by Helen Harper
‘Charley!’
‘I’m busy right now,’ I called to Professor MacTavish, who wasn’t a professor at all but insisted on being called one. ‘I’ll speak to you later!’
I sighed. I couldn’t avoid everyone forever but I’d hoped for a longer period of grace than this.
By ducking and diving and smiling firmly at anyone who approached, I made it to my front door without too many interruptions. Alas, the door was wide open and I could already see Julie in the hallway, trying to usher out Albert. ‘When she returns,’ she was saying, ‘I’ll tell her you’re looking for her.’
There was no way to sidle past the pair of them without being noticed. I steeled myself and stepped inside. ‘Hi, Julie. Hi, Albert.’
They both turned towards me. ‘You made it!’ Julie exclaimed. ‘Is everything alright? What happened?’
‘I’ll explain later,’ I said tiredly. I didn’t think old Albert would want to hear the gory details.
‘What happened with the blood?’ he asked.
‘I avoided getting too much on me,’ I answered, without really thinking.
He stared at me. ‘From the taps?’
Oh. I’d forgotten about that, even though it was the reason why I’d left two days earlier. ‘That’s sorted,’ I told him. ‘We shouldn’t have any more problems. It was a mermaid in the little reservoir. She was bored and unhappy and trying to get attention. I’ve relocated her to Boggart Hole so the mains water should be fine from now on.’
Even Julie appeared surprised at that. ‘A mermaid?’ she enquired. ‘Are you sure, darling?’
‘Well,’ I said, ‘she has a fishy tail and she lives underwater. Yeah,’ I nodded, ‘I’m pretty sure she’s a mermaid.’
‘Blimey. Just when you think you’ve heard it all.’
‘Indeed.’ I pushed back my hair. ‘I’m sorry, guys,’ I said. ‘I need a cup of tea and a bit of time to relax then I’ll sort out everything that’s been building up while I was away.’
Julie’s eyes widened fractionally. ‘Of course.’ She reached out to put her hand on Albert’s arm. He flinched away. ‘You should go now, love,’ she said kindly. ‘Everything is sorted.’
‘Until the next thing happens,’ he sniped, bunching his eyebrows together. He let out a huff and pushed past me, heading into the street.
Lizzy appeared at the top of the stairs. When she caught sight of me, she came bowling down. To begin with I almost cowered, but thankfully she just wanted a hug. She wrapped her arms tightly round me and beamed. ‘I’m so glad you’re back,’ she said. ‘It’s been a madhouse here! I don’t know how you do it. We need you here to keep the peace to stop everyone killing each other.’
‘Hmm.’ Julie wrinkled her nose. ‘Let’s allow Charley some breathing space, shall we? And instead of tea, perhaps some gin and tonic.’
Lizzy tutted but at that moment a proper drink sounded perfect. I smiled weakly at the pair of them and sniffed. ‘That’d be really good.’
Lizzy looked aghast; in fact, everyone looked aghast. Cath was particularly wide-eyed. ‘But why did that werewolf kill the vampire?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Was she a friend of Valerie’s? Was she tracking this Philip guy?’
I shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’
Cath opened her mouth to ask another question. I held up my hands. ‘She didn’t shift back. Monroe told her to and she didn’t. To be honest, it seemed like she couldn’t.’
Lizzy’s horror grew. ‘She was trapped in that form?’ She clasped her throat. As a type of shapeshifter herself – and very new to it – it was her greatest fear that she’d transform into her furry, horned, bunyip shape and wouldn’t be able to change back to her human form again.
‘I don’t know that either,’ I admitted. ‘She did everything else Monroe told her to do. When he commanded that she shift, she looked like she was trying.’ In truth, she’d looked like she was in terrible pain but I wasn’t going to tell Lizzy that.
‘That’s awful.’
Julie snorted. ‘She had just ripped a vampire apart. I don’t think she needs much sympathy.’
‘A vampire who deserved it! He murdered Valerie for no good reason,’ Lizzie protested.
‘Probably,’ I interjected. ‘He probably murdered Valerie.’
‘An eye for an eye,’ Lizzy declared.
Julie crossed her arms. ‘Innocent until proven guilty,’ she shot back.
I passed a hand over my forehead. Lizzy and Julie usually got on alright. The fact that they were arguing about what had happened did not bode well. I reached across, grabbed the bottle of gin and started glugging it neat. The pair of them slowly swivelled towards me then exchanged glances.
‘Maybe you should go lie down, Charley,’ Lizzy suggested.
Julie nodded. ‘I think that’s a good idea.’
At least we finally agreed on something. I yawned. Then I thought of all the people outside who wanted to talk to me; I had other responsibilities beyond killer vampires, insane werewolves and glorious sleep to deal with.
‘In a while,’ I said. ‘Give me a rundown of what’s been happening for the last couple of days while I’ve been away first.’ I wanted to see what I could delegate and what I really had to deal with myself. I managed a tired smile and pretended I didn’t see the worry in my friends’ eyes. ‘No rest for the wicked.’
The next morning, when I stumbled downstairs in the search of something that could wake me up now that coffee was so scarce and only being kept for special occasions, I realised that yet again we had visitors. When one of those visitors spoke with a soft Scottish brogue, I stopped on the bottom step to eavesdrop.
‘You need to do more to pick up the slack,’ Monroe was saying. ‘It’s not fair.’
‘I’ve been telling them that for weeks, darling.’
He snorted. ‘What have you done to help Charlotte, then?’
‘I came to find you, didn’t I?’
I didn’t need to see him to know that he was rolling his eyes. ‘You’re supposed to have a council that runs things. This isn’t a one-woman show. In any case, Charlotte needs to come with me. We still have to find out what happened to Valerie – and why. I think murder takes precedence over your other business.’
‘I’m a busy person too, darling. There are plenty of other people who can help Charley.’ Julie paused. ‘Most people don’t like me all that much.’
There was a loud snort, which could only have come from Jodie. ‘That’s hardly the newsflash of the century. Look, Monroe,’ she added, ‘we do try to help. We don’t just leave Charley to sort everything on her own. The trouble is that she’s so…’
Her voice trailed off. I narrowed my eyes. I was so what?
‘Capable,’ Lizzy finished for her.
‘Exactly,’ Jodie said.
Capable? That was the last thing I was. Certainly these days.
‘Well,’ Monroe said, with a steely edge, ‘the rest of you are going to have to become more capable too. I need Charlotte with me.’ There was a beat. ‘You can come out now,’ he called.
I winced. Darn it. I walked down the final step and into the kitchen. ‘Hey.’
Jodie, Julie and Lizzy stared at me guiltily.
‘How much of that did you hear?’ Lizzy asked.
‘Enough,’ I said. I fiddled with the buttons on my cuffs and drew in a deep breath. ‘This isn’t just about needing to help Monroe with the investigation,’ I told them. ‘I’m not coping very well right now. There’s so much to deal with and there’s never a break. I’m not saying I want to bow out or hand everything over to someone else.’ I raised my head and looked at them all. ‘But I need more help.’
Lizzy and Jodie looked even more guilty; Monroe and Julie just smiled. I glanced round. Well, hey: I’d asked for help and admitted I was struggling and the sky hadn’t fallen in and the walls were still standing. Maybe there was hope for me yet.
‘They don’t listen to us,’ Jodie said. ‘The people out there.
We’d do a lot more but they all want you. They believe in you.’ She tugged nervously at her collar. ‘Anna’s a police officer. Shouldn’t she be the one investigating the murder instead of you?’
‘She is,’ Julie said. ‘She’s also keeping the peace on a whole host of other matters.’ She nodded decisively. ‘We’ll convene the council and see what we can come up with. Not everything should be on your shoulders, Charley.’ She offered an airy smile and strolled out.
Jodie rolled her eyes. ‘She’s very good at telling other people what to do and avoiding any responsibility herself.’ She sighed. ‘But we’ll do what she says and see how we can change things a bit.’
Lizzy nodded. ‘I’m sorry, Charley. I knew you were finding things tough but I didn’t realise quite how bad things were. And I didn’t realise how much you had to deal with until you weren’t here. As much as I like everyone in our little community, they do complain a lot, don’t they?’
I permitted myself a small smile. ‘They do.’ I hesitated. ‘Can I have a hug?’
Lizzy beamed and bounced over to me. She beckoned Jodie and Monroe. The former joined in; the latter grimaced awkwardly.
From the doorway, Anna cleared her throat. ‘Am I interrupting something?’
‘Come and join the group hug!’ Lizzy sang.
‘Come and save us from the group hug,’ Monroe muttered.
‘Hmm.’ Anna didn’t seem to know what to say. She watched us for a moment then shrugged as if deciding we were all crazy. I felt a giggle threatening to burst out of me at her expression. ‘Is this a good time?’ she asked. ‘I’ve got some updates to discuss with you.’
Instantly, I sobered up. ‘To do with Valerie?’
‘Yes.’
I stepped back, reverting from Charley who had friends and knew how to enjoy herself to Charley the accidental leader of a group of post-apocalyptic survivors. You couldn’t make this shit up.
‘Take a seat,’ I said grimly. ‘Let’s hear what you’ve got.’
Chapter Fifteen
Lizzy and Jodie made their excuses and beat a hasty retreat. I didn’t blame them; it wasn’t much fun poring over the gruesome details of a vicious murder, or examining the detritus of the life the victim had left behind.
‘So,’ Anna said, knitting her fingers under her chin, ‘I understand that our working theory is that this vampire, Philip Someone, killed Valerie by drinking all of her blood and then the werewolf, Maggie, killed him.’
‘Maggie?’ I asked. ‘That’s her name?’
Monroe nodded.
It didn’t sound like the name of someone who would hunt down a killer and rip them to pieces; it sounded like the name of someone who would dispense tea and hugs and the occasional chocolate biscuit.
‘She’s still not shifted back,’ Monroe said, his mouth in a thin line. ‘We’ve tried everything but she’s not budging. Until she does…’
‘She can’t answer any questions.’ I frowned. ‘I get it.’ I glanced at him. Just the thought of her was turning his eyes a stormier shade of blue. It didn’t surprise me. I’d seen him in action, using his own will to get Lizzy to transform from bunyip into human again. I knew what he was capable of – under normal circumstances. ‘Is it clear yet whether she is refusing to transform, or is it something else?’ I asked, echoing Lizzy’s concerns.
He drummed his fingers on the table. ‘It’s impossible to tell. Once we’re done here, I was hoping you could come with me to see her. You might be able to conjure up some magic to force her to shift.’
That seemed an unlikely scenario. I still didn’t know all that my magic was capable of and I’d be worried about hurting her – or worse – if I forced the matter. Let’s face it, if Monroe and all his fellow wolves couldn’t command her to shift back, how on earth would I? All the same, I nodded agreement. It was better than staying around here and dealing with missing gluten-free cereal bars. I reminded myself that I was supposed to be the optimistic one. ‘I’ll find a way to change her,’ I said. ‘I’m sure it won’t be that hard.’
At least Monroe had the grace to remain silent in the face of my over-confidence.
‘The thing is,’ Anna said, ‘I’ve been through all of Valerie’s stuff and read her diary from cover to cover. There is no evidence that she had anything to do with vampires, or werewolves for that matter. In fact, from the interviews I’ve conducted, she despised them. There was an incident at one of her poker sessions where a vampire tried to gain access and she refused them. Rather vocally from what I was told.’
‘Sometimes,’ I said thoughtfully, ‘the one who protests the loudest is the one who has the most to hide. If Philip was one of her lovers, or merely a potential lover, and she was embarrassed by that fact, she might have tried to conceal it from others around her.’
‘True,’ Anna conceded. ‘However, there were various anti-vampire objects in her room.’
I raised an eyebrow. ‘Such as?’
‘A crucifix. Garlic. That kind of thing.’
‘That stuff doesn’t work. It was made up by people who wanted to discredit vampires.’
Monroe shrugged. ‘It doesn’t matter if it works or not. What matters is that she believed it worked. She was clearly afraid of vampires and what they might do to her.’ His eyes hardened. ‘Or afraid of one particular vampire.’
Anna didn’t look convinced. ‘I’d have said the same,’ she said. ‘But most of this stuff was shoved away in drawers. She didn’t have it within easy reach. It was as if she’d got hold of such things as an afterthought in case she needed them one day, but it wasn’t a pressing issue. I don’t believe there’s anything more sinister here than the fact that she didn’t like vampires very much.’
I wrinkled my nose. ‘And if she didn’t like vampires, she wouldn’t be shagging one.’
She nodded. ‘Indeed.’
‘I don’t like that word,’ Monroe said.
I blinked at him. Eh?
‘Shagging,’ he explained.
Yeah, yeah. ‘You’re more of a fucking guy, aren’t you?’ I’d heard him use that term before. That wasn’t my favourite euphemism either. If you could call it a euphemism.
His eyes held mine. ‘Making love is better.’
My mouth suddenly felt uncomfortably dry. Anna’s gaze flicked from Monroe to me and back again. ‘Okay,’ she said slowly. ‘Getting back to the matter in hand…’
I coughed. ‘Yes.’ I turned to her. ‘What about the men Valerie did recently sha— erm, have affairs with? Do you have a list of them? They might have engaged Philip’s services.’ I raised my shoulders in a vague shrug. ‘Outsourcing murder. It could happen.’
‘As far as I can tell,’ Anna said, with an approving smile at my suggestion, ‘there are three potential candidates. There aren’t names for any of these three but Valerie did write down quite a few other details about them. If you two are focusing on the werewolf and anything else you can dig up about Philip, then I’d like to see whether I can identify Valerie’s men. Whatever else is going on here, it started with her.’
The last thing I was going to do was disagree with Anna’s proposal. She was the only one here who had any real experience in investigating crime, even if she was used to doing it with the aid of an entire police force, not to mention a database of criminals, DNA and fingerprints. ‘It sounds like a good plan,’ I said.
Monroe stood up. ‘Definitely. And you’re right about Philip. Once Charlotte and I have finished with Maggie, we should go and talk to the other vampires about him. They should have more reason to answer our questions honestly than before.’ He glanced at me. ‘Much as I hate to admit it, you’re right about the way things are in the north. The vampires can’t afford to be tainted with the suggestion of a murderer hiding in their midst. And, regardless of the motive, neither can the werewolves.’
‘There’s no place for murder in either the south or the north,’ Anna said.
‘Or anywhere in Manchester,’ I added. They both nodded at me
in grim agreement. ‘Group hug?’ I asked hopefully.
Anna actually looked slightly afraid. ‘Let’s settle for a firm handshake.’
I grinned and shook her hand, then Monroe did the same. It was oddly formal but it also felt right. Weird. Next thing, I’d probably be carrying around a clipboard and wearing a suit. What a thought.
Once Anna had departed, Monroe walked over to me. His expression was strange, intent but also doubtful. His hands reached up and he cupped my face. ‘I don’t want a hug,’ he said softly. ‘And it would be inappropriate right now, given everything that’s going on. But what I do want more than anything is to kiss you. Properly. When you came downstairs, with your daft blue hair tousled and the look in your eyes so vulnerable…’ He growled softly. ‘I’m normally better at this sort of stuff. I simply wanted to let you know what I was really thinking and state my intent before a better offer comes along.’
I swallowed. Of everything I’d been expecting him to say, this wasn’t it. My surprise must have registered because he stepped back and dropped his hands. ‘Sorry,’ he muttered. ‘I shouldn’t have said that.’
Whoa. ‘No!’ I interjected hastily. ‘I mean, yes!’ I wasn’t making any sense. I cursed to myself then closed the distance between us and reached up for his face in the same manner that he’d reached up to mine. ‘We’ve been doing this dance for a while, Monroe.’ I licked my lips nervously.
His gaze darted downwards and it occurred to me that this might appear to be a calculated move on my part. Whatever you might think of me, I’m not the seductress type, much as a secret part of myself might want to be.
I yanked my tongue back and tried to explain before the moment was lost. My words tripped over themselves. ‘Even when I didn’t see you for weeks, you were what I thought about. A better offer isn’t going to come along. You’re the best there is. I want the kiss too. And more afterwards.’
His eyes darkened. ‘I’m still fucked up, Charlotte. I’m a mess. You’d do better to stay away from me.’
I laughed lightly. ‘Probably. But I’m not sure I can. And whatever mess you are, whatever front you put on for everyone else, you still show the real you to me. I see the real you and I know you see the real me.’ I pushed myself onto my tiptoes and dropped my voice to a whisper. ‘And, in case you’ve not noticed, I’m pretty fucked up too.’