Free The Dark Detective: Venator by Jane Harvey-Berrick Page A

heard from back home. It couldn’t possibly be true, could it?”
    “I don’t know, Sophie. I hope it’s not true but let’s look at the facts.”
    He ticked them off on his fingers.
    “Firstly, the Brood turn up without passports and even the PTBs don’t seem able to stop them. Secondly, you agree to help me with the nest at the Ritz – and that’s not something that happens every day – a demon helping a human; and then thirdly, the PTBs bring you back and make you sign a Blood Oath so that you have to work for me. Then Ralph is dispatched before he can tell me about some amulet, and we find another Brood demon dismembering Ralph in public, in a church! None of it is exactly everyday demon practice.”
    A look of dawning horror spread itself across Sophie’s luminous face. “Oh, Max! I have an awful feeling... you could be right!”

The Book
    Max was feeling distinctly uneasy after Sophie’s lesson in demon lore and it was clear that she was more than a little rattled as well.
    “We need to find out more about the Mother,” said Max, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
    “I’m open to suggestions,” said Sophie, who sounded rather subdued.
    Max sighed. “There’s one person I can think of who might be able to help us, but...”
    Sophie looked up.
    “But what?” she said crisply. “It’s not like we have so many more appealing choices right now.”
    Max swallowed. The person he had in mind was the Professor. He wasn’t keen to reveal too much to Sophie but the truth was that the last time he and Max had met, Max had threatened to kill him with his bare hands. It wasn’t likely the Professor had either forgotten or forgiven.
    “But what?” persisted Sophie.
    “But he might say ‘no’,” said Max.
    “Is he human?” pressed Sophie.
    “I guess so,” said Max, cagily.
    “Then why on earth would he refuse to help us? We are the instruments of light and on the side of the PTBs and puppy dogs and small children and...”
    Max tried to smile but his face felt frozen.
    “Yeah, yeah. It’s just that, well, me and this guy – we have some history.”
    “Oh?” said Sophie, looking intrigued. “Go on.”
    Max shrugged and wouldn’t meet her piercing gaze.
    “Let’s just say he’s not my biggest fan.”
    Sophie looked disappointed at the lack of juicy detail in his reply – she did enjoy a good gossip, the more vitriolic the better.
    “Come on,” said Max suddenly, “we’d better get going. I’ll tell you about him on the way.”
    Sophie stood up and flinched.
    Max felt guilty. He’d forgotten that her ankle, although healing amazingly quickly, was still not up to full strength. He sighed. Having Sophie as a partner was going to get pricey.
    “We’ll catch a cab,” he said. “It’ll give your ankle a chance to heal.”
    Sophie smiled happily. She really hated travelling by public transport.
    “But don’t get used to it,” said Max. “The Yard can’t afford cab fares – this will have to come out of my salary.” What there was of it.
    “Max, darling!” she gushed. “Surely you can put just a teensy weensy little cab fare on expenses – just this once? It is an emergency after all.”
    Max frowned. His bank balance was, well, pitiful.
    “Hmm, maybe... just this once,” he said. “You know, you’re a bad influence, Sophie.”
    “Oh, I do hope so!” she said, giggling happily.
    Max flagged down a taxi on Cambridge Circus. “Maze Hill, please,” he said.
    He could tell that the driver was pleased to have such a good – which meant expensive – fare.
    The taxi zoomed through Soho, turned down to the river and chugged along the Embankment behind a queue of other taxis. Max was mesmerised by the fare counter as it steadily notched up the amount. He’d never spent this much money on a cab fare before.
    “So, tell me about this human – this man – we’re going to see,” said Sophie.
    She looked in her element, settled in the back of the taxi and reapplying her crimson