Drop Dead Gorgeous: A Paranormal Cozy Murder Mystery by Patti Larsen

Author:Patti Larsen [Larsen, Patti]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, General, Cozy, Cats & Dogs, Amateur Sleuth, Private Investigators, Women Sleuths
ISBN: 9781989925249
Google: cNozEAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Patti Larsen Books
Published: 2021-06-17T22:00:00+00:00

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Chapter Thirteen

I won’t bore you with the details of my long and sorrowful night, of my crying jags and too much wine consumed, of the nightmares that returned though I hadn’t had one in weeks.

—running through the dark woods, the blast of heated energy that bent the trees, throwing me back—

I was, therefor, rather grumpy and out of sorts when a visitor landed at my door. Mavis, for her part, didn’t take my surly welcome badly as I abandoned her to enter on her own after greeting her with an unhappy grunt, walking away from the gaping doorway, not even reaching for one of the coffees she held, instead slumping my way back to the sofa where I’d spent the night.

The ravens fluttered at her appearance, ruffling their wings in greeting.

“Morning,” she said. “I take it something happened.”

That set me off, finally fired up my rage. I surged to my feet and paced the living room while she took my seat with the kind of calm that made me want to smack her, sipping her coffee while I told her in a rather shouty voice what Tabitha had shared with me and, even better, the silence from my father that I really should have expected.

I barely recall what I said, though I do know there were a number of creative swears in there I’d learned over the years (mostly from Elias himself) you really didn’t need to hear. By the time I was done ranting, however, I had two benefits unfold. One, I felt better for getting the poison out of me, even if it meant tears and raging against nothing and letting my temper get the better of me. It really was cathartic, way more than I’d expected or even likely deserved. Two, however, was the best, because when I wrapped up what I needed to say—not just what I knew—Mavis reached across herself and grabbed the second coffee before holding it out to me with a soft, sad smile on her face.

“Sit,” she said.

Her unwavering kindness and understanding was exactly what I needed and though I’d had love and support from the ravens and Benjamin since last night on the issue, they were as closely tied to Elias as I had been and were rather biased. To receive such gentle acceptance from someone who never knew him encouraged me to inhale, take the cup and perch next to Benjamin—still sprawled on the sofa and now with his head in Mavis’ lap—in silence.

“Terrible business,” Mavis sighed then, shaking her head. “Why didn’t you tell Tabitha about the magic user the ravens are following?” You’d also be wondering, I assume, why I’d caved and Mavis was now privy and my FBI friend was not. “Or that you suspect it’s Guild Hades magic they chase and that you now think the enemy was of that very guild themselves?” I had to tell someone, and Mavis had been the perfect choice.

“I don’t know,” I said. “She’s not in the system any more than I am.

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