Pet Psychic Mysteries Boxset Books 5-8 (Magic Market Mysteries Book 2) Erin Johnson (good books for 8th graders .txt) đ
![](/uploads/posts/books/3/3/2/2/5/kniga-pet-psychic-mysteries-boxset-books-5-8-magic-market-mysteries-book-2.jpg)
- Author: Erin Johnson
Book online «Pet Psychic Mysteries Boxset Books 5-8 (Magic Market Mysteries Book 2) Erin Johnson (good books for 8th graders .txt) đ». Author Erin Johnson
âBut it does.â Peter nodded, his deep blue eyes thoughtful. A red flush spread up his neck and ears. âWeâll make this right, Jolene. I promise. He canât just use you as a test subject for whatever heâs making those potions for.â He heaved an angry sigh through his nose, and I leaned against his side.
âWhen we arrest him, can Daisy gnaw on himâjust a little?â
The grim set to Peterâs mouth softened. âSureâbut just a little.â
I nodded. âMaybe she can bite off a few toes. I doubt heâd miss them.â
Peter chuckled and slipped his hand around mine.
I was only half joking. But first, we had to figure out a crime we could actually pin on the slippery snake. Ludolf had a way of lining up his lackeys to take the fall for his multitude of crimes, which I had a feeling weâd just seen the tip of. In any case, I was more than happy to put my personal problems aside and focus on the case in front of us. It made for a nice distraction from my predicament.
Daisy barked againâover hereâand Mark cried out, âHey!â
Peter banked hard to the right, and I trailed right behind him, still holding his hand. We came to a little clearing filled with a nest made of sticks and mud about the size of a large beanbag chair. Mark had his back against the rough trunk of a palm tree, palms up, while Daisy wagged her bushy tail and panted up at him. She glanced back over her shoulder at Peter and woofed.
I found him!
Markâs wide eyes darted down to the dog, then back to Peter. âA little help here.â
Peter bent forward and patted his thighs. âDaisy! Come!â
The German shepherd bounded over, smiling widely, and Peter scratched behind her pointy ears. âGood girl.â
âGood?â Mark scoffed as he tugged his white lab coat down. âShe nearly bit my head off.â He shot the dog a scathing look, then dug around his pockets till he located his pack of cigarettes and his wand. He used his wand to light the cigarette before stuffing it back in his pocket, then took a drag and blew out a puff of smoke. His shoulders sagged, and his face relaxed.
I frowned at him. What kind of veterinarian got so angry at a dog and smoked in the enclosure of a creature as rare as a phoenix?
Peter straightened, and Daisy circled around until she stood with her side pressed against his leg. âDaisy was just looking for you. Whereâd everyone go?â Peterâs eyes dropped to the large nest. âAnd what are you doing in here alone?â
Mark took another drag of his cigarette, then leveled Peter with a flat look. âYour colleagues took off with the bodies and told me not to go anywhereâso I figured Iâd make myself useful and see if I could locate our missing phoenix.â He gestured at the circle of sticks and mud. âThis is her nest.â A few fiery red feathers clung to the inside of the nest.
I crinkled my nose. The humid air smelled of sour cigarette smoke, charcoal, and a warm, musky bird smell. Iâd noticed it on myself and other owls before when I could still shift. I sniffed again and found it weirdly comforting, though I guessed the burnt smell was unique to phoenixes.
Peter nodded. âI appreciate you sticking aroundâwe actually do have some more questions for you.â He glanced around at the vines, trees, and ferns that crowded close to us. âFirst upâhave you found the phoenix or any clues as to where it might be?â
Mark sniffed and rolled his dark eyes. âNone. Itâs like she just up and disappeared.â
Peter frowned. âThe bird couldnât have gotten out the open door while you and Quincy were distracted with the victims?â
Mark shook his head and blew out a puff of smoke. âIf she was loose anywhere around here and burst into flames, youâd know it.â
Yeesh. I made a face up at Peter. âNobodyâs called in any spontaneous hell fires?â
His lips twitched like he was fighting a grin. âNot yet, at least.â
Mark pointed his cigarette at me. âItâs no joke, from what I understand, when a phoenix combusts and then is born again from the flames.â
I arched a brow. âFrom what you understand? You havenât seen it in person?â
The vet shook his head.
Peter cocked his head, the large nest still on the ground between us and Mark. âSo you werenât the sanctuaryâs veterinarian for the last phoenix rebirth party?â
Mark scowled at Peter. âThat was fifty years agoâhow old do I look to you?â
I bit back a smile as my boyfriendâs throat bobbed and his cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment. The vet looked like he was in his fifties to me, fairly trim, though his stomach stuck out from his lab coat a bit, and only a few lines showed around his eyes. That was probably a fair reaction on his part.
I stepped forward and tried to distract Mark from taking offense. âSo you never met Malorieâs first husband, Richard?â
He sniffed. âNope. She hired me on after heâd already âdisappeared.ââ He made air quotes around the last word. âWorked for her about fourteen years now.â
Interesting how Mark mentioned working for Malorieânot Quincy. It seemed the new widower had been telling the truth when he said his wife didnât share a lot of the business responsibilities with him.
Peter lifted a thick brow. âYou donât believe Malorieâs husband went missing?â
Mark snorted. âI think someone knows where he is.â
Did he think that someone was his recently deceased boss? âSome people think Malorie dumped his body in the phoenixâs cage during the party fifty years ago. Could the flames from the phoenixâs rebirth have completely destroyed bone and all evidence?â
Mark took a dramatic drag of his cigarette, then leveled me a serious look. âAnything in that cageâbone, cast iron, shell, probably even that volcanic rockâit would have all been completely obliterated by those flames.â
Well, that
Comments (0)