The Vampire and the Case of the Secretive Siren by Harris Heather G. & Dolbeare Jilleen

Author:Harris, Heather G. & Dolbeare, Jilleen [Harris, Heather G. & Dolbeare, Jilleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Vampires, Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, Romance
ISBN: 9781916833210
Amazon: B0CTHRFSWJ
Goodreads: 208956326
Publisher: Hellhound Press Limited
Published: 2024-04-12T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 34

Back at the office, Juan was guarding the building. He grinned when he saw the state of me. ‘You wanted a midnight swim?’

‘If one more person asks me that, I’m going to punch them,’ I muttered. His grin widened. I stepped closer and asked, ‘Vamps really don’t need to breathe?’

He barked a laugh then held his nose and covered his mouth. After three minutes, I sighed. ‘Okay. I get the point. No breathing. So why did it feel like my lungs were burning?’

Juan tapped his head. ‘Psychological shit. The brain is a powerful weapon.’

That was one way to look at it. ‘Right, thanks.’ I walked into the office. Fluffy woke up and gave a low growl at the state of me, then trotted over and sniffed pointedly.

‘Yes, I know – I stink.’ His growl deepened and he glared at me; he was peeved by being left out. ‘You were sleeping!’ I protested. He barked. ‘Okay, okay. Next time I’ll wake you up. Now keep an eye on Gunnar while I get changed. Apparently I smell ripe.’ Fluffy’s nose recoiled; he agreed. Charming.

I’d dried out a little in the warmth of the car but still I smelled of the water, and my clothes were uncomfortably damp. I used a towel to dry off, then found a change of clothes. Unfortunately, it didn’t include underwear; for now, I’d go commando and stay dry.

While I changed, Gunnar had put the little baggy in the jail cell with the rest of the stockpile and flipped on the kettle. The office had a coffee machine but he’d bought a kettle when I’d started work. He knew about a British person’s need for tea; he was the best boss.

We sat in his office with our hot drinks. ‘Edgy,’ I started. ‘He only recently came to Portlock, right?’

‘Right.’

‘And now we have a drug problem.’

‘You think he’s bringing it in by air?’

‘It’s a possibility isn’t it?’

‘Didn’t Patkotak say it was coming in by sea?’

‘Yeah, but—’

‘Occam’s razor, Bunny: the most likely explanation is probably the right one,’ Gunnar said gruffly. ‘We found the drugs in the water, they were wrapped up to survive being stored in the water, ergo they were most likely transported through water.’

I sank back into my chair. He was right. ‘The girls saw some stuff exchanging hands and Edgy had a roll of cash on him, but we didn’t see any other evidence that he was the buyer rather than the dealer.’

‘That was to pay for the drug, but the dealer let him have it for free.’

‘That was his explanation,’ I agreed. ‘But what if the roll of cash was money he’d been paid, and that solitary bag was all he had left after the deal had gone down?’

‘It’s possible,’ Gunnar said finally, ‘but not probable. That’s not how it struck the girls, and they were there to see it.’

‘They’re teenagers,’ I snorted, like I hadn’t been one of their number only a handful of years earlier. His amused expression told me the same thought had occurred to him.

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