We quickly drop Roxy back at my place and then head out to lunch. The restaurant Eli picked is a little fancier than I expected. The second I walk in, I feel underdressed. My sundress with pink flowers and my sandals are cute, but this place has white tablecloths and polished silverware, the kind of place where you almost feel like you need a degree in etiquette just to order water. Meanwhile, Lukas fits in perfectly, of course. Somehow, he managed to convince his hotel to pack up all his belongings and deliver them to my place in a taxi, which means he now has access to his shoes and his ridiculously expensive suits again. He’s wearing one now, though he’s ditched the tie and the jacket. Apparently, this is Lukas’s idea of casual. It’s so unfair that men can get away with such minimal effort when it comes to dressing up. They have so few rules. Then again, men’s fashion is so boring. They should start dressing like characters in fantasy movies and books. There is just so much more variety. It would be way more fun.
“Hey, guys! Over here!” Eli’s voice rings out, loud enough to draw attention in this quiet atmosphere. He waves at us enthusiastically, and I spot him sitting at a square four person table with Damien on his left. The hostess, who looks a little too starstruck to reprimand him for the volume, guides us to their table. I get it, though, Eli IS very nice to look at.
As we approach, I’m relieved to see that Eli is dressed casually in a button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and jeans. It makes me feel a little less self conscious about my outfit. Damien is even more casual in jeans and a black t-shirt. We slide into the seats across from them, and Eli greets us with a bright smile.
“Good to see you both. I’m glad you weren’t in that car when it caught fire…” His tone is casual, but the way he emphasizes the last part makes it clear he’s fishing for an explanation. I grin but don’t answer. It’s so much harder to deny him when he’s looking at me with that dazzling smile and pretty face, but I know better than to give anything away.
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” I tease, my tone light and playful. Eli pouts dramatically.
“Very much so. See, Dami? She won’t tell me anything!” He grabs Damien’s sleeve and tugs on it like a child seeking backup. Damien barely reacts, just shrugging and giving Eli a patient look.
“Didn’t we decide it was more important that they’re okay? You’ve already spent almost two hours coming up with theories about what happened. I thought we were done with that.” He says pointedly.
“Yeah, I finished coming up with theories, but I still need to know if I got it right!” Eli complains. Damien shakes his head, clearly amused.
“I don’t know what you expect me to do about it.” He replies dryly. Eli sighs dramatically again, throwing his hands up like he’s utterly defeated.
“Fine. But Clare, you HAVE to answer one question for me.” He insists. I raise an eyebrow, curious. Eli leans forward, fixing me with a serious expression.
“Does that dress have pockets?” He asks, then immediately breaks into a wide grin.
I can’t help it, I burst out laughing. Damien cracks a small smile, but Lukas just sighs and starts scanning the menu like he’s above all this nonsense.
“Sadly, no, it doesn’t.” I reply with a theatrical pout as I pretend to wipe away tears. Eli reaches across the table and pats my hand sympathetically. His touch sends a subtle, shivery ripple of magic through me.
“Such a shame.” He says, shaking his head.
“Laura and Rina have assured me that no dress is truly perfect without pockets. But it’s still cute. At least a seven out of ten.” He declares. At this, Lukas scoffs audibly, and Eli turns on him, grinning wickedly.
“You disagree?” He asks, clearly trying to bait him. I suppress a groan, Eli! Lukas does not need encouragement! Lukas doesn’t take the bait, well, not in the way Eli expects. He smirks and leans back in his chair, his tone maddeningly smug. “
The dress looks great, but honestly, she looked just as good with messy hair when she was half asleep this morning.” He says casually. I freeze. The statement hangs in the air for a second too long. I can feel the weight of Eli’s gaze as his eyebrows shoot up. Damien’s lips twitch like he’s trying not to laugh. My cheeks flush hot, and I kick Lukas lightly under the table then shift my hand so that it brushes against his.
*Thanks for that. Now they think we’re sleeping together.* I snap silently in my head. Lukas doesn’t even have the decency to look apologetic. He just shrugs, like it doesn’t matter. I glare at him before turning to Eli and Damien, forcing an awkward smile.
“Lukas is crashing on my couch right now.” I explain quickly. Eli nods, but the sly glance he shares with Damien tells me they’re both making their own conclusions. Damn it, Lukas!
We all order lunch, and once the food arrives, Damien pulls out a manila envelope stuffed with files and crime scene photos. He spreads them out on the table, carefully avoiding the food, and I lean in for a closer look. The photos are stark, charred walls, scorched floors, and a mess of tangled equipment. But what strikes me is how oddly intact the structure seems. The building looks like it was designed to withstand a lot.
“Is that a lab or something?” I ask, noting the sterile, industrial vibe in the photos. Damien shakes his head.
“A morgue, actually. It’s part of one of those smaller private hospitals on the outskirts of town. I got called there because of the fire damage, but it wasn’t until I was finishing up that the hospital staff realised something was… Off. Five bodies were missing.” He pauses and I frown, trying to wrap my head around that.
“You said it was written off as a prank.” I remind him. Lukas looks just as baffled.
“Surely five missing bodies can’t just be written off as a joke.” He says, his tone skeptical. Damien shrugs, his expression making it clear he doesn’t quite buy the official explanation either.
“Normally, no. But here’s the thing, those five bodies? They were all found within an hour. Scattered across the hospital. One was even in the underground parking structure. No one saw anyone moving them, and the hospital’s security footage for that timeframe is conveniently missing. A couple of hours of video just… Gone.” I exchange a look with Lukas, who narrows his eyes thoughtfully.
“And the hospital didn’t think that was worth reporting?” Lukas asks.
“They didn’t want to make it a bigger deal than it already was.” Damien explains.
“All the bodies were undamaged, nothing was stolen, and the fire itself caused minimal harm to the building. I think the management was embarrassed to be honest. They decided it must have been some pranksters, probably medical students or something. They were more worried about covering it up than investigating it.” He says with a frown. I lean back in my chair, thinking over that information.
“You said the fire was ruled accidental?” I ask. Damien nods.
“Yeah. Officially, it was blamed on faulty wiring. And, for what it’s worth, the fire didn’t spread much. It burned hot and fast in one room but didn’t touch anything else. There were no injuries, no missing equipment, no damage beyond the morgue itself.” He confirms.
“That doesn’t add up.” Lukas says, frowning.
“You’ve got missing footage, bodies moving around on their own, and a fire that behaves suspiciously. That’s not a prank. That’s… Something else entirely.” He insists.
“Exactly.” Damien agrees.
“It’s definitely weird. I told the hospital they should file a report, but they didn’t want to deal with the publicity or the questions. As far as they were concerned, it was over and done with when the bodies turned up.” He sighs heavily. I tilt my head, considering.
“And you kept all this… Why?” I question. Damien gives a wry smile.
“It never sat right with me. At the time, I didn’t know about magic, so I didn’t have a framework for what might have happened. But now that I do… Well, Eli mentioned you two are investigating missing persons cases and magical stuff. It’s not exactly a missing persons case, but it seemed close enough to flag?” His tone ticks up at the end, turning his statement into a question.
“Definitely, thank you.” I agree.