Page 68 of The Vampire and the Case of the Malevolent Mermaid

He opened his mouth to tell me no but then changed his mind. ‘Sure,’ he said and I shot him a grateful smile. I wasn’t entirely sure what to do about Reggie but giving tea and biscuits to someone upset came as naturally as breathing.

I made a quick brew and put five biscuits on a plate, fanned out like a flower. It made me think of my mum but I immediatelyquashed the thought. I’d call her later when Reggie – her main victim – wasn’t in front of me. ‘Here,’ I said, as I set the biscuits down.

‘Thanks, Bunny.’ He paused. ‘Who are you arresting?’

‘Cobalt Robertson. He’s the ringleader behind the kidnapping.’

Reggie shook his head in disbelief. ‘Why take his own daughter?’

‘The working theory is that he resents her having so much of her mother’s attention.’

‘What a wanker,’ he murmured. ‘I’d like to come with you to the arrest.’

‘As Reggie?’ I asked, surprised.

‘As Fluffy,’ he countered.

‘You promised twenty-four hours, Reggie. It hasn’t even been three.’

He sighed. ‘Fine. Whatever. I’ll stay here and have tea and biscuits.’ His tone was resentful and my heart hurt. I was failing him; I was not Sigrid or Gunnar and I knew nothing about helping hurt kids, other than remembering what had helped me.

I went over and hugged him. Doing my best to channel Gunnar I said, ‘Thank you for wanting to help. I’m proud of you.’

He clung to me for a long moment. ‘Thanks,’ he said, but his voice wobbled and his eyes were overly bright. He cleared his throat. ‘I’m going to stay here and watch a film.’ He hesitated. ‘If you want to stay the night at Connor’s, I can look after Shadow.’

‘Of course you can. Thanks for the offer – I’ll let you know. I promised Shadow salmon for a week, so make sure to indulge him if I stay out.’

Hescruffed the purring cat under the chin. ‘I will. Bunny?’

‘Yeah?’

‘Be careful out there.’

‘I will be,’ I promised. ‘I’ll be as careful as if the royal family were travelling in the same vehicle.’

He snorted. ‘No, you won’t, but text me when the dust has settled.’ He lifted his phone to show me he still had it and to prove it was charged.

If I texted and got nothing back, I’d know why: he’d be running on his paws again playing ghost. No opposable thumbs, no messages, just radio silence and the ever-increasing gulf between us. I hoped I’d get a reply.

Chapter 42

When I slid into the SUV, neither Gunnar nor Sidnee mentioned how long I’d been in the house, but as we moved off Gunnar asked, ‘How’s he doing?’

I shook my head. ‘Not great. I don’t know what to do.’

‘Just keep on loving him and everything else will fall into place,’ he advised gently.

With Fluffy at the forefront of my mind, I thought about his contribution to the Robertson’s case, and how angry Cobalt had been when I’d rocked up with my dog. Knowing what I knew now, it was no wonder he’d been so freaked out.

That thought made me pull out my phone and dial the Robertson’s maid, Jesse. Having an eidetic memory had been a curse for much of my life, but for an officer of the law it was awesome. I didn’t need to sift through paperwork to find her number, I already knew it by heart.

I’d interviewed Jesse briefly but I hadn’t thought to ask if she’d been called in on a day she didn’t normally work: I hadn’t asked if she’d come in specially to clean on the day the girls went missing.

‘Jesse?’ I asked, once she answered.

‘Yes, who’s calling?’

‘It’s OfficerBarrington. I’m calling about the day Kate disappeared.’

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