Page 8 of Be A Detective, They Said. It’ll Be Fun, They Said

Chapter Four

“OMG, you look so cute!” Marty purred as she pinched my thigh. “I love these jeans on you! You’re giving earthy and grounded.”

“And you’re also giving wannabe lumberjack,” Nina teased.

With a vague smile, I thanked her and ignored Nina. I’m not really a denim gal. I far prefer skirts and silky tops that are a bit more conservative, but Nina had convinced me, if we were going to go digging into a bunch of kooks’ heads and explore the woods to see if maybe we could find a clue about whether Neerie was with them, I couldn’t go in looking bougie.

She often accuses me of being bougie, but I say my skirts and heels are what make me…well, me. I enjoy being a girl. I won’t deny that.

Maybe not in the way Marty does, with lots of jewelry and the most current fashion. I’m more about a sedate set of pearl earrings and short heels. But jeans truly aren’t my bag.

However, Nina was correct. I did need to fit in and move freely if we ended up searching for clues in the woods. So fit in, I did. I borrowed a pair of Marty’s jeans and some sneakers, but I turned Nina down when she offered me a T-shirt.

“I got a T-shirt that’ll make those jeans sing the fucking blues, Wanda. It’s even in your stupid color wheel. You sure you don’t want a piece a this?” She held up one of her favorites. It read: “Surely, Not Everyone was Kung-Fu Fighting.”

I held up a hand with a small smirk before gently pinching her cheek. “As generous as that is, I’m going to pass, Mistress of the Dark. I’ve got one of Marty’s sweaters. Thank you anyway.”

I’d no sooner wear that shirt than I’d sleep with the devil.

She made a face at me, throwing the shirt on her desk. “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t offer. Now, are you two ready to do this shit?”

I wasn’t sure I was ready, but I was going to give it my all because of Tamlin.

As we headed out of the castle and filed into Marty’s SUV, I fretted over Will and his email to Neerie. “How can we question Tamlin’s father? If we do, he’ll know Neerie is missing, and if he’s not responsible, he might use it against her and try to take Tamlin from Naida.”

Marty turned around in the passenger seat, her eyes glittering in the dark. “You’re right, but if we don’t talk to him, and he has Neerie, or knows where she could be, things could go sideways.”

Nina, our elected driver, gripped the wheel, her knuckles pale. “I can always mind-meld the motherfluffer then make him forget our conversation.”

Tucking my purse into my lap, I nodded. “True. I just hate that it taxes you so, Nina.”

But she brushed that notion off. “I’m fine. The more I do it, the easier it gets.”

“But you’re not supposed to do it,” Marty reminded, snuggling into her flannel jacket. “You could get into trouble with the clan.”

“Like some of the dicks I’ve used it on are gonna tattle and look like prissies? Not a fucking chance. I think we’re good. Besides, I’m not doing it to gain anything for me. I’m doing it for information to help someone.”

Then I remembered something I’d thought of when we found out Thad wasn’t Tamlin’s biological father. “Do we even know if Will’s a fairy like Neerie? Or something else? She’s never spoken about him. Not once.”

Marty tightened the bun on the top of her head, giving it a fluff. “Neerie doesn’t talk about much but herself. She probably thinks this Will had nothing to do with making Tamlin.”

I laughed, leaning back in my seat to watch the bare trees of February speed past my window. “First things first. Where are these conspiracy theorists meeting?”

“They rented a room at the VFW hall, the crazy shits, but it shouldn’t be hard to get in. They’re all humans, so if they give us trouble, we beat ’em up.”

Marty poked Nina in her arm. “We’re not beating anyone up, Nina. We’re in and we’re out. You do your mind thing and then we skip. If Neerie was in those woods, we need to have time to go sniffing around.”

“You’re a fucking fun stomper, Marty. Always with the don’t do this, Nina. Don’t do that, Dark Lord. You’re sure singing a diff tune when you need somebody to save your ass.”

Marty threw up a finger. “Excuse me, last time I checked, Mrs. Muscle, I saved you.”

I leaned forward between them before Nina could lob a comeback. They did this often. In turn, I diffused the situation often. Sometimes, it was exhausting, keeping them from ripping each other’s throats open.

Mostly it amused me, because no matter how often they argued, their love and loyalty for one another was far deeper than any fight they had.

“Ladies, no time for bickering. Now, I’ve been wondering why Neerie was caught up with a bunch of human conspiracy theorists?”

“Probably ’cause as paranormals, we know Bigfoot could actually exist. But who knows why anyone gets caught up in this shit, human or not.”

---