into the pastry. “Oh god, this is so good. I think he made it himself.”
“I wouldn’t doubt it.”
Killian came out, scratching his messy nest of hair and looking entirely too sexy for 8AM, “I see the brownie found us.”
“They tend to be good like that.”
Killian grabbed a piece of fruit from a bowl and bit into it, “I have missed nectar.”
“Here the brownie goes to all this trouble to brew up some coffee and get us some sugary goodness and you’re all excited about fruit? Elf, you and I may not be on speaking terms.”
“You are not getting rid of me that easily,” he laughed, “I have far more annoying habits to repulse you with.”
“Great. I can hardly wait.”
“So, what’s your plan for today?” asked my sister.
“I figure we’ll talk to the brownie, see if he has any good leads, investigate them, and try not to get killed.”
“Sounds like a great plan. I shall be in the shower,” Killian said, planting a kiss on the top of my head.
“He’s cute,” said my sister, watching him walk down the hall.
“Not that cute.”
“I wouldn’t kick him out of bed for eating grapes.”
I rolled my eyes.
Chapter 17
Before Killian and I could finish buckling our seatbelts, Pipistrelle opened the door and popped into the backseat. I focused the rearview mirror so that I could see him better, “Thanks for breakfast, Pipistrelle. Any good news?”
“Indeed! Your uncle is here in the city of Angels,” he replied.
“We knew that.”
“I have no further information,” he stated in his chirpy little voice.
I turned to Killian, “Really? This is what the Fat Man thought would help us?”
Killian shrugged, “It really was a terribly good breakfast.”
I looked back at Pipistrelle, “Thanks for the food. Keep looking for my uncle.”
Pipistrelle’s face broke into a grin, “Indeed! Nothing would please me more!”
His little head disappeared from view and I saw the door open and shut.
“You don’t think he’s dragging his feet so that he can hang out with us longer?” I asked.
Killian shook his head, bemused.
I turned on the car and started backing out of the driveway, “Well, time to head to the graveyard and pick up whatever pieces of that ghoul are left so that I can collect my bounty and pay my rent. Hope it’s safe to return.”
“It is broad daylight,” Killian reassured.
“I hope that’s still enough to protect us.”
We pulled up next to the church. The backhoe was just where the undertaker had left it. The bodies of the vampires had “magically” disappeared, though.
I parked my car and we walked through the crunching leaves to the graveside. The ghoul’s empty clothes lay spread eagle on the coffin and green slime dripped from where his body should have been.
I dunno. I’ve stared at a million corpses and you get kind of used to it. Other Siders are creatures of ether and usually, when they die on Earth, their bodies poof out and they return to the dimension from whence they came.
But ghouls are gross. Being as they attain their shape through eating dead flesh, when they die you get a lingering smell that can only be described as foul. Rotting flesh squared. I pulled out a facemask and rubber gloves that I had learned to start carrying in my bag and put them on.
“Keep a lookout for me,” I said to Killian and leapt into the grave.
I pulled out a plastic Ziploc bag and started folding up the clothes when something in the ghoul’s jean’s pocket fell out.
“Well, what do we have here?”
It was a tarnished silver bracelet with a number of lovely little charms featuring unholy artifacts hanging from its chain. I dropped it into a secondary bag.
“What did you find?” asked Killian.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“That bracelet you just dropped into the baggie.”
“Well, Killian, there is no bracelet and there is no second baggie. But if such a thing existed, I would
“I wouldn’t doubt it.”
Killian came out, scratching his messy nest of hair and looking entirely too sexy for 8AM, “I see the brownie found us.”
“They tend to be good like that.”
Killian grabbed a piece of fruit from a bowl and bit into it, “I have missed nectar.”
“Here the brownie goes to all this trouble to brew up some coffee and get us some sugary goodness and you’re all excited about fruit? Elf, you and I may not be on speaking terms.”
“You are not getting rid of me that easily,” he laughed, “I have far more annoying habits to repulse you with.”
“Great. I can hardly wait.”
“So, what’s your plan for today?” asked my sister.
“I figure we’ll talk to the brownie, see if he has any good leads, investigate them, and try not to get killed.”
“Sounds like a great plan. I shall be in the shower,” Killian said, planting a kiss on the top of my head.
“He’s cute,” said my sister, watching him walk down the hall.
“Not that cute.”
“I wouldn’t kick him out of bed for eating grapes.”
I rolled my eyes.
Chapter 17
Before Killian and I could finish buckling our seatbelts, Pipistrelle opened the door and popped into the backseat. I focused the rearview mirror so that I could see him better, “Thanks for breakfast, Pipistrelle. Any good news?”
“Indeed! Your uncle is here in the city of Angels,” he replied.
“We knew that.”
“I have no further information,” he stated in his chirpy little voice.
I turned to Killian, “Really? This is what the Fat Man thought would help us?”
Killian shrugged, “It really was a terribly good breakfast.”
I looked back at Pipistrelle, “Thanks for the food. Keep looking for my uncle.”
Pipistrelle’s face broke into a grin, “Indeed! Nothing would please me more!”
His little head disappeared from view and I saw the door open and shut.
“You don’t think he’s dragging his feet so that he can hang out with us longer?” I asked.
Killian shook his head, bemused.
I turned on the car and started backing out of the driveway, “Well, time to head to the graveyard and pick up whatever pieces of that ghoul are left so that I can collect my bounty and pay my rent. Hope it’s safe to return.”
“It is broad daylight,” Killian reassured.
“I hope that’s still enough to protect us.”
We pulled up next to the church. The backhoe was just where the undertaker had left it. The bodies of the vampires had “magically” disappeared, though.
I parked my car and we walked through the crunching leaves to the graveside. The ghoul’s empty clothes lay spread eagle on the coffin and green slime dripped from where his body should have been.
I dunno. I’ve stared at a million corpses and you get kind of used to it. Other Siders are creatures of ether and usually, when they die on Earth, their bodies poof out and they return to the dimension from whence they came.
But ghouls are gross. Being as they attain their shape through eating dead flesh, when they die you get a lingering smell that can only be described as foul. Rotting flesh squared. I pulled out a facemask and rubber gloves that I had learned to start carrying in my bag and put them on.
“Keep a lookout for me,” I said to Killian and leapt into the grave.
I pulled out a plastic Ziploc bag and started folding up the clothes when something in the ghoul’s jean’s pocket fell out.
“Well, what do we have here?”
It was a tarnished silver bracelet with a number of lovely little charms featuring unholy artifacts hanging from its chain. I dropped it into a secondary bag.
“What did you find?” asked Killian.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“That bracelet you just dropped into the baggie.”
“Well, Killian, there is no bracelet and there is no second baggie. But if such a thing existed, I would
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