Luca removed his arm, stood up and helped me to my feet. “I’m going with you.”
“No, you’re not,” I told him as I reached for my broomstick.
“It’s not safe for you to be there on your own.”
Stanley marched over to Luca and said loudly, “For the last time, she isn’t on her own! Sorry for shouting, Luca, but Cassia has me.”
Luca shot him a small smile. “I know that. Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but look at what happened to you both. You were knocked out and then brought back here against your will.”
“That’s a minor setback,” I informed him. An idea came to me. “Stronger spells! That’s what we need. Stanley. Let’s go over to Blythe’s house and see if she knows any stronger spells I can use against those vampires.”
Stanley nodded. “That’s a good idea.”
Luca blocked our exit and held his hand up. “No. You can’t go back to Dingy Skipper. It’s a dangerous town. You’ve already been hurt.” He dropped his hand. “Please, Cassia, I can’t bear the thought of you putting yourself in danger.”
My heart softened at the worry on his face. I placed my hand against his cheek and said, “This is what I do. You know that. A witch has been murdered and it’s up to me and Stanley to find the murderer. No vampire clan is going to stop me.”
Luca let out a heavy sigh and pulled me into his embrace. “I do know that. I’m sorry. I always act like a protective idiot when I’m around you. I know you can look after yourself. That doesn’t stop me worrying, though.” He kissed the top of my head.
Stanley cried out, “Hey! We don’t have time for lovey-dovey stuff. We’ve got work to do.”
Luca released me. “I’m sorry about that, Stanley. I don’t suppose you’d like a cuddle from me before you go?”
Stanley chuckled. “Make it quick. I can never resist your cuddles.”
Once Luca and Stanley had finished having a cuddle, Luca turned to me and said, “Be careful. Very careful.”
“I will,” I told him.
He looked as if he wanted to say a lot more, but he put his head down and walked swiftly away. I could understand his worry, but I had to get on with my job. I couldn’t let a murderer go free.
Blythe was on her own in the house when we got there. I was glad Gran wasn’t there as I didn’t want to tell her how we’d been rudely returned to Brimstone like an unwanted package.
Blythe was more understanding as we told her what had happened, but that didn’t stop her from being furious. “The nerve of them!” she cried out. “I knew the Devlin clan were an evil bunch, but to do that to one of my justice witches! Did they hurt you? Let me look at your neck.”
She examined my neck, tutting loudly as she did so. She muttered, “There’s no permanent damage. It looks like they used a mild sedative. I’ll be having words with Cordelia about this. She should keep her residents under control.”
I then told Blythe about my meeting with Cordelia. Blythe’s face turned as purple as her dress.
“She said what!” Blythe exploded. “How dare she talk to you like that? And why doesn’t she know what’s going on with her own witches? This is an outrage!” She began to pace up and down the carpet. “Perhaps Esther was right about you going there. The situation is worse than I thought. Perhaps I should take over.”
“There’s no need. I’m dealing with everything,” I said. “You said you had faith in my abilities. Do you still have that faith?”
Blythe stopped pacing. “Of course I do.”
Stanley said, “This is great experience for us. We’ve already met a Gossiping Gnome. And, wow, can she gossip! I bet she’s going to give us a lot of information about the residents when we next meet her, don’t you think so, Cassia?”
I gave him a nod. “She will, whether we want it or not.” I looked back at Blythe. “Stanley and I will be fine. But we could do with some stronger spells for when we confront the Devlin clan again. They said they’d had dealings with Henrietta. I want to find out what those dealings were.” I hesitated. “But if you really think I’m not capable, then I’ll walk away from this case and you can take over.” To demonstrate my point, I took a step backwards.
Blythe broke into a smile. “Nice try with the reverse psychology, but it didn’t work. This is your case. I know you’ll solve it.” She pressed her lips together and stared into the distance. “I’ve got just the right spells for you. Those vampires will rue the day they met you.”
Stanley laughed. “That’s what Cassia said!”
Before Blythe could give me the details of those spells, there was a light knock at the front door.
“I hope that isn’t Luca trying to talk me out of returning to Dingy Skipper,” I said.
I went over to the door and opened it. A resident of Dingy Skipper was standing there.
Chapter 7
It was Tobias. He was trembling with fear. I swiftly picked him up and took him inside.
“Tobias!” Stanley cried out. “What are you doing here? Did the vampires bring you here? Did they fling you over their shoulders? Did they hurt you?”
I gave Stanley a quick shake of my head to quell his questions. I sat on the sofa and stroked Tobias’ shaking body. I said softly, “It’s okay. You’re safe now. No one is going to hurt you here.”
Blythe sat at my side. “Hello, Tobias. I’m Blythe. I’m a witch too. Cassia’s told me about Henrietta. Can I get you something to ease your trembles? Perhaps a dish of cream?”
Tobias tried to smile but he was shaking too much. I sent calming magic into my fingers and continued to stroke his back. After a few seconds, his trembles subsided.
“I’m sorry for being such a nuisance,” he began. “I had to see you. I wanted to make sure you were safe. I can’t believe those vampires took you away like that. Vera shouted at them as they ran down the street with you two, but they wouldn’t stop.” He let out a shiver. “Actually, one of them did stop. He came back and demanded to know where your broomstick was. I wouldn’t tell him and Vera told him where he could shove a broomstick. I’m sorry, Cassia, but that horrible vampire forced his way into the house and he found your broomstick. I hope he didn’t break it.”
“He didn’t.” I pointed to the wall where my broomstick was propped up. “It’s all in one piece. Are you alright? Did the vampires say anything to you?”
Tobias gave me a slow nod. “The one who took your broomstick said if I did anything to help you, he would kill me. He threatened Vera too, but she shouted at him and told him to leave. She’s much braver than me.” He lowered his head. “I wish I was braver.”
Stanley jumped onto the sofa. “You are brave, Tobias. You came here to see if we were okay. That’s a brave thing to do.”
Tobias lifted his head. “Or a stupid thing. I hope the vampires aren’t watching us.”
Blythe said firmly, “Those Devlin vampires will not be coming anywhere near Brimstone again. I’m going to cast a repellent spell which will keep them away.”
“Thank you,” Tobias said. “I don’t like the idea of them being in your lovely town. Cassia, I don’t care what that vampire said, I will help you. What can I do?”
“I was going to call on Dr Morgan to see how far she’s got with her examination,” I told him. “If it’s not too difficult for you, you can come with us. If Henrietta has been poisoned, you might recognise the name of the poison.”
“I can do that. Shall we go now? I want to find out who hurt Henrietta as soon as possible.”
Blythe said, “Before you go, Cassia, I’m going to give you those spells. You might want to use one on Tobias too.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Blythe gave me the details of the spells and assured me they’d keep me safe from any further vampire attack. She also said she’d put a spell on the town immediately to keep it safe from unwelcome vampires.
We left Blythe’s house and went to Dr Morgan’s building.
She was pleased to see us and said, “
I was about to send a butterfly message over to Dingy Skipper. I didn’t know you’d come back to Brimstone.”
“It was an unscheduled journey. What have you found out?” I still had Tobias in my arms. “You remember Tobias, don’t you? He’s helping us with our investigation.”
“That’s good news,” Dr Morgan said with a smile at Tobias. “Follow me into the examination room. You won’t believe what’s happened to Henrietta.”
Tobias said quietly, “I think I know. Cassia, I’m so sorry, I meant to tell you something earlier about Henrietta’s skin but then Vera turned up.”
“You told me her skin was a lighter shade of green,” I reminded him as we followed the doctor into another room.
Tobias nodded. “Yes, but there’s something else I have to tell you.”
We stopped at the table in the middle of the room. I looked at the figure on it and said, “Who’s that?”
Dr Morgan gave me a big smile. “It’s Henrietta.”
“No, it isn’t. This woman isn’t green. Or warty. There’s not one single mole on her face. And where have her big nose and long chin gone?”
The doctor patted the occupant on the table. “This is definitely Henrietta. I saw her change before my eyes. I thought I was having a funny turn at first, but no, it’s definitely her. This young, beautiful woman with a delicate nose is Henrietta Whitmore.”
I looked down at Tobias and said, “What’s going on? Why does she look like that now?”
“She was under an enchantment; one that she cast herself,” Tobias explained. “When she first arrived in Dingy Skipper and started working there, the residents wouldn’t take her seriously because of how youthful she looked. They tried to take advantage of her good nature. She decided she had to create an image which would scare them and gain their respect in the process. So, she put an enchantment on herself. She did the same to the house. She wanted to put fear into visitors.”
I recalled the severed heads on the walls of Henrietta’s house. “She certainly did that. Why has the enchantment worn off?”
Tobias sighed. “It must be because she’s dead. It only lasted a day anyway. Henrietta would remove the spell at night-time before bed. She didn’t like to see herself in the bathroom mirror looking so hideous. She said it gave her nightmares. She’d cast the spell again the second she woke up.”
I considered his words. “That means she was murdered after she woke up and cast the enchantment spell. Or did it happen before she went to sleep?”
Tobias shook his head. “She’d removed the spell that night. I saw her before she went to sleep. She always came down to the kitchen to say goodnight.” His head dropped and he didn’t say another word.
I put Tobias on the carpet and said to Stanley, “Why don’t you show Tobias around Brimstone? I’ll catch up with you in a few minutes. Watch out for any vampires flying around. Blythe has probably cast the repellent spell by now, but watch out anyway.”
Stanley gave me an understanding look. “I will do. Come on, Tobias, you’ll love our town. We’ll start with a walk around the town square.”
Tobias nodded and followed Stanley out of the room.
When they’d gone, I said to Dr Morgan, “I didn’t want to talk about this in front of Tobias, but do you know what killed Henrietta yet?”
She shook her head. “I can’t find anything. I’m worried that any evidence on Henrietta disappeared when the enchantment wore off. Look, even her dress changed too. I’ll keep looking for something. How’s Tobias coping?”
“As well as can be expected.” I said goodbye and headed outside.
I found Stanley and Tobias taking a stroll around the square. Stanley was chatting non-stop and my heart lifted when I saw Tobias smile.
When they completed their stroll and came back to me, Tobias said, “I think I might know where Henrietta kept her records of visitors to the house. I can go back to Dingy Skipper and look for them right now. Would that help?”
“It would,” I replied. “But you’re not going back there on your own. We’re going with you.”
“What about the vampires?” Tobias asked. “What if they grab you again?”
“Just let them try.” I gave him a confident smile.
Stanley shot out joyfully, “They will rue the day they met Cassia Winter – and her cat!”
Chapter 8
We arrived back at Henrietta’s house and let ourselves in. The outside of the house looked just as dismal, but the inside had changed. The dust, cobwebs and roaming critters had gone. The inside was now light and airy and decorated in cheerful pastel colours. The decapitated heads had been replaced by pictures of flowers.
Tobias said, “The enchantment spell has worn off here too. I much prefer it like this. I know Henrietta did too.”
I couldn’t help but sigh. “I wished I’d have known this was going to happen to the house. There could have been important evidence on the previous version of it.”
Tobias said quietly, “I’m so sorry. I should have told you about this sooner. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“It’s not your fault,” I quickly replied. “Anyway, it’s unlikely the killer left anything behind. They seldom do.” I gave him a bright smile. “I much prefer the house like this too. Where do you think Henrietta kept her records?”
“She met clients in this room to the right. This was her working area. The other room is the living area and she didn’t allow customers in there,” Tobias said. “I always gave Henrietta and her clients privacy and stayed in the kitchen. I did notice Henrietta writing things down in books before and after she saw her customers, so she must have some records somewhere in her working room.” Tobias paused as he stared at the door. “There was one resident who called on Henrietta often. She was here two days ago and stayed for quite a while.”
“Who was that?” I asked.
“A fairy called Peanut Flashwings. She lives a few streets away. I remember her last visit. She seemed extremely upset.”
I said, “Do you know the purpose of her visit?”
Tobias shook his head. “No. Like I said, I gave Henrietta and her customers privacy. There might be some information in those client records – if I can find them.” He moved towards the door and pushed it open with his paw. “The records must be in this room somewhere. I’ll find them. Do you want to help me look for them?”
Tobias looked happier now that he had something to do, so I said, “No, we’ll leave you to it. Stanley and I will call on Peanut Flashwings now and question her about her visits. Then we can meet up later and share our findings.”
Tobias gave us the fairy’s address and we left him to his search. Peanut’s house wasn’t far away, so we decided to walk and I left my broomstick in Henrietta’s house. As we walked down the path, Stanley said, “It’s useful having another member on our team, isn’t it?”
“It certainly is.”
We made our way over to Peanut Flashwings’ house. There were more residents on the streets now, most of them hidden inside hooded cloaks. More than one resident gave us a suspicious look. I greeted their looks with a smile.
The houses on Peanut’s street were small and the roofs came up to my knees.
Stanley trotted along the street and noted, “I’ve never seen houses this small before. They look like doll’s houses. I thought fairies lived in trees and suchlike.”
“Things are different in Dingy Skipper.” I stopped outside Peanut’s house, got to my knees and knocked on the little wooden door.
The door opened a fraction and a face peeped out at me.
“Hello,” I began, “I’m Cassia Winter, and this is Stanley.”
“Hello,” Stanley added his joyful greeting.
I continued, “Are you Peanut Flashwings?”
The fairy nodded.
“We want to talk to you about Henrietta Whitmore,” I said.
Peanut opened the door wider. She was dressed in grey and brown but I could detect the slightest sparkle of glitter in
her wings. She said, “I know who you are. I’m surprised you want to talk to me about Henrietta. I thought the Devlin vampires were dealing with everything concerning Henrietta’s death. Are you working with them?”
Stanley bristled and said, “We are not! They’ve got nothing to do with our investigation. Have they been talking to you?”
Peanut shot a worried glance out onto the street. “No, but I can feel their presence nearby. Have they followed you here?”
I said, “I don’t think so. Peanut, I can put a protective spell on you if you’re worried about the vampires.” My knees made a creaking noise. “Would you mind coming out of your house, please? I’m not at all comfortable like this.”
Peanut stepped out of her house and looked nervously left and right. “I was so sorry to hear about Henrietta. She’ll be missed around here.”
I straightened up and Peanut flew up to my shoulder and hovered inches from my face.
I said to her, “I understand you paid visits to Henrietta recently. Why was that?”
Peanut’s little shoulders dropped. “It’s a family thing. We Flashwings are thieves. We can’t help it. My dad runs a thriving business based on our family’s talent.” She held up my watch. “This is yours. Sorry, I couldn’t help it.”
My eyebrows shot up and I took my watch back. “How did you do that? I didn’t even see you move.”
She gave me a half smile. “We Flashwings are accomplished thieves.”
I put the watch firmly in my pocket and tried not to judge the fairy who’d just robbed me. Things like this were probably commonplace in this town.
Peanut continued, “I used to love using my talents in this town. It was a different challenge every day. I thrived on the adrenalin rush. Until that terrible day that I accidentally stole money from an important vampire. He was furious and threatened to kill me. I begged for my life. He said I’d better change or he’d rip my wings off.” She shuddered.
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