Brimstone Witch Mysteries - Box Set 1

by April Fernsby

  I gave him a smile. “Since I arrived in Brimstone, I don’t know what I’m going to do next either. You’d better eat your fruit before I get my hands on it.”

  Luca soon wolfed his fruit down and I polished mine off. I looked at Stanley and saw his plate was empty and clean. His eyes were drooping and I knew he was getting ready for a nap.

  I said to Luca, “Right, you’ve heard what we’ve been up to. You said you had something to tell us. What is it?”

  Luca reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen. It was a red marker pen. He handed it to me and said, “Blythe let me have a look at Uriah’s body. She’s a bit squeamish when it comes to things like that. I’m not. I found this in Uriah’s inside pocket. I didn’t find his book. Can you see how the pen’s been damaged at one side and the ink has leaked out? And there are tiny splinters embedded in the plastic.”

  I turned the pen over in my hands. “This must have been in the way when the stake was forced into Uriah. I didn’t search that part of his clothing when I looked for the book. I couldn’t because the stake was in the way.”

  Luca said, “When the stake was pulled out, the pen was easy to get to. Some of the ink might be on the stake.”

  I looked up from the pen. “So, all we have to do is find the stake and hope there’s a bit of red ink on it. I saw Zeke making some stakes for his show. It sounded as if he’s got a stash of stakes somewhere. I could do with having a look at them. Did you go to the club last night? Did you see the Trinity Twins? Did they use stakes in their show?”

  “No to all three questions. I wanted to go to the nightclub to see if anyone was talking about Uriah. But Astrid said she wasn’t feeling well and would prefer it if I kept her company at her house.”

  There wasn’t any emotion in his voice and I couldn’t work out how he was feeling.

  I said, “Is Astrid okay now?”

  “Yes. She made a recovery fairly quickly. I can find out if the twins used stakes last night. I could go to their dressing room and have a look at any stakes they might have in there. I’m able to lift the cloaking device long enough to enter the club.”

  “That would be helpful. Thank you. Can I keep this pen?”

  Luca nodded. “Of course. What are you going to do next?”

  “I’ll have to tell Blythe about my talk with Basil and his visit to my world. And I’ll tell her about Flint too. Then I’ll visit Zeke and Zuleika again.” I sighed wearily. “I think the fruit is wearing off.”

  Luca placed his hand over mine. “Let me help. I’ll tell Blythe about Basil and Flint. I’ll also have a look around the nightclub. Uriah might have dropped his book somewhere. Why don’t we meet up later at my house to discuss our findings? I’ll make you and Stanley something to eat.” He removed his hand.

  “That sounds good. Where do you live?”

  Hurt came into his eyes. “Can’t you remember?”

  “I’m sorry, no.”

  He turned towards the window and pointed to a tall, green house on the opposite side of the street. “It’s that one. I’ve got the rooms on the top floor. Mum and Dad used to live there but they’ve got a bungalow now. They couldn’t cope with all the stairs.” He looked back at me. “Don’t you remember looking at the stars with me?”

  I gazed at the house. A memory floated gently into my mind like a falling autumn leaf. I laughed. “Yes! I do remember. You’ve got a roof garden. We used to lay on blankets and watch the stars. The shooting stars! We saw so many of them. I saw more than you. I remember that bit.”

  Luca folded his arms. “I don’t think so, young lady. You counted the same shooting stars more than once. You’ve conveniently forgotten that bit.”

  I waved my hand at him dismissively. “You’re the one who’s forgotten how many stars I counted.”

  “So, do you want to come over about eight?”

  “I’d love to. Stanley, what do you say to that?”

  We looked at Stanley. He was fast asleep.

  Luca said, “You sort Stanley out, and I’ll pay for the food.” He stood up. “I will see you both tonight. Don’t be late.”

  Astrid suddenly and quietly appeared at our side. It was like she’d popped out of thin air. She gave Luca a bright smile and said, “Don’t be late for what?”

  Luca said, “I’ve invited Stanley and Cassia over for dinner.”

  Astrid clapped her hands together. “What a wonderful idea! I’ll make the dessert. What time is dinner?”

  “Eight,” Luca replied quietly.

  “Wonderful. I’ll come over to yours at seven to help you prepare.” Astrid looked in my direction. “You look as if you’re leaving. See you later.”

  I scooped Stanley up, called out a goodbye to Gilda and left the café. I really didn’t know what to make of Astrid. I shrugged. Her relationship with Luca was none of my business.

  I carried Stanley upstairs to the apartment and placed him on the sofa. He was still fast asleep.

  I walked over to the large window and looked out. Ah! There was one of my prime suspects now. I made sure Stanley was still asleep before leaving the apartment. I wouldn’t be too long.

  Chapter 28

  I jogged across the town square and yelled, “Gisela! Hi!”

  Gisela stopped and looked my way. I was surprised to see anger on her face. She was clutching a thick folder and I could see that her knuckles were white.

  When I stopped at her side, I said, “Sorry to disturb you. Are you in a rush?”

  “I was,” she said bitterly, “but I’m not now. I’m so mad, I could explode!”

  “Don’t do that. You’ll make a big mess all over the square.” I gave her a small smile.

  Gisela let out a slow breath of air and her shoulders dropped a fraction. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout.” She lifted the folder up. “Do you know what this is?”

  I shook my head.

  “This is my dream. I’ve been working on it for years. I thought I was finally going to make it happen. I was wrong.”

  “What’s inside the folder?”

  “Plans for my new nightclub. I’ve been carefully planning it for years. I’m ready to expand my business.” She looked at the folder. “I’ve got everything planned, right down to the last detail. I’ve been looking for the right property for years, but nothing was suitable.” She stopped speaking.

  I didn’t want to make her angry again, but I had a job to do. “Gisela, you were heard arguing with Uriah the other night. You know I’m investigating his murder. Can you tell me what the argument was about, please?”

  She tucked the folder under her arm. “It wasn’t an argument; more of a disagreement. Uriah was planning to leave Brimstone. He knew I’d been looking for new premises and he said he would sell his house to me before he left. Uriah never did anything out of the kindness of his heart, so I asked him what the catch was. He said he wanted to be allowed back into the club. I’d banned him because of his behaviour. Well, you saw him the other night and how he behaved.”

  “I did.”

  Gisela went on, “Against my better judgement, I said yes on the proviso he kept quiet during the show. I knew I shouldn’t have agreed, but his house would be the perfect venue. He came back to the club and was quiet for the first few nights. But then he reverted back to his true nature. He couldn’t help himself. I knew I had to ban him permanently. That’s what I was talking to him about that night. He accepted his ban quietly and so I mentioned the sale of his house. He said his plans had been put on hold and he didn’t know when he would be leaving. He said the matter was out of his hands.”

  I nodded. Uriah had been waiting for Zarrina to tell Zeke about leaving Brimstone. She had been taking her time about telling him.

  I said, “Now that Uriah’s gone, will his house be up for sale?”

  “It was - for about one minute,” Gisela said. She caught the confused look on my face. “The property has already been sold. I’ve just come back from it. I was expecting to see a For Sale sign. I wa
s going to contact whoever was selling it. I was too late. I can’t believe the house has been sold so quickly. Uriah must have done a deal with someone else.”

  “Who do you think that is? Zeke Trinity? I heard he was interested in the house.”

  “I wouldn’t put it past him. Everyone knows Zeke’s addicted to buying properties around Brimstone.”

  “Gisela, were Zeke and his sister performing last night?”

  “They were.”

  “Did they use wooden stakes?”

  “They did. They put on quite a show. Why are you asking that?”

  I replied, “It’s part of my investigation. Did you see any of the stakes up close?”

  “No. I was too busy serving drinks to the customers. Before you ask, Zeke took his props home with him. He always does.” Gisela gave me a long look. “There’s a rumour going around that Uriah was stabbed through the heart with a stake. Is that right?”

  “I can’t say.”

  “I understand. It doesn’t look good for Zeke, though. If he’s bought Uriah’s house and was seen using a wooden stake recently, he’d be my number one suspect if I were you.” She moved a bit closer. “Cassia, be careful if you question Zeke. He’s got a temper on him. He likes to be in control of everything and everyone, no matter the cost.”

  “I’ll be careful.” I pointed towards the folder. “What are you going to do now?”

  “I’ll keep looking. Something will turn up.” She gave me a smile before walking away.

  I stood where I was and thought about Uriah and who he’d been shouting at the other night. Basil and Flint had tried to convince me they didn’t kill him. I didn’t trust either of them. Gisela had just explained her reason for talking to Uriah that night.

  That left Zuleika. She’d spoken to Uriah too. What about? Did it have something to do with Zarrina? Was she asking Uriah to leave her sister alone? If Uriah had refused, Zuleika could have then taken action to stop him leaving Brimstone.

  If that was the case, had she been working alone? Or had she been in cahoots with Zeke?

  It was with a heavy heart that I returned to the apartment. I knew I was getting closer to finding Uriah’s killer; I could feel it. I was going to confront someone soon. I needed my partner and friend with me when I did so.

  Chapter 29

  Stanley was coming out of his nap when I returned to the apartment. I told him what Gisela had said, and that we had to confront the Trinity family.

  Stanley stretched and said, “I’ve got a funny feeling that we’re going to confront the killer soon.”

  “Me too.” I looked at my little friend. “This could be dangerous. You can stay here if you like?”

  “No chance. We’re in this together.” He leapt off the sofa and headed towards the door. “Don’t forget your broomstick.”

  Stanley and I were silent as we flew towards the Trinity home. I was mentally rehearsing the spells Gran had taught me when I last saw her. I wasn’t convinced I had the words right.

  We landed in the back garden of the Trinity property. Zeke was performing a rapid front crawl in the swimming pool and didn’t notice our arrival. Zuleika was sitting next to Zarrina on the patio, deep in conversation. Two big parasols provided shade for them.

  We went over to them. They stopped talking as soon as they noticed us.

  I began, “Sorry to disturb you again. We need to talk.” I noticed Zarrina was wearing a T-shirt and shorts. She wasn’t submerged beneath a blanket like the last time we’d been here.

  Zuleika stood up. “I thought we’d see you again soon. We haven’t had time to get our statements together yet.” She indicated her head towards Zarrina. “I’m trying to convince my sister she won’t burn if she goes into the sun. At least she’s out of the conservatory and in the fresh air now.”

  Zarrina called out, “Uriah told me vampires don’t belong in the sunshine. My skin will burn if I go out there.”

  I felt a stab of impatience. How long was Zarrina going to be influenced by Uriah? I had to say something to her. I had to tell her the truth about him.

  Stanley beat me to it. He padded over to Zarrina and jumped onto her lap. Zarrina was surprised but not displeased. She smiled at Stanley and stroked his head. My grey-haired cat had that effect on everyone. No one could resist him. I made a mental note to use that power of his in the future.

  Stanley said to Zarrina, “You won’t burn if you go in the sun. I’m afraid Uriah lied to you. Zarrina, he wasn’t a nice person. Cassia and I have discovered a lot about him these last few days. He lied to a lot of people. I’m sorry he lied to you. You don’t deserve that.” He purred and settled into her lap a bit more. “I can feel the happiness locked inside you. I think you want to be out in the sun and running around. I love lying in the sun. It’s like a warm hug. We could all do with a warm hug, don’t you think?”

  Zarrina looked at Stanley for a few seconds. I could see her eyes glittering with tears.

  Stanley hadn’t finished pulling at her heartstrings yet. “Zarrina, would you show me around your lovely garden, please? I bet you know all the good hiding places. Do you think you could show me some of your acrobatic tricks too, please? I’ve got a feeling you’re amazing at acrobatics.” He let out one of his cute cat chuckles. “I’ve got a feeling you’re amazing at everything.”

  Zarrina blinked rapidly and pulled Stanley into her arms. She pushed herself off the seat and said, “There’s a lovely area at the bottom of the garden. It’s large enough for me to do some cartwheels in it. I haven’t done any for a while. I might be a bit rusty.”

  Stanley snuggled closer to her. “Thank you. You are so kind.”

  Zarrina gave Stanley a great big smile before carrying him away from the patio. She didn’t flinch as she walked into the sunshine. I heard Stanley say how lovely it was to feel the lovely warmth of the sun.

  Zuleika shook her head at them. “What just happened? How did your cat manage to do that? Did he cast a spell on her?”

  “No, he’s just a marvellous cat with many abilities.” I turned away from watching Zarrina. “Zuleika, I know about Uriah’s plan to leave Brimstone with your sister. I know you were aware of it too. You were seen talking to Uriah on the last night he was alive. Tell me what you were talking about.”

  Zuleika stared out onto the garden. “I knew you’d find out.” She looked back at me. “I did talk to Uriah that night. I pleaded with him to leave Zarrina here when he went into that other world. I told him she belonged with her family. He laughed and said he was her family now, and he knew what was best for her. I could tell he didn’t care for her. He wanted to control her and treat her like a belonging. He said he’d already given Zarrina enough time to settle things with me and Zeke, and he was planning to leave very soon.”

  “Did you try to talk sense into Zarrina?”

  “Many times. Gently at first, then more firmly. She wouldn’t listen. It was like Uriah had brainwashed her. I kept playing for time and hoped she’d come to her senses. But Uriah was becoming impatient and was putting pressure on her.” Zuleika frowned. “When I spoke to Uriah that night, he said something strange. He said his delay at moving away from Brimstone was causing problems.”

  “What sort of problems?”

  “I asked him that but he wouldn’t go into details. He only said he’d upset someone that he shouldn’t have. He actually looked scared for a moment or two.”

  “What’s she doing here?”

  Zeke appeared behind us, wrapped in a towel. He jabbed a finger at me and snapped, “Clear off! You’ve caused nothing but trouble around here. You upset Zarrina so much with your last visit that she’ll never leave the house again. I’m going to report you to Blythe.”

  “Zeke!” Zuleika admonished him. “If you stop yelling for a second, you’ll see our little sister is throwing herself about the garden, thanks to Cassia and her wonderful cat.”

  Zeke spun around and focused on Zarrina who was flipping herself backwards across the grass
. Stanley was clapping his paws together as he watched.

  The sight did nothing to stop Zeke’s anger. He turned his attention back to me. “We had nothing to do with Uriah’s death. You can stop hounding us about it.”

  “I’m not hounding you; I’m doing my job. Where do you keep your wooden stakes?”

  “None of your business.” He folded his arms.

  Zuleika gave him a hard push which sent him stumbling backwards. “Enough! Tell Cassia where they are immediately. She’s a justice witch and she’s investigating a murder. I know we didn’t get along with Uriah, but he was still our cousin.”

  She glared at him until he said, “They’re in the shed over there. Follow me.”

  I went after Zeke as he strode over to a large shed. He opened the doors and stood at the entrance. He snapped, “Don’t damage anything. And don’t move anything. I’ll be watching every move you make.”

  I’d just about had it with being spoken to like that. “I will move whatever I like. Where are the stakes?”

  He nodded his head towards the side of the shed. I noticed a line of wooden stakes resting against the wall.

  I said to Zeke, “Don’t go anywhere. If I find what I’m looking for, I might need to make an arrest immediately.” I had no idea if I could make an arrest. I really must talk to Blythe about what I was allowed to do in Brimstone.

  Zeke swallowed. “Make an arrest? I told you I had nothing to do with Uriah’s murder.”

  I looked him straight in the eye. “Did you know Uriah was leaving Brimstone and was taking Zarrina with him?”

  He tried to look away.

  “Did you?” I demanded.

  “I did know. I overheard Uriah talking about it at the nightclub.”

  “How did you feel about that?”

  He shrugged. “I wasn’t bothered. If Zarrina wanted to go, then good luck to her. I was sick of her whining, to be honest. Are you going to look at those stakes or not?”

  “I’ll look when I’m ready. Have you bought Uriah’s house?”