“Just a burglary,” Ollivar replied, with a certain relish. “Nothing that should tax the mind of an investigator as good as you. Or so I hear.”
I declined to comment as he went on. What was Ollie building up to?
“Turns out, it’s not the missing exhibits that are the most interesting. The custodian here stumbled on the theft while it was in progress. He’s been babbling about it nonstop.”
“What happened must’ve scared him, whatever it was.”
“Or the witness in question has been out sniffing glue on his work break.”
“Lieutenant,” Esteban said, shaking his head in disapproval. Ollie ignored him.
“I’d go for the glue explanation, myself. He says that he saw a monster in here.”
Okay, that one stopped me. Right in my tracks.
“He saw…a monster?”
“Yeah. Something that was half lion, half eagle.”
I traded a nervous glance with Esteban.
Ollivar caught it, his expression going greasy-smug. I didn’t like the man, but I had to remind myself to watch out around him. He wasn’t an office-bound bureaucrat like McClatchy, even if he did back his boss up without question. And Ollie wasn’t a fool. He noticed things.
“So,” he said, his voice dripping sarcasm, “you two actually believe this story.”
Esteban’s face went poker-straight. That was one talent I’d never really mastered, so I simply laughed, trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice.
“Yeah…that would be a stretch. The only winged lions I’ve ever seen were made out of stone. I really have no idea what to make of the witness’ statement.”
Ollie’s frown turned his forehead into one giant brown crease.
“That’s funny,” he said. “Because that’s why I asked specifically for you.”
And Lieutenant Ollivar of the LAPD held up a gigantic white feather. One that could only have come from an Andeluvian griffin.
(…continued...)
Grand Theft Griffin
can be found at all major
eBook retailers.
Also by Michael Angel
The ‘Fantasy and Forensics’ Series
Centaur of the Crime
The Deer Prince’s Murder
Grand Theft Griffin
A Perjury of Owls (Coming Early 2016)
Standalone Fantasy and Sci-Fi Novels
The Detective & The Unicorn
The Wizard, The Warlord, and The Hidden Woman
The Adventures of Amanda Love
Treasure of the Silver Star
The ‘Apocalypse with a Side of Spam’ Series
Episode One
Episode Two
Episode Three
Episode Four
Entire ‘Season One’ Compilation
The ‘Fringe Space’ Series
A Shovelful of Stars
Pay To Pray
Dogfight
A Planet Torn
The Complete Collection: Fringe Space Tales
Meet Michael Angel
Michael Angel’s worlds of fantasy and science fiction range from the unicorn-ruled realm of the Morning Land to the gritty ‘Fringe Space’ of the western Galactic Frontier. He’s the author of the bestselling Centaur of the Crime, where C.S. Lewis meets CSI. His many books populate shelves in languages from Russian to Portuguese.
He currently resides in Southern California. Alas, despite keeping a keen eye out for griffins, unicorns, or galactic marshals, none have yet put in an appearance on Hollywood Boulevard.
Find out more about his latest works at:
www.MichaelAngelWriter.com
Editing/Proofing services provided
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and
Leiah Cooper from
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Cover art by Annah Wootten-Pinéles,
whose art can also be found at
www.annahlouise.com.
The Deer Prince's Murder: Book Two of 'Fantasy & Forensics' (Fantasy & Forensics 2) Page 25