Brimstone Witch Mysteries - Box Set 2

by April Fernsby

  We landed at the entrance to the gazebo, got off the broomstick and went inside. I gave Giovanni a wave as we headed over to the angry Amazon.

  I put the pack of medicine on the table and said, “We know where you got this from. We know you’ve been through to the human world. Xodia, I have many questions for you, and you’re not going anywhere until you’ve answered every single one of them.”

  Xodia’s face flushed with anger. “Listen to me, you feeble witch, I don’t have to answer – ”

  I held my hand up and cut her off. “Enough! Yes, you do have to answer my questions. Sit down before I make you sit down!”

  “You can’t make me,” Xodia argued.

  I dropped my broomstick and held both hands out. “Xodia, I can make you. I will use magic on you. I’m dealing with a murder investigation and I’d like your cooperation. You can give me that willingly or I can force you to help. Well?”

  Giovanni came over to my side and grinned at me. He whispered, “You look magnificent when you’re angry. Your eyes are flashing and your cheeks are flushed. Would you like a drink?”

  I gave him an irritated look and hissed, “Hot chocolate. I can’t talk; I’m busy.”

  His smile intensified. He looked Xodia’s way and declared, “Cassia, feel free to use your strongest magic in here. If anything gets broken, we can fix it later.” He wagged a finger at Xodia. “You’ve picked the wrong witch to annoy.” He gave me a brief wink before moving away.

  Xodia sighed and flopped back into her chair. “Alright. Let’s get this over with.” She pulled the medicine packet towards her. “I’m not sure these are even helping much. I could do with something stronger. What do you want to know?”

  I picked my broomstick up and moved over to Xodia’s table. I propped my broomstick against the table, sat down and pulled Stanley onto my knee. I began, “Why did you go into the human world?”

  “I’d seen Leonard go down those steps under his bed. At first, I thought he was going to a hidden cellar and I didn’t think anything of it. But I began to notice that when he came back up the steps he was always smiling. I heard him humming to himself too and that made me curious about what was in his cellar.”

  Stanley said, “It sounds like you were spying on Leonard a lot.”

  Xodia nodded. “I was. I was waiting for any opportunity to talk to him about the Festival.” She turned the packet over in her gloved hands. “I know I’ve been a nuisance to everyone here and especially Leonard, but I can’t help it. It’s in my nature to be competitive and when I see that others are wasting their talents, it makes me furious and I have to do something about it.” She put the packet down and looked at me. “The way that Leonard ignored all my attempts to help him made me more determined to get my way. So, yes, I was spying on him a lot.”

  I shook my head at her. “Can you hear how you sound? You can’t force your opinions on residents. It’s not your place to do so.”

  Xodia shrugged. “But if I don’t do it, who will?”

  “No one needs to do it at all. Can’t you see that?”

  “Not really.” She gave me a long look before continuing, “I can see something in you. You could be a great witch if you believed in yourself more. You haven’t even started to use your talents fully. You have to become the witch you are meant to be. You could help many beings in many lands. As long as you don’t let anyone stand in your way.”

  Her words made me feel uncomfortable and I shifted in my seat. “We’re not here to talk about me. What happened when you went through the passageway? Did you see Leonard in the other land?”

  “I didn’t. I saw that little man, though. I know what humans look like because we’ve got books on them in my town. This man was much smaller and scrawnier than the pictures in those books. He was hiding behind a tree and staring at the cave entrance. When I caught him, he muttered something about being Leonard’s friend.” Her mouth twisted in disgust. “He said he’d encouraged Leonard to come to his land and run about there. The fool. Leonard wasn’t safe in that land. I could feel it. I told the little man to cease his interference in Leonard’s life. I ordered him to tell Leonard he was no longer welcome there and I said the cave and passageway should be destroyed. I didn’t want Leonard to return to that place.”

  Stanley shook his head. “Do you hear yourself when you speak? You didn’t like the idea of anyone telling Leonard how to live his life, but you were determined to do exactly that.”

  “I knew what was best for Leonard, obviously.”

  Stanley sighed and said, “I give up. I’m going for a wander.” He jumped off my knee and walked away.

  I said, “What else did you talk to Neil about?”

  “Who’s Neil?”

  “The little man. You went to the village hall with him. What did you talk about there?”

  Xodia rolled her eyes dramatically. “He is the most boring creature I’ve ever met. He talked incessantly about meetings he has with other boring creatures. He showed me the notes of those meetings. That was even worse. Then he showed me the moving images he’d taken of Leonard. And he showed me – ” She abruptly stopped talking and actually looked embarrassed.

  “What did he show you?” I asked.

  “I can’t remember the name of it. It was this box thing that opened and the pictures on it kept changing. It was magical. The little man showed me images from places around his world. You can see anything on that box. You should get one.”

  I smiled. “I think you’re talking about a computer and the internet.”

  Xodia clicked her fingers. “That’s it! Do you know what I saw on that box? Something called the Olympic Games.” Her eyes lit up and she smiled. I’d never see her smile and it startled me. She continued, “I’d be excellent at those games. I’d win everything. I think I should move to that world and show everyone how wonderful I am.”

  “You are not going into the human world,” I told her sharply. “When Neil left you alone in the village hall, what did you do?”

  Xodia’s smile dropped. “I didn’t do anything. The man did something to the magic box before he left to get my medicine and I watched the moving pictures on it. When he came back, I took the medicine and left. I ordered him to leave Leonard alone or else I’d come back and have another word with him. Why are you looking at me with distrust in your eyes?”

  “Did you take anything while you were alone?”

  “Such as?”

  Stanley said from behind Xodia’s chair, “Poison. Cassia, come and have a look at this. I can smell something weird in Xodia’s pocket.”

  Xodia twisted in her seat and looked down at Stanley. “What are you doing there? Stop sniffing my coat!”

  I went over to Stanley and crouched at his side. “Where is the smell coming from?”

  He pointed his paw at the bottom of Xodia’s coat. “From that region. It’s the same scent that I picked up from Leonard’s cave, the one I couldn’t identify. It smells a bit like bleach.”

  I straightened up. “Xodia, have you got a tube of poison in one of your pockets?”

  “Poison? Of course not. Why would you say that?”

  “Neil told us you’d stolen a tube from him.”

  “He’s a liar! I didn’t steal anything. Tell your cat to stop sniffing me.”

  I held my hand out. “Take off your coat and give it to me.”

  “I’ve nothing to hide.” Xodia pulled her two sets of gloves off with her teeth and then unfastened her coat. She thrust it at me. “Check every pocket. You won’t find any poison.”

  I laid the coat on the floor and said to Stanley, “Can you locate the poison?”

  He padded onto the coat and began to sniff it. He stopped at the hem. “It’s in here.”

  Xodia folded her arms. “There isn’t even a pocket there. Your cat is talking nonsense.”

  I performed a reveal spell on the coat and the bottom part lifted back. I said to Xodia, “There’s a hidden pocket here. What’s inside?”


  Xodia’s arms dropped. “I didn’t know there was a pocket there. Honestly.”

  I leaned down and reached into the small pocket. I pulled out a tube of poison. It was half full. I held it up to Xodia. “This is similar to the ones in Neil’s cupboard. I suspect this poison was used to kill Leonard. Xodia, I believe you killed Leonard.”

  Xodia let out a sigh of resignation. “Of course you do.”

  I cast a spell on Xodia and bound her hands together. “I’m arresting you for the murder of Leonard. I’m taking you to Blythe’s house where you’ll be detained in a cell.”

  Xodia gave me a sad smile. “I understand.”

  Chapter 26

  I wasn’t sure how I was going to get Xodia over to Blythe’s house and thought I should use a flying unicorn taxi. I sent Blythe a butterfly message to let her know we were on our way. Before I’d even had the chance to summon a taxi, Blythe abruptly appeared at my side wearing a dressing gown and a purple face mask.

  She said, “I got your message. I’m just in the middle of my beauty routine but justice waits for no witch. I’ll teleport Xodia and myself home and catch up with you later.”

  She aimed a shot of white light at Xodia and they both vanished.

  I looked down at Stanley. “Well, that saves us a journey. That investigation ended abruptly. What do you want to do now? It’s getting late, but I’m not ready for my bed yet.”

  There was a deep chuckle at my side and Giovanni said, “I’m not saying a word. Here, I’ve brought you some hot chocolate with a dash of whisky. Proper whisky this time which will help you relax.” He placed an inviting mug of the delicious drink on the table and I was unable to resist it.

  I sat down and Stanley jumped onto my knee and said, “That ending was too sudden. Is it just me or does something feel off?”

  I stroked his head. “Something does seem off, but I don’t know what. Would you like a drink of something?”

  He shook his head. “No, thanks. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll have a little nap. It’s been an exhausting day. I might be able to make sense of my thoughts in my dreams.”

  “I don’t mind at all. You go ahead. I’ll wake you up if anything exciting happens.”

  Stanley gave me a tired smile and rested his head on my knees.

  Giovanni sat next to me. “Tell me about your investigation. Between us, we might be able to work out why you’re feeling as if something isn’t right.”

  I pulled my mug into my hands and took comfort from the aroma that drifted up my nose. I told Giovanni what had happened since we last saw him. He was a good listener and didn’t interrupt me once.

  When I’d finished talking, he said, “Why do you think Xodia killed Leonard?”

  “That’s the part I’m not sure about. She was annoyed about him going into the human world and running there. Did she confront him about that and they argued? If she stole the poison before confronting him, she must have been intending to harm him. But did she really know what the poison was when she took it? If the cupboard at the village hall was locked, why would she look inside?” I took a sip of my hot chocolate. The smooth taste of the chocolate was followed by the warmth of the whisky.

  Giovanni said, “Could she have been that angry with Leonard to resort to murder? I know she’s got a short temper and we’ve all heard her shouting, but would she do that? She had respect for Leonard’s athletic abilities, so why would she put an end to him? Was he a faster runner than her? Was she jealous?”

  I took another sip before replying. “Those are good questions. I don’t know the answer to any of them. When I spoke to her former friend, Ereto, she claimed Xodia tried to kill her. I suspected at the time that Ereto was lying and she wanted Xodia out of the way. I wished I’d have asked Xodia about that incident.” I tilted my head. “When I’ve caught up with a murderer before, they’ve boasted about why they killed someone, but Xodia didn’t. Also, the murderers resisted arrest and some tried to kill me.”

  There was a sharp intake of breath and Giovanni placed his hand on my arm. “They tried to kill you? No! I can’t bear the thought of that. I will become your personal bodyguard immediately! I will sell this café and spend my days protecting you.” He placed his other hand on his chest. “It would be an honour to serve you.”

  I smiled. “I appreciate the offer but I can protect myself. I have done many times. Anyway, if you sold the café, where would I get such delicious hot chocolate?”

  He gave me an earnest look and declared, “My offer stands now and forever, Cassia Winter.”

  “Thank you.” I finished the rest of the drink and said, “It is getting late now. We’d better be going. Perhaps a good sleep will help me make sense of things.”

  My attention was drawn to a door opening in one of the log cabins. Light pooled onto the snow and I recognised Ravette’s silhouette. She stepped out of her home and started to close the door behind her.

  Giovanni noticed her too and said, “Where’s she going at this time? She never leaves her house when it gets dark.”

  Ravette looked left and right. She jumped when she saw Giovanni and me looking her way. Giovanni raised a hand in greeting. Ravette swiftly turned around and went back inside her house, closing the door behind her.

  I looked at Giovanni and said, “Would you call that suspicious behaviour?”

  “I certainly would.”

  “Me too. I don’t like suspicious behaviour, not when I’ve just finished with a murder case. Would you look after Stanley while I have a word with Ravette?”

  “Of course. Be careful. Her temper is as short as Xodia’s.”

  “I’ve noticed.” I gently moved Stanley onto Giovanni’s knee and then went over to Ravette’s house.

  Before I’d even raised my hand to knock on the door, it was opened by a furious-looking Ravette.

  “What do you want?” she hissed. “My Boris is fast asleep. Don’t you dare wake him up.”

  “I won’t,” I said quietly. “You were about to go somewhere. Where?”

  Ravette’s eyes sparked with anger. She snarled, “You really are the nosiest creature I’ve ever met.”

  I nodded. “I know. Well? Where were you going?”

  Ravette pushed me to one side, stepped out of the house and silently shut the door behind her. “I was going to see what that horrible creature had hidden.”

  I frowned. “What horrible creature?”

  “The one who forced meat on my little cub. That creature in the big coat with a scarf over his evil face.” She sighed. “I was lying to you earlier. Boris did tell me about him. I went out to look for him and it took me a few days to find him. I saw him sneaking around Leonard’s cave one morning. I was about to give him a piece of my mind but then I saw him hiding something behind a rock at the side of Leonard’s cave.”

  “What was it?”

  “I don’t know!” Ravette snapped. “I never got the chance to have a look. The nasty creature ran into Leonard’s cave afterwards and disappeared somewhere. Then Xodia turned up and hid behind another rock. I knew she was waiting for Leonard so she could bother him again. She was going to be there for hours and I didn’t want her to see me, so I left. I thought I’d come back later to find out what that creature had hidden, but this is the first chance I’ve had.” She gave me a look of disgust. “And now you’ve turned up to bother me.”

  I ignored her insult. “When did the creature hide something?”

  “It was a few days before Leonard died.” She looked as if she were considering her next words.

  “Ravette, you have to tell me everything. Please.”

  She nodded. “It was Leonard who broke Boris’ ice sculpture.”

  “You said it was Xodia.”

  “I know. I wanted to blame her for it. She gets on my nerves. Anyway, I was looking out of my window and saw Leonard hanging around the sculptures. He looked furious when he saw what Boris had made. I’d never seen him look like that before. I saw him lash out at the sculpture many
times and then he ran away. I didn’t say anything at the time because I didn’t want to get him into trouble. It wasn’t like Leonard to do something like that and I thought he must have had a good reason to do so. I was going to speak to him afterwards about it.”

  “That was strange behaviour. I’ve spoken to the creature who gave the food to Boris. He’s a man from my world and he’s called Neil. He admired Leonard a great deal.”

  Ravette gave me a knowing look. “I don’t think Leonard felt the same way about Neil.”

  Chapter 27

  I ran over to Giovanni in the gazebo and said, “Can you look after Stanley a bit longer, please? I need to go somewhere with Ravette.”

  Giovanni gave me a concerned look. “Where are you going? It’s getting dark. Do you want me to come with you?”

  “No, thank you. We shouldn’t be too long.” I gave him a swift smile before hurrying back to Ravette’s side.

  She said, “I’ve asked one of the neighbours to keep an eye on Boris. He’s fast asleep but I don’t want him to be in the house on his own.” She passed me a torch. “You’ll need this. I’ve got one too.”

  The sky turned darker and the air seemed to be holding its breath as we silently made our way to Leonard’s cave. The snow began to fall but the sight of the beautiful butterfly-shaped flakes did nothing to alleviate the growing sense of unease in me.

  As we walked through the dense part of the forest, I looked nervously left and right and aimed my torch into the dark trees. The shadows cast from the bare branches looked like skeletal arms across the snow.

  Ravette said, “Why are you so nervous? You keep jumping at every shadow.”

  “I can’t help it. I keep expecting that snow-spirit to float out from the trees.”

  “I wish she would. I’ve got a few things to say to her about my Boris,” Ravette growled. “I was talking to my neighbour, Doreen, about what she’d done to him. She told me the snow-spirit won’t stop until she claims a victim. The snow-sprit wasn’t successful when she attacked you, and she wasn’t successful with my Boris. She’ll be more determined than ever to succeed with her next victim. You’ll have to do something about her. We can’t have the likes of her roaming around here looking for victims.”