Luca’s arm dropped from Astrid’s shoulders. “Don’t encourage her. Cassia, promise me you won’t go after Alan. If your gran was here, she’d say the same. You can’t do everything on your own.”
“I know,” I replied. “I promise I won’t go after Alan. I’m going back to the apartment now to check on Stanley and Kitty. Let me know what Blythe says.”
“I will do.” He gave me a brief smile and a nod before walking away.
Astrid’s weird smile was still on her face. She said quietly, “I think you should do whatever you feel you have to. Trust your gut instincts. See you later!” She jogged after Luca.
I shook my head. I didn’t know what to make of Astrid. I was trying to find good aspects about her, but she was making it difficult.
Stanley and Kitty were awake when I entered the apartment. They were playing hide and seek. Kitty was hiding behind the curtains but I could clearly see her white paws, and I could hear her little giggles.
Stanley said loudly, “Oh, hello Cassia. I’m looking for Kitty. I can’t see her anywhere. I think she must be invisible.”
A fresh round of giggles came from Kitty and her paws jiggled from side to side.
“Is Kitty hiding?” I asked. “She must have found a great place to hide. I can’t see her.”
Stanley said, “I’ve been looking for her all over the place. I don’t think she’s here at all. I think she sneaked out of the cat flap.”
Kitty jumped out from the curtains and announced, “I’m here! Stanley, I’m here. I was behind the curtains.”
“Really?” Stanley declared. “You clever cat. Well done. You won the game.”
Kitty jumped from paw to paw. “I need a wee.”
“You know where the cat litter box is,” Stanley informed her. “Off you go.”
Kitty scampered away.
I took the opportunity to tell Stanley about Alan and his unknown client in Brimstone.
Stanley was shocked and had to sit down. He said, “I can’t believe someone in this town would do such a terrible thing. Who do you think hired him? Treto? Selo’s brother? His father?”
“I don’t know. There could even be someone else that we haven’t considered yet. Luca and Blythe are going to locate Alan. Once they do that, we can find out who his client was.”
Kitty ran back into the room and over to me. I sat down on the carpet and she snuggled closer to me. She purred and said, “I missed you.”
I stroked her little head. “I missed you too.” I pulled her onto my knee and cuddled her.
Stanley cleared his throat. “Cassia, now that you’re back, is it alright if I go out with Rascal? He thinks he might have some leads on you-know-who. He popped round while you were out and said he’s heard a rumour that a field mouse knows something, and Rascal wants to talk to him.” He shivered. “A field mouse. I will never trust a mouse. I don’t care if they live in a field or a palace. They have no scruples, none at all.”
I smiled. “You’ve told me how you feel about mice before. I thought Rascal felt the same. Why would he want to talk to a field mouse if he doesn’t trust them?”
“He thinks the mouse might be telling the truth this time.” Stanley cast a fond look in Kitty’s direction. “We have to do all that we can to find you-know-who. Even if that means talking to the foulest kind of creature that ever roamed this earth.” He shivered again for good measure.
“You go,” I told him. “I am more than happy to stay here with Kitty.” I looked down at her. “Are you hungry?”
“No. I’ve had some food. Stanley gave me some lovely food.”
Stanley said, “Gilda brought us some supplies up. She’s been asking around the town about our problem with Kitty, but no one knows anything.” He smiled at Kitty. “You like Gilda, don’t you?”
Kitty giggled. “I do. She brings me food.”
Stanley chuckled before walking away from us and towards the cat flap.
I felt a sudden knot of fear in my stomach. “Stanley, be careful out there. Alan is on the loose. He might know we’re after him.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ve got my cat gang with me.” He gave me a wink before disappearing through the cat flap.
I tried to dismiss my worry, but I couldn’t. I willed Stanley to return safe and sound soon.
I looked down at Kitty and said, “Do you want to watch a movie? I’ve got lots of them. I’ve got some with cats in them.”
A whimper came from Kitty and she said, “I don’t feel well.” She arched her back and a groan came from her. “Ouch! It hurts! Make it stop!”
Chapter 11
Kitty whimpered on my knee and continued to say something was hurting her.
Panic shot through me. I didn’t know how to deal with a poorly kitten. I didn’t even know where the nearest vet was.
“Kitty, tell me where it hurts.”
“My back. It hurts.” She sniffed and snuggled closer to me. “Tell it to stop.”
I moved my hand over her little back. I could feel her spine and carefully checked to see if anything was amiss. I had no idea what I was checking for, but it seemed the right thing to do. I moved my hand to the side of her spine and gently checked that area.
I stopped. What was that? I checked it again. Yes, there was definitely something there which was running parallel to her spine. I put my hand on the opposite side of Kitty’s spine. The same small ridge was there too. It felt hard, almost like bone. Was it bone? If so, why would she have bone structures like that at the side of her spine?
I remembered what Kitty had said about flying with her mum. I thought she’d been joking about that. But what if …? No, that was ridiculous.
Kitty whimpered again, and I decided I had to use magic on her. I imagined the pain leaving her body, and for her to be smiling again. My fingertips tingled and I ran them slowly over Kitty’s back and the peculiar ridges.
A few seconds later, Kitty sighed happily and said, “It doesn’t hurt now.” She let out a little chuckle and added, “It tickles.”
“Has all the pain gone?” I asked.
She nodded. “Thank you. Can we play hide and seek now?”
“Perhaps later. Kitty, can you tell me about flying again. You said you went flying with your mummy.”
“I did. I had to sit on Mummy’s back because my wings haven’t come in yet. Mummy said they will soon, and then I’ll be able to fly like her. Can I hide first? I’m good at hiding.”
I touched the area where the strange bones were and said, “Is this where your wings will be?”
She nodded.
I took a moment to digest this information.
A flying cat.
Well, of course. Why wouldn’t there be flying cats in this magical town?
I wondered if I could tap into Kitty’s memories and find out where she used to go flying with her mum. That might help me to locate her. I recalled how I’d once taken on the memories of a butterfly. I’d felt as if I’d turned into the butterfly as it flew over Brimstone. Gran had performed the spell for me and warned me it could be dangerous. Luckily, everything had turned out okay.
Kitty looked up at me. “Where’s my mummy? Have you found her yet?” Her little chin wobbled.
It was bad enough seeing Kitty so upset; her mum must be going through a terrible time without her baby.
I wondered if I could perform a simpler version of Gran’s spell?
There was only one way to find out.
I lifted Kitty up so her face was level with mine. I said to her, “I want you to remember when you were flying with your mummy. Can you do that?”
Kitty nodded enthusiastically and then closed her eyes. Her mouth moved into a smile.
I placed her on my knee again and kept my hands on her. I closed my eyes and tried to pick up on her memories.
A joyful feeling washed through me and made me laugh out loud with sheer happiness. I looked through Kitty’s eyes and realised she was flying high above green fields on the back of a creatu
re. I shared the safety and love that washed over Kitty. A quick glance at either side of the creature she was flying on showed huge wings flapping slowly. I looked around us and tried to work out where we were. I saw a set of mountains getting closer, but I didn’t recognise them.
I was abruptly taken out of my trance by Kitty crying.
“Mummy! I want my mummy.”
Guilt attacked me as I realised what I’d done. I’d made Kitty remember being with her mum, and now her sadness was even worse.
An idea came to me.
“Kitty, would you like to fly on my broomstick? We could look for your mummy in the sky. She might be flying around looking for you.”
Kitty sniffed and nodded. “I think she is looking for me.”
“Come on, then. Let’s see if we can find her.”
We left the apartment taking my broomstick with us. It was getting dark outside and I hadn’t realised how late it was.
I put Kitty on the broomstick and sat behind her. We lifted off. I knew there were some mountains to the west of Brimstone and thought it would be a good idea to head that way.
Kitty had other ideas as we flew over Brimstone town square. She said, “What’s that house over there? That big one with the sparkling bits?”
“That’s Blythe’s house. You haven’t met her yet. You’ll like her. She’s very kind.”
“Can we meet her now? She might know where Mummy is.”
I had one of those moments where I felt like slapping myself. I should have asked Blythe about Kitty earlier. Blythe knew everything about everyone in Brimstone. She was bound to know where Kitty had come from, especially considering Kitty was a flying cat. Blythe probably knew a family of flying cats who resided in some mountain cave somewhere.
I aimed the broomstick towards Blythe’s house.
As we went closer to Blythe’s magnificent house, I saw the front door opening and two figures coming out. It was Luca and Astrid. Astrid was waving her arms around and talking about something. Luca was striding forward and seemed not to be listening to Astrid. I didn’t want them to look up and see me watching them. Astrid would accuse me of spying on them. I aimed my broomstick towards the back of the house and lowered it until I was on level with the roof gutter.
Kitty said, “What’s wrong with that path down there?”
I looked at the path in the back garden. Like the rest of Blythe’s property, the bricks were red in colour with sparkles of gold in them. But the path that wound through the garden beneath us did look different. Well, one section, in particular, looked different. It was red, but there weren’t any sparkles in it. Also, it was slightly wonky at the edges, almost blurred.
I had a sudden feeling that something was wrong.
I flew us down to the path and landed beside it. As I did, I heard a commotion coming from the street. There was a crashing sound, followed by raised, angry voices. I ignored it. I didn’t have time to be concerned with arguing residents.
I put my broomstick on the grass and sat Kitty next to it. I told her not to move. She gave me a solemn nod.
Taking small steps, I moved to the part of the path that didn’t look right. I lowered myself and reached out a hand. I moved my hand a foot above the path until I felt something.
There. I sunk my hand into the invisible silky material. I had felt the same material before. It felt like the same material I’d found in the bushes. Was it Alan’s cloak? I took a deep breath before carefully pulling the material towards me.
I stared at the dead body in front of me.
Footsteps sounded behind me and Blythe knelt at my side. She nodded at the body and said, “I see you’ve found Alan.”
Chapter 12
I took a closer look at Alan. Like Pam had said, he was a small man. He was dressed in grey and brown clothes. It was hard to say what his facial features were like because his face was twisted in pain and he barely looked human.
“How do you think he died?” I asked Blythe.
“Extremely painfully, going by his face.” Blythe lowered her head and sniffed him. “He’s been poisoned.” She took another inhale. “By Screaming Devil’s Fungus. It won’t surprise you to know that particular plant is illegal in Brimstone. Someone must have obtained it from another town.”
We both straightened up. I held the cloak up and examined it.
I pointed to a corner of it that had a piece missing. “It was definitely Alan who was by the bushes where Selo died. Do you think Alan killed Selo?”
“It looks that way. I’ve had a few dealings with the Breath-Takers, and I know they keep records of their appointments.” She waved her hand at Alan. “Would you mind having a look for something amongst his clothing, please? I’d do it myself, but the thought of it is making feel queasy.”
“Of course. I don’t mind at all.” I knelt next to Alan and had a good feel about his person. It didn’t bother me one bit that I was looking through the clothes of a corpse. I didn’t even flinch when I encountered his cold flesh. What that said about me; I don’t know. And I didn’t care.
I located a small piece of paper in his trouser pocket. I pulled it out and then stood next to Blythe as I opened it up.
There was a simple message on the paper:
Job: Selo Cezerus
Completed: Yes
Account settled:
I shared a look with Blythe and said, “It looks like Alan’s services hadn’t been paid for. Perhaps his client didn’t have the money or had the money and didn’t want to hand it over.” I turned the paper over expecting to find the client’s name. There was nothing.
Blythe said, “I’ve just been speaking to Luca about your conversation with Pam. It seems Alan was offered a lot of money to kill Selo. Most Breath-Takers insist on half of the payment up front. I wonder if Alan received that? Was there any money in his pockets?”
I shook my head. “Where has Alan been since he killed Selo earlier?”
Blythe shuddered. “He must have been hiding somewhere in Brimstone. That doesn’t bear thinking about.” She looked back down at Alan. “I’ll send a message to Pam to let her know we’ve found him. She’ll want to take his body back to Dingy Skipper. Do you want to examine him further?”
I considered her question. “I don’t think so. You know how he died. Can you tell when that was?”
“Within the last few hours. I don’t know what Pam wants to do about his murder. I dread to think. I wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of an expert assassin like Pam.”
“Should I continue to deal with Selo’s murder? Or would Pam expect to deal with it now seeing as it’s connected to Alan’s demise?”
“No, you continue as you are. Selo was a Brimstone resident. Someone in our town hired Alan to kill him. You need to find out who that was. Pam may want to help you. I’ll discuss that with her when I let her know about Alan.” Blythe clasped her hands together. “We can’t leave Alan here on the path. I’ll move him into my cellar.”
“Why did he die here?” I asked. “Do you think he was on his way to see you? Perhaps he was scared for his life and wanted your protection.”
“That is possible. Also, the killer could have placed him here.” She frowned. “Perhaps as a warning.”
“A warning to who?” I asked.
“You and me. The killer could be telling us to stop investigating Selo’s murder.”
I folded my arms. “That’s not going to happen. I’m more determined than ever to find them now.”
Blythe studied me for a moment. “Are you sure about this Cassia? I don’t want you getting hurt. I could take over.”
“No, thank you. I need to do this. I won’t be intimidated.”
Blythe smiled. “Good for you.” She opened her hands over Alan’s body and wiggled her fingers. Alan’s body rose slowly off the path and began to float towards Blythe’s house.
Blythe said, “Let me know how you get on with everything. Luca’s told me what you’ve uncovered so far. Oh! I’d better let Luca know
that you’ve found Alan. He was going to organise a search party with the other guardians.”
“When you tell him, let him know I found Alan’s body by accident. Make it clear I didn’t go out looking for Alan on my own.”
Blythe smiled. “Are you scared of Luca?”
“A bit. I don’t want him to be angry with me.”
“He’d never be angry with you.” She paused. “His girlfriend, on the other hand, would use the slightest excuse to be furious with you. She is not your biggest fan. I’d keep an eye on her if I were you.” She tutted as Alan’s body floated upwards. “Alan! Come back down. You’re going the wrong way.”
She wiggled her outstretched fingers at the corpse and aimed him towards the back door. She said goodbye before returning to her house.
Kitty suddenly meowed. I jumped. I’d totally forgotten she was there. I went over to her side and picked her up.
Kitty said, “What was wrong with that man? Why wasn’t he moving? Is he asleep?”
“Something like that. Kitty, I’m so sorry. I forgot to tell Blythe about you. She’s busy now, but we can come back tomorrow. It’s getting dark. Shall we go back to the apartment and wait for Stanley?”
She smiled. “We can play hide and seek. I’ll hide first.”
“Okay.”
It was only a short walk back to the apartment but I decided to fly anyway. What’s the point of having a broomstick if you don’t use it?
Stanley was waiting for us when we arrived back. He was pacing up and down the carpet with a furious look on his face. He was such a good-natured cat that it was a shock to see him like that.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him as I propped my broomstick against the wall.
Stanley stopped pacing. “That stupid field mouse! He tricked us; the devious rodent. He said he had something important to tell us about you-know-who, and that we had to pay him to get that information. He wanted a lump of cheese and a ball of wool.”
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