Page 41 of Spellbound After Midnight

I nodded and leaned in conspiratorially, gesturing toward Derrick with my chin. “A little, but this one doesn’t appreciate my hobby. He calls it frivolous.”

She huffed. “Men never appreciate the skill.” The woman extended her hand. “Please, call me Ada.”

Derrick rolled his eyes at my performance. I ignored him. If I’d let him keep going, we’d have gotten nowhere. Merchants didn’t give up their own.

“Thank you, Ada. You see, we’re here with a bit of a problem, and since you’re the reigning authority on medicinal herbs, we came directly to you.”

Ada preened, smoothing the ebony locks of hair tucked behind her ears. “Whatever you need.”

I motioned for Derrick to continue, sending him a wink for good measure.

“As I was saying, we need a list of anyone who supplies belladonna root.”

Ada bit her lip. “I don’t stock that here, and I can’t think of any reputable shop that does.”

“What about non-reputable ones?” Derrick asked.

Ada grew silent. She looked around the empty shop as if the jars had ears, then inched closer, her voice barely a whisper.

“There is one I know of, but you didn’t hear it from me.”

We waited, eager for her answer, but she backed away when the bell above the shop jingled.

“Welcome!”

An old lady bustled inside, complaining about her aching joints, and Ada led her to a shelf along the wall to select a cream. “I’ll be right back,” she said to the customer before making her way to the adjoining room.

Derrick groaned as another couple entered the shop. “She’ll never talk to us like this.”

“Should we come back?”

“If we leave, she might change her mind about talking altogether.”

“Then, what do we do?” I bounced nervously on my heels.

Ada reappeared and nodded toward the customers, then brushed past me, slipping a folded piece of paper into my hand. Without stopping, she continued on, ushering the customers to a large table filled with canisters.

“Let’s go.” I showed Derrick the paper concealed in my palm.

Back on the street, he led me down a quiet alley that shielded us from public view.

“What does it say?”

I unfolded the note. “It says, Flamelock Den.”

“Where’s that?” Derrick frowned, taking the note from my hands.

“You asked for the non-reputable shops,” I pointed out. “Flamelock Den isn’t really a shop, more of a hole in the wall. It’s part of what we in the biz like to call—”

“The black market,” Derrick cut me off and lifted an accusing brow.

“Very good.” I tucked my arm through his and peered into his scowling face. “I’m afraid they don’t let members of the royal agency wander around there. You’ll need someone who can get you in, and that, Detective, is why you’re lucky to have me.”

Chapter 14

“Ican’t believe you talked me into this. Explain to me again why you’re forcing me to wear tweed?” Derrick grumbled as he tossed his charcoal vest and black woolen coat over the wooden dressing screen. His dress shirt followed, and I smothered a grin along with the wicked thought of him standing behind there without a shirt.

Handing the snidely referenced coat around the screen, I replied, “Because you wouldn’t let me change your clothes with a spell. I believe your exact words were, Tessa, you don’t have a good history with illusions.”