Page 23 of A Match Made in Coven
As they walked down the driveway, Sarah Michelle couldn’t shake Glenda’s last words from her mind. Follow her heart? Trust in it? She wasn’t sure what to make of that cryptic advice. Lorcan was frowning, too.
“Well, that was… interesting.” He broke the silence.
Sarah Michelle snorted. “That’s one way to put it. I’m not positive we should trust a tarot reading, but following the money isn’t terrible advice.”
Lorcan nodded, his usual cocky demeanor subdued. “Agreed. We should look into Elijah’s finances, check if anything suspicious stands out.”
“I’ve already ordered a full report. I’m just waiting for the financial team to turn it in. I should have it later this morning if they’re not late. They can be slow.”
“Lazy bureaucrats,” Lorcan gritted out.
And while Sarah Michelle wouldn’t openly criticize another department, she suppressed a smirk of agreement.
She must’ve done a poor job hiding her alignment because Lorcan smiled at her, and that same heart she was supposed to follow kicked in response. Hopefully, the two were not related.
“Shall we get a self-refilling cup of coffee to-go before we bury ourselves into financial records for the rest of the day?” he suggested.
Sarah Michelle nodded. Financial records were as sexy as a troll’s pustule about to burst. Exactly what she needed right now.
Chapter Thirteen
Follow the Money
LORCAN
The sun was still cresting above the tall trees, painting their fall-colored leaves in brilliant hues of red, yellow, and orange, as they walked away from Chiron Manor toward Sarah Michelle’s car. Lorcan slid into the front passenger seat of her sensible sedan, smirking. “It’s nice to ride up front for a change, instead of being chained up in the back.”
Sarah Michelle rolled her eyes, the hint of a smile tugging at her lips despite her clear efforts to keep scowling. “Please, you were never chained.” She shifted the car into drive and headed toward her place across town.
Lorcan leaned back, enjoying how the golden morning light danced over Sarah Michelle’s bronzed skin and illuminated strands of blue in her black hair. Something about this grumpy, sarcastic detective drew him in like a pixie to moonlight. Perhaps it was the challenge she represented, with her sharp wit and fierce personality. Or he simply had a thing for women who could curse him six ways to Sunday.
As they pulled up to Sarah Michelle’s cozy cottage, Andromeda came to the door, a smirk on her lips as she called out, “Well, well, look who’s back.”
Sarah Michelle strode up the walkway with her characteristic no-nonsense stride. “Hey, Andy. We need your help.” She summarized the potential financial lead with Morning Star as they headed inside—apparently, she wasn’t all about business only with him.
Lorcan followed the two witches into the living room, and they gathered around the dining table, setting up their laptops and three boxes filled with case papers that Sarah Michelle must’ve summoned from the station—they weren’t here last night. A pang of guilt assaulted him. He was making her work from home to hide this unconventional collaboration he’d forced on her. But Lorcan wanted to find Elijah’s killer, and he was still convinced Sarah Michelle had a better chance of apprehending the culprit with his help.
“Can you do a deep dive on this Morning Star thing?” Sarah Michelle asked her roommate. “Check the normal Internet but also poke around the Darknet, check if anything pings concerning money or finance. I’ve added you as an official consultant, so you’ll get the usual fee.”
Andromeda cracked her knuckles and opened her laptop. “You got it. Give me an hour, I’ll see what I can dredge up.”
Lorcan pouted. “Why can she be added as a consultant and I can’t?”
Sarah gave him that overly sweet, villain-right-before-she-pulls-the-lever smile. “For starters, she has actual useful skills and is accredited with SMPD. And she also wasn’t the victim’s best friend and business partner.”
“That’s okay. I’ll just sit here and radiate untapped potential.” Then, just because, Lorcan winked at Sarah Michelle, delighting in the scowl she shot him.
He vowed to chip away at that grumpy exterior and uncover the passionate woman he suspected lurked underneath.
While Andromeda poked around the web, they combed through Elijah’s financial records, both of them preferring not to wait for the official report that, indeed, was late.
Despite the gravity of the task, Lorcan wasn’t as concentrated as he should be. He kept stealing glances at Sarah Michelle as she worked, admiring the determined set of her jaw and how she absently twirled a lock of hair—this morning back to pin straight—around her finger while deep in thought. Sarah Michelle lifted her gaze, and their eyes locked. A flight of sprites swarmed his belly in response.
Gargoyles, he had it bad.
They were still looking at each other, strangely saying nothing, when Andromeda glanced up from her screen, gaze darting between them. “Should I leave you two alone? Feeling a bit like the third wheel.”
Lorcan flashed her his most charming grin. “Third wheel? Nah, more like our lucky charm.”
