Page 75 of Star Witch
He didn’t even look up. ‘What do you want?’
‘Don’t be like that. I’m your superspy, remember?’
He raised his eyes balefully. ‘You never gave me any useful intel at all.’
‘Well, that was hardly my fault.’ I nodded at the barman. ‘I’ll have a vodka,’ I said. ‘This gentleman is paying.’
‘Make that two,’ Armstrong grunted.
Hmm. He already looked well on his way to the Land of Toilet Hugging as it was. I’d better make this quick. ‘You told me when we started that this area was chosen because of historical links to magic. I need to know what exactly.’
‘What does it matter now?’
‘It’s important, Morris.’
He scanned my face. ‘It was a family. Apparently there were several witches. Things didn’t go well for them and most were burned at the stake.’ He made a vague attempt at looking apologetic. ‘Those were the times.’
‘Which times exactly?’
‘Around the turn of the nineteenth century.’
It seemed almost inconceivable that their magical bloodline had continued since then without anyone noticing but I had to be sure. I swallowed. I really didn’t want to know the answer but I had to ask – everything hinged on it. ‘What was their name?’
‘McAllan.’
The barman set out the drinks in front of us. With shaking hands, I reached down and picked up the first one, downing it in one with barely a shudder. Then I took the second glass and did the same. Armstrong just frowned.
‘I’ve got to go,’ I told him. ‘Pack your bags. It’s time to get out of Dodge.’
Without waiting for a reaction, I spun on my heel just in time to see Tarquin enter. He strutted in, his shoulders back and his head held high. The few crew members dotted around, including Barry and Amy, gave him a ragged round of applause. I rolled my eyes.
‘Tarquin!’ I called. I strode over and barred his way before he could start massaging his own ego with his adoring public.
He grinned. ‘Hey, Ivy.’ He bowed dramatically. ‘You’re welcome.’
I stared at him. ‘For what?’
‘Saving the day, of course.’
Never mind that all he’d done was smash a glass vial whilst others tried to deal with the real issue of the zombie. Or that his little spell had sent our investigation wildly off track. I forced a smile and did what I could to get him to listen. ‘Pay attention,’ I barked. ‘I have to go out. Winter is at the police station talking to Trevor Bellows. You need to get yourself there.’
He frowned at me and flipped back his hair. ‘I think I’ve done enough for today. I was going to have a drink and relax. Adeptus Exemptus Winter can look after Bellows.’
I gritted my teeth. ‘Bellows isn’t the real villain. Heisa villain but he’s not the one threatening the stability of Scotland.’
‘Huh?’
Somehow, it didn’t surprise me that Tarquin was out of the loop. ‘Just get to Winter. Make sure he stays there and doesn’t come looking for me. This is hugely important, Tarq.’ I needed some way to make sure he did as I asked; I couldn’t afford for Winter to come after me. ‘There’s no one else here I trust to do this. Are you clever enough to keep Winter in one place?’
Tarquin drew himself up. ‘What? Of course I am! If I’m clever enough to create a spell to keep ageing at bay, I can certainly hold one Arcane Branch investigator back. Ha! It would be a piece of cake.’
I pushed up onto my tiptoes. ‘Are you sure? Winter is pretty canny…’
Tarquin rolled his eyes. ‘He is no match for the might of the Tarq. I’ll do it now.’ He turned on his heel and exited while I let out a breath. He’d been easier to manipulate than I expected. My challenge had at least ensured that he’d not asked why I needed Winter to stay with Bellows. As long as my sapphire-eyed soulmate didn’t come near me, everything would be fine. Probably.
I darted up to the room I shared with Amy, quickly changing into warmer clothes – because it’s important to be snug when you’re facing certain death – then I grabbed my phone and left again. There was just one other thing to take care of.
‘Brutus!’ There was a faint rustle from some bushes to my right but nothing else. ‘Brutus, this is urgent. I wouldn’t interrupt your night-time stalking if it weren’t.’
