As we walked along, Stanley said, “Cassia, do you think it’s safe for us to be here? I feel as if people are giving us funny looks. Do you think they mean to cause us harm?”
I took a quick scan of the town square, and even though there were many residents walking around, I couldn’t see that anyone in particular was giving us their attention. Or were they? Was Stanley picking up on something?
We went into Mooncrest Café, and I was struck immediately by how bright and cheerful it was. The walls were painted in a light yellow, and there were images of trees and flowers on them. It almost felt as if we were still outside. Then I noticed the customers sitting at the wooden tables. There was a myriad of creatures in many different shades of skin colour including green and purple. There were pointy ears, elongated noses, bushy whiskers, furry faces and lots of fangs. I took a sharp intake of breath. Many, many sets of fangs were bared in our direction as customers looked our way. Were they giving us welcoming smiles or a warning snarl?
Stanley nudged my leg and said quietly, “They’re staring at us. They want to eat us. This is a dangerous place. Let’s go.”
I whispered back, “We can’t go. We have to talk to Anju. I don’t even know what she looks like. Do you?”
Stanley lifted his chin and said, “I’ll try and sniff her out.”
I waited a moment while Stanley’s whiskers twitched. After a little while, he padded towards a wooden table at the far side of the café. He jumped onto a chair at the side of a young woman. That must Anju then.
Ignoring the hostile, or friendly, stares that came from the creatures in the room, I walked towards the table.
I stopped at the side of it, and said politely, “Hello, sorry for disturbing you. I’m Cassia Winter. Would you mind if I spoke to you for a while?”
I quickly took in Anju’s appearance. The most striking part of her was her long, wavy hair. It was an amazing burnished copper colour, and it shone as if it had been polished. It reminded me of some of the pans in Gran’s kitchen which she lovingly cleaned once a month. I was almost tempted to lean forward to see if I could make out my reflection in Anju’s hair. Even though she was sitting down, I could see she had that scarily athletic build going on and her muscles strained against the sleeves of her T-shirt.
Anju turned brown eyes my way, and I saw they were red-rimmed as if she’d been crying a lot recently.
Anju said, “I know who you are, and I know why you want to talk to me. I’m going to save you a lot of trouble and tell you Jonathan’s death was entirely my fault.”
Chapter 20
I took a seat opposite Anju, moved my head closer to hers, and said quietly, “Did you kill Jonathan?”
“As good as. It was my fault that Jonathan was in our world. If he hadn’t been in our world, then he’d still be alive and well in his own world.”
I was about to ask her another question when a tall, thin creature appeared at my side. She was so pale that she was almost translucent.
The creature spoke, “Good morning, I’m Gilda. I’m your waitress today. Let me get your order.”
I looked around the table for a menu but couldn’t find one. I said to Gilda, “I haven’t decided what I want yet. Is there a menu somewhere?”
Gilda let out a tinkle of a laugh and explained, “We don’t need menus here. Everything you want is in your head. As this is your first time here, let me show you how it works. Don’t panic.”
Why is it when anyone says, ‘Don’t panic’, you immediately do?
I stiffened as Gilda moved a long, thin hand towards me. She rested it on my shoulder, closed her eyes for a second, and then opened her eyes. She said, “A cup of tea and a toasted teacake with butter. Am I right?”
I stared in astonishment at her. That’s exactly what I’d been thinking. Even though I’d made sure Gran had eaten this morning, I’d forgotten to feed myself.
I said to Gilda, “Are you a mind reader?” I immediately tried to clear my mind of thoughts about how thin and tall she was. If she could read my mind, I didn’t want her to be insulted by my thoughts.
Gilda laughed again. “Sort of. I’m very good at picking up on what our customers would like to eat and drink.” She turned her attention to Stanley, her long arm reached out, and she gently placed it on his back. She gave him a smile and said, “Of course. I’ll get that for you.” She then floated away from us as if she were on wheels.
I wanted to ask Anju who and what Gilda was, but now didn’t seem the appropriate time.
“Anju, can you tell me more about Jonathan and why you feel so guilty about him, please?”
She gave me a small nod and began, “Jonathan was bitten by a werewolf called Gregor. Gregor was a friend of mine, and I knew he had a wild side. Gregor wasn’t very good at controlling his werewolf self, and he had to be locked in a cage when there was a full moon. He hated being stuck in a cage, and he always pleaded with me to let him out. I knew that wasn’t a possibility as Gregor couldn’t control his killing urges once he was free. Everyone in the pack knew that.
“But over time, Gregor seemed to change, and he appeared to be in control of himself more. We’d often spend time together, and he convinced me that he had made positive changes. When it came time for him to be locked up during a full moon, he pleaded with me to unlock the cage so that he could test out his newly acquired control skills. After our many chats together, I thought he really had changed.” She looked down at her hands which were resting on the table. “Big mistake.”
“What happened?”
Anju turned tear-filled eyes my way, and continued, “Gregor might have thought he’d changed his ways when he was in human form, but as soon as he turned into his wolf form, he was different. He was wild and out of control; more than ever before. I opened the cage door that night just as he was turning, and when he’d fully transformed, I expected him to be as controlled as everyone else. But he wasn’t. Once he’d changed, he howled in such an angry way that it made my hackles rise with fear. I’ve never heard any wolf make that noise before. He pushed me to one side and then ran off into the forest still making that terrible noise. I realised my mistake immediately and went to tell my father. You met him yesterday, didn’t you? Strom?”
I nodded.
Anju said, “My father was furious with me, and he went after Gregor. It was too late. My father tracked Gregor’s scent and discovered he’d gone through the darkest part of the forest and into the human world. That is completely forbidden. My father had no option but to follow Gregor. And when he did, he discovered that Gregor had slain a family; Jonathan’s family. Jonathan’s wife and young son had been killed outright, but Jonathan was still alive, albeit with wolf bites. My father took pity on Jonathan and brought him back to our pack.”
I asked, “Is it true that Gregor was killed afterwards? That’s what your father told me yesterday.”
Anju nodded. “My father had no option. He had to do it. When my father brought Jonathan back, along with Gregor’s dead body, he took the blame for Gregor’s escape. He said he hadn’t secured his cage properly. He didn’t want anyone to know it was my fault.” She lowered her head. “I felt so ashamed. I was the reason why Jonathan’s family had been killed.”
“What happened to Jonathan when he was brought into your pack?”
“I was the one who took care of him. I had to. It was my fault he was there. He was in a bad way for a few days. Because he’d been bitten by a werewolf, his healing abilities sped up, and he was soon back to physical health. But his mental health was another matter.
“On the first day that I looked after him, I confessed what I’d done. There was a coldness in Jonathan’s eyes when I did so, and I didn’t blame him for hating me. Jonathan was of a strong character, and he had a decency about him which I’d never encountered before. We began to talk more, and he said it wasn’t my fault that Gregor had attacked his family. He said Gregor was probably the kind of werewolf who would have escaped from a cage eventually. I to
ld him repeatedly it was my fault, but after a time, Jonathan wouldn’t listen to my declarations of guilt. He even forgave me for the part I’d played in Gregor escaping. He was that kind of man.”
Gilda floated back to our table and placed a steaming mug of tea and a hot buttered teacake in front of me. I felt my mouth watering, and I quickly wiped away a dribble of saliva that escaped from the corner of my mouth. Gilda put a small plate of sardines in front of Stanley. His little pink tongue shot out, and he licked his lips. I wasn’t the only one who was dribbling.
Gilda said, “Don’t worry about settling the bill, your gran has an account with us.” She smiled before moving away.
I smiled at Stanley and said, “More sardines? Haven’t you had enough of them?”
Stanley said, “I can’t help it, I love them. If I keep eating them at this rate, I’ll turn into a sardine myself.” He let out a wheezy sort of chuckle which was incredibly charming. My heart swelled with love for my furry feline friend.
I said to Anju, “Stanley said he might turn into a sardine.”
“I know, I heard him.”
“Oh? I thought hearing cats talk was a witch thing.” I felt a stab of disappointment.
Anju looked Stanley’s way, gave him a small smile, and said, “Everyone can hear cats talking here. Stanley, what a lovely cat you are. I can sense how much you care about Cassia.”
Stanley let out a purr in response.
I took a drink of tea before asking Anju my next question. “How did the rest of your pack deal with Jonathan coming in?”
“They dealt with it well, for the most part. There was an immense feeling of guilt about what Gregor had done, and we all wanted to make amends. Apart from one person who didn’t like the attention I was giving Jonathan.”
“Don’t tell me, was it Flint?”
Anju nodded. “Yes, it was Flint. From your tone, I’m assuming you’ve met him. Once someone meets Flint, they never forget him. Flint showed nothing but hatred towards Jonathan. Jonathan took it in his stride and did his best to make friends with Flint. But Flint wasn’t having any of it.”
“I’d heard that you and Flint were in a relationship at some point.” I picked up the warm teacake and took a big bite while waiting for Anju to answer. The bread was soft, and the butter was deliciously salty. My taste buds did a little happy dance. I made a mental note to ask Gilda if I could buy some teacakes to take home. Gran would love these. Perhaps she was a regular visitor here and already had a stash of teacakes at home? I’d ask her later.
Anju said, “Yes, I was in a relationship with Flint. It wasn’t a healthy relationship. Even though Flint was rough and controlling with me, I thought that’s how things were supposed to be. Until I met Jonathan, and got to know him better. His caring attitude and thoughtful ways were a stark contrast to how Flint behaved, and slowly, I fell in love with Jonathan.
“As soon as I realised I had feelings for Jonathan, I ended things with Flint. He didn’t take it well, and his hatred for Jonathan intensified. I’ve no idea how it happened, considering the whole Gregor incident, but Jonathan began to fall in love with me. How he got over the death of his family is still a mystery to me. He told me that terrible things happen in life, and we either deal with them or let them rule us. Jonathan said he would never forget his family and would always carry them in his heart. But, he had to accept his new life and make the best of it.”
I swallowed the last of the teacake before asking, “How did your father feel about Jonathan?”
“My father admired Jonathan. Jonathan proved his worth around our community by doing more than his fair share of work. He also went out into the wider community and offered his services there. The others who live in the forest always distrusted our pack and kept their distance. Jonathan began to change that with his gentle ways. He was doing us a great favour. He’s going to be sorely missed by many of us in Brimstone.” A solitary tear trickled down her cheek.
Despite Anju’s distress, I had to continue with my questions. “I spoke to Tansy yesterday, and she told me Jonathan wasn’t acting himself recently. Is that true?”
“It is. He started to act differently shortly after our engagement. I knew he wasn’t sleeping well as I often heard him moving about the camp in the early hours of the morning. At first, he didn’t want to talk about what was bothering him, but I insisted that he told me. He explained he couldn’t stop thinking about his wife and son, and he was having constant nightmares about them. He felt their deaths were entirely his fault. I tried to reassure him, but it was hard. He said it was probably just a temporary thing, and he’d do his best to deal with it. But he didn’t deal with it. Things seem to get worse for him, and he was barely sleeping at all. Whenever I tried to talk about his nightmares, he’d change the subject and talk about our future instead.” More tears travelled down her cheeks.
Stanley jumped onto Anju’s lap and he pressed his head against her shoulder. He purred softly, and Anju stroked his back.
As loath as I was to bring up the subject of Gran’s attack, I knew I had to.
“Anju, I’m sorry to mention this, but my Gran saw you and Flint together near the oak tree where Jonathan died. Gran was attacked shortly after that. Do you know anything about the attack?”
Anju blinked away a tear and opened her mouth. She never got the chance to speak as someone laid a heavy hand on my shoulder and snarled, “Leave her alone! You’ve done enough damage already. Look at her. She’s distressed. Get yourself out of here immediately, Cassia Winter, before I throw you out.”
I looked up into the dark eyes of Flint.
Anju said, “Flint, don’t talk to Cassia like that. She’s trying to find out the truth about Jonathan.”
Without taking his eyes off me, Flint said, “It’s werewolf business, not witch business. She’s not even a proper witch. She’s insulting us by thinking she can get involved in our business.” He bared his teeth at me and I could have sworn I heard a low growling sound in his throat.
I shoved his hand off my shoulder and got to my feet. I was about to tell him I had every right to be investigating Jonathan’s death when something out on the street caught my attention.
I turned to Stanley and said, “Stanley, we have to leave immediately.”
Chapter 21
The spectacle which had caught my attention from the café, at first, appeared like a green cloud lowering over the town square. But the slight fluttering and flapping sounds coming from within the cloud told me it was the butterflies returning to Brimstone.
Stanley and I stood outside the café and watched the green cloud as it dispersed in several directions. The butterflies made their way to the various trees around the square and settled on the branches. I looked towards the butterfly tree by the cobbled path and noticed the butterflies had returned to that one too.
I said to Stanley, “Come on, let’s see if the butterflies have anything to tell us.”
I had no idea if I could talk to the butterflies or not, but seeing as I could now speak with cats, it was worth a try.
We walked over to the tree and stopped in front of it. I looked closer at the butterflies. Every single creature had its wings closed, and they weren’t moving at all.
Stanley said, “They look sad. I can feel their sadness. Cassia, what’s wrong with them?”
“I don’t know.” I aimed my attention at the butterflies and said gently, “Hello, can you understand me? Can you talk to me?”
There was no movement or sound from the still butterflies. I decided to try something else and placed my hands on the trunk of the tree. I closed my eyes and took in the feelings that radiated from the tree.
The world stopped around me. The breeze dropped, and it was suddenly silent. It felt like a heavy blanket of sadness was descending slowly over me. My heart ached with sadness, and I leant my head against the trunk.
I continued to take in the feelings. I can only describe it like someone turning a tap on in my heart and my hap
piness slowly drained away.
There was a nudge on my legs. I opened my eyes.
Stanley said to me, “Cassia! You’re crying. Take your hands off the tree immediately; it’s doing something horrible to you.”
I took my hands off the tree and took a step back. I felt the wetness of my cheeks and I wiped my tears away. I said to Stanley, “I felt sad, really sad. It was like I’d lost something incredibly important to me. Stanley, what’s going on with the butterflies? What have they lost?”
Stanley said, “Perhaps it’s a case of who have they lost?”
“Who? Yes, you might be right. We need to talk to Blythe about this. She’ll know what’s going on here.”
Stanley and I headed towards Blythe’s house, and I was soon knocking on the door. Despite knocking several times, there was no answer. I walked to the nearest window and peered through. I couldn’t see anyone inside, not even a small fairy.
Stanley shook his head. “What is happening in this town? There’s something odd going on. I can feel it in my fur.”
We walked back down the street, and I looked towards Mooncrest café. Anju stepped out, closely followed by Flint. Flint must have sensed us watching him because he looked our way and shot us a warning glance. He put his thick arm around Anju’s shoulders and led her away.
Stanley said, “Cassia, what are we going to do next? Should we try and talk to Anju again?”
“Not at the moment. Something was bothering Jonathan before he died. Strom said Jonathan wouldn’t take his own life, but what if he did? What if he wasn’t coping with the loss of his family as he made out? Maybe he felt incredibly guilty after getting engaged to Anju. He couldn’t accept feeling happy when his family had been killed so brutally. We might not be looking at a murder case at all. It could be suicide.”
Stanley interjected, “If that’s the case, then who attacked your Gran and why?”
Murder Of A Werewolf (A Brimstone Witch Mystery Book 1) Page 11