“Did you tell Gran about the murder?” I asked.
“I did. I told her you were dealing with it and things were moving along nicely. Esther said to tell you to look closely at Augustus’ family, particularly his brother. There was a lot of rivalry between the brothers. Augustus’ brother was outraged when he left the family home. I think the brother was planning on leaving first, but Augustus beat him to it.”
“That’s interesting. We’ve just spoken to his brother, Brek, and he didn’t give us that impression.”
Brin continued, “Esther said Jeff Collins could be a suspect as he needs a lot of money for all the cosmetic work he continually has done.”
“Cosmetic work?”
“Yes. With him being a zombie, parts of him keep falling off so he needs to spend a lot of money to keep himself together. Also, he takes expensive medicine to stop the rotting process.” Her nose wrinkled. “It sounds awful when I put it that way. But that’s how zombies are.”
I nodded. “He must spend a lot on that fragrance he wears too. No wonder he’s obsessed with making money.”
Brin took us towards the living room. “Dilly is in here. She’s been cleaning everything in sight for the last ten minutes. It soothes her. To be honest, I haven’t had a minute to catch up on the housework since I’ve been looking after Blythe, so Dilly is doing me a favour.”
Brin walked into the living room and we followed her. Dilly had a chair pulled up to the mantelpiece and was leaning out at a precarious angle as she dusted the top of a mirror. She looked our way and flapped her duster at us in welcome.
“You don’t mind if I clean while we talk, do you?” she asked. “My mind is in turmoil with all that’s been going on and it helps to calm my nerves if I’m busy.”
“I don’t mind at all,” I said and I took a seat on the nearest sofa. Stanley sat at my side. I asked, “Dilly, can you tell me what you know about Jeff Collins and his relationship with Augustus?”
She finished cleaning the mirror and climbed off the chair. She picked up a glass vase and began to polish it. She said, “I hate to gossip about those I work with, but Brin explained that I might be able to help with your investigation. The thing is, I do so much work around the hotel that I think I’ve become invisible to everyone. They’ve stopped seeing me as a living being and more as part of the furnishings. Things are said in front of me which are quite private. It happens all the time.”
I nodded. “That could be useful.”
She put the vase down, picked up an ornament of a fairy and began to dust it. “I overheard Mr Collins arguing with Augustus about a month or so ago. Augustus wanted more jobs. He said it wasn’t fair that Ovrid had more regular clients than him now. Mr Collins said Ovrid was a better worker and he was already thinking of employing more like Ovrid. Augustus was livid and said Mr Collins could employ a dozen creatures like Ovrid but he would never get rid of Augustus, not if he knew what was good for him.”
“What did he mean by that?” I asked.
Dilly shrugged. “I don’t know. Augustus didn’t go into any more detail. There was a threatening tone in his voice. I didn’t like it. The argument ended there and Augustus walked away. Later on, I heard Augustus arguing with Ovrid. He accused him of stealing his customers. Ovrid was polite and pointed out it was Mr Collins who decided how many customers they had. Augustus warned Ovrid to keep away from Ulx and not to even think of stealing him away.” Dilly put the fairy down and gave us a puzzled look. “I thought it was strange that Augustus wanted to keep Ulx as his client. I often heard Ulx bad-mouthing Augustus behind his back. Ulx said he couldn’t bear the sight of him.”
“That is strange,” I agreed. “I’ll ask Ulx about that the next time I see him. Did Augustus argue with anyone else recently?”
Dilly shook her head. “Not that I heard. Cassia, someone at the hotel told me you’d taken Augustus’ body from his room. Is that true? Have you found out what poisoned him yet?”
“It wasn’t me who took his body away.” I explained about the imposters. Stanley added a tut of disgust.
Brin said, “You could find out who the imposter was, and possibly where they took him. You could use a locating spell. There could be a fragment of Augustus’ life force still in his bed. Some creatures are so shocked at dying that their life force hangs around for a while. If there’s some there, it might be enough for the spell to work.” She gave me a concerned look. “It wouldn’t be pleasant, but it might help you to locate his body. I can help you with the words.”
“Finding his body would be a great help,” I said. “I’ve done similar spells before when I take on someone’s memory.” A noise caught my attention.
Dilly was sobbing quietly into her duster. Brin went over to her and put her arm around her shoulder.
Dilly looked up and said, “Why can’t everyone just get along? Why do they have to be so nasty to each other? I don’t like it at all. Everyone used to be so nice to each other, and now everything’s changed.” Tears flowed down her little face.
I stood up and said to Brin, “Tell me how to do the spell.”
Chapter 19
Dilly had composed herself by the time we went back to the hotel. Brin’s warning words about the locating spell were still ringing in my ears as we walked along. She’d explained that the lingering life force could be strong, and she’d known cases where it had taken over the witch casting the spell. She didn’t go into details about what had happened to the witch afterwards, and I didn’t ask her to.
As soon as we entered the hotel, Dilly scurried away saying she was behind with her work and Mr Collins was going to be angry with her. As she scampered away with her head low I wondered if Augustus had ever shouted at her. I hoped not.
I said to Stanley, “Let’s have a quick word with Jeff and let him know we’re going to Augustus’ room. We don’t want to be disturbed.”
Jeff Collins wasn’t behind the reception desk and we were told he would be out of the hotel for a few hours for personal reasons. When I pressed the member of staff for more information, they said they didn’t know where Mr Collins had gone or how to contact him. That didn’t sound right to me and I wondered if Mr Collins had ordered them to lie on his behalf. I decided I’d deal with Jeff later.
We made our way to Augustus’ room and I noticed Stanley dragging his paws as we went.
“What’s wrong with you?” I asked him.
“What if his room still smells? I won’t be much use to you if I’m retching constantly.” His whiskers twitched. “I’m getting a whiff of something unpleasant now.”
“If it’s really that bad, I’ll go into the room on my own.”
“Absolutely not. I promised Brin I’d stay right by your side. You know she said something could go wrong, and if that happens I have to go and fetch her immediately.”
I flapped my hand at him. “I’m sure nothing will go wrong.” I stopped walking and looked down at Stanley. “Almost sure.”
“I’m coming into the room with you, no matter what,” Stanley said in a determined manner.
We reached Augustus’ room and I was pleased to see there weren’t any ghouls hanging around. I inhaled the air as I entered. The disgusting aroma was still there but it wasn’t as overpowering as it had been.
Stanley followed me. He stopped and sniffed. “It’s not too bad. I think I’ll be okay. Don’t take too long with the spell.”
“I wasn’t planning to.” I walked closer to the bed and saw the bedcover had been pulled back. The mattress dipped in the middle and there were some rogue green hairs dotted about. Something small scuttled through the hairs. My stomach heaved slightly.
Stanley stood at my side and said, “Brin said you have to get in the bed to feel any left over life force.”
“I know. I’m gathering my courage.”
Stanley took a step back. “When do you think those sheets were last washed?”
I looked at the grubby stains. “I don’t think they’ve ever been wa
shed.” I could feel waves of nausea washing over me as I stared at the filthy sheets. Looking at the bed was bad enough; getting into it was going to be a feat of bravery. I wasn’t sure I was brave enough for that.
Stanley took another step back and said brightly, “No time like the present. Off you go then. Tuck yourself in nice and tight. I’ll be right at your side.”
“You’re almost out of the room,” I told him. “Stop walking backwards and stay where you are.”
I took a deep breath, lowered myself into the bed and rested my head back on the dirty pillow. Foul air wafted right up my nose and made me gag.
“Pooh!” Stanley moved his paw in front of his nose. “Try not to move. You’re disturbing the muck.”
I felt as stiff as an ironing board as I lay there in the deceased goblin’s bed. I focused on the ceiling and tried to get my body to relax. It wasn’t easy as my mind was telling me to get the heck out of there immediately.
Stanley said, “Remember what Brin said. She said if Augustus’ life force is still here, it’s going to be mad at having died. Don’t let it take you over, Cassia. Resist the darkness.”
“I’ll try,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’m going to recite the spell now. I want this ordeal to be over with as soon as possible.”
I took more deep breaths and stilled my mind. I began to recite the words Brin had given me. Over and over. There was nothing else in my mind but those words. The room began to fade, and I felt my body becoming weightless.
There was a jolt and an unfamiliar feeling came over me. It was rage. Pure rage. A gruff voice came into my head: ‘I’m dead! No! It’s impossible. I haven’t got time to be dead! What’s going on? Who did this to me?’
I kept my mind calm and tried to move the rage out of my body.
The voice in my head came back. The tone had changed to a calmer one: ‘So, I’m dead. Why am I hanging around here then? Who’s body is this? It feels weird. Skinny. Who is this?’ The voice abruptly turned nasty: ‘I can have this body. I can be alive again. Ha!’
It felt like someone was prodding at my mind and I didn’t have any control of it. It was a horrible feeling and I couldn’t stop the nasty voice laughing and muttering to itself. I was vaguely aware of Stanley telling me to fight it. I tried.
Brin had told me that once I’d captured Augustus’ life force, I had to get hold of his last memories. I concentrated on my thoughts: ‘Augustus, tell me what you remember. What did you see?’
The voice mumbled: ‘Remember? I can’t remember anything. Shut up and let me have your body. I’ve got unfinished business.’
‘You can’t have my body. Remember your last moments. What did you see?’
There was silence and I thought the voice had gone. It didn’t come back, but images suddenly appeared in my mind.
I was lying in this bed and someone was in the room with me and leaning over the bed. It was a woman. I’d looked at myself enough times in the mirror to know it was me. A cat was in her arms. It had grey fur.
The woman laughed and said, “That ghoul at the door has given me a great idea. I know exactly what to do with this body now. I’ll dump it on the goblins like a piece of rubbish. I’ll make sure someone sees me doing it. Ha! The goblins will be furious. They’ll get their revenge on the witch. I hope they hurt her. I hope they get rid of her.”
The cat chuckled in reply. It was an evil chuckle.
My breath caught in my throat as coldness suddenly drenched me. It felt like someone had thrown ten buckets of water over me. The image disappeared and all I could sense was darkness. I shivered as I felt that tugging at my mind again. I knew Augustus’ was trying to take over. He was strong and I was getting weaker by the second. The coldness went and I couldn’t feel anything. The numbness was nice. I was tired. I wanted to sleep. I wanted peace. Eternal peace.
Someone was hitting me. Over and over. I was too tired to fight it. The hitting continued and I heard Stanley calling my name. I felt his paws batting my cheeks.
Using all the strength I had, I forced myself to turn away from the darkness. I willed my eyes to open. They felt as if they’d been glued together. Stanley’s paws continued to hit me. I could hear his cries of despair. Knowing he was in distress gave me a boost of energy and I prised my eyes open. Stanley’s face was inches from mine. My breath came at me suddenly and I started to cough.
Stanley collapsed onto my chest and said, “You’re alive. I thought I’d lost you. You stopped breathing. Your face went white.” His voice caught in his throat. “Promise me that you’ll never, ever do that spell again.”
I stopped coughing and stroked his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t know how to stop Augustus taking over. I’m okay. I feel fine now. Let me get out of this disgusting bed and I’ll tell you what happened. I think I know where to look for Augustus’ body.”
It took another few minutes of me reassuring Stanley that I was okay before he finally jumped off my chest. I got out of the smelly bed and quickly told him what I’d experienced. I didn’t go into detail about the last bit and me losing the will to live. I tried to stop my legs from shaking as I thought about it. I had felt completely out of control and had been ready to let Augustus’ life force take over me. I didn’t have the magical knowledge to stop him. If Stanley hadn’t been here to keep an eye on me, I was sure I would have died. The thought of Augustus Stez’s life force in my body didn’t bear thinking about.
Stanley said, “Did you recognise the woman’s voice? Did it sound like Astrid?”
“I don’t know. She didn’t have anything against her mouth, but her voice sounded muffled. Stanley, we have to go back to the goblins’ houses and find out where they store their rubbish. Augustus’ body could be somewhere nearby. We can’t leave him there.”
Stanley agreed and we quickly left the hotel, hopped onto my broomstick and headed back to the circle of goblin houses. Within minutes of flying, I felt better and was ready to face whatever came next.
We flew over the goblin area and saw Brek standing next to the statue. He wasn’t alone this time. There was a group of goblins standing in front of him. They were waving tools at him in a threatening manner and he was holding his hands up defensively. I could hear angry voices and someone calling Brek an idiot.
The group fell silent as we landed at their side. Angry faces turned our way and I could feel waves of hate coming from the goblins. One of them stepped forward holding a pickaxe aloft. She snarled at me and spit flew from her mouth.
Brek dashed forward and yelled, “Mum! Don’t!”
His mum snapped, “Don’t tell me what to do! You know what this evil witch did to your brother. She dropped his lifeless body into our rubbish dump! Like he was nothing but a piece of filth! She’ll pay for that.”
“It wasn’t me,” I called out. “It was someone who looks like me. Someone is impersonating me to cause trouble!”
I was yelling in vain. Brek’s mum advanced on me with fury contorting her face. Her thick arm muscles strained under her shirt as she jabbed her weapon in the air.
Another goblin joined her and shouted at me, “It was you! I saw you. You had your cat with you. I heard you laugh as you dropped Augustus’ body! You were on your broomstick. That one in your hands.”
Brek’s mum said, “After you dumped Augustus, you had the nerve to come here and talk to my other son. What were you going to do to him? Pin the murder on him? Kill him for the fun of it? You’re going to pay for what you did.”
Brek darted forward and grabbed the pickaxe. He threw it to the ground and said, “There’s been enough violence already. Augustus was murdered and Cassia is going to find out who did it. She said she didn’t drop his body in the rubbish dump and I believe her.”
“I don’t,” his mum snarled. Her hand shot out and she knocked Brek to the ground. She retrieved her pickaxe and aimed a sharp end at me. “We don’t want you here. You’re a monster. We’re going to tell the whole of Brimstone what
you did! You deserve to die!” She threw the pickaxe in my direction.
Quick as a flash, I cast an immobilising spell on the sharp implement and it froze in the air. Brek’s mum did too. I hadn’t meant for her to be frozen, but it did help matters.
The other goblins gasped in horror and started to retreat.
One of them yelled, “She’s out to get us all!”
“I’m not!” I shouted. “Stay where you are and listen to me!”
The anger in my voice must have had an effect because the goblins stayed right where they were.
I went on, “I am dealing with the murder of Augustus but someone is trying to sabotage my investigation. I will deal with whoever that is later.” I attempted a reassuring smile. “My priority is to find out who killed Augustus and to bring them to justice. I’d like your help. Do any of you know if Augustus had any enemies?”
The goblins muttered amongst themselves for a minute. One of them nodded to the others, cleared his throat and stepped nervously forward.
“Do you know something?” I asked him.
He nodded again and looked towards the unmoving figure of Brek’s mum at his side. “Is she dead?”
“No, just frozen. I’ll sort her out in a minute. What do you know?”
He came closer. “I don’t want her to hear me. She’s got a terrible temper on her. We’re all scared of Mrs Stez around here.” He came even closer. “I heard another mining goblin talking about Augustus last week in the pub. He said he hated Augustus and was going to put an end to something. The other goblins in the pub said they hated Augustus too and would be glad to see the back of him. This other one said that’s exactly what he was going to do.”
“What did this goblin look like?” I asked.
“He was small but he had these enormous ears. I’ve never seen ears like that before. I didn’t catch his full name but I think it began with a U.”
“Was it Ulx?”
“Aye, I think it might have been. Do you think he murdered Augustus?”
Brimstone Witch Mysteries - Box Set 1 Page 40
