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Authors: Helen Harper
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too
brightly by the sudden wary look on his face. I had to admit that he was looking good,
blond hair smoothed back and a light tan that would be unusual in any other
part of England bar Cornwall. I
patted the stool next to me and gestured for him to sit down. He grinned at me, flashing a display of
even white teeth and highlighting the little dimple at the side of his
cheek. There was no denying that he
was very cute, and that many girls would consider themselves lucky to have his
attentions, but he was just so…old-fashioned.
“Hitting the hard stuff, are you
Mack?” he asked.
“I’m working out with Tom in a bit,” I
answered, taking a swig of Coke and crunching down satisfyingly on a cube of
ice.
He frowned slightly. When we’d been dating, he’d never quite
been able to believe that Tom and I were just friends. I didn’t really care.
“What the hell have you done with your
hair anyway?”
“I fancied a change,” I said airily. He didn’t look very convinced so I moved
swiftly on. “So how are things in
the land of the crime-stoppers?” I
took a sip of the Coke and hoped that was enough of an opener to get him
talking.
“Same old, same old,” Nick said with half
a grin, “although there was a shocking case of burglary this morning.”
“ And….?”
“And nothing. It was probably just kids. Perkins was broken into but nothing much
was taken.”
Perkins was the local hardware store. It sold an array of DIY tools and
kitchen implements. Probably not
anything that a supernatural creature that left no tracks would be involved in. Not unless they had a penchant for
home/cave/backwater portal improvements at least.
I feigned interest to keep him happy. “So what was taken?”
“A bag of coal and an electric screwdriver.” He leaned back on the stool and folded
his almond brown arms.
“Riiight,” I said slowly.
“Like I said, probably just kids.” He smiled. The wariness in his eyes had gone and
been replaced by a slightly over-eager expression that vaguely alarmed me. We’d parted on good terms but I wasn’t
keen to have to quash any lasting hopes he might have that I was the woman of
his dreams.
“Well, whatever keeps you busy, I
suppose.” I gulped down the rest of
my drink. Clearly there wasn’t
anything to be gained from staying any longer.
“Leaving so soon?” he asked, the smile
leaving his eyes.
“Like I said, I need to meet Tom.” I stood up.
“You should be careful out there,
Mack. By the sounds of things there
are a lot wild animals around at the moment.”
I paused briefly, half turning towards him.
“Didn’t you hear the racket last
night? It sounded as if we’d been
invaded by London Zoo.”
That would have been the pack, when John’s
death was discovered. Nothing new for me there then after all. I pulled out a screwed up five pound note
from my back pocket and left it on the bar, motioning to the barman to pay for
Nick’s drink too. “Well, if I see
any polar bears walking around with electric screwdrivers, then you’ll be the
first person I’ll call.”
“Do,” he replied, with a cheesy wink.
I sighed inwardly and headed back out.
Trevathorn was a pretty place with window-boxes and cobbled streets but it was not exactly a
teeming metropolis. After ten
minutes of brisk walking from the door of the Hanging Bull, I was leaving the
outskirts behind me and was in sight of the beach. The roar of the waves and salt in the
air beckoned me and I quickened my step. I had briefly considered standing Tom up and going back to the site of
John’s death to see what else I could dig up but I recognised that with the
Brethren around that probably wouldn’t be smart. They had to have people out there
already.
I stepped up to a jog, skirting the tough
grass that scattered the path to the dunes. The moon remained high in the sky,
throwing shadows across the
brightly by the sudden wary look on his face. I had to admit that he was looking good,
blond hair smoothed back and a light tan that would be unusual in any other
part of England bar Cornwall. I
patted the stool next to me and gestured for him to sit down. He grinned at me, flashing a display of
even white teeth and highlighting the little dimple at the side of his
cheek. There was no denying that he
was very cute, and that many girls would consider themselves lucky to have his
attentions, but he was just so…old-fashioned.
“Hitting the hard stuff, are you
Mack?” he asked.
“I’m working out with Tom in a bit,” I
answered, taking a swig of Coke and crunching down satisfyingly on a cube of
ice.
He frowned slightly. When we’d been dating, he’d never quite
been able to believe that Tom and I were just friends. I didn’t really care.
“What the hell have you done with your
hair anyway?”
“I fancied a change,” I said airily. He didn’t look very convinced so I moved
swiftly on. “So how are things in
the land of the crime-stoppers?” I
took a sip of the Coke and hoped that was enough of an opener to get him
talking.
“Same old, same old,” Nick said with half
a grin, “although there was a shocking case of burglary this morning.”
“ And….?”
“And nothing. It was probably just kids. Perkins was broken into but nothing much
was taken.”
Perkins was the local hardware store. It sold an array of DIY tools and
kitchen implements. Probably not
anything that a supernatural creature that left no tracks would be involved in. Not unless they had a penchant for
home/cave/backwater portal improvements at least.
I feigned interest to keep him happy. “So what was taken?”
“A bag of coal and an electric screwdriver.” He leaned back on the stool and folded
his almond brown arms.
“Riiight,” I said slowly.
“Like I said, probably just kids.” He smiled. The wariness in his eyes had gone and
been replaced by a slightly over-eager expression that vaguely alarmed me. We’d parted on good terms but I wasn’t
keen to have to quash any lasting hopes he might have that I was the woman of
his dreams.
“Well, whatever keeps you busy, I
suppose.” I gulped down the rest of
my drink. Clearly there wasn’t
anything to be gained from staying any longer.
“Leaving so soon?” he asked, the smile
leaving his eyes.
“Like I said, I need to meet Tom.” I stood up.
“You should be careful out there,
Mack. By the sounds of things there
are a lot wild animals around at the moment.”
I paused briefly, half turning towards him.
“Didn’t you hear the racket last
night? It sounded as if we’d been
invaded by London Zoo.”
That would have been the pack, when John’s
death was discovered. Nothing new for me there then after all. I pulled out a screwed up five pound note
from my back pocket and left it on the bar, motioning to the barman to pay for
Nick’s drink too. “Well, if I see
any polar bears walking around with electric screwdrivers, then you’ll be the
first person I’ll call.”
“Do,” he replied, with a cheesy wink.
I sighed inwardly and headed back out.
Trevathorn was a pretty place with window-boxes and cobbled streets but it was not exactly a
teeming metropolis. After ten
minutes of brisk walking from the door of the Hanging Bull, I was leaving the
outskirts behind me and was in sight of the beach. The roar of the waves and salt in the
air beckoned me and I quickened my step. I had briefly considered standing Tom up and going back to the site of
John’s death to see what else I could dig up but I recognised that with the
Brethren around that probably wouldn’t be smart. They had to have people out there
already.
I stepped up to a jog, skirting the tough
grass that scattered the path to the dunes. The moon remained high in the sky,
throwing shadows across the
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