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Chapter Thirty-Five

As I probably should have expected, Eva woke me up by licking my face thirty seconds before my alarm went off. ‘Alright, alright. I’m up,’ I grumbled.

Slobbery dog kisses were better than an alarm in one way at least: you couldn’t press snooze on them. Particularly not when the dog was standing on your chest as she did the licking.

‘You know you’re not a little puppy any more, right?’ I groused as I gently pushed her aside and clambered out of bed. ‘One of these days you’ll crush my ribs and then who will feed you? Think about that.’

After getting dressed, I gave my teeth an extra clean to banish the sugary hot-chocolate residue and headed downstairs. Despite saying she would make sure I got up for work, Maddie had fallen asleep on the sofa. I briefly contemplated waking her, but it didn’t seem fair to disturb her if she needed rest. Instead I took the blanket from where it lay crumpled by her feet and pulled it up to her shoulders.

For a moment I considered leaving Eva with her. After all, Maddie had been insistent that we guard the house properly to make sure that no-one found out about the Flame, and she didn’t look like she was in much of a state to do any guarding. But my retriever was already waiting by the door; something told me she was enjoying this new job as much as I was – or maybe it was the sofa in Yanni’s office she liked. Either way, I knew she was coming with me.

Strangely, I didn’t mind the split shift. It felt familiar, like balancing PI work and martial arts classes. I was missing my lessons; that physical exertion and the satisfaction of throwing someone to the ground had become a regular fix.

I immediately wondered what it would be like to wrestle Fraser over my shoulder, although a bed might be a better landing spot than a mat. Yes, I could definitely wrestle him on a bed. For purely strategic reasons, absolutely nothing else. Soft landings reduce injury.

Uh-huh. Bad Bea, I thought. It was a crush because I knew he was off limits. He was tasty because he was forbidden fruit, that was all. It would pass. And for now, I needed to focus on my job .

I strolled into the station ready to make myself comfy at my desk, but I hadn’t even reached it when Yanni came out of her office, slipping on her coat. ‘Don’t get comfortable,’ she said. ‘We’re going out.’

Excitement straightened my spine. ‘You’ve got a lead? Angelica’s back?’

She shook her head. ‘Not that the barrier guards have let me know. But one of the barmaids at The Smuggler’s Rest said she saw Toby drinking there last night. I thought we’d check it out.’

She didn’t have to ask me twice; anything to find the real killer and I was in.

Eva, with her weird extra sense, hadn’t even come inside the building but was waiting outside the door as if she knew we were about to leave. When she saw us, she ran straight to the police car.

Yanni shook her head in wonder. ‘She’s no ordinary dog,’ she muttered.

I knew it. When I’d first met Eva, there’d been a small incident with a demon; in my haste to get rid of it, I’d used a magical vial of who-knows-what that Maddie had given me. I’d flung the unstoppered vial across the room and a single drop had landed on Eva’s butt.

Now, no matter how much I scrubbed, her golden fur bore a stubborn purple-black mark that refused to fade. It was pure speculation, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever magic was in that potion hadn’t just stained her fur, it had changed her . Maybe Eva wasn’t an ordinary mutt any more. Maybe she was something far more extraordinary.

‘I can’t believe The Smuggler’s Rest is still standing,’ I said, as we drove down the high street. ‘It was always a total dive. I thought it would have been condemned years ago.’ I certainly didn’t think it was the type of place someone young like Toby would drink, though I didn’t say so.

‘It’s changed a bit since you were last there,’ Yanni said. ‘It’s the number-one destination now – apart from Shady’s. Speaking of which, I hear you’re going there on Friday night. Time for a proper catch-up with Ezra?’

‘Jesus,’ I muttered. ‘You can’t keep anything secret in this village. And for the record, I haven’t agreed to go yet.’

‘You should. It’s fun. And Shady is definitely a more friendly business owner than Sonny.’ She glanced at me sideways. ‘I hear you’ve made his acquaintance.’

‘He’s the most unpleasant vampire I’ve ever met, and that’s saying something.’

Yanni chuckled. ‘People close to him only have great things to say about the guy. He has to warm to you. ’

‘There are people close to him?’ I asked with faux incredulity. ‘Are they all being held hostage? Did you get them to blink twice if they needed help?’

Yanni laughed again as she drew the car to a stop. ‘Right. I’ll let you go in first.’

The Smuggler’s Rest looked exactly the same from the outside as it had always done: wooden doors with peeling paint, and chipped, dirty windows. I braced myself for the dim, damp interior and the smell of stale beer – and worse – that I remembered, expecting a place where gnarly old wizards and werewolves nursed drinks late into the night.

When I opened the door, I froze. The inside was … transformed. It was modern, well-lit and tastefully decorated. Families were sitting at tables, laughing and eating meals that smelled divine, while well-dressed waitstaff greeted us with warm smiles.

‘I don’t understand,’ I said as I looking around. ‘This isn’t The Smuggler’s Rest.’

‘I can assure you that it is.’

My heart clenched at the sound of his voice. Trying to look as if my pulse had not tripled its pace, I turned to face him. ‘Hey, how’s the head?’ I asked Fraser Banks.

He wrinkled his nose in a manner that was infuriatingly cute as he rubbed his hand over his dark hair. Once again he was wearing a sharp suit, and this time with the jacket; I couldn’t decide if I preferred him with or without it. With it, he looked sharp, but without it, I could see those arms.

‘I heal pretty quickly.’ He flashed me a smile. ‘It’s good to see you again, Beatrix.’

There was nothing I could do. The butterflies in my stomach were in overdrive. I was a goner. ‘You know, I’m starting to think I should be concerned. You seem to have developed a habit of showing up wherever I am,’ I said.

Fraser looked amused. ‘I don’t mean to nit-pick, but technically you’re in my establishment right now. If anyone is following anyone, you’re following me.’

‘Yours?’ I asked. ‘You own The Smuggler’s Rest?’

‘I do. I take it the establishment has changed somewhat since you were last here? For the better, I trust? I’d be happy to help you sample the drinks. We could share a bottle of wine one night, perhaps?’

I was strongly tempted to say yes. I loved a bottle of white wine and it had been entirely too long since I’d had a man look at me like he was doing.

He’s manipulating you, Beatrix! I could hear Maddie’s voice harrumphing inside my head. I didn’t think she was right but there was too much at stake to risk it. I pushed my shoulders back, trying to act like his presence didn’t have any effect on me. ‘No, thank you.’ I looked around pointedly. ‘From what I remember, the locals liked The Smuggler’s Rest exactly as it was.’

‘You’re right. The old pub definitely had a certain charm, which is why I left it exactly as it was.’

I frowned at him. ‘But you’ve refurbished everything.’

‘Have a look through there.’ He pointed to a door at the far end of the room that looked exactly like The Smuggler’s Rest’s original front door that I had just walked through. ‘Be my guest,’ he said before pushing it open and stepping aside for me.

The moment I walked through the doorway I felt the rush of déjà vu. The space I had walked into was exactly like the old Smuggler’s Rest: the same dark and dingy interior. The same smell of stale beer. I even recognised the old werewoman perched in the same spot she’d occupied a decade ago.

I turned back to Fraser. ‘An expansion spell. You put an expansion spell on the building so that you could keep the old bar too. That must cost a fortune to maintain.’

‘It does,’ he replied matter-of-factly. ‘But it’s not about the money, it’s about resources. The village needed The Smuggler’s Rest but it also needed somewhere for families, a nice place that wasn’t a coffee shop or bar. This setup brings in employment, supports local farmers and creates a space for the community. The upstairs room is used for council meetings and workshops.’

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. ‘So it’s not about profit?’

He shrugged. ‘Some of it’s about profit, but it’s also about balance and community.’

‘And the Eternal Flame?’ I asked, finally piecing it together. ‘You want it to power these spells, don’t you? To keep this place running without draining all your funds?’

He smiled faintly. ‘It would take a lot more than this to drain all my funds, but yes, the Flame would certainly help keep this and the other projects I have planned running efficiently.’

Yanni appeared beside us. ‘Sorry to interrupt. Beatrix, you have remembered that we’re here on official business, right? Fraser, we need to speak to one of your employees, Pei.’

My cheeks warmed. Yanni thought I was flirting with Fraser. I wasn’t – not consciously anyway.

Fraser looked nonplussed for a moment. ‘Is everything alright?’

‘We need some information about someone who popped in here last night. We’ve had a missing person report filed and Pei came forward and said she’d seen him. We need to ask her a couple of questions. ’

‘Of course. I’m sorry for keeping you waiting, Chief. I didn’t realise. I’ll get her for you now.’

As Fraser hurried off to find Pei, Yanni sidled up beside me. ‘I guess I know why young Ezra isn’t getting a look in now,’ she said with a wink.