Grimoires and Where to Find Them by Raconteur, Honor (best affordable ebook reader .TXT) 📗

down. Check, too, if any signs of rogue magic have been reported. An unprotected grimoire can wreak havoc, so maybe someone’s spied something. We can reconvene tomorrow afternoon and compare notes.”

“And for today?” Niamh inquired.

“Today was my day off, and it’s mostly gone. I think we can call it quits. We’ve got base information and a good lead for tomorrow. Let’s quit while we’re ahead.” Jamie shifted Clint off her lap as she rose, putting him over her shoulder, which the Felix was quite amenable with.

We all followed suit, and I accepted Tasha from Foster. We made plans to reconvene at the police station, then went our separate ways. I walked with Jamie out of the faire, carrying my bag of other purchases as we went. We had indulged in some shopping while asking questions. Why not? Buying things was the easiest way to open a vendor’s mouth, and we figured we might as well gain some pleasure from this day. It did make for a heavy load, however. I had, perhaps, indulged too much.

Jamie couldn’t link arms with me, as our hands were fully occupied, but she did walk close enough for our elbows to brush. “To your parents’ house for dinner?”

“We might as well. We both have purchases to collect, and they’re expecting us.”

“Okay.” She leaned in to speak in a lower tone, an invitation in her eyes. “And after, dessert can be at my place.”

I warmed to the idea immediately. “I look forward to it, my dear.”

I was sometimes teased by my sister about having no social life, but I did indeed have friends. I didn’t see them as often as Jamie saw hers, of course, because my acquaintances were more introverted, like myself. Still, we enjoyed each other’s company, and if something suggested a meet-up, we agreed readily enough.

I found myself in the odd position of instigating one of these meet-ups. I say odd because I rarely ever prompt such get-togethers.

Since Jamie was running her ducklings through the investigation of the other two stolen books, I took it upon myself to visit a colleague with only Phil for company. Leor Purves was one of the brightest minds I’d had the pleasure of working with in university, and he’d become a magical theorist once he graduated. Our work never intersected, of course, but I did love sitting with him sometimes and throwing ideas about.

Come to think of it, I really should invite Seaton the next time I met up with Leor. The three of us would have a splendid evening together, I had no doubt. Seaton enjoyed a good theoretical debate as well as the next man, after all.

The townhome I called upon was a sizeable one in a very distinguished part of town. Leor tended to work out of his own home most of the time. He claimed he could concentrate better there, and I believed it. My own colleagues were constantly popping in on me, and sometimes it became a nuisance, preventing me from staying focused on a single task. If not for the demands of preserving evidence at the station, I would have vastly preferred to work from home, myself.

I crossed the three stairs onto the porch with light feet, giving the door a sound knock, eyeing the left side as I did so. Dead flowers in pots on the front porch. Oh, dear. Who had been silly enough to give Leor something to tend to? The man didn’t even routinely remember to shave, for heaven’s sake.

The door opened, and Leor himself stared at me blankly for five full seconds. With the ink stain on his nose, black hair a little wild and tufted behind his jug ears, he looked like the mad scientist we accused him of being. He had not shaved recently, the stubble dark on his fair skin, but his clothes were clean and orderly around his bulky frame, so someone had tended to him recently. I gave him time to switch mental tracks and bring himself back into the real world. It wasn’t like I didn’t understand how that was, some days.

Then he blinked, and a smile blossomed on his face. “Henri! Good grief, is it that time already?”

“It is,” I assured him.

“Well, come in, come in. I’m delighted to see you, you know. It’s been a tree’s age, at least. Now, what’s this furry little companion on your shoulder? And is that a police badge hanging from the collar, there, or am I seeing things?”

I let myself in, but not far. Leor didn’t have much in the way of furniture, per se, but stacks of notebooks, journals, and books lined the walls. I didn’t have much room to maneuver in, as the foyer wasn’t wide to begin with.

“This is my Felix companion, and yes, that’s a police badge. He’s part of the department.”

“I’m Phil.” The Felix in question introduced himself and extended a paw to shake with.

Leor didn’t miss a beat, just extended a hand and touched a finger to that tiny paw. “A pleasure, Phil. I say, wasn’t your creator Jules Felix?”

In his light voice, Phil confirmed, “Yes.”

“I heard about you. He came ’round once to throw ideas at me. Fascinating, simply fascinating discussion. I’m quite glad to meet you in the flesh, see how his ideas panned out. Well, let’s not stand here. Henri, I made room in a chair for you.”

“Splendid.”

Chairs were not always empty in this house. I went directly right, as Leor had changed his parlor into his study. More room, he said, but I think it had more to do with the amount of light in here, coming in through the bay windows. He had indeed made an effort to clean up. Not only was a guest chair clear, but I could see part of the surface of his desk. Which was quite astonishing. Prior to this, I could not have sworn in a court of law that the furniture had a top to it, as I’d never seen it.

I settled