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As we flew away from the forest, Stanley said, “I hate to mention this, but do you think Jane killed Selo?”
“Why do you ask?”
“She said she’d made a deal with him so that he could win the race. His price was respect. What if Jane took all of his respect and then Selo had no respect for her? What if he threatened to throw her out of the forest after he won?”
My broomstick dipped along with my heart. “Oh, heck, I hadn’t thought of that. She’s the kind of creature who would know how to contact a Breath-Taker. Perhaps she killed Selo and then turned her attention to Nilah and Lifin in the hope that she could control one of them.”
There was silence for a few minutes as we flew. Then another dreadful thought came to my mind.
It came to Stanley too and he said, “I hope Jane doesn’t kill Nilah or Lifin. She might have decided by now which one is easier to control.”
“We have to get to Blythe’s and let her know about this. I’m sure she’ll know magic powerful enough to track her down.” I put my head down and forced the broomstick to go faster.
We headed straight to Blythe’s house and caught her as she was leaving the house. She was carrying her own broomstick which was a pale purple colour.
I landed in front of her and told her about Jane.
Blythe shook her head in annoyance. “One of those creatures! In our town! I’m not having this. I was on my way to see my cousins, but that can wait. This is urgent. I know exactly how to locate this so-called Jane. I’ll find out if she had anything to do with Selo’s death when I find her. I’ve never known these creatures to kill before, but there’s a first time for everything.”
I said, “We’ll go back to the apartment and look at that list Lifin gave us about Selo’s enemies. If Jane didn’t kill him, I want to be ready with a list of those who are in the running.”
“Besides Lifin and Nilah,” Stanley added.
“Yes, those two. And that trouble-causer, Treto,” I said.
Blythe said a quick goodbye and then soared upwards. She looked magnificent as she flew away with her black hair and purple cloak flying out behind her.
Stanley and I headed back to the apartment without bumping into any gnomes with grievances on the way. I made us a snack and then we sat at the table in the living area. I spread the list of names out and looked at them.
I had an idea. I stood up and went to the bookshelf where Gran kept a variety of documents. I’d had a good nosy at them when we’d first arrived at this apartment. I was sure I’d seen a map of Brimstone and the surrounding area.
Ah! There it was. And a pack of sticky notes too. Perfect. I took them back to the table and opened the map.
Stanley peered at it. “Why do you need that?”
I pointed to the list of Selo’s enemies and said, “I’m going to make a note of where everyone lives. Lifin’s put an address for most of them. I presume he’s done that in case I want to talk to any of them.” I lifted the sticky notes. “I’m going to see if there’s any sort of pattern. To see if he upset a certain group of beings who wouldn’t think twice about taking action.” I lowered the sticky notes. “To be honest, Stanley, I’m not sure why I’m doing this. I just feel that I have to.”
Stanley nodded. “You should always trust your instincts.”
We spent the next hour putting sticky notes on the map. I went through two cups of tea, and Stanley managed three saucers of cream.
When we’d gone through all the names, I pointed to the map and said, “There is a pattern. A circular one. This must have been the route that Selo took often, and we can see the residents he upset on the way. If this was a regular route, the killer could have worked this out too.”
Stanley nodded. “Yes, and the killer could have told Alan to wait at that bend in the path near the ranch because they knew Selo would be running along it.”
My attention was drawn to one name in particular. I touched the sticky note and said, “Ivan Snapnert. Where have I heard that name before?”
“He’s the gnome the other gnomes were complaining about. They said Ivan had caused the damage to their gardens, and that you should arrest him.”
“That’s right. Ivan lives in the end house on Rose Garden Terrace. His complaint was that Selo had been running through everyone’s back gardens and causing damage. He mentions Treto Oravatus causing damage too.”
Stanley tutted. “Treto’s name comes up again. Cassia, we haven’t considered Treto’s dad as a suspect. He could have wanted Selo out of the way so that his son was no longer running with him and causing mischief.”
“That’s a good point. We’ll speak to him later. I want to talk to Treto again anyway. I hope he’s not still spreading rumours about me.” I looked at Stanley. “You look thoughtful. What’s on your mind?”
“If Ivan Snapnert claims Selo and Treto caused the damage to the gnomes’ gardens, why didn’t the other gnomes say that earlier? Why did they say Ivan caused the damage? Why are they trying to put the blame on him?”
My eyes widened as I took in Stanley’s words. “Do you think those brightly-coloured gnomes worked together to kill Selo?”
“I don’t know. You saw how angry they were about the damage to their gardens. I wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of them.”
“Neither would I.” I sighed. “But we’re going to. We’ll have to question them about Selo.”
“And then speak to Treto and his dad.”
I rubbed my forehead. “There are too many suspects. Why did Selo make so many enemies?”
Stanley came to my side and leant against my arm. “Don’t give up. We’re getting closer to the killer. We can do this.”
