Read Online Be My Banshee (Purple Door Detective Agency Book 1) by Joyce Lavene, Jim Lavene - Free Book Online
Authors: Joyce Lavene, Jim Lavene
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got in the car. “Sometimes I’m sure the old ways were better. No traffic jams. No police detectives—or you could get rid of them. There are a lot of handicaps put on witches today to keep real magic off CNN.”
Aine puzzled over that. “CNN?”
“That’s another one for later. Strap in. Let’s get this over with.”
Caeford lived in a deep sub-basement in the heart of the city. Sunshine parked the car at the curb outside the office building structure. It looked like any other older building from the fifties. No one would ever guess that a dragon lived here amidst the steel, concrete, and glass.
“This time we take the elevator as far down as we can and then the stairs,” Sunshine told Aine.
They were packed into a crowded elevator filled with men and women in suits carrying briefcases. Soft music played in the background as the arrival of each floor was heralded by a chime. No one spoke, searching instead on their handheld devices.
When they were finally alone for the basement floor, Aine spoke. She was starting to understand the secrecy of this time. “A good place for a dragon to dwell. But he unfurled his wings at a spot distant from this. He, too, must remain unseen in this place.”
“We all do—all magical creatures. It’s something we’ve learned.”
“It wasn’t that different during my time. Witches were frequently hunted and killed, especially those with no real power. Dragons were hunted to extinction for sport and the use of their body parts. It was the same with unicorns and other creatures. But perhaps if it were not so, this city you live in wouldn’t exist.”
“I guess there are good and bad things about each time in history,” Sunshine acknowledged. “Except for toilets. I never want to use a toilet in the woods—no holes in the ground with rude buildings over them. I like my toilets inside with water and flush boxes.”
Aine smiled.
“What? Don’t banshees use a toilet?”
“Hardly. We are dead, after all. We do not eat, so we do not excrete.”
“Good to know. I’m saving up banshee facts for a special file so I know what to do and not do around you.”
“Then you must use the words correctly,” Aine said. “ Beane sidhe . What you’re saying now is hardly appropriate.”
Sunshine tried to say what Aine had said, but they’d reached the basement floor of the building. She used the excuse to back out of her Gaelic language lesson.
They found a set of stairs to the right of the old boiler that heated the building in cold weather. As they walked around it, there were groaning and settling sounds from the huge structure around them. Elevators growled going up and down the shaft and water gushed crankily through old pipes.
Sunshine didn’t try to explain and cautioned Aine not to speak. Caeford lived another floor down. It was always better to be quiet around a dragon if they didn’t know you were coming for a visit. A surprised dragon was rarely a happy dragon.
The stairs were narrow and filthy. Very few people used them. The sub-basement was necessary to the strength of the building’s foundation, but it wasn’t well maintained. Sunshine had found that people didn’t care about what they couldn’t see.
And yet here was Caeford’s lair, their destination, hundreds of feet below ground. He had lived here since long before the city, or the building, hidden away from mankind in a series of caves. He’d adjusted as time had passed, but he never left the area where he’d been born.
As usual he was aware of the intrusion into his life. “Hello, Miss Merryweather. And this is your new associate?” He sniffed Aine. “The beane sidhe you spoke of. How fascinating. A woman of the ancient fairy world here in Norfolk.”
“We’re here because of your ‘little’ problem.” Sunshine wiped her hands on a moist towelette and handed one to Aine. “We went to see the man who watched you fly away. He was dead—murdered in exactly the same way as
Aine puzzled over that. “CNN?”
“That’s another one for later. Strap in. Let’s get this over with.”
Caeford lived in a deep sub-basement in the heart of the city. Sunshine parked the car at the curb outside the office building structure. It looked like any other older building from the fifties. No one would ever guess that a dragon lived here amidst the steel, concrete, and glass.
“This time we take the elevator as far down as we can and then the stairs,” Sunshine told Aine.
They were packed into a crowded elevator filled with men and women in suits carrying briefcases. Soft music played in the background as the arrival of each floor was heralded by a chime. No one spoke, searching instead on their handheld devices.
When they were finally alone for the basement floor, Aine spoke. She was starting to understand the secrecy of this time. “A good place for a dragon to dwell. But he unfurled his wings at a spot distant from this. He, too, must remain unseen in this place.”
“We all do—all magical creatures. It’s something we’ve learned.”
“It wasn’t that different during my time. Witches were frequently hunted and killed, especially those with no real power. Dragons were hunted to extinction for sport and the use of their body parts. It was the same with unicorns and other creatures. But perhaps if it were not so, this city you live in wouldn’t exist.”
“I guess there are good and bad things about each time in history,” Sunshine acknowledged. “Except for toilets. I never want to use a toilet in the woods—no holes in the ground with rude buildings over them. I like my toilets inside with water and flush boxes.”
Aine smiled.
“What? Don’t banshees use a toilet?”
“Hardly. We are dead, after all. We do not eat, so we do not excrete.”
“Good to know. I’m saving up banshee facts for a special file so I know what to do and not do around you.”
“Then you must use the words correctly,” Aine said. “ Beane sidhe . What you’re saying now is hardly appropriate.”
Sunshine tried to say what Aine had said, but they’d reached the basement floor of the building. She used the excuse to back out of her Gaelic language lesson.
They found a set of stairs to the right of the old boiler that heated the building in cold weather. As they walked around it, there were groaning and settling sounds from the huge structure around them. Elevators growled going up and down the shaft and water gushed crankily through old pipes.
Sunshine didn’t try to explain and cautioned Aine not to speak. Caeford lived another floor down. It was always better to be quiet around a dragon if they didn’t know you were coming for a visit. A surprised dragon was rarely a happy dragon.
The stairs were narrow and filthy. Very few people used them. The sub-basement was necessary to the strength of the building’s foundation, but it wasn’t well maintained. Sunshine had found that people didn’t care about what they couldn’t see.
And yet here was Caeford’s lair, their destination, hundreds of feet below ground. He had lived here since long before the city, or the building, hidden away from mankind in a series of caves. He’d adjusted as time had passed, but he never left the area where he’d been born.
As usual he was aware of the intrusion into his life. “Hello, Miss Merryweather. And this is your new associate?” He sniffed Aine. “The beane sidhe you spoke of. How fascinating. A woman of the ancient fairy world here in Norfolk.”
“We’re here because of your ‘little’ problem.” Sunshine wiped her hands on a moist towelette and handed one to Aine. “We went to see the man who watched you fly away. He was dead—murdered in exactly the same way as
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