brimstone witch 10 - deal with the grim reaper

by April Fernsby

  The carriage turned around and faced the doors. The doors opened and we were taken smoothly towards a reception desk which was set up on a platform. The carriage came to a stop at the reception desk and the same gentle voice advised us it was safe to leave the carriage. We climbed out and walked over to the female goblin who was sitting behind the desk.

  Stanley was still muttering about the disappointing train ride, but I ignored him as I took in the grey-haired goblin who was staring at us intently. Her grey hair was pulled up tightly on her head. The tight smile on her face was just as severe as her hairstyle. There was no warmth in her eyes as she watched as without blinking.

  I stopped in front of her desk, gave her a bright smile and said, “Hello. I’m Cassia Winter, and this is Stanley.”

  “Hello,” Stanley said. “Do you know how slowly your elevator goes? Is there something wrong with it?”

  The goblin gave Stanley a dismissive look and turned her attention on me. I saw she was wearing a name tag which had ‘Mrs Bribs’ on it.

  “What is the nature of your business?” Mrs Bribs said haughtily. “I don’t recall making an appointment for you.”

  I didn’t let her tone put me off, and I continued, “I’m here to see Keftan Gubler on an important matter.”

  “What kind of important matter?”

  “It’s private.”

  Mrs Bribs raised one eyebrow and said, “Private? What do you mean by that?”

  My smile was wavering now. “By private, I mean it’s a private matter between me and Mr Gubler. Is he in? This is urgent.”

  “Really?” Mrs Bribs sniffed in disapproval. “If it’s so urgent and so private, you’ll have to tell me what it’s about. I can’t let just anyone in to see Mr Gubler.”

  I rested one hand on her desk and leaned forwards. “I’m a justice witch in this town and I’m here on official business. I have to talk to Mr Gubler immediately. The reason for that is none of your concern. Now, are you going to let me see him or do I need to arrest you for obstructing justice?” I didn’t like to use such threatening words, but I was constantly aware of time ticking away.

  Mrs Bribs looked momentarily startled and said, “He’s not in. He’s out on a meeting.”

  I sighed with impatience. “Why didn’t you tell me that immediately? Never mind. When will he be back?”

  “In an hour. I can have a word with him upon his return and see if he can squeeze you in sometime in the next few days.” She pulled a book towards her and ran her finger down it. “Perhaps he could spare you five minutes next Thursday or the Friday after that.”

  “No.” My voice was too sharp but I didn’t have time to be polite. “I will return here in one hour, and I will speak to Mr Gubler.”

  “Oh? Will you now?” Mrs Bribs gave me another haughty look.

  “Yes, I will.” I hesitated a moment as I realised Mrs Bribs might be of use. “Actually, I want to speak to Mr Gubler about Oddec Hammerhands. I know Oddec’s been missing for a long time and I’m trying to locate him. Do you know anything about Oddec Hammerhands?”

  Mrs Bribs rolled her eyes dramatically and then shook her head. “Not this again! I thought this matter had been put to rest years ago. Everyone knows he left his wife because he couldn’t deal with the pressures of running that mine of theirs. He was extremely weak-willed and a coward to boot. His wife did the majority of the work at the mine anyway, everyone knew that. But Oddec took all the glory. I suspect she nagged him about working harder, but the lazy creature refused. That’s probably why he ran away. He’s no doubt found himself an easier life. That’s my theory anyway.”

  I gave her a nod. “I see. I’ve just been talking to Mowibela Hammerhands. She told me Oddec had a business meeting with Mr Gubler on the night before he went missing. Were you working here at that time? If so, do you know anything about that meeting?”

  I leapt backwards as Mrs Bribs suddenly shot to her feet. Her face was full of fury as she shouted, “Are you insinuating Mr Gubler had something to do with Oddec’s disappearance? How dare you! I have been working for Mr Gubler for over thirty years. He’s the most decent and honest creature I’ve ever met. I can vouch for his good character. He had nothing to do with the disappearance of that lazy dwarf.”

  I held my hand out to placate her. “I didn’t mean that at all. I was merely wondering if you saw Oddec that night, and if so, what was his state of mind? That’s what I’m going to be asking Mr Gubler too. I’m sorry if I’ve offended you.”

  Mrs Bribs sniffed in disapproval, looked me up and down, and then returned to her sitting position. She said, “I can recall what the meeting was about because whenever Mr Gubler met with Oddec, it was always about the same thing. Mr Gubler wanted to buy the Hammerhands Mine because he knew how badly it was being run. Mr Gubler is already running several successful mines, this one included.” A smile came to her face. “Everyone loves working for Mr Gubler. He knows how to treat his staff fairly. We’re one big happy team here.”

  I saw the admiration in her eyes and said, “That’s refreshing to hear.”

  Mrs Bribs nodded enthusiastically. “Mr Gubler uses the latest technology to extract the stones, and safety is his main priority. He never puts any of his workers in danger and he looks after them well. He’s even put a system in place which pumps fresh air into the mines. We’ve got a healthcare system too. Mr Gubler knows a happy workforce is a loyal workforce. And that includes me. If he’d have bought the mine from Oddec, then his workforce would have been as happy as Mr Gubler’s.”

  “Oh? What do you mean by that? Did Oddec have enemies amongst his workforce?”

  She nodded. “He didn’t care about the safety of his workers. As long as they got the stones out, that’s all he was bothered about. His wife does treat them better, but Mr Gubler would make a more efficient job of it. He keeps asking Mrs Hammerhands to sell the mine to him, but she hasn’t come to her senses yet. For some reason, she thinks Oddec will return to the mine. She’s only fooling herself.”

  Now that Mrs Bribs was in a chatty mood, I tried to get more information from her. “Do you really think Oddec ran away?”

  “It’s a possibility. He wouldn’t be the only family member to run away from his responsibilities. He had a younger brother who ran away from the mine years ago. It’s crossed my mind that Oddec has gone to live with his brother. You could try asking his brother about Oddec. He’s called Jackreth, but I don’t know which town he lives in.”

  I gave her a smile of appreciation. “Thank you for that. I’ll find out where he lives. You mentioned the mining of stones. Is that what you mine here? Do you mine anything else?”

  She lifted her chin and said proudly, “We mine a variety of stones and crystals here. They are used for a wealth of reasons including the powering of machinery, some of which we have in our mines. Also, some of the more precious crystals are used for jewellery as they are of the highest quality.” She sounded like she was trying to sell me the mines’ products.

  “What are the names of the stones and crystals?” The names had nothing to do with my investigation and I was just being nosy now.

  Mrs Bribs began to tell me the names of the crystals. There were many vowels in the names along with harsh sounds. I couldn’t understand any of the words she was saying and it sounded like she was clearing her throat. I was too polite to ask her to repeat the words.

  I nodded in a knowing manner as if I’d understood her and said, “We’ll be going now. We’ll be back in an hour. I would very much appreciate it if you could let Mr Gubler know we’re coming back. It is important.”

  Stanley added, “Extremely important.”

  Mrs Bribs gave us a curt nod and said, “Please step back into the carriage and I’ll arrange for your transport out of the mine. Good day.” She pressed a button in front of her and I turned around to see the carriage facing the other way.

  I said thank you before climbing into the carriage with Stanley. The journey back to the surface was un
eventful, much to Stanley’s dismay, and we were back out in the fresh air within a few minutes.

  I looked at Stanley and said, “Well? What do you think about our investigation so far? Do you think we’re dealing with an unsolved murder here? Or are we wasting our precious time?”

  Stanley gave me a solemn look. “I honestly feel we’re on the right tracks.” He suddenly started chuckling and waved his paws at the tracks in front of us. “Excuse the pun.”

  I flashed him a brief smile and nodded. “I’m getting that impression too. My gut feeling is that Oddec has been murdered. We’ve got a lot of investigating to do, and not much time to do it.”

  Chapter 7

  Before we got back on Mum’s broomstick, I checked the time and noticed with a sinking heart that an hour had already passed. I didn’t realise time could pass so very quickly.

  Stanley noticed me checking the time and said, “Do you think the curse is working on you? Do you feel any different? Do you feel less like a witch than normal?”

  I shook my head at him. “I’ve spent most of my adult life not knowing I was a witch, so I don’t think I’d know the difference anyway.” I gave him a smile and added, “Let’s hope my magic keeps working and doesn’t let us down when we’re airborne.”

  He shook his head at me. “I really wish you wouldn’t say things like that. Where are we going now?” He jumped onto the broomstick.

  I took my place behind him. “I want to go back to Brimstone and check with Gran and Blythe about other possible unsolved murders. There’s no point spending time on Oddec’s disappearance if he’s not the one who’s been murdered. And I’d like to check on Gran to see if she’s okay in herself. I think this curse business has shaken her more than she’s letting on.”

  I sent a mental message to the broomstick and ordered it to take us to Brimstone centre. I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief as it rose. When we were high enough, I cast a spell on the broomstick to make it fly faster. I wanted to spend as little time as possible on travelling. Whilst speeding along at a breakneck speed wasn’t my idea of fun, my little cat loved it and waved his front paws in the air. I put a steadying hand on his back to keep him on the broomstick.

  Brimstone town centre appeared in front of us and we began our descent. Someone was sitting on the steps of the gazebo, but it wasn’t Andy the Grim Reaper this time. It was Luca. My heart gave a leap of joy and I aimed the broomstick towards him.

  Luca saw us and got to his feet. His face broke into a welcoming smile. As well as being a guardian of this town, Luca was a shapeshifter which had come in useful during some of my murder investigations. He was also my boyfriend. My love for him grew every day. He told me constantly that he felt the same way about me. He’d been the one who’d organised my surprise birthday party in Brimstone recently and it had taken him weeks of preparation.

  When we landed, Stanley leapt off the broomstick and ran over to Luca where he unashamedly threw himself into Luca’s arms. Stanley nuzzled his head into Luca’s chest and said, “Hello! It’s so good to see you. You wouldn’t believe the day we’ve had so far. I like your aftershave. It makes you smell manly. Cassia, come over here and smell Luca.”

  Luca stroked Stanley’s head and gave him a huge smile. “I’ve heard about your morning, Stanley. Why don’t we have a seat and talk about it more?” He looked my way and gave me a wink which made my heart flip over in a ridiculous manner. Luca crooked his elbow in my direction. I put my hand on his elbow and he led me over to the nearest bench.

  We sat down and Stanley remained on Luca’s lap. I could hear him purring. Stanley, not Luca.

  Luca turned to me and I could see the worry in his face. He said, “I’ve been talking to Blythe and Esther about the curse. How could this have happened? Why didn’t Blythe know about it and stop it? I don’t understand any of this. Surely with all the magic available to Blythe and Esther, they could do something to reverse the curse. Couldn’t they?”

  “Apparently not,” I told him. “I’m as mystified as you about the curse. I really hope we can stop it before—” My voice cracked and I couldn’t continue.

  Luca reached out, put his arm around my shoulders and gave me a comforting squeeze. “Things will turn out alright. I know they will. Blythe told me about the missing dwarf and that you were going over to the Hammerhands Mine. Tell me what you’ve discovered so far.” He frowned. “When Blythe mentioned the name of the mine, I had a feeling I’d had a connection with it in the past, but for the life of me, I can’t remember what. I’m sure it will come to me.”

  Between us, Stanley and I told Luca what we’d uncovered so far. As we were telling him, I realised we didn’t have very much information at all and wondered if we’d wasted our time.

  Luca said, “I’ve never heard of Jackreth Hammerhands. But I’ll talk to the residents here and I’m sure someone will know who he is and where he’s living now. I’ll get on to that straight away as there’s no time to lose.” He looked deeply into my eyes. “Cassia, I won’t let this curse come to fruition. I couldn’t bear the thought of you not being in Brimstone anymore. It would break my heart. If it takes the last breath in my body, I will make sure this curse is broken.”

  Stanley looked up at him and said, “Don’t say things like that! No one is losing their last breath today. No one is going to stop being a witch. No one is going to feel the effects of an evil curse. I just won’t have that kind of talk!”

  Luca lifted Stanley’s chin. “You’re right, let’s not have any negative talk. You take good care of Cassia like you always do.” He picked Stanley up and put him on my lap. He got to his feet and said, “I’ll find out where Jackreth lives and catch up with you later.” He gave me a quick kiss before dashing away.

  Stanley said, “I’m glad we’ve got Luca on our side.”

  “Me too.” I placed Stanley on the ground, stood up and continued, “Let’s go over to Blythe’s house.”

  When we entered Blythe’s house, we found her and Gran on their knees in the living room. They were surrounded by papers and they looked harassed and frustrated. Gran’s hair was sticking up and her cardigan sleeves were rolled up to the elbows.

  I moved over to the sofa and sat in the only area which wasn’t covered in papers. I said, “I hate to ask this, but have you come across any useful information?”

  Blythe threw down a sheet of paper and declared, “We haven’t found any suspicious deaths in the last twenty-three years! You’d think there’d be at least one or two, wouldn’t you? These papers have confirmed that when we had a murder in Brimstone, we’ve always known it was a murder and we dealt with it.”

  Gran added, “There’s not one single missing creature either. It’s very unsatisfactory. We’ve gone over these papers four times now, and we still can’t find anything. We’ve even used revealing spells on them for any clues, but we’ve had no luck.”

  Blythe got to her feet, her knees cracked as she did so. She said, “One thing which occurred to Esther was about the other witches who were with Gertrude at the time of the curse. Once they left her, they could have cast a counter-curse just in case the worst happened. That doesn’t explain the cellar door disappearing, though.”

  Gran put her hand out in Blythe’s direction and Blythe helped her to a standing position. Gran said, “That’s the line of enquiry we’re going to take next. We’ll get in touch with the descendants of those witches and see if we can find out anything. It’s the only lead we’ve got at the moment. Tell us what you found out at the mine. Do you think Oddec Hammerhands is a murder victim? Please say yes.”

  I told them about Oddec, Keftan Gubler, and Jackreth Hammerhands.

  Gran tapped her finger on her chin. “Jackreth Hammerhands? Now, I recall some gossip about him. I know he went to a different town but he didn’t want anyone to know where he was going. But I’m sure I discovered the name of the town. What was it? It’s on the tip of my tongue. Come on, Esther, think!”

  With perfect timi
ng, Luca came rushing into the room and declared, “I know where the brother lives! I’ve got the precise location!”

  Gran clicked her fingers at him. “Where is it? Put me out of my misery.”

  Luca said, “It’s the town of Adonis Blue.”

  Gran yelled, “Adonis Blue! That’s it.” She turned to me, grabbed my hand and yanked me to my feet. “Get over there immediately, Cassia. Find out what happened to Oddec as soon as possible! If Jackreth killed him, use whatever magic you can to get a confession out of him. Quickly!” She shoved me towards the door.

  “Okay, I’m going. There’s no need to be so rough.”

  Gran’s hands dropped limply to her side and she gave me a weak smile. “Sorry. It’s just that, well, you know. Time is of the essence.”

  “I know it is, Gran. Stanley and I will get over to Adonis Blue immediately.” The worry in her voice was unnerving me.

  Stanley piped up, “Esther, don’t you worry about this investigation. Cassia and I have got everything under control. If that dwarf has been murdered, we’ll find his deceased body somewhere. And then we’ll find his murderer.” He gave her a nod of conviction.

  Stanley’s words should have made Gran smile, but instead, the worry in her eyes increased tenfold. Was there something she was keeping from me about the curse?

  Luca took my hand and said, “Come on; I’ll walk you out of the house.”

  I gave Gran a quick smile before leaving the room with Stanley and Luca.

  When we were outside, Luca said, “Adonis Blue is named after a butterfly just like Brimstone is. The male ones have the most amazing blue wings, and the female ones have brown ones, almost like a chocolate brown. Jackreth Hammerhands owns his own jewellery shop in the centre of town. It’s the only jewellers there, so it’ll be easy for you to spot.” He gave me the full address and continued, “I’ll do what I can in Brimstone while you’re over there. I’ve already told most of the residents what’s happening with you and Esther, and they’re aware of the curse. They’re mortified and they’re doing all they can to help. Between you, Stanley, Esther, Blythe and the rest of the town, we’ll make sure this curse is broken.” He gave me a loving smile, cupped my cheek with his hand and said softly, “Cassia, you’re not alone. You’re never alone in Brimstone.”