The Glass Coffin: The Snow White Case

By Sarah Wallace

The Carmichaels are back for another magical adventure! Agatha Christie meets the Brothers Grimm in this retelling of the classic fairy tale, "Snow White."

Life has been very quiet for Daniel and Lorelei Carmichael after their first detective case. When a beautiful widow hires Daniel to find her missing daughter, Daniel is assured the case will be very simple. But, while Daniel is busy searching for the missing girl, Lorelei takes it upon herself to learn more about the aristocratic client. The Carmichaels soon find themselves entangled in a mystery involving a ragtag acting troupe, smarmy playboys, hidden talents, and, once again, dark magic.

Will Daniel find the young Blanche Goodford? And will Lorelei discover the truth about Lady Goodford's mysterious past before it's too late?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sarah Wallace
• Release date: Nov 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311099525

Sarah Wallace

Sarah Wallace lives in Orlando, Florida with her cat. When she is not writing, she likes to watch classic movies, read books (preferably ones with happy endings), and eat chocolate chip pancakes.

Book preview

The Glass Coffin:

The Snow White Case

Sarah Wallace

Copyright 2013 Sarah Wallace

Cover Illustration by Miriam Garcia

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Author's Notes

Chapter One

A young woman just under twenty struggled to open her window without waking the household. She barely looked strong enough to lift herself out of bed, let alone slide a window up. She had straight dark hair pulled back in a slightly outdated up-do. Her eyes made her look child-like, they were so big; her round face and pouty, Clara-Bow-esque lips enhanced the effect. The only aspects of her face that made her look her age were the determined glint in her eye and the way her lips were pursed in an expression that displayed a stubborn temperament. She tugged at the window and, after some time, the window finally gave and she was able to lean out the window and breathe in the late night air. She stood there for a few moments, looking down at the lamp-lit street, and then she turned and hefted a suitcase out the window. She watched as it crashed into a bush. The suitcase was still intact so she breathed a sigh of relief and climbed out, grasping onto the lattice just outside the window. She glanced through her room to see if she had left anything important behind. Peeking in, she felt her courage falter at the thought of leaving her childhood home. She shook her head and climbed down. Once on the ground, she gathered her suitcase and crept away to the front of the house.

A light turned on above the front door. She saw a small swarm of gnats descend in hypnotic fascination toward the light before the door swung open. A man in a dressing gown and slippers peeked out the door. He saw her standing there, noted the suitcase, and smiled.

Do you have everything you need, Miss Goodford? he asked.

I certainly hope so.

You already seem better than you’ve been in months, miss. If I may say, he added.

It’s the fresh air, she said, breathing it in. You won’t tell her, will you?

Of course not, miss. And I have something for you.

She waited, curious.

He reached behind the door and pulled out a small fabric satchel.

She smiled. You found my paintbrushes. Oh, thank you, Maynard!

Your mother would want you to have them, he said.

That’s what you said when you gave them to me before, she said as she opened the bag. She reached inside. Folded between the brushes was a small wad of bills. Maynard, she said softly, you shouldn’t--

Not at all, miss, he said, smiling. A small thank you for all you’ve done for me.

She beamed, feeling tears prick at her eyes. She wiped one away.

You’d better go now, he said. I don’t want her to wake up. You know how good her hearing is.

You won’t get in trouble will you? she asked, shouldering the bag.

He smiled. Not at all, miss. Don’t worry about me. And don’t worry about her finding out; I’ll cover for you.

She might hire a detective.

He’ll pry no information out of me, miss.

She laughed.

Best of luck to you, he said.

Thank you, she whispered. She heard the door click shut as she turned. As she turned onto the street, she saw the light outside the door go out. She squared her shoulders and marched into the night.

~~~

Daniel Carmichael coughed a little to fill the silent awkwardness that pervaded Sir Reginald Graham’s office. He rubbed the tip of one shoe against the opposite pant leg.

Sir Reginald chewed on the end of his pipe as he read through Daniel’s report. Seems simple enough, he said, placing the paper on the desk.

Thank you, sir, Daniel said even though he wasn’t sure he had been given a compliment. He stood, hoping the conference was over. Shall I go now, sir?

Hmph, Sir Reginald said, cocking an eye at him. There’s something else I wish to discuss with you.

Yes, sir, Daniel said, suppressing a sigh, as he sank back into the chair. He quickly ran through the usual list of complaints: vague report, not working according to precedential procedure, giving too much privileged information to his wife.

Sir Reginald shifted through the papers on his desk.

Daniel waited, unsure of what to expect.

Sir Reginald extracted a small sheaf of papers clipped together. He cleared his throat. I have a case for you. It appears to be a simple lost person case – shouldn’t be too difficult.

An actual case? Daniel said, reaching for the papers.

Sir Reginald frowned at him. Don’t be impertinent, Carmichael, he said. Just what kind of cases do you think we investigate here?

Daniel sank back in his chair. Well, besides my first job, he said. I’ve really been doing a lot of--

A lot of what?

Daniel shrugged. Well, sir, it’s just that trailing people, scanning newspapers, and filing paperwork wasn’t what I thought--

Sir Reginald’s frown deepened. I do not think you need reminding, Mr. Carmichael, that you are a junior detective, at best. He smirked. I know you have an impressive record with us already but, as you no doubt recall, you were allowed to investigate your own case simply because the agency had no other alternatives.

No, sir, Daniel said. He didn’t need to add that he had little alternative at the time either, having only just graduated from college when he applied for the job at Shelly & Lynch, Inc., Private Investigators.

You’re still very new with us, Mr. Carmichael, Sir Reginald continued. So, I’m going to give you an easy case this time. We’ll see how you go from there. If you work according to procedure then I might let you assist a senior detective with a bigger case. Now, he said, looking through the report, We are looking for a Miss Blanche Goodford at the request of her mother, Lady Goodford. Looks like a simple runaway to me. Shouldn’t be too difficult, he said, straightening the pile against the desk.

Daniel settled himself into the chair; Sir Reginald’s tone suggested that this could take a while.

~~~

Lorelei Carmichael hummed to herself as she kicked her stocking feet in the air. She scooted further down in the armchair and looked around the room; she had run out of the things to do. The floor was swept, the surfaces dusted, the kitchen was scrubbed. Dinner was ready to be served and she had a cake in the oven. She sighed a little and scratched the top of one foot with the toes of the other. She had even polished the silverware. Lorelei was bored.

It had been two whole months since she and her husband, Danny, had returned from Dugal College for Young Ladies, having solved a case that had baffled everyone at his workplace. Shelly and Lynch had sent three of their best detectives and even the director of the Department of Magical Affairs, Lord Shelton, to investigate - no one had been able to crack the case. But, together, Lorelei and Danny had discovered where a group of students left every night to go dancing. Danny had risked being turned into a statue and Lorelei had found herself stuck in a spell that would keep her dancing for twelve years. But, Lorelei thought as she twirled her hair with her finger, it had been awfully exciting.

Now, Danny was full-time at Shelly and Lynch, which meant he was