Page 26 of Pointy Ears and Purple Glitter
After they said their goodbyes, Malik ended the call and placed the phone back on the nightstand. Tynan settled against him again, thoughtful.
“Your mechanic has quite the investigative mind,” Tynan remarked.
“He’s sharp,” Malik agreed. “Always has been. His mam came with him to the interview when he first applied to work here. She said very plainly that he was a good kid who just needed someone to point him in the right direction.”
Tynan traced abstract patterns on Malik’s chest with one slender finger. “You know, I’d like to hire him part-time, if that wasn’t a problem with you. I don’t mind paying him for helping me, outside of his working hours with you.”
“Hire Ian?”
“To help with the social media tracking side of my business,” Tynan explained. “He’s clearly better at it than I am. I barely understand how to use that thing called Instagram, let alone how to extract useful information from it.”
Malik considered it. “He could use the extra money. His mam’s food pantry runs on donations, and those can be unpredictable.”
“And I could use the help,” Tynan added. “Especially with cases involving younger people. I realize that sounds weird given I’m a hundred and sixty-four years old, but I’m hopelessly behind on modern communication methods.”
Malik chuckled. “You’re not that bad. You figured out how to text me dirty messages earlier today.”
Tynan swatted his chest playfully. “That’s different. Motivation matters.”
“Speaking of motivation…” Malik rolled them over in one smooth motion, pinning Tynan beneath him, taking care not to squash Tynan’s wings the wrong way. “I believe you mentioned something about round three?”
Those same wings fluttered against the sheets, Tynan’s green eyes darkening with renewed desire. “I believe I did.”
Chapter Fourteen
Tynan hadn’t done much more than collate all of the posts Ian had found about the relationship between Mrs. Cooper and Hayley by the time Friday afternoon rolled around. He’d considered writing a report or possibly making an appointment with Mrs. Cooper to speak to her about the discrepancy between what he’d been told and what he’d learned, but there was something deep inside his gut that held him back.
Regardless of the information found, Hayley was still missing. She hadn’t accessed her social media for the past six weeks, and while Ian had suggested she could’ve easily set up new profiles under another name, neither of them had been able to find any suggestion that was true.
I need to find her.That had always been Tynan’s intention, although as he thought back over the way Mrs. Cooper had described the situation, he realized Mrs. Cooper wasn’t so much wanting her daughter back as needing a story about what happened to Hayley that was palatable to Mrs. Cooper’s friends.
“I don’t like to say it, my mate,” Malik had said gently the night before, “but that could’ve been why she hired an inexperienced PI to find Hayley in the first place. With her financial resources, she could’ve hired a complete team of private investigators who could work across the country to find her daughter.”
Malik’s assessment was only depressing because it was likely true. Sighing, Tynan shuffled his papers together and put them in a manila folder. He hadn’t been back to his office since he’d gone to find Malik, preferring to work in the workshop office instead.
“Are you finished for the night?” Tynan looked up to see Ian standing in the office doorway, pulling on his jacket. Outside, it was just starting to get dark.
“If you mean, have I finished printing out and filing the social media posts you found for me in alphabetical and date order, according to platform, then yes.” Tynan held up the manila folder. “Your location tips were really useful. I might have to spend some time next week visiting some of the cafes Hayley went to, see if anyone remembers her being with an attentive male.”
“I’ll make a list of those places and their locations over the weekend if you like?” Ian came in, taking the file Tynan held out. “I can also put the word out among some of my friends to see if anyone remembers seeing her.”
“That would be hugely helpful.” Still, Tynan hesitated. Ian had agreed to work up to ten hours a week for him, outside of the hours he spent working for Malik. “Haven’t you got weekend plans of your own?”
“I’ll be helping mam in the garden, doing a shift at the foodbank, and I’m going out Saturday night with friends.” Ian tapped the folder with his free hand. “Plenty of time left to do some more sleuthing. I’ll see you on Monday. See you, too, Sparky.”
“Don’t forget to ask your mam about making a fruitcake.” Sparky’s head was buried under his wing - he was dozing on the desk - but clearly Ian heard him.
“Will do, my avian friend. Bye.”
Ian’s place was taken by Malik who was watching him with heated eyes. “Ready for a bit of a drive, my mate? My rhino is really restless for some reason, so I thought we’d go tonight if you’re keen. We can grab some food on the way.”
“Or I could zap some food, if you’re prepared to take the risk.”
“Your magic loves me.” Malik’s grin widened. “That sounds great. Are you coming, Sparky?”
“Someone will have to carry me.” Sparky’s head emerged just long enough for him to stretch his neck. “Young people can be so exhausting with all their questions. I need a weeklong nap.” His head disappeared under his wing again.
“You can get at least an hour’s worth on the drive.” Coming into the office, Malik scooped up Sparky with one hand, reaching into the drawer of the desk where Tynan was sitting with the other. He pulled out a set of keys. “I don’t think I’ve shown you my personal garage yet - it’s at the back of the apartment with its own private entrance.”
