Page 18 of The Vampire and the Case of the Malevolent Mermaid

‘Some people have to learn things the hard way,’ I murmured. Me included; I’d dated and fooled around with a string of creeps, and the last one had turned me vamp against my will. I hoped the mayor’s daughter followed through with her threat. Maybe then she’d find a new man as lovely as Connor. I’dsolucked out with him.

‘Anyway, I’ll be in at the usual time,’ I promised. ‘Is Sidnee there?’

‘She just left. She said something about a computer.’

I sat up straight. Had the hacker come through? ‘Thanks, April,’ I said hurriedly, then hung up to check my texts. Sure enough I had two from Sidnee.

The first one said,Going to the diner, meeting my hacker friend.

The second one added,Got a lead. Call me.

I texted back,Where are you? I’m coming, then leapt out of bed. I fed my animals, took the fastest shower ever and didn’t even bother with a cup of tea – I just hurriedly warmed a cup of blood. I checked my phone the second I was ready to leave.Office, Sidnee had replied.

I grabbed my four-legged friends and headed to work at double-speed. When I burst in, Sidnee was standing by my deskwith Kate’s laptop pressed to her chest. She was nearly dancing with the need to tell me what she’d found out.

I didn’t even wait to get close to her: I just pulled a Gunnar and bellowed, ‘What did she find?’ As I let Shadow out of his pram, I demanded, ‘Well?’

‘There was nothing on socials or in her email.’

My heart sank. We needed a lead – something other than darkness, dammit. ‘However…’ Sidnee began.

My heart thumped hard. I leaned forward. ‘Yes?’

‘There were odd emails and comments on Kate’s social media from someone asking her friends where she and Essie would be, and when. Kate’s a smart kid – she got creeped out and blocked the guy, someone called Scott Evans. My hacker friend, Pynk, tried to trace him but the account was a bogus one, set up just that week presumably to stalk the girls.’

I shuddered. Definitely a pre-meditated snatch, then, rather than an impulsive decision. ‘Did she tell her parents about Evans?’

Sidnee sighed. ‘I haven’t managed to speak to the parents yet.’

‘Ugh, tell me we’ve gotsomething.’

‘Pynk tracked his IP or whatever – I didn’t understand all the technical chatter. Bogus account or not, the messages definitely originated in town.’

‘Can she get any closer than that?’

‘South end of town, but nothing more precise. He was using a VPN. But it tells us he probably isn’t MIB. Pynk said the security wasn’t difficult to get through so it’s definitely not government related. He’s just a creep – but a local one.’

The MIB had used the mine tunnels and there were plenty of caves around; ruling them out as suspects actually helped. We weren’t dealing with a pro here but an amateur – and amateurs made mistakes. When he made his next one, we’d be waiting.

I just had to pray it happened soon.

Chapter 11

I called our local pilot, Edgy, to make sure he ran any future trips and passenger rosters past me until further notice. No flights were to go out without Nomo approval.

‘What about the boats?’ Sidnee asked.

I grimaced. ‘You’re right.’ Not only could a boat take the girls away, but the bowels of a boat could be pitch black just like Sally had seen. The girls might be being held prisoner in a hold.

After a moment’s hesitation, I called Stan. ‘Hey, Bunny!’ he answered, sounding cheerful.

‘Hey. I know you’ve been helping with the search for the missing girls but there’s been a suggestion they could be being held on a boat. Can you and your people search all the boats in the harbour? I’m talking about the holds, not a cabin or wheelhouse. Sally said the girls were somewhere pitch dark.’

There was a long pause. ‘It’s going to cause issues if my guys think I’m accusing them of kidnapping,’ he said finally.

‘We don’t even know for certain that the girlshavebeen kidnapped – they could have run away and hidden.’ Why they would have done that, I didn’t know; Pynk had found nothing on Kate’s laptop to suggest that had happened. But if the way to getthese fishermen to let Stan search their boats was to suggest the girls were runaways, I was fine with that.

‘Okay.’ His tone was grave. ‘I can roll with that.’

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