‘Brutus!’ There was a faint rustle from some bushes to my right but nothing else. ‘Brutus, this is urgent. I wouldn’t interrupt your night-time stalking if it weren’t.’

I heard another rustle and then the cat in question appeared with a poor mouse hanging from his mouth. I gave him a frown and he opened his jaws, letting the creature to escape.

‘I wish you wouldn’t do that.’

He gave me a look filled with feline ferocity. ‘Food.’

‘Try the hotel kitchen.’ I crouched down and scratched his ears. ‘I need you to listen first, though. I’m going out to find Gareth McAllan. I’m certain he’s the necromancer. It’s not very likely that I’ll come back.’

For once, Brutus appeared to listen. I took a deep breath. ‘I’m sorry,’ I said, meaning it wholeheartedly. ‘It sucks for you. Wait in my room. Winter will show up in the morning and then you can go with him. He’s a good guy and I’m sure he’ll let you hang out. Besides, you like his familiar, don’t you? Princess Parma Periwinkle? You’ll get to spend more time with her after I’m gone.’

A flood of unshed tears rose up in my throat. ‘You’ll be fine. Just do what Winter tells you and everything will work out. I love you to pieces, you miserable bugger, and I’m so happy to have known you.’

Brutus blinked. ‘You go? Where?’

‘I’ll try Gareth’s farm. If that fails, he’ll probably be at the cemetery.’ Preparing for his next raising. I shuddered.

Brutus sniffed and head-butted my hand. Then he turned round and sauntered away. If I were honest, I had hoped for a little more.

Rubbing my eyes, and trying not to feel too hurt, I stood up. Using the remote control key, I located Barry’s car and strode purposefully over to it. Everything was starting to add up – and not in a good way.

I’d been blinded by the events on set at Enchantment and the extraordinary Oscar-winning acting skills of Gareth McAllan. I knew it was strange that sheep seemed to figure so heavily, even though up here they outnumbered humans by about twenty to one. My hallucination happened after I’d touched the sheep out by the river; Mazza’s hallucination happened after he’d killed the sheep on Dead Man’s Hill. The sheep really were bewitched. Just not in a way I’d considered. Maybe they figured into the spell for bringing the dead back to life. I had no idea. But where there were sheep, there was also Gareth.

He had obviously slipped by the Order when they looked into his family. By his own admission, the police had considered him as a suspect. And he was the one to find Benjamin Alberts. I was reminded of the old schoolyard rhyme – he who smelled it, dealt it. Except in this case, we were talking about something far worse than wind.

I’d been wholeheartedly hoodwinked. Gareth was the culprit; he was the necromancer. Now all I had to do was find him and pray I didn’t end up dead. But if that was what it would take, I’d accept the risk.