You are reading on AllFreeNovel.com
Font Size:

Page 46 of The Vampire and the Case of the Cursed Canine

Sure enough, Liv stopped in a busy car park outside the furthest warehouse from town. It was quite small and run down; I’d thought it was abandoned since I’d never seen cars there before. Bingo.

I pulled in next to another plain sedan and got out. Liv and her three witch friends were chatting as they headed for the warehouse.

I really needed a disguise. I thought for a moment then got back into the car. Now I knew where the market was, I could take a minute and put together something that would help me to sneak in. No one would talk to me if they knew I was the law, and I also had to avoid Liv, Laura and anyone else who might recognize me. I needed to hide my hair and maybe wear sunglasses. I was already dressed close to the local norm, but I was wearing a button-up shirt and my nicer boots so I needed to run home and change. I had time: the market wasn’t going anywhere.

I raced home a shade over the speed limit, parked up and texted Sidnee to let her know I was still using her car but wouldn’t be too much longer. Then I barrelled into my house, to greet my pets. ‘I missed you guys,’ I said as I cuddled Fluffy and stroked Shadow as much as he would allow.

I could see from the tins on the counter that Mum had already fed them, so I opened the back door and let them out while I got changed. I found a baseball cap and sunglasses, then realised I’d look suspicious wandering into a dark warehouse with those on. Instead, I applied some fake eyelashes and a heavy dose of makeup.

I tied my long blonde hair into a bun and secured the cap then admired the effect: not bad. I put my badge in my pocket, changed into grungy jeans and pulled on my XtraTuf boots. Disguise complete, I was good to go.

‘You guys stay here,’ I said to my animals as I locked the back door. ‘I won’t be long but taking you would kind of undo all my disguise work.’

I headed to the front door – and that’s when Mum walked in. Everything in me froze. ‘Elizabeth? I thought you were at work,’ she said.

And I thought you weren’t a monster. I didn’t say it, though I wanted to. I was on my way out: now was not a time to pick a fight with my mother. ‘I am. I had to change. I’m going on a stakeout,’ I managed.

‘That sounds exciting. Can I come?’ She looked genuinely excited and I felt conflicted. It was nice that she was taking an interest in my work, but at the same time … the bus thing.

‘You want to go on a stakeout?’ I asked slowly.

‘It sounds more exciting than watching TV, and we’d get to spend some quality time together.’

I realised that no one would expect Officer Barrington to come in with anyone other than Sidnee or Gunnar; shopping with my mother was actually the perfect cover. Even so, she deserved to know what she was walking in to. ‘I’m going to the black market to interview people and try to pinpoint the curser,’ I said firmly, looking to see if I’d scared her off.

‘Oh. Liv invited me but I declined. The High Priestix can’t be seen in such places.’

A wave of relief flowed over me. Good. But she wasn’t done. ‘Still, I think it will be fun. If anyone finds out, I can tell them that I was helping with a police sting operation.’

I weighed up my options. We could pretend to be shopping and she was good at shopping, plus I needed her because I hadn’t got the slightest clue what anything was. I’d probably give myself away in a minute. ‘Okay – but Liv and the other witches can’t see us or we’ll get thrown out. I need to talk to people and no one can know I’m a cop.’

‘Of course.’

I eyed her. ‘Mum, you can’t go dressed like that. You’ll stand out like a sore thumb.’

‘Well, I don’t have anything like that.’ She gestured disdainfully at my ensemble.

‘Did you bring jeans?’

‘Of course not.’

I didn’t have jeans that would fit her but I had plenty of baggy sweatshirts she could borrow. ‘What trousers do you have?’ I asked.

‘None,’ she sniffed.

I had leggings; she’d be horrified, but that was all I had, plus they were stretchy so she’d fit into them. ‘It’s fine, you can wear my leggings and spare boots.’

‘Boots like those?’ she pointed at my feet and wrinkled her brow.

‘Nope, these are my nice pair.’ I smiled wickedly.

She took the leggings and sweatshirt and went to change. When she came out, her face was scrunched up in a rictus of distaste. I handed her Sigrid’s old brown boots and she put them on. Her hair was still twisted up in a chignon. That wouldn’t do. ‘Do you mind if I fix your hair?’

‘What’s wrong with my hair?’

‘It’s too nice.’

‘Fine,’ she grumped. A lot of the excitement had faded now that she realised she had to dress like a commoner.


Articles you may like