Jeremy nodded. “I examined the area. The sea has returned to normal, and only a small amount of physical damage has been caused to the town. I found the humans and spoke to them. I told them we were from a secret environmental agency and the danger to their town had now passed. I could tell most of them didn’t believe so I used a small amount of magic on them.” He shot me a brief smile. “Cassia, we did it. We saved the town. We nearly died in the process, but we saved the town. How did you get back here?”
“I don’t know. I did feel someone carrying me, but I don’t know who.”
Jeremy said, “Someone must be looking out for you.” He sighed and patted his waistcoat. “I’m afraid this is beyond repair. I don’t even want to see what my face looks like. Despite feeling the need to sleep for a hundred years, our investigation isn’t over. I’m going to find Mortimer and see if he’s found out who else knew about the black rock of doom.” His glance went to my left arm. “You’ve hurt yourself. Why is your arm dangling at your side like that? Is it broken?”
I attempted to raise my left arm, but it refused to move. “It’s not broken, just very tired. I think I’ve used all my magic up.”
“You haven’t, but you need to recharge, so to speak,” Jeremy said. “There are some wonderful restorative potions in the bathroom at the lighthouse. I insist that you go back there now and have a long soak in the bath with one of those potions. You’re no use to anyone in your present state.”
“But we need to find out who knew about Nerita and the black rock,” I argued. “It’s important. I’ve got a strong feeling that it’s connected to her death.”
“Yes, I know it’s important,” Jeremy argued back. “Which is why I’m going to find out who knew. Then I’ll go to the lighthouse and let you know.” He put his arms on my shoulders and turned me in the direction of the lighthouse. “Off you go. Doesn’t the thought of a warm bath sound appealing?”
I nodded.
Jeremy gave me a gentle push forward. “Stanley, you make sure Cassia has a long soak. I’ll call on you both later.”
Stanley replied, “I will do.”
Stanley trotted dutifully at my side as we made our way to the lighthouse. I was worried for a second that I’d lost the key during my time fighting the sea at Knotty Cove, but thankfully, it was nestled safely at the bottom of my pocket.
Stanley stayed close to my side as we made our way up the spiral steps. I glanced at the lovely paintings on our left as we ascended. I hadn’t had a good look at them yet. There were many images of the merpeople and showed scenes of their daily activities. I hesitated at one image and frowned at it. What did that mean? I looked at the next image which was slightly different. What was going on here?
Stanley nudged into my legs. “Keep moving. You’re nearly there.”
He kept bumping into my legs as he forced me up the stairs and towards the bathroom.
I looked down at him and said, “You’ve become very bossy, just like your brother.”
He chuckled. “I know. Sometimes you have to be bossy.” He cleared his throat and did a wonderful impression of Oliver. “Into the bathroom immediately, young lady! And don’t come out until I tell you to!” He chuckled again.
I smiled down at him. “You are the best friend a witch could have. I won’t be long in the bathroom.”
“Take your time. I’ll wait for you outside.”
Once inside the bathroom, I switched the taps on and water gushed out at a pleasing speed. The tub would be filled in no time. I opened the bathroom cabinet and saw many glass bottles containing bubble bath potions. Each bottle had been labelled with a different ailment which could be cured:
‘Sea serpent bites’
‘Grindylow scratches and bruises’
‘Squid ink poison’
‘Tentacle trauma’
‘Sand-snake rash’
My eyebrows rose. Most of the bottles had already been opened. What had Mum got up to during her time here? That’s something I’d ask Jeremy later. I settled on a bottle labelled ‘General aches and pains’. I poured a liberal amount into the tub and a relaxing aroma of lavender filled the air.
I peeled off my damp and damaged clothes and dropped them on the floor. I climbed into the welcoming tub and the restorative effects of the hot water and the lavender scented bubbles got to work on me instantly. The aches and pains melted from my arms completely and I was able to lift them easily.
I leant my head back and took a full minute to relax. I lifted my head back up and nodded to myself. That was enough relaxing. I had a murder investigation to deal with. My head felt clearer now and the images of the paintings I’d seen on the way up the stairs flashed into my mind. Why were they so important? Why were those particular images standing out to me?
Something shiny caught my attention on the floor. I looked that way and saw something poking out of my trouser pocket. It was something I hadn’t put there. It was a hair comb. A shiny, hair comb that I’d seen before.
The bits of confused information came together in my head like a dreadful jigsaw.
I groaned and put my head in my bubble-covered hands.
It was starting to make sense now.
Chapter 30
I stayed in the bath a short while longer until I accepted the facts. I nodded to myself. Okay, I had to deal with this. And I had to deal with it now. Could this be related to Nerita’s death? I wasn’t sure I wanted to make that connection.
I got out of the bath and quickly dried myself. I wrapped Mum’s dressing gown around me and the aroma of her perfume enveloped me like a reassuring hug.
I found Stanley sitting on Jeremy’s knee on the sofa in the living area. Jeremy was wearing a different waistcoat and his face looked just as perfect as when I’d first met him.
“Oh! I wasn’t expected to see you back here so soon,” I said to Jeremy.
Stanley said, “And I wasn’t expecting your bath time to end so quickly.”
“I’ve been in there long enough. I feel much better now.” I moved over to the sofa and sat next to Jeremy. “What have you found out?”
“Thanks to the helpful grindylows, I’ve discovered that King Taron refused to come to the surface to speak to Mortimer. Mortimer left the beach in a huff and returned home.”
“That’s a shame. I wanted to know if King Taron knew about Nerita taking the black rock to Knotty Cove.”
Jeremy raised a finger. “Thanks again to the nosy grindylows, I now have some information on that. Shortly before she died, Nerita did tell someone about the black rock. She told them everything including the danger she’d put the humans in.”
“Really? Who did she tell?”
Jeremy sighed. “The grindylows don’t know. Nerita was on the beach and the being she was talking to was standing behind a rock. The grindylows did hear Nerita’s voice rising as she tried to defend herself. Whoever she spoke to was furious about what she’d done and at the end of the conversation, she yelled, ‘I wasn’t thinking about the humans! I was concerned with my subjects here! They’re more important.’ She then stormed off and returned to the sea.”
“What did she mean by those words? Didn’t she care about the impending disaster that was going to occur in Knotty Cove?”
“I don’t think she did. After I’d spoken to the grindylows, I appeared in Mortimer’s cottage and spoke to him. When he returned home, he checked the monitoring equipment at Knotty Cove.” Jeremy gave me a wide smile. “The black rock has gone. His graphs show that it disintegrated around the time we were performing our spell. He’s going to keep an eye on that area and will let us know if anything peculiar turns up. That’s one problem sorted out.”
I gave him a nod and then reached into my pocket. I pulled out the hair comb that I’d picked up from the bathroom floor. “Look what I’ve found.”
Jeremy’s eyes widened. “Not again! Where did you find it? Has our devious intruder been at work again?”
“I think it might have been placed in my
pocket when I was lying on the sand on Knotty Cove. I think the being who put it there brought me back home too.” I handed the comb to Jeremy. “It’s Isla’s comb, isn’t it?”
Jeremy lifted it to the light. “It is. But it doesn’t belong to her anymore. Her engagement to Conway has been broken off. I tried to tell you that earlier, but we got caught up in the drama at Knotty Cove.”
“Who broke it off?” I asked. I feared I already knew the answer.
Jeremy lowered the comb. “Conway did.” He gave me a serious look before continuing. “Do you know what this means?”
“I think so. There are some paintings on the wall next to the stairs. They show mermen leaving hair combs in the homes of mermaids. Later on, the pictures show the couple getting married. I think that mermen leave combs in someone’s home as a way of proposing. Am I right?”
Jeremy gave me a slow nod.
Stanley said, “I’m confused. Cassia, does this mean that someone has proposed to you?”
“I think so. I’ve found this comb three times now.”
There was silence as we all digested this information.
Stanley said, “Does that mean Conway has proposed to you? You hardly know him. The cheek of him! Don’t accept his proposal. You can’t live in the sea with him. You’ll go all wrinkly!” His voice rose in panic.
“I’ve no intention of accepting his proposal. I had no idea he had feelings for me. I’ll speak to him and give him the comb back.”
Jeremy picked Stanley up and placed him on my lap. “You’re not going to talk to him. I will. Mermen can become aggressive when they don’t get what they want. You stay here and I’ll come back after I’ve spoken to Conway. I’d like to know how he got into your apartment and in here without a key!” He got to his feet. His face was scrunched up in annoyance.
“I can deal with this myself.”
“Not in your dressing gown. I won’t be long.” Jeremy strode away and thudded down the stairs before I could argue with him.
I said to Stanley, “I should be the one who talks to Conway. I’ll quickly get dressed and then we’ll go after Jeremy. I spotted some of Mum’s clothes in a drawer under the bed. I hope they fit me.”
The clothes did fit me. The jeans were torn around the knees and there was a stain on the T-shirt, but that didn’t matter. I even found a clean pair of socks at the back of the drawer.
As I pulled the socks on, Stanley cocked his head to one side and said, “Did you hear that? There’s someone upstairs on the balcony. I’m going to have a look.” He scampered off.
“Stanley! Wait!” I ran after him, my socks slipping on the wooden floor. “Stanley, don’t go up there without me!”
I raced up the stairs and noticed the door at the top was open. I went out onto the balcony and came to a sudden stop.
Conway was standing a few feet ahead of me. Stanley was in his arms and was struggling to get free.
“Cassia! There you are. We’ve got a lot to talk about, haven’t we? We’ve got plans to make and things to discuss. Now that Nerita is out of the way, you can become my queen.” He smiled broadly as if he were delivering the best news ever.
I gripped the wooden rail at my side for support. “Conway, did you kill Nerita?”
His eyes twinkled with joy. “Of course I did. I did it for you, my love.”
Chapter 31
My knees felt weak and my grip on the handrail increased.
“What do you mean?” I asked. My glance kept going to Stanley and I could see how much he was struggling to get out of Conway’s arms.
Conway took a step closer. “I fell in love with you the second I saw you, Cassia. Then, when we went into the café and you had that ice cream which made you glow with happiness, my love intensified and I knew I’d do anything for you. I told you then I’d find out what had happened to the missing sirens, and that’s what I did. I confronted Nerita and demanded that she tell me the truth. I’ve known for weeks that she was up to something.” He shook his head sorrowfully. “She told me about that black rock of magic that she’d put in your world. In your world, Cassia! She said it was going to cause damage there and that humans could be killed. Your people, Cassia! She was going to hurt your people in your world. And she didn’t care! I couldn’t have that. I had to get rid of her.” He laid a heavy hand on Stanley. “I did it for you and your world. Your old world, that is. You’re going to be part of my world soon. To be honest, I’ve been thinking about doing away with her for a while. She was so rude to me and alway put me down in front of the other mermen.”
I noticed Stanley had pulled one of his paws free. I played for time and said, “How did you do it? How did you kill her? How did you get that pure water into a bottle without hurting yourself?”
He gave me a lingering look. “I love how you’re so concerned about me. It was Von who did it.”
“Von?”
“Yes, the sea hag. She has magical abilities. Nerita used one of Von’s magical potions when she went to see Uncle Mortimer in the forest.” He smiled. “I knew about her secret visits to Uncle Mortimer. Isla told me. She was a nosy mermaid, but useful for a while. I ordered Von to fill that bottle for me. I also ordered Von to give me an enchanted key which would open any door. Von can’t disobey me, not when I’m going to be king soon. You should meet her. You’ll like her. She’ll help you turn into a mermaid. She’s already got the spell ready. Von’s amazing. She even put a spell on me on the day I turned up at your apartment. Her spell made it appear that I was dying. You helped me. I knew you would. I could see the love in your eyes as you looked after me.”
Stanley had another paw free.
I continued, “You put the comb in the apartment in town.”
“I did. I prised it from Isla’s fingers when I ended our engagement. She didn’t take that news easily.” He took another step forward. “You are so beautiful when you’re asleep. I watched you for hours. Why did you give the comb back to Isla the next day?”
“I thought she was the one who left it in the apartment.”
He nodded. “That’s what I thought. I took it from Isla, yet again, and made it clear that our engagement was over. I ordered her to leave Brimstone. Then I came here and put the comb next to your bed downstairs when you were asleep.” He squeezed Stanley’s back. “I don’t want this creature sharing a bed with you again. It’s not fitting for a queen.” He tilted his head. “But then you gave the comb to that stupid witch friend of yours. Why?”
Conway’s hand was resting too heavily on Stanley’s back and I could see him struggling to breathe. I forced a smile to my face and said, “I’m ignorant in the ways of the merpeople. I didn’t know what it meant. Was it you who brought me back from Knotty Cove?” I remembered the kisses on my cheeks and tried not to shudder.
Conway said, “Of course it was me. I couldn’t leave you in that dreadful place. Von helped me bring you back home.” An annoyed look came into his eyes and he looked down at Stanley. “Keep still! Stop wriggling!”
I moved closer to Conway and held my arms out. “Give Stanley to me. I’ll look after him.” I attempted to send magic into my fingertips. As soon as Stanley was free, I was going to use an immobilising spell on Conway.
Conway’s face twisted in disgust as he looked at Stanley again. “What do you need this creature for? It can’t even swim. It’s of no use to us.”
Conway suddenly turned to the side and flung Stanley over the wooden rails. I froze and my heart stopped beating. Conway grabbed my outstretched arms and pulled me into his tight embrace. “It’s just the two of us now.”
“Nooooo!” I screamed. I wriggled in his arms. “Nooooo! Stanley! Let me go!”
Conway squeezed me so hard that I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t use my magic. I heard a distant yowl from Stanley and I went limp in his arms.
Stanley. My Stanley.
The ferocious rage that I’d felt at Knotty Cove awoke in me. In an instant, I pulled myself free and shot a dose
of magic at Conway’s smug face. I spun around and looked over the rails hoping to see Stanley somewhere. My fingers tingled ready to shoot magic out to save him somehow. Where was he? My vision blurred with tears. Stanley? Where are you?
I heard a meow behind me and turned around.
Luca was standing there. He had Stanley safely in his arms.
Stanley said, “Luca caught me! He saved my life.”
I couldn’t move. Love for Stanley welled up in my heart along with tears in my eyes. I gulped and said, “I thought I’d lost you.”
Luca said briskly, “I was on my way over to see you when I saw your cat in the arms of a merman up here. I could sense that things weren’t right so I stopped next to the wall and listened to what the merman was saying.” He gently stroked Stanley’s head and his tone softened. “I’m glad I was ready to catch this little fella. Are you okay, Stanley? That must have been quite a shock for you. I know you like flying on Cassia’s broomstick, but this can’t have been pleasant.”
Stanley said, “How do you know I like flying?”
Luca frowned. “I don’t know. I just do.” He rubbed the back of his hand against Stanley’s cheek. “And I know you like it when I do this.”
Stanley purred.
Luca laughed and then looked over at Conway who was frozen in place. He said, “Who’s he, and why did he throw Stanley over the rails? Are you two getting married?”
I wiped my tears away and walked over to him. “No, I’m not getting married. He killed his sister. I’ll tell you about it in a minute.” I held my hands out. “Can I have Stanley back, please? Thank you for saving him.” Fresh tears rolled down my cheeks.
Luca put Stanley in my arms and then, to my surprise, he reached out and wiped my tears away with the back of his hand.
He pulled his hand back and stared at it in astonishment. “What’s happening? Why is my hand glowing like that? What’s in your tears? Magic?”
Brimstone Witch Mysteries - Box Set 2 Page 31