City of Magic: The Complete Series by Helen Harper (book club recommendations TXT) 📕

‘Enough,’ I said. I fiddled with the buttons on my cuffs and drew in a deep breath. ‘This isn’t just about needing to help Monroe with the investigation,’ I told them. ‘I’m not coping very well right now. There’s so much to deal with and there’s never a break. I’m not saying I want to bow out or hand everything over to someone else.’ I raised my head and looked at them all. ‘But I need more help.’

Lizzy and Jodie looked even more guilty; Monroe and Julie just smiled. I glanced round. Well, hey: I’d asked for help and admitted I was struggling and the sky hadn’t fallen in and the walls were still standing. Maybe there was hope for me yet.

‘They don’t listen to us,’ Jodie said. ‘The people out there. We’d do a lot more but they all want you. They believe in you.’ She tugged nervously at her collar. ‘Anna’s a police officer. Shouldn’t she be the one investigating the murder instead of you?’

‘She is,’ Julie said. ‘She’s also keeping the peace on a whole host of other matters.’ She nodded decisively. ‘We’ll convene the council and see what we can come up with. Not everything should be on your shoulders, Charley.’ She offered an airy smile and strolled out.

Jodie rolled her eyes. ‘She’s very good at telling other people what to do and avoiding any responsibility herself.’ She sighed. ‘But we’ll do what she says and see how we can change things a bit.’

Lizzy nodded. ‘I’m sorry, Charley. I knew you were finding things tough but I didn’t realise quite how bad things were. And I didn’t realise how much you had to deal with until you weren’t here. As much as I like everyone in our little community, they do complain a lot, don’t they?’

I permitted myself a small smile. ‘They do.’ I hesitated. ‘Can I have a hug?’

Lizzy beamed and bounced over to me. She beckoned Jodie and Monroe. The former joined in; the latter grimaced awkwardly.

From the doorway, Anna cleared her throat. ‘Am I interrupting something?’

‘Come and join the group hug!’ Lizzy sang.

‘Come and save us from the group hug,’ Monroe muttered.

‘Hmm.’ Anna didn’t seem to know what to say. She watched us for a moment then shrugged as if deciding we were all crazy. I felt a giggle threatening to burst out of me at her expression. ‘Is this a good time?’ she asked. ‘I’ve got some updates to discuss with you.’

Instantly, I sobered up. ‘To do with Valerie?’

‘Yes.’

I stepped back, reverting from Charley who had friends and knew how to enjoy herself to Charley the accidental leader of a group of post-apocalyptic survivors. You couldn’t make this shit up.

‘Take a seat,’ I said grimly. ‘Let’s hear what you’ve got.’

Chapter Fifteen

Lizzy and Jodie made their excuses and beat a hasty retreat. I didn’t blame them; it wasn’t much fun poring over the gruesome details of a vicious murder, or examining the detritus of the life the victim had left behind.

‘So,’ Anna said, knitting her fingers under her chin, ‘I understand that our working theory is that this vampire, Philip Someone, killed Valerie by drinking all of her blood and then the werewolf, Maggie, killed him.’

‘Maggie?’ I asked. ‘That’s her name?’

Monroe nodded.

It didn’t sound like the name of someone who would hunt down a killer and rip them to pieces; it sounded like the name of someone who would dispense tea and hugs and the occasional chocolate biscuit.

‘She’s still not shifted back,’ Monroe said, his mouth in a thin line. ‘We’ve tried everything but she’s not budging. Until she does…’

‘She can’t answer any questions.’ I frowned. ‘I get it.’ I glanced at him. Just the thought of her was turning his eyes a stormier shade of blue. It didn’t surprise me. I’d seen him in action, using his own will to get Lizzy to transform from bunyip into human again. I knew what he was capable of – under normal circumstances. ‘Is it clear yet whether she is refusing to transform, or is it something else?’ I asked, echoing Lizzy’s concerns.

He drummed his fingers on the table. ‘It’s impossible to tell. Once we’re done here, I was hoping you could come with me to see her. You might be able to conjure up some magic to force her to shift.’

That seemed an unlikely scenario. I still didn’t know all that my magic was capable of and I’d be worried about hurting her – or worse – if I forced the matter. Let’s face it, if Monroe and all his fellow wolves couldn’t command her to shift back, how on earth would I? All the same, I nodded agreement. It was better than staying around here and dealing with missing gluten-free cereal bars. I reminded myself that I was supposed to be the optimistic one. ‘I’ll find a way to change her,’ I said. ‘I’m sure it won’t be that hard.’

At least Monroe had the grace to remain silent in the face of my over-confidence.

‘The thing is,’ Anna said, ‘I’ve been through all of Valerie’s stuff and read her diary from cover to cover. There is no evidence that she had anything to do with vampires, or werewolves for that matter. In fact, from the interviews I’ve conducted, she despised them. There was an incident at one of her poker sessions where a vampire tried to gain access and she refused them. Rather vocally from what I was told.’

‘Sometimes,’ I said thoughtfully, ‘the one who protests the loudest is the one who has the most to hide. If Philip was one of her lovers, or merely a potential lover, and she was embarrassed by that fact, she might have tried to conceal it from others around her.’

‘True,’ Anna conceded. ‘However, there were various anti-vampire objects in her room.’

I raised an eyebrow. ‘Such as?’

‘A crucifix. Garlic. That kind of thing.’

‘That stuff doesn’t work. It was made up by people who wanted to discredit vampires.’

Monroe shrugged. ‘It doesn’t