Page 22 of Pointy Ears and Purple Glitter (Quirk of Fate #5)
The next afternoon, Tynan’s phone buzzed while he sorted through Ian’s latest social media discoveries.
Ian hadn’t found anything new after his revelations from the day before, but he had found numerous articles, blog posts, and social media articles written around the time Mr. Cooper and Mrs. Cooper’s brother had disappeared.
What struck Tynan was how quickly the gossip and reporting about the disappearances had stopped fairly quickly each time.
Ian and Malik both agreed that information gave the implication that some people had been paid off.
It was Mrs. Cooper’s name on his phone screen. Glitter shit. I’m not ready for this.
“It’s her,” he called out to Malik, who was elbow-deep in an engine across the workshop. Tynan knew he didn’t have to explain which “her” he meant. “I’m going to have to answer it.”
Malik straightened, wiping his hands on a rag as he walked over. “Want me to listen in?”
Tynan nodded, grateful for the support, and answered. “Mrs. Cooper, good afternoon. How are you today?” It didn’t cost anything to be polite. Unfortunately, Mrs. Cooper didn’t appear to follow similar rules.
“Mr. Tynan.” Her voice cut through the line like ice. “I’ve been waiting for an update on my daughter’s case. It’s been over a week.”
“Yes. I can appreciate how difficult this is for you. I’ve been investigating several leads…”
“I want an update. In person. Today. Be at your office at four.”
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 cabinets lined 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…”
“Stop.” Mrs. Cooper slammed the papers down, making the pens rattle. “I don’t want to hear any more of this.”
Malik shifted slightly, drawing her attention. “Don’t you want to find your daughter?”
She turned on him, eyes blazing. “Of course I do! But not through these…these lies and invasions of privacy.”
“The posts are public. Anyone can read them. If you didn’t want me to pursue every avenue to find her, then what exactly did you hire me for?” Tynan asked quietly.
Mrs. Cooper stood abruptly, pulling out her checkbook. “I’m wondering the same thing. It’s not as if my instructions were difficult to follow, but this was clearly a mistake. I thought you’d be discreet and professional. Not digging through my daughter’s personal life like some tabloid reporter.”
She scrawled out a check and thrust it at him. “Here. Payment in full, plus extra for your discretion, if you can call it that. Stop looking for Hayley immediately.”
Tynan stared at the check. It was three times what she’d originally promised. “Mrs. Cooper, if Hayley’s in trouble…”
“She’s not in trouble.” Her voice cracked slightly. “She’s just… She’ll come home when she’s ready. They always do.”
“They?” Malik asked. “Do you mean your husband and brother?”
Mrs. Cooper’s whole body went rigid. “How dare you!”
“Their disappearances came up in a routine search,” Tynan said gently. “It’s possible there is some form of pattern…” He trailed off, hoping Mrs. Cooper might shed some light on the situation.
For a moment, her composed mask slipped, revealing something raw and desperate underneath. Then she pulled herself together, spine straightening.
“You know nothing.” She clutched her purse like a weapon. “And if you value your little business, you’ll keep it that way. Stop looking for Hayley. Destroy any notes you’ve made. Forget you ever heard our names.”
“Is that a threat?” Malik stepped forward.
She looked him up and down with disdain. “It’s advice. Some stones are better left unturned.” Her gaze shifted to Tynan. “Especially for someone who’s trying so hard to fit in where they don’t belong.”
The words hung in the air like a slap, and Tynan fought to hide his wince. She knew something or suspected it. About him, about them.
“Good day, gentlemen.” She swept out, leaving the check on the desk and the scent of expensive perfume in her wake.
They waited until her footsteps faded completely before speaking.
“Well,” Sparky said, breaking the silence. “She seems lovely.”
Tynan picked up the check with numb fingers. “She’s paying me to stop looking for her daughter.”
“Because she doesn’t want her found,” Malik said grimly. “The question is why.”
“And what did she mean about fitting in where I don’t belong?” Tynan’s glamor flickered slightly with his agitation. “Does she know what I am?”
Malik pulled him into his arms. “You have the looks of a superstar model, and you work out of a low-budget office. It could quite easily be something like that – she’s just casting shade. Even if she suspects something else, it’s not like she can prove it. But this whole thing stinks.”
“We can’t just stop looking for Hayley.” Tynan pulled back to meet Malik’s eyes. “What if she needs help?”
“Then we keep looking,” Malik said simply. “Quietly, carefully, but we keep looking.”
Tynan nodded, crumpling the check. His magic sparked, turning it to purple ash that drifted to the floor. “I won’t take her money. Not for this. I’m sorry if you thought I should keep it. Everything we have is joint now, but I just can’t – not like this.”
“That’s my mate.” Malik kissed his forehead. “You did exactly what I would’ve done under the same circumstances, although I would’ve taken a match to it. Now, come on. Let’s go home and figure out our next move.”
Locking up the office, the only thing Tynan could wonder was what Mrs. Cooper was so desperate to hide, and what did that have to do with Hayley’s disappearance?