mourning business is over, we can get married and start ruling this area in the way it should be ruled. How many more questions have you got?”

  I ignored her last comment and said, “I’ve been told about your previous engagements, and about a prince who was hurt in suspicious circumstances.”

  Isla came closer to me and rested her arms on the edge of the island. Her direct gaze was unnerving. She said, “Idle gossip. I didn’t think justice witches were supposed to pay attention to idle gossip. I thought you were supposed to concentrate on the facts.”

  I lifted my head. I was not going to be intimidated by her. “Have you been previously engaged?”

  She gave me a slow nod. “I have. A few times. But not to the right merman. Conway is the right one for me.”

  “Did one of your former fiancés suffer injuries during an accident?”

  Keeping her look steady, she replied, “I believe so. I wasn’t there at the time of the accident. I was with some friends of mine when it happened. My friends told the prince’s father that I was with them, but he didn’t believe them. He never liked me and wanted to get rid of me from the day I became engaged to his son.” One of her perfect eyebrows rose. “Aren’t you going to ask me if I killed Nerita? I can see that you’re thinking it.”

  “Did you?”

  “No. As much as I disliked her, I wouldn’t do that to Conway. I love him. Really love him.”

  I reached into my back pocket and took out the hair comb. I held it up and said, “Is this yours?”

  Her other eyebrow rose now. One of her hands shot out in an attempt to grab the comb. I was ready for her and swiftly moved it out of the way.

  “Hey!” she called in protest. “Where did you get that? It’s mine.”

  “I found it in my apartment this morning. Did you put it there?”

  “No! Someone must have stolen it from my cave last night. I’ve been looking for it all morning.” Her eyes glistened with tears and she lowered her hand. “I thought I’d lost it, Please, can I have it back?”

  I lowered the comb a fraction. “Who would steal it from you and then place it in my apartment?”

  Isla sniffed and dashed away a tear. “Lots of merpeople. They’re jealous of me. They want to get me into trouble. I swear that I had nothing to do with Nerita’s death.” She held her hand out. “Can I have it back? Please?”

  I conside
red the matter and concluded there was no harm in giving the comb back to Isla. I handed it over. She said thank you and then swept her hair to one side and placed the sparkling comb there.

  Isla said, “Have you spoken to Rex yet about Nerita?”

  “Rex? We have talked about another matter concerning Nerita. Why are you asking me about Rex?”

  “Rex was in a relationship with Nerita, but she ended it recently. He was heartbroken. Still is. You should talk to him about that. Have you got any more questions? I want to see how Conway is. He hasn’t come up to the surface at all today. I hope he doesn’t take too long to get over Nerita’s death. I want to talk to him about our wedding plans.”

  Her matter-of-factness over Nerita’s death rendered me speechless for a few seconds. I said, “I don’t have any more questions for now.”

  Without hesitating, Isla dipped beneath the water and swam away. Her tail gave one last flap sending a small wave my way. I jumped out of its way.

  The ground beneath me listed to the side and I thought for a second that I was falling over.

  Stanley cried out in terror, “Cassia! The island is sinking! We’re going to drown!”

  Water gushed towards his paws.

  Chapter 15

  I raced over to Stanley and scooped him into my arms. I was about to fly us out of danger when a deep voice spoke.

  “I do apologise. I didn’t realise I had visitors. Come closer; let me see you.”

  Stanley’s eyes were wide as he looked left and right. He whispered, “Who said that? Did you hear that? Tell me you heard it, otherwise I’ll think I’m going mad.”

  “I did hear something.” I looked left and right too but I couldn’t see anyone.

  The ground beneath us moved again and water ran over my feet.

  “Over here, my friends,” the voice said, “to your right and downwards.”

  We both looked that way and saw a huge turtle’s face peering back at us. Wrinkles lined his face and his eyes twinkled with joy. “Is that you, Cassia Winter? Come closer, please. I’m not as young as I used to be and my eyes are not as sharp as they once were.”

  I whispered to Stanley, “Turtle Island! It’s actually a turtle and not an island. Or is he a living island that’s shaped like a turtle? Is Turtle his first name and Island his surname?”

  Stanley whispered back, “I’ve no idea. Do you think it’s safe to move closer? He looks friendly enough.”

  I stole another glance at the turtle’s smiling face and decided it was safe to move closer.

  I kept Stanley in my arms as I made my way towards his head. The ground, or rather, the turtle’s back, kept moving gently from side to side. It was like being on a moving bus.

  “Ah!” the turtle declared as we stopped near his head. “It is you, Cassia. How wonderful it is to meet you again. I don’t suppose you remember meeting me when you were young? You used to visit me with your mum.”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t remember that at all. And I’m sorry for landing on your back and walking about.”

  The turtle chuckled. “I didn’t feel a thing. I only realised you two were here when I heard you screaming just now. Was that my fault? Did I scare you? I didn’t mean to, but it’s time for me to submerge myself and return to the bottom of the sea for a while. If I’d have known you were on my back, I would have stayed still.”

  Stanley said, “You did scare me a bit, but that’s because I’m frightened of the sea.”

  The turtle gave him a slow nod. “That’s understandable.” He tilted his big head to one side and his twinkling eyes narrowed a fraction. “Cassia, are you here to investigate the death of that young mermaid?”

  I nodded. “I am. I don’t suppose you know anything about it, do you?”

  “No, I’m afraid not. I tend to keep to myself. I’ve been in these waters for more years than I care to remember and I’ve realised that the cause of most problems around here is love. Creatures change when they’re in love. They lose their common sense. Don’t you find that, Cassia?”

  “I suppose so. I’ve just discovered that Nerita was in a relationship with someone, so love could be a factor in Nerita’s death.”

  “Indeed.” The turtle turned his head and gazed out to the horizon. “Love is supposed to be a magical thing, but it often leads to tragedy.” He glanced back at us. “While I would like to chat to you some more, I really must go under the water. My back is beginning to sting under this sun.”

  “Oh! Right. Yes. Sorry, we didn’t mean to keep you.” I smiled at the turtle. “It’s been lovely to talk to you.”

  “You too, Cassia Winter.” He cast me a slow smile. “You’re so like your mother. I’ll wait until you’re safely on your broomstick before submerging. Goodbye for now. Good luck with your investigation. Remember to look for the love as you go along.”

  Stanley waved his paw in farewell and then got onto my broomstick with me. We moved off the turtle’s back and watched as he slowly sank beneath the sea.

  Stanley said, “What a magnificent creature.”

  “He is. I think he’s given me some good advice about looking for the love in this case. Rex never mentioned his involvement with Nerita when we first spoke to him. I think it’s time to talk to him again.” I scanned the sea below us. “Where will we find him?”

  “Would you mind if we returned to dry land for a while? I don’t like to be near so much water.”

  I looked down at my little friend and noticed he was trembling. “Oh, Stanley, I didn’t realise. Sorry. I’ll take us back to the café. And I’ll get you something to eat.”

  As we headed back to the beach, something caught my eye in the waters below. I looked down and saw a couple of grindylows on the surface of the water. They were waving their thin green arms our way and staring up at us. They were saying something but I couldn’t make it out from this distance.

  I put my hand on Stanley’s back and said, “Don’t panic, but I’m going closer to those grindylows for a moment. I think they want to tell me something.”

  Stanley’s back arched beneath my hand. He hissed, “Don’t let them get me! I don’t want to play with them!”

  “I won’t let anything happen to you,” I promised.

  I swooped lower and went closer to the grindylows. Their green faces beamed up at me.

  In a childlike voice, one of them said, “We have to talk to you! We know a secret! We know a secret about the dead mermaid! We have to tell you!” He ended this with a giggle and waved his hands at us to beckon us closer.

  Stanley shivered and said, “It’s a trick! Don’t fall for it.”

  “I don’t think it is a trick,” I replied. “Stanley, I’ll take you back to the café and then I’ll come back here and talk to the grindylows.” I waved down to the green-faced creatures and called out, “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  I flew over to the café and ignored Stanley’s warnings about going anywhere near the grindylows. He was convinced they intended to drag me down to the depths of the ocean and keep me there.

  As I placed Stanley in Gia’s welcoming arms a short while later, I said to him, “The grindylows won’t hurt me. Don’t forget that I’m a witch. I can use my magic if I get into trouble.” I kissed the top of his head. “Trust me.”

  Stanley didn’t look convinced and Gia tried to take his mind off my visit to the green creatures by offering him a sardine lollipop. I ignored Stanley’s worried face as I hurried out of the café.

  As I walked along the sand towards the water, I tried to recall the words Jeremy had muttered yesterday, the ones for the spell that allowed us to breathe under water. There was only way I was going to find out if I remembered the correct words. I stopped at the water’s edge and looked out.

  The grindylows were bobbing in the sea a short distance ahead of me and kept beckoning me closer. They had such cheeky smiles on their faces and looked like mischievous children who were up to no good.

  I recited the words of the spell and then st
epped cautiously into the water. When I was in deep enough, I slowly dipped my head under the water and attempted to breathe. I was half expecting water to rush up my nose. But that didn’t happen. I had performed the spell correctly. A twinge of smugness passed through me, then I remembered why I was doing this.

  I ducked fully under the water and headed for the small, green creatures. They were waiting beneath the water now and curled their fingers towards themselves in a ‘come closer’ motion. There was mischief in their eyes and big smiles on their faces. I felt a flicker of fear. Was I doing the right thing? Or was this a trick?

  The grindylows turned their backs on me and began to swim away. One of them came back over to me and wrapped its thin fingers tightly around my arm. She giggled as she did so. For a little creature, she was strong and I felt myself being pulled helplessly downwards.

  Just when I thought about using magic to free myself from the creature’s grip, we came to a stop in front of an underwater cave.

  The grindylow holding me said, “Mum wants to talk to you. She heard the dead mermaid talking to someone. She wants to tell you about it.”

  I looked towards the cave and expected an older version of the grindylows to come out. The creature who swam out was older, but not by much. She had the same childlike face and mischievous look in her eyes as the smaller creatures who were now swimming around my feet. She stopped in front of me and giggled.

  “Hello,” I said. “I believe you have some information for me about Nerita, the mermaid. Is that right?”

  The mum grindylow put her hands over her mouth and giggled again. She lowered her hands and said, “Yes! I heard the dead mermaid. I heard her talking to those sirens. She was so bossy! So loud!” She put her hands back to her mouth and giggled some more. The other grindylows giggled too.

  I said, “What did the mermaid say?”

  She dropped her hands. “That bossy mermaid said the sirens had to do something for her, something important. She said they had to go into another world and be an army against some humans.”