Of course, by shoes, she means sparkly unicorn shoes that light up obnoxiously with each step.
We head to the front door, where I grab the keys to my silver Prius that’s parked in the driveway, usually next to the Momvan. I hope with a full tank and clean interior. It’s also equipped with a pair of old crime scene gloves Mom gave me once, stuffed in the center console. Because... you never know.
I grab a jacket from a hook by the door, make sure the house is locked, and click open the car door with Paxton trotting downthe front walk behind me. Her sparkly unicorn knapsack is slung over one shoulder like we’re going on an adventure outdoors.
Then again, who knows where this case might lead us?
We climb in, and I start the engine.
If something supernatural is targeting children in Orange County, if something dark is slipping under pillows instead of a tiny fairy hand leaving some money, it’s time for me to step in.
Who better than a fairy detective?
With the name and address of the first family already plugged into my phone, we head out.
As unlikely a crime fighting duo as you’ll ever see.
2.
The drive to Tustin doesn’t take long, and with the windows cracked and Paxton humming along to some Disney-themed playlist on her phone, the Prius practically floats down the darkened streets. Silent as cat’s feet.
Shortly, I stop in front of a brightly lit home.
“This it?” asks Pax.
“Yep,” I murmur, eyeing the house, suddenly unsure of myself. I mean, I’m only an investigator-in-training. An intern, basically. By California law, I can’t conduct a real investigation until I’m a licensed private eye. I can, however, work a case Mom is hired for. Pretty sure, this won’t go down as an official case, or a case at all. They might just slam the door in my face.
I step out of the car, as does Pax. She quick-steps around my car and takes my hand. We both look up at the big two-story home.
It’s a well-kept with a wide porch and carefully trimmed hedges. A row of solar-powered garden lights flickers softly. But it’s the industrial-grade floodlights illuminating the front yard that grab my attention. They’re way too bright for a fairly safe suburban neighborhood like this.
“Guess someone’s not taking chances with the dark,” I mutter, leading the way up the walkway to the front door.
“They’re scared of something,” says Paxton.
“You can feel it?”
“Oh, yes,” says my kid sister. Everyone inside is scared. There are four people. Four different types of fear. The girl is the most scared. The dad is mostly mad. Mom feels helpless. The kid brother is just confused.
“Hopefully, we’ll get to the bottom of it,” I say. “I hope.”
“I hope so too. They need a lot of help!”
As we walk, Paxton’s shoes flash brightly with each step. Her knapsack hangs askew. I pause and straighten her out, brush back her hair with my fingers. I take her hand again and we walk up to the front door. There, I give myself a once-over, too, smoothing my shirt and fluffing out my hair. I brush the front of my black jeans. Finally, I dig out a business card from my purse. It’s fairly new. Mom got them a few weeks ago for me. It’s got my picture on the front with the words: “Tammy Moon, junior detective” above the words “Moon Investigations.”
“You got this,” Paxton whispers, offering a little thumbs-up, sensing my nerves. The kid is a natural empath, which, not surprisingly, fits right along with our weird family.
I smile nervously, nod, and step up to the door. My index finger hovers over the doorbell for a second as I question everything leading up to this point. No, I finally tell myself. They need help. Most importantly, the tooth fair needs help, too.
And yes, I happen to know she’s real.
Finally, I press the doorbell.
A few seconds pass. Then the sound of footsteps. The peephole darkens, and the porch light flares to life above us. A woman in her late thirties opens the door part way. There’s a chain stopping it. She blinks suspiciously; I don’t blame her.
“Yes?” she asks, surprisingly pleasantly.
“Hi,” I say, offering a small, polite smile. “I’m sorry to bother you so late. My name’s Tammy Moon, and I’m a junior private investigator with Moon Investigations.”
