brimstone witch 10 - deal with the grim reaper

by April Fernsby

  We stopped outside the apartment door and I quickly inserted my key into the lock.

  The key didn’t fit. My stomach clenched in fear.

  “Hurry up,” Stanley said.

  “I’m trying. The key doesn’t fit.” I tried three more times.

  The door was suddenly swung open and an angry-looking werewolf stood there. He snapped, “What do you think you’re doing? Are you trying to break into my apartment?”

  “Your apartment? It isn’t your apartment. It belongs to Esther Winter.” I made a move towards the entrance.

  The werewolf blocked my way and growled, “Esther Winter? There’s no Esther Winter here.” He looked me up and down. “Who are you? I’ve never seen you in Brimstone before.”

  “I’m Cassia Winter. I’m a justice witch in this town. Step aside. I need to search your apartment.”

  “Liar! We don’t have justice witches in Brimstone. Clear off before I bite you!”

  I cast an immobilising spell on him, waited for him to freeze and then squeezed past his body and ran upstairs. The door at the top of the stairs was open, thankfully, and I dashed inside with Stanley right behind me. Everything was different in the apartment, even the wallpaper. Gran’s bookshelves were no longer there, and neither were her lovely furnishings.

  I dashed into the bedroom and quickly located the area where Gran had hidden her books. The floorboard did come up in my hands, but it was empty underneath. My heart sank all the way down to my toes.

  Stanley leant his little body against me and said, “I’m finding it hard to stay positive. This nightmare keeps getting worse and worse. What’s happening? What are we supposed to do now?”

  I put the floorboard back in place, got to my feet and said, “Gilda might know where Gran is. The café is still open. Let’s go.”

  Gilda worked in the Mooncrest Café below Gran’s apartment and she’d known Gran for years. She was also a good friend to Stanley and me.

  We dashed down the stairs and out of the door. I quickly cast a spell on the frozen werewolf to release him and then went into the café. I heard the werewolf shouting after us, but I ignored him.

  Once inside the café, we raced over to Gilda who was standing behind the counter. I placed my hands on the counter and gushed, “Gilda! I’m so glad to see you. Can you help us? We’re trying to find Gran.”

  Gilda tilted her head and gave me a long look. “Do I know you? Your face looks familiar, but I can’t place you. Can I get you something to eat or drink?”

  Stanley cried out, “No! I can’t bear this! Not Gilda.”

  I persisted, “I’m Cassia Winter. We know each other. You know my gran too; Esther Winter. Do you remember her?”

  Gilda gave me another long look before saying, “Esther Winter? No, I’ve never heard of her. What did you say your name was again?”

  I heard Stanley sobbing at my feet. I picked him up, gave Gilda a wobbly smile and said, “It doesn’t matter. Thank you anyway.”

  We headed towards the exit door and I registered someone walking towards the café. It was Luca.

  Stanley saw him too and said forlornly, “If Luca can’t remember us, it’s going to be more than I can bear. He forgot about us before during that awful memory spell which was cast on him, and I can’t bear the thought of him forgetting us again.”

  I too remembered that terrible time when Luca had forgotten who Stanley and I were. It had been awful. With trepidation, we left the café and headed towards Luca.

  Chapter 19

  It was like a scene from an old western movie. Stanley and I stood on the pavement outside the café silently watching Luca as he made his way slowly towards us. Luca’s expression was solemn under the light of the street lamps. The town seemed too quiet as if it was holding its breath. I realised with a start it was me who was holding my breath in anticipation. I didn’t think I could cope if Luca didn’t recognise us. It had been horrendous the last time it had happened, and I never thought Stanley and I would have to go through it again.

  Luca suddenly broke into a smile and moved swiftly towards us. “Hey,” he said. “You two are looking very serious. What’s wrong?”

  Stanley leapt into Luca’s arms and cried out, “You remember us! Luca, you remember us!”

  Luca looked down at Stanley and said, “Of course I remember you. Why? What’s happened?”

  Stanley put his little head against Luca’s chest. “Gilda has forgotten who we are. And she will have forgotten what our favourite food is. It’s too sad. And if that’s not tragic enough, Esther’s apartment has gone.” He lifted his head. “Well, Esther’s apartment is still there, but it doesn’t belong to Esther anymore. Everything that belongs to her inside has gone. There’s an angry werewolf living there now. It’s too much to bear, Luca.”

  Luca moved to my side and looked down at me. “Is this true, Cassia?”

  I felt like resting my head against his chest too, but I resisted. This was no time to be weak. I said to him, “Yes, it is true. I know it’s all part of the curse, but I didn’t realise it was going to get this bad. I wanted to look at some of Gran’s spell books to find out what certain plants could be used for. Dr Morgan found the plants in rocks around Oddec’s body. If I can find out which spells they could be used for, it will take me closer to finding out who the killer is.” I shook my head. “I don’t know what to do now.”

  Luca gave me a gentle shoulder bump and said, “I can help you with that. If you give me the names of those plants, I can send butterfly messages to some of the witches in the outer towns. I know where many of them live. I’m sure one of them will be able to help you.”

  I gave him a nod. “Thank you. I know some other witches too. I could travel over there now and ask them about the spells.”

  Luca gave me a quick glance over. “Cassia, where’s your broomstick?”

  I looked at my left hand which had been tightly clutched around Mum’s broomstick for the last few hours. The broomstick wasn’t there anymore.

  “No!” I exclaimed. “It vanished. How can it just vanish like that?”

  Luca asked, “Are you sure you didn’t leave it anywhere? Where have you been recently?”

  I shook my head vehemently. “I’ve kept a tight hold of it wherever we’ve been. I had it with me when we went into the café.” My head dropped. “It must be the effect of the curse.”

  Stanley wailed, “This isn’t fair at all!” He shook one paw angrily in the air.

  Luca stroked Stanley’s head and said, “Stanley, curses are not supposed to be fair. There are other ways to travel besides using a broomstick.”

  “But we love going on the broomstick, don’t we, Cassia?” Stanley said.

  I gave him a small smile. “Once this curse is broken, we’ll be able to travel by broomstick again. Luca, could you send those butterfly messages to your witch contacts, please? Could you tell them it’s urgent?”

  “Of course I can. Do you want to go into the café while I do that? You look as if you need something to eat.”

  “No, I couldn’t bear to be in there as a stranger. It’s too hard.” I looked towards the gazebo. “Stanley and I will wait on the gazebo steps for you.” I held my hands out and collected Stanley from Luca. I could feel the sadness radiating from his little body. I felt exactly the same.

  Luca put his arm around my shoulders and gave me a quick squeeze. He said brightly, “Don’t look so sad. This is a temporary situation. Between us, we’ll have that curse sorted out. You’ll see.”

  I looked at his lovely face and could see how much confidence he had in my abilities. He was right, we could break this curse. It was just a matter of knowing how to do it.

  Luca took the list of plants, went over to the nearest butterfly tree and summoned some of the lovely creatures. Keeping Stanley close to my chest, I walked over to the gazebo and sat down on the steps. I gazed around the wonderful town of Brimstone. I would hate to leave this amazing place. I had to break that curse somehow.

>   A few minutes later, Luca joined us on the steps and said, “The messages have been sent. We’ll have a reply very soon.”

  Stanley said, “I hope so.”

  Luca continued, “Why don’t you tell me about your investigation so far? I’ve seen you two whizzing about on your broomstick, but this is the first chance I’ve had to talk to you in the last few hours.”

  Stanley and I told Luca about our conversations with various suspects so far. He listened without asking any questions and gave us his full attention. That was one of the things I liked about him best; he was an excellent listener.

  When we’d finished talking, Luca said, “There’s something bothering me about the Hammerhands Mines and the quarry nearby. I’ve been racking my brains trying to figure out why they sound so familiar, but I just can’t get to grips with my thoughts.” He flapped his hand in the air. “It’s probably nothing important. When I left you last time, I talked to the residents in town, but nobody knows anything relevant about Oddec apart from the fact he went missing all those years ago. No one in town has had any dealings with him, but I’ve been told Oddec often left town to visit the owners of businesses who he did have dealings with. I haven’t got around to contacting those business owners yet, but I can do that later if needed.”

  Normally, I loved sitting on the gazebo steps and watching the residents walk about, but things were different now. Before, the residents would smile at me and give me friendly waves. That wasn’t the case at the moment. Hostile looks were being cast at me and Stanley. Some of the residents had gathered together under street lamps and were talking quietly amongst themselves. They kept giving us suspicious glances and it was obvious they were talking about us.

  I said to Luca, “Could we go somewhere else, please? I don’t like how everyone is staring at us.”

  Luca took a quick look around the square and his eyebrows shot up. “You’re right about the residents staring at you. It’s like they’ve never seen you before. Come on, you can come back to my place. I’ll make you something to eat and drink.” He got to his feet and began to walk away.

  As I stood up, Stanley said quietly, “Cassia, you’ve got to tell Luca about the quarry and your mum. He deserves to know the truth.”

  I pressed my lips together and gave Stanley a nod. He was right. It was about time Luca knew the truth about his involvement in Mum’s death.

  Chapter 20

  Luca’s apartment was on the top floor of a building opposite the gazebo.

  As we walked up the steps to his apartment, Luca said, “Cassia, I think I know why I’m not forgetting who you and Stanley are. Unlike the rest of the town, my memories of you are staying clear and bright. Thank goodness.”

  Stanley chuckled and said, “Is it because you love us so much?”

  Luca stopped outside his door, gave Stanley a smile and said, “That is part of it, my little friend. When I lost my memory of you two before, you know Cassia’s tears caused magic to occur and it brought back my memories.”

  Stanley nodded. “Don’t forget how much love she had for you in those tears. Those were special love tears.”

  My cheeks warmed up. “Do we have to talk about that now?”

  Luca turned his full attention to me and gave me a loving smile. “Cassia, I think your spell was so strong that it safeguarded me against any future memory loss concerning you. You really are a powerful witch.”

  I gave him an embarrassed smile. “I didn’t do it on purpose. I didn’t even know my tears would do that. I’m glad you haven’t forgotten us, though. Are we going to stand here on the landing with you smiling at me like that or are we going inside?”

  Luca laughed. “I’m quite happy to stand here gazing at you for a few more minutes.” He put his key in the lock and opened the door. “But I’m starving and I need something to eat.” He stepped into his apartment and I followed with Stanley cuddled in my arms.

  Luca’s mum and dad used to own this apartment, and when I was young, I often came here. It was a welcoming place and had a lovely view over Brimstone town centre.

  Luca said, “Make yourselves at home. Before you even think of arguing, I’m going to make you both something to eat and drink.” He disappeared into the kitchen.

  I walked over to the sofa and settled down into it. Stanley sat on my knee.

  Stanley whispered, “Are you going to tell Luca soon? If you don’t want to tell him, I will.”

  I stroked Stanley’s head. “I’ll tell him. Let’s have something to drink first. I’m not sure I could manage anything to eat as I don’t have an appetite whatsoever.”

  I leant my head against the back of the sofa and closed my tired eyes. I could hear Luca singing to himself in the kitchen as he moved plates and cups about. Weariness settled over me like a warm blanket. I wished that silly ancestor of mine hadn’t been so hotheaded and stubborn all those years ago. She must have known the chaos she was going to cause.

  Luca was still singing as he came back into the living room. He placed some items on the table in front of us and said to Stanley, “I’ve got some cream for you, my little friend. I always keep some in my fridge in case you stop by.” He placed the dish of cream on the floor, pulled a cushion from a nearby chair and put it in front of the dish.

  “Thank you,” Stanley said. His little pink tongue darted out and he licked his lips. He jumped off my lap and sat on the cushion. He was soon lapping away at the cream.

  Luca placed a hot cup in my hands and said, “It’s hot chocolate. I’ve made you a cheese and pickle sandwich in case you can manage anything.”

  I gave him a smile. “I don’t think I can eat anything. But thank you for the hot chocolate. This is perfect.” I took a sip of the wonderfully sweet liquid. It quickly travelled down my throat and began to chase away some of the weariness in my body.

  Luca picked up his sandwich and took a big bite. He swallowed and said, “My! Even if I say so myself, this must be the best sandwich in the world. Cassia, you don’t know what you’re missing. You must try a little bit.”

  “Perhaps in a moment.” I took another drink of my hot chocolate and let it work its magic on me.

  For the next few minutes, I watched Stanley as he lapped up the cream in front of him. He must have been thirsty. I didn’t know what I’d do without Stanley at my side. I glanced at Luca and could see how much he was enjoying his sandwich. I was so glad I had him too.

  Stanley finished his cream, looked over his shoulder at me and said, “Cassia, don’t you have something to tell Luca?”

  “Do you?” Luca asked.

  “I do,” I told him.

  Stanley stretched his front paws out, yawned and said, “Cassia, I’ll just close my eyes for a moment while you talk to Luca. Let me know if you need my help.” He rested his head on his paws and his eyes closed. I knew my little friend well, and I knew he’d be asleep within a minute.

  I finished the rest of my hot chocolate and put the cup down. I shifted in my seat and faced Luca. I said, “Luca, what do you know about my mum’s death?”

  His eyes widened. “Of all the things you were going to say to me, I wasn’t expecting that. Why are you asking me that?”

  “It’s to do with something you said earlier. Something you said about the quarry. I think I might know why that area is sounding familiar to you.”

  Luca put his empty plate down and shifted in his seat too. We were now facing each other. He put his hands in mine.

  He said, “All I know about your mum’s death is what I’ve been told. I knew she was out working one day and had an accident which caused her to fall to her death. Mum and Dad told me about it. What connection has your mum’s death got to the quarry?”

  “Mum died near a quarry and I think it could be the one near the mines. She was running across a field before she got to the quarry.” I hesitated and gathered my courage. “She was running after someone.”

  Luca stared at me for a moment. “Who was she running after?”

&nbs
p; “You.”

  “Me? I don’t remember Rosalyn running after me. I know I was seven years old at the time she died, but I’m sure I would have remembered something like that.”

  “Blythe removed your memories from that day. She thought it was the best thing to do in the circumstances.” I couldn’t look into his eyes any longer and dropped my gaze.

  Luca said quietly, “Cassia, look at me. You have to tell me what happened. I’ve always had a feeling I was somehow to blame for your mum’s death, but when I spoke to Mum and Dad about it, they said I was just getting confused. I know you don’t like us talking about my ex-girlfriend, Astrid. I don’t like talking about her either. But she told me I was involved in Rosalyn’s death. Considering what a nasty creature Astrid was, I didn’t believe her. But there was always a nagging feeling in my mind which made me think she could be right. Cassia, please tell me.”

  I looked back at him and said, “You were in your rabbit form that day. You’d only recently learnt how to shapeshift, and you were practising your shapeshifting abilities. You’d been out for a long time, and your mum contacted my mum to say she was worried about you. Mum went out to look for you and she found you running along the field towards the quarry. It seems you didn’t realise where the end of the field was and you were going to run straight off the end and drop to the quarry floor. Mum managed to get you in time.” My voice caught in my throat and tears sprang to my eyes. I continued, “She stopped you, but she couldn’t stop herself from falling backwards. There were some trolls working in the quarry below, and they saw Mum toppling backwards and down. According to Blythe, you were hysterical at the time and she had to cast a spell to clear your memories so that you’d be able to forget the incident.”

  Luca slowly withdrew his hands from mine and his face was pale. “Blythe cast a spell on me? She had no right to do that. How dare she?”

  “You were blaming yourself for Mum’s death, but it was an accident. Blythe was worried you’d continue to blame yourself forever.”