Brimstone Witch Mysteries - Box Set 1

by April Fernsby

  I said, “What time was it when you last spoke to him?”

  “About eight p.m. He said he wouldn’t forget. I was furious when I got back to my bed and it was freezing cold. It was just after six a.m. before you ask. I asked if anyone in the nearby rooms had seen Augustus, but they said no. I was so mad that I marched out of the hotel and came here. I thought I might as well do some work and then go back to the hotel. I thought Augustus might be there when I returned.” He shook his head. “Murdered? Who do you think did it?”

  “That’s what I was going to ask you. Did Augustus have any enemies?”

  “His family hated him, particularly his mum,” Ulx replied. “She found out about his job as a bed warmer and was ashamed. I think his brother turned up to talk to him recently. He wanted Augustus to return to the family mines.”

  I asked, “Do you know the name of his brother?”

  Ulx shook his head. “No. That brownie at the hotel might. Augustus was always moaning to her about something or other. Poor thing. She was too polite to tell him to clear off and leave her in peace.”

  I nodded. “Dilly. Yes, I’ll be having a word with her.”

  A bigger goblin came ambling over to us. He looked us over as if we didn’t mean a thing to him and then addressed Ulx. “Strip off. Let’s have a look before I sign you out.”

  Ulx started to unbutton his thick coat.

  I held my hand up. “Whoa! What are you doing?”

  “I have to be searched in case I’m stealing any shadowstone,” Ulx explained. “Everyone has to be searched at the end of every shift. Shadowstone is valuable stuff, and many goblins have been tempted to steal it. Not me, though. I make a good wage here with me being small and wiry. I can fit into the smallest of spaces.” He handed his coat to the goblin in front of him and then proceeded to undo the string on his trousers.

  “Stop right there!” I declared. “I don’t want to see anything else.”

  The other goblin turned my way and gave me a dismissive look. “Then you’d better clear off. I’ll be giving Ulx a thorough body search in a minute. You’d be surprised at where some goblins have hidden small pieces of shadowstone.”

  I quickly turned towards the elevator. Luca had his hand over Stanley’s eyes as he followed me.

  Ulx called out, “If you’re going to the hotel, ask Mr Collins to book that other bed warmer for me.”

  I stopped and glanced over my shoulder. “Other bed warmer?”

  “Yes. He’s called Ovrid. He’s not as big as Augustus, but I’ve heard good things about him.” Ulx chuckled. “Augustus hated Ovrid.”

  I wanted to ask more questions about this Ovrid creature but Ulx suddenly dropped his trousers. I couldn’t get in the elevator fast enough. We all kept our eyes tightly shut as the doors closed and we were taken upwards.

  Chapter 11

  We walked back to the hotel and discussed what Ulx Gurdley had said.

  Luca asked, “Do you believe him?”

  “I’ve found that it’s wiser to assume everyone is lying,” I relied. “I got the feeling that Ulx is hiding something from us.”

  Stanley shivered as he walked at my side. “I wish he’d have hidden his bare body from us. I can’t stop seeing that image in my mind. I was a bit hungry when we went into that mine; I’m not now.”

  Luca continued, “Why didn’t Jeff tell us about the other bed warmer?”

  “That’s one of the questions I’ll be asking him. I’d like to know more about Augustus’ brother too. He might have called on Augustus at the hotel. They could have had an argument which resulted in Augustus’ brother killing him.”

  Luca nodded. “I can ask around and see what residents know about Augustus. I didn’t know much about him, other than his peculiar job.”

  I hesitated a moment before saying, “You could ask Astrid about him. You said her mum stayed at the hotel now and again. She might have spoken to him.”

  “Good idea. I don’t know when Astrid will be back exactly. She likes to pop up out of nowhere sometimes and surprise me.” Luca smiled as if that were a good thing.

  Stanley muttered darkly, “Yes, she’s popped up out of nowhere in front of us a few times too. I don’t appreciate that kind of surprise.”

  Luca frowned down at Stanley. “What do you mean by that? When did Astrid last surprise you?”

  I wasn’t going to tell Luca that Astrid appeared to us a few days ago before we went back to Gran’s house. She’d confirmed she’d been behind the evil trick that had been played on Stanley and me. Her tone had been threatening, and I was glad to see the back of her. I hoped I wouldn’t see her for a long time.

  Stanley trotted ahead of us and didn’t answer Luca’s question.

  Luca wasn’t giving up. He went after Stanley and said, “Hey, slow down. Tell me what Astrid did to you.”

  I quickly changed the subject. “Luca, what’s the name of the doctor you contacted?”

  Luca waited for me to catch up to him. “She’s called Elza Morgan. She’s great at her job. Very thorough and professional. She’s been in Brimstone since I was a little boy.”

  I said, “I don’t remember seeing her when I was here in my youth. What kind of creature is she?” I gave him an embarrassed smile. “I’m sorry. That sounded rude. It doesn’t matter what species anyone in Brimstone is. I just like to be warned in case I come across someone that might startle me.”

  Luca grinned. “Like Ulx and his ears?”

  “They are massive!” I declared. “Did you know how big they are? If so, you could have warned me.”

  “I’ve never met him before. I’ve heard about him. He’s a good miner.” Luca gave me a long look. “Why is your mouth twitching like that? What are you thinking?”

  “I just got an image of Ulx using his ears to dig with.” I lowered my head. “Sorry again. I’m being mean.” I heard a snigger at my side and looked up to see Luca trying to keep his mouth still. “Hey! Stop laughing!”

  “I’m not. You’re the one who’s being mean about a hard-working goblin.” His eyes twinkled and he looked away before sniggering again.

  Stanley was waiting for us at the top of the steps that led to the hotel. He said, “Who are we going to question first? Mr Collins is in there.” His whiskers twitched. “I can smell him. Luca, have you still got those pieces of fabric for our noses? We might need them.”

  Luca patted his rear pocket. “I’ve got them here ready to whip out.”

  I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “I wouldn’t want to offend your delicate noses with my murder investigation.”

  Luca said, “Sarcasm doesn’t suit you, missy.” He winked at Stanley.

  We walked up the steps and into the foyer. There was a group of beings surrounding the reception desk. They were talking eagerly and some were waving wads of money in the air. I heard Jeff Collins telling them to be patient.

  As we came closer, Jeff said, “Ah, here she is. I’ll ask her.” He came out from the reception desk and strode over to us, rubbing his pale hands eagerly together. He’d applied more make-up since the last time I saw him and was now wearing sparkly blue eyeshadow.

  Jeff beamed at us showing his brilliant white teeth. “There you are! Cassia, is it possible for me to use Augustus’ old room now? There has been a tremendous amount of interest in it. Customers have been outbidding each other to be the first guests to stay there. I’m going to make a fortune!” He rubbed his hands together so enthusiastically that the little finger on his left hand fell off. He picked it up, shoved it in his pocket and said, “Oops! I’ll have that sewn back on later.”

  I began, “Mr Collins, I’ve already told you not to let anyone near Augustus’ room. It’s a crime scene. I’m waiting for Dr Morgan to examine Augustus’ body before taking it away.”

  Jeff frowned. “The doctor’s already been.”

  “Has she? When?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t see her. But when I went to check on Augustus’ room ten minutes ago, I notice
d his body wasn’t there. I assumed the doctor had been.” He shot me a small smile. “The room still stinks. I thought I might cut the bed covers up and sell them as souvenirs. I’ll charge more for the really smelly segments.”

  “You’ll do no such thing,” I admonished him.

  Luca looked towards the doors. “Dr Morgan is here now. We can ask her what she’s found out so far about Augustus.”

  A small woman marched towards us in a purposeful manner. She was dressed in a business suit and was holding a large doctor’s bag. She was about my height and I would guess she was twenty years older than me, perhaps thirty. But I was useless at guessing ages. She had a round, friendly face topped by a mass of unruly brown curls. She didn’t look like any of the supernatural beings who lived in Brimstone. She looked like she belonged in my world.

  I whispered to Luca, “Is she human?”

  “Oh, yes. Didn’t I say?”

  “No, you didn’t!” I hissed. “I didn’t know there were any humans living in Brimstone. You could have told me!” A bit of spittle shot out of my mouth and landed on Luca’s cheek.

  Luca wiped his cheek. “I thought Esther would have told you. Elza Morgan is a good friend of hers. I think they went to school together. Before you spit on me again, yes, Elza does look younger than Esther. I think it’s down to the magical air in Brimstone, but you’ll have to ask your gran about that.”

  “I will do. And I’ll ask her why she’s never mentioned Elza Morgan to me.” I filed that subject away in my mental filing cabinet.

  Elza Morgan stopped in front of us. She reached out for my hand and pumped it furiously. “Cassia! We meet at last! Although, I did meet you when you were three years old and had a case of the worrywarts. You won’t remember that.” She looked me over. “You’ve grown into a beautiful young woman. Esther must be so proud of you. How is she, by the way? I haven’t seen her for a few months. I’ll have a catch up with her soon. I’ll bring some gin with me - for medicinal purposes.” Her eyes crinkled as she smiled.

  “Gran’s fine, thank you,” I replied. “Thanks for taking Augustus’ body away. Have you had the chance to examine him yet?”

  Elza’s brow furrowed. “Take him away? I haven’t taken anyone away. This is the first opportunity I’ve had to visit the hotel. I’ve been busy all day.”

  I shared a horrified look with Luca.

  Elza said, “What aren’t you telling me? Where’s the body?”

  “It’s gone,” I replied. “I thought you’d taken it.”

  Elza shook her head. “It wasn’t me.”

  Jeff Collins said, “Then who took Augustus Stez’s cold, dead body away?”

  Chapter 12

  “Someone can’t just steal a dead body and take them away!” I spluttered. I turned an accusing look Jeff’s way. “You! You took it. Have you sold it to the highest bidder?”

  Jeff let out an outraged gasp. “Sold him? That thought never crossed my mind.” The glint in his eyes told me something else.

  I said, “I’m going to search this hotel from top to bottom. If Augustus is still in this building, I’ll find him.”

  Stanley added, “I’ll help you. I’ll sniff him out.”

  Elza Morgan looked at her watch. “Send me a message when he turns up. I have to go. I’m meeting with a group of elderly fairies to talk about wing fatigue in later years.” She abruptly looked Luca’s way, reached out and grabbed his chin. “When did you last sleep?”

  Luca tried to pull his chin away but the doctor had a firm grip on it. He mumbled, “I’m fine. I’m not tired.”

  Elza said, “You look dead on your feet.” She glanced at Jeff. “No offence, Jeff.”

  “None taken.” Jeff smiled.

  Elza released Luca’s chin. “You need to go home and get some sleep immediately.”

  “I’m fine. I’m not tired,” Luca repeated.

  “Don’t tell me you’re fine when it’s obvious that you’re not!” Elza retorted. “If you don’t get some sleep soon, you’re going to collapse. Poor Cassia will have to take care of you. She’s got enough on her plate without worrying about you falling down and becoming a useless heap.”

  “I – ” Luca began.

  Elza held her hand up. “No excuses. Go home right down and get some rest. Doctor’s orders. I demand you sleep for at least three hours, and that’s me being kind.” She put her hand on his shoulder and steered him towards the door. “Off you go.”

  Luca looked back helplessly over his shoulder at me. “Cassia, I can stay if you like? You could use some magic on me to keep me awake.”

  I raised my hand in farewell. “Stanley and I will be perfectly fine without you. Have a rest and meet us later. And don’t forget to bring my broomstick with you.”

  Elza kept pushing Luca towards the door. She called out to me, “Let me know when you’ve got a corpse for me to examine. Cheerio!” She kept pushing Luca until they were both out of the door.

  I looked back at Jeff Collins and narrowed my eyes at him. “Tell me the truth, did you move the body?”

  “I swear I didn’t,” came his nervous reply.

  Stanley said, “Cassia, why don’t you use a truth spell on him?”

  I tried not to smile at Stanley. Blythe had told me before that there was no such thing as a truth spell. But Jeff didn’t know that.

  I said to Stanley, “That’s a good idea. I hope it doesn’t go wrong this time. You know what happened to that vampire when I used it on him! I’m sure he’ll recover soon. Hopefully.” I focused my eyes on Jeff. “Let’s have a go. I think I’ve got the hang of the truth spell now.”

  Jeff let out a little screech. “I swear I’m telling you the truth! I’ve been behind the reception desk since you left. I don’t know who took the body. Have a look around the hotel! Search wherever you want to. Just don’t use the truth spell on me!”

  “Okay. I’ll let you off. Before we search the hotel, I’d like to speak to someone called Ovrid. I was told he’s a bed warmer too. You never mentioned him earlier. Why was that?”

  “You didn’t ask me,” Jeff defended himself. “You can’t talk to him now. He’s working. He’ll be free in a few hours.”

  “Okay. I’ll speak to him then. Let him know I need to talk to him urgently, please. How long has Ovrid been working here?”

  “A few months. He’s very good at his job. He leaves a lot of residual heat behind when he vacates a bed. His heat can last for hours, not like Augustus. He only kept a bed warm for thirty minutes after he left.” Jeff paused. “In fact, some of Augustus’ regular clients asked for Ovrid’s services instead. That started happening a few weeks ago.”

  “How did Augustus feel about that?” I asked.

  Jeff flapped his hand dismissively. “Oh, he moaned and grumbled. But I told him it was good for business. Ovrid didn’t need to occupy a bed for as long as Augustus to warm it up. And, as I explained, the bed kept warm for a longer time. Ovrid could do double the amount of jobs as Augustus could, and in less time too.”

  “Do you know where Ovrid was early this morning between four and six?”

  “He was somewhere in the hotel. I think he was in between jobs. I’ll check the staff rota.” Jeff glanced towards the reception desk. “Can I go now? I’ll have to explain to my guests about Augustus’ room not being available.” He shot me a hopeful look. “Unless it is available now?”

  “No, it isn’t. I’d like it to stay that way. I want to search it.”

  “How long will that take? I’ve got a business to run.” His face was creased with irritation.

  I squared up to him. “And I’ve got a murderer to find. For all we know, the murderer could be roaming around your hotel right now.”

  I thought my words might scare Jeff. I was wrong. His face broke into a grin and he said, “A murderer on the loose? I must advertise that fact straight away. Excuse me.” He walked swiftly towards the reception desk with a spring in his step.

  I shook my head at him and said to S
tanley, “It wouldn’t surprise me if Jeff had killed Augustus just to drum up some business. Jeff is definitely on my suspect list.”

  Stanley gave me a nod of agreement.

  We spent the next thirty minutes searching for Augustus’ body. We didn’t find him anywhere, and we didn’t pick up on his distinctive scent either. During our search, I kept a look out for Dilly, but we didn’t locate her.

  Before we left the hotel, I told Jeff we’d be back soon to talk to Ovrid.

  As we walked away from the hotel, Stanley said, “Where are we going now?”

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. I could do with a light snack and a cup of tea before we continue with our investigation. How about a trip to Mooncrest Café?”

  Stanley chuckled. “That’s a great idea. We can talk to Gilda about our latest investigation. She might have some information for us.”

  Gilda owned Mooncrest Café and had become a good friend to Stanley and me. She knew what went on in Brimstone and what the residents got up to.

  I gave Stanley an innocent smile. “Oh, that is a good idea of yours to talk to Gilda. I hadn’t even thought of that.”

  Chapter 13

  We walked along the streets towards the town square. We looked through the window of Mooncrest Café as we passed it and I was pleased to note there were some free tables. I opened the door and told Stanley to go through first. The inside of the café was painted in pale yellow and blue. There were images of trees and flowers on the walls which gave the impression of being outside. The customers who were sitting at the tables turned and gave us friendly smiles and hellos. We returned their greetings.

  Gilda, the owner of the café, glided over to us with a huge smile of welcome. She was tall and thin and had a translucent quality about her. She moved as if floating above the ground. I’d never seen her feet as she always wore long skirts and dresses. For all I knew, she could be wearing roller skates.

  Gilda pulled me into a hug. “It’s so good to see you again. I know it’s only been a few days, but there’s been a lot going on.” She released me and looked into my eyes. Her nose wrinkled. “Apples? You’ve been talking to Jeff Collins at the hotel, haven’t you? He’s left his aroma on you and it’s turning sour. Just a moment.” She whipped a small bottle from her pocket and sprayed a light mist over me.