Page 91 of Dead Serious: Case 3 Mr Bruce Reyes

“We need to track down Jack,” Sam says, and I nod.

“Okay.” Tristan blows out a breath and lets go of my hand. Turning toward the counter, he picks up a small cardboard box. “I’m going to leave you two to it.”

“What’s in the box?” I ask curiously.

“A jar of coffee, a box of tea bags—Yorkshire tea, of course.” He winks at me. “A couple of packets of biscuits. I’m going to pick up a couple of pints of milk on my way.”

“Your way to where?” I ask in surprise. I hadn’t known he was planning on going out.

“The bookshop,” he says. “I’m going to see Madame Viv. The woman’s drinking gin like it’s about to go out of fashion, and she’s going to burn a hole in her stomach if she’s not careful. What she needs is a decent cup of tea, a chocolate digestive, and a friend. She’s really lonely, even if she won’t admit it. She may not have wanted all the ghosts in her shop to begin with, but now they’re gone, she’s missing the company.”

My heart softens as I look at him. That’s so like Tris, to put himself out for someone else.

“Besides,” Tris adds, “I’m going to tell her about what’s going on with Bruce and the bookshop.”

“Do you think that’s wise?” Sam asks.

“She deserves to know,” Tristan says stubbornly. “That’s not just her birthright and her business, it’s her home, and if there’s a magic doorway which a chaos monster from a different world is about to come crashing through on the next eclipse? Call me crazy, but I think the woman deserves a heads-up.”

“Fair point.” Sam glances at the window. “Bon voyage.”

Tristan follows his gaze and grimaces at the sharp needle-like spikes of rain jabbing at the glass. “If this rain doesn’t stop soon, we’re all going to end up sprouting gills and webbed feet. It’ll be the next stage of human evolution, us acclimating to aquatic environments.” He rolls his eyes.

“Be careful, love,” I say as he leans in to kiss me. “I don’t like you being at the bookshop for longer than you have to.”

“Imagine how Madame Viv feels then,” he mutters. “But I’ll be careful, I promise. I might also check in on Dusty and Bruce while I’m there.”

I nod and watch as he heads out of the kitchen.

“You really picked a good one there,” Sam remarks.

I smile slowly. “Yes, I did.”

“Alright.” Sam rolls his eyes. “You can stop looking so smug.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” I say innocently as I watch Sam. Suddenly, I’m struck with how glad I am he’s here. Not just helping me with the investigation, but he’s the one part of my old life I didn’t have to leave behind when I moved to London. He’s just slipped into my strange new world seamlessly, and I must admit it’s nice being able to talk to someone who understands about all this ghost stuff.

“Yeah, yeah,” he chuckles. “Then wipe that look off your face and help me find Jack Miller, because call me jaded, but I have an uncomfortable feeling in my gut that he knows exactly what happened to Bruce Reyes.”

21

“Hello,” I call out, juggling the soggy cardboard box. Nudging the door closed behind me with my foot. I notice the closed sign is showing again, despite the door being unlocked.

Trying to balance the box on one arm, I reach up and push my hood back, then squint through my misted glasses into the shop’s dark interior.

“Viv?” I call out. Trudging through the silent shop, I end up leaving a trail of wet footprints in my wake. “Viv?”

There’s a sudden rattle of beaded curtains, and I see Viv’s head poke through the swinging strings.

“Oh, it’s you,” she says with a nod toward the storage room. “Go on through if you want to see your friend.”

“Um, actually…” I clutch the box tighter, feeling it shift in my arms and hoping sincerely that it isn’t about to split apart, seeing as its structural integrity now resembles that of a wet paper towel. “I came to see you.”

“Me?” She sends me a startled look which quickly morphs into suspicion. “Why?”

I give her a pleasant smile, ignoring her narrowed gaze. Crossing the room quickly, I set the box on the counter before it opens like a trap door and dumps the contents on the dusty floor.

“I brought something for you.”