The Vampire and the Case of the Malevolent Mermaid: An Urban Fantasy Series (The Portlock Paranormal Detective Series Book 7) by Heather G. Harris & Jilleen Dolbeare

Author:Heather G. Harris & Jilleen Dolbeare [Harris, Heather G. & Dolbeare, Jilleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hellhound Press Ltd
Published: 2025-07-03T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

Mafu’s boat was bobbing in the water but there was no one nearby. We looked around the outside of it but without a warrant that was all we could do. No mayor to be found.

A cranky-looking Liv came over. ‘Where the hell is he?’ she demanded, gesturing to the boat. ‘He’s been ducking out all day, hiding from his responsibilities, making me search his fishing fleet.’

‘We don’t know,’ I admitted.

‘Well, you’ve got the warrant – go search.’

‘You’ve agreed to sign a warrant,’ Gunnar rumbled. ‘We haven’t actually got one yet.’

‘Such a stickler,’ she muttered and climbed aboard.

‘Liv!’ he shouted. ‘Get back here! We have no legal authority here, anything you find—’

‘Oh hush! I’m not the law here.’

‘You’re a council member and held to the same standards!’ Gunnar’s voice was icy. ‘If you recall you are not above the law.’

Liv ignored him and ducked inside the cabin. Visibly torn, we waited, Gunnar was so mad I wouldn’t have been surprised to see steam coming out of his ears but, like me, he waited to see what Liv would find rather than stopping her. Yeah … this was why you shouldn’t investigate a case involving someone you were close to. Gunnar and I were breaking rules but it was for Sidnee, and I couldn’t bring myself to feel bad about it.

Eventually Liv came back out. ‘No Mafu, no girls tied up in the hold. Now if you’ll excuse me, I am done. I’ve been here, there and everywhere, everyone’s little lackey,’ she harrumphed. ‘I’ll sign the warrant tomorrow. I’m going home and I’m going to have aerobic sex with my masseuse, Dimitri.’ She gave me a weird look I couldn’t decipher.

‘That’s too much information,’ I muttered.

She winked. ‘No information is ever “too much”, darling.’ She sauntered off. She must have been feeling tired because not once did she mention her bill.

Gunnar pulled out his phone and called Mafu. No answer. He pressed his lips together. ‘This isn’t looking great for him.’

‘No, but Haavale was leaving Donovan. Why kill him?’

‘You heard her mom. They’d been planning to support her financially but now they won’t need to.’

I winced. ‘Good point. Do you want to stake out his house?’

He thought about it then shook his head. ‘No. Let’s inform the Lopez family that we’ve finally found their daughters. We can try back at Mafu’s later.’

‘You mind if we pick up Fluffy on the way? He’s been home alone for a long while.’

‘Sure thing.’ Gunnar paused. ‘How is Reggie doing?’

I sighed. ‘Not great. I’m not sure if therapy is helping.’

‘They say it gets worse before it gets better. You’ve just gotta ride the storm.’

‘I guess so.’

We collected Fluffy before heading over to the Lopez’s home. It was a square, two-storey house typical of the area, complete with a porch and a detached garage. I’d called ahead to check they were in but hadn’t said why we were calling.

The door promptly opened after only one knock. I’d brought Fluffy because he could be a comfort to people if they appreciated a dog – and Haavale’s tears were fresh in my mind.

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