Page 35 of Pointy Ears and Purple Glitter
Tynan glanced at Malik. “Actually, Mrs. Cooper, I can meet you at my office, but…”
“Four o’clock. Don’t be late.” The line went dead.
Sparky, who’d been dozing on the desk, lifted his head. “That sounded pleasant.”
“She’s not happy,” Tynan said, his stomach churning. After his life on the fae realm, he was automatically triggered by any form of confrontation. “I should probably go alone…”
“Not a chance.” Malik’s tone brooked no argument. “After everything with Garrison and the vandalism, you’re not meeting anyone alone.”
“She’s just a client.”
“A client whose family members keep disappearing.” Malik leaned over his chair, kissing his hair. “I’m coming with you. We can close up for a few hours, and Ian can go home early, so we know he’s safe, in case we’re held up.”
“I feel bad, making you close early.” Tynan glanced at the car bays - they were all full. “You’ve got a lot of work to do.”
“My clients are happy to wait. Apparently, Mrs. Cooper doesn’t feel the same way.”
/~/~/~/~/
At quarter to four, they arrived at Tynan’s small office above the dry cleaners on Maple Street. The space was cramped but clean, with the faint chemical smell from downstairs mingling with the scent of old paper and the lavender air freshener Tynan had plugged in months ago.
The wooden desk - a secondhand find from an estate sale - dominated the center of the room, surrounded by three mismatched chairs he’d collected over time. Filing cabinetslined one wall, their metal surfaces dented in places, holding more hope than actual files. Most drawers contained half-empty folders with cases that had either been solved too quickly or abandoned for lack of payment.
Tynan ran his fingers along the dusty windowsill, noticing how the afternoon sun highlighted the worn patches in the carpet. He hadn’t been back since he’d found Malik, since his life had taken such an unexpected turn. The place felt foreign now, how he imagined he’d feel if he ever went back to the fae realm.
Aside from the dust, it hadn’t changed. The familiar creaking floorboard by the door still creaked, the water stain on the ceiling still vaguely resembled a rabbit, and the collection of pens with various businesses’ logos was still scattered across the desk. All the things that had once been the center of Tynan’s daily existence now seemed to belong to a different life entirely.
“It’s not much,” he said, feeling self-conscious. “It wasn’t like I felt I could use my magic to improve the decor. I’d have been buried under glitter.”
“You could use it now to clean off the dust,” Sparky said, settling on the windowsill.
“We all had to start somewhere.” Malik nuzzled his neck as Tynan waved his hand in a cleanup attempt. It was tempting to add new furniture, to sparkle the place up a bit, but that was bound to attract suspicion from an already agitated client.
Speaking of which, Mrs. Cooper arrived precisely at four, her heels clicking sharply on the stairs. She swept in wearing a cream suit that probably cost more than Tynan’s monthly rent, her expression pinched with displeasure. Her gaze landed on Malik, who stood near the window, and her frown deepened.
“I assumed this meeting would be private.”
“This is my business partner, Malik,” Tynan said, trying to project more confidence than he felt. “He’s been assisting with the investigation.”
She sniffed but took the offered chair. “Is that what you’re calling it? Fine. What have you learned about Hayley?”
Tynan pulled out his folder, hands steady despite his nerves. “I’ve been going through her social media profiles, speaking with people at locations she frequented…”
“Social media?” Mrs. Cooper’s voice sharpened. “I specifically told you not to bother with that nonsense. I’d already checked she hadn’t been on there since she disappeared.”
“With respect, Mrs. Cooper, social media provided valuable insights into Hayley’s state of mind before her disappearance.”
Her perfectly manicured nails drummed on her bag. “What kind of insights?”
Tynan chose his words carefully. “It appears Hayley was seeing someone. A man she referred to as ‘G.’ Her posts suggest she was planning to travel with him.”
“Impossible.” Mrs. Cooper’s face flushed. “Hayley tells me everything. She would never…”
“There are several posts mentioning him,” Tynan continued, pulling out printed screenshots. “She seemed quite taken with him.”
Mrs. Cooper snatched the papers, scanning them quickly. Her face went from red to white. “This is...these must be fake. Someone hacked her account.”
“They’re from six weeks ago, matching the time she disappeared. It seems…”
