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We left the apartment and made our way to Rose Garden Terrace. It was a row of about ten or twelve houses, all with a good-sized front garden. We stopped at the first house and admired the garden. The square lawned area was neatly trimmed and was surrounded by a variety of brightly-coloured plants and flowers. Hanging baskets adorned either side of the red front door, and the flowers inside the baskets flowed out like a fountain.
The front door opened, and a gnome stepped out. She was wearing a red dress with white polka dots. It was the same gnome who’d been shouting at me earlier.
She walked swiftly down the path at the side of the lawn and said, “Ah, there you are. At last. What information do you need from me? Do you need me to spell Ivan Snapnert’s name? It’s as you say it, there are no silent letters. He lives at the end house; the one with the plain garden. He hasn’t even made an effort with his garden.” She tutted in disgust and folded her arms tightly.
I asked her, “May I take your name, please?”
“Mrs Tarblast. I’ve lived in this house for years and kept it in perfect condition. Not like some.” She tutted again and aimed her disgusted look towards the end terraced house. “Ivan’s garden is a disgrace, and so is the inside of his house.”
“How do you know that? Have you been inside his house?”
“No, but I can well imagine what it looks like. You can judge a gnome by the garden he keeps. Ivan should never have moved here. He’s not our kind. He doesn’t know a thing about gardening. He should stick to what he’s good at. All gnomes should.”
“What is Ivan good at?” I asked her.
She unfolded her arms. “Fishing, of course. He’s a fishing gnome. I don’t know how he has the cheek to turn up here and take a house that should rightfully go to a garden gnome. It’s not right. My sister, Beryl, has had her name down for that house for years. How Ivan got it, I’ll never know.” Her eyes narrowed. “He must have some friends in low places.”
“Like worms?” Stanley said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Eh? Worms? What are you talking about?”
I said, “Can you tell me exactly what Ivan has done, please?”
“It’s all in my report. Every tiny but significant point.”
“Mrs Tarblast, I haven’t got your report with me. Please tell me what Ivan did.”
She gave me a hard look. “I don’t like having to repeat myself, but I will. Ivan Snapnert caused damage to my back garden. He trampled on my plants and destroyed my favourite bench. He caused similar reckless damage to my neighbours’ back gardens too. You can ask them. They’ve made reports about it. You’d know that if you’d read the reports.”
“When did he cause the damage?”
“In the night, under the cover of darkness so no one could see him. The sneaky thing.”
I held in my sigh of exasperation. “Mrs Tarblast, did anyone see Ivan causing the damage?”
“No, but we all know it was him. It had to be.”
“Why?”
“Because his garden wasn’t damaged. Well, he wouldn’t ruin his own garden, would he? He destroyed ours because he was jealous of how beautiful they are.”
I asked, “Can I see your back garden, please?”
“This way.” She turned around and walked around the side of her house. She had little legs but she moved fast. Stanley and I had to jog to keep up with her.
“There!” she pointed triumphantly to her rear garden. It was long and had amazing views of the countryside.
I blinked. “Am I missing something? Your garden looks beautiful. I can’t see any damaged plants.”
“Of course not. I replaced the damaged ones and fixed the broken bench. I couldn’t have my garden looking messy. I had to fix it.” She looked down at Stanley and said, “Why’s your cat shaking his head like that?”
“Because you’ve destroyed any evidence,” I told her. “Also, you don’t have any witnesses who saw Ivan causing the damage. I’m sorry, Mrs Tarblast, but I can’t arrest Ivan Snapnert based on this.”
“What?” Mrs Tarblast exploded. “You have to. He doesn’t belong here. He’s not our sort!”
I felt a stab of anger at her words. I’d met people with biased opinions before, but I thought residents in Brimstone were supposed to be more accommodating. I kept my voice firm as I continued, “Mrs Tarblast, we have a complaint against two centaurs who ran havoc through gardens along this terrace. Do you know anything about that?”
“Centaurs? No. Why would they be running through my garden? Who made the complaint?”
“Ivan Snapnert.”
“Pah!” She threw her hands up in disgust. “It’s a ruse. He’s blaming someone else to take the heat off him. The sneaky, good-for-nothing lover of fish. Are you going to evict him from his house?”
“I think she should,” a voice said at our side. A bearded gnome in a blue hat was looking at us over the garden fence. “Then your Beryl can have that house. She’s been after it for years.”
Mrs Tarblast shot him a filthy look. “Dirkem Mudworthy, mind your own business. This is my time with Cassia, not yours. You can talk to her when I’ve finished.”
I looked at Dirkem. “Was your garden damaged too?”
“Aye.”
“Have you fixed any broken items or replaced damaged plants?”
“Aye.”
I nodded. “Did you see Ivan Snapnert committing the crime?”
“Not exactly. But I know it was him. He’s got a sneaky look about him.” Dirkem cast his glance over Mrs Tarblast’s flowerbeds. “Have you got any of that stuff in yet, Mrs T.? That stuff for my back?”
Mrs Tarblast’s cheeks turned red, and she made a shushing motion with her hands. “Dirkem, I’ll talk to you later about that. I’m busy telling Cassia about Ivan. She needs all the facts. Go back inside your house. Go on.”
He lowered his voice and went on, “Have you got that stuff or not? My back’s really playing up.”
Mrs Tarblast snapped, “Dirkem, there’s no point whispering like that. We can all still hear you!” She frowned at him and looked back at me. “Ivan lives in the last house. He’s in now. Go round there and have it out with him. You’ll soon see I’m right about him. I expect you’ll make an immediate arrest.”
“I’m not sure about that, Mrs Tarblast. Before I go, I’d like to take some photos of your garden if that’s okay?”
She smiled and puffed up her hair. “Photos? Of course. Where would you like me to stand? Next to my roses? Reclining on my bench? Perhaps an action shot with my hands in the dirt?”
Dirkem said, “Can I be in the photos too? I’ve combed my beard today.”
I explained, “I only want to take pictures of your gardens, not you. Not that there’s any evidence of vandalism left.” I took my phone out and held it up. I heard gasps of shock coming from both gnomes. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
Mrs Tarblast’s finger trembled as she pointed at my phone. “What sort of black magic is that? That’s not a camera. It’s too small. Are you going to cast an evil spell on us using that thing? Is it true what that centaur is saying about you? What’s he called? Treto?”
“There’s nothing magical about this,” I waved my phone in the air. “It’s just a device for taking photographs. As for Treto, I wouldn’t believe a word he says.”
I quickly started to take pictures of the beautiful garden. I took a few shots of Dirkem’s garden too. It was just as beautiful as Mrs Tarblast’s.
Mrs Tarblast moved closer to Dirkem as I snapped away and started to mumble something to him. My trusty feline partner secretly sidled up to them and listened to their conversation.
As soon as I’d finished taking the photos, I said goodbye to the gnomes and said I’d be in touch soon. Stanley and I walked down the path, out of Mrs Tarblast’s garden and along Rose Garden Terrace.
I said to Stanley, “What were they whispering about?”
“She was telling Dirkem off for talking about that stuff for his back. She said Dirkem knows she shouldn’t be bringing certain plants into Brimstone and that she’d be in serious trouble if you found out.”
“Really? Did she say what the stuff was? I’m presuming it’s a plant.”
Stanley shook his head. “Neither of them mentioned a name. Are you thinking the same as me? Do you think Mrs Tarblast has been growing that plant which killed Alan?”
I nodded. “Screaming Devil’s Fungus. I don’t like how insistent she is on blaming Ivan Snapnert for damage that was possibly caused by the centaurs. She’s hiding something.”
We stopped outside the last terraced house.
I said to Stanley, “Let’s see what Ivan’s got to say for himself.”
