“I’ll see myself out,” she said, casting another distasteful glance around my apartment. “I trust you’ll keep the knowledge of where you got this information to yourself.”
“I won’t run down the streets screaming ‘Miriam told me Sarah did it’ if that’s what you’re asking,” I said. “But I also won’t conceal it if I feel it can help in my investigation.”
She didn’t look happy at my comment, but she inclined her head and left. I locked the door behind her and turned back to my apartment.
“The witch obscures the truth of the matter with other truths,” a high pitched female voice said next to my ear.
I swatted at the pixie. It dodged and flitted through the air, its wings casting multicolored lights over the walls. It settled on the arm of my couch and took a seat.
“How would you know?” I asked.
She shrugged her tiny shoulders. “Nobody sees us, and when they do they forget that we are intelligent too. They disregard what we may hear or see, thinking we are unable to relay it to anyone who matters. As a result, we go many places unnoticed. It lets us learns things.”
“And have you heard anything about the witch?”
The pixie lifted a finger. “Ah, ah. That would be telling.”
“And we wouldn’t want that, now would we?” I said, giving it a nasty smile.
She leaned back on one hand. “Of course, if we had an agreement in place, it would mean I’d be bound to share information that might help you.”
“What sort of agreement?” I asked suspiciously.
“You let us stay here for the next few days and I’ll tell you everything I know.”
“Why here?” I asked, not understanding why they’d want to stay here. “There are thousands of houses out there for you to make your home in. The mortals won’t even suspect you’re there.”
“We have our reasons, which are not part of the bargain,” she said.
It would be useful having some background on the events taking place. I was in over my head and I knew it. The only way I was going to get out of this in one piece was by knowing all the moving pieces.
“Leave my stuff alone and promise not to play any of your pranks on me and we have a deal,” I told her.
She gave me a smile, one that was crafty and smug. It made me question my decision to let her stay. I had a feeling I would end up regretting this before the end.
“Now tell me what you meant.”
“So impatient.” She gave me a fake frown of disapproval.
“I can still change my mind, you know,” I said conversationally. I wouldn’t. I’d already made the deal, but she didn’t know that.
“Fine, fine. You don’t have to get all huffy about it.”
I was not being huffy.
“Get to the point, pixie.”
“My name is Inara,” she said. “You might as well call me that instead of referring to me by my species. It’s rude when you do that. Vampire.”
“Fine, Inara. Get to the point.”
“Much better.”
I briefly imagined hitting her with a fly swatter. Would she go splat or just be a little bruised?
“The witch spoke true enough. Word on the street was that Sarah had a brief romance with Thomas a few hundred years ago, and it’s true the relationship did not end well. What your little witch friend failed to mention is that she was also around back then.”
“You mean Miriam?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. “You’re trying to tell me she’s also a few hundred years old.”
