A Deal With The Grim Reaper
A Brimstone Witch Mystery
(Book 10)
By
April Fernsby
www.aprilfernsby.com
Copyright 2018 by April Fernsby
Front Cover by www.coverkicks.com
Proofreading done by Paula Proofreader
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, electronically or mechanically without permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
About the author
Chapter 1
I stared in horror at the brick wall in front of me.
With my hands on the sides of my face, I cried out, “No! No! This can’t be happening. I must be having a nightmare.”
My cat, Stanley, who was at my side, said, “If you’re having a nightmare, I’m having the same one. What’s happened, Cassia? Where’s it gone?”
I ran my hand over the bricks and said, “I don’t know. It was here yesterday. It can’t have just disappeared.”
Stanley suggested, “Use your magic on it. Make it come back. If that fails, give the wall a kick.”
“I don’t fancy kicking a brick wall. I’ll have a go with my magic first.”
I raised my hands at the bricks in front of me and sent a revealing spell towards them.
Nothing happened.
Beads of sweat broke out on my forehead and I exclaimed, “No! It’s not possible.”
Gran came down the cellar steps and over to Stanley and me. “Whatever is all this noise about? I could hear you up in the kitchen.”
I waved my hands energetically at the brick wall. “Isn’t it obvious? The door has gone! The door that leads to Brimstone has gone. Vanished. No longer here.”
“Unless it’s invisible?” Stanley pointed out. “It could still be there, but we can’t see it.”
Gran gave me a blank look and fear trickled down my spine like an icy shower.
I said to Gran, “You’re looking at me as if I’m talking nonsense. The door to Brimstone? You do remember it, don’t you? The magical town of Brimstone where supernatural creatures live? We get to Brimstone through the door which should be right here. Are you going to tell me I’ve been imagining being a justice witch in Brimstone for the last six months? Have I been having a very long dream, and an extremely vivid one at that?” Panic made my voice rise even more. “Have I really been solving murders in Brimstone? Am I really a witch with magical abilities?”
Stanley nudged his head into my legs and said, “Cassia, you’re becoming hysterical. You are a witch. You can hear me talking to you.”
Gran picked Stanley up. She said to me, “Stanley is quite right, you’re becoming hysterical. Calm down. You haven’t imagined anything, and if you give me a moment to speak, I’ll explain everything.”
I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. I ran my hand down the wall again and said, “Sorry for ranting like that. What’s happened to the door? I can’t feel the wood under my hands.”
Gran moved closer to the wall, looked it up and down and declared, “The cellar door is no longer there.”
I gave her a slow nod. “I know that. That’s what I’ve been telling you. Where has it gone?”
Gran shook her head. “I’ve no idea. This has never happened before. Have you used a revealing spell on it?”
“I have. But it didn’t work. Are there any other spells I can use to get it to come back?”
Gran nodded and then told me which spells to use.
We spent the next few minutes trying out the spells, but to no avail. I could see Gran was becoming more concerned with every passing minute.
Once we’d tried the last of our spells, Gran gave me a sober look and said, “Something strange must be going on in Brimstone. Someone doesn’t want us to go into the town. There is magic behind this. It must be strong magic if we can’t reverse whatever spell has been cast on the door. We’ll have to get into Brimstone somehow and find out what’s been going on.”
Stanley suggested, “What about Dr Morgan? Her office in Brimstone has got a door which leads to the human world and vice versa. She showed it to us once. Could we use that?”
Gran stroked Stanley’s head. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. I know where Dr Morgan’s office is and it won’t take us long to get there. Let’s just hope her doorway into Brimstone is still there. Come on, we’ve no time to lose.”
We left the cellar and went up to the kitchen.
Oliver, Stanley’s brother, was sitting by the door. He said, “What’s going on down there? Did I hear you talking about the cellar door?”
Gran quickly filled him in on what had happened. She concluded, “We’re going to Dr Morgan’s office in town to see if we can get into Brimstone that way. Oliver, can you stay here and keep an eye on the wall downstairs, please? If the cellar door does reappear, go through it and find us in Brimstone. If we’re there.”
He gave her a nod. “I will do. Esther, what do you think has happened to the door? Who do you think made it disappear?”
Gran replied, “I don’t want to dwell on that at the moment. Whoever did it didn’t have good intentions towards us. Oliver, be careful down there. If you sense any danger, leave the cellar immediately and get yourself away from this house.”
I picked up on the worry in Gran’s voice and said, “Do you think some creature might come through the door if it reappears?”
“I don’t think so, but you never know,” Gran said.
Stanley looked at Oliver and said, “I don’t want you to be in any danger, Oliver. Be careful, won’t you?”
Oliver lifted his furry chin. “I can take care of myself. I appreciate your concern, Stanley. I’ve been working with Esther for years, and I know when there’s danger in the air. Let me know how you get on.” He raised his paw, and for a moment, I thought he was going to give us a salute.
We collected our coats and handbags and left the house.
I said to Gran, “I’ll drive us into town. It’ll be quicker than waiting for the bus.”
Gran shook her head. “There’s no point. You won’t find anywhere to park at this time of the day. Anyway, if we do find a way into Brimstone, we don’t know how long we could be there. There’s no point worrying about parking fees for your car while we’re there.”
I gave her a hopeful look. “I don’t suppose we could use our broomsticks, could we? We could make ourselves invisible and fly to Dr Morgan’s office.”
“As tempting as that is, we can’t do that. Cassia, someone has cast a powerful spell on our cellar door. We don’t know how far that spell has worked its magic into our house. It might have ev
en affected our magical abilities, especially our flying ones. No, we’ll have to act like normal humans and get the bus.”
We were quiet as we caught the bus into town. I could tell Gran was worried sick about the cellar door situation even though she didn’t say anything. Stanley sat quietly on my knee throughout the journey and I could tell he was worried too.
When we reached Dr Morgan’s office, Gran marched up to the reception desk with an air of authority and said, “I have an appointment with Dr Morgan.”
The man behind the reception desk checked a book in front of him and said, “She’s not due in today. In fact, she won’t be calling back here for a few weeks. Are you sure you’ve got an appointment? She doesn’t have regular patients. Do you want to see another doctor?”
Gran lifted her chin and continued, “No, thank you. I definitely have an appointment with Dr Morgan. She told me to wait in her office. Is it still the one down there on the left?” She gave the man a direct look and her lips moved ever so slightly. I couldn’t say for certain, but I suspected she was using magic on him. We’re not supposed to use magic in the human world, but this was an emergency.
Gran must have used magic because the man suddenly gave her a broad smile and said, “Yes, her office is down there. The door isn’t locked. I’ll let her know you’re here when she arrives.”
Gran gave him a nod of thanks and then marched down the corridor and into Dr Morgan’s office.
Even though Elza Morgan spent most of her time treating patients in Brimstone, she kept a doorway to the human world so she could keep up to date with modern technology. The office which we were now in was the exact replica of the one she had in Brimstone.
Gran went straight over to the door at the side of the room and pulled back the curtain which was covering it. My heart leapt with joy when I saw the door to Brimstone was there.
I had Stanley in my arms at this point. He looked up at me with concern in his eyes and said, “Cassia, what if this door opens to reveal a brick wall? What will we do then?”
Gran looked over her shoulder at Stanley and said, “We’ll think of a way. Don’t worry.” She turned her head back to the door, reached for the handle and twisted it.
Chapter 2
To my immense relief, the door opened. I could see Dr Morgan sitting in her office on the other side.
“Thank goodness for that,” Gran muttered. She walked through the open door. I followed, keeping Stanley in my arms.
Dr Morgan was checking the blood pressure of an elf and looked at us in surprise.
Gran held her hand up and declared, “Sorry for the intrusion, Elza. We don’t have time to explain. I’ll fill you in later.”
Dr Morgan gave her a nod. “Fair enough, Esther. Hello Cassia. Hello Stanley.”
“Hello,” Stanley and I said in unison.
We marched after Gran who was walking at an impressive speed. She looked like a pensioner on a mission.
We came out of Dr Morgan’s office, walked down the short corridor and towards the exit door. Gran flung the door back and strode out into Brimstone town centre. Stanley and I were right behind her.
Gran came to a sudden stop. She wavered on her feet and I quickly put one hand out to steady her.
“Gran? What’s wrong? Do you feel ill?” I asked.
Gran said, “I do. I feel sick to my stomach.” She raised a shaking hand and pointed towards the large white gazebo which was in the centre of town. A lone figure was sitting on the steps. “He shouldn’t be here.”
I looked at the floppy-haired young man who was gazing our way. “Who is he? I’ve never seen him in Brimstone before.”
“He’s the Grim Reaper,” Gran said.
“Who? The Grim Reaper?” I stared harder at the young man. “He doesn’t look anything like the Grim Reaper. Doesn’t the Grim Reaper wear a long cloak and carry a sharp scythe? Are you sure it’s him?”
“I’m absolutely sure. I don’t know what he’s doing here, but I’m going to find out.”
She lifted her chin in a determined manner and strode towards the young man. He was still lounging against the gazebo as he watched our every move.
Stanley looked at me. “The Grim Reaper? I don’t like the sound of this at all, Cassia. Why is he hanging around Brimstone? Do you think he’s got something to do with the disappearing cellar door?”
“I don’t know, Stanley. But I’m sure we’re going to find out very soon.”
I took a quick glance along the street and towards the area where the other side of Gran’s cellar door should be. It wasn’t there. All I saw was another brick wall.
I followed Gran over to the Grim Reaper. When I reached her side, I took a closer look at the young man. He must have been in his mid-twenties and looked like he’d spent a fair bit of time in the sun. His floppy hair was blonde and his face was tanned. He was wearing a brightly coloured shirt which had flowers on it. His denim shorts came to his knees and brown sandals adorned his bare feet.
He was standing up straighter now. He lifted a hand in greeting and said, “Hey there, Cassia. Hi, Stanley. How are you two doing today? Isn’t it a wonderful day?” He raised his face to the sun. “I love being in Brimstone. The sun always seems brighter here and the air is fresher. I can smell every single flower in the town.”
Gran said curtly, “Never mind smelling the flowers! I want an explanation from you. What are you doing here? Have you got something to do with my cellar door disappearing?”
The Grim Reaper gave her a big smile and said, “Yes, that was down to me. Sort of. I’ll explain everything in a minute. I’d like to introduce myself officially to Cassia and Stanley first.” He turned his bright smile our way and took a step towards us. My hold on Stanley increased. “I’ve heard all about the wonderful work you’ve done here, and in other towns too. You’re an excellent justice witch, Cassia, and I know your mum would have been proud of you. And as for Stanley, well, where do I begin? He’s gone above and beyond the duties of a witch’s familiar. Such a small cat, and yet so brave.”
Stanley let out a little chuckle and said, “I do my best.”
I couldn’t speak. I’d spotted the shadow which belonged to the Grim Reaper. It looked nothing like the young man who was talking to me. The shadow was in the shape of what you would expect the Grim Reaper to look like. It was a hooded figure and it was holding a huge scythe. Was the young man in front of me using some sort of transforming spell on himself? If so, I hoped he would continue to use it as I didn’t want to look at his true form.
The Grim Reaper continued, “I do so love coming to Brimstone, but I am sorry about all the murders which have been going on here recently. Well, Cassia, you know about the murders, don’t you? There’s been a lot of work here for me recently. Not that I should complain, but still, it’s a shame to collect so many murder victims in such a short space of time.” He bowed his head a little. “My official title is the Grim Reaper, as no doubt your gran has told you. But that’s such an unfriendly title, don’t you think? You can call me Andy.”
Gran interrupted his friendly banter and said, “Cassia won’t be calling you anything! You turn your attention back to me right now and answer my questions. Why are you here? And what have you done with my cellar door?”
Andy gave Gran a broad smile. “Always so impatient, Esther Winter. Let me begin by telling you the cellar door didn’t disappear because of me.” He put his head to one side. “Actually, I had to make sure it did disappear, so I suppose some of it was down to me. It’s complicated.”
Gran folded her arms. “Stop wittering and get to the point.”
“Okay. Your door into Brimstone has been taken away because of the curse.”
“What curse?” Gran snapped.
Andy replied, “If you stop interrupting me, then I’ll explain. The curse was cast on your family by one of your ancestors – Gertrude Winter.”
Gran’s arms dropped and the colour left her face. “Gertrude Winter? Did you say Gertrude?�
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Andy nodded. “By the look on your face, I’m assuming you know all about Gertrude and her ways.”
I ventured, “Gran, I don’t know anything about Gertrude Winter. Who was she?”
Gran said, “She was the founding witch of Brimstone. We don’t talk about her in our family. She was the worst kind of witch. She was stubborn, impatient, mean and full of her own self-importance.” She cast a glance at Andy before continuing, “She was known for putting curses on anyone who annoyed her. Curses which couldn’t be reversed and caused immeasurable damage. I won’t give you the details as some things are better off left in the past.”
Andy said, “Esther, some things can’t be left in the past. Gertrude cast a curse on her descendants which has now come to fruition. It’s come into effect because Cassia recently turned thirty.” He looked at me and said, “Happy belated birthday, by the way. How were your celebrations? I understand you had a party in the human world and one here in Brimstone. Two birthday cakes! How wonderful. What presents did you get? Did you have a good time?”
I gave him a small nod. “The residents of Brimstone threw me a surprise party. It was wonderful.” I couldn’t say anymore because the Grim Reaper’s shadow was growing bigger by the second.
Stanley added, “We had a smaller celebration in the human world. It was just me, my brother, Oliver, and Esther and Cassia. We got a takeaway and watched movies all night. We had a marvellous time. Esther even bought Oliver and me a special fishcake to share.”
Andy flashed him a smile. “I’m pleased to hear that. I’m glad you had a good time.
Gran threw her hands in the air in exasperation and cried out, “Enough with the pleasantries! I want to know about this curse. All of it.”
Andy said, “Of course you do. It will be easier to show you what happened.”
He waved his hands in a circular motion and the town around us vanished. The gazebo disappeared too. We found ourselves in the middle of an open field. The same mountains which bordered Brimstone were still there in the distance.
Stanley said, “Where are we? What happened? Where did everything go? Cassia, I’m scared.”
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