Page 49 of The Vampire and the Case of the Malevolent Mermaid

Connor went up first and I held the light so he could unlatch the metal hatch above the ladder. It wasn’t complicated like the hidden door at the mine: this was old school with just a wheel holding it closed. Connor twisted it and slowly opened the hatch. Light flooded in and I gratefully breathed in fresh air. He looked around then climbed up and opened the aperture wide for the rest of us to come out.

Shadow wasn’t pleased with the ladder and even less pleased when I slung him over my shoulder. Luckily Connor grabbed him once I was in reach and hauled him up. The cat gave a grumbling sound but he kept his claws to himself.

Once I was outside, I looked around. We were still in the forest. It was dark and the sound of rain through the trees hid any other sounds besides us. I shone my light on the ground around us looking for signs that the girls had escaped but there were neither human nor vehicle tracks. The ground was deep in forest detritus and any marks, unless made in the last half hour, were invisible to my untrained eyes. Not for the first time I wished Thomas was with us; he could track a fish through a river.

We searched the area with flashlights but saw nothing. The rain had been falling steadily for hours and the wind was blowing a hooley, so any scent trail was also long gone. A truly remarkable dog might have been able to pick up something but this wasbeyond Fluffy’s talents. He could cope with light drizzle but not a downpour like this.

I looked at my cat. He had all sorts of weird skills. ‘Shadow, can you find the girls?’ I asked.

He looked up at the sound of his name but didn’t move. No surprise there. Bodies that had been dead for eighty years, sure, but living girls? Nah.

I sighed. The thought of leaving the girls out in this weather made me feel sick but we couldn’t organise a search party in the dark in a storm. I just had to hope they’d been smart enough to find shelter, avoid their captors and look for help. I couldn’t stop thinking about the call Sidnee had taken at the Nomo’s office from a young, unidentified female. The idea that they’d tried to do exactly that wouldn’t leave me.

‘I’ll get the search and rescue people on this, but first I need to get back to the vehicles and call it in,’ I said, though the truth was that ‘the search and rescue people’ were usually Gunnar, Thomas, Fluffy and me.

I turned to the king’s men. ‘Thank you for your assistance, gentlemen.’ The dismissal was clear and Reams’ eyes flashed with anger. Connor jerked his head to underline my order and the three vampires melted away using their supernatural speed to get out of the rain and back to their cars.

That left Connor and I alone in the pouring rain. Nothing said romance like hanging out in a storm after finding several dead bodies; still, it was good to have a moment together.

Connor laced his fingers through mine and we walked slowly back to our vehicles. The other Kamluck trucks had already gone when we arrived. I put Shadow back into the SUV so I didn’t have to keep hold of him and gave Fluffy a chastening look for letting his lynx friend go and not even barking in warning.

Connor tugged me away from the vehicles in case they’d been bugged. ‘The girls have to be out here somewhere,’ I said.

‘I agree. Let’s hope they’ve managed to evade their captors.’

‘Yeah.’ I paused. ‘But not hearing from them isn’t a good sign.’

He sighed. ‘No, it’s not. Let’s hope that’s because they’ve not got access to a cell.’

‘But I think they did have,’ I said softly. ‘I think they used Donovan’s mobile to call the Nomo’s office but something spooked them and they left before help could arrive.’

‘The beast?’

‘Maybe, though Liv said the barrier was fully operational. But yeah, I’ve been thinking that the girls may have witnessed Donovan’s murder.’

Connor stilled. ‘If they did, they could be the key to freeing Sidnee.’

‘The thought had occurred to me,’ I admitted.

He ran a hand through his hair and I smiled. His hair was wet from the rain, as was mine, so his curls were tighter and laid flat against his skull. I wanted to run both my hands through them … but when we were in the warmth of his shower. I sighed again. There would be no fun and games until the king’s goons had gone. Connor was too stressed and I wasn’t feeling all kittens and sunshine either.

‘Your father’s men don’t seem so bad,’ I noted.

He snorted. ‘Don’t be fooled. Reams would be torturing people for answers right now if I didn’t keep him on a short leash.’

‘Yeesh.’

‘They’re staying back and they’re watching. Everything they see or suspect will be reported to my father. We have to be careful.’

‘Well, they can’t see us now,’ I said and laced my arms around his neck.

‘No,’ he agreed and pressed his lips to mine. What do you know? A kiss in the rainisromantic.

We pulled apart reluctantly. ‘I have to go. I want eyes on Reams as much as possible and John doesn’t have the authority to keep them in their place.’

‘How is John?’ I asked. John had helped me escape from London and I owed him everything. He’d recently lost his wife, and he was still finding his new normal.

‘Good. He’s doing well – best hire I ever made.’ He kissed me again. ‘I gotta go. Keep yourself safe.’

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