Page 4 of Tattered Huntress
Although I’d been somewhat clumsy with the vampire, my success at saving a stranger’s life coupled with the easing of my withdrawal symptoms meant that I was in a buoyant mood when I pitched up at work the following morning. My good humour was probably why I didn’t immediately become suspicious at my boss’s overly-bright smile.
‘Daisy!’ he beamed. ‘You’re looking fabulous this morning. You must have had a good night’s sleep.’
‘I did sleep well, thank you,’ I said. Telling Mr McIlvanney the truth would have terrified him out of his wits.
‘I’m so pleased to hear that,’ he said. ‘I’ve been worried about you these past few days. You’ve been looking very tired.’
A faint warning bell started to ding deep in the recesses of my brain. Alas, I wasn’t sharp enough to pay it attention. ‘Well,’ I said, ‘I’m feeling a whole heap better now.’
He bobbed his head vigorously. ‘Good, good. Still, it’s important not to overdo things. We can’t afford for our best delivery driver to end up on long-term sick leave.’
The warning bell grew louder. This time I gave it more notice.
‘That’s why,’ McIlvanney continued, ‘I made sure to keep your deliveries to a minimum today. I don’t want to over-stretch you.’
I met his eyes and belatedly noted his flicker of anxiety. Oh no. ‘Boss—’ I began.
He interrupted me. ‘So you only have three deliveries to make. Lucky you!’
I folded my arms across my chest. Three deliveries was unheard of; I usually did more than a hundred, even when there were a lot of rural runs. ‘And where are these three deliveries?’
‘Well,’ he said hesitantly, ‘the first one is near Peebles.’
I tapped my foot. ‘Where exactly near Peebles?’
‘Neidpath Castle. It’s for Hugo Pemberville.’ McIlvanney paused. ‘TheHugo Pemberville. The treasure-hunter bloke. He’s the housewives’ favourite these days.’
An image flashed into my head of the tawny-haired high elf. Hugo Pemberville was well-known up and down the country; somehow I had the feeling that McIlvanney was trying to distract me with celebrity.
‘How many housewives do you actually know?’ I asked.
‘It’s a turn of phrase. I don’t mean anything by it. Don’t you find him attractive? Everyone else seems to.’
Yep, he was definitely trying to distract me. ‘What about the other two deliveries?’ I asked, my suspicions growing by the second.
‘Oh.’ He waved a hand airily. ‘They’re close to Neidpath Castle.’
‘Whereexactly?’
‘One is at Westloch.’
I dredged my memory for previous runs up there. ‘The holiday homes?’
‘That’s the place.’ McIlvanney turned away.
‘Boss,’ I said. He started to whistle tunelessly. I raised my voice. ‘Mr McIlvanney.’
‘Mmm?’
‘Where’s the third delivery?’
He mumbled something.
‘Can you repeat that?’
Reluctantly he looked over his shoulder then turned to face me and sighed. ‘Hurley Cave.’
There we go; that was why I only had three deliveries today. ‘Hurley Cave,’ I said flatly.
