Night of the Dark Horse (An Allegra Fairweather Mystery)

Night of the Dark Horse (An Allegra Fairweather Mystery) by Janni Nell Page A

Book: Night of the Dark Horse (An Allegra Fairweather Mystery) by Janni Nell Read Free Book Online
Authors: Janni Nell
course, I’d handled other shapeshifters.
    Mrs. Gallagher might be the wrong side of seventy but she was sharp as a werewolf’s teeth. “Your first?” she guessed correctly. “Sure, you’ve a heavy load to shoulder. This pooka will not be easy to tame.”
    “I’ve faced worse,” I said, thinking of Ignatio, the evil spirit of a Spanish Inquisition torturer. The very one who was responsible for Casper’s current weakness.
    “You look as though you could do with another cuppa,” said Mrs. Gallagher. When I declined she peered at me through silver-rimmed glasses. “You look tired. Go on, go home. We’ll take care of Aedan.” She patted my shoulder with her small gnarled hand. “Don’t feel too bad about the accident. Sure, it wasn’t your fault. Some people are born unlucky. Aedan is one of them. The villagers used to talk about him being cursed. It’s understandable they’d look for a way to explain bad luck, but the truth is there’s no explanation. I’ve been wed to a doctor for fifty years. I know better than most that bad things happen to the best people. Don’t you worry about Aedan. We’ll keep him here tonight and make sure he gets home safe in the mornin’.”
    “If only I could change his luck.” I thought of my wish-pebbles and wondered whether changing Aedan’s luck would fall under Padraig’s description of a wish that was too lavish.
    Mrs. Gallagher was more pragmatic than me. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we could change things just by wishin’. But that’s not a place for healthy minds to wander. What if ? If only ... Pah! Worst words in the English language.”
    “You’re a wise woman, Mrs. Gallagher.”
    “And you’re a smart one. I’m glad the fate of Dingaleen is in your hands.”
    “No pressure, then.”
    She smiled as though she thought I could handle the pressure just fine.
    It was a relief to leave Aedan in their care. Mrs. Gallagher had been right about one thing. I was tired. Bone weary. I’d planned to head right back to Ronan’s but when I saw the lights were on in Liam’s house, I just had to stop by and ask a few questions.
    My knock was answered by a pretty woman. She was slim for someone in her early forties and had golden hair just like the twin girls who hovered behind her.
    “Go back to your homework,” she instructed. They obeyed faster than Stepford wives.
    Before I could ask to speak to Liam, she said, “Allegra Fairweather, isn’t it?”
    “Mrs. O’Reilly?” She confirmed it, but didn’t tell me her first name. I guess she didn’t want us bonding or anything. “Nice to meet you.” I was so sucking up.
    “Are you here to question me? It’s only fair to warn you I don’t believe in the paranormal.”
    “And yet you call your son a changeling,” I said.
    “Obviously we know Liam’s human. We’re not crazy. But he’s such a strange kid—talking to himself, always running away, and—well, frankly he’s not very good at school. We got into the habit of calling him a changeling. It was a joke at first, but when the girls came along...well, they’re so well behaved. The school has classified them both as gifted and there’s talk of them skipping a grade. Even as babies they hardly cried. Liam was always a challenge.”
    “Would it be okay if I spoke with him?”
    “As part of your investigation?”
    “He might have information about the pooka.”
    “You don’t seriously believe a pooka has been calling people to ride?”
    Had she been living under a rock? The whole village was talking about the pooka. Trying not to sound too incredulous, I said, “You think the pooka is fiction?”
    “Of course it’s fiction. Sure, and I know the villagers have seen something, but it’s most likely a horse escaped from a farm. At night, people imagine all sorts of things.”
    “Like nostrils snorting fire.”
    “Exactly. It’s possible to have too much imagination.” She looked at me as though I was a prime candidate for that.
    Ignoring her

Similar Books

Swimming Lessons

Athena Chills

Apocalypse Drift

Joe Nobody

Suffer Love

Ashley Herring Blake

The Dead Lie Down

Sophie Hannah

The Holiday Triplets

Jacqueline Diamond

Divided Hearts

Susan R. Hughes

The Seventh Tide

Joan Lennon

Sarah Dessen

This Lullaby (v5)