The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The First Collection by Frost, J (great novels .txt) 📕

and Piper with a story about food poisoning on the set of the last movie she made and they’re all laughing.

I roll my head on Daddy’s shoulder so I can look up at him and find him smiling back at me. “Had enough to eat, baby doll?”

“Yes, Daddy. It was really good.”

“Martin didn’t steer us wrong. Did Niall tell you about the ghost this morning?”

I feel my eyes widen. “You saw Molly?”

“We saw something. We got separated while we were walking the maze. Mac and Harry went one way. Niall and I went the other. I turned a corner and all of a sudden, I was alone. I couldn’t see anyone. A cloud passed over the sun and it got very dark in the maze. I thought I saw something pale moving up ahead, so I followed it. A couple more turns and I reached the center of the maze where there’s a sundial. I sat down to wait for the others and I heard Niall shout. I followed his voice and found him in the opposite direction, so it couldn’t have been him I saw moving. Mac and Harry said they turned around and left the maze when they got stuck in a dead end, so it couldn’t have been them. Normally, I’d say it was Mac pulling my leg because he was the worst prankster in the unit, but Harry was with him, so I don’t think it was him. As we were walking back, Niall told me the same thing happened to him. I disappeared and he saw something moving so he followed it, thinking it was me. Then what he was following disappeared into a hedge, so he shouted, and I found him.”

“Molly’s ghost,” I breathe, enchanted at the idea of a subbie ghost leading Doms on a wild goose chase through the maze. “I’m totally putting that in my story.”

“I thought in your story Molly and Teddy get their happy ever after?”

“They do. But they could still walk the grounds of the inn they loved so much, together in eternity.”

Daddy smiles. “That’s a good ending.”

“Did you tell Martyn you saw Molly’s ghost?”

“I did. He has a book of Molly sightings and I wrote it down in there. So did Niall. Did Martyn show you the book?”

“No.” But now I know what I’m doing as soon as I get back to the inn. “That’s so cool, Daddy.”

He tips his head to avoid the brim of my hat and kisses the tip of my nose. “To me, what’s cool is listening to you create a story about it.”

“Ta, Daddy. Can I know the secret of the maze or do you want me wandering around?”

“I definitely don’t want you wandering around. The secret of the maze is it’s a left-hand maze instead of a right-hand maze. Most mazes can be solved if you put your right hand on a wall and follow it until you find the way out. This maze has only dead ends to the right.”

I peer at him. “I’m having trouble visualizing that.”

“If you have a pen, I’ll draw it for you.”

“Pens clash with my cool, Victorian fairy mojo.” I didn’t even bring a bag with me, just the teddy bear that’s currently on Piper’s lap.

Daddy chuckles. “I’ll show you back at the inn. Martyn has a sneaky map for dungeon monitors.”

“Okay, Daddy, but now I know I can get out just by following the left wall.”

“Mm-hmm. I don’t want you to ever feel lost or trapped, sweetie. Not even for a minute in a scene. I think there will be enough confusion tonight with people running around.”

Remembering the big scenes we’ve done, both on the cruise and at Blunts, all of which had some element of chaos, I nod. “Maybe everyone should know the secret of the maze?”

Daddy nods. “I think that might be safer. It’s easy to get confused and turned around even knowing the secret.”

I wrap my arm around his middle and hug him, not too hard because he just ate. “I love how you always think about everyone’s safety first, Daddy.”

“Isn’t that what daddies do?”

I smile up at him and nod. My forever-daddy does.

* * *

When we return to the inn, I pounce on Martyn, who is checking in the last arrivals: Brenna, Fleur, and Cappa. Brenna is even more chipmunk-faced in person and owl-eyed on painkillers to boot, but she goes crazy over my outfit and immediately tosses her luggage for her tablet and digital pencil so she can sketch me. Martin quickly finishes what he’s doing and takes us into the bar where he says the best light is at this time of day. I end up in a huge leather chair with the equally huge, leather-bound book of Molly sightings in my lap, facing Brenna so she can draw me, while I read to a crowd of subbies and Mistress Maude. There are over a hundred entries and this is just the sightings book for this year.

Daddy’s and Niall’s sightings are unusual in that they saw Molly. Most people just hear whispers and feel a cold but not frightening sensation. There are also lots of reports of white or greenish lights moving around near the maze or on the widow’s walk that rings the floor above our suite. A few people report objects moving around mysteriously, and one guest kept finding his bathroom door open, although he was sure he closed it. Even in this, though, Molly was helpful rather than harmful as Martyn’s noted that guest over-imbibed and needed the toilet on an emergency basis, which makes me giggle.

When my throat gets dry from reading, I pass the book to Laurel, who is sitting to my right. She reads a few entries before passing the book to Aggie, and it becomes a round robin. Vashi’s the first to read in an accent, mimicking Niall’s brogue so perfectly I’d swear he was doing the reading except her voice is an octave higher. Maude’s next, speaking in