A rebel witch, p.5
A Rebel Witch, page 5
Yep, Inzi was done with this dance. And so was I.
‘You say you can’t talk. Fine. Give me your hand.’ I offered mine over the bar. ‘I’ll find out what we need to know, and no one will overhear us. I promise it’ll be painless, and far quicker than arguing with us.’
The barman scanned the room again before he quickly touched his palm to mine. I scoffed at how keen he was not to be seen with me but held him fast as my vision darkened.
I was Nikos. Last orders had come and gone. All that was left was to empty the bar. And the old lady was still at her table, cupping the dregs of her gin and tonic. She and Verity were almost twins, though Nellie kept her hair longer.
He went to her table. ‘Anything else I can get for you?’
‘No, thank you.’ She gave him her almost empty glass.
‘On holiday?’ he asked.
She stood and fastened her coat. ‘No, work trip. I’m meeting someone now actually.’
‘At this time? Are you sure?’
She laughed, shaking her phone at him with the texts open. ‘Oh, honey, I still have my wits, and I haven’t misremembered the time. They’ve only just checked in to their hotel down the street, if you must know.’
He put up his hands and walked away, scurrying back behind the bar to carry on with the close. No doubt he didn’t want to keep a customer in the bar any longer, especially a woman he’d offended.
My vision cleared. The bartender had wrenched his hand out of my hold.
‘You got enough. Now get out,’ he said.
‘When did this happen?’ I asked.
‘You don’t quit, do you? Please, leave.’
His pleading tone cut through despite my dislike for the man. This was his job after all, and we had been harassing him. If we ever wanted to come back to him, we couldn’t push him too far… unless he switched from witness to suspect.
I beckoned for the others to follow me out the door. ‘She went to meet someone last time he saw her.’
‘And he wouldn’t say which day that was? We don’t want to chase every moment of her trip,’ Grim said.
‘Isn’t that the best way to find out who she interacted with, who might know what happened to her?’ Shane asked. ‘I say we follow every lead we get.’
‘Do we know where she met this person?’ Inzi asked, peering down the street. ‘Was it close?’
‘She said it was a hotel on the same road. There can’t be too many to check?’
I frowned, wondering how best to find the right one. If she was meeting someone, she probably hadn’t checked in herself. She already had a room. Maybe they’d met in the hotel bar? No, it was late. They were probably shut. Meeting in their room or the reception area was more likely. Or a private room hire…
I rubbed my face. ‘Anyone got any idea how we find out what happened at that hotel? Or how to be sure we have the right place?’
Inzi nodded, leading us down the street. ‘You show the receptionists a picture of Nellie. Tell them she’s a missing person and ask if they know anything. See if you can touch them, too, to get a vision.’
With the tight field of questioning and one person to look for, that wouldn’t be so bad.
I struggled to keep up with Inzi. Her energy levels were off the charts now she was back on field work.
She’d relished threatening Nikos, revelled in it. I’d be worried, but that kind of answer-finding mentality was exactly what we needed tonight. Besides, she wouldn’t go too far – if she did, she could lose her job, and that gave her too much pleasure to give it all up.
‘What if that receptionist wasn’t on duty that night?’ I asked.
Grim pointed to various cameras watching the outside of the beachfront properties. ‘There are a lot of cameras around here, especially for the clubs and hotels. We’d have to get permission to view the footage from the owners, and some might ask for police approval before releasing the video to us. It’s a more time-intensive route, but it’s what we always used before…’
Before I’d shown up with my crazy good spirit powers. ‘Okay, we shouldn’t discount the tried and tested. How about you work on that while we check out the hotel? That way we save time.’ And it took some pressure off me.
‘A lot of these places are closed until morning.’
‘So talk to the owners of the open ones.’
Grim sighed but walked into the nearest late-night corner shop.
With him gone, the air felt lighter and I felt luckier. He was so grumpy, sulking on the edge of our group. That attitude brought us no favours. And we’d need favours, or luck or both, if we had a hope of learning more about this meeting.
Chapter 5
This road had too many damn hotels and then – of course – not halfway down the street, the heavens had pelted us with freezing rain. How that happened, I had no idea. Even in late October, Mykonos was supposed to be warm. I’d been so damn tempted to give up and find a hot shower and a fluffy towel. Stubbornness and Verity waiting for news kept me going.
Almost there now. My feet were more blister than flesh and squished with every step, but we’d finally reached the end of the coastal road.
I stared at the last hotel. Well, more like glared at it. I was done with tonight. Was the ordeal even worth it? Would an old lady really drink this far away from a meeting place that late at night? I doubted it. But we’d check it out anyway.
The inside was more rustic than Nellie’s hotel. The place was clean, sure, but functional, not grand. Bright colours coated the walls. Tourist leaflets, posters for local bands and drinks offers plastered the noticeboard. This was more somewhere to dump the bags and kip before continuing the adventure outside the hotel than a luxurious home base. Not Nellie’s scene.
Still, I headed for reception. I couldn’t dismiss this place without evidence just because I didn’t think it fit what we were looking for. Nellie was a journalist. She could be meeting all kinds of people for her exposé, right?
I peered over the desk. No receptionist. Was the lobby unmanned at this hour? No, couldn’t be, or they’d lock the doors, or at least have someone watching them.
Ah, a bell. I reached out to press it when raised voices carried down the corridor on my left. The lighting there was dingy, intentionally so, and someone had placed a large houseplant in front of the opening. A staff area, maybe?
I edged down the hallway, hoping I could find someone to talk to about Nellie. I dared not hope for a vision. I’d gone hours tonight raising and dashing my hopes. At this point I was sure the footage Grim was collecting would be our best chance at finding answers. I wouldn’t even mind him crowing over the victory.
‘You don’t think we should call the police?’ a man asked.
‘We’ve alerted security,’ an older woman said. ‘We shouldn’t contact the authorities until we talk to our guests. It could be nothing. Maybe they invited him over.’
‘Well, if they did, it goes against policy.’
‘And we’d insist they pay for the extra person. But it’s probably nothing to worry about.’
‘Why would they even invite a guest around and then go away for three days?’
‘It’s not our place to know or question every move our guests make, Mark. Talk to them when they’re back and bill them as necessary.’
An uninvited guest? A strange thing to argue about in a back room at this time of night.
‘And if he broke in like Sadie thought?’
‘There’s no evidence of that.’
A pause. ‘I’ll go back to the desk,’ Mark said.
He came out the door shaking his head. His jeans and a smart black shirt fit the casual air of the hotel perfectly. An easy-going attitude would help me, too.
I moved to intercept him.
He stopped short. ‘Hello? Are you a guest?’
‘Sorry, no, but no one was at reception. Maybe you can help?’
‘You shouldn’t be down here. This area is only for staff.’ He waved me towards the lobby.
I didn’t move. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t realise. I only want a minute of your time.’ I pulled the photo of Nellie up on my phone and showed it to him, nudging his hand in the process. I didn’t get a vision, but I froze at his sharp inhale. Had we finally found something?
‘What is it?’
‘That’s her. The woman they met.’
‘The woman who met?’ I bit my tongue, hardly daring to hope he’d know the names of the people Nellie had met with that night.
Mark stalked back down the corridor, leaving me holding the phone, confused. He ducked back into the room he’d been in before. The manager’s office, maybe? He reappeared a minute later with an older woman in tow. This had to be the woman he was talking to before.
Her pencil skirt, sensible kitten heels, and satin blouse screamed no-nonsense and was too posh for the calibre of this hotel. An ambitious woman, I presumed.
‘Who did you say you were?’ she asked. Her pink lips pinched.
I held up the phone, showing the picture of Nellie. ‘I’m looking for this woman.’
She peered at it, narrowing her eyes as if it might be fake. ‘And how did you get that picture?’
She wasn’t about to give me any free information, that was for sure. It would’ve been better if I could’ve talked to the guy alone. He seemed far more willing to let things spill.
‘I was sent to find Nellie by her sister. She never made her flight home and is missing from her hotel. We heard she met someone in one of the hotels on this road and so we’ve been searching for the right one. Your colleague seemed to recognise her?’
She tutted as if her employee had let slip an unconscionable detail. ‘She does look familiar, but I can hardly give out details on my guests to just anyone.’
‘I was sent by her sister to find her.’
‘So you say. But a missing person’s case is usually handled by the police.’
‘I’m a private investigator.’ That was close enough to the truth. ‘Her sister has better faith in my team’s skills than the police.’
She huffed, and I knew I’d made a big mistake. This woman would never value anyone over the proper authorities.
‘Whoever you work for can think as highly of you as they want, but I and this hotel will follow the law and company procedures to the letter. I’ll contact the police. If they allow me to pass any of the information we have on to you, I’ll do so.’
‘I see. Will you give me a minute to call my client?’
She spread her hands. ‘Do as you please.’
I walked a couple metres away and put in a call to Verity. The phone only rang twice before she picked up.
‘What is it? Any progress?’
‘We went to The Grove – a bar-slash-club popular with the local supernatural community – and learned Nellie was meeting someone late at night at a hotel on the same road. We’ve spent hours visiting hotels, and I think we finally found the right one.’
‘Excellent! Who did she meet?’
‘I’m not sure. The manager is demanding we follow proper process, including going through the police to access any information they have.’
‘A stickler for the rules, is she?’
I glanced at the manager. She’d crossed her arms, and I’d put money on her being moments away from tapping her foot. ‘Aye.’ She was as determined as Verity to do things her way.
‘No problem. I’ll sort it.’ She hung up.
I stared at the phone. What did she mean, she’d sort it? A text popped up, telling me not to leave the hotel until this was resolved. Just what was Verity planning?
The manager peered at me. ‘Well?’
‘I think my client is going through the proper channels. She told us to wait.’
‘I doubt your client will sort anything until morning. But if you must wait, you can wait in the lobby.’ She waved me off. ‘Mark, escort them out, would you? And make sure they remain in the public areas for the rest of their visit.’
‘Of course.’
He went to put his hand on my back, but I sped ahead until he dropped his arm. I didn’t need to be manhandled.
We walked into reception. Not only did Inzi stare down the poor guy behind me, but Grim had joined us.
I glanced at the receptionist and bit back a smile at how pale his cheeks were. It reminded me how spooked I was when Grim popped up beside me the first time we met. The guy made an impression.
‘We’ll sit on the sofas by the noticeboard and wait until my client contacts me again.’ I didn’t bother making it a question, and his hurried nod told me I’d been correct to take a more authoritative stance. Unlike his manager, this guy was a people pleaser and easily cowed. Probably why she’d hired him.
I sank into an extra-deep couch and sighed in relief. My feet throbbed with my heartbeat as I warmed through. We’d done more than enough walking for one night. A rest was just what I’d been hoping for. Maybe I’d even manage to dry off.
Shane claimed the seat beside me and put his arm around my shoulders. I rested my head against him and felt my eyes close. How was he so warm beneath his wet clothes?
With the frequent radiators pumping out heat, the non-direct lighting, and the pine musk of my boyfriend enveloping me, I could so easily fall asleep. My body could heal and my mind could rest until we had news. Would that be so bad?
A while later, a phone rang obnoxiously loudly. I blearily tapped my pockets, but it wasn’t mine.
Inzi answered hers. ‘Yes? Here? Already? Okay, yes. I’ll do so. Thank you, sir.’ She signalled Grim closer and spoke too quiet for me to hear, then walked over to us. ‘Time to hunt down that manager.’
‘Already?’ I stretched my arms and spine over the back of the sofa, holding in a yawn with gritted teeth. ‘I’ve barely sat down.’
‘Well, you know Verity works fast.’
I frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Verity spoke to the WMCF stationed in the Greek Islands. As of ten minutes ago, Perry and I are heading up the investigation into Nellie’s disappearance.’
‘I… what?’ I still felt half asleep. How had Verity wrangled all that so quickly, at this hour? ‘That woman is amazing.’
Not only had she convinced the local WMCF to put Inzi and Grim in charge, she’d also run the problem up the flagpole so that the liaison embedded in the local human police force knew to approve any requests we made.
Shane helped me to my feet while Inzi and Grim led the way to Mark’s desk.
Inzi peered at him. ‘Perry and I are now the officers looking into the disappearance of Nellie Brooks.’
His hands fell off his keyboard, and he eyed Grim’s scar. ‘You’re police?’
She placed her officer’s badge on the desk. It wasn’t the version I was used to seeing. This one was a copy of the human police’s badge. The Greek police. No way had Inzi planned that ahead of time. No, the badge must be spelled with some kind of fae glamour.
Whatever the mechanics, it worked. The receptionist grabbed the badge and hurried down the corridor, back to his boss’s office.
Quick clicks of heels signalled her approach. She swept her eyes over Inzi and Grim. ‘You two got here quick.’
Inzi inclined her head. ‘Please give us any information you have on the disappearance of Nellie Brooks.’
She glanced at me. ‘Now?’
‘Yes. The missing woman’s sister has insisted that her private investigator and her team are kept abreast of all developments in the case. We’ll be working closely with them, so please treat them like any other officer.’
Her eyebrows raised. ‘I… see.’ She looked around the empty lobby and sighed. ‘Come with me to my office. We can’t very well have a confidential conversation out here. Mark, go back to manning the lobby.’
I blinked. We didn’t really need to move when the lobby was deserted. Or was she worried about Mark overhearing? Whatever. Hostile to accommodating – what a difference an official made!
She pushed open the door to her office. ‘I’m sorry, only so many seats in here.’ She sat behind her desk and gestured to her phone. ‘If you’ll give me a moment, I’ll call the police to verify your identity, and then I can give you everything we have.’
Maybe I spoke too soon.
Inzi’s lips thinned. ‘Understood.’
The manager smiled. ‘Can’t be too careful.’ Her long nails poked in the digits to the non-emergency number, and she greeted a couple of people before finally getting through to someone who knew of the case.
‘Hello? Yes. Is this Officer Burke? Wonderful. I’m here with two officers who say they’re working a missing person’s case. Can you confirm that for me? Ah, so Inziya and Peregrine are the correct people to handle this? Yes, yes… no, you’re right… I won’t hold them up any longer. Thank you.’ She terminated the call and smiled widely. ‘Let’s get to business, shall we?’
Inzi shifted so the manager couldn’t see her and rolled her eyes. I choked back a laugh. This woman was a real piece of work. But if she could help us, it would be worth it.
‘This missing person, Nellie Brooks, is the same woman in the photograph that she showed me?’ She pointed to me.
We all nodded.
‘I see. That woman seems to be the same person who met with two of my guests a few nights ago. We still have the security footage, if you need it.’
‘Please,’ Grim said.
‘Good. Mark can organise that for you before you go.’
‘What was it that made you remember this meeting so clearly?’ Inzi asked.
‘They met in the lobby late at night. No one else was around, and yet they kept looking over their shoulders and speaking in hushed tones. They left together, and I would’ve thought no more about it, but someone tried to access the guests’ hotel room the same night. Our cleaner thought they’d attempted get in without a key, and without our guests with us to check who they were, we had to chase them off. He ran when he saw us coming.’
‘And this wasn’t one of your guests or Nellie? It was another man?’
‘Correct. We didn’t recognise him as one of our guests, and he was distinctly male, so couldn’t have been Nellie.’
