Page 63 of Death and Do-Overs

“When you ran after the killer, did you get a look at him?” I asked.

“Black cloak. Average height for a man, or tall for a woman.”

Was this the same cloaked figure who had followed Nie on the train? Was our killer really Guy Jones, disgruntled client from the animal shelter?

I stared at Levi, both of us crouched in the corner over the dead body, and I made a decision. He was capable, fast, and one of only two people in Nevermore who shared my goals. I chose to believe Levi wasn’t a librarian. I chose to believe that he was worth trusting.

“I’d like to take you up on your offer,” I said. “Let’s solve this together.”

“I have an idea. It’ll be dangerous.” He offered his hand.

This time, I shook it. I tried not to worry that trusting Levi would end in regret. And I tried really hard to ignore the way my whole body hummed at the skin-on-skin contact.

CHAPTER 15

MARNIE

“Ihave a lead.” I snapped the door shut behind me as I entered my hotel room.

Imogen bolted upright in bed, her eyes still closed. “Hmm…what? Mead?”

Her short dark curls matted to the left side of her head. Pink lines crossed the same side of her face, imprints from the pillowcase’s wrinkles.

“I could definitely go for some mead.” Imogen smacked her lips, still without opening her eyes. Her voice was scratchy with sleep. “That’s old-fashioned honey wine, right?”

“Not mead.Leadas in information to find out what happened to Nie, but we have to go right now.”

“I’m awake.” Imogen patted her cheeks, then finally opened her eyes.

She climbed out of bed with a stretch and a yawn and ran her hands quickly through her hair, effortlessly fluffing it back into its usual shape. She slipped on her high heels. The four-inch fire-engine-red pumps were an impractical choice of footwear for a murder investigation, but impracticality had never stopped Imogen before.

“What time is it?” she asked.

“Around five. I don’t know.”

“What’s this about mead and murder?” she asked. “What’s the emergency?”

I shook my head. “Downstairs. Let’s go.”

We made our way to the elevator and watched the floor numbers go down. This time the ride didn’t feel so slow. It felt a little too fast, in fact.

Maybe that was just my perception, my nerves getting the better of me as I worried retrieving Imogen would take too long and I wouldn’t return in time to catch the muckwart stealing the body.

“We’re meeting someone,” I said. “He’s investigating his friend’s disappearance. He’s an ally.”

“I can’t wait to meet him. There’s no such thing as too many friends.”

Imogen didn’t have a single question about how long I’d known this man or how I knew we could trust him? Then again, this was the woman who assumed the best intentions in everyone. That included the spam caller who tried to swindle away the life savings she didn’t actually have, and of course the reaper who’d tormented her.

Imogen was trusting to a fault.

The elevator doors opened to the dreary basement.

I took a step forward.

“Wait.” Imogen grabbed my arm, stopping me. “Does your friend know about magic? I don’t want to say something I shouldn’t.”

We didn’t have time to stop moving, but it was a good question and I was glad she asked.

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