Copycat Murders

by T. H. Hunter

  “Quarterwarlock Armbruster, could you tell us how you found Miss Villar?” he asked.

  “Well,” Armbruster said, locking his huge hands in front of his significant belly, “it was in the storage room, down in the dungeons.”

  “Did you see Miss Villar draw the sign on the wall?” Barry asked.

  “No,” he said slowly, “but I did see a light inside. That’s what made me go there in the first place, because I was only passing through. But when I opened the door, she quickly extinguished her wand light.”

  “I see,” said Barry. “I understand there have been other drawings of these signs. Has anyone else been caught in the act?”

  “No, my lord,” he said, “not that I am aware of, anyway.”

  Barry looked across to Val and me, inviting our questions. I grasped at the opportunity immediately.

  “Mr. Armbruster,” I said, “how often do you go to the dungeons?”

  “In that particular room?” he said, stroking his black beard with his hand. “Not much at all, really. It’s old and useless stuff, most of it.”

  “And how often are you in the dungeons, generally?” I asked.

  “Every other day, perhaps,” he said.

  “I understand,” I said, “that certain ingredients have been stolen from the school’s supplies. Is that correct?”

  “That’s right,” he said.

  “Would it be possible to compile a list for us, with times and dates of when you noticed that they had gone missing?” I asked.

  “Yes, I think so,” he said. “I’ve kept records. I’ll have it ready by the morning.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “That would be most appreciated.”

  I nodded to Barry, who said:

  “Yes, that will be all, Mr. Armbruster.”

  But the quarterwarlock didn’t move. He eyed the girl sitting next to him with deep suspicion. Then, he turned back to us.

  “Are you sure that…” he began.

  “Quite sure, thank you,” I said.

  “Alright,” he said. “I’ll be in the Great Hall for a nightcap if you need me. I’ll deliver the list to your office tomorrow, Lord Barrington.”

  Barry inclined his feline head in gratitude. We waited briefly for Mr. Armbruster to leave before questioning Isabella Villar. I quietly stepped over to the door to make sure he was gone. As I opened the door, Armbruster was just a little too late in pretending to walk down the corridor. I was sure he had been trying to eavesdrop.

  “Oh, erm, is there anything else you want?” he asked innocently.

  “No, Mr. Armbruster, nothing else.”

  “Right, I’d… I’d better be off, then.”

  “Yes, good night,” I said.

  I stood there, watching him. There was nothing else for him to do but turn around and walk away. Once he was safely around the corner, I came back into Barry’s office. Val and Barry hadn’t, it seemed, started asking questions yet. Before we proceeded, I suddenly had an idea. I decided to take one extra precaution.

  “Barritha!”

  A sound-proof glue spread across the office door. You’re not really paranoid if they’re really out to get you, I thought to myself. I’d certainly be watching Mr. Armbruster very closely in the upcoming days.

  Now, however, there was the more pressing matter of Isabella Villar. You didn’t have to be a psychic to tell that this office was the last place that she wanted to be at the present moment. She kept fidgeting with one of her bracelets, looking anywhere but directly at us. Matching her black clothes and dark hair, she had opted for a heavy layer of makeup that I was sure was several shades lighter than her actual skin colour.

  “Miss Villar,” Barry began pompously, “I hope you appreciate your difficult position. Drawing a forbidden sign – the sign of the necromancer, no less – is in itself punishable by magical law.”

  Isabella Villar gulped but didn’t say anything.

  “As you undoubtedly know, however,” Barry continued, “there is a lot more at stake currently at the school. People have been disappearing. And there is good reason to believe that they have been killed.”

  For the first time, Isabella Villar spoke. She had a slight Spanish accent.

  “I had nothing to do with this,” she said.

  “What were you doing down in the dungeons?” I asked.

  Isabella Villar paused briefly, as if considering her answer very carefully.

  “I wanted something from the storage room,” she said.

  “What did you want?” I asked.

  “I needed new phials, for my alchemy lessons. I thought that maybe there were some down there.”

  “A strange place to look,” said Barry suspiciously “Why didn’t you acquire some at the school store, like everyone else?”

  “I have no money,” she said. “Nobody uses those old things. Nobody would have cared if… if…”

  “If you hadn’t drawn that sign on the wall,” said Barry harshly.

  Isabella Villar grew red in the face with indignation.

  “I did not do that!” she shouted. “I did not.”

  “Perhaps,” I said, trying a different tactic, “Miss Villar was indeed at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  She looked surprised.

  “However,” I continued, “it is important that you also see our perspective. Do you want these disappearances to stop, too?”

  “Of course,” she said. “Everybody does.”

  “Then you must help us,” I said. “If you are innocent, then help us to move on. What were you doing down in the dungeons?”

  “I told you, I was looking for bottles.”

  “I thought you were looking for phials?” Barry said triumphantly.

  “Yes, that is what I meant,” she said. “Phials for alchemy class.”

  “Mr. Armbruster saw you standing next to the sign of the necromancer,” I said. “The phials were nowhere near there. Tell us the truth, Miss Villar: If you have any compassion for those people, tell us what you were really doing.”

  She opened her mouth, but no words would come out. She was looking furiously at all of us. And yet, I could see that I had struck a nerve somewhere. Instead of saying anything, she suddenly pulled back her left sleeve. Her fingers were covered in green paint, the same paint that was used for the sign of the necromancer.

  “So,” Barry said, “it was you.”

  “No,” I said, remembering the smudged skull. “You tried to wipe it away, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, I did,” Miss Villar said proudly. “It is a sign of evil.”

  “But Mr. Armbruster caught you before you could get rid of it?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Do you know who put that sign on the wall?” Val asked, getting up from her seat and walking over to Barry’s desk.

  “No,” she said flatly. “I do not.”

  I wasn’t quite sure whether to believe her or not. Barry, evidently, was thinking along the same lines.

  “Tell us the truth, Miss Villar,” he said sternly.

  But it was to no avail. However hard we tried, we had met a dead end. Whatever she knew, she wouldn’t say anything further. Finally, Val placed a hand on Barry’s fur, signalling that there was no point.

  “Let her go,” Val said.

  “What?” Barry spluttered.

  “She has told us all she knows,” she said.

  Barry looked aghast from Val to me. I didn’t know what was going on, but I trusted Val’s instincts. I nodded briefly. Barry, still perplexed, finally said:

  “Fine, Miss Villar, that will be all. Report straight back to your dormitory.”

  She nodded, got up, and headed straight for the door.

  When he was sure that she was safely out of earshot, Barry turned on Val.

  “Are you mad?” he said. “She obviously knew more.”

  “I agree,” said Val. “But she would never have told us.”

  “And why not?” Barry asked angrily. “A few more minutes, and s
he would have cracked.”

  “I felt her emotions, Barry. They were strong. Very strong. There is no way in a million years that she would have talked. She’s covering up for somebody. Somebody very close to her.”

  Chapter 6

  “Who is she covering up for?” I asked Val. “Could you tell?”

  But Val shook her head.

  “No,” she said. “All that I know is that she is very loyal to this person. I sensed her fierceness. If we want to find out who it is, we’ll have to do it some other way.”

  “I’ll have the headmistress put her under house arrest,” said Barry.

  “No,” I said. “How are we going to find out if we do that? Val, do you think Miss Villar will warn whoever drew that sign?”

  “If that person is still at the school, I’m sure of it,” said Val.

  “The sooner the better, most likely…” I said. “If I were in her shoes, I’d do it straight away, wouldn’t you? I mean, you don’t know when you’ll get another chance. You might be questioned for the next week, for all you know. Necromancy is no joke. Miss Villar knows that.”

  “Wait,” Barry said. “Are you saying that...”

  “We should follow her right now,” I said. “Come on, there isn’t a moment to be lost.”

  “But,” Barry spluttered again, “but it’s almost midnight! I’ve got a class tomorrow and…”

  “It can wait, Barry,” said Val. “Amy’s right. It’s now or never.”

  “Fine,” he said, though I suspected he had been looking forward to a nice Brandy in his office instead of chasing around the castle.

  “Where is the students’ dormitory?” Val asked.

  “Valerie,” Barry said, “Warklesby’s has over a thousand students. There is no one single dormitory. But there is a general registry where we can find out where she is.”

  ***

  Despite hurrying along the now deserted corridors and chambers of the castle, I felt that our best opportunity was slipping away. According to Barry, the general registry was next to the students’ office, which was close to the Great Hall.

  “There it is,” said Barry, pointing to a massive book that was chained to a table. “She should be in there. It’s updated every semester.”

  It turned out that it not only contained the present inhabitants of the school, but also all who had ever attended over the course of the many centuries it had been in existence. Finally, we tracked her down.

  “West Tower, bottom floor,” I said, making sure I hadn’t slipped a line. “Villar, Isabella.”

  “Wonderful,” said Barry bitterly, “we could have just gone downstairs.”

  “Yeah, well we didn’t know that at the time, did we?” I said.

  “This body can only take so much,” Barry said. “What I need is rest and relaxation.”

  “Oh, stop moaning, Barry,” I said, grinning. “You’ll get your brandy soon enough.”

  Barry’s complaints notwithstanding, we raced back the way we had come as quickly as we could. Though I didn’t want to agree openly with Barry, running up and down endless flights of stairs was indeed quite taxing. I only hoped that it was not in vain and that we’d still be able to be in a position to follow Isabella.

  As finally we reached the student dormitory, we were completely out of breath.

  “D’you think she’s left yet?” Val whispered.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “But there’s only one way to find out. We can’t just wait around here, doing nothing.”

  “Right,” said Val.

  “You two’d better wait here,” I said. “Otherwise she’ll think it’s suspicious.”

  “What will you say if she’s still there?” said Val.

  “Oh, I’ll think of something,” I said.

  Isabella’s room – which she shared with another girl – was at the end of the corridor. I knocked on the door, waiting. Immediately, I heard the scampering of feet inside. A moment later, the door was opened. But it wasn’t Isabella who had opened the door. A girl with black braids stood in the frame, eyeing me with suspicion.

  “Yes?” she said, without smiling.

  “I’m looking for Isabella,” I said. “Do you know where she is?”

  “She in trouble?” the girl asked.

  “No,” I said evasively, “not exactly. But there’s something important I need to see her about. I… I need to warn her.”

  “Get in line, then,” the girl said, pulling a face.

  “Do you know where she is?”

  “I might,” she said, looking me up and down. “Depends who’s asking.”

  “Look,” I said, deciding that honesty was the best policy. “My name is Amy. I’m looking for the people who’ve disappeared. I think Isabella’s in trouble. Deep trouble.”

  “She’s got nothing to do with that,” the girl said.

  “I know, but I think she might be able to help us,” I said. “Please, tell me where she’s gone.”

  The girl stared at me for a while.

  “You promise this won’t get her into worse trouble?” she demanded.

  “I promise. Quite the contrary, in fact.”

  The girl nodded.

  “I’ll take your word for it. She’s gone to meet someone in the woods. That’s all I know. She wouldn’t tell me anymore.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “Don’t tell her that I told you, though,” the girl said quickly. “She’ll be mad.”

  “Yes, of course,” I said gratefully. “Thank you again.”

  ***

  “You know,” Barry said, as we approached the gates that led out into the school grounds twenty minutes later, “I didn’t realise that detective work included so much running around. Next time, I’ll just stay in my office.”

  “Perhaps we should make a habit of taking brooms with us,” Val said. “Could be a time-saver.”

  “Brooms aren’t safe for cats, you know,” Barry said. “We tend to fall off.”

  “Only because you insist on talking all the time, Barry,” said Val.

  “Shh, you two,” I said. “Let’s keep our eyes peeled for Isabella.”

  Unfortunately, the gates were shut tight. Even my trusty unlocking spell couldn’t do anything to remedy the situation. Luckily, however, we found another side entrance, tucked away in one of the rooms of an adjacent corridor. It led to an attachment, made of wood rather than stone.

  “Looks like a tool shed or something,” said Val, looking around her.

  “The quarterwarlock is in charge of this, I believe,” said Barry, careful not to step on any of the rakes that were resting against the wall.

  “What does a warlock need spades for?” asked Val. “Couldn’t he just dig with his wand.”

  “Enchanting a spade is easier,” said Barry. “Or any other tool, for that matter. Especially if you’re planning a larger operation.”

  “Hope he’s not around,” said Val. “That man gives me the creeps.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. “I almost forgot; I think he was eavesdropping outside of our door. He pretended otherwise, of course.”

  There was a loud creak and a thud, as though an old door had just been closed in the distance.

  “Did you hear that?” said Val, swerving around.

  “But there’s nobody here,” said Barry, “there can’t be. Not at this hour, at any rate.”

  “Come on,” I said. “Better keep moving. I think this door might lead outside.”

  I pushed it as gently as I could. Through the crack, moonlight streamed into the shed we were in. I poked my head through the opening, checking the surroundings outside. A lawn extended for a few hundred yards, with the dark woods looming ominously beyond it. Isabella was nowhere to be seen. There was no cover from the surprisingly bright moonlight out here, however. If anybody looked out of the window, they’d most certainly be able to spot us.

  We crossed the open space as quickly as possible without breaking into an outright run. Although I turned aroun
d multiple times in all directions and saw nothing, I just couldn’t help the feeling that we were being followed.

  When we finally reached the edge of the woods, I felt relieved. Though finding Isabella would be more difficult in the woods, we would be harder to track down as well.

  “It’s so dark,” Barry protested. “How are we supposed to find anything in here?”

  “You’re a cat, aren’t you?” I said, exasperated. “You should be able to spot her from a mile away.”

  “My eyes are tired, I’ve been reading all evening,” he said. “And I can hardly see through all these ghastly trees anyway, can I?”

  “We’d better stick to the path,” I said. “For the time being at least. Have you ever been in here before, Barry?”

  “Certainly not,” he said. “Nor do I wish to return to it.”

  “Fine,” I said, losing patience. “Stay here if you want. Come on, Val.”

  Grudgingly, Barry trotted after us, though he kept his eyes open for any movements from now on. The minutes streamed by without any hint of Isabella Villar, though I wished by now that I had brought a coat with me. It had been warm enough, of course, during the day, but the nights seemed to be a lot chillier here than at Fickleton House.

  Tired and frustrated, I was just about to recommend that we go back when Barry stopped in his tracks. Something in the distance had caught his eye. Val had noticed it, too.

  “What’s the matter?” she whispered.

  “Over there,” said Barry. “I can’t be certain, but it looks like a hut of some kind. And I’m sure I saw something move, too.”

  Leaving the path, we stumbled across leaves and branches, with Barry leading the way. The trees were so thick that, though I trusted Barry, I could hardly see where my own feet were going.

  “I think I hear someone,” Val said.