Brimstone Witch Mysteries - Box Set 1

by April Fernsby

  We followed Jeff back into the hotel and found him behind the reception desk. As we got closer, he turned a book to face us. His voice was bubbling with joy as he said, “We’re nearly full! Look! How wonderful.” He gave me a sly wink. “I might have to raise my prices. I may as well make a profit from this unfortunate event. I might even sell some souvenirs.” He caught my horrified look and said, “I’m only kidding!”

  I faced up to the zombie and all my fear about him vanished. “Mr Collins, this is not a joking matter. Tell me about the murder. I understand from your message that it concerns someone who works here.”

  Jeff corrected me, “He worked here. As in the past. His dead and decaying body won’t be able to work ever again. Unlike myself. My dead body will go on working for years.” He grinned. I gave him a hard look until his grin faded.

  “What’s the name of the deceased?” I asked.

  “Augustus Stez,” Jeff replied in a more suitably solemn manner. “He was a goblin.”

  “Right. Thank you,” I said. “And what was his job here?”

  Keeping his tone solemn, Jeff said, “He was a bed warmer.”

  An unladylike snort shot out of me. “A bed warmer? I told you this wasn’t a joking matter.”

  Jeff held his hands out. “But he was a bed warmer. It’s a proper job. Augustus had been doing it for years. Luca, tell Cassia I’m not joking.”

  I turned an incredulous look towards Luca.

  Luca said, “It is a job, Cassia. I know people who’ve used his services. Apparently, Augustus was extremely hot-blooded for a goblin.”

  I smaller snort escaped this time. “A bed warmer? He got into beds and warmed them up like a hot water bottle? Really? And guests would pay for that? Really?” My eyes narrowed and I looked back at Jeff. “Just a minute. What sort of a hotel are you running here? What other personal services do you offer?”

  Jeff lifted his chin. “I don’t like the accusing tone in your voice. Being a bed warmer is a respectable job, and Augustus was very good at it. He was popular with the other goblins. They liked the smell he left behind.”

  “The smell? He left a smell?” I shook my head. “I think you’re making this up. No one in their right mind would pay for someone to warm up their bed and to leave a smell behind.”

  Stanley piped up, “It depends who the person is. I like getting into your bed when you go into the shower in a morning. Cassia, can you think of anyone you’d like to warm your bed up on a cold night?” His glance slid towards Luca.

  The heat rushed to my cheeks and I quickly turned away from the two pairs of prying eyes that were looking at me. I addressed the space at my side and said, “Tell me more about Augustus. Where did he die?”

  “In his bed,” Jeff replied.

  I turned my head back. “His bed? Or someone else’s?”

  “His bed. He’s still there. Would you like to see him?” Jeff wafted his hand in front of his nose. “He’s going off and stinks a bit. And not in a good way.” He stepped out from the reception desk. “This way. The staff quarters are on the lower floor.”

  I caught Luca trying to stifle a yawn as we went after Jeff so I told him he could go home.

  “You can’t get rid of me that easily,” Luca said with a twinkle in his eyes.

  “We don’t want to get rid of you, do we, Cassia?” Stanley said. “We like having you around.”

  I gritted my teeth. I would need to have a serious talk with Stanley when I got the chance. I couldn’t have him making comments like that about Luca. He was in a relationship with Astrid, and we had to respect that. Also, if Astrid heard Stanley making remarks like that, she would explode with rage.

  We followed Jeff down a flight of stairs and along a corridor. I was in the wake of Jeff’s aroma and it was starting to put me off apples. As we walked along, another smell floated towards us. It was so foul that it made my eyes water and my nose wrinkle in disgust. It smelled like rotten eggs had been cooked in horse manure. I glanced back at Luca and Stanley and saw their faces twisted in disgust. Stanley was making a retching noise.

  Jeff stopped at a door and opened it. He put a hand over his nose and said, “He’s in there. You can’t miss him.”

  I took a few steps closer to Jeff so that I could inhale his apple scent. It was preferable to the stinky egg aroma. I looked through the open door and took in a small room which contained a bed and a wardrobe.

  I pointed to the occupant of the bed and said, “Is he supposed to be that colour? Bright pink?”

  Jeff frowned and spoke through his hand. “That’s strange. He was yellow fifteen minutes ago. It must be the poison in him.” He winced. “He really does whiff. It’s an insult to my nose.”

  “How do you know he was poisoned?” I asked.

  “I’m assuming it was poison because of the colour of his skin. I could be wrong. I haven’t entered the room since he was found.”

  “Who found him?”

  “I did.”

  I turned around to find a small creature with tied-back brown hair. She was wearing a flowery apron over a long, brown dress. She looked very similar to Brin and I assumed she was a brownie.

  She handed me a small piece of cloth and said, “Hold this up to your nose. It will help with the smell.”

  I placed the cloth against my nose and a lovely scent of lavender and roses made its welcome way up my nostrils. It smelled like I was outside in a fragrant garden and not feet away from a dead goblin. I moved the cloth a fraction and said, “Thank you. Can you tell me more about Augustus and what time you found him?”

  She nodded. “Just a moment.” She went over to Stanley and Luca who were standing well back from the open door. Luca’s face was grey and he looked like he was going to collapse. Stanley was still retching and had his back to us. The brownie gave Luca a similar piece of cloth and then she placed one on the carpet in front of Stanley. The effect was immediate; the colour returned to Luca’s face and Stanley stopped retching, turned around and looked my way with an embarrassed smile on his furry face.

  Jeff Collins said, “Dilly, could you take over now? You know all the details. I must get back to the reception desk. I want to see if we’re fully booked up yet.” He gave me an overly concerned look which I could tell was fake. He added, “Not that I’m concerned with business matters at a time like this. This is a sad day for the hotel, a very sad day. It would be wrong of me to even consider making a profit today.”

  “You could always give your rooms out for free today,” I suggested. “As a mark of respect for Augustus.”

  If Jeff weren’t already dead, I’m sure the shock of my suggestion would have given him a heart attack. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He looked at me as if I’d gone completely mad.

  He quickly recovered, and said brightly, “That would be the right thing to do. I’ll put that on the back burner in my mind and mull it over. Yes. That’s what I’ll do. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got business to attend to. Let me know if you need any more information from me.” He started to move away, stopped and looked into the dead goblin’s room, bowed his head and said, “It’s a shame. Such a shame. I’ll have to find someone else to do his job now.” He quickly walked away, keeping his head bowed.

  Dilly waited for him to go around the corner of the corridor before saying, “Would you mind if we talked inside Augustus’ room? I don’t want anyone to hear us.”

  I indicated my hand towards the room. “What about the smell? Doesn’t it bother you?”

  Dilly shook her head. “I’ve been working at this hotel for over ten years. I’ve cleaned up after many a fragrant guest. I lost any sensitivity to foul odours a long time ago.” She cast a nervous glance along the corridor. “I don’t have much time. I’m already behind with my cleaning schedule today. I don’t want Mr Collins to be mad at me.”

  She stepped into the room. I looked at Stanley and Luca and raised my eyebrows in question.

  Luca had the lavender and rose fabric pressed
against his nose and his voice was muffled as he said, “You go ahead. We’ll wait here, won’t we Stanley?”

  Stanley was balancing the fabric on his nose. He muttered, “I’m not going anywhere near that stinky room.”

  I followed Dilly into the room. She was standing next to the bed and looking down at the deceased goblin. Tears ran down to her cheeks.

  As I moved closer, I got my first good look at Augustus Stez.

  Chapter 8

  I’d seen goblins in and around Brimstone before, and they looked similar to each other with their sharp features and small stature. All of the ones I’d seen had pointy ears and long noses.

  Augustus Stez didn’t look like a typical goblin. Everything about him was large and round. His ears had a slight point on the end but his plump lobes were more obvious to the eye. His nose was large but it had that bulbous look about it. His face was chubby and his closed eyes were sunken behind his plump cheeks. I couldn’t see his body beneath the bedcover, but I could see how much room he was taking up with his rotund stomach. His skin was still glowing bright pink.

  I said to Dilly, “I don’t mean to be rude, but did Augustus look like this when he was alive?”

  She sniffed, wiped a tear away and gave me a confused look.

  I waved my hand over his body. “Was he this large when he was alive?”

  Dilly nodded. “Yes. You wouldn’t know he was a goblin, would you? He doesn’t look like all the rest. And he didn’t act like them. That was the problem, you see.”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t see at all.”

  Dilly looked back at Augustus and gave him a fond smile. “Augustus was always different. He tried to fit in with the other goblins, but he just couldn’t. You can’t force someone to be something they’re not, can you? It’s not fair to do that. Augustus came from a family of mining goblins. His mum expected Augustus to join his brother and her down the mine when he was old enough. He tried, but he kept falling asleep in the mines. He didn’t do it on purpose; he said he couldn’t help it. He didn’t even know he was asleep until someone nudged him awake.”

  I nodded. “It could have been a medical condition. Some people in my world have it.”

  “Do they? I wish Augustus would have known that. His mum thought he was lazy and irresponsible. He said he couldn’t help falling asleep, but she thought he was lying to cover his laziness. His mum actually threw him out of the family home and told him to look elsewhere for work.”

  I lowered the piece of fabric from my nose and said, “That’s awful. Where did he go?”

  “Here to Brimstone town. He knew there were some mining goblins here who mined for different stones. He thought their mines might be better for him to work in.” She shook her head sadly. “He was wrong. He started to fall asleep again at work. The goblin in charge, Ulx Gurdley, felt sorry for Augustus and told him to leave the mine and wait for him at the hotel so they could talk about his problem. Augustus came back to this hotel, went to Ulx’s room and waited. Unfortunately, he fell asleep in Ulx’s bed. Ulx was furious when he found him there and he threw Augustus out of his room. But then Ulx got into his warmed-up bed and instantly fell asleep. He didn’t wake up until the morning. He said it was the best night’s sleep he’d ever had.”

  “Why? Because his bed was warm?”

  Dilly nodded. “Ulx works in one of the deeper mines and it’s freezing down there. He’s always chilled to the bone when he comes back here and needs a hot bath and hot drinks to help him defrost. He was so mad with Augustus that night that he got straight into his bed before his bath. It was the residual heat from Augustus’ body that made him fall instantly asleep.” She gave me a small smile. “Ulx said Augustus’ body odour helped too because it reminded him of home.”

  My nose wrinkled. “What happened after Ulx had thrown Augustus out of the room?”

  “Ulx went looking for him the next day. It didn’t take him long as Augustus had fallen asleep under a tree less than a mile away. Ulx said he wanted Augustus to be his official bed warmer. Of course, with Ulx living in this hotel, they had to sort everything out with Mr Collins first. Mr Collins employed Augustus as an official bed warmer, and then Ulx booked his services. It wasn’t long before the other mining goblins found out about Augustus’ new job. They all wanted to hire him. Mr Collins was delighted.”

  I moved the fabric from my nose and took a tentative sniff. The smell wasn’t quite as bad now. I asked, “Don’t the mining goblins have homes to go to? Why do they live at this hotel?”

  “It’s not far from the mining area,” Dilly explained. “Mr Collins gives them a reduced rate so that it looks like the hotel has lots of guests coming and going. He says it’s good for business.” She looked towards the door and then back at me. She lowered her voice and said, “The mining goblins do dangerous work and they get paid a lot for it. They can easily afford to live here.”

  I turned my attention back to Augustus. “Was he overweight because he fell asleep so often and had no time to exercise?”

  “Partly. But Ulx worked out that Augustus gave off more heat if he’d eaten a hot meal a few hours before he settled down in Ulx’s bed. It helped if the food was spicy too. Ulx set up an account for Augustus in the dining room and encouraged him to eat as much as he wanted. Augustus had other clients by this stage, and they encouraged him to eat a lot too.”

  “So, he ate all day and then slept all night.”

  “He sometimes had to work in the day too. And he got paid a decent wage.”

  I continued to look at Augustus. “I don’t know whether to be jealous or mortified that he had so little exercise. Was he happy?”

  Dilly tipped her head to one side. “I’m not sure. I think so. We chatted in between him falling asleep, so that’s how I know how he got this job. I think he missed his family a lot, but he knew he wasn’t welcome back there.”

  “Even though he had a new job? Wouldn’t they have been pleased about that?”

  Dilly frowned. “I think he said he was going to see them soon and try to sort things out. He might have done and not got around to telling me about it.”

  I asked, “What time did you find him in this condition?”

  “Augustus had just finished a midnight to four a.m. shift for a goblin on the second floor. I saw him heading back to this room just after four and we waved to each other. I knew he had a shift with Ulx at six a.m. so I came here to clean his room just after that.”

  I looked around the room. “Clean his room? There isn’t much to clean.”

  Dilly gave me an embarrassed smile. “I clean everyone’s rooms. I love cleaning. I feel awful and out of sorts if I don’t clean.”

  I smiled at her. “I am the total opposite.”

  “I got here just after six and was surprised to see Augustus in bed. I knew he was supposed to be in Ulx’s room. I was worried his alarm hadn’t gone off, so I came closer to him and – ” Her voice caught in her throat. “I discovered him. He wasn’t vivid pink like he is now. He was yellow.”

  “How do you think he died?”

  She shrugged. “I would assume poison or magic by the look of it.”

  “Did you tell Mr Collins straight away about Augustus?”

  She nodded. “He said Augustus could wait a while before he sent for you. There was a rush on at reception from some early customers and Mr Collins hates to turn away potential guests.”

  I moved closer to the body. “I’ll need a doctor to examine him and to see if there are any physical injuries. Dilly, do you know if Augustus had any enemies?”

  “I’m not sure. All he did was eat and sleep. He didn’t cause any bother to anyone. Although, I did hear him arguing with – ”

  “Dilly! Are you still here?” Jeff Collins appeared in the doorway with his hand over his nose. “You’ve got cleaning work to do. I don’t want any guests complaining about dirty linen and towels. They might demand a refund. Run along now and get back to your work.”

  Dilly bobbed her head be
fore scuttling out of the room.

  Jeff said to me, “Have you got all the information you need?”

  “Not yet. I’d like to speak to Dilly further.”

  “You’ll have to wait until her shift is finished. I don’t pay her to gossip.”

  I bristled. “It’s not gossip. I’m dealing with a murder investigation.”

  Jeff raised a pale finger. “Speaking of that, would you mind if some of my guests had a quick peek at the body? They’ve never seen a murdered being before and are most curious to see what Augustus looks like now.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you charging them for a peek?”

  “What? Charge? No! Of course not. Although, they will pay me an admin fee.” He grimaced. “I should charge them more to experience this disgusting smell.”

  I strode over to the zombie. “No one is to come down here. No one. I mean that. The only person who will be coming down here is the doctor. Do you understand, Mr Collins?”

  He took a step back. “Can’t they even stand at the end of the corridor and look at his door?”

  “No.”

  “I think you’re being very unreasonable about this. I’m trying to run a business.”

  “And I’m trying to solve a murder. I will be asking you and your guests many questions. And I expect straight answers.”

  He took another step back. “There’s no need to be so aggressive. You’re starting to scare me.”

  I was scaring a zombie? If this wasn’t such a serious situation, I would have fist-pumped the air. Instead, I shooed Mr Collins away and told him I’d speak to him soon. Then I took plenty of photos of the crime scene using my phone.

  I found Luca and Stanley far down the corridor with their fragrant bits of fabric beneath their noses. They hadn’t heard a word that Dilly had said to me. Some help they were turning out to be. I filled them in on everything and then asked Luca for the name of the local doctor. Despite dealing with three murders, I still hadn’t met the doctor. Blythe usually took care of that aspect.