I nodded. “I was thinking the same as you. I thought someone had worked out what Dana was up to and decided to put an end to her antics.” I sighed. “It doesn’t seem like that’s the case. Do you know if Dana had any enemies?”
“I don’t,” Dr Morgan admitted. “I do know she kept records at her house of everyone she spoke to at the retirement homes she visited. She showed her paperwork to me sometimes to let me know who was on the death roll and when they would die.” She grimaced. “That sounds gruesome, doesn’t it? But it was nice to be told so I knew when to be on call. She was like a psychic hotline. I shall miss her.”
“Where did she keep her paperwork?” I asked.
“At her house. I’ll give you the address.”
Astrid struggled to get herself into a sitting position. She said, “I’ll come with you.”
Dr Morgan pointed a finger at her and said firmly, “You’re going nowhere, young lady. I’ll be keeping an eye on you for the next few hours.”
Before Astrid could argue with the doctor, I put Stanley on the ground, picked up my broomstick and swiftly left the room calling out a thank you and goodbye as I went.
Chapter 13
Dana’s home was the last house in a row of thatched-roofed cottages. It had a neat front garden surrounded by a small, stone wall. It was made of the light Brimstone sandstone which I was now becoming familiar with, but the sight of the twinkling silver specks didn’t lift my heart this time as I stared at the house in front of me.
Stanley sighed and said, “Isn’t it strange how you could leave your home one morning not knowing that you’ll never return?”
A face popped up from behind the stone wall in front of us. It was a female gnome and her face was red and blotchy as if she’d been crying.
She sniffed and said, “Have you come to gawk like all the other ghouls? There’s nothing to see except an empty house! Go away!” She waved a glove-covered fist at us.
“We’re not ghouls,” I told her. “I’m Cassia, and this is Stanley. We’re dealing with the death of Dana Murphy. Are we in the right place? We were told this was her house.”
The gnome sniffed and cast a sad look towards the house. “This is Dana’s house. I’m her neighbour, Nerys. We’ve lived next to each other since we were little.” She looked back at us, her eyes brimming with tears. “I noticed there were weeds growing in the front borders here. Dana would have hated that. I couldn’t leave them growing wild. It’s the least I could do for her now that she’s gone.” She turned away from us and I could hear her quiet sobs.
I opened the gate, walked into the garden and over to the crying gnome. I put my hand on her heaving back and said gently, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Stanley came closer and nuzzled himself next to Nerys’ legs. Nerys looked down at him and gave him a watery smile. “You’re a lovely-looking cat. What’s your name again?”
“Stanley. Would you like me to pull those weeds out while you talk to Cassia? Is it those yellow ones in front of you that you’d like to get rid of?”
Nerys wiped her tears away and gave Stanley a grateful smile. “Yes. Thank you.”
We left Stanley to his impromptu gardening and took a seat on a bench at the side of the garden. Nerys’ legs dangled halfway down the bench.
I said to her, “I never met Dana. Can you tell me about her, if it’s not too upsetting for you?”
Nerys nodded, took a spotty handkerchief from her dress pocket and wiped her eyes. She looked fondly towards the garden and said, “Dana was a lovely person. So caring and thoughtful. She’d do anything for anyone.” She paused. “Not everyone liked her. Or rather, they didn’t like the talent she had. You know she could predict deaths, don’t you?”
I nodded.
“Some of the beings around here didn’t like that. They’d run away if she ever tried to talk to them or even smile at them. They wouldn’t meet her eyes and would cross the road to avoid her. She tried to make light of it, but I knew it upset her. It would, wouldn’t it? She only used that talent of hers in the retirement homes. If anyone didn’t want Dana talking to them there, they could let the managers know. She didn’t walk around the town yelling at citizens and telling them they were going to expire soon!” Nerys tutted in annoyance. “How some of my neighbours treated Dana is shameful. They really upset her at times. Poor love.”
“This is a delicate question, but did she ever use her talent on you or someone close to you?”
Nerys gave me a small smile. “That is a delicate question, but I’ll answer it anyway. No, she didn’t use her talent on me.” She held her hand out and took off her glove. “Look at my fingernails. They’re a pale blue. I’m a special kind of field gnome and when I get closer to death, my nails change colour. They’ll turn a darker shade of blue, then purple and finally black. I’ve got years left yet.”
“Wow. That’s a good system to have.” I hesitated. “I’ve got another delicate question. Would your nails turn colour if you met a sudden end? Or if someone decided to – ”
“Take me out? Bump me off?” Nerys let out a small chuckle. “They would turn colour, but it would happen within seconds and there wouldn’t be anything I could do to stop my death.” She put her glove back on and folded her hands in her lap. “Have you got any more delicate questions?”
“I have. Did Dana have any enemies apart from those who crossed the road to avoid her?”
“She did have a couple of unusual visitors last week.” Nerys indicated her head in the direction of the house next door. “I live there and I was in the garden when both of them arrived. The first one was that miserable-looking funeral director. That vampire one.”
“Fabrice Fairfax?”
“Yes, that’s him. He went inside and stayed for ten minutes. He left and then about half an hour later someone else turned up. I think it was a male being because he had a deep voice. He was wearing a long, red cloak with a hood. Very mysterious he looked. I fell over backwards trying to get a good look at him.”
“Did you get a good look?”
Nerys shook her head. “I didn’t. I couldn’t hear what he was saying either. He was one of those mumbling types. He went into Dana’s house and I crept into her garden to have a listen at the window. All I could hear was the low rumble of voices. He stayed about ten minutes too.”
I stared down at the nosy gnome and said, “Do you normally listen at windows?”
“No. But I had a feeling that something was wrong. I wished I’d have heard what they were talking about. It could have had something to do with her death.”
I sighed. “I wish that too. Never mind. I can speak to Fabrice again. I’ve already spoken to him once today and he never mentioned his visit here. Did Dana say anything about her visitors to you afterwards?”
“She didn’t. I got the feeling that they’d upset her. She normally had a twinkle in her eyes, but that had gone.” Nerys shook her head. “If Dana was having problems, she should have confided in me.”
“What do you know about Dana’s work at the retirement homes?”
“As much as anyone else, I suppose. She didn’t talk much about her work when she came home. I know that some relatives of the residents didn’t like how much was being spent on funerals and whatnot. Do you think one of them had a grudge against Dana because their inheritance was being spent on cake and sandwiches?”
“It’s a possibility. I want to talk to everyone who Dana dealt with recently. Dr Morgan told me Dana kept records of who she spoke to. Do you know where she kept them?”
“I do.” She pointed to the window on our left. “I’d often see her sitting at that table in the front room writing away in her books. There’s a small bookcase behind the table. That’s where she kept everything. Go in and have a look. The door’s open. Dana never locked it. None of us do. This is a safe place.”
I put my hand on Nerys’ arm and said, “It might not be as safe as you think. Keep your door locked from now on. Please.”
Nerys’ chin wobbled and fresh tears sprang to her eyes. “I will do. Excuse me, I need to be alone.” She pushed herself off the bench and ran out of the garden. I saw her head towards her house and go inside.
Stanley came over to me with dirt on his nose. I reached down and brushed it away. “Did you hear what Nerys said?” I asked him.
He nodded. “Most of it. Are we going inside Dana’s house?”
“We are. I’d like to look at her records. I’m hoping there will be a massive clue which will help us find her killer.”
We went inside and into the living room. The house felt desolate as if it knew Dana was never coming back. I noticed many thank-you cards pinned to the wall above the bookcase. We began our search by heading to the bookcase.
Three steps later, we stopped and stared at the empty bookcase.
“Perhaps she kept her files elsewhere,” Stanley said hopefully.
We searched Dana’s home and couldn’t find any records of her visits to the retirement homes anywhere.
Stanley said, “Someone’s taken the evidence.”
“It looks that way.” I paused and a tingle went through my hands. “I think there’s something here for us. Something we need to find.”
I held my hands out and let the magic flow through them. I wasn’t sure where to aim my magic so I waved my hands around and imagined information coming to us.
Stanley cried out, “Look! It’s a letter! It’s falling out of the lampshade.”
A folded piece of paper fell to the carpet in front of us. I picked it up. My heart missed a beat when I saw my name written on the front. I opened it up and read the contents to Stanley:
‘Cassia, if you’re reading this it means I’m dead. I’ve known for weeks that I was going to die. My gift doesn’t just work on others; it works on me too. I know for certain that someone is going to murder me. I don’t know who that will be or why. Every time I think about my death, the image in my mind becomes blurred and I can’t focus on it. Please, Cassia, find out who my murderer is before they hurt anyone else. I know we’ve never met, but I’m aware of your reputation as a justice witch, and I know you’ll find the being who killed me. Dana Murphy.’
I folded the paper up and put it in my pocket. I said to Stanley, “Poor Dana. Knowing you are going to die soon is bad enough, but knowing you’re going to be murdered is awful.”
Stanley nodded. “We’re going to find the evil creature who did this. And soon. I can feel it in my fur.”
Chapter 14
We flew away from Dana’s home and towards Brimstone town centre.
I said to Stanley, “I don’t know about you, but I could do with something to eat and drink. Shall we go to the Mooncrest Café?”
Stanley let out one of his cute cat chuckles and said, “I never say no to a visit to the café. We can ask Gilda about Dana. Gilda knows everyone in Brimstone.”
“She certainly does.”
We headed towards the café and came to a smooth landing outside. We entered the brightly lit building and my spirits immediately lifted. The interior of the café had been painted in soft shades of blues and yellows. Flowers and trees had been painted on the walls which gave the impression of you being outside on a beautiful sunny day.
Gilda, the owner of the café, glided towards us smoothly. I suspected she wore roller skates under her long dresses and skirts. Or perhaps she just hovered on air. Gilda was tall, thin and had pale, translucent skin. I kept meaning to ask Gran what type of being Gilda was. But I still hadn’t got around to it. It didn’t matter what species Gilda was. She was a great friend to Stanley and me and she always made us feel welcome.
She smiled as we approached her. “How lovely to see you both again. How are you?”
“Fine,” I replied. “How are you?”
“I can’t complain.” Gilda had a gift of knowing exactly what your body needed to consume. She placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and nodded. “That’s what I thought. Have a seat over there in the corner. I know just what you both need today. I’ll be back in a minute. You’ll be wanting to talk to me about Dana Murphy, won’t you?”
“Yes. How do you know that?” I asked.
“I would like to say that I know everything about everyone, but Blythe was in here earlier and she told me you were dealing with Dana’s death.” She shivered. “I can still hear her dying scream in my mind. I’ll be back soon.” She glided silently away.
Stanley and I sat at the table and looked around the café. It was busy today and creatures of all shapes, sizes and colours were sitting at the other tables. Most of them looked our way and gave us warm smiles. It was nice to feel welcome.
Stanley said, “What do you think Gilda is going to bring us today? I hope it’s something tasty.”
“It’s always something tasty. Look, she’s coming back already.”
Gilda put a tray on our table. She placed a bowl of something dark red in front of me along with a glass of something orange. My heart sank. I was hoping she’d bring me a stuffed crust pizza with a side order of garlic bread and curly fries.
Gilda caught my disappointed look. She smiled and said, “It’s my special tomato soup. Try it. You’ll love it. And that orange juice will perk your brain cells up. It’ll make you think more clearly.” She placed a plate in front of Stanley and lowered the table so he didn’t have to strain his neck. “This is your favourite fish pie, Stanley. Enjoy it.”
Stanley licked his lips and said, “Thank you so much.” He tucked into his food immediately.
I placed a spoon into the soup and gave it a stir. I wasn’t impressed with it.
Gilda took a seat at my side and said, “Stop looking at it like that. You’ll make it go sour. Have a taste.”
“Okay.” I raised the spoon to my mouth and slurped the soup from it. A tangy taste of ripe tomatoes danced along my tongue. I blinked in surprise. I had never tasted tomatoes like this before. There was a delicious combination of sweet and sour liquid swirling around my mouth. I swallowed the liquid and a sudden feeling of warmth wrapped itself around my body. My mouth dropped open and I stared at Gilda.
She laughed. “I know. It’s like being hugged by someone you love.”
I could only nod as I savoured the wonderful feeling of warm arms around me, hugging me with love and making me feel wanted and protected at the same time.
I waved my spoon at the soup. “What exactly is in this? Have you put magic in it?”
“I can’t divulge my secrets. Eat it up before it gets cold.”
I soon finished the bowl of tomato soup. The loving feeling intensified as I did so and I felt invincible. Nothing could hurt me. I had a sip of the orange juice, and just like Gilda had said, my brain perked up as if I’d been plugged into an electricity socket.
I said to Gilda, “What do you know about Dana? Did she come in here? This is delicious orange juice. I feel like I’m recharging.”
Gilda smiled at me. “Good. I’m glad you like it. Dana did come in here often, but she usually took her food to go. She didn’t like how some customers would turn away from her the second she walked in. I don’t think they meant to be rude; they just didn’t want to get her attention in case she predicted their deaths. I knew Dana didn’t work like that and I tried to explain it to my customers, but some of them are very stubborn.”
“That must have upset Dana.”
“It did. She tried not to show it. If she came in when the café was empty, I insisted she took a seat and had her food in here. We sometimes had time to chat too. She told me about her work at the retirement homes and it was clear she cared about everyone there. She liked to help those who were transitioning to the next part of their lives.”
I said, “I’ve heard a lot of good things about her. And I’ve heard that some relatives of the residents at the homes had issues with her. Do you know if she had any enemies?”
“I can’t say for sure. I did notice a change in her a few weeks ago. She seemed distracted a
s if she had something weighing on her mind. I asked her about it, but she said it was a personal matter and she was dealing with it. Do you know what was bothering her?”
I took Dana’s note from my pocket and showed it to Gilda.
She sighed and shook her head as she read it. “Why didn’t she tell anyone? We could have helped. We could have tried to protect her.”
“Perhaps she knew her death was a certainty. Maybe she didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. She had some visitors to her home recently.” I told Gilda what Nerys had said about Fabrice and the mysterious hooded figure.
Gilda gave me a tight-lipped smile. “I don’t know who the hooded figure is, but I’m not surprised to hear about Fabrice. He’d been bothering Dana a lot recently. I often saw him hanging around the street outside when Dana was in here. As soon as she left, he would stop her and start talking. It was obvious that she didn’t want to talk to him, but she was too polite to tell him to clear off. She politely listened until he’d finished talking. Their meetings always ended with her giving him a tight smile and a shake of her head. Whatever he was asking her always resulted in a no.”
“How did Fabrice take that?” I asked.
“Surprisingly well. He’d stare after her as she walked away with a small smile on his face. A few days later, he’d approach her again and start another conversation. I’ve no idea what they were talking about.” Gilda looked towards the door as it opened. “Oh dear, here comes trouble.”
Astrid came through the door, looked around, spotted us and raised her hand in greeting. She smiled and headed towards us.
Gilda muttered, “What’s wrong with her face? She’s smiling. I’ve never seen Astrid smile before.”
I whispered, “She’s helping us with our investigation.” I smiled at Gilda’s shocked expression and added, “It’s not my idea. I’ll tell you about it later.”
Gilda gave me a brief nod, stood up and moved away.
Astrid came to our table with the smile still on her face. She pointed to the back of her head and said, “I’m all healed now. Isn’t Dr Morgan amazing? What a wonderful doctor she is. I never realised that before.” She was still smiling as she looked around the café. “Isn’t this a lovely café? Look at the super paintings on the walls. Aren’t we lucky to have somewhere like this in our town?”
The Silent Banshee (A Brimstone Witch Mystery Book 5) Page 7