Page 26 of Dragon Detective

“But imagine the warm sun all year round,” Sylvia said with a sigh. “The taxes are great in Florida too.”

“You’re welcome to sell your antique shop and the apartment you live in above it if you’d like. I bet Grant would make you a nice offer since your building shares the same view. Then you can buy yourself a nice little condo in Florida and live the good life.”

Sylvia huffed. “And leave Mystic Harbor? I was born and raised here. It’s my home. You’re new to town. You haven’t sunk down roots yet.”

“I plan to.” Hannah smiled my way. “What about you, Reylor? Do you hope to sink some roots into Mystic Harbor?”

“Definitely. I’m looking for a place to buy right now, and I’m here for the duration.”

“It’s a lovely town.” Sylvia’s gaze traveled to the window. She frowned, and her hand fluttered at her throat.

I turned to look out the window but didn’t see anything of concern. A gray-haired man about retirement age was walking a small dog down the sidewalk, but he didn’t appear to be paying any attention to the B&B.

“I love how we’ve all opened our arms to monsters,” Sylvia said, drawing my attention back to her. “To think, all these years, we worried about the boogeyman in the closet. Now you might meet up with him at the movies, and he’s not starring in the film.” Her cackle rang out. “His name’s Waldorf. Would you believe that?”

“I assume a boogeyman is just like any other person. Why not name him Waldorf?” Hannah asked lightly.

Sylvia tapped Hannah’s hand lying on the table. “Now that’s a very good question.”

The bulbs in the chandelier overhead dimmed before brightening again.

“I thought you asked an electrician to look at that,” Sylvia said, peering up through her glasses.

Hannah grunted. “I told you the wiring was replaced a few years ago.”

“Mice.” Sylvia shivered. “Or rats.”

“The only rats here are plastic ones,” Hannah muttered.

“What dear?”

“Nothing.”

Sylvia shook her finger at Hannah. “You need to call an exterminator right away. Nip it in the bud before the rats have babies who grow up fast to have their own babies. You’ll have an infestation and let me tell you, finding their feces all over the place will drive your guests away.”

Hannah released a heavy sigh. “It’s not rats.”

“Mice then,” Sylvia said. “They chew through old cloth wire and make quite a mess. You’ll be vacuuming up the fluff everywhere.”

“It’s not mice.” Hannah lowered her voice and directed her words to me. “It’s probably the fixture. I kept most of the original ones because they’re antiques and add character, but if this onekeeps doing that, I’ll have to replace it. I’m sure I can find something new online that looks similar.”

“I hate to see you replacing anything that gives this place its antique charm.” Sylvia finished the last bite of her muffin and eyed the rest in the basket. “But I understand. You wouldn’t want the place to burn down due to faulty wiring.”

“The wiring was done by a reputable company,” Hannah said in a breezy voice that held an edge of firmness. “The electrical inspector signed off on it, stating it was done correctly.”

Sylvia took another muffin and sliced into it. “If you say so, dear. You can never be too careful about things like that. I do worry about you working so hard to bring this place back into shape.”

“I love the work.” Hannah shot me a grin that I returned. She was lovely; I couldn’t do anything less. “And I love seeing my progress.”

“She’s done an amazing job already,” I said. The muffins were incredible, and the coffee held just the right smokey note. I’d ask her where she bought her beans later.

“What if you fall?” Sylvia tutted. “You could lie somewhere for hours, injured with no one hearing your cry for help.”

“I take my phone with me everywhere.”

“Sell, I tell you. Grant will make sure you come out of the deal with a profit.”

“I’m not selling,” Hannah ground out.

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