Westerham Witches and a Venetian Vendetta by Dionne Lister (top rated books of all time TXT) 📕

“I know. Bummer. Stupid PIB.”

“Hey, watch it.”

“Sorry. I would’ve said that about any work that would keep her from looking for Angelica.” I had a way of putting my foot in my mouth when I least expected it. Another one of my many talents.

We checked the bar, and my mother was still there, sitting on a barstool, gazing into the bartender’s eyes. He was laughing, maybe at something my mother had said. I went up to her. “Hello, Lily.” She smiled.

“Just checking up on you. How’s it going?”

“Oh, great thanks. How about you?” Well, she was giving nothing away.

“I need to talk to you about something. Could you come outside for a sec?”

“Of course!” She turned back to the bartender. “I’m sorry I have to go, but it was lovely chatting with you.”

He grinned. “Of course. Come and chat with me any time. I would love to have you.” He winked. I suppressed a gag.

Mum slid off the stool and joined us in the hall. I made a bubble of silence and put on an Italian accent in a deep voice. “I would love to have you?!”

She giggled. “I know. His flirting game needs some work. He’s harmless though. So, what did you find?”

I sighed. “Not much, but I took a recording of the end of an argument between Isabella and her daughter.”

“And I’ve checked most of the rooms with Millicent, and we found nothing.”

My mother’s face fell. “Oh. That’s not promising.”

I shook my head. “No. It’s not. And keeping Will’s rule in mind, do you want to come with us to check out the office?”

“Okay. Lead the way. I might just stand at the door so I’m not underfoot.”

“That’s okay. Whatever makes you happy.” I smiled.

We turned and in a few steps were at the office. The door was open, so Imani and I went straight in. Will, Beren, and Agent Tondato were there. Beren was looking through paperwork on the messy desk while Agent Tondato went through drawers of the filing cabinet that sat in front of the door I wanted to check behind. Will stood in the middle of the room, his power glowing around him as his magic tickled my scalp. “What are you doing?” I asked.

He looked at me, poker face intact. “Just checking for any anomalies that would indicate a hidden room.”

A pointed at the door behind the filing cabinet. “Don’t look now, but there’s a door.”

Will rolled his eyes. “Very funny.”

“She hasn’t been in here. I couldn’t sense her earlier, and I can’t now.” I was being subtle, but he would know I meant I hadn’t captured her in my camera. “But I sense Mr Dal Lago was here the day he was murdered.” Will knew I had the photo of him going through that doorway.

Agent Tondato, who was sitting on an office chair, looked up at me from the drawer he was rifling through. “Do you have a special talent for sensing where people have been?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve heard anyone with that talent is limited to maybe twelve hours after the person was there.” I shrugged, trying to keep the stories to a minimum. The more embellished the lie was, the more likely I’d be caught out. “So, maybe you’re making an educated guess since you saw him come out of this office after arguing with his wife.”

“While arguing with his wife.” I folded my arms and clenched my teeth. I so wanted to say to Imani, see he hates me, but that was way too childish. “And my statement is not a guess. It’s a fact.” Sticking out my tongue would also be childish, but my tongue managed to make it halfway out of my mouth before I caught it and pretended to be licking my lips. Oh, great; now he’d think I was flirting.

He looked at Will. “Do you always let your fiancée follow you on investigations?”

He turned his poker face onto the agent—I guessed he couldn’t look angry, or we might get no more cooperation from him. “She’s very skilled at sensing things. She’s helped the PIB solve many cases. If it wasn’t for Lily, there would be a lot more witch criminals running around out there.” He turned to me and gave a small smile. I gave him a thank-you nod and smile in return.

Agent Tondato flicked his gaze to Imani, then back to Will. “Women should not be in the field. It is too dangerous, and they’re not as good as male agents. The women miss things.” Oh, dear. He’d just about signed his own death warrant. I looked at Imani and noted sparks of anger shooting from her eyes. It was a miracle the Italian agent didn’t catch fire, or at least complain that his skin was burning.

Imani opened her mouth to say something, but Will raised a brow. It must be a reminder that we needed to find Angelica, and we could deal with this idiot later. She shut her mouth, but her nostrils flared a few times. She really had some fierce self-control. It was a shame I didn’t.

I looked down my nose at him. “Considering most men can’t find what’s right in front of their nose in the cupboard or fridge, I think you mean we’re way better than men. When was the last time you had to ask your mother to find something for you?” Imani snorted. I smiled, happy I’d made her feel better. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for Will, who gave me a dirty “shut up” look.

Agent Tondato pressed his lips together and lifted his chin. “My mumma is excellent at finding things in the house, yes, but that is all. A man’s intellect is more suited to important things.”

My mouth dropped open, but before anything could come flying out, Will stepped between Agent Tondato and me. He was looking at the Italian agent. “Do you think you could avoid insulting my colleagues? You may do things differently