“There’s got to be a way,” Eden said again and hated the tone of desperation in the words. She knew she sounded like a broken record, but at the moment stubbornness seemed to be the life preserver she was clinging onto as her life sank to the bottom of the proverbial ocean.
He sighed. “The only way I’d even consider staying open is if somebody walks through that door right now willing to pay big bucks for us to take on a new case.”
He pointed at the door just as it opened and a woman entered the office.
“Excuse me,” she asked. “There’s no sign on the door, but I got your address from the phone book. Is this Triple-A Investigations?”
“It is.”
She exhaled with relief, and Eden couldn’t help but notice her eyes were brimming with tears. “I desperately need your help. And money’s no object.”
NINE
Eden exchanged a quick glance with Andy.
The universe at work. Totally.
Andy’s chair scraped against the floor as he quickly got to his feet. He silently stared at the woman for a few moments longer than was comfortable.
She cleared her throat. “Perhaps I’ve come at a bad time.” “No,” Eden said immediately as she began backing up toward the door. “Come in. Please. Andy would be happy to see you right away, wouldn’t you, Andy?”
He was still pointing at the door. His hand dropped slackly to his side. “Well, of course. That timing just freaked me the hell out, is all.”
The woman gave Andy a strange look and instead came toward Eden. She was a tall, willowy, sunny blonde and she wore an expensive Chanel suit. “I’ve never done this before, so I’m not sure how to begin.”
Andy jostled in his desk drawer for a pad of paper. “Please, come sit over here, Miss—?”
“It’s Mrs. Fay Morgan.” She glanced over her shoulder and then back at Eden. “And if you don’t mind, I want to speak to you. Only to you.”
“Me?” Eden pointed to her chest.
“Yes.”
“But, I’m not really…” She twisted a finger in her hair. “I mean, Andy’s the one you need to talk to. He’s got experience up the wazoo when it comes to investigating whatever you want. To be completely truthful, I just help out around here at the moment.”
She shook her head. “I don’t care. I’ll only deal with you.”
Eden opened her mouth to urge her to talk to Andy, when he spoke up.
“That’s just fine. Eden, please take down Mrs. Morgan’s case details. I’ll go next door and get us all some fresh coffee. I haven’t had a chance to make any yet this morning being that I was locked out of the office.”
Before Eden could say anything, Andy pushed open the front door and went outside.
What did he think he was doing? Eden didn’t know the first thing about how to handle new cases. She’d typed them up in the past month, but that wasn’t remotely the same thing. She wasn’t an investigator nor did she want to be one. Ever.
She glanced at Darrak. He was very quiet. His arms were crossed in front of him and he studied the woman with a narrowed, unfriendly gaze.
What was his problem?
“Sorry, Mrs. Morgan, I’m being rude.” She held out her hand. “I’m Eden Riley.”
“Please, call me Fay.” Instead of shaking her hand Fay grabbed her into a tight embrace. “I knew I’d come to the right place.”
The hug was so tight it actually hurt a little.
“Let go of her,” Darrak said sharply.
Fay tensed and leaned back from Eden, her eyes wide. She looked over her shoulder at the demon in the corner and drew in a sharp breath.
“I didn’t sense anything…” she began, then shut her mouth. “I need to leave.”
“No, wait,” Eden said as Fay began moving toward the door. “Don’t go.”
If only so she could understand what the hell was going on. The air felt thick with tension all of a sudden.
Fay’s expression was tight as she turned back to Eden. “I sensed that this was a welcoming place. But now I see that it is not.”
“I’m not what you think,” Darrak said.
“You’re a demon.”
He frowned. “Well, okay. Maybe I am what you think. But just relax. Unless you wish ill to Eden—and I don’t think you do—then I mean you no harm in return. Seriously.”
“And why would I believe that?”
“Because I guarantee it,” Eden told her. “How do you know what he is?”
“I never would have come within a mile of this place if I’d sensed him”—she paused—“but his true essence seems to be somewhat weakened.”
“You could say that,” Darrak agreed. “Now, why don’t you tell us why you came here today?”
She shifted her feet as her gaze darted back and forth between Eden and Darrak. “I suspect my—my husband is cheating on me. I want to hire you to follow him.”
“What is your husband?” Darrak asked.
“What is he?” Eden shot him a look.
“He’s human,” the woman replied, as if it wasn’t an odd question.
“So you think he’s cheating on you?” Eden scribbled down the information as neatly as she could.
Fay sat down in a chair next to Eden’s desk. “I think he might be enchanted in some way.”
Eden dropped her pen. “Enchanted?”
“Yes. Manipulated by magic.”
“I know what enchanted means.” She swallowed hard. “I’m just not used to dealing with it on an everyday basis.”
Fay glanced back at Darrak. “She’s new to this?”
“You could say that.”
She studied Eden for a moment and her brow lowered. “I thought you were different, but are you only human?”
Eden blinked. “Well, of course I am.”
Fay dared another glance at the demon behind her. “I sensed this place was Other-friendly. In fact, when looking for a detective agency, I was compelled to choose this one in particular.”
“Other-friendly?” Eden asked cautiously.
“Other than human.”
“Oh.” Eden felt the blood drain from her face. “Of course. Silly me.”
“Eden is human,” Darrak said. “She has some psychic abilities, but has no conscious control over them. And she has been touched by a magical presence recently. Perhaps that is all this is.”
Touched by a magical presence. Demonic possession. Potato, potahto.
Eden exhaled slowly and tried to center herself. “We can have your husband followed, Fay. Believe me, I’m not trying to turn away your case just because it might have some strangeness associated with it that I’m not entirely comfortable with. This is a business, after all.”
A business that was going to fold like a cheap suit without this woman’s case. And if that happened, then Andy would never agree to help them find the witch.
If nothing else, it helped to make Eden’s choices crystal clear.
Fay had been compelled to come to Triple-A? Eden could understand someone compelled to stay away from this flea-bitten office, but compelled to come here?
“It makes me very uneasy knowing that you’re involved with a demon,” Fay said stiffly.
“I wouldn’t really say we’re involved per se,” Eden said quickly. “It’s really more of an unpleasant, temporary arrangement.”
Fay shrugged. “I have a family prejudice against demons.”
Darrak snorted. “Yeah, I figured.”
“What does that mean?” Eden asked. She felt like she was constantly asking for clarification now, but it was the only way she was going to be able to keep things straight in her head. She liked order. Chaos and her brain did not get along.
“Fay is a fairy,” Darrak explained. “From the Unseelie court if I’m not mistaken.”
“A fairy?” Eden sputtered. “Like a happy little sparkly winged creature?”
“No.” Darrak sighed. “Not happy or sparkly or, for that matter, winged. How have you managed without me
all of these years, Eden? Unseelie fairies are malevolent little creatures of darkness—descended from demons, actually, eons ago; their Seelie counterparts are descended from angels—who like to play dress-up amongst the humans when they’re not draining them of energy in order to keep up their power reserve in this world.”
“I don’t do that,” Fay protested. “Well, not anymore. I’m a vegan now. I gave up my powers when I married my husband.”
Darrak rolled his eyes. “Let me guess, you don’t have a day job, either, do you? You just stay home and do laundry and cook meals for your cheating scumbag of a husband?”
“Darrak!” Eden exclaimed.
He looked at her guiltily. “Sorry. I have issues with fairies. Always have. Back in the day, pre-curse, a swarm of them tried to tear me apart.”
Fay shrugged. “We hate demons. Foul creatures of darkness.”
“Yeah, like your clan are any better.”
She turned away from the demon to grab Eden’s hand, which was very cold now. Going into total and complete shock made her chilly. “If my marriage fails, I’ll have to go back to my family. I’ll be tried as a deserter of my kingdom and if I’m found guilty I will be killed.”
“Killed?” Eden gasped.
Fay nodded. “Fairy law is very strict. They see my marriage as disrespectful, especially when I refused an arranged marriage. Disowning me was my parents’ only choice. If my marriage doesn’t last I would have to return and face my punishment. Obviously, I don’t want that. I want to stay here. I know my husband loves me. I never would have taken such a great risk if I didn’t believe that. It’s only very recently that he’s been acting strangely. Please, you must follow him. Find out where he spends his days when he’s not at the office.”
Eden swallowed. Her mouth felt as dry as a room full of unbuttered popcorn. “Office?”
“He’s an accountant. Here is Richard’s picture.” Fay pulled out a photo from her purse and slid it across the desk to Eden so she could see the handsome, dark-haired man smiling at the camera next to his wife.
“Does Richard know you’re…” Eden cleared her throat. “That you’re a fairy?”
She shook her head. “He doesn’t know, and I’d like to keep it that way. I assume the woman he’s seeing has enchanted him to get him to act this way. If that’s so, then I need to know so she can be stopped and he can be released from her spell. But if he’s truly been unfaithful”—she blinked very hard—“then it’s important that I know that as well. Will you take my case?”
Eden thought about it. She didn’t like it, not one little bit. She’d wanted to quickly and soundly back away from any paranormal elements, not welcome them into her life with open arms and a sloppy kiss. But she couldn’t see any way to get what she wanted—for Andy to find the witch by using his fabulous missing person skills—if she let this fairy fly out of her net.
“Okay, fine,” she said after a long moment of silence. “But I’m going to have to figure out what kind of a deposit Andy normally charges for this sort of case, though.”
“I’ve already written a check, which I imagine is plenty.” She produced that as well and handed it to Eden.
It was made out for fifty thousand dollars. Eden blinked with surprise.
“I was able to leave the Underworld with a small fortune intact—”
“The Underworld?” Eden asked, with a look at Darrak.
He nodded. “That’s where the Unseelie normally live. The outskirts of Hell itself. Not so sparkly now, are they?”
Fay looked at the demon with distaste, and turned her gaze back to Eden. “There will be another fifty when it’s over—no matter the outcome, as long as it’s resolved. My cell number and address are on the back of my husband’s photo. He leaves the house promptly at eight every morning and gets a coffee at the Starbucks on the corner. Please contact me the moment you learn anything.”
“I certainly will.”
She stood up and gave Darrak another unfriendly look. “I will not judge you, Eden, on who you choose to spend time with.”
“Who said I had a choice?” Eden replied, trying to make a joke. A weak one, but at least she was trying.
Fay met her gaze—with no humor. “Just please be careful.”
She left without another word.
“Fairies.” Darrak shook his head. “Can’t stand the freaks.”
“She seemed normal enough to me.”
“Hate to see her with her glamour down. That’s when the sharp teeth and claws are noticeable.”
“Excuse me?” she gasped.
He waved a hand. “Fairies look a little different when they’re in their normal state. They use a glamour—a surface magic—to enhance their looks.”
Eden decided to ignore the comment about “sharp teeth.” And, for that matter, everything else Darrak said.
Andy swung through the door with a tray of coffee and donuts. “Where’d she go?”
“She left.”
“Did you chase her away?” he asked with disappointment.
“Yeah, that’s what I did. But she left a check first. It’s for fifty Gs.”
His mouth dropped open. “You’re shitting me.”
“No shit. It’s a…” Eden swallowed. “A cheating husband case, believe it or not.”
“Fifty grand for a cheater?” His eyes bugged. “Wow, she must be filthy rich.”
“And another fifty when we’re finished.”
“Christ on a cracker! Seriously? Are we on Candid Camera?”
“Will that be enough money to keep us afloat?” She walked over and handed him the check. He looked at it with disbelief.
“If it clears, then yeah. It’ll definitely help.” He looked at her. “And it’ll save Rhonda. It’s like winning the lottery.”
Eden leaned against his desk. “Now about Darrak’s friend.”
“Oh right. Missing person. Totally no problem.” His voice and demeanor had brightened considerably. “I just need her name, last known address, physical description, and any other information you can provide.”
Darrak grimaced. “That might be a problem. I don’t know her name. And the last time I saw her was… well, let’s just say it was a long time ago.”
“It’s very important that we find her,” Eden told Andy. “I can’t stress this enough.”
“But you don’t know her name?”
Her head throbbed. “No.”
“How about a physical description?”
“I can help a little there,” Darrak said.
“Not much to go on. But I’ve worked with less and come up with something.” He grinned and punched Darrak in the shoulder again. “Sounds like a challenge, champ. I like challenges.”
“Please don’t call me champ.”
Andy fixed his coffee. He seemed very happy now—the gloomy look from earlier had disappeared completely. “Why don’t you tell me exactly how she looked the last time you saw her and we’ll start from there. I can always run her profile through a facial recognition program. Donut?” He offered Darrak the box to choose from.
“Thank you.”
“Eden, how much sugar is your brother allowed to have?”
“Uh…” The phone rang and Eden turned to answer it. “Triple-A.”
“Eden.” Ben’s voice was immediately recognizable. “Good morning.”
She inhaled sharply. “Morning.”
“You doing okay today? Recovered from all the drama yesterday?”
Eden eyed Darrak as the demon enthusiastically tasted his first deep-fried chocolate-glazed pastry. “My recovery is an ongoing process.”
“I was going to wait until this afternoon to call, but I had a free moment so I figured now was as good a time as any. It’s good to hear your voice.”
“You, too.”
“Oh yeah?” He sounded pleased.
Her cheeks warmed. “Sure.”
“Any sign of your friends from last night?”
She grimaced at the memory. “No. T
hey’re long gone.”
“That’s good to know.” He was quiet for a moment. “It’s strange, but it kind of feels like I’ve known you for weeks already.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“A good thing, trust me. So… dinner tonight? We still on?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to cancel. How was she supposed to go on a date with a guy she really liked with everything that was happening all around her? Shouldn’t she focus on getting rid of the problem that was Darrak the demon before even considering spending any time with Ben?
But who knew if she’d have the chance in the future?
“Yes, dinner’s still on,” she said firmly.
“How about I pick you up at your apartment at a quarter to seven?”
“Sounds perfect.” Eden told him her address.
“Do you have a favorite restaurant? I can make reservations.”
“Uh… no. Anything you pick is fine.”
“You’re putting a lot of faith in me.”
“I trust you to make this very important decision.”
“Okay,” he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. “Then I’ll see you later.”
“Bye.”
She hung up. Damn. She really did need Darrak feeding her smoother, more confident lines. Was she always such a doofus when it came to talking to men? She had managed to get engaged to ass-face. But he’d been a friend of a friend who helped ease her into things with a lot of double dates. There wasn’t this awkward “getting to know you” phase.
But she did want to get to know Ben. He was perfect. She needed a little bit of perfect in her life.
“Eden,” Andy called. “You have to look at this! Hurry!”
Oh, God. Now what?
She crossed the room in five steps. Andy held out a piece of paper to her and she looked at a precisely detailed sketch of a beautiful woman with long dark hair drawn in blue ballpoint pen.
“That’s her,” Darrak said, pointing at the picture.
“He’s an artist,” Andy said. “This is really good. And the crazy thing is he says he’s never drawn before. How is that possible?”
Eden gritted her teeth. “He’s very special, Darrak is.”
“Thanks, sis. You’re the bestest.” He grabbed another donut. “And so are these.”
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