She smiled so sweetly that she almost had me fooled. I could sense they were up to something, and it didn’t involve a game of bingo. I’d get the truth out of them somehow.
I pulled a chair out and sat down. Gran poured me a cup of tea and passed it to me. I was mad at her for whatever she was hiding from me, but I was also thirsty so I took the drink and said thank you.
Gran said, “Blythe’s told me about Astrid’s confession. I couldn’t believe it! The nerve of that young woman. I was ready to march into Brimstone and give her a dressing down in front of everyone. But Blythe convinced me otherwise. She said you were dealing with Astrid.”
“Am I?” I asked. I looked at Blythe. “How am I dealing with her?”
Blythe answered, “You’re keeping a close eye on her. I’ve suspected for a while that my nasty cousins have had someone in Brimstone helping them. When Astrid confessed to me, I thought she was the most likely suspect. She’s got an evil streak in her. If she is working in cahoots with my cousins, she’ll show her true colours sooner or later. And you’ll be there to deal with her.” She gave me a satisfied nod.
“Deal with her? How? What can I do?”
Stanley jumped onto my lap and added, “Astrid scares the living daylights out of me. She’s even worse now that she’s pretending to be nice.”
Blythe said to me, “You can use your magic on her. You can stop her in her tracks. And you can lock her in a cell at my house. Just bide your time and wait for her to slip up. Then you can take the appropriate action. I trust your judgement. You’ll know the right thing to do.”
I stroked Stanley’s head to soothe my nerves. Blythe had a lot more confidence in my abilities than I did. I put thoughts of Astrid to one side and told Gran and Blythe about my murder investigation.
I reached for the photos that I’d put in my pocket and passed them over to Gran. “I don’t suppose you recognise the being in the hood, do you?”
Gran squinted at the images. “All I can see is a blur. Haven’t you got something bigger and clearer?”
“No. That’s all I’ve got.”
Gran reached over the table and passed the photos to Blythe. “Can you make this out?”
Blythe peered at the photos. She moved them far from her face and peered again. “My eyes are not as young as they used to be. Is that Fabrice Fairfax talking to that red blur? Or is it his sister?”
I had an idea. I put Stanley on the floor, stood up and took the photos. I said, “I’ll enlarge them on my scanner. It won’t take long.”
Gran raised her finger. “Excellent idea. Take your time. Stanley can go with you.”
I cast her a suspicious look before leaving the kitchen with Stanley. Gran chose to ignore it and gave me a broad smile. As soon as we left, I heard them whispering. I strained my ears, but I couldn’t hear a thing.
My scanner was upstairs in my bedroom with my computer. While I waited for the scanner to work, I logged onto the internet and had a quick catch up with the celebrity world. It was the same old thing. I wondered what people in this world would make of the creatures in Brimstone?
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t hear Stanley speaking. He put his paw on my arm and said, “Can you can tear yourself away from the antics of movie stars and pay attention to me?”
“What? Sorry. Did you say something?”
Stanley aimed his paw downwards. “Blythe and Esther are keeping something from us.”
“I know they are. But what?”
“Before we got to the top of the steps in the cellar, I heard Blythe mention her cousins. I think they’re planning on going to the town where they live. On their own.”
“That’s what I’m thinking too. They’ll only deny it if we confront them.”
Stanley carried on, “There’s something else. Oliver is having a nap. He never has a nap at this time of the day. They must have cast a sleeping spell on him so that he couldn’t hear what they were saying.”
“You’re starting to worry me now.” I looked towards the scanner. “The photos are done. I think I should confront Gran now. I don’t want her rushing into danger.”
We collected the large prints and returned to the kitchen. The second that we entered, Blythe said loudly, “Yes, next Wednesday would be perfect for going to the bingo. Do I need a special pen? Ah, look. Cassia and Stanley are back. Let’s have another look at those photos.”
I put the larger photos on the table and scrutinised the two witches as they made a big deal about examining them. It was clear they were hiding something from me and they looked particularly shifty. I was almost tempted to use a reveal spell, but I wasn’t sure what the result would be if I used it on witches. It could backfire onto me and I might spill all my secrets and every unkind thought that I’d ever had.
Gran declared, “Of course! I can see the family resemblance now. It’s as clear as the nose on his face! Ha!” She burst into laughter.
Blythe started laughing too and said, “Good one, Esther.”
Despite the loud laughter, Oliver remained asleep on Blythe’s lap and I suspected Stanley was right about him being under a sleeping spell.
Gran tapped one of the photos and said, “The hooded figure is an elf called Kelvin Yinran. He’s the cousin of Cody.” She clicked her fingers. “Blythe, didn’t Kelvin have that ridiculous idea about being a psychic?”
“Yes, that was him! He nagged me so much about his so-called talent that I let him have a tent at one of the town’s fairs. He was useless! He got everything wrong and upset every single customer by saying outrageous things to them. That was a few years ago.” She turned her full attention to me. “He could be trying to use his psychic abilities at the retirement home. Cody could be doing him a favour because they’re cousins. Now, that’s an interesting turn of events, isn’t it?”
I was about to say something but Gran beat me to it and said, “Cassia, you should go back to the retirement home and confront Cody immediately. It sounds as if it was Kelvin who went to visit Dana recently at her home. Hmm. Interesting. I wonder what they talked about? You can ask Cody for his cousin’s address and then go and get the truth out of him. Ask Kelvin what he was talking to Fabrice about at Ralf’s funeral. I wonder if Kelvin was going to work for Fabrice? Hmm. Fascinating. Talk to Fabrice too.”
She paused for breath and I was about to say I knew how to deal with a murder investigation, when Blythe spoke again and said, “Cassia, you should return to Brimstone immediately. Speak to Fabrice because it’s clear he’s hiding something. Perhaps Fabrice arranged to do away with Dana so he could use Kelvin to predict deaths at the home, even though he’s useless at that sort of thing. Also, Cody Yinran could have wanted Dana out of the way so that he could have his cousin working at the home. The elves are a tight-knit community.”
Gran quickly added, “Off you go, Cassia. There’s no time to rest.” She stood up, put her arms on my shoulders and propelled me towards the cellar door.
“But I haven’t finished my cup of tea!” I protested.
Gran kept pushing me forward. “There’s plenty of tea in Brimstone. Bye. See you later.”
Blythe called out, “Watch out for Astrid! She could be planning your downfall as we speak. Don’t forget to defend yourself if she tries anything life-threatening. Bye!”
Gran opened the cellar door and I was worried she was going to throw me down the steps. She said, “Don’t forget to shut the door on your way out. Cheerio.”
I gave her a hard look before walking down the steps. I wanted her to know I was onto her and her friend. They couldn’t fool me. Stanley trotted after me and he was trying to give Gran a hard look too.
Gran smiled before closing the door. I heard her say loudly, “Now then, Blythe, let’s get back to our chat about bingo.”
Stanley shook his head as we walked across the cellar floor. “They’re a sneaky pair, aren’t they?”
“They are. We’ll deal with them later.” I opened the door that led to Brimstone. “Now, let’s go and
talk to Cody Yinran. Let’s see if he had a motive to kill Dana Murphy.”
Chapter 20
We flew straight back to The Caterpillar Retirement Home and found Cody Yinran standing behind the reception desk. His smile of welcome wavered as we marched purposefully towards him.
“Hello again,” he said as cheerfully as he could. There was a nervous wobble in his voice. Good. I was glad he was nervous. That showed he was hiding something.
I put one hand on the reception desk and said, “We know about your cousin, Kelvin. We know he’s a psychic. We know he was at Ralf’s funeral and he spoke to Fabrice Fairfax. Now, tell me everything you know about your cousin and his involvement in Dana Murphy’s death. And I mean everything.” I gave him a stern stare to show him I wasn’t in the mood for any messing about.
Cody gulped and his pointy ears twitched. He attempted another smile, but it was a weak one. “My goodness. You have found out a lot. You’re wrong about Kelvin being involved in Dana’s death. He had nothing to do with it. He was at a family breakfast with his parents when Dana died.”
“That doesn’t prove anything. He could have arranged for someone else to kill her. You were heard telling a resident that you knew a psychic who could take over Dana’s job. Were you referring to Kelvin?”
Cody gave me a nervous nod. “The residents were worried. They’d got used to Dana being around. She was like an alarm system for them to let them know when their time would be up. It reassured them. Kelvin knew about Dana’s abilities and for months now, he’s been saying that he could do the same thing. I kept telling him no because I knew his predictions weren’t that accurate. I was put on the spot this morning when I was asked how we were going to manage without Dana. I panicked and said I knew a psychic. That’s the truth.”
“What was Kelvin doing at Dana’s house before she died?”
Cody shrugged. “I’ve no idea. You’ll have to ask him that. He’s talking to one of our residents now; an elderly elf called Tara. They’re in the day room.” He pulled a framed photo from his desk and showed it to me. “This is Kelvin and me on a fishing trip. He’s not an evil elf. I’m certain he didn’t have anything to do with Dana’s death.”
I looked at the photo. Kelvin wasn’t wearing his red cloak in it and he looked very similar to Cody. I said, “I’ll have a word with him now. You should have told me about Kelvin when I first arrived.” I held up my hand and added, “Don’t say I didn’t ask you. You should have known it was important information anyway.”
I didn’t give Cody the chance to defend himself and walked swiftly away with Stanley walking at my side.
We found Kelvin sitting in a comfy chair in the corner of the day room. A frail-looking elf was sitting opposite him and hanging onto his every word. Kelvin was wearing his red cloak over a T-shirt and jeans. His hood was pulled back and I could see the eager look on his face as he talked.
We moved silently through the room and stopped behind a pillar to shamelessly listen to what Kelvin was saying.
“Tara, you’ve had a long and eventful life. I can sense that you’ve been on many adventures and you’ve come across dangerous characters. Your life has been in peril more than once!”
Tara replied, “Are you sure about that? I’ve had quite a boring life. That’s how I like it. I don’t like danger and all that nonsense. The only dodgy character I’ve come across is Eric. He used to be my postman and kept delivering my mail to Mrs Roberts down the road. He did it on purpose because I wouldn’t go on a date with him.”
There was a heavy pause, then Kelvin said, “Ah! That’s right. Eric. Let me focus on him. Yes. There he is in my mind. You were right to say no to him! He was a dangerous elf, a very dangerous elf who would have put your life in peril! I can see it clearly in my mind.”
“Really?” Tara said. “What was he going to do to me?”
“I can’t say any more. I fear I will bring that situation to fruition if I speak of it! It is in the past. It was a path that you didn’t take. You used your wisdom, Tara. That wisdom has carried you far in life. What else would you like to know?”
Tara said, “When am I going to die? I want to sort my funeral out and order a cake.”
There was another pause, and then Kelvin said, “The image in my mind is fuzzy. It could be this year. Or next year. Perhaps the year after that.”
Tara tutted. “That’s no use to me! I want to pick out my funeral dress now. If I’m still here next year, I might change my mind and want a different dress. You’re a terrible psychic, Kelvin Yinran. I knew I shouldn’t have wasted my time with you.”
She tutted once more for good measure and a few seconds later, she walked past us with a disgruntled look on her face.
I quickly strode over to her vacated chair and sat down. I placed my broomstick on the floor and Stanley jumped onto my knee.
Kelvin looked at us in surprise and said, “Who are you two?”
As quick as a flash, Stanley said, “Shouldn’t you know that with you being a psychic?”
Kelvin stared at us in confusion for a moment, then his confusion cleared and he said, “Cassia Winter and Stanley. Of course, that’s who you are. It’s nice to finally meet you. Are you here for a reading?”
“No. We’re here to ask you about Dana Murphy,” I replied. “Why did you visit her at her house? I’d like direct answers, please.”
Kelvin looked taken aback. “How did you know about that?”
With a surprisingly dark tone in his voice, Stanley said, “Cassia is a witch. She knows everything. She knows when you are lying, so you might as well tell us the truth.” He added a growl for effect.
I stroked Stanley’s head to calm him down. I’d seen him lose his temper before, and it wasn’t a pretty sight.
Kelvin said, “Okay. I’ll tell you everything.” He put his hand on his chest. “I’ve had my gift for years. I can see into the future. I am blessed. Are you sure you don’t want a reading? I’m sensing there’s something important I have to tell you.” He put his hands on his lap.
“No, thank you. Continue,” I said.
“Okay. I’d heard about the service Dana Murphy was providing to the retirement homes in Brimstone. I thought I could help her at this home. But Cody wouldn’t let me. He said I’d cause more problems. He seems to think my predictions aren’t always reliable.” He tilted his head. “I do get muddled up sometimes’ I’ll admit that. Cody said I needed to practise my skills more before he’d even consider giving me a chance. So, I went to see Dana at her home. I wanted her to help me hone my skills. She was kind to me and said I should let my skills develop on their own and that I should trust my instincts.”
I asked, “How did she seem when you talked to her?”
“Distracted. She was polite and listened to me, but I could tell her mind was elsewhere. I could sense her discomfort and said I would come back at a better time. She gave me a really sad smile before saying goodbye to me. I had the strangest feeling that I wouldn’t see her again. And I was right.”
“Why were you at Ralf’s funeral the other day? And why were you talking to Fabrice Fairfax?”
Kelvin’s eyes widened in surprise. “You really do know everything. After I’d been to visit Dana, I found Fabrice waiting at the bottom of her lane. He’d seen me go into her house and asked why I was talking to her. I told him it was none of his business. He said he could make it worth my while as he was looking for a business partner. He knew about my abilities and said I could be useful to him. I told him Dana was going to train me and help me enhance my abilities.” He hesitated. “It was a bit of a lie, but Fabrice didn’t need to know the truth. He told me to meet him at Ralf’s funeral and to see what I could pick up from the residents there. It was like an interview.”
“And did you pick anything up?” I asked.
Kelvin shook his head. “Not much. It was too noisy. There were too many images flashing into my head. I couldn’t make sense of them. I prefer one-on-one readings. I told Fabrice th
is and he said it’s something we can work on. I haven’t heard from Fabrice since that day. I’m sure he’s going to be in touch with me soon. He said he would be.” There was a flicker of hope in his voice. “Are you sure I can’t do a reading for you? A short one? I would like to work on my skills and I’ve got a strong feeling there’s something I have to tell you.”
He looked so hopeful that I said yes.
Kelvin shot me a brief smile and then a serious look descended on his face. He half closed his eyes and focused them on an area above my head. His face remained expressionless for the next minute and I began to feel uncomfortable. I was about to tell him to forget it when his eyes snapped fully open.
“A death!” Kelvin declared. “Someone is deceiving you about a death. More than one person.”
“That’s obvious,” Stanley said. “Everyone we speak to is deceiving us about something. They’re wasting our time and I’ve had enough of it!” He looked up at me and added, “That’s why I had to use my mean voice on Kelvin a few minutes ago. I hope you didn’t mind.”
I smiled down at my friend. “I didn’t mind. You got results.” I looked over at Kelvin. “Stanley’s right. Everyone is deceiving us in one way or another.”
Kelvin waved his hand in the air. “No! I’m not talking about the death of Dana Murphy. I’m talking about the death of someone close to you. You are being deceived about how they died by people who love you.”
A cold feeling travelled down my spine and Mum’s smiling face flashed into my mind. I immediately shoved that image back out. I didn’t want to know anymore. I put Stanley on the floor, picked up my broomstick and said briskly to Kelvin, “You’re wrong about that. No one would deceive me about a death of someone close to me. You need to practise your skills more.” I stood up and strode quickly away.
Stanley wisely didn’t say a word as he followed me out of the room.
Chapter 21
Cody was still standing behind the reception desk as we approached it. A small well of anger had settled in my stomach and I was determined to get answers.
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