Page 34 of The Vampire and the Case of the Hellacious Hag

‘Yup.’

He huffed. ‘On my way to the office then, see you shortly.’

Mafu slumped into one of our plasticvisitor chairs. I went round the counter and sat next to him. ‘What’s going on?’

The big man gave a sigh that seemed to deflate him completely. He shook his head. ‘Family drama.’ He slapped his hands on his thick thighs and stood up again. ‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have wasted your time.’

‘That’s okay,’ I said faintly. ‘No harm done.’ Plus, he was the mayor. ‘If you do need help, let us know,’ I offered lamely. He nodded briskly and walked out.

‘What was that all about?’ I asked Sidnee.

‘Beats me. I knew he didn’t like his son-in-law, but not enough to press charges.’

Soon afterwards, Gunnar came in the back. ‘Where’s Mafu?’ he asked, scanning the waiting area.

‘Umm, he left. He sends apologies,’ I told him.

He shook his head with annoyance. ‘He does this at least twice a year. Let me guess – it was his son-in-law?’

‘Yep,’ Sidnee confirmed.

‘Twice a year, I tell you, it’s his car or his boat or some tool. They fight like cats and dogs.’ He looked down at Shadow and Fluffy who were curled up together on the dog bed. ‘Or most cats and dogs.’

‘So do I write up a report?’ I asked.

Gunnar sighed. ‘Nope, let this one go.’ He grimaced. ‘Like all the others. But Iamgoing to have words with the mayor because he can’t keep doing this. At least this time he changed his mind quickly – sometimes I spend hours following up before he drops it. It has to stop.’

‘Okay, no report.’ I hesitated a second and Gunnar saw it.

‘What?’ he asked.

‘I’m about to call Liv. She said she knew a lot about hags. Do you want to listen in?’

His face grew ruddier and his lips pressed together. ‘I do not. You can take notes for me.’

‘Okay, I’ll do that.’

Sidnee started to pack up. ‘I’ll leave you to it. Have a great night.’

‘You too!’

She grinned. ‘You bet I will!’

I waved my beaming bestie out then waited until Gunnar was in his office before I dialled our resident queen of death.

Chapter 21

Liv answered my call right away. ‘Hello, Bunny.’ Her voice was flat and unwelcoming.

‘Is now a good time?’ I asked optimistically.

‘I guess. What do you want to know?’

I rolled my eyes. She knew what I wanted to know but she was making me work for it. ‘Hags,’ I specified.

‘I knowthat,Bunny. What do youspecificallywant to know about them?’ Her tone was rude.

‘Everything, really. I’ll tell you what I’ve learned already, but it’s not a whole lot. I know that they’re earth elementals and I’ve seen a demonstration of what that looks like. I know they have metal teeth and nails, and they’re immortal.’ I paused. ‘Ours also has an insane sweet tooth, but I’m not sure if that’s specific to Matilda or not. What else is important?’

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