I sighed. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
“Good evening,” the wispy man said, smiling, to reveal his long canines and running a deathly pale hand through his platinum-blond hair. The guy wasn’t even wearing a jacket against the cold. Of course, he was technically already dead, so I guess that didn’t fucking matter.
“I don’t have any blood to spare,” I said, eyeing the vampire with mild distaste.
“No thank you,” he said with a genial smile. “I ate earlier. A lovely young woman, actually, and no worries, she’s safe and sound back home, perhaps a half-pint lighter, but none the worse for wear.”
Leaning against the door frame, I glared at him. “How delightful. Now, can you tell me why the absolutefuckyou’re here this late?”
“Apologies,” he said, bowing his head, and then clasped his hands before him. “This is McClintoc Detective Services, correct?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I grunted. “At one time it was. Retired now. Declan McClintoc, at your service.”
He smiled and extended his hand. I stared at it until he let it drop. “I came to hire you. My name is Sebastian Walker, originally from France, but I immigrated here to Chicago a couple hundred years ago. I wanted to?—”
“Retired,” I said again, cutting him off. “Did you not hear that part?”
Sebastian froze, his eyes going wide. “Oh…uh…I’m sorry. You don’t look old enough to have retired. Unless you’ve magically changed your age?”
“Forty-one years old last month,” I said. “After the shit I’ve seen, that’s plenty old enough to retire with or without magic. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment with a Mr. Louis L’Amour.”
I made to close the door, but his hand shot out, moving with that insane, unearthly speed vampires had.
“Please,” he said. “I’m in dire need of help.”
I glared at the offending hand clasping my door. With what I considered agreatforce of will, I suppressed my irritation and looked into the vampire’s hazel eyes.
“You have one minute. Spit it out.”
Sebastian visibly relaxed, his shoulders sagging in relief. “It’s my grandfather.”
“Dead?”
“Yes,” he said with a wince. “The issue is, he has died under…shall we say…strange circumstances.”
“Uh huh,” I said, my voice sounding as bored as I felt.
“Well, the Walker family fortune was under his full control, and since I am the eldest living member of his family, I am in line to inherit the controlling ownership of the fortune.”
“Then take the fucking money and be done,” I said, growing more weary by the second. “Why do you need a human PI for this? If the old bastard is dead, what do you want from me?”
Sebastian rolled his eyes and sighed. “The issue is the probate attorney. He’s arealasshole. A werewolf, of course. Ugh, Ihatethose people. I would have much preferred a shifter or warlock or something, but this is the hand I was dealt.”
“Twenty seconds,” I muttered.
“Sorry,” he said, almost yelping the word. “The attorney says the will cannot be finalized until the cause of death has been established. Which will be difficult to figure out, mostly due to the fact that his body is nothing but ashes at this point. I need you to investigate and ensure it was only an accident. If it turns out he was murdered, the fortune could be tied up in court for decades, maybe even forever if no suspect is found.Please?”
I stared at the man, forcing myself not to grind my teeth. Already, a hunch was forming in my mind. Three years after retiring, the old skills were still there.
“You say you’re the one who benefits if his death is ruled accidental or natural?”
“Uh…yes,” Sebastian said, nodding once and frowning.
“Mr. Walker,” I said wearily. “Whoever sent you to me, did they tell you who I was?”
The vampire’s frown deepened further. “Well, of course. Declan McClintoc, a human private investigator that specializes in crimes and investigations of the magical population. One of the few humans fully read into our world. They said you would be the best to assist me in this endeavor. Can we please?—”
“My greatestgiftis the ability to know whenanyoneis lying to me,” I said. “Anyone. A blessing, you might say. Honed over years, and always one hundred percent accurate.”
