I put the wine in the fridge as I wanted to have a clear head for a while. I’d have a glass later. I opened the chocolates because everyone knows they start to go off quickly and must be consumed as soon as possible.
I settled myself on the sofa and put a notepad on my knee. My chocolate treats were within easy reach and I helped myself. I made a list of the suspects so far, and why I thought they were suspects.
Zeke. Obviously. He’d been defensive when I’d spoken to him, and I knew he was hiding something from me. From his curt words about Uriah, it was clear he didn’t like him. Then there was the matter of Uriah hounding Zarrina which had led to her leaving the family act. Zeke wasn’t happy about that. Also, Zeke hadn’t wanted me to talk to Zarrina. Why? What did she know? What was the secret she mentioned?
Basil was my next suspect. He was missing, which was suspicious in itself. Unless he was dead. He could have witnessed the murder and then been a victim himself. Possible. Another theory was that he’d found out Uriah had damaged his books and decided to take his revenge. I’d witnessed how quickly Basil had lost his temper yesterday.
I wrote down Flint’s name. Why was he really at Uriah’s house? Had Uriah been bad-mouthing Flint recently? The werewolf was quick to take offence, and quick to take violent action. Loathe as I was to talk to him again, I knew I’d have to.
Who else? I tapped my pen on my chin and considered what I knew about Uriah.
I sighed. Many residents in Brimstone had taken a dislike to Uriah. Who had he upset recently? Who had he pushed to breaking point with his cruel words? I really needed that book of his.
There was a gentle tap at the window. I looked that way and saw a Brimstone butterfly hovering there. I got up and went over to the window. As soon as I opened it, the butterfly came in and landed on the table.
It was Sarah again, with another message for me written on her wings:
‘Cassia, meet me at Uriah’s house at 10 p.m. Come alone. Zarrina.’
I thanked Sarah for the message and then gave her my reply to say I’d be there. Sarah flapped her wings twice to acknowledge the message and then fluttered away.
I checked the time: 9.30. I’d replied that I would meet Zarrina, but was the message really from her? Was I being set up? There was only one way to find out.
Just a moment; what about Stanley? He’d be worried sick if he came back and I wasn’t here. I know he’d looked at the damaged books with me earlier, but I wasn’t sure how well he could read. Would a written message be the best thing? I did the next best thing. I drew a picture of me flying towards Uriah’s house and a clock face showing 10 o’clock. I attempted to draw Zarrina too, but as I’d only seen the top of her head, it was a challenge.
I put the picture near the door and hoped Stanley would understand it. Hopefully, I’d be back before him anyway. Fingers crossed.
I took my broomstick and left the apartment.
Chapter 21
Flying over Brimstone during the day was amazing; flying over it at night was even better. It was breathtaking. The fireflies that lit up the town flittered and fluttered around like they were dancing. The gazebo was illuminated with floating candles, and some creatures were sitting on the steps and laughing joyfully. The doors to the Razzle Dazzle club were visible, and the top part of them gave out a golden glow as if beckoning me closer. I was almost tempted to head that way.
I had a quick scan for Stanley and his pals, but I couldn’t see them.
I aimed my broomstick towards Cemetery Road and flew over the big houses. They were all lit up like beacons and I could imagine the happy family scenes inside. I missed having Stanley as my flying companion. He would love this night-time scene.
Uriah’s house loomed like a dark spectre at the end of the road and I reluctantly headed towards it. If the message had come from Zarrina, why would she want to meet me here? If her brother and sister were performing at the Razzle Dazzle club, couldn’t she have met me at her house? I would have preferred that.
I looked down at the grounds of Uriah’s property as I soared above it. No sign of Zarrina. She hadn’t been specific about where she wanted to meet me, so I headed towards the back of the property.
Something caught my eye. There were lights on in the new extension at the back of the house. Who was in there? My broomstick wobbled as I saw the white light change colour. It turned amber, and then red. Basil? Was he in there?
I heard someone calling my name. It was coming from the front of the house. I went that way and saw Zarrina standing near the front door. She waved a lit torch at me. I landed at her side and jumped off the broomstick. She was only small and her head came up to my shoulder.
She looked more animated than the last time I saw her. She looked positively cheerful.
“Hi, Cassia, thanks for meeting me. I’ve got something amazing to show you. It’s Uriah’s secret. You won’t believe it.” She opened the door and went inside.
For all I knew, she could be leading me into a trap. The sudden thought that Zarrina could have killed Uriah landed in my head. Heck. I hadn’t thought of her as a suspect.
I stayed where I was with my hand firmly on my broomstick. “Zarrina, I’m not going inside until you explain yourself. Why are we meeting here? Why didn’t you want to meet at your house? Are your brother and sister there?”
“Course not. They’re at the club like they are every night. They’ll be out for hours.” She curled her finger and invited me in. “I want to show you Uriah’s secret room. You’ll love it!” She turned away.
There was no way I was stepping into a darkened house with a possible killer. I decided to play for time. “Zarrina, do your brother and sister have any other jobs besides being performers? Excuse me for being rude, but how can your family afford that big house of yours?”
Zarrina turned back and frowned at me. “That house has been in the family for years. Our family has always bought property. Zeke still does. All he thinks about is money.” Her face twisted in disgust. “I heard him talking to Zuleika about this house a few hours ago. Zeke said he wanted to buy it and rip it down. He said he was going to build three big houses on this land and make a fat profit.”
“Did he now?” Interesting.
Zarrina dashed forward, grabbed my sleeve and yanked me into the house. She shut the door behind me and said, “I don’t want anyone to see us. If they knew what was in Uriah’s secret room, they’d be in here in a flash. This way.”
She kept hold of my sleeve as she skipped along. For a little person, she was incredibly strong and I had no choice but to go with her. I suppose I could have used magic to stop her, but the thought of seeing a secret room was intriguing.
We headed towards the back of the house and I realised we were going towards the extension.
We stopped at a panelled wall. Zarrina cast me a cheeky look and then placed her hand on the middle panel. She put pressure on it and a door opened.
She giggled and said, “A secret door to the secret room. Isn’t this great? Uriah was so clever. Follow me.” She stepped into the darkness and switched on a light.
I was beyond curious at this point and followed her immediately.
The short passageway led to a large, brightly-lit room. I stopped and stared. I felt like I’d stepped back into my own world.
There was a huge TV at the front of the room. Games consoles which I recognised were at the side of the TV along with piles of games. There were also many DVDs and I recognised the titles of well-known action and adventure films. Most of them had a supernatural element. Posters decorated the walls. They showed the same films along with the stars of the shows. Uriah certainly had a thing for the Twilight sagas, especially the leading vampire. I glanced around the room and saw matching merchandise in the form of books, cups, cushions and even cardboard cut outs. Again, the famous Twilight vampire took centre stage.
Zarrina tugged at my sleeve. “Isn’t this amazing? It’s so magical.” She pointed to the TV. “That’s a magic
box. I don’t like it. It scares me. Uriah tried to explain what it was, but I still don’t like it. There are too many people inside it. I don’t know how they got in.”
I shook my head and took in the scene again. “Zarrina, I don’t understand. How did Uriah get all of this? These are items from my world. I thought Brimstone residents were not allowed into my world.”
Zarrina put a hand over her mouth and tried to cover her giggles. “We’re not supposed to. Uriah said I should never, ever tell anyone.” She lowered her hand. “But I had to tell you. Someone killed Uriah, and I think it’s because they found out about this room. They wanted this secret room for themselves.”
“Basil!” I declared. “I think Basil was in here a few minutes ago. Did you see him?”
Zarrina shook her head. “Basil wasn’t in here. How would he know about the secret room?” Her eyes widened. “Unless he forced Uriah to tell him! He must have! I know it. He forced Uriah to tell him about this room. Then Basil killed him. You have to arrest him! You have to.”
“I’ll certainly speak to him. Zarrina, how did Uriah get these items?”
She pointed to a curtain at the other side of the room. “Through the magic door.”
I walked straight over to the door and pulled the curtain to one side. There was a door in front of me. My breath caught in my throat. This door looked exactly like the one in Gran’s cellar; the one that led into Brimstone. And back out of Brimstone and into my world.
Chapter 22
I reached for the handle.
“Wait!” Zarrina called out. “You can’t go through that door! Only Uriah’s allowed to open it.”
“He’s not here anymore,” I pointed out. My hand dropped. “What’s beyond this door? Where does it lead?”
Zarrina smiled. “To Uriah’s secret world. It’s where his talents are fully appreciated. Not like here in Brimstone. In Uriah’s secret world, he is worshipped. He is loved. Everyone listens to him.”
“Can you be more specific? Is there another supernatural town through here?”
“No, it’s a different kind of world. There aren’t any supernatural creatures at all. That’s why Uriah was treated so well when he went there. They hadn’t met a real vampire before, and they couldn’t get enough of Uriah when he told them his vampire stories.” She clasped her hands together. “They loved it when his fangs come out. They’d cheer loudly when he turned himself into a bat! He was a hero to his audience.”
“Audience? Was he a performer?” I asked.
Zarrina tilted her head. “Sort of. He wasn’t a cheap performer like we have here in Brimstone. He was an original. He allowed me to watch his shows. He was amazing as he spoke about vampires from years ago. He knew everything about vampires and their history. The audience hung onto his every word. Some of them dressed like him, but they weren’t real vampires.”
Ah. It was starting to make sense. It sounded as if Uriah had found himself an avid fan base on the other side of this door.
I said, “How do you know about Uriah’s secret life? I didn’t realise you were friends. I thought he shouted at you in the street. I thought he was the reason why you stopped performing.”
Zarrina nodded enthusiastically. “He was, and quite right too. I had no business throwing myself around the stage like my brother and sister. It was degrading. I didn’t see the truth of Uriah’s words at first, but he kept following me and repeating them. It didn’t take me long to realise he was telling the truth. I listened to him more and soon agreed with him. We became good friends, and he showed me this room. He told me about his secret life.”
I frowned. It sounded like Zarrina had been brainwashed.
Zarrina moved closer to me, her eyes wide. “Uriah showed me the truth. He showed me who I was. He said if I kept his secret, I could join him in front of his audience.”
“Did Zuleika and Zeke know you were friends with him?”
“No. I met him here at night when they were at the club. We had an amazing time when we went into the other world. We felt free. We could be ourselves. Everyone adored us there.” She hesitated. “We were going to leave Brimstone and go into the other world permanently. Uriah said he’d been contacted by an agent, whatever that is, who wanted Uriah to spread his message further. It would take a lot of Uriah’s time up, but he wanted to do it. He asked me to go with him. I said yes but then thought about my family. I didn’t want to just leave them without saying goodbye. I asked Uriah to give me a bit of time to sort things out with them.”
“When was this?”
“A few weeks ago. I told Zuleika about our plans straight away, but I didn’t have the courage to tell Zeke.”
“How did Zuleika take it?”
“Better than I thought. She said she understood, but she wanted me to tell Zeke. She said he’d understand better if it came from me.”
I asked, “Did you tell him eventually?”
Her head dropped. “No. I couldn’t find the courage to face him. Since I stopped performing with them, he’s been awful to me. He hates me. I know he does.” Her head lifted and I saw her eyes filling with tears. “It doesn’t matter now. Uriah’s gone. He was misunderstood in Brimstone. He was hated. He knew that. He knew someone would try to kill him one day. He knew they wanted to silence him. It was his duty to remind beings who they were, and how they should behave.”
“I’m not sure it was his business to do that.” I reached for the handle again and turned it.
Zarrina yelled, “No! You can’t go out there.”
I looked through the open door. I blinked and focused my eyes on the scene. I recognised it.
I stepped through the opening. I was in my home town. I was in the high street next to a theatre. This was Uriah’s magical world?
Zarrina came through the door and looked around. “Isn’t it wonderful? It’s so dark and cold. Look at the shops over there. They’re full of magical goods.”
I looked that way. I suppose a supermarket and electrical shop would seem magical if you weren’t used to them.
Zarrina tugged on my sleeve. In an awed voice, she said, “Look at Uriah. There he is.”
I was half expecting to see a ghost as Zarrina turned me to the side. Instead, I saw posters of Uriah on the wall of the theatre. He was bearing his fangs and wearing a black cape. His pale face and dark eyes looked out at us. A sticker over the bottom of the poster proclaimed Uriah’s show was sold out.
“They loved him,” Zarrina said. “They worshipped him.”
I had a sudden thought. Seeing as I was back in my own world, I could use the internet. If Uriah was such a big deal here, he might be online. I took my phone out and typed in Uriah’s name along with ‘vampire show’.
Bingo. Many videos came up. I clicked on the first one and heard Zarrina gasping at my side as it started to play.
She said, “How did Uriah get into that box? Is it magic?”
“Sort of.”
I watched the video of Uriah standing on stage as he recited a story of a relative who had lived three hundred years ago. This relative had been quite a character when it came to claiming his victims. To his credit, Uriah was a magnificent actor and I found myself mesmerised as I listened. The audience felt the same and erupted into rapturous applause when he’d finished.
I scrolled down to the comments. There were a lot of positive ones from ardent fans. As expected, there were some awful comments too from people who declared Uriah to be a fake. I was tempted to make a joke about there being internet trolls in this world, but I didn’t think Zarrina would understand it.
Zarrina said sadly, “They don’t know about Uriah. They don’t know he’s gone. Their hearts will break when they find out.” She gave me a puzzled look. “How will they find out?”
“I’m sure they’ll get the message when he doesn’t come back.” I lifted the phone. “He’ll be leaving good memories behind.”
Zarrina nodded slowly. “He’d like that. Cassia, will you find out who killed him? P
lease.”
“I’ll try.” I looked again at the posters. I wasn’t going to point out the obvious to Zarrina. Uriah had berated her and her family for not being true vampires by performing on a stage. But then he had done the very same thing. Some would consider him a fake.
Perhaps that’s what had happened. Perhaps someone from Brimstone had discovered Uriah’s secret life and then attacked him.
I recalled the lights I’d seen in the extension as I’d flown over. Basil?
I had to find that bad-tempered bookworm, and soon.
Chapter 23
Zarrina and I went back into Uriah’s room and I closed the door firmly behind me.
I said to Zarrina, “Have you ever tried to open this door?”
Her hands flew to her chest. “No! I would never dare. Uriah told me only he could open it. He said it took a great deal of magic to open it.”
I looked at the door. Was there someway I could detect if items were covered in magic? I’d have to ask Gran about that.
“Zarrina, did Uriah tell you how long he’d been going through this door?”
She looked left and right as if expecting someone to be there listening to us. “He said the door appeared a few months ago. Like magic.”
I frowned. “How can a door just appear? Did Uriah use black magic to get it to appear?”
Zarrina blanched. “Black magic? No one in Brimstone uses black magic. It’s illegal.”
This wasn’t the time to tell Zarrina that the use of black magic was on the increase and that it had started a few months ago. Had Uriah got his hands on some black magic and then used it to create this door? Or had someone else created it to tempt Uriah into another world? But why would someone do that?
“Zarrina, this is a fairly new extension. Do you know how old it is? Do you know why Uriah built it if he had the rest of the house to live in?”
She shrugged. “I never asked him.”
I looked back at the door and opened my hand towards it. “Could you do something for me, please? Can you try and open the door?”
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