Spellbound After Midnight (Ever Dark, Ever Deadly Book 1)

by Jenna Collett

  “How?” He crowded me against the bookcase, but I refused to back down until I’d finished.

  “She was missing her shoe. A glass slipper. None of the reports have that information. If you didn’t find it at the crime scene then the killer must have taken it. Find the slipper, you’ll find your killer.”

  I charged past him, clipping his arm with my shoulder. The man was infuriating. Vivian had been wrong. I didn’t need his help to investigate the case; I could solve it on my own, collect the reward, and shove it in his face. He’d take me seriously then. Maybe I’d buy the agency and use his office to grow fungus. Really smelly fungus.

  A small part of me, the delusional part, had hoped he might be different, that he would see beyond what everyone else saw: the inept witch unable to rise to her true potential. If I was being honest with myself—which was rare but did happen—I wanted him to see me. Not the witch, just me.

  “Tessa, wait.” Derrick placed his hand on my shoulder. The warm, solid touch and the pleading note in his voice made me pause, melting some of my anger like wax pooling in the bottom of a candlestick.

  But it would take more than that.

  My dramatic exit lasted two seconds before I crashed into a human-sized wall. The man steadied me as I craned my neck and stared into a pair of dark brown eyes. He smiled, and I swore, it was the most charming thing I’d ever seen. He had a clean-shaven face that accentuated the square cut of his jawline, and thick, jet-black hair that looked tousled from the wind. I could pay my debt with his coat alone. Dove-gray, it was made of the finest material, trimmed with gold thread on the cuffs and seams.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, keeping his hands around my arms.

  “Excuse me, Detective.” I heard Estelle, the silver-haired receptionist’s voice through the haze of the handsome man’s smile. “His Royal Highness is here to see you.”

  Hold the horses and stay awhile. Prince Marcus of Ever was touching me—and then, just like that, he wasn’t.

  Derrick seized my upper arm and tugged me out of the prince’s reach. I stumbled against his side, and he pressed his hand to the small of my back to keep me there. The move earned him a side-glare.

  “Do you have to spoil everything?” I muttered.

  “Yes.”

  “Careful, Detective. Your dislike for me is showing again.”

  “I don’t dislike you,” he snapped. His eyes closed, and he exhaled a long breath, looking like a man who’d reached his breaking point. I almost felt bad.

  “I’m not interrupting, am I?” the prince asked, quizzical.

  “No, Your Highness. Miss Daniels was just leaving.” Derrick nudged me, but I dug my heels in. This was my chance. I might not have convinced Derrick, but the prince held a higher rank, and if I convinced him, Derrick would have to accept me.

  “Actually, Your Highness,” I fumbled through a half-decent curtsy, “I’m here to offer my services with the Lockwood investigation.” I removed a small slip of paper from a satchel at my waist. It read Daniels Curses and Cures in ink that sparkled when caught by the light.

  The prince accepted the card, and his thumb brushed the inside of my wrist. I frowned, not feeling the same intimate sensation as when Derrick had held me in the evidence room. What a shame. Prince Marcus seemed to actually like me.

  He read my name and nodded in recognition. “Ah, you’re the witch. Your mother was Amelia Daniels, wasn’t she?”

  “Yes. Did you know her?”

  “No, I didn’t have the pleasure, but I remember stories as a child about how she cured the kingdom’s plague.”

  My smile dimmed. Little known fact, and something that never made it into those stories: I started the plague. It was an accident and partly Vivian’s fault. She’d dared me to curse a boy who’d been teasing her for seeing ghosts. Unfortunately, the curse was contagious. Things devolved from there.

  “My mother was an amazing healer. She saved many lives that day.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you, Your Highness.”

  Derrick’s fingers flexed against my back. It almost felt like a caress.

  “I didn’t realize your mother had passed. I’m sorry.”

  I murmured, “You don’t know much about me, Detective.”

  “I’m learning.”

  His words set off a flutter in my stomach. Would he like what he learned about me? And why did it matter so much that he did?

  We moved into Derrick’s office, and Prince Marcus tapped my card.

  “Was this your idea, Detective? It’s brilliant. Consulting with a member of the supernatural profession is unorthodox but not unheard of. The sooner we close this case, the better. The kingdom’s in a panic, and the Lockwoods deserve justice. I know I’m devastated this happened, and on palace grounds, no less.”

  “Is it true that you danced with Ella, Your Highness? Do you remember meeting her?” I asked.

  Prince Marcus hesitated. “Yes, I do remember her. I danced with a lot of women that night, but there was something special about Ella. I wish there was a way I could have prevented what happened.”

  I felt the same. It was strange looking back at the choices we made. Could we have changed anything? Impossible to know.

  “Tessa—” Prince Marcus paused. “May I call you Tessa?”

  “Please do.” I shot Derrick a look.

  “I believe you might have skills we haven’t thought to use. We need to examine this case from every angle.”

  Derrick shook his head. “It’s too dangerous, Your Highness. Miss Daniels doesn’t have any experience.”

  The prince frowned. “There is an element of risk, but I’m sure if you watch over her, she’ll prove to be an asset.”

  Hear that, Detective? An asset. If witches could fly, I’d be in the rafters.

  “I’ll do my best to help in any way possible. It’s an honor to serve you and the kingdom in this manner.” I caught the remnants of a scowl on Derrick’s face before he cleared the emotion. “Don’t worry, Detective. I’ll mostly be an observer, you won’t know I’m there.”

  “Impossible,” he mumbled.

  I shrugged. He wasn’t wrong. I’d inserted myself into the case, and I planned on being a prominent fixture. After all, they’d need to know who to thank when we found the killer.

  Prince Marcus clasped my hands. “Welcome aboard, Tessa. If there is anything you need, please let me know.”

  The scowl returned in full force to Derrick’s lips. “Your Highness, I apologize for cutting this short, but I have witness interviews to conduct today.”

  I cleared my throat loud enough to be heard across the room. Derrick clenched his jaw.

  “Miss Daniels, I hope you can join me.”

  Prince Marcus winked and released my hands. “Yes, I won’t keep you. I’m on my way to a meeting with the director.”

  “Well, he has all my notes and can give you an update on where we stand.”

  “Excellent. Tessa, it was good to meet you.” Prince Marcus inclined his head and moved to the door, closing it gently behind him. You could hear a pin drop in his wake.

  I let the silence extend, feigning interest in a speck of dirt under my fingernail.

  “Since you appealed to the prince and got your way, there are going to be ground rules.”

  Dirt forgotten, I tensed as Derrick moved closer. “I expected as much.”

  “Think you can handle it?”

  “I can handle any rule you throw at me.”

  “We’ll see. Rule number one, you’re not allowed to investigate on your own.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You’ll tell me everything you know about the case, including the roses and the other girls?”

  Derrick nodded.

  “Okay. Always stay by your side, got it.” When he moved another step closer, I smelled the scent of his skin and the woodsy cologne that made me want to breathe deeper until it filled my lungs.

  “Rule number two, keep your ghost
ly encounters between us. No one else can know.”

  “My friend Vivian already knows, but she’s a medium and can see Ella too.”

  Derrick sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Don’t you have any normal friends?”

  “Define normal.”

  He ignored my question and stated rule number three. “Trust no one. This is the highest-profile murder investigation in the kingdom. Anyone and everyone is a suspect.”

  I nudged him playfully in the arm. “I bet you thought I was a suspect at first, didn’t you?”

  He blinked, his face deadpan. I squirmed and scratched the back of my neck.

  “You did, didn’t you?”

  “I follow my own rules.”

  “Well, I only have one rule, Detective. When you’re with me, you call me Tessa.” I snapped my fingers. “And keep an open mind about my abilities. No more calling me a con artist to my face.”

  “That sounds like two rules.”

  “It is. I’m adding one.”

  “Deal.” He held out his hand, and I slipped my palm against his. Like the first time, a flare of heat shot up my arm. Derrick was right about one thing: we were playing a dangerous game, one I had little experience in. Unease trickled through me. Between battling wits and trying to ignore a growing flare of attraction, finding the killer might be the easy part.

  Chapter 9

  Five days and countless interviews later…

  My head bobbed into my chest.

  “Did you get that, Miss Daniels?”

  I jerked my eyes open again and caught the notebook before it slid off my lap. “Ah, yes.” Checking my notes, I began hastily, “Let’s see… First, you danced with Mr. Raymund. He went to get you a glass of champagne, and then, you danced with Sir Thomas. You stopped for a plate of toasted figs, and last, you spoke to the Drummonds about a new carriage purchase. Was there anything else?”

  “No, that was everything. Let me ring for more tea, and I’ll tell you about later in the evening.” Miss Lancaster strode toward the bell pull.

  Unlike me, the woman’s grandmother was allowed to give in to temptation and had fallen asleep in her chair. A light snore whistled from her nose, and every once in a while, she mumbled something about the good old days.

  I glowered at Derrick. “I know what you’re doing.”

  “What am I doing?” He stretched his legs in front of him and folded his arms over his chest.

  “Don’t play innocent. You’re dragging me around the kingdom trying to bore me off the case with useless interviews. You don’t attend half of them and then quiz me on my notes afterward. You’re just waiting for me to leave to start doing the real detective work. I’m onto you.”

  He shrugged. The nerve! My fingers itched to wipe the bland smile off his face. I’d been subjected to nothing but cool disregard from him for days, and it was beginning to grate on me. After the heated looks in our early encounters, his lack of interest made me want to test his patience, get under his skin, affect him in some way.

  “Do you honestly think I’d go to such lengths to make you resign?”

  “I do.”

  “And is it working?”

  “No, and avoiding me won’t help. What are you afraid of, Detective?” My knee brushed the outside of his thigh, and I felt him tense, his bland smile faltering. “Are you worried I may prove useful? That you might enjoy working with me? Maybe you’ll decide to keep me.”

  “You’re delusional.” His words were strained.

  “And you’re in denial.” I flashed him a smug smile as Miss Lancaster returned to her seat.

  “Where was I? Have I told you about my stroll through the garden?”

  Clearing the rust from his throat, Derrick turned his attention back to her. “What time would that have been, Miss Lancaster?”

  “Early in the evening. I’d say around nine.” She clasped her hands in her lap and blinked coquettishly at Derrick. Oh, for the love of spell books. If boredom didn’t make me want to gouge my eyes out, having to watch another simpering female drool over Derrick would.

  I exhaled an irritated breath. “Let’s skip ahead. Did you see Ella? The prince? Anything relevant to the case at all, Miss Lancaster?”

  This was insane. Nearly a week in, and I had nothing. I wasn’t any closer to finding Ella’s killer and collecting the reward. I couldn’t very well tell Argus I’d need more time because every witness went starry-eyed in the face of the famed detective. We needed to move this along.

  “Actually, I believe I did witness something.”

  My back straightened. I hadn’t expected that. Didn’t these people realize they were supposed to lead with the relevant details?

  A servant arrived with the tea, and I nearly groaned while waiting for it to be poured. Miss Lancaster took a dainty sip and offered Derrick the plate of biscuits. He declined. My stomach growled, but she’d already set them aside.

  “You were saying, Miss Lancaster?”

  “Yes, while I was strolling through the gardens, one of my ruby hairpins must have come loose. I went out again later to find it, and that’s when I saw Ella.”

  “Did you notice the time?” I asked.

  Miss Lancaster reached for a biscuit and chewed thoughtfully. My mouth watered, and I pressed my hand against my stomach as if it would prevent another embarrassing rumble.

  “It was shortly before midnight. I remember because of the clock tower in the courtyard. Ella was sitting alone on a bench, and she kept looking up at it. She appeared to be waiting for someone.”

  Derrick reached across the table and placed two biscuits on a napkin. He set them down in front of me and returned his attention to the witness.

  “Thank you,” I murmured. The pleasing scent of shortbread teased my nose, and I nibbled on the rich, buttery cookie, darting a glance at his profile to catch the brief crook of his lips before he schooled his features.

  “Did you see anyone else while you were out there?” he asked.

  “No, but I did find my hairpin. I went back inside, and it wasn’t long after that they found her body. Just think.” She shivered. “It could have been me. I’m grateful to you, Detective. I feel safer knowing you’re on the case.”

  Oh, jeez. My teeth ground the shortbread into dust. Here we go again.

  “I appreciate your confidence, Miss Lancaster. If you think of anything else, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the agency. Miss Daniels is at your disposal.”

  She pouted, and her shoulders deflated. “Yes, of course. You must be very busy.”

  He stood. I climbed eagerly to my feet too, stuffing the last of the biscuit into my mouth. I dusted the crumbs from my fingers and tucked my notebook under my arm. Miss Lancaster’s grandmother snorted in her sleep, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

  Derrick led me out into the street. The interview had lasted most of the morning, and now, the midday sun warmed the cobblestones. It was one of the final pleasant days of fall. I stretched my aching muscles and turned my face up to the sun.

  “Who do you think Ella was waiting for?”

  “That’s a good question. Why don’t you ask her?” He cocked a brow, and I wrinkled my nose at his cynicism.

  “It doesn’t work that way. Her memory’s light on details. She remembers little of the actual night. Flashes mostly. But now that I think of it, she did mention seeing the clock tower. What we need to find out is whether Ella was lured out to the courtyard or if she was a victim of circumstance.” A mild breeze lifted the savory aroma of freshly baked meat pies to my nose. “Can we stop for lunch?”

  “You just had biscuits.” Derrick frowned and checked the time on his pocket watch.

  “I hope you’re joking. I can’t survive on two biscuits alone. Besides, you never take a break to eat. It’s concerning.” I poked him in the abdomen, finding only rigid muscle. He caught my hand before I could explore further. Not that I would. My imagination was doing a fine job on its own.

  “All
right. A quick break.”

  “I’ll be quick as a flash. Don’t worry, I won’t subject you to eating with the town witch any longer than necessary.”

  He bristled at my tone. “I’m not embarrassed to be seen with you. There’s a lot to do and no time for leisure activities.”

  “Lunch is a leisure activity?” I scoffed and dragged him across the street to a food stall. “I’m more concerned now than before. It’s a good thing I’m here, Detective.” I pressed my hand against my heart in mock horror. “How have you survived this long without me? Wait until you try these. They’ll melt in your mouth. You’ll thank me later.”

  The unimpressed detective rolled his eyes.

  I smiled at the vendor. “We’ll take two meat pies and two apple fritters, extra icing.” While he prepared our food, I cast a sideways glance at Derrick. “We’ve never discussed my stipend.”

  “That’s because you don’t have one.”

  My lips flattened, and I reached into my pocket. I had six royal coins to my name.

  “How much?” I whispered to the vendor.

  “Eight.”

  Well, this wasn’t good. “Cancel one of the fritters.”

  “Do you need money, Tessa?” Derrick studied my reaction, but I remained casual even as my mind wept at the loss of my limited fortune.

  “No. This is my treat. A peace offering of sorts.” I slid the coins across the counter.

  “Are we at war?” He leaned against the stall, a grin playing at the corners of his mouth. It made my pulse jump.

  “To the death. A witch doesn’t take prisoners.”

  He accepted a meat pie and tipped it in a salute. “To the death then.”

  I watched him take his first bite and almost stopped breathing. As pleasure softened Derrick’s face, my heart did a somersault. If only someone would look at me the way he looked at savory fillings encased in a flaky crust.

  “It’s good, isn’t it? You’re glad we stopped.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “Fine, huh?” My eyes narrowed as I chewed my own meal. “You’re hard to please, Detective, but I’m going to keep trying. To the death.” I winked.

  Derrick choked, his eyes watering as he cleared his windpipe of a chunk of meat pie he’d inhaled too fast. I struggled to hide my amusement.