Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Acknowledgement
Acknowledgements
Report 01: Never Take Henri to a Book Faire
Report 02: An "Easy" Case
Report 03: Digging Up Clues
Report 04: Henri Has Friends
Report 05: Interviews
Report 06: Henri Has More Friends!
Report 07: The Game's Afoot
Report 08: Brilliance and Insanity
Henri's Additional Report 1.5: Frustrations
Report 09: Rabbiting
Report 10: Why Do They Always Run?
Report 11: I Don't Want More Complications
Report 12: No
Report 13: An Evening In
Report 14: Plot Twist
Report 15: Walls Should Not Do That
Report 16: Melting Walls are Not for the Faint of Heart
Report 17: Damage Report
Report 18: Stupid is Costly
Report 19: Aliases
Jamie's Additional Report 3.0: Strawberries!
Report 20: Aftermath
Report 21: The Scheme
Report 22: The Plan
Report 23: Uh, Are We Ready for This?
Report 24: A Very Long Night
Final Report: Strawberry Extravaganza
Jamei's Notes to Herself
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Other books by Honor Raconteur Published by Raconteur House
Dear Reader,
Published by Raconteur House
Murfreesboro, TN
THE CASE FILES OF HENRI DAVENFORTH: Grimoires and Where to Find Them
Case Files 6
A Raconteur House book/ published by arrangement with the author
Copyright © 2021 by Honor Raconteur
Cover by Katie Griffin
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This book is a work of fiction, so please treat it like a work of fiction. Seriously. References to real people, dead people, good guys, bad guys, stupid politicians, companies, restaurants, cats with attitudes, events, products, dragons, locations, pop culture references, or wacky historical events are intended to provide a sense of authenticity and are used fictitiously. Or because I wanted it in the story. Characters, names, story, location, dialogue, weird humor, and strange incidents all come from the author’s very fertile imagination and are not to be construed as real. No, I don’t believe in killing off main characters. Villains are a totally different story.
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A lot of people made this book happen. In no particular order – my editor, Ash, who bore with my many, many timeline errors. Caitlin, who caught the timeline errors we both missed and offered invaluable corrections. Sally, who helped me promote the book while I was in the madness of moving across the country. And last but never least, my team of beta readers who caught the other silly inconsistencies I create while writing on the fly. You’re all amazeballs. What would I ever do without you?
Let’s not actually test it, okay. I don’t really want to know the answer.
I strolled arm in arm with my lady fair, relishing our outing immensely. It was the first day off we’d both enjoyed in well over three weeks, and when I’d mentioned to Jamie that a large faire would take place today on the Kingston Fairegrounds, she’d instantly perked up, ready to go. In truth, I was just as excited.
This was no ordinary faire, oh no. It was a book faire.
We stepped into the first of many, many large tents that covered the fairegrounds. Book vendors lined all sides with their wares displayed on tables, signs proclaiming the rarest books in their collection. I spied quite a few old favorites in their literature, a part of me pleased books I loved were still in high demand. The air smelled of leather and old paper, and really, is there anything more delightful in this world?
The place was crowded, more than a few people jostling us on all sides as we entered the main thoroughfare. Jamie stayed close to my side, her arm linked with mine, Clint at her heels and Tasha riding on her shoulder like a trained parrot. Phil was on my other arm, his eyes bright and curious as he looked all around. I enjoyed having Jamie close like this, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. We’d only been dating a short time, just through the summer season, but it still felt new to me. Wonderfully, sweetly new.
“Oh, they have a stack of children’s books over there.” Jamie tugged me that direction, her eyes devouring the titles.
Her skill with Velars was growing steadily, and she could read things well enough now. It still took her a great deal of concentration to devour the written word, and it wasn’t comfortable for her yet. I still read to her regularly in the evenings so she could enjoy a book. Storybooks and things meant for the youth, those she could read handily, and she enjoyed doing so to the young Felixes in her charge.
Both Tasha and Phil lifted their heads, then maneuvered onto the table with light taps of their paws so they could more closely examine the thin books on display. Jamie flipped through a few of them, some recognizable to her, others not.
Phil batted at one. “This one.”
I looked over his head to see the title. Trains, Lanes, and Automobiles?
“What is it about boys and things with engines?” Jamie asked. It was clearly a rhetorical question, as she lifted the book carefully out from under him and handed it to the vendor. “This one, please.”
“Of course, miss.” The vendor kept eyeing her as if trying to place her but failing to do so. Likely because his attention kept deviating to the young Felixes dancing about his table.
I wasn’t about to enlighten him. Jamie’s fame sometimes made it difficult to be out without gathering unwanted attention. Most people still seemed to fall into the categories of either being behind in the gossip, or bad at facial recognition, which gave us grace. If not for the populace’s ignorance of who this stunning woman in the light
