brimstone witch 11 - grotesque murder

by April Fernsby

  Stanley patted my leg. “Cassia, your face is going red. We can still talk to Cherry Dustjewel. She knew Budomm well.”

  I unclenched my fists and looked down at Stanley. “If we can find her.”

  “We will,” Stanley said with confidence. He looked at Relloc. “Do you know where Cherry is?”

  He gave us a look of disgust. “That annoying fairy? I told her to clear off and leave me in peace. I don’t know where she went. Good riddance is what I say.”

  I shook my head at Relloc. “We’re going to continue with our enquiries. Is there anything else you need to tell us? Any more bits of gossip that might help us?”

  Relloc shook his head. “What’s going to happen to me? Am I going to be charged with a murder I never committed?”

  “Two murders,” Stanley corrected him.

  “I can’t let you out of this cell,” I said. “But I won’t let you be charged with these murders. Unless you have done it and this is all an act, of course. You’ll have to stay in this cell for a while longer.”

  “Fair enough,” Relloc said in a resigned tone. “I’m probably safer in here than out there. Can you hurry up and get this sorted out? I need to feel the air on my face. I hate being indoors.”

  “We’ll do our best,” I said as politely as I could.

  Stanley and I stepped out of the cell. I used magic to lock the cell door.

  As we walked through Blythe’s door and out onto the path, I said to Stanley, “I don’t know if I’ve done the right thing with Relloc. Should I have let him go? Is he really innocent? We know Blythe and Gran are acting strange, so we can’t believe what they said about him.”

  “I think you did the right thing. He’s right about being safer in there. Hopefully. What are we going to do now?”

  “I’ve got a plan, but I’m not sure it’s going to work.”

  Stanley smiled up at me. “Those are the best kind of plans.”

  Chapter 25

  Someone was waiting for us at the end of the path. I knew instantly that something was wrong with him.

  Luca smiled brightly at Stanley and me. “Hello, you two. What have you been doing in Blythe’s house?”

  Stanley moved a fraction closer to me and I knew he was having the same thoughts that I was.

  Choosing my words carefully, I said, “I wanted to check on the prisoner. Blythe told me about him and how he’d confessed to the murders of Nitoth and Budomm.

  Still smiling, Luca said, “That’s right. Relloc did confess.”

  “Were you there when he confessed?” I asked.

  “No.” His smile stayed in place.

  “So you don’t know why he killed the grotesques?” I continued.

  “That’s right. I don’t know. What are you two doing now?”

  “Oh, we’re going to have a stroll around the town. We want to enjoy the peace and quiet. Isn’t that right, Stanley?”

  Stanley made a sashaying motion. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do. We’re going to take in the fine sights of Brimstone. We’re going to relax. Chill out. That’s what we’re going to do.” He gave Luca a cheerful grin.

  I said casually, “I was hoping to listen to more of Quinn’s stories. Where is he?”

  “He left town,” Luca replied. His smile stayed in place. “Bye.” He turned around.

  “Just a minute!” Stanley called out. “Don’t you want a cuddle before you go? I could do with one.”

  Luca replied, “No.” He paused a moment as if searching for the right words. “Thank you.” He walked away with that eerie smile still in place.

  Stanley shivered. “The evil warlock has got to him too. He never refuses my cuddles, never. And did you notice how the twinkle in his eyes wasn’t there?”

  “That was the first thing I noticed.” I picked Stanley up. “Let’s not worry about this. Luca’s been under a spell before. We can break the one he’s under now.”

  “I know we can.” He rested his little head on my shoulder. “I just wish the real Luca was still with us. We could do with his help.”

  “We’ll manage on our own. There’s one person who hasn’t been affected by this Brimstone spell. And we need to talk to her immediately.”

  Stanley lifted his head. “Dr Morgan?”

  “Yes. I want to check on her anyway. Let’s go there now. I don’t want to talk to anyone else here.”

  We quickly headed towards Dr Morgan’s building. We passed residents on the way. They all gave us the same mechanical smiles.

  Dr Morgan’s office was still devoid of patients, thankfully. Once in her office, I closed the outer door and then walked over to the one which led to the human world. I didn’t want to burst through in case there was someone in the other office, so I knocked quietly on the door.

  “Come in! Quickly!” Dr Morgan called from the other side.

  We went through and found her sitting in a wheelchair. There was a bandage around her head. Her face was white but her eyes blazed with anger.

  She wheeled the chair over to us. “Am I glad to see you two!”

  “What are you doing in a wheelchair?” I asked.

  She cast a withering look towards the exit door at the other side of the room. “It’s those blithering idiots in here. Those who call themselves doctors. Pah! I told them to stitch me up and leave me alone. But no, they had to prod and poke at me, didn’t they? Had to give me an X-ray, didn’t they? They claim they’ve found something abnormal on my brain which needs to be looked at urgently. Idiots.”

  My knees felt weak and I had to lean against the wall for support. I muttered, “Your brain? Something abnormal? What do you mean?”

  “It’s nothing to be worried about. But I have to go down to the main hospital and have some more tests done. I’ll be in and out in a jiffy. Stanley, don’t cry. I’ll be fine.”

  Stanley let out a strangled sob. “Sorry. I’ll try to control myself.”

  Dr Morgan rested her hands on her knees. “Tell me what’s happening in Brimstone. Have you found your gran yet? Tell me quickly. The idiots in white coats will be back for me soon.”

  “We did find her.” I managed to give her a smile. “Everything’s fine in Brimstone.”

  “You’re lying, Cassia. I can tell.” Dr Morgan sighed. “I suppose you’re doing it for my sake. I don’t have the energy to argue with you. Before I go under the knife, is there anything I can help you with? My notes on the deceased grotesques are in my office. You’re free to look at them.”

  “There is something you can help us with,” I ventured. “You mentioned finding out the names of other Life Givers. Did you find any?”

  Dr Morgan nodded and opened her mouth to speak. She never got the chance to say a word because the door at the far side was flung open by a young man wearing a white coat.

  “Good heavens!” he declared. “Who are you? And who gave you permission to come in here. Is that a cat? In a clinical environment? How dare you bring a filthy animal in here. This isn’t a vet’s!”

  Dr Morgan spun her chair around. “Stephen! That’s enough. These are my good friends and I asked them to come in. Mind your manners.”

  Stephen shot me a filthy look. “How did you get in here? I’ve been guarding the door. Has that cat got fleas?”

  Dr Morgan clicked her fingers in the air. “Oi! Stephen. I’m still here. And I’m in charge of what happens in my office.”

  Stephen tore his eyes away from me and focused them on Dr Morgan. “The ambulance is here. We’re ready for you.” He stood to one side. “Your friends will have to leave.” He managed to put a good amount of disdain into the word “friends.”

  Dr Morgan turned her chair to face us. “Thank you for coming to see me. You’ll find that information we were talking about in my address book under L. Keep in touch.” Her eyes widened slightly. “You may leave me now. The exit door is just to Stephen’s left.”

  I picked up on her meaning and gave her a tight smile. She obviously didn’t want me using the door
back to Brimstone. I tried to recall what I’d been told about that door. Was it invisible to the humans here? I couldn’t remember.

  I touched Dr Morgan’s shoulder on the way out and put as much love into my touch as I could.

  I kept my head down as Stanley and I left the office. My eyes were stinging with unshed tears. I didn’t want to lose my composure in front of Stephen or Dr Morgan. I had to stay strong. Stanley trembled in my arms and I knew he was struggling with his emotions too.

  We left the main building and found ourselves on the streets of Leeds. It was a shock to return to the human world so abruptly. It was raining and no one smiled as they rushed past.

  I pulled Stanley closer and whispered, “We’ll have to get the bus back to Gran’s and return to Brimstone that way. Try not to worry about Dr Morgan.”

  “I can’t help it,” Stanley mumbled. “I love her. I love everyone in Brimstone and it feels like we’re losing them all.”

  “We’ll do something about Brimstone.” I sighed. “We can’t do anything about Dr Morgan, though. When we get back to Gran’s, you can talk to Oliver. That’ll make you feel better.”

  Stanley nodded and attempted to give me a smile. He failed.

  We caught the bus back to Gran’s. I had to buy an umbrella on the way to the bus stop to stop us from getting completely drenched.

  Stanley didn’t get the chance to speak to Oliver because he was asleep in his basket in the cellar.

  Stanley stood at Oliver’s side and shook his head. “He looks so peaceful. I don’t want to tell him what’s been going on in Brimstone. He’ll only worry.”

  “We’ll talk to him when it’s all over,” I reassured Stanley. “We’ll tell him how all hope was nearly gone, but then we found a way to remove the enchantment which was over Brimstone.”

  “And how we caught an evil warlock,” Stanley added.

  “Exactly.”

  We took one last look at the sleeping cat and headed back into Brimstone with renewed determination.

  Chapter 26

  Many residents smiled at us as we walked along the street to Dr Morgan’s building. The smiles were all identical and looked friendly enough, but there was no expression of warmth in anyone’s eyes. It unnerved Stanley and me, and our pace increased as we headed towards the safety of the doctor’s office.

  Once inside, we began to search for Dr Morgan’s address book. It was in the top drawer of her desk. I flicked through it to L and found a name listed under Life Giver.

  “I’ve found the name,” I informed Stanley.

  “Is it a magical one? Or one with lots of vowels that you can’t pronounce? Or some ancient name with symbols instead of words?”

  “Walter,” I said.

  “Pardon?”

  “His name is Walter.” I showed Stanley the name. “There’s only one name listed here, so it must be the right one.”

  Stanley nodded sadly. “Walter it is then. Where does he live? Somewhere boring I expect.”

  “It doesn’t sound boring. According to this book, we’ll find him in the Fascinating Forest.”

  Stanley’s face lit up. “That does sound exciting. I wonder what’s so fascinating about it? Are we going there now?”

  “We are.” I put the address book away and then looked towards the still figures of Nitoth and Budomm. They were tucked in a corner of the office.

  Stanley saw where I was looking and asked, “What shall we do with them? Shall we put them somewhere safe?”

  “We’re going to take them with us. I don’t want to leave them here, not with all this weird stuff going on. I can use a levitating spell and get them to fly at the side of us. I’ll attach them to me using a magical rope so they don’t float off in the wind.”

  “If it hurts you too much, stop using magic immediately. Okay?”

  “I will.” I smiled down at Stanley. “Perhaps Walter will bring them back to life.”

  Stanley squeezed his eyes shut. “I really, really hope he can do that.” He opened his eyes. “How are we going to get to Fascinating Forest?”

  “My broomstick, of course.”

  “Where is it?” Stanley scanned the office in case my broomstick was propped up somewhere.

  I let out a groan of despair. “I last had it in the cave.”

  “The cave of golems?”

  I nodded. “We’ll have to go back there. Unless…” I gave Stanley a hopeful look. “Perhaps Gran or Blythe brought it back when they rescued us. In which case, it might be in Gran’s apartment. Let’s go and have a look for it there.”

  “And if it’s not there?”

  “Then we’ll gather every ounce of courage we have and go back to the golem cave.”

  Stanley nodded. “I can do that. I’m not sure how much courage I’ve got left, but I’ll do my best.”

  Even though Nitoth and Budomm couldn’t hear me, I told them we’d be back soon.

  We left Dr Morgan’s building and came to an abrupt stop outside.

  Stanley whispered, “Cassia, what are they doing?”

  I swiftly picked him up. “It looks like they’re having a meeting. I’ve never seen them having a meeting before.”

  The residents of Brimstone were gathered on the grass square in the centre of town. Gran and Blythe were standing on the steps of the gazebo and addressing the crowd. I could hear the low mumble of Gran’s voice, but I couldn’t work out what she was saying. The residents were standing still and staring intently at Gran and Blythe. No one was fidgeting; no one was coughing or looking bored. A cold trickle of fear ran down my spine.

  I moved slowly along the pavement while keeping my eyes on the sinister-looking gathering.

  A small goblin at the back suddenly turned her head and looked directly at us. I gave her a small smile and a nod while still moving along.

  As one, all the other residents turned their heads and looked at us. None of them were smiling.

  I pulled Stanley closer. I could feel his heart thumping away in his chest. Mine was beating just as fast.

  “Hello!” I called out as cheerfully as I could. “Isn’t it a lovely day?”

  Gran boomed out, “Cassia, where are you going?” I didn’t know she could talk so loudly.

  I swallowed nervously before answering, “We’re just going back to the apartment. We’re tired. We might have a little nap.”

  Stanley yawned and stretched his front legs. “I am absolutely pooped! I need to rest my tired eyes.” He yawned again for effect.

  Gran’s solemn expression changed and that weird smile came onto her face. She boomed, “Have a good sleep.” She looked away from me.

  The residents turned their heads back and rested their attention on Blythe who was now talking to them.

  Stanley whispered, “What’s wrong with them, Cassia? They’re scaring me.”

  “They’re scaring me too. This is a temporary situation. We’ll sort it out. Somehow.”

  We scuttled along the street and ran up the stairs to Gran’s apartment. My heart leapt for joy when I saw my broomstick leaning against the far wall.

  I put Stanley down and said, “We’ll have to leave through the downstairs back door of the café. I noticed Gilda was standing in the crowd outside, so I’m assuming the café will be empty.”

  Stanley padded over to the window and looked out through the binoculars which had been placed at the right height for him. He said, “I wish I could read lips. I want to know what Esther and Blythe are saying.” He shivered. “Everyone is just standing there like statues. It’s horrible. I feel like I’m in a horror movie. A very long horror movie.”

  I picked my broomstick up and walked over to him. I gently moved his head away from the binoculars and said, “Stop looking at them. Nothing is normal in Brimstone at the moment. It doesn’t look like anyone is in danger, so we’ll leave them as they are for now. Let’s deal with one problem at a time. Our priority is bringing Nitoth and Budomm back to life. If that’s at all possible.”

  Stanl
ey’s head dropped a fraction. “I’m trying my hardest to be optimistic, but what will we do if the Life Giver can’t help them?”

  I put my finger under his chin and lifted it. “We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it, and then we’ll find another solution.”

  I took one last look at the gathering outside and then left the apartment. The café was empty so we had no trouble walking through to the rear and using the back door. We quietly rushed along the path behind the café and we were back in Dr Morgan’s office within minutes.

  Stanley said, “I’m so nervous. I keep expecting someone to tap me on the shoulder.”

  “Me too,” I admitted. “I could do with some more deodorant for my sweaty armpits.”

  Stanley’s whiskers twitched. “You could.”

  For the next few minutes, I concentrated on casting spells on Nitoth and Budomm. Only a small amount of pain shot through me as I did so. I attached them to me using a magical rope and then took them outside to the back of the building. The stone creatures floated at my side as I walked along.

  I said to Stanley, “I hope we don’t bump into anyone. I don’t know how I’d explain these two at my side.”

  “We could say we’re taking them for a walk,” Stanley said with a smile. “Or should that be taking them for a fly?”

  We manoeuvred ourselves onto the broomstick while making sure Nitoth and Budomm were safely in place. I rearranged them so I had a creature on each side of me. I didn’t want them bumping into each other in mid-flight.

  We must have looked very strange indeed as we took to the skies. As we rose above the building, I half-expected the residents to look our way. Thankfully, they didn’t as they were too engrossed in whatever Blythe was telling them.

  Stanley was looking that way too. He said quietly to them, “Don’t worry everyone, we’ll come back soon to help you.” He turned his head and looked at me. I was surprised to see his eyes glittering with tears.