Grimoires and Where to Find Them by Raconteur, Honor (ebook reader for laptop .txt) 📕

frowned down at her hands again. “The building started to get this humid, damp sort of smell. Like the air before a mother storm sweeps through. I was concerned, thought a pipe might be leaking somewhere, but I had a plumber in and he couldn’t see anything wrong. That was about three weeks ago. And then I noticed the roof on the side of the building was sagging badly. And I thought, oh no, it’s the roof. The roof’s letting water in. So, I called in a roofer, but he couldn’t come in until early this week.”

Of course, pros were busy, that made sense. “So, you didn’t suspect it was anything magical. What did the roofer say?”

“He said it was a problem but couldn’t figure out the source. He suggested I call in one of those reno-wizards.”

Ahh. Now, that was a good suggestion. I didn’t know any of them personally, but I’d come across the term before. Reno-wizards—formally known as renovation wizards—specialized in performing a scrying spell on buildings to determine issues. They could tell you if there were plumbing issues, dry rot, infestation, etc. all without needing to open up the walls.

“And you did?”

She nodded, upset again.

“I didn’t want to. They’re pricey, you know. But I’d already called in two other professionals, and they couldn’t tell me what the problem was. So, I thought, I’d better, as the building was becoming unsafe very quickly. People were telling me they felt ill. I couldn’t afford to lose my tenants, and I was feeling ill myself. Something was very wrong.

“After the roofer left, I found someone I thought could help. I called in a reno-wizard and she made room for me in her schedule, as she said it did sound problematic, and she could at least take a quick look and tell me who to call in to fix it. She came in early this morning, before business hours, and bless her for it. She didn’t even do any spells. Just took one look at the building and told me to get everyone out, now.”

I bet, to a reno-wizard especially, it would have been obvious at a glance.

“She was so panicked, so frantic, and I didn’t even think of disobeying her. I immediately cleared all my tenants out, and she demanded to know where the nearest phone was. I told her, the pharmacy lets people borrow theirs, and she went across the street and placed a call. I don’t know who she called, but not ten minutes later, I had a royal mage on my sidewalk, swearing like a sailor and putting a ward up over my building. I assume she called him.”

“There’s a hotline for reporting magical issues,” I explained patiently. “It’s rather new, about a year old, but if you see something that’s magically dangerous, you can call it in. I bet, because she’s a reno-wizard, that she was able to escalate the process, which is why you had a royal mage pop in like that. I’d very much like to talk to her. What’s her name?”

“Oh…it was Naomi. Naomi Maslin. I don’t think I paid her.”

“You won’t need to. We’ll pay her for her services.” I wrote that name down, with a note to pay the lady. “You absolutely did the right things, trying to sort this out, and I will make that clear to your insurance company. Now, one more question, and I’ll take you to a hotel. Do you have any information on file for Laughlin? Any references you took for him?”

“I, uh…” she struggled to think. “My application form has them jot down a person to contact in case of emergency.”

“That’s great. I’ll need that file. Is it alright if I take over your office for a bit and look through your files?”

“Yes, of course, whatever will help.”

“Good, thank you. Alright, let’s get you up and to a hotel.”

Johnna cleared her throat. “Detective, you’ve got enough on your plate already. Why don’t I get Miss Orton settled in a hotel?”

I was chomping at the bit to go and see how everyone was faring at the apartment building. So, I wasn’t inclined to turn down the offer.

“That’s kind of you, Captain, thanks. Just tell me which hotel you put her in, as I’ll have follow-up questions.”

“I’ll note it in the report for you,” she promised.

“Thanks.” I gave her hand one last squeeze before letting go. “I’ll be in touch shortly, Miss Orton. You sleep things off today. I’ll try and speak with you tomorrow.”

“Alright, Detective.” She gave me a spacey smile, a glazed look in her eyes. “Thank you.”

I gave both women a quick smile before extricating myself and slipping back out. When I reached the bullpen, I saw that most people had left, with only a few stragglers. Foster, Gerring, and Niamh were waiting outside, and they perked up as I exited the office.

“Oh, good, you guys caught up.” I joined them and gave a quick recap. “I just spoke with the landlady, got some info. A reno-wizard looked at the building this morning. She’s the one who reported the problem. I want someone to interview her and get what she saw all neatly written up. Also, she needs to be paid, and since she reported an issue to the Crown, it’ll be a government check. Her name is Naomi Maslin. Follow up with her, please.”

Foster gave me a sharp nod. “On it. What about you?”

“The person who is renting the apartment is named Samuel Laughlin, and there’s an application somewhere in that building that lists not only his info, but an emergency contact. I want to get that info and see if we can’t track this guy down.”

Foster asked the obvious question. “Is this the same thief? Searle Massimo? Since he’s collecting grimoires.”

“That is the million-crown question, isn’t it? I want an answer as much as you do. Miss Orton, the landlady, described him as a very nondescript man, which raises my suspicions. Let’s see if we can verify it, one way or the