Page 64 of Dead Serious: Case 3 Mr Bruce Reyes

“What if we take him away from here?” Danny says and I shake my head.

“Given Dad’s advanced state of dementia and the fact the doctors want to re-evaluate him, they aren’t going to just let me walk out of here with him, even if that was the only obstacle. We’ve got nowhere safe to take him. We can’t bring him back to the flat in the state it’s in and besides, Dad’s been here years now. This is his home. Everything here and all the people are familiar to him. It would do just as much harm to take him away from here as it would to leave him.”

“Jesus.” Danny runs his hand through his hair in frustration. “What do we do? It’s not like we can just magic up a–”

“That’s it!” I reply quietly, trying not to wake Dad. “Magic!”

“Er… what?” Danny blinks in confusion.

“We need magic,” I reply. “If we can’t take Dad away from here, then we need to make it as safe as possible for him, at least in this room. We need protection for him.”

“I’m not sure what you’re suggesting because you say magic and I immediately think decks of cards and white rabbits being pulled out of top hats.”

I smile at him. “I mean, what we need is a witch, and we just happen to know one.”

“I don’t know.” Danny scowls adorably. “I don’t think we should entrust Martin’s safety and his peace of mind to some unproven hocus-pocus.” He blows out a breath. “I want to be supportive, you know I do, and I’m prepared to admit that ghosts and apparently chaos monsters and grim reapers are real, but witchcraft? Really?”

“Danny.” I reach across Dad, who’s snoring softly, and cup my gorgeous boyfriend’s face, and I’m filled with such a rush of love for him. “You trust me, right?”

“Of course I do,” he replies without hesitation.

“Then believe me when I say Harrison is the real deal. I know because I’ve seen a fraction of what he can do, and trust me, if anyone can help us keep Dad safe, it’s him.”

Danny lets out a long sigh. “Okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He nods. “Whatever it takes to keep Martin safe.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too. Now go see Harrison. I’ll stay here with Martin and make sure he’s okay. It looks like he’s due a good long sleep, so with any luck you’ll be back before he wakes.”

Pulling back, I carefully untangle my arm from around Dad. He makes a little noise and shifts, curling into Danny’s side. I gently tuck the blanket around him so I don’t disturb him.

Grabbing one of the cups of tea Lois brought, I set it and a random book I pull off the shelf onto the small side table next to Danny.

“Thanks, love,” he says, glancing over at the book cover. “Percy Jackson? Oh, good. Martin and I haven’t had a chance to read that one yet.”

My smile widens and my heart pounds. How can I not love this man to the moon and back? He’s everything.

Leaning in, I kiss his lips softly, then drop a kiss on Dad’s head.

“I’ll be back soon with the cavalry,” I whisper.

15

Ihurry toward Harrison’s shop, holding onto the hood of my raincoat and keeping my head down against the rain. The wind has picked up again, and I’m not even going to bother wrestling with an umbrella. I’d stand a better chance wrestling an alligator, even with my puny arms.

The door swings open as I reach for it, and I come face-to-face with a woman just about to exit. She sees me and steps back so I can hustle inside.

“Oh, thank you.” I blink behind my misted-up glasses and wipe away the raindrops rolling down my nose.

“No problem.” The small woman smiles. “The weather’s bloody awful, isn’t it? Still, I’m sure the Goddess knows what she’s doing.”

Definitely not a goddess, I think to myself but give her a polite smile anyway.

“Well, blessed be,” she says by way of farewell.