brimstone witch 09 - witch is dead

by April Fernsby

  The Witch Is Dead

  A Brimstone Witch Mystery

  (Book 9)

  By

  April Fernsby

  www.aprilfernsby.com

  Copyright 2017 by April Fernsby

  Front Cover by www.coverkicks.com

  Proofreading done by Paula Proofreader

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, electronically or mechanically without permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  About the author

  Chapter 1

  “You can’t send her to that terrible place! You can’t! I won’t allow it!” Gran declared as she marched up and down the carpet in front of me. She stopped and jabbed her finger at the witch who was receiving the full strength of her wrath. “Blythe, send me instead. I’ll deal with whatever evil shenanigans have been going on there.”

  Blythe, a three-hundred-year-old witch, calmly stirred her tea and said, “You’re going to wear my carpet out if you keep striding up and down it like that. Let me point out that this is an excellent case for Cassia. She needs all the experience she can get. This will push her out of her comfort zone.”

  Gran replied darkly, “I’m worried that someone from that law-forsaken town will push her out of her comfort zone and off a cliff. She’ll be attacked the moment she arrives. She’ll be mugged. Kidnapped. Sold to the highest bidder. She won’t come back in one piece.”

  Blythe took a sip of her tea and then said, “Don’t be so dramatic. You know it’s not that bad. We’ve both been there on many occasions.”

  “I know, and each time we were lucky to leave with our lives. I always felt as if my soul was trying to leave my body whenever I went there.” Gran began to march up and down again. “And now you want to send my innocent granddaughter there to investigate the mess they’ve created this time. It’s not acceptable.” Her wrinkly face screwed up in anger.

  From my position on the sofa, I grabbed the chance to speak. “Gran, what’s this investigation about? Is it another murder case? Is it something for Stanley and me to work on?” Stanley, my cat and familiar, was sitting at my side and I shot him a quick smile.

  I’m a justice witch in the magical town of Brimstone, a place where supernatural creatures live. With help from Stanley, I’d solved many murder cases in the town. Gran was a justice witch too, and she’d taken on too many cases in the past and made herself ill. So now, I took every opportunity I could to lighten her workload.

  Blythe said, “Esther, may I respectfully remind you I’m the one in charge of this town and I decide where Cassia works.”

  Gran glowered at Blythe. “Don’t pull rank with me. We’ve been friends too long for you to do that. You know Cassia will put her life in peril if she goes to that dark town.”

  “I know that,” Blythe replied. “I also know Cassia can protect herself. Those magic lessons you’ve given her have really paid off. She knows many spells now, including protection ones. I have every faith in her abilities.” She arched one eyebrow. “Don’t you?”

  “Of course I do!” Gran retorted. “But I much prefer having her alive!”

  Tears filled Gran’s eyes and she looked away. She was probably thinking about Mum. Mum had been a justice witch and she had died when I was seven years old. Gran had brought me up on her own.

  Stanley must have picked up on Gran’s upset condition because he jumped off the sofa and went over to Gran. He wound his tail around her legs and said, “Esther, you know Cassia can look after herself. And she’s got me to help her.”

  Gran blinked and looked down at Stanley. She let out a sigh and picked Stanley up. “I know that. Of course I do. I can’t help being protective. I want to keep you both safe.”

  Stanley leant his little head against Gran’s shoulder and purred. Gran smiled down at him and stroked his back. Stanley had a calming effect on just about everyone.

  I said to Gran, “Why don’t you tell me about this latest investigation and then I can decide for myself if it’s something I can deal with?” I looked at Blythe. “If that’s okay with you?”

  Blythe put her cup down. “Of course. I won’t force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

  Gran sat next to me on the sofa and I handed her a cup of tea. Stanley sat on Gran’s lap and looked at her expectedly.

  Gran took a drink of tea and then put the cup on the table in front of her. She began, “There’s been a murder in the town of Dingy Skipper.”

  “Dingy Skipper?” I repeated. “I’ve been to that town before when I was dealing with the murder of a centaur.” I looked at Stanley. “You didn’t go with me when I went there.”

  Gran went on, “Well then, you know what an awful place it is. It’s so depressing that even the sun doesn’t go there.”

  Blythe tutted. “Don’t be ridiculous, Esther.”

  “Who’s been murdered?” I asked.

  Gran hesitated before saying, “A witch.”

  “A witch?” Stanley and I said together.

  Gran gave us a grim smile. “Yes, a witch called Henrietta Whitmore. We got a message this morning to inform us of her death.”

  I was too stunned to speak.

  Blythe explained, “Her body was discovered by her cat, Tobias. He sent a message to the witch in charge of Dingy Skipper, Cordelia. She then sent a message to me. She wants us to deal with the murder.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t understand. Why doesn’t she deal with the murder herself? Aren’t there any justice witches in Dingy Skipper?”

  “Pah!” Gran said dismissively. “Cordelia can’t get witches to stay long in that miserable town. They leave after a couple of weeks.” She looked at Blythe. “I still don’t see why Cordelia can’t deal with it, though. Why does she want us to sort it out?”

  Blythe frowned. “That’s my concern too. Cordelia has never asked for my help before. There must be more to this than meets the eye.”

  “Exactly!” Gran declared. “There’s something evil afoot in that town that even Cordelia can’t deal with. I won’t let Cassia get involved. Tell Cordelia to ask someone else.” She gave Blythe a satisfied nod as if that were the end of the matter.

  Blythe didn’t say a word. She reached towards the table in front of her and picked up a small biscuit. She smiled at it and then proceeded to take delicate bites while staring into the fire.

  Gran picked up a cupcake from the plate in front of her and started to carefully peel the wrapper from it.

  The silence went on for a full minute before I declared, “I’ll do it! I want to do it!”

  “And I want to help!” Stanley added.

  I saw Blythe’s mouth twitch a little before she said, �
��Cassia, are you sure about this? It will be a dangerous job.”

  Gran slammed her hand on her knee narrowly missing Stanley’s tail. She said, “No! I won’t have it.”

  I gave Gran a gentle smile. “I want to do this. I have to. One of our kind has been murdered.”

  Stanley looked at Gran. “Cassia has solved all the murder cases she’s dealt with. You know how hard she works on them and she doesn’t stop even when her life is in danger.”

  “That’s what’s worrying me,” Gran said.

  I put my hand on her arm. “You know I have to do this. You have to have faith in me.” I smiled at her. “I’ll try my best not to get killed.”

  “Me too,” Stanley added happily.

  Gran shook her head. “This isn’t a laughing matter.” She tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “I do have faith in you. I always have. And I do know you are the right witch for this job. I can’t help but worry.”

  Blythe clapped her hands together. “Great! That’s settled then. Cassia, I’ll give you Cordelia’s address. Call on her first and get the full details of the murder. I’ll let her know you’re on your way.”

  Gran cleared her throat and said, “Cassia, why don’t you take Luca with you?”

  Luca was a guardian of Brimstone. He was also my boyfriend; a situation that Gran wasn’t entirely happy about.

  My eyes narrowed as I looked at Gran’s innocent expression. “Why do you want Luca to go with me?”

  Gran shrugged. “He could help. He could defend you if needed. He’s an experienced shapeshifter. He could shapeshift into a giant if needed. He can take care of you.”

  I folded my arms. “I can take good care of myself, thank you.”

  Stanley said, “Esther, I’ll be at Cassia’s side. You know I’m good at picking up on dangerous situations. As much as Cassia and I love Luca, we can manage without him.”

  If I weren’t trying to give Gran a hard stare, I would have picked my supportive little friend up and cuddled him.

  Gran gave us the smallest of smiles. “Okay. I give up. Off you go into imminent danger. Let me give you a word of warning. Don’t trust a single resident there. They all lie. Use whatever magic you have at your disposal. Keep a watchful eye and an alert manner. And if anyone tries to sell you anything, you tell them—”

  Blythe interrupted her, “Esther, you’re starting to scare me now. Cassia will be fine.” She stood up and came over to me. “Any murder is a serious matter, but the murder of a witch is extremely troubling. Can you and Stanley go over to Dingy Skipper now, please? I want this investigation under way as soon as possible.”

  “Of course.” I drained the rest of my tea and stood up. I collected my broomstick which was leaning against the wall and said to Stanley, “Are you ready?”

  “Always,” he declared. He jumped off Gran’s knee and padded over to me.

  Blythe gave me the directions to Cordelia’s house. She added, “Don’t be shocked by her appearance. She’s five hundred years old.”

  Gran stood next to Blythe. Both witches tried to give me smiles, and both failed. Their hands were twisting together and worry filled their faces. I expected a concerned look from Gran, but from Blythe? Was there something she wasn’t telling me?

  I gave them a bright smile and said, “We’ll come back in one piece! See you soon.”

  Stanley and I left Blythe’s house and got onto my broomstick.

  Stanley said from his position at the front of the broomstick, “What’s waiting for us in the town of Dingy Skipper?”

  “I don’t know, but we’ll soon find out.”

  Chapter 2

  As we flew away from Brimstone, Stanley said, “Tell me more about your visit to Dingy Skipper. Isn’t it named after a butterfly just like Brimstone is?”

  “It is. The Dingy Skipper butterfly is brown and grey, and so is the town. Luca came with me when I went there. I’m glad he did because I would have flown over the town and missed it completely if he hadn’t told me where it was. From the air, it looks like a great big muddy patch at the side of a muddy river. It’s only as we flew lower that I noticed the buildings and streets. It’s like the town is trying to hide itself. You’ll see what I mean when we get there.” I paused for a few seconds. “Stanley, did you see how worried Blythe looked before we left?”

  “I did. Are you worried about what we’re going to find?”

  “A bit, but I’ll cope with whatever comes my way as long as I’ve got you at my side.”

  Stanley looked over his shoulder at me and gave me a cute grin. “The same goes for me.” His grin faded. “I’m sure Esther was exaggerating about how bad it is there. It can’t really be that bad, can it?”

  “The fact that we’re dealing with the murder of a witch is a troubling fact,” I pointed out. “Why didn’t Henrietta Whitmore use magic to defend herself?”

  We flew on in silence for a while until I recognised where we were.

  I said to Stanley, “We have arrived at our destination.”

  Stanley looked over the side of the broomstick. “Where’s the town? I can’t see it.”

  “Look at that lighter patch of brown over there. It’s actually a building.” I headed downwards.

  Stanley continued to stare. “A building? It looks like a dollop of mud to me. What are those things scurrying around?”

  “They’re the residents.” I descended even more. “Most of them are wearing hooded clothing to cover their faces. Can you make them out now?”

  Stanley shivered. “I can. What a depressing sight. Everything is grey and brown.” He looked up. “Even the clouds are grey and brown. Where did the sun go? It was shining on us a minute ago.”

  We landed on the muddy street and I got off the broomstick. I noticed the residents scuttling into the shadows. I felt a drizzle of rain on my head and noticed Stanley’s fur becoming wet.

  “Stanley, we’re going to be drenched soon. Let me cast a spell on us to repel the rain. Is that alright with you?”

  “Yes, thank you.” Stanley lifted his front paw and looked at it in disgust. “Look at this mud! It’s disgusting. Why are the streets so filthy? Doesn’t anyone clean them? And look at those houses! They look as if they haven’t been cleaned in years. How can anyone live like this?”

  “I think it’s part of the camouflage act that the town has going on.” I cast the spell on us and then aimed a cleaning spell at Stanley’s paws. The mud vanished from them.

  Stanley gave the surrounding area a suspicious look. “Why the camouflage act? What have they got to hide?”

  “That’s what we’re going to find out.” I pointed to a large house at the end of the street. “That’s Cordelia’s house.”

  Stanley regarded the oppressive-looking structure. He said, “It’s nothing like Blythe’s house, is it? There’s not one single sparkle or twinkle in Cordelia’s bricks, not like there is in Blythe’s building.”

  I nodded. “It does seem to be of the same size and layout as Blythe’s house.” I squinted at the grey-bricked building which had a dark-brown roof. “I think I can see the slightest sparkle of something in the bricks. But that could be wishful thinking. Let’s go. I don’t know about you, but I can feel many pairs of eyes staring at us from the shadows.”

  “It’s not just you; I can feel it too.” Stanley waved his paw in the air and declared loudly, “I’m talking to whoever’s watching us. We’re not scared of you! We won’t be intimidated. Come out and say hello! Come on.”

  We waited for a few seconds and I tried not to jump as I heard movements coming from a dark alley at our side.

  Keeping my tone bright, I said, “Come on, Stanley. I’m sure the residents will talk to us later if they want to.”

  I kept a smile on my face as we headed along the dismal street and towards the dreary house. We walked up the weed-strewn path to the house and came to a stop at the door.

  Stanley sniffed in disapproval. “This door hasn’t been cleaned in months. What sort of
a witch is Cordelia? Blythe would never let her front door get like this.”

  “Let’s reserve judgement until we meet Cordelia.” I rapped on the door and grimaced as a lump of dried mud dropped off the door and onto my hand.

  The door was swung open and a teenage girl glared out at us. She was wearing a black T-shirt and black jeans. Her long, black hair covered half her face. She was wearing a lot of badly applied make-up. She made a loud snapping noise as she chewed on gum.

  “Yeah?” she enquired with a disdainful look. “What do you want?”

  I smiled politely. “I’m Cassia Winter, and this is Stanley.”

  Stanley waved his paw and said cheerfully, “Hello.”

  The girl continued to chomp away on her gum.

  I said, “We’re here to see Cordelia. Is she in?”

  The girl took a few seconds to consider the matter. I couldn’t help but stare at her jaws as she continued chewing furiously. It was almost mesmerising.

  The girl said in a bored tone, “I’m Cordelia. Come in. Wipe your feet. Don’t bring mud into my house.” She turned away and headed down the hallway.

  Stanley said quietly, “She doesn’t look five hundred years old.”

  “She doesn’t act like it either,” I added.

  I wiped my feet and Stanley wiped his paws as we entered the house. The inside was even more depressing than the outside. Every piece of furniture was either brown or grey. Dust lined every surface and there was an unpleasant aroma in the air.

  Stanley said what I was thinking, “Why doesn’t Cordelia use her magic to clean this place? She can’t enjoy living like this. It’s sucking the joy out of my heart.”

  I gave him a half shrug in reply.

  We found Cordelia in the room to our left. There were more grey and brown furnishings and it was a stark contrast to the welcoming room in Blythe’s house. The tattered couch and chairs looked as if they’d seen better days. There were pictures on the walls but I couldn’t make out the images because they were covered in dust.

  Cordelia was lounging in an armchair with one leg flung over the side. She fiddled with a strand of her hair while her jaws continued to move furiously. I feared for the health of her poor jaws.