Brimstone Witch Mysteries - Box Set 1

by April Fernsby

  Gran sighed. “Not another murder. Mind you, it’s the perfect way for a vampire to go. How far have you got with your investigation?”

  “Not far. We went to Uriah’s house but couldn’t find much apart from a lot of dust. Flint turned up there threatening us. But he ran away when we got close to him.” I gave Gran a small grin. “I thought I’d performed some powerful magic on him, but it was the stench coming from us that drove him away.”

  “Good. Werewolves have a strong sense of smell. Let’s hope he suffers for hours from that experience. He was threatening you, was he? I’m going to be having strong words with his pack leader. I thought they were keeping Flint under lock and key.”

  “He got out.” I looked down at the second half of my sandwich.

  Gran said, “You carry on eating. Don’t let your sandwich get cold. Let me tell you what I know about Uriah Firenze. When I’ve finished, you can fill me in on what’s been happening with you and Stanley.” She shook her head. “Another murder? What is going on in Brimstone?”

  “I really don’t know. Blythe was just as surprised as you.” I picked up the remaining half of the sandwich and bit into it. Gran made perfect toasted sandwiches.

  Gran began, “The Firenze family of vampires have been in Brimstone for hundreds of years. They occupied Firenze Mansion. It was the only house on Cemetery Road for a while. Uriah’s mum and dad were lovely people. They knew vampires had a bad reputation and they wanted to change that. They went out of their way to be helpful and friendly. They did a lot of volunteer work and often held charity events at their house. I went to a few of them. Their hospitality knew no bounds.

  “I remember seeing Uriah at those parties when he was young. He was very sullen and withdrawn. He seemed to resent anyone who came onto his family’s property. I got the impression his parents were embarrassed about his behaviour. They tried to get him to help with their volunteer work, but he refused. He said it wasn’t what vampires did. He claimed his mum and dad were sullying the family name. Needless to say, Uriah didn’t have any friends.”

  “I can imagine that.”

  Gran continued, “Things got worse as he got older. When his parents threw charity events, Uriah went out of his way to sabotage them. He’d stand on tables and shout at everyone. He said they were all a disgrace to their family history. He had a go at everyone. No one was free from his insults.”

  “Even you?” I asked. I pushed my empty plate to one side and picked up my cup of tea.

  Gran gave me a wry smile. “He tried. I gave him a good lecture every time he had a go at me. That soon shut him up.” Her smile faded. “Things got worse when his parents died. They were in a car accident. Uriah was in the car with them. His mum had heard about a witch in a distant land who could help Uriah with his anger issues. They were on their way to see her. Obviously, Uriah didn’t go willingly, and I believe they had to tie him down in the back seat. I heard from witnesses that Uriah was screaming blue murder as he was driven away. He was threatening to kill his parents.”

  “And did he? Did he somehow cause the accident?”

  “No one knows for sure. There are rumours, of course. Someone saw the car drive past. They claim Uriah had his hands around his dad’s throat as he was driving. The crash happened not long after.” She hesitated before adding, “Uriah’s mum and dad had been decapitated in the accident.”

  I said, “That’s awful. What happened to Uriah after that? Was he upset about his parents dying?”

  “If he was, he didn’t show it. He hid himself away for weeks. The residents of Brimstone called round with gifts and sympathy, but he wouldn’t answer the door to them. When he did come out of the house, he’d chase away well-wishers and hurl insults at them. After a while, no one called on him. Uriah inherited the family house and land, but he didn’t keep them maintained. Well, you probably saw that earlier.”

  “When did his parents die?”

  “About five years ago. Uriah didn’t go into the town for a year afterwards. When he did show up, we all wished he’d stayed in his house. He’d walk around the town shouting at everyone. He lectured on street corners about how the residents had forgotten who they truly were. He made many enemies. And he wrote down all their names and so-called misdemeanours in his book. Did you see his book?”

  I nodded. “I did last night. But it wasn’t on his body when we found him. I suspect the killer took it with them.”

  “You’ll have to find it. Have you spoken to his cousins yet, the Trinity family?”

  “Oh, I saw the Trinity Twins performing at the Razzle Dazzle club last night. I didn’t know they were his cousins. He shouted at them.”

  Gran frowned. “The Trinity Twins? As in two?”

  “Yes. Zeke and Zuleika. I’m not a fan of their opening act.”

  Gran said, “There should be three members in the act. Hence the Trinity thing. The family has always performed in groups of three. What’s happened to Zarrina? She’s the younger sister.” She took a sharp intake of breath. “I remember something. I saw Zarrina walking through the town square a few months ago. Uriah was following her and harassing her. She was crying. Before I could put a stop to Uriah’s terrible behaviour, she ran away. I don’t recall seeing her since.”

  “Do you think she has something to do with Uriah’s murder?”

  Gran put a hand on her stomach. “I do. I’ve got one of my feelings. I’m not sure if she’s the killer, but you need to talk to her.”

  “I’ll talk to her as soon as possible.” I grimaced. “I can’t go back to Brimstone smelling like this.”

  “Don’t worry, I can sort that out. There’s something else we need to sort out before you go. Come with me.”

  Chapter 17

  A few hours later, Stanley and I stood in Gran’s cellar and I opened the exit door. We looked out onto the town of Brimstone but neither of us moved.

  Stanley said, “Are you sure that smell has gone now? I don’t think I could take any more nasty comments.”

  “Gran did that cleansing spell on us. She said we’d be okay.” I still didn’t move. “There’s only one way we’re going to find out if we still stink. Come on, Stanley, we can’t stand here all day.”

  “We could.”

  I shook my head at him. “Where’s all your bravery gone? You stay here if you like but I’m going.” I took a determined step forward.

  “Wait for me!” Stanley scampered after me.

  We passed the butterfly tree at the end of the cobbled road. The butterflies were back in place and they flapped their wings at us.

  “Look, Stanley, it’s like they’re giving us a round of applause.”

  “Or trying to waft our stench away from them.”

  We continued walking along the street. We stiffened as a centaur trotted towards us.

  He tipped his hat and said, “Hello to you both! Isn’t this a super day? I must say that it’s wonderful to have you two staying in town. You’re a welcome addition to our community.” He moved swiftly away, still smiling.

  I looked down at Stanley and said, “I think we’re okay.”

  Stanley nodded his head at something in front of us. “Is that Blythe over by the café? She’s got something in her hand.” His eyes widened. “Oh! I think it’s your broomstick. Yay! We can fly again.”

  Before I could stop him, he ran down the street and towards the purple-clad figure outside the café.

  By the time I got to the café, Stanley was in Blythe’s arms and she was gently tickling him behind the ears. Stanley was purring so loudly that I thought for a moment someone was using a pneumatic drill nearby.

  Blythe smiled as I came closer. She nodded at the broomstick which was resting against the café window. She said, “It’s all ready for you. I asked the broomstick maker to rush your order through.” She tickled Stanley again. “Your feline friend is particularly overjoyed at this news.”

  Gilda stepped out of the café. “Oh, Cassia, there you are. I must apologise profus
ely for earlier. We treated you in an abysmal manner. Blythe has explained to us all about the spell and why she needed to do it.”

  Blythe added, “I’m afraid I was overzealous with it. I wanted to make sure you and Stanley were safe.”

  “We were safe,” I said. “No one could bear to be anywhere near us. It doesn’t matter now. It gave us a good excuse to go back and see Gran. She gave me a couple of magic lessons. One was how I could protect myself with an invisible shield, and the other was to be used against an enemy to immobilise them.” I frowned. “The words are very similar. I hope I don’t get them mixed up. That could be disastrous.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Blythe said. “Did you tell Esther about the murder?”

  “I did. She told me about Uriah and his childhood. She also told me about the Trinity Twins and how there used to be three of them in the act. Gran wants me to find Zarrina and talk to her about Uriah.”

  “Goodness!” Blythe declared. “I’d forgotten about Zarrina. We haven’t seen her around town for months. I spoke to Zeke, and he said she was under the weather and was staying inside the family home until she felt better. I’ve been meaning to go and visit her for a while.”

  Gilda said, “Cassia, I know you met my sister last night, Gisela. She owns the Razzle Dazzle club. The Trinity family have performed there for years. Gisela was concerned when Zarrina stopped turning up and asked Zeke about her. He said Zarrina wasn’t going to be part of the act anymore, and that they’d changed their act name to the Trinity Twins. They used to be called The Trinity Family. Gisela offered to visit Zarrina, but Zeke told her that wouldn’t be necessary.”

  Blythe stroked Stanley’s head. “This is disturbing. No one has seen Zarrina for a long time. I do hope she’s okay.”

  “Stanley and I can go and see her,” I offered. “We need to talk to Zeke and Zuleika about Uriah’s death anyway. I want to talk to everyone who had a grudge against him.”

  Gilda shook her head. “That could take days.”

  “We have to start somewhere,” I said.

  Blythe said, “I’ve managed to speak to some residents who were at the club last night. They said they saw Uriah standing near the nightclub entrance when they left. He was shouting abuse at everyone he could see. No one was off-limits. He even shouted at Gisela when she came outside to pay Steve.”

  Gilda said, “Did he? I spoke to her an hour ago and she never said anything. I hope Uriah didn’t upset her. I’ll have a word with her later.”

  I looked over to where the nightclub doors had been. “Luca told me there’s a cloaking device on the doors. Are they physically still there? If I walked that way, would I bump into them?”

  Blythe shook her head. “No, you wouldn’t. I had to put some extra magic on top of the cloaking one as we had a few residents walking into the doors when the nightclub was first built. I’ve dispersed the atoms of the doors so they float ten feet above where they should be.” She stopped stroking Stanley and a pink tinge came to her cheeks. “Goodness! I’ve just remembered. I haven’t moved Uriah’s body yet. He’s still lying behind the bookshop. I must sort that out straight away. I can’t leave him there.” She placed Stanley on the pavement.

  My glance went to the bookshop and I said, “Have you spoken to Basil yet?”

  “No. But that reminds me. Someone told me last night that the lights were on in Basil’s upstairs rooms at 2 a.m. That is most irregular. Basil never stays up past 10 p.m. And what’s even more unusual is that his shop is closed today. He never closes it. I knocked on his door a few times earlier and called out for him, but he never answered. I’ll try again when I,” she gave an embarrassed laugh, “move Uriah’s body to a more suitable place. Excuse me for now.” She gave us a wave and then walked away.

  Gilda said, “I’m not surprised she forgot. We don’t have murders here often. We’re not used to dealing with corpses.” She smiled at us. “I must say sorry again about how you were treated. Would you like to come inside and have something to eat? All on the house?”

  “Maybe another time, thank you. Stanley and I have been fed by Gran. Gilda, where do the Trinity family live?”

  “Theirs is the last house on Cemetery Road; it’s the one before Uriah’s.” She picked the broomstick up and handed it to me. “It won’t take you long to get there if you fly.”

  I took the broomstick and looked down at Stanley. His eyes were shining with glee.

  I said to him, “Stanley, would you like to fly with me?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Chapter 18

  Stanley whooped and hollered with delight as we took off. He said, “Do you think I could stand up on the front of the broomstick like one of those wing-walkers?”

  “You’ll do no such thing. You might fall off. When did you become such a daredevil?”

  “I think I always have been.” He chuckled and lifted his head as we soared higher. His grey fur ruffled in the wind.

  We flew above Cemetery Road and looked down at the big houses. They were even more impressive from up here. They all had huge back gardens, and some had swimming pools.

  Uriah Firenze’s house loomed in the distance like a dirty thumb. The other residents on this street must have hated seeing his house.

  I said to Stanley, “While we’re up here, let’s have a look down at Uriah’s house. We might have missed something obvious the other day.”

  “Good idea. I much prefer looking down at it than walking through it.”

  We flew over the top of the oppressive-looking house. We saw many gaps in the roof and could glimpse the attic rooms below. We hadn’t made it up to the attic rooms earlier. Had Uriah been living in one of those?

  I went a bit closer to inspect them. The rooms were just as dusty as the others, so I assumed he hadn’t been.

  We soared over the area at the back of the house and saw a couple of smaller buildings. As we went closer, we saw the family name engraved on the outside stones.

  “They must be mausoleums,” I said.

  “Do you think Uriah lived inside one of them?”

  “It’s possible.”

  The broomstick shook as Stanley shivered.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked him.

  “We’re going to look inside those buildings, aren’t we?”

  “I suppose we’ll have to. But not just yet.”

  I aimed the broomstick back towards the main house. Something caught my eye.

  “Stanley, look at that extension on the back of the house. It looks new. And it’s in good repair.”

  Stanley craned his head. “It’s near the kitchen. I never noticed an extension near the kitchen, did you?”

  “I didn’t. There could be a secret passageway. We’ll return to the house soon and go in that direction.” I aimed the broomstick away from the house. “It’s time to visit the Trinity family.”

  We headed towards the last house on the street before Uriah’s. It was huge. There was a porch at the front of the house which overlooked an elaborate garden complete with a large fountain. I heard voices coming from the back of the house so turned in that direction.

  There weren’t any missing tiles on the roof of this house. Everything was well maintained.

  We came to the back garden. It was enormous.

  Stanley said, “They’ve got a swimming pool! A massive swimming pool. And they’ve got play equipment all over the garden.”

  I looked closer. “It’s not play equipment. It looks like exercise equipment. It’s the sort of stuff I used to hate using at school.”

  We saw two white-haired figures flinging themselves over an exercise horse. They made it look so easy.

  “I hope they don’t mind us dropping in like this,” I said.

  Stanley replied, “We’re here on official business.”

  “That’s true.”

  I headed to the ground and performed a smooth landing. I was quietly impressed with my flying and landing skills.

  I plac
ed the broomstick on the manicured grass and looked over to where Zeke and Zuleika were now performing a series of cartwheels. They were laughing as if it was fun. I suppose it takes all sorts.

  I raised my hand and called out, “Hello! Sorry to disturb you. Could we have a quick word with you, please?”

  The Trinity twins jogged over to us in a bouncy manner as if they were running on air. They were both wearing white exercise gear. Zeke’s was shot through with gold stars, and Zuleika’s had tiny silver hearts on it.

  Zuleika beamed at us. “Cassia! Stanley! How lovely to finally meet you in person. Of course, Cassia, I saw you last night at the club, but we never got the chance to talk to you.” Her beam widened as she looked at Stanley. “What a handsome cat you are. I love the grey look you’ve got going on. You look like a very wise cat.”

  Stanley chuckled and said, “I don’t know about that.”

  Zeke wasn’t sharing his sister’s enthusiasm at having us drop into their back garden. He folded his arms and said, “I suppose you’re here about Uriah Firenze. We had nothing to do with his death.”

  “I didn’t say you had,” I said.

  Zeke continued, “We have an alibi for the time of his death.”

  “I didn’t ask you for an alibi.” My eyes narrowed. “How do you know what time he died?”

  Zeke shrugged his muscular shoulders. “I’m guessing it was sometime during the night. We were rehearsing all night. We always do.”

  Zuleika frowned at her brother. “Stop being so defensive. You know Cassia is a justice witch, and she has every right to question us. She can take full statements from us if she needs to.” She aimed a smile at me. “We’d be happy to give you a statement. We’ve nothing to hide. Would you like a drink of something?”

  “No, thank you.” I gathered my courage for my next question. “Is it possible for me to speak to Zarrina?”

  “Why?” Zeke shot out.

  “I understand she was a victim of Uriah’s hate. I’d like to speak to her about it. I want to know more about Uriah.”