Stanley came closer to my side and said quietly, “Is he admitting to killing Alan?”
“I’m not sure yet.” I forced a smile on my face. “I’d love to know more about the trick you played on Alan.”
“Of course you would,” Ivan said joyfully. “I’m a very clever fellow, despite what the other gnomes say about me. I met Alan in Dingy Skipper when I lived there. Alan loved fishing for some unknown reason. He used to watch me from the riverbank and he asked me one annoying question after another. One day, to shut him up, I let him use my equipment. Gnome fishing rods have a touch of magic in them and the fish are drawn to them easily. We’re not supposed to lend anyone our fishing rods, but I didn’t care. Don’t tell anyone.” He attempted to tap the side of his nose but he missed. “Alan loved using the fishing rod and kept coming back to see me at the river. I told him how I wanted to move away from Dingy Skipper and to Brimstone. He knew that this house was available and said he would get it for me if I gave him all my fishing tackle. I said yes straight away.” He chuckled. “Fishing gnomes are not supposed to give anyone their fishing tackle. It’s against gnome law. But I didn’t care.”
“You said Alan did a job for you. What was that?”
Ivan stared upwards again. “Isn’t the sky beautiful? Such a lovely blue. And the clouds! I’ve never seen them so fluffy and white. I’m such a lucky fellow. It’s a great day to be alive.”
“The job?” I gently reminded him.
“Ah, yes. I wanted Alan to get rid of that annoying centaur who was galloping through here. He was such a pest! He was ruining my peace and quiet. It was bad enough that he was racing around here every night, but then I had to put up with all the rude remarks from my neighbours the day after. They said I’d caused all the damage! It was spoiling my happiness. I’d moved here so I could be at peace with everyone.” He shook his head. “No, that centaur had to go. I got in touch with Alan and he said he’d put me at the top of his list. But he wanted me to pay him; he said he couldn’t do it as a favour.” His eyes started to close.
I prodded him on the arm. “What was the price?”
Ivan’s eyes opened and he sniggered. “I lied to Alan. I told him I had a huge supply of magic fishing rods and I’d pay him with those. I said he’d make a fortune selling those rods. That made him happy and he said he’d get on with the job immediately. He didn’t even want a payment in advance, which was lucky because I couldn’t pay him.” He burst into laughter. “I couldn’t pay him because I didn’t have any magic rods. Ha!”
Stanley’s nose twitched. “That sour smell is getting stronger. I can smell it coming from somewhere else too. Let me investigate.” He went to the side of the garden and cautiously sniffed the dead plants.
Ivan started humming to himself again. He tapped his fingers on his stomach. “Isn’t this a beautiful day? Look at the sky. I’ve never seen – ”
I abruptly cut him off. “You asked Alan to kill Selo. Is that right?”
“Yes. I told you Selo was a pest. An annoying pest that had to go. Alan followed Selo for a few days and found out where he ran. It didn’t take Alan long to complete his job.” Ivan let out a sigh. “It’s been so peaceful without that noisy centaur.”
Stanley silently padded past me and headed towards the back garden.
I asked, “Do you know what an Aitvaras is?”
“A what? What’s one of those?”
“A shapeshifting dragon,” I explained. “They turn into black cats.”
“Do they really? How fascinating. What are they called again?”
I studied the look on his face. He looked like he was telling the truth.
“Never mind,” I said. “Why did you kill Alan?”
“Because I couldn’t pay him.” Ivan chuckled. “It was so funny. Alan came here looking for those magic fishing rods. He looked so happy and went on and on about the fishing he was going to do. I didn’t tell him about the trick I’d played on him. I couldn’t. I knew how angry he’d be. So, I made him a cup of tea instead. It was a special cup of tea and it made Alan forget about the fishing rods. I am such a clever fellow. I really am.”
“Did you use the Screaming Devil’s Fungus that’s growing in your back garden?”
Ivan gave me an impressed look. “Well spotted. I might not be good at growing roses, but I’m excellent at growing that fungus. I brought some with me from Dingy Skipper. It grows wild there. You never know when you might need to use a bit of poison on someone.” He winked at me. “Help yourself to some. Wear gloves, though. It’s powerful stuff.”
“Did Alan know you’d poisoned him before he died?”
“Oh, yes,” Ivan said with more than a hint of amusement in his voice. “You should have seen the shock on his face. It made my day. As the poison took effect, he asked who was in charge in this town. I told him about Blythe and where she lived. He said he was going to tell her about me and the job he’d done for me. I wished him luck and opened the front door for him. I knew he wouldn’t get far as the poison works quickly. I heard you found him on Blythe’s path. He got further than I thought he would.”
Stanley came running over to me and said, “The sour smell is coming from that Screaming Devil’s Fungus in the back.”
Ivan had his eyes closed again. His voice was slow as he said, “This is such a beautiful day to be alive. I’m glad I picked this as my last day to be alive.” His breathing became shallow, and the colour drained from his face.
Stanley cried out, “He’s poisoned himself! He’s dying!”
“No! I won’t allow it.” I raised my hands at the gnome and forced magic into my fingers.
Nothing happened.
I tried again.
“Stanley, I can’t make my magic work!”
Stanley waved his paw at the dead plants. “These could have come from Dingy Skipper too. They could be blocking your magic. What are we going to do? We can’t let him die.”
I lowered my hands and stared helplessly at the gnome. His life force was seeping away, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
Chapter 30
“Calm down! I’m here! I can help! Step back!”
Mrs Tarblast suddenly sped into the garden like a little red express train.
She roughly shoved me out of the way and shouted, “I’ll sort him out. He’s not dying without answering to his crimes, the sneaky snake in the grass.”
She whipped out a small bottle from her pocket, pulled the lid off it and knelt at Ivan’s side. “Oi, Cassia, get over here and open his lying mouth. Tip his head right back.”
“I’m not sure you should be doing that,” I said. “I’ll see if I can find Blythe. She’ll know what to do.”
“We haven’t got time!” Mrs Tarblast protested. “He’ll be dead in ten seconds if you don’t hurry up. I know what I’m doing. Get over here now and help me.”
She gave me such an intense look that I did what she said. I opened Ivan’s mouth and tipped his head back. Mrs Tarblast poured a mauve coloured liquid down his throat. She flung the empty bottle on the grass, grabbed the sides of his head and shook it from side to side.
“That should do it,” she said. She took her hands from his head and stared at him.
Stanley and I did the same.
Mrs Tarblast said, “I heard everything he said to you. I’ve been hiding behind the wall. I knew there was something not right about Ivan Snapnert the minute he turned up on our street. There was a devious, sly look about him. I knew that from the very start.”
Ivan began to cough. His face turned red and he coughed some more.
“Oh, I nearly forgot.” Mrs Tarblast took some garden twine from another pocket and quickly tied Ivan to his chair. She smiled at me and said, “We don’t want him making a run for it. He needs to pay for what he’s done.”
I looked at Mrs Tarblast. “Thank you for saving his life, and tying him up. What exactly did you pour own his throat?”
She gave me an evasive look. “Just an old
family remedy. Nothing special.”
“Did you make it from those illegal plants in your garden?” I asked.
She did her best to look insulted. “What? Illegal plants? In my garden? Here in Brimstone?”
“Yes or no?” I persisted.
She gave me an embarrassed grin. “Can we talk about that another time? You’re going to be busy sorting this evil monster out. In my defence, my family has been using those plants for years to help our neighbours and friends. We never charge, and we do a lot to help the community.”
“Yes, Mrs T. does a lot for us.”
Dirkem Mudworthy popped up from behind the wall. He said, “Mrs T., have you got that stuff for my back yet? I can barely walk. And I’ll need some more of that sleeping potion.” He looked at Ivan. “Why’s he tied up? What’s he done?”
Mrs Tarblast planted her hands on her hips and glowered at Dirkem. “Dirkem Mudworthy! You’ll be the death of me with your incessant moaning. Get back to your house and I’ll be with you shortly.”
Dirkem pointed at Ivan. “What about him?”
“I’ll tell you about him later, you nosy gnome!” Mrs Tarblast gave Dirkem a look that made him wither and walk quickly away. She muttered, “His back looks okay to me.”
Ivan came round a bit more and wailed, “Let me go! I want to die! You’ve no right to stop me! Untie me.”
Mrs Tarblast raised her eyebrows in my direction. “I can give him something to shut him up if you like? I’ve used it a few times on Dirkem. It’s powerful stuff.”
“No, thank you. I’ll deal with him now. Thanks again for your help.” I paused for a moment. “We’ll talk about the other thing another time. And I’ll need to know why you never mentioned Treto falling over in your garden.” My eyes narrowed. “You could have saved me a lot of time if you’d have mentioned that earlier.”
She let out an embarrassed laugh and said, “Like you said, we can talk about it later.” She looked over her shoulder. “I thought I heard someone yelling your name. Your friend is here now. Luca, isn’t it? He’ll help you with Ivan now. Make sure you lock him up for a long time.” She gave me a nod before walking away.
Luca ran into the garden and came to a halt. His face was red and he was out of breath. He pointed to Ivan and then to the disappearing Mrs Tarblast as she hurried back to her own house.
He took a moment to catch his breath and said, “What’s going on? Why’s Ivan Snapnert tied up? What were you saying to Mrs Tarblast? Was she trying to sell you one of her famous potions?” He bent over, put his hands on his knees and said, “I’ve never run so fast in my life. Not in human form.”
Stanley went over to Luca’s legs and looked up at Luca’s face. He said, “Ivan is the murderer. He hired Alan. Alan killed Selo. Then Ivan killed Alan. Ivan tried to kill himself but Mrs Tarblast saved him.”
Luca straightened up. “I’m even more confused now.”
I quickly told Luca what had happened. He listened and shook his head occasionally. From his chair, Ivan added his own boastful comments which we all tried to ignore.
Luca gave me a look of admiration which made me feel hot in the face. He said, “Cassia, this is great work. Blythe will be so pleased. I’m proud of you. I’ll take care of Ivan now. There are some cells in Blythe’s house, so I can put him in there until she comes back.” He looked Ivan’s way and said to him, “I must let Pam know that you’re the one who killed Alan. Do you know Pam?”
Ivan paled and swallowed nervously. “Everyone in Dingy Skipper knows Pam. Do you have to tell her?”
“I think it would be polite to do so.” Luca moved over to me and said, “I need a quiet word with you and Stanley.” He took us out onto the street and waited for some goblins to pass by before speaking.
I said, “What is it? You’ve got a funny look on your face. And not in a good way.”
Luca’s tone was serious as he said, “You have to leave Brimstone immediately. I’ve just come from your gran’s house and she wants you back there.”
“Gran’s house? I didn’t think you were allowed into my world.”
“She sent a message for me to meet her there. I only went as far as the cellar.” His tone brightened. “It’s a lovely cellar. Nice and bright.”
“Yes, it is. Back to Gran. What did she say to you?”
“Not much. I think she was trying not to alarm me. She told me she needs you and Stanley back as soon as possible.” His brow furrowed. “She’s worried about something. She tried to hide it from me, but I could see the concern in her eyes. I’ve been trying to find you for the last ten minutes.”
I said, “I don’t understand. Why didn’t Gran try to find me?”
“I don’t know. She’ll explain everything to you.” He looked into my eyes. “Cassia, there’s something wrong with Brimstone. I can feel it in the air. It’s been building up for a while but it’s getting worse. Your gran knows it too. I think that’s one of the reasons she wants you to go back.”
“But what about the apartment? There’s food in the fridge. It’ll go off.”
“I’ll deal with that,” Luca assured me.
“What about my broomstick?”
“You won’t need that in your world, but I’ll keep it safe. Cassia, you have to go now.”
I looked nervously around me. “What about Blythe? I can’t go without telling her about Ivan.”
“I’ll tell her everything.” He put his hand on my arm and moved me along the street. “If you don’t go now, I’m going to fling you over my shoulder and run down the street with you.” He tried to sound jovial but failed.
“Okay, I’ll go. But I’ll be back.”
Luca smiled. “I know you will. Stanley, I’ll count the days till I see you again, my friend.” He winked at Stanley.
Stanley chuckled and said, “See you soon.”
Luca gave me a pointed look until I turned away from him and walked away.
I said to Stanley, “This is weird. What’s going on? Why does Gran want to see us so urgently?”
“She’ll tell us,” Stanley said. “I don’t think it’s anything serious.”
His nervous tone belied his words.
We walked through the town. It was deserted which made the nervous feeling in my stomach increase tenfold. We passed a butterfly tree on the way to Gran’s cellar door. Half the butterflies were missing. My hands felt clammy and an icy feeling shot down my spine. Something was terribly wrong.
We reached the door that led to Gran’s cellar. I shrieked as someone moved out of the shadows.
It was Astrid. She was smiling in a way that wasn’t at all friendly. She looked me up and down before saying, “Going back home? Good idea. You stay there for a while. That’s where you belong, isn’t it? Don’t worry about coming back here. I’ve got everything under control. I’ll take good care of Luca.” An evil glint came into her eyes. “I see you caught up with Ivan Snapnert. Ivan? Who’d have thought it? Perhaps if you’d dealt with the gnomes’ complaints straight away, you would have worked things out sooner. Perhaps you’re not as clever as you think you are.”
“Now, just a minute,” Stanley began. “Don’t you talk to my Cassia like that. You were the one who was dealing with the gnomes’ complaints. You should have noticed something wasn’t right.”
Astrid let out a mocking laugh. “Oh, poor Stanley. Are you missing your little friend? Kitty? I hoped she was going to stay a bit longer with you two. I was planning on it. Never mind.” She turned her cold look on me and stared at me with so much hate that I felt my heart shrivel up in fear. She said, “I must go. Luca needs me. I hope we don’t meet again too soon. Goodbye.”
She turned away and walked calmly down the street. I was too shocked to say anything.
Stanley said, “I knew it! I knew it was Astrid who planted Kitty in your broomstick. You have to do something about her.”
I didn’t get the chance to reply because the door behind me was flung open. Gran reached out and pulled me through. S
tanley ran after me.
Gran slammed the door behind us and pulled me into a hug. “Thank goodness you’re safe. I’ve been worried sick about you.”
I untangled myself from her arms. “Gran, what’s going on?”
Gran said, “It’s not safe for you out there. It’s the contamination.”
“Contamination?”
“Yes, I noticed the fallout settling on you and Stanley when I came through earlier. It’s only a light covering, but it’s definitely there. I meant to tell you immediately but then we ended up sorting out the Aitvaras problem instead.” She looked me over. “The fallout is already dispersing. It’ll all be gone soon.”
I frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s the black magic. It’s floating through the air like pollution. It’s been affecting the residents for months and it’s getting worse. I thought you two might be immune to it, but I was wrong. Have you noticed any change in your behaviour or feelings recently?”
I looked down at Stanley. “Sorry, Stanley, but I have noticed you losing your temper more and more.”
Stanley nodded. “I know. I’m turning feral. Sorry.”
Gran picked Stanley up. “It’s not your fault. You’ll start to feel better now that you’re back here.” She looked my way. “I could tell the pollution was getting stronger when I came to see you earlier. It affected me too and I was in a terrible mood when I came back here. I wanted to lash out at someone. I shouted at Oliver.” She shook her head sadly. “I’ve never shouted at him before. I tried to apologise, but he’s sulking in his cat basket.”
Stanley said, “I’ll go and talk to him. I’ll tell him about our latest case too. Cassia found out who murdered Selo and Alan.” He jumped from Gran’s arms and made his way across the cellar and up the steps.
“You’ve solved the murder? Already?” Gran asked.
I nodded. “I’ll tell you about it in a minute. Gran, what’s going to happen out there? What’s going to happen to Brimstone?”
Brimstone Witch Mysteries - Box Set 1 Page 30
