Read Online 5th Pentagram: The sequel to the #1 Hard Boiled Mystery, 9th Circle (Book 3 of the Darc Murders Trilogy) (Book 3 of the Darc Murder Series) by Ben Hopkin - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ben Hopkin
Tags: General Fiction
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the blanket over her head. It was a little cramped and stuffy, but it wasn’t so bad.
There was a second, right as Darc and Mala got in the car, when Janey thought she was going to get caught for sure. But then Darc started the car and they were off.
She had done it. She was going out with Darc and Mala. Now the only ones missing were Trey and Maggie, but if they had been here, there wouldn’t have been anywhere for Janey to hide, so maybe it was better.
She hugged Popeye closer to her chest, even though he groaned.
This was going to be so much fun.
* * *
Trey tipped back his glass, draining the dark red fluid back into his throat. It was a cheap bottle of wine, probably one he had picked out. Maggie had much better taste than he did. The fact that she had grabbed this one was proof that she’d been pretty royally pissed off.
Not any longer. The wine was doing the trick.
They’d almost polished off the bottle, and Trey was contemplating going to grab another, when Darc started going off the reservation again. This whole talk-in-your-partner’s-ear thing was turning out to be so much more difficult that Trey had imagined. Mostly because of the crazy-ass stuff Darc was saying.
Darc’s voice rang out in the Maggie’s living room. Trey had put his cell on speaker, but the sound hadn’t been all that great. Maggie had fixed it by placing the phone in a bowl, which had created an amplification effect.
Trey was definitely dating up . Maggie was beautiful, yes, but she was also so much smarter than he was. And without the need to have to check to make sure her fly was up, for which fact Trey was grateful.
In the meantime, Darc was speaking to Mala. It wasn’t sounding pretty, and that had nothing to do with the crappy sound from Trey’s cell phone.
“The young woman you have watching Janey is a user of marijuana.”
Mala’s voice was distorted and faint, but still audible. “What?!”
Trey decided to step in. “Darc, dude, you gotta dial that one back. Unless you want to turn around right now. If she thinks her babysitter’s using drugs, she’ll be headed back to her apartment so fast you’ll get whiplash.”
Darc took the note. Sort of. “I may have misspoken. Her behavior and dress could be mistaken for someone—”
“Do you really think she uses drugs?” Mala asked, her pitch rising.
There was a pause before Darc answered. “No.”
Darc had just lied to Mala. To save someone’s feelings. Well, that, and to keep his date going. Trey was so proud he could barely stand it. He grinned at Maggie, who rolled her eyes at him. But he could tell she was impressed as much as he was. This was huge.
Mala, however, was not convinced yet. “Well then, why would you say that?”
Okay. Now they had a problem. Darc lying was one thing. Darc explaining why he would have lied was completely beyond him.
“Tell her you’re freaking out and you were trying to find something to talk about,” Trey urged. Maggie nodded her apparent approval at what she guessed was his quick thinking. To be honest, Trey was pretty impressed with himself too.
“I was uncomfortable and was searching for some topic that we could discuss,” Darc said. Wow. He managed to take in the meaning of what Trey was saying and then give it back in his own words. Impressive. This thing could actually work.
“I understand,” Mala said after a moment. “But are you certain--?”
“Yes,” Darc cut her off again.
“Okay, man,” Trey spoke into the mic. “That was a close one. Watch the cutting her off thing, but you’re doing great. Now ask her how her day went.”
Another pause where Darc seemed to be translating in his head. “Were your daytime activities satisfactory?”
Maggie looked at Trey and shrugged. Close enough.
Ish.
Trey couldn’t even imagine what Mala was thinking right now. Were your daytime activities satisfactory was not the most romantic thing in the world. But then again, she knew Darc, so she might be
There was a second, right as Darc and Mala got in the car, when Janey thought she was going to get caught for sure. But then Darc started the car and they were off.
She had done it. She was going out with Darc and Mala. Now the only ones missing were Trey and Maggie, but if they had been here, there wouldn’t have been anywhere for Janey to hide, so maybe it was better.
She hugged Popeye closer to her chest, even though he groaned.
This was going to be so much fun.
* * *
Trey tipped back his glass, draining the dark red fluid back into his throat. It was a cheap bottle of wine, probably one he had picked out. Maggie had much better taste than he did. The fact that she had grabbed this one was proof that she’d been pretty royally pissed off.
Not any longer. The wine was doing the trick.
They’d almost polished off the bottle, and Trey was contemplating going to grab another, when Darc started going off the reservation again. This whole talk-in-your-partner’s-ear thing was turning out to be so much more difficult that Trey had imagined. Mostly because of the crazy-ass stuff Darc was saying.
Darc’s voice rang out in the Maggie’s living room. Trey had put his cell on speaker, but the sound hadn’t been all that great. Maggie had fixed it by placing the phone in a bowl, which had created an amplification effect.
Trey was definitely dating up . Maggie was beautiful, yes, but she was also so much smarter than he was. And without the need to have to check to make sure her fly was up, for which fact Trey was grateful.
In the meantime, Darc was speaking to Mala. It wasn’t sounding pretty, and that had nothing to do with the crappy sound from Trey’s cell phone.
“The young woman you have watching Janey is a user of marijuana.”
Mala’s voice was distorted and faint, but still audible. “What?!”
Trey decided to step in. “Darc, dude, you gotta dial that one back. Unless you want to turn around right now. If she thinks her babysitter’s using drugs, she’ll be headed back to her apartment so fast you’ll get whiplash.”
Darc took the note. Sort of. “I may have misspoken. Her behavior and dress could be mistaken for someone—”
“Do you really think she uses drugs?” Mala asked, her pitch rising.
There was a pause before Darc answered. “No.”
Darc had just lied to Mala. To save someone’s feelings. Well, that, and to keep his date going. Trey was so proud he could barely stand it. He grinned at Maggie, who rolled her eyes at him. But he could tell she was impressed as much as he was. This was huge.
Mala, however, was not convinced yet. “Well then, why would you say that?”
Okay. Now they had a problem. Darc lying was one thing. Darc explaining why he would have lied was completely beyond him.
“Tell her you’re freaking out and you were trying to find something to talk about,” Trey urged. Maggie nodded her apparent approval at what she guessed was his quick thinking. To be honest, Trey was pretty impressed with himself too.
“I was uncomfortable and was searching for some topic that we could discuss,” Darc said. Wow. He managed to take in the meaning of what Trey was saying and then give it back in his own words. Impressive. This thing could actually work.
“I understand,” Mala said after a moment. “But are you certain--?”
“Yes,” Darc cut her off again.
“Okay, man,” Trey spoke into the mic. “That was a close one. Watch the cutting her off thing, but you’re doing great. Now ask her how her day went.”
Another pause where Darc seemed to be translating in his head. “Were your daytime activities satisfactory?”
Maggie looked at Trey and shrugged. Close enough.
Ish.
Trey couldn’t even imagine what Mala was thinking right now. Were your daytime activities satisfactory was not the most romantic thing in the world. But then again, she knew Darc, so she might be
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