Free The Fairyland Murders by J.A. Kazimer Page B

keeping Izzy alive. But, much to my disgust, when it came down to it I couldn’t say no to either woman, princess or fairy. Fucking tears.
    Women were the downfall of every great blue-haired man.
    With a sigh, I dropped down into my office chair, still warm from the princess. Kicking my feet up on the desktop, I flipped open a book on the history of New Never City.
    â€œWhat are you reading?” Izzy asked from her seat on the windowsill.
    I held up the book for her to see.
    â€œHuh. I didn’t picture you as a history buff.” She grinned. “In fact I’m quite surprised you can read at all.”
    â€œFunny.” I set the book facedown on the desk. “In truth you’re not far off. I hate history. And therefore am doomed to repeat it. But in this case my reading is background research.”
    â€œResearch for what?”
    â€œA case.”
    She tilted her head. “What kind of case?”
    I gave a long drawn-out sigh. “You’re not going to stop talking until I tell you, are you?”
    â€œProbably not.”
    â€œFine.” I motioned to the book. “Highly trained investigators like myself often find ourselves embroiled in the darkest, most dangerous of cases. Cases filled with femme fatales willing to do anything to get what they want . . .”
    Excitement filled her voice. “This is one of those cases?”
    My gaze locked on hers. “Not even a little bit.”
    Her shoulders slumped and she let out a loud sigh. “Oh.”
    â€œBuck up, Isabella,” I said with a laugh. “While this case isn’t death defying it will pay the bills.” Eventually, I added silently, once I found the missing magic pea. I gestured to Izzy and her pink wings. “In my experience searching for a magic object beats getting strung up with dental floss by some crazy fairy.”
    â€œMy hero.”
    I grinned again. “Now, now, it isn’t that bad. I’m on a quest for a missing relic, one that hasn’t been seen in a hundred years. Me. Blue Reynolds. I feel kind of like Indiana Jones, but better looking.”
    â€œWhat sort of relic are you searching for?”
    I winced. “A pea.”
    â€œA pea?” She laughed so hard her wings shook. “Are you kidding me? Someone actually hired you to look for a hundred-year-old tiny vegetable?”
    â€œFruit.”
    â€œExcuse me?”
    I shook a finger at her. “Peas are in the fruit family. Not a vegetable. It’s a common misconception.”
    â€œFor nerds.” She laughed again. “Okay, who hired you to find a hundred-year-old fruit?”
    â€œMagic fruit,” I corrected, doing my best to look stern but failing.
    â€œOh, that makes it better.” She shook her head and chuckled again. “Sorry.” She waved her hand for me to continue. “Please go on. I’m riveted. Really.”
    I smiled too. “I’ve done a couple of jobs for Mervin; that’s my eccentric albeit rich pea-seeking client. He collects objects with certain . . . infamous histories.”
    â€œAnd this pea is one of them?”
    I leaned down, my voice barely above a whisper, “Some say it has the power to control the will of thousands with merely one wish.”
    She fingered the pendant on the necklace around her slender neck. “That’s one powerful pea. How close are you to finding it?”
    I shifted back in my chair, motioning to the history book. “I’m in what the professionals call the research phase of the investigation.”
    â€œAnd how long have you been in this phase?”
    I shrugged. “I’m narrowing in on its location as we speak.”
    â€œSo you have no idea where it is.”
    â€œMy way sounds better,” I said. “But don’t fret, my friend, I will get my pea.” With that I flipped open the book again and began to read.
    Two pages in I was bored out of my mind. The history of New Never