Summertime Clues: A fun paranormal cozy mystery with a dash of romance by Rosie Reed

Author:Rosie Reed [Reed, Rosie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rosie Reed
Published: 2022-11-07T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

The Rainbow Grotto Guesthouse was the epitome of what Luke would call ‘retro charm’, but what most people would call ‘a dump’. Like the Coach and Horses – my local pub back in Maiden-Upon-Avon – this building was a beautiful old coaching inn.

But I didn’t need my witchy senses to guess that the service was going to be dreadful, the wallpaper would be peeling, and the mattresses would be as thin as the aforementioned peeling wallpaper. In short, it was a traditional British B&B. Thankfully there weren’t many of its ilk left now that most places had been modernised. But it was Pride weekend, so all the decent guesthouses were full. And this place took pets, so Fuzzball could stay here too.

With our rucksacks slung over our shoulders, we trailed into the old-fashioned foyer – where the reception desk held two stuffed weasels, a violin case, and a dusty bunch of wax tulips – random and bizarre.

And just when I’d thought things couldn’t get much weirder, I halted in shock when I saw the receptionists. “Gabe? Torvig? What on earth are you two doing here?”

Gabe and Torvig were fellow Beings of Magic who lived in Maiden-Upon-Avon. Gabe was an angel and Torvig was an elf.

Gabe grinned, flapping his wings with excitement. “Evelyn, hiya! We’re looking after this place for our friends who’ve gone on holiday.”

“I didn’t know you two knew how to run a hotel.”

“Oh we don’t. We’re absolutely useless at that sort of thing, aren’t we, Torvig?”

“Absolutely. I hate cooking for more than two people – it really stresses me out. And I have no idea how to clean a room properly.”

“And I’m terrible at maintenance,” Gabe said. “Can’t even change a lightbulb.”

Torvig chuckled. “I certainly wouldn’t want to stay here with us two in charge. I don’t even know how to properly check in guests!”

“Anyway,” Gabe said. “What can we do for you, Evelyn?”

“We’d like to check in as guests,” I said. “It’s under Leia’s name...”

Gabe and Torvig froze for a tense moment. Then Torvig grabbed an old-fashioned reservations ledger. “Leia Lucas, two double-rooms, plus one dog. Oh, we don’t have any dogs... oh I see, you’re providing the dog. Yes, I think I’ve got the hang of this...”

Gabe jangled our keys. “Just to let you know, the front door gets locked at ten-thirty, so be sure to be back by then.”

“Luke and I were hoping to stay out much later than that,” Leia said. “There’s a cool club we’d like to try.”

“I see,” Torvig said. “Well, we’ll just have to wait up until you two get back then, won’t you, Gabe?”

“Yes,” Gabe said. “Wait... what?”

Torvig stepped out from behind the counter. “Right, Luke and Leia. If you’d like to come with me?”

He wrestled Luke’s rucksack off his shoulders, then tried to relieve Leia of hers.

“It’s fine,” Leia said. “I can carry it myself.”

“We don’t expect guests to carry their own bags,” Torvig said. “When you walked into this hotel, you walked straight into a high-class establishment.”

“I think I walked through the wrong door,” Alex muttered.

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