Murder Of A Werewolf (A Brimstone Witch Mystery Book 1)

by Fernsby, April

  There was a bit of grumbling, but one by one, the other men turned away and headed towards their cabins. The one called Flint gave me a particularly evil look before turning away.

  Strom indicated his big hand towards a table and said, “Take a seat, and we’ll talk about Jonathan. Is there anything I can do for Esther? Do you know who attacked her?”

  “I was about to ask you the same thing.” I couldn’t keep the accusing tone from my voice.

  Strom’s thick eyebrows rose. “Do you think one of us attacked her? I know we werewolves have a rough reputation, but I don’t think for a minute any member of my pack would do that to Esther. And they certainly wouldn’t have carried her back to the human world. They know that’s illegal. However, I can assure you that if someone here is responsible for the attack, not only will they have to deal with Blythe, they’ll have to deal with me too.”

  I took a seat and glanced towards the log cabin where Flint was standing. He had his eyes on me, and I tried not to shiver at the hate that was aimed my way.

  Strom took a seat opposite me and laid his hands on the table. He said, “Let me tell you more about Jonathan, and then you can ask me about anything I’ve missed out. Let me start by asking how much you know about werewolves.”

  I shrugged. A light-hearted quip about Teen Wolf and Twilight didn’t seem appropriate here, and I had a feeling Strom would be insulted if I mentioned them. He might not be aware of what they were, but I didn’t want to take that chance.

  Strom continued, “There are different kinds of werewolves. Some are born as werewolves like myself and most of my pack, but some are humans who have been bitten. Jonathan was the latter kind.” He shook his head sorrowfully. “It’s my fault that Jonathan was bitten and turned into a werewolf. It was one of my pack who bit him.”

  “Was it Flint?”

  Strom gave me a half smile. “No, it wasn’t Flint, although he is quick to anger. No, it was a rogue wolf who I was having problems with. I won’t trouble you with the details, but he was trying to take over my leadership amongst other things. We argued, and he left the pack. It was for the best, or so I thought. Then I heard he’d entered the human world and attacked Jonathan. He killed Jonathan’s wife and son. I had no option but to go into your world and find Jonathan before he fully turned into a werewolf. I couldn’t have him doing that in front of humans. He wouldn’t be able to control himself.”

  My TV werewolf information came to the front of my mind, and I said, “Would he have turned into a werewolf after killing something? Or am I thinking of vampires?”

  A glint of amusement came into Strom’s eyes. “Something like that. But I was too late. Jonathan had completed his werewolf transformation by the time I got to him, and he was running wild. I couldn’t leave him in the human world. I brought him here and adopted him into our clan.”

  “What happened to the rogue werewolf?” I asked.

  Strom looked down at his hands and flexed his big fingers. “I ended his life. I had to.” He looked back at me. “Jonathan was in shock for weeks, as you can imagine, and we had many talks together. He was a sensible man, and he did his best to come to terms with his new condition. He was of strong character, and it didn’t take him long to join in with the rest of the pack. He was a hard worker, and naturally of a happy disposition. He made the best of his new situation and even made plans for the future. He had no reason to take his own life; he had everything to live for. He’d even recently got engaged to be married.”

  “Who to?”

  Strom lifted his chin proudly and said, “My one and only daughter, Anju. They were perfect together. The addition of Jonathan to our family was going to make it even stronger.”

  I asked, “How is your daughter coping with Jonathan’s death?”

  Strom shook his head sadly. “She’s devastated. She hasn’t spoken to anyone for days.”

  “Did Jonathan have any enemies?”

  “Yes, Flint. He was betrothed to Anju last year, but she ended it. I’m not entirely sure why, but I think it was something to do with his controlling ways.”

  My attention went over to Flint who was still watching me. I made a mental note -Flint is suspect number one.

  I said to Strom, “Can I see where the incident took place, please? If that’s not too disrespectful.”

  Strom got to his feet and pointed to a small path at the side of us. “Follow that path until you come to a clearing with a huge oak tree in the middle. You can’t miss it.” He paused a moment before continuing, “Take care out there. I can control my pack, up to a point, but there are other creatures in this forest who you wouldn’t want to meet.”

  Chapter 13

  I said goodbye to Strom and then headed down the narrow path. I tried my best to ignore the twig cracking noises that accompanied my walk. I was getting annoyed with whoever was trying to scare me.

  I continued down the path and came to the opening where a majestic oak tree stood. I tilted my head. I could hear someone crying. I focused my attention on the base of the tree and spotted someone small curled up against it.

  The sobbing suddenly increased. I couldn’t help myself. I ran over to the crying creature and enquired, “Are you alright? Well, obviously, you’re not alright. Sorry, that was a stupid question.”

  The creature turned around and looked up at me. She was dressed in brown clothes and had short, spiky brown hair. Her big eyes were green, and her ears were pointed. An elf? She picked herself up from her kneeling position and wiped dirt from her brown trousers. She only came up to my waist.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” I said. I dug into my pocket and retrieved a tissue. Thankfully, it was a clean tissue. I held it towards her.

  She took the tissue and gave me a wobbly smile. “It’s me who should be apologising for crying, and out in the open like this. I’m Tansy; I’m a forest elf. I know who you are. You’re Cassia Winter. I heard about your gran. How is she?”

  Everyone in Brimstone seemed to know Gran had been attacked, but no one knew who had done it. Suspicious? I thought so. Was there a conspiracy going on?

  I looked down at the elf and said, “Gran is going to be fine. Thank you for asking. Why were you crying? Is it something to do with Jonathan Tidewell? Did you know him?”

  Tansy broke into a fresh stream of sobs, and I waited until she composed herself. I felt like I should be patting her back and saying soothing words, but I wasn’t sure how you should comfort an elf seeing as I’d never met one before. What was elf etiquette? That’s something I’d have to discuss with Blythe later. She was going to be my Brimstone equivalent of Google.

  Once Tansy had composed herself and wiped her tears away, she said, “I did know Jonathan. He did work for me. He did a lot of work for many elves and creatures in this forest.”

  “What sort of work?”

  “He helped with general house repairs and gardening work for those who struggled. He replaced some tiles on my roof a while ago, and he cleared my gutters out. He was so helpful and so good-natured. Not like the other werewolves at all. We shall miss him greatly around here.”

  I said, “Can you tell me more about Jonathan, and how he dealt with being a werewolf?”

  “He dealt well with what he called his curse,” Tansy replied. “He didn’t talk about it often, and there were certain times during the month when he couldn’t do work for me because of the full moon. He seemed to resent having to take time away from his work.” She flinched and looked towards the trees behind us. “Did you hear that? I thought I heard something moving over there.”

  I looked at the trees and frowned in their direction. Whoever was following me, if someone was, was really getting on my nerves now.

  I said to Tansy, “I don’t know much about werewolves. What happened when Jonathan was affected by the full moon? Did he lose control of himself?”

  “He went into a steel cage for the duration of his change. His pack leader, Strom had built him a strong steel cage
with extra locks at Jonathan’s request. Jonathan accepted he would change during the full moon, but he wanted to do it in a safe environment where he wouldn’t be a danger to anyone.”

  “Does that happen with all the other werewolves too?”

  Tansy frowned. “No, they’re different to Jonathan. Most of them were born as werewolves, and as they grew up, they were taught how to change into wolves at will rather than relying on the moon. They were also taught to control themselves during a transformation and to be aware of what they’re doing. But Jonathan didn’t want to go through the training that was offered to him. He spoke to me now and again about it, and said he wanted to remain as human as he possibly could.” She frowned again and added, “Despite his happy ways, I don’t think Jonathan was happy being a werewolf, not at first anyway.”

  “I’ve just spoken to Strom, and he told me Jonathan was making a new life for himself. He mentioned Jonathan had recently become engaged to his daughter.”

  Tansy smiled. “Anju. Yes, she’s an exception. She’s not like the other werewolves. She’s lovely and always has a kind word for us elves. Not like some. Jonathan told me about the engagement, and I was so happy for him. It sounded as if he was finally accepting his werewolf life. I thought he was going to find some peace.” She looked towards the trees again. “Are you sure you can’t hear that sound? I keep hearing someone moving over there.”

  “I can’t hear anything. Can you tell me more about Jonathan’s engagement?”

  Tansy said, “Yes, of course. I thought he would be happy and was accepting himself as a werewolf. But he wasn’t. A few days after telling me about the engagement, I noticed a change in him. He wasn’t as happy as he normally was, and there was a restlessness about him. Also, he wasn’t sleeping well, and I suspected something was bothering him. Whatever it was, he wouldn’t talk to me about it.”

  I looked at the oak tree in front of us and said, “When did you last see Jonathan?”

  Tansy looked up at the tree too. “He came to do some gardening work for me a few days before he died. That was the last time I saw him, but I did hear him having an argument with someone on the morning he died.”

  “An argument? Who with?” I looked down at the elf who was now twisting the bottom of her shirt in agitation.

  Tansy lowered her voice, and an anxious look came into her eyes. “He was arguing with another werewolf called Flint.”

  “I’ve met Flint. What were they arguing about?”

  Tansy swallowed nervously and said, “I shouldn’t be talking about this. I’m sure I can feel someone listening to us.”

  “Tansy, this is important. I need to know about Jonathan’s last days.”

  Tansy beckoned me to lower my head, which I did. She whispered in my ear, “They were arguing about Anju. Flint was yelling at Jonathan and saying he wasn’t good enough for her, and that he wasn’t even a proper werewolf. He told Jonathan to go back to the human world where he belonged. Jonathan shouted back that he was worthy of Anju’s love, and that they were going to be happy together. He said Flint was only jealous, and that he should deal with it. They kept arguing back and forth. I was in my garden at the time and their voices were coming from the forest nearby. I didn’t like hearing Jonathan so angry. I’ve never heard him shout like that before. I turned around and went back inside my house.”

  I didn’t want to ask the next question, but I had to. “Do you think Flint killed Jonathan and then made it look like suicide?”

  Tansy quickly nodded. She put her little hands on my head and pulled me even closer. She whispered, “Not only was Flint jealous about Jonathan marrying Anju, he was jealous about Jonathan becoming the alpha male. Strom was going to stand down as the alpha male once Jonathan and Anju married. Flint couldn’t bear the thought of that. He thought he was the best one for that role.” She released my head and gave me a knowing look.

  I said to her, “Would Strom have been happy about standing down as pack leader?”

  Tansy frowned. “I think so. Jonathan didn’t talk about it much.” She suddenly clutched my leg and hissed, “Someone is listening! They’ve heard everything I’ve said to you! They’ll be after me next.”

  I looked at the trembling elf and felt guilty about causing her distress. That didn’t stop me from asking another question. “Tansy, is there anything else you can tell me about Jonathan? Anything important about his last days?”

  She began to shake even more, and her eyes were fixed on the trees behind us. She hissed, “I can feel them watching us. I’m scared.” She turned terrified eyes in my direction. “I have to go. I can’t talk to you anymore.”

  “Do you want me to come with you?” I wasn’t sure what use I would be against whoever was watching us, but I could try.

  Tansy shook her head. Her eyes brimmed with tears. “Cassia, be careful. I think someone did kill Jonathan and they’re trying to cover it up. Take care of yourself.” She gave me a brief smile before turning and running away.

  I watched her go, and then looked up at the oak tree again. There was one branch which was thicker than the others, and I noticed a couple of marks on it. Rope marks?

  If someone did kill Jonathan, who was it and what was their motive? Flint was the obvious one. But what about Strom? Did he really want to give up being the alpha male?

  I needed to talk to other people about the werewolves, and their relationships with each other. My thoughts went to Gran. I wanted to go back to her house and check on her. Had Gran uncovered something important during her short investigation? Had the killer seen her near this crime scene?

  I took one final look at the oak tree and then turned around and headed back towards the path which had brought me here. There was rustling behind me and more cracking of twigs. I pressed my lips together and could feel my nostrils flaring in annoyance. Whoever was trying to scare me was doing a terrible job.

  Or so I told myself. As I walked quickly along the path, I could hear soft footsteps behind me. My steps speeded up, and so did my breathing. I didn’t dare look behind me. I broke into a jog. It turned into a full sprint when I heard someone breathing heavily behind me.

  My legs pounded down the path, and my arms pumped furiously at my side in an effort to make me run faster. I heard a soft laugh behind me, but it wasn’t a joyful kind of laugh. It was the kind of laugh that says ‘I’m coming to get you and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.’

  My legs went even faster, and I could see the end of the path. I ran towards it, but I was suddenly grabbed and pulled into the trees.

  Chapter 14

  I rolled over several times in the undergrowth before coming to a stop. It took me a moment to get my eyes to focus, and when I did, I found myself looking into the deep blue eyes of a rabbit. The rabbit’s nose twitched, and it placed its little furry paw on my arm.

  “Hello, Mr Rabbit. Did you see who pulled me off the path?” I pulled myself into a sitting position and looked left and right. “I bet it was that werewolf, Flint. I bet he’s the one who’s been following me and listening to my conversation with Tansy.” I looked back at the rabbit and gave him a smile. “I don’t know why I’m talking to you. It’s not like you can answer me or anything.”

  The rabbit continued to stare at me with those deep blue eyes. Deep blue eyes? Did rabbits have deep blue eyes? I had no idea, but I suspected they didn’t. There was only one person I’d met with that shade of blue in his eyes. But he hadn’t been a rabbit. What was going on here?

  Feeling ridiculous, I gently touched the rabbit’s paw and whispered, “Luca? Is that you?”

  I quickly removed my hand and shook my head at my foolishness. I must have bumped my head on something as I rolled through the undergrowth.

  What happened next confirmed something must have happened to my brain during my tumble. The rabbit immediately began to grow and then it stood upright on its back legs. I rubbed my eyes as the rabbit turned into Luca. I’d have to make an appointment with the doctor as soon as I re
turned home. I would need a brain scan. I was totally imagining things now.

  Luca spoke. I rubbed my ears. Not only was I imagining strange things, I was also hearing things too.

  I held my hands palms up to Luca and said, “You’re an illusion. A mirage. Go away. I don’t have time for this.”

  Luca threw his head back and laughed. When he looked back at me, he said, “Cassia, have you forgotten what I am?”

  I shook my head wildly. “Can you please stop talking? Mirages don’t talk. I’m trying to clear my head.”

  Luca moved closer to me and nipped my arm. It wasn’t imaginary pain that shot through me; it was real pain.

  “Ouch!” I rubbed my arm. “What did you do that for?”

  Luca grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet. His hands felt very real and solid in mine and I held on to them.

  He gazed into my eyes with those amazing blue eyes and I felt myself going dizzy.

  He said, “Cassia, don’t you remember anything about me at all? Don’t you remember all the fun times we had together when we were children?”

  I took my hands from his and my head immediately cleared. “Luca, I’ve only recently started to remember things from my past. Were you a rabbit just now? No, you can’t have been. That’s ridiculous.”

  Luca gave me a kind smile. “Of course I was just a rabbit. I am a shapeshifter. You must remember that Cassia, surely?”

  A little snort erupted from me. “A shapeshifter? Really? A proper shapeshifter who shifts into different shapes? That’s absurd.”

  Luca opened his arms wide and said, “Don’t forget where you are. You’re in a magical country now where supernatural creatures abound. Cassia, think clearly. Try to remember. Please.” There was a pleading tone in his voice which I couldn’t resist.