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Stanley came over to the sofa and leapt onto it.
Kitty exclaimed, “Stanley! I like you.”
Stanley chuckled. “I like you too.”
“Well?” I asked him. “Did you find Rascal?”
“I did. I described Kitty, but he doesn’t know of anyone who’s had a kitten recently. He’s going to put the word out amongst the cats in Brimstone. If Kitty’s mum lives nearby, we’ll find her.”
“Mummy?” Kitty asked. “Where’s Mummy?”
Stanley said, “We’ll find her. I promise.”
“Stanley, I’ve been thinking about where Kitty could have come from. I don’t think she’s been in my broomstick too long. I put it down when we were at the Cezerus Ranch. Do you remember? It was at that bend in the track where Selo died. I put the broomstick down while we looked for clues. Kitty could have been lost in the bushes and wandered into the end of my broomstick by mistake.”
“Yes, that could have happened,” Stanley agreed. “That means her mum could live around there somewhere. We could go back and have a look for her.”
I nodded. “I want to talk to the Cezerus family again. I’ve read up about them and discovered they have a fierce rivalry with a family called the Oravatus. Well, it used to be a fierce rivalry; I’m not sure if it still is.”
Kitty turned her little head my way and said, “I’m hungry.”
“Me too,” I advised her. “I think we should go to the café. Gilda might have some appropriate kitten food for you. You’ll like Gilda.”
Stanley added, “We could ask Gilda about Kitty too. She might know something about her mum.”
“Mummy? Where’s Mummy?”
I gave Stanley a pointed look. “We’ll have to stop using the ‘M’ word. It’s upsetting her.”
We left the apartment. I carried Kitty safely in my arms as we went down the steps and into the café.
We stopped at the entrance.
“Wow,” Stanley said. “I’ve never seen it so busy. I can’t see any free tables, can you?”
I was about to say no when a couple of goblins in front of us stood up and moved away from their table. I immediately took a seat and Stanley leapt onto the other. I kept Kitty in my arms. I could have put her next to Stanley, but I liked holding her.
Gilda, the owner of the café floated over to us. She was tall, thin and almost translucent. I had no idea what species of creature she was, and it seemed incredibly rude to ask her. Gilda had a gift of knowing exactly what you needed to eat and drink. It could be annoying sometimes as what I needed was not always what I wanted. There’d been one occasion when I’d wanted a stuffed crust pizza, but Gilda had given me a salad instead. It was a nice salad, but still.
Gilda smiled down at Kitty and said, “Who is this delightful creature? A new addition to your family?”
“I wish.” I stroked Kitty’s back and explained to Gilda how Kitty had appeared to us.
Gilda reached over and stroked Kitty too. “Poor little thing.” She paused. “She’s weak, but I know exactly what she needs. I’ll bring it over for her. Cassia, I’ve made a special cake which is perfect for you. I know how much you love chocolate despite it being full of sugar.”
I shrugged. “What can I say? I have my vices.”
Gilda continued, “I’ve made you a chocolate cake. A healthy version with added vitamins and less sugar.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”
“You’ll love it. It tastes extremely chocolatey.” She looked back towards the counter. “In fact, it’s been very popular with all my customers. I hope it hasn’t all gone. Just a moment.” She moved silently away.
Stanley said, “She didn’t ask me what I wanted. I hope she doesn’t forget about me.”
“She won’t.”
Gilda came back to our table with a tray full of plates. She handed one to me. “Here you are. It was the last piece. Enjoy.” She put a plate in front of Stanley and lowered part of the table in front of him so he wouldn’t have to strain to reach his food. “For you, my little friend. A combination of your favourite things.”
Stanley chuckled. “Thank you. I knew you wouldn’t forget about me.”
“And, finally, this is for our newest customer.” Gilda placed a smaller plate next to mine along with a little cushion. “Kitty can sit on this.”
“Thanks so much,” I said. I placed Kitty on the cushion and told her to go ahead and eat. She did so eagerly. I picked up the fork next to the cake and dug in. The taste of chocolate exploded inside my mouth. “Wow. This is amazing, Gilda.”
Gilda smiled. “I knew you’d like it.”
“Hey!” a loud voice called out. “I want some of that cake too!”
We looked over at a large, green-faced ogre who was glaring at us.
“Cake. Give me cake,” he demanded.
Gilda said, “I’m sorry, but that was the last piece.” She moved away from our table.
The ogre glowered at us and pointed to Kitty. “I’ll eat that then. Pass it over.”
Stanley yelled, “How dare you! Kitty is not a snack. She’s our friend and a customer of this café.”
The ogre stuck his finger up his nose and said, “She shouldn’t be eating off the table. It’s unhygienic.”
He looked as if he was about to say a lot more but panic suddenly came into his beady eyes. He tried to pull his finger out of his nose but it was clear he was having problems.
“It’s stuck! My finger’s stuck!”
Customers around us pulled faces of disgust. One of them yelled, “Get out, you disgusting specimen.”
The ogre continued to wrestle with his finger. A troll got to his feet, grabbed the ogre by the scruff of his neck and threw him out of the café. The rest of the customers cheered.
Stanley shook his head. “I don’t know what’s going on with everyone around here. There seems to be arguments all the time.” He turned back to his food.
Kitty and I did the same. My chocolate cake was beyond delicious. It was so light and fluffy, yet bursting with a rich chocolate flavour. And thanks to the added vitamins, it was good for me.
I was in a great mood when I’d finished my cake and let out a sigh of contentment. Such was my contentment that the arrival of Luca and Astrid didn’t dampen my spirits. I beamed at them and said hello.
Luca’s attention went straight to Kitty and he picked her up. “Who is this beauty?” He smiled at her. Kitty purred.
I explained to them both about Kitty.
Luca frowned. “I will make enquiries about her – ”
“Don’t say the ‘M’ word!” Stanley warned. “It causes upset.”
Luca nodded. “Of course. I’ll ask around about you-know-who.”
Astrid folded her arms. “Luca, put her down. You don’t know where she’s been. She could be ridden with fleas.”
Luca ignored her comments and said, “Cassia, I’ve spoken to a group of gnomes who came in here earlier. They’d made written complaints and wanted to know what was going on with them. I’ve made a note of my conversation with each and every gnome. I don’t think there’s anything too urgent. The gnomes insisted I tell you about their claims. They said they’d feel better knowing you were dealing with their problems.” He gave me a big smile. “You are becoming quite the authority around here.”
I waved a hand dismissively and ignored the heat rushing into my cheeks. “It’s only because I’m a justice witch. I’m nothing special.”
Astrid retorted, “That’s what I told the gnomes.”
Luca shot Astrid an annoyed look.
I shifted in my seat. Stanley did the same. He must have been feeling as uncomfortable as me.
“Luca,” I began, “do you think the recent complaints have anything to do with black magic? We’ve just witnessed an argument in this café. Arguments seem to be on the increase.”
Luca nodded. “I’ve noticed that. Everyone in this town is becoming grumpier. Except for you and Stanley. You two always look on the bright side.”
“That’s because they’re outsiders,” Astrid said sharply. “They don’t feel the effect that Brimstone is having on true residents. Luca, I’m bored. Let’s go.”
There was an unmistakably harsh tone in Luca’s voice as he said, “You go, Astrid, I’m talking to Cassia.”
Astrid stiffened and glared at Luca.
Luca turned his full attention to Kitty and he tickled her under the chin.
Astrid focused her eyes on me and I was startled at the hate in them. In a scathing voice, she said, “Cassia, I’ll be having a talk with you later. A private talk.” She gave me a cold stare before leaving the café.
Luca said, “Sorry about that, Cassia. I don’t know what’s got into Astrid lately.” He pulled a free chair up to the table and sat down. “Right, tell me all about your murder investigation. I know who it concerns, and I think I’ve got some information that could help you.”
